In the blink of an eye, three hours had passed.
During this time, Zhao Lun and his forces had only managed to hunt down about twenty Bronze-level Nether Beasts. Their efficiency wasn't much better than in the previous hour, and the harvest was far from satisfying.
But that didn't matter—Zhao Lun hadn't mobilized all his legions to maximize beast kills. His true purpose was to resolve the sudden outbreak of the Nether Beast Tide.
With that goal in mind, wasn't it a good thing that the beasts were getting fewer and fewer?
In these three hours, Zhao Lun's three Level-10 skeletons had also emerged from their breakthrough state. However, only two of them succeeded in evolving to the Bronze level. The last one failed, unfortunately. But it wasn't a total loss—the failure didn't cause any damage, and with enough time and energy, it could try again.
That said, if that skeleton wanted another shot at breaking through, it would have to earn the points to redeem its own "core." After all, Zhao Lun was a lord, not a babysitter—he wasn't going to spoon-feed every skeleton under his command.
The two successful Bronze evolutions—one a greatsword skeleton, the other a spear-wielding one—were both of ordinary grade, but compared to a Level-10 skeleton, their strength had increased manyfold. Zhao Lun was quite satisfied with their combat performance.
But just as he was feeling pleased, something unexpected happened.
"Roaaar…"
That same beastly cry rang out again, sharp as always—but this time, it carried an arrogant, almost bratty tone.
(Did Zhao Lun go too long without sleep, or was he really able to hear sass in a monster's roar?)
"So it's still lurking, huh?" Zhao Lun's flame-like eyes flickered as he let out a cold chuckle. "Then let's see you show yourself this time."
Right after he spoke, a rustling noise echoed through the forest. Dozens of Nether Beasts surged out from the direction of the "Violet Brambles"—and shockingly, every single one of them was Bronze-level and brimming with energy.
But Zhao Lun didn't pay much attention to the horde. His gaze locked onto just one beast. He knew—it was the true culprit behind all of this.
This wasn't a bone-type Nether Beast. It was a biological one. But unlike most Bronze-ranked beasts, this one was tiny—only half a meter in length. Its sleek, jet-black fur gleamed in the dim light, and a small, triangular head with a pointed snout housed two intelligent, shimmering eyes.
Zhao Lun's eye-flames flared. Instantly, he cast "Sense"—a spell so fast the little creature couldn't dodge. The double-mutated version of the spell successfully retrieved the data Zhao Lun wanted.
Dark Nether Fox
Race: Intermediate Nether Beast
Level: 12 (Bronze) — Excellent
Talent: Charm, ???
Skills: ???
Description: Clearly still in its juvenile stage. Encountering it is just bad luck. It holds grudges, and if it escapes… let's just say, you're in for a headache.
The system was becoming more and more "human"—even the descriptions carried emotional undertones now.
As the small fox bared its fangs at Zhao Lun, clearly aware it had been scouted, Zhao Lun's eye-flames flickered again.
"So this is an intermediate beast—and it's already at Bronze while still in its juvenile stage?" Zhao Lun murmured. "Interesting…"
"Rooaaar!"
The little fox screamed in frustration when it saw Zhao Lun ignoring it. Then, without warning, the horde of Bronze beasts under its command charged at Zhao Lun like a tidal wave.
This little fox truly lived up to its cunning reputation. Earlier, it had rallied the Nether Beasts of Zone 1 to attack Zhao Lun. While Zhao Lun was distracted dealing with them, the fox had used its "Charm" talent to quietly recruit a whole gang of low-tier Bronze beasts as its own private army.
Its original plan had been to attack after Zone 1's beasts had worn Zhao Lun down. But when Zhao Lun had cast "Boneguard", the fox sensed danger and decided to hold back, lying in wait.
Still, it didn't waste those three hours. The fox camped between Zhao Lun and the Violet Brambles, and every time a Nether Beast emerged, it would rush in to charm it—occasionally letting a few slip past to keep Zhao Lun from noticing its scheme. Only after it was confident that it had amassed enough strength did it finally show itself.
Now, as its minions swarmed toward Zhao Lun, the fox seemed to envision his annoying skeletons being torn apart. It jumped up and down in excitement…
But its celebration was short-lived.
"Eye of the Demon."
Zhao Lun rarely used his staff, but this time, he raised it high—and a basketball-sized, bloodshot eyeball materialized above his head.
The eerie eye swiveled once, twice, then began unleashing beams of crimson light—one after another, over thirty in total—slicing through the air like lasers.
When the light show stopped, so did the charging beasts.
Too terrifying.
In mere seconds, over half of the Bronze-level beasts had been vaporized by the demonic eye's beams.
The little fox hadn't expected this at all. It froze mid-leap, eyes wide with disbelief as it stared at Zhao Lun—then let out a panicked, high-pitched screech.
"Rooaaar!!" (Translation: Nope, I'm out! The outside world is way too scary—I'm going home!!)
It turned tail and bolted, but before it could even take a few steps, a skeletal hand reached out and effortlessly scooped it up.