Soon, John received a reply.
Ritchie: “Boss, the Flame Legion has been fully established, with ten battalions. However, we encountered some issues, and the leveling process is slower than expected.”
In military terms, five soldiers form a squad, ten squads form a company, ten companies form a battalion, and five to ten battalions form a legion.
The Flame Legion was already at full capacity upon establishment, indicating high importance from the higher-ups.
Godslayer: “What issues?”
John was curious. Soldiers typically have superior physical fitness and know how to work together, so their leveling up should be rapid under normal circumstances.
Ritchie: “Mike White Family has supported several forces that frequently harass us. Some of our companies have even been pushed back to the newbie village.”
Mike White Family again!
John frowned. He was puzzled. Military movements are usually classified; how did Mike White’s forces find them?
He thought of Kevin.
In the previous life, Kevin competed with Ritchie for the position of Legion Commander of the Flame Legion and eventually succeeded.
Now, with Ritchie as the commander, Kevin should have been expelled from the military.
Godslayer: “What about Kevin?”
Ritchie: “Boss, I was going to tell you about this. I gathered a lot of evidence of his misconduct, thinking it would get him expelled. However, he was protected by another legion, the Black Tiger Legion. I investigated further; the Black Tiger Legion had no prior connection with Kevin and no known misconduct.”
He was puzzled, unable to understand why the Black Tiger Legion would protect someone as useless as Kevin.
Godslayer: “The Black Tiger Legion’s commander, Robert, is affiliated with the Griffin Family. It’s likely Kevin exposed your positions.”
Ritchie: “No way. The military has strict rules prohibiting any family influence. Also, leaking military operations is treason, a serious crime. Does Kevin have the guts for that?”
John didn’t explain further.
Robert, the commander of the Black Tiger Legion, was recruited by the Griffin Family after becoming a commander and had been hiding well.
Despite his faults, he wasn’t beyond redemption. In the previous life, he led the Black Tiger Legion in significant contributions against the monster tide.
Kevin’s actions are likely unknown to Robert, as they are probably orchestrated by the Griffin Family.
Since Kevin hasn’t left the military yet, dealing with him directly would be troublesome for John.
This matter would have to be set aside for now.
Godslayer: “Have everyone operate in squads and spread out near other level 1 towns to level up. They need to reach level 30 and achieve second-tier strength within seven days.”
Ritchie: “Got it. I’ll arrange it immediately. Boss, be careful. The Mike White Family has bribed many top players from the leaderboard. They’re actively searching for your whereabouts to take you down.”
Reading Ritchie’s message, John felt no concern.
With his current strength, even if the Mike White Family managed to recruit every top player on the leaderboard, they still wouldn’t be able to defeat him.
Ritchie’s Flame Legion had 5,000 soldiers. Even if they all reached level 30 and became second-tier, they wouldn’t be able to withstand a monster tide attack.
The last time Gaia established a city, it was in collusion with the Dark Humans, who deliberately held back.
When John built his city, the Dark Humans would undoubtedly exert their full force to prevent him from succeeding.
He needed more experts.
John turned to the two girls whispering to each other and asked, “Tracy, how are the Blues Family members progressing in their leveling?”
“Huh?” Tracy was startled by John’s question, her face inexplicably turning red. She replied, “Old man, those guys have gone crazy, especially my brother. He’s been challenging level 10 monsters with level 1 strength, saying he won’t leave the newbie village until he can kill a level 10 monster. Each of them dies an average of four or five times a day, and none of them have left the newbie village.”
“Challenging level 10 monsters at level 1?” Sini was equally surprised and nodded in agreement. “It seems Armstrong and the others have really gone mad.”
John didn’t speak, understanding why these guys were pushing themselves to the brink. He had taught them to improve their combat skills by facing death.
But wasn’t this too extreme?
With level 1 attributes, they probably couldn’t even break through a level 10 monster’s defense, only dealing 1 point of damage each time. Killing a level 10 monster at level 1 would require flawless execution, something even he would find challenging.
Forget it, it seemed he couldn’t rely on the Blues Family for now.
John allowed the Blues Family members to continue their extreme training, considering it a beneficial pursuit.
Besides the Blues Family, he also had over six hundred elves at his disposal.
While the elves were strong, their limited numbers made their assistance less significant.
“It seems I’ll have to seek help from them,” John thought, referring to the formidable beasts and monsters that had once been trapped in Death Land.
He had already made three requests, unsure if those beings would agree to them.
Putting this matter aside for now, John focused on advancing his level to 60, reaching the third tier.
Currently at level 53, he was at the top of the leaderboard, 12 levels ahead of the second- ranked Dark Angel.
“Let’s go, I’ll help you level up,” John said, sending a party invitation to the two girls and adding them to his team.
“Great!” Tracy responded excitedly. She had experienced John’s rapid leveling speed before. “Old man, I’m going to climb back up the leaderboard,” she declared with determination. Having not leveled up much in the past few days, she had fallen to level 37 and dropped out of the leaderboard.
Sini, meanwhile, was at level 31. She had focused on completing the elves’ hidden quest, and have no time to up-level.
The hidden quest awarded them with the friendship of the elves and two portions of Elven
Spring.
One portion was given to Tracy, and Sini intended to give the other to John.
However, since John had already consumed Elven Spring and wouldn’t gain any further
benefits from it.
Sini, as an assassin class, found the 100-point boost to her spirit attribute of limited help and decided to keep it for now.
The trio, accompanied by the black dragon Avis, left the Land of Elves and ventured into the Eternal Forest to hunt monsters and level up.
The forest was teeming with level 60 and above monsters, including the corrupted tree monsters. Occasionally, they encountered orc armies, making it an ideal leveling ground. The three of them sat comfortably on Avis’s broad back, enjoying the ride. [You have killed a level 75 corrupted tree monster, gaining 120 experience points]
[You have killed a level 60 mutated tree monster, gaining 70 experience points]
[Plunder talent activated, spirit +1]
…
The notifications kept coming.
Though the experience points were shared among the party, reducing the amount each
received, the girls were still very satisfied.
“Old man, I leveled up again,” Tracy exclaimed, thrilled with her rapid progress.
Sini was equally pleased, having not had the chance to level up with John in a while.
“Master!” At that moment, the deep voice of the black dragon Avis sounded, “I feel like I’m about to break through. I need to retreat and focus on my breakthrough.”
“A breakthrough?” John was surprised. Avis was a third-tier epic pet, and breaking through to the fourth tier would significantly enhance his strength. “Alright, you can retreat to Death Land for your breakthrough. Don’t worry, it won’t affect you there anymore.” John gave a simple explanation and then brought Avis back into Death
Land.
Without Avis, the three had to continue on foot, which slowed their progress considerably. Despite this, the two girls were quite satisfied.
“We snuck out, so everyone needs to stay alert and not reveal our location,” came a deep voice from within the forest, followed by the sound of footsteps rustling through the underbrush. “John, it’s orcs,” Sini noted, immediately alerting John to the movements in the forest ahead. “Should we retreat, Old man?” Tracy asked anxiously. She had witnessed the orcs’ strength in the Land of Elves and, despite leveling up, knew she still wasn’t a match for them. Moreover, this orc squad was large, with over three thousand orcs.
John, however, remained calm. “They’re here to deliver us experience points. Why would we
run?”
With that, he raised his staff and cast Rain of Fire in the direction of the sounds.
Whoosh!
Flames engulfed the forest, and the orcs’ cries of agony echoed as notifications popped up
continuously.
[Killed level 60 orc, gained 70 experience points]
[Plunder talent activated, strength +1]
…
[Successfully killed 100,000 third-tier monsters, Wrath of the Gods talent upgraded to grade
A, skill cooldown reduced by 60%]
[Next level requirement: Kill 10 fourth-tier elite bosses, upgrade Wrath of the Gods talent to
grade S]
…
John was delighted. The Wrath of the Gods talent had finally been upgraded to grade A and had unlocked the requirements for upgrading to grade S.
Killing 10 fourth-tier elite bosses would be much easier than killing 100,000 third-tier
monsters.
“Damn it! Who dares slaughter my orc tribe?” An enraged voice bellowed as a towering orc, engulfed in flames, charged out from the forest.
“It’s an orc leader!” Sini gripped her dagger tightly but quickly decided to step back behind
John.
This orc leader was a level 100 rare-quality boss, far beyond her capability to handle. She didn’t want to cause any trouble for John.
“I’ll handle this,” John said confidently, raising his staff as several spells flew out.
Fireball, Wind Blade, Thunderstorm…
“A human? You’re courting death!” The orc leader, seeing a seemingly weak human, sneered.
He didn’t bother to dodge the incoming spells.
Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions resounded as the spells struck the orc leader, producing terrifying
damage numbers.
-10129
-10085
-10114
…
The magic combo triggered twice, instantly reducing his health by over fifty thousand,
leaving him sprawled on the ground, covered in dirt and ashes.
The orc leader struggled to his feet, his face full of fear. This human had wiped out half of his
health with just one round of magic attacks.
“Attack! Kill him for me!” Realizing John’s power, he quickly retreated into the orc horde,
angrily issuing orders.
“How shameless,” John muttered with disdain as he watched the orc horde charge at him. His
staff reappeared in his hand, and he unleashed another Rain of Fire.
-13298
-13274
-13301
…
Terrifying damage numbers flashed. These level 60 orcs only had a little over three thousand
health points each and were instantly obliterated. [Killed level 60 orc, gained 70 experience points]
[Plunder talent activated, critical hit rate +1] …
The notifications kept coming as John quickly slaughtered the surrounding orcs until only the
orc leader remained.