[Spear aura]

Five spear tips penetrated the orc chief’s heart in an instant. From the beginning to the end, Zyrus didn’t give the orcs a chance to deploy a formation or use any skills. He was a master at interrupting skill casting and managing the flow of the battle.

-1000

Exp +50,000

The fallen Orc chief was a testament to his mastery over the art of war. This came at a cost though as apart from his mana and vitality, his stamina was also depleted due to spear aura.

[Level up!]

[+2 Strength]

[+1 Agility]

[+1 Mana]

“Nice, let's finish it up.” Zyrus urged as he glanced at the remaining orcs. He and Jacob had killed or wounded over half of them. After seeing that their chief was in dire straits and there was no hope for victory, a third of the remaining orcs escaped as well.

Now, only 200 healthy orcs were left to fight against the duo. Although the situation was in their favor, Zyrus had no intention to drag out the fight. The specter scorpions and goblin riders were holding off the humans, and he didn’t want a single one of them to die. Even if he subdued all the players here, it would be his loss if a goblin rider or a specter scorpion was killed.

However, Zyrus knew that just this wasn’t enough to finish off the orcs. Hundreds of healthy and even more wounded orcs remained in the gymnasium.

“Can you do a big one?”

“Sure thing.”

“We made a pretty good team huh,” Zyrus chuckled and channeled the last bits of his power. There were no strong opponents nearby, and he had called the scavenger rats for safety measures as well.

[Shackles Of Nihility]

[Fireball]

They consumed what remained of their mana, and as a result, two skills were activated one after another.

*Clank*

*Sizzle*

Blue shackles bound by black chains erupted from the ground. And as they say, misery loves company.

Yellowish-red fireballs descended from the gymnasium’s ceiling. Forget the half-dead orcs, even the humans felt as if their lives were about to end.

There were no screams or loud explosions. Zyrus’s mana acted as a catalyst for the fireball spell. The black chains remained as sturdy as ever, but the same couldn’t be said for their targets that were being incinerated by the fireball.

‘It’s more horrifying than I thought it’d be.’

Zyrus stared with wide eyes as he panted for breath. The whole area was filled with the smell of charred flesh and concrete. If this was used in an open area with other complementary magic then the overall power would be even better.

Zyrus was more specific in using this skill compared to before. By focusing the power of nothingness on the orcs’ brains, the damage he dealt was much more fatal.

‘This would be perfect for horde hunting once I have more mana.’

Both Jacob and Zyrus had their Exp filled by half. There were still hundreds of wounded orcs left, but the fight was as good as over.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The pressure on the goblin riders was lifted as well. They could easily take on five players each, but this time, it was a bad matchup.

The terrain was not favorable for them who relied on high mobility and long-range sharpshooting. The wolves were also mismatched against the spear users. If not for the specter scorpions who continuously harassed the players, there was no way they could hold off the thousand players.

Although Zyrus wasn’t participating in the battle, he had managed to dampen the players’ spirits with his ruthless way of fighting. The arrogant orcs were running away without even thinking about avenging their leader. His calculated risk had paid off well.

“W-we surrender.”

The young man was trembling in fear as he looked at Zyrus’s face. This was the first time he was facing death since the start of the tutorial. Unlike others in his camp, he was from a prestigious background.

He had practiced fencing since childhood, and luckily for him, the sanctuary had recognized it as a skill when he killed the goblins.

The rest of the month was a walk in the park for him. How to read others' expressions, how to strike a deal that was beneficial for you, how to convince others of your idea, it was all too easy for him.

Only now did he realize that his wits were useless when he was against a bloodthirsty monster. The monsters were stupid before, so it was easy to win against them with a numerical advantage. Now, however, the tables were turned.

Both humans and monsters were on the same standing in the eyes of the system. This wasn’t an RPG game where one would kill mobs and level up.

This was a war for survival.

“Why the sudden change?”

“He’s just a kid,” Jacob stated as he gulped a mana potion.

“…I agree.” Zyrus nodded as he looked at the brown-haired man. He took him for a cunning and opportunistic leader, but all of that was just a façade. Once his confidence was gone, only a twenty-year-old kid was left.

The weight of the crown was too heavy on those trembling shoulders.

“How did you survive so far?”

“I-I always won. Before this that is,” The young man replied in a dejected tone. He wasn’t as stupid as he looked right now. He knew that they had more power than their enemies right now, and they could win if he played his cards right.

However, so what? This was just the first battle, and half of his troops were already dead. He could get more players from the spawn points, but could he control them like he used to? And this was in the unlikely scenario that he lived past today.

It was too late before he realized that this was a city where an iron fist ruled above all.

“Tch.. lucky bastard. What’s your name?” Zyrus spoke after thinking for a while. He’d have killed the latter if not for the fact that his troops were lacking someone who could do the managerial tasks.

“Stephen.”

“Alright Stephen, I’ll take the surviving players. Keep in mind though, you’ll never be a leader after this.”

“I understand,” Stephen replied with a sigh of relief. Others may call him a coward, but he had no intention of dying even if it was temporary.

“What’s your crown’s ability?”

“Contract,” Stephen replied with a proud expression, which faded away in the next second.

“Yup, another moron.”

Zyrus didn’t need to ask any more questions to understand the latter’s plan. Contract was a very powerful ability, but one had to survive long enough to make use of it. It was a good thing for Zyrus nonetheless. As long as he gave Stephen a crown, he would be able to use the authority of contract, albeit on a smaller scale. This was a function that would be available on the second ring.

“Hey Jacob, lead the goblin riders and group up with the others.”

“Weren’t you going to look for the rat king?”

“The burrow rats have already found him while we were busy. I’ll send the specter scorpions and sawtooth rats to deal with that king.”

Jacob gave a quizzical look to Zyrus but didn’t ask anything else. He liked to fight with Zyrus because he was good at using mana. What he did outside of the battle was none of his interest.

Once Jacob and the remaining orcs left the area, Zyrus was left alone in the gymnasium.

Did you find him?

He’s not here

The one on the other side of telepathy was, of course, Franken. Zyrus had left him aboveground as a scout. He was looking for a troll leader who would play a huge role in his army.

The bandit like reindeer had the ability to communicate with him as long as they were in the same region. It was a waste to use him as a mere scout, but he didn’t have an alternative for the moment.

What about others?

6 orcs, 1 kobold, 4 humans, 1 rat, and an ogre

How’s the kobold?

Trash

Zyrus was disappointed after hearing the mental transmission. He had no plans to take in any orcs, and the remaining crown holders were of subpar quality.

‘Looks like I’ll have to use earth movement to find better troops.’

He had already told Jacob to remind others about his plan. They could take in 3000 more players in the outer sectors. 500 humans and about the same number of rats were already decided. He left the task of getting 1000 players to his crown holders while he himself would choose the remaining 1000.

Zyrus knew that building a foundation for your army was the focal point of this hunt. This was a golden opportunity to get strong subordinates, and he wasn’t one to miss out when he had the means to che- Ahem, take advantage of the rules.