Cheng!

    Wild grass covered the ground outside Caleb''s territory, and nameless, useless trees grew densely together.

    The atmosphere in the territory was dim and eerie, as towering trees and thick vines blocked out most of the light, making the place resemble a miniature version of the Dark Forest.

    Inside the house, the sharp sound of something shattering rang out. In the otherwise silent space, the noise was even more piercing.

    "Dammit!" Caleb roared with all his might, his voice filled with fury and madness.

    Fortunately, each Lord''s territory was more than a hundred meters apart, so no one could hear him.

    His scream carried nothing but rage and insanity. Never before had he felt fear or bowed his head to anyone.

    Even if he were to submit, it would only be to those stronger than him—those of a much higher rank.

    Even if a rank D Lord stood before Caleb, he wouldn''t necessarily lower his head.

    Yet today, a mere rank F Lord had humiliated him, forcing him to bow and unable to fight back.

    In a rage, Caleb began destroying the furniture in his house.

    He and his Stone Golem had handcrafted the furniture. Though crude and unsightly, at the very least, it was functional.

    After all, when they arrived in this place, all Lords had to start from scratch—no furniture or tools to aid them in daily life.

    And yet, in his fury, Caleb shattered everything he had painstakingly built with his own hands.

    For the first time since becoming a Lord, he was consumed by such uncontrollable rage.

    "Dammit!" Caleb bellowed again.

    After venting his anger, he collapsed onto the ground, his face exhausted.

    At last, he began to calm down.

    Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, he recalled everything he had witnessed that day.

    Ultimately, he had no choice but to accept it as the truth.

    No matter how unbelievable those things were, he had to believe them—because he had seen them with his own eyes.

    High-rank Skeletons, wielding enough power to defeat his rank D+ Stone Golem.

    And beyond that, Noan possessed some kind of monstrous entity, something so powerful that it could easily kill him.

    At this moment, Caleb realized how foolish he had been to provoke Noan.

    And he realized just how overconfident he had become, daring to prance around in front of Noan, believing himself to be the strongest.

    Sitting on the ground in despair, Caleb felt like a complete fool, while this entire region seemed like a massive circus.

    And who was the audience? None other than Noan.

    "Caleb?!"

    A voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.

    Click!

    Some even had unique abilities that strengthened their monsters beyond normal limits.

    "No way!" Caleb shook his head again, dismissing the idea. "No matter how strong a talent is, it can''t enhance a rank F monster to the point where it can defeat a rank D+ level 3 monster."

    He let out a weary sigh. Once again, everything led to a dead end.

    He simply couldn''t understand how Noan had obtained such powerful monsters.

    "Caleb!" Anna suddenly spoke up. "Why did you go to meet Noan? Did something happen?"

    Caleb didn''t hide anything from her. With another sigh, he said, "Do you remember the zombie horde I told you about before?"

    Anna nodded, staying silent, waiting for Caleb to continue.

    Caleb continued, "The zombie horde is growing larger. Previously, their numbers were around 5,000, but now they have risen to nearly 6,000."

    "If this continues, their numbers will reach an unimaginable level. If they attack this region, I fear no one will survive."

    "But the number of Lords in this area has also increased significantly—over 200 people. Are you saying we still can''t win?" Anna asked, confused.

    Caleb shook his head. He knew that Anna didn''t fully understand the sheer horror of the zombies.

    But he did. He knew just how terrifying they could be.

    Forget about their numbers or the existence of rank E and D zombies. Just the fact that they carried the zombie virus was enough to illustrate their true horror.

    If a Lord commanded troops made up of Skeletons or Golems, then perhaps they wouldn''t need to worry about this issue.

    But imagine what would happen if a Hero got even the smallest wound—just a scratch. That alone would be enough to turn them into a zombie.

    And once they became zombies, they would transform into tireless, fearless killing machines.

    "Even with so many Lords, they''re all just rank E and F. How could they possibly resist an army like that?" Caleb said, exhaustion in his voice.

    "Then why did you seek out Noan?" Anna asked. "Even if he is a rank D Lord, against a horde of that size, he wouldn''t be able to do anything either."

    Caleb shook his head. "I don''t need him to fight. I need his ability to bring food from outside into this region."

    "You mean..." Anna still didn''t fully grasp Caleb''s intent.

    "It''s simple," Caleb explained. "If he can bring food from outside, he might also be able to bring in other things."

    "If he can bring in monster cards—even just rank E ones—it could be the key to overturning this battle that we are certain to lose."

    "But..."

    Caleb didn''t finish his sentence. Instead, he let out a sigh.

    Anna''s expression shifted slightly, her eyes flickering with an odd emotion.

    "Caleb, didn''t he say you had to bring him a gift when you meet him again?"

    Caleb frowned, puzzled. "That''s right. Why?"

    "Caleb, don''t you understand what he meant?" Anna suddenly smiled.

    Her smile was strange, but Caleb didn''t overthink it.

    After all, Anna had been with him for a long time. She was someone he trusted completely, so he never doubted her.

    Anna continued, "What Noan meant was... you need to bring something that interests him in exchange for that secret."