Zhisse was overjoyed, its front legs flailing as if eager to engage in battle immediately.

    Noan looked towards the remaining Skeletons. After using six F+ rank Skeletons, he still had seven left. Including the one that remained from the previous day, he had eight F+ rank Skeletons.

    At this moment, his remaining forces consisted of two F-rank Skeletons, eight F+ rank Skeletons, and one E-rank Skeleton.

    Lacking sufficient materials, he had no intention of continuing the fusion process but instead left these Skeletons to guard the territory.

    As for Noan, he took Zhisse and the Abyss Cube, which was currently a bracelet and headed to the plaza.

    ...

    In the Gloomy Forest, Vylyss led the monsters summoned by Noan and began clearing out the zombies in the area.

    For them, this task posed no challenge at all.

    The forest was infested with zombies, most of them animal-type.

    From rabbits and deer to tigers and wolves... all had turned into zombies.

    They even encountered a zombie bear. However, none of these creatures could withstand the overwhelming power of Vylyss and Urlgan.

    It was crucial to understand that even in the "Anomaly Point," Vylyss and Urlgan were among the strongest, capable of taking down a Zombie Hunter.

    Because of this, they were like two bosses stepping into a beginner''s village.

    The ordinary zombies in this place were no match for them.

    They had been incredibly powerful before, and after being upgraded to level 1 by Noan, their strength had increased exponentially.

    In fact, Vylyss did not need to fight—Urlgan slaughtered the zombies effortlessly, like a lone wolf among a flock of sheep.

    Vylyss sat upon a chain suspended between two rifts in the air.

    With her legs crossed and one hand resting on her chin, she wore an expression of laziness and boredom as she watched everything unfold.

    "Lady Vylyss." At that moment, Urlgug approached, bringing Urlgan along.

    Upon seeing them, Vylyss responded, "Is it done already?"

    "Yes." Urlgug bowed and respectfully replied, "Within a five-mile radius, I can guarantee there are no remaining zombies."

    Standing behind Urlgug, Urlgan—despite his massive physique—wore an expression of confusion, a stark contrast to the rage and bloodlust he displayed in battle.

    He scratched his head, looking at Urlgug with puzzlement as if silently questioning why he was showing such reverence toward Vylyss.

    Urlgug, however, had no intention of explaining further. He acted with such respect toward Vylyss because he understood that she was Noan''s woman.

    Since Noan was his master, Vylyss was naturally his mistress.

    The mere fact that Noan had entrusted Vylyss with leading them to establish a separate base here was proof that she had assumed that role.

    Vylyss, of course, understood Urlgug''s thoughts—and naturally, she relished it.

    Urlgug retrieved a small cloth bag as he spoke, "Lady Vylyss, these are the energy crystals I''ve collected."

    Something so simple and obvious, yet he still couldn''t grasp it.

    It made Urlgug worry that one day, Urlgan might be tricked by someone.

    This isn''t good! I need to keep an eye on this idiot. If someone deceives him, that''s one thing. But if he gets manipulated into betraying Master, that would be disastrous.

    The thought sent a chill down Urlgug''s spine, and he always decided to keep Urlgan within sight.

    Urlgan had disappeared once before, and when he returned, he had almost attacked Master.

    Even though it wasn''t intentional, it proved how easily he could be deceived due to his naive nature.

    Urlgug furrowed his brow and said, "From now on, you stay right next to me. Understood?"

    Urlgan didn''t understand, but he could only nod.

    No matter how strong he was, Shamans held an extremely high status in the High Orc tribe.

    Because of that, Urlgan didn''t dare argue and simply nodded in confusion.

    ...

    At the plaza.

    Though it was called a plaza, the place was rather simple. It was merely an open field, with a makeshift platform over a meter high constructed from branches and wooden planks standing in the center.

    Noan had explored the surrounding area and discovered it was enclosed by tall, ominous mountains.

    The easiest way to leave this place was through a path leading eastward from the plaza.

    That path led to a canyon, with cliffs towering over a hundred meters on either side. Deep within the canyon, there seemed to be some creature far more terrifying than zombies standing guard—no one had ever made it through.

    However, this was merely speculation, as no one had ever successfully left this region.

    Why?

    From what Noan had heard from the surrounding lords, the path leading to the canyon was blocked by an invisible wall.

    No matter their methods, they couldn''t break through that unseen barrier.

    Some groups had tried to take an alternate route—climbing over the mountains.

    However, that path was even more perilous. The forest was teeming with beast-type zombies, far stronger than human-type zombies.

    There were even numerous D-rank zombies lurking in the woods.

    Considering that all the lords here were only F-rank or E-rank, a D-rank zombie was a nightmare to them.

    Even if their strength was on par, the infectious nature of the zombie virus meant that a single wound—no matter how small—could become a fatal injury.

    Because of this, no one dared to risk venturing into the Gloomy Forest.

    In the end, they were all trapped here.

    To put it more accurately, this place was nothing more than a giant cage, and they were pitiful beasts locked inside.