82: Chapter 82: The Legendary Behemoth Appears!

Ding!

[Combat Settlement!]

[Targets Killed: Mineral Vein Guardian × 647]

[Basic Drops: ...]

[Talent "War Gift Level 13" Triggered! All Loot Quantity × 14!]

[Final Acquisition: Mineral Vein Guardian Remains × 9058, ...]

[Combat Rating: A]

[Rating Details: Zero Casualties, Winning Against Stronger Force, Efficient Annihilation.]

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Hero "Tian Ming" Leveled Up! 30 → 32!]

[Hero "Bull" Leveled Up...]

Xu Qin looked at the settlement panel and shook his head slightly.

The rating was A, not S.

Although the details noted "Winning Against Stronger Force" and "Efficient Annihilation," it just didn't give an S.

Xu Qin guessed it was likely due to his overwhelming troop advantage.

"Thirteen thousand against six hundred; even with zero casualties and total annihilation, it doesn't count as winning against superior numbers."

"The threshold for an S-rating probably requires adding a 'troop disadvantage' condition."

Fine.

He wouldn't force an S-rating.

Regardless, he was still getting the resources and the experience.

"Tian Ming! Start moving!"

Elite Troglodytes swarmed out and began loading the nine thousand plus Mineral Vein Guardian remains onto carts to transport them to the treasury.

Sixteen heavy Bone Transport Carts were fully loaded and operating, shuttling back and forth through the eight tunnels.

The transport efficiency had increased several times over compared to before.

Xu Qin walked up to Tian Ming.

"Following the plan, continue digging."

"As soon as a Mineral Vein Guardian appears, the Troglodytes will stop, and the army will move up to wipe them out. Once finished, continue digging."

"Advance cautiously; do not be greedy for merit and rush forward."

Tian Ming acknowledged the order.

The nine thousand strong Undead Army redeployed, surrounding the mineral vein cavity in a large circle.

The melee units were in the front row, with the Stitched Bone Beasts in the first echelon.

Ranged units and Liches were in the back row, maintaining a safe distance.

Elite Troglodytes moved forward and continued digging.

Rumble!

The guardians spawned again. This time, there were more. Over eight hundred.

But under the pressure of nine thousand elite undead...

Two minutes later, they were completely wiped out.

Ding!

[Combat Rating: A]

Seeing this, Xu Qin laughed and said:

"This is the most satisfying way to fight."

He sat back down on the bone chair of the command platform and crossed his legs.

"After we hollow out the entire mineral vein and before we fly away, we'll leave a few dozen pits to keep spawning guardians."

"Need to level up new heroes? Just bring them over to grind."

"What a great training ground."

Over the next two hours, the Undead Army wiped out four more waves of Mineral Vein Guardians.

Each wave was larger than the last.

From eight hundred, to twelve hundred, to fifteen hundred.

Yet, the result of every wave was zero casualties.

There was no helping it; the Bone Beast's health-locking ability was too bugged. The line could not be broken, allowing the melee and ranged units in the back to output damage without any pressure.

Sixteen Bone Transport Carts, fully loaded with eternal source crystal and Mineral Vein Guardian remains, shuttled back and forth through the eight tunnels.

The numbers in the treasury soared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Watching the numbers jumping on the resource panel, Xu Qin felt so satisfied that his eyes narrowed slightly.

But just then!

Boom!!!

An unprecedented tremor erupted from the depths of the mineral vein.

The command platform beneath Xu Qin's feet shook violently.

On the command panel, a red warning box suddenly popped up.

[Warning! Extremely high-danger level creature detected!]

[Location: Mineral vein core area!]

[Threat Level: ???]

Tian Ming's voice came through simultaneously.

"Master! An extremely dangerous creature has appeared in the center of the mineral vein! Its size... is enormous!"

Xu Qin immediately gave the order:

"The entire army is to retreat into the tunnels and enter the escape side-paths! Seal all tunnel entrances!"

The moment the order was given, the thirteen thousand undead retreated simultaneously.

Each tunnel had a pre-set retreat route.

Elite units poured into the side-paths in an orderly fashion. The Stitched Bone Beasts, being the largest, took the dedicated wide-body tunnels.

Within thirty seconds, the entire mineral vein cavity was empty of troops.

Elite Troglodytes rushed to the eight tunnel entrances and began filling them with dirt.

Ten seconds later, all eight tunnel entrances were completely sealed.

Xu Qin hurriedly switched the view to the Sand Rat's perspective.

He saw the central area of the mineral vein.

That huge crystallized mountain was cracking open from the middle.

An orange beam of light shot out from the crack, illuminating the entire cavity.

Then...

A limb that looked to be five meters long stretched out from the crack.

Eight thick limbs pried open the crack, and a colossus over twenty meters tall squeezed out from the core of the crystallized mountain.

Xu Qin's pupils constricted sharply.

The panel popped up.

[Source Essence Giant Beast]

[Quality: Legendary (Orange)]

[Level: ???]

[Attack Power: ???]

[Defense: ???]

[HP: ???/???]

"Good grief, it's all question marks!"

Xu Qin swallowed hard.

"What stage of monster am I even fighting?"

Indeed, Xu Qin suspected that he might have dug up end-game resources ahead of schedule.

After the Source Essence Giant Beast fully crawled out of the crack in the crystallized mountain, it let out a roar.

Roar!!!

The sound waves echoed within the mineral vein cavity, causing even the sealed tunnel entrances to tremble.

Immediately after, this twenty-meter-tall monster suddenly accelerated, charging toward the number one tunnel entrance.

Bang!!!

The giant beast slammed its head into the tunnel entrance.

Gravel splattered everywhere!

Although the tunnel entrance was ten meters wide, its twenty-plus-meter-tall body couldn't fit, meaning its limbs couldn't reach inside at all.

It took two steps back and slammed into it with full force again.

Bang!

It still couldn't get in.

The tunnel walls were the main body of the mineral shell, made of the exact same material as its own body.

The hardness of the eternal source crystal mineral shell was such that even a +40 Troglodyte would need to exert great effort to chisel through it.

Although this giant beast had a terrifying size, thinking it could break through a dozen-plus-meter thick mineral shell with brute force?

That was pure wishful thinking.

Watching it pace back and forth in front of the number one tunnel entrance, failing to break through even after slamming into it three or four times, Xu Qin saw it angrily turn and run toward the number two tunnel entrance.

Then came the third, and the fourth.

But no matter which one it rammed into, the result was the same.

A twenty-meter-tall body, a ten-meter-wide hole; it simply couldn't break through.

Xu Qin sat on the bone throne, unable to hold back a laugh.

"Ha!"

He turned to look at Tian Ming.

"Tian Ming, did you see that?"

"What an unexpected delight."

"My plan to dig tunnels to extract ore has unintentionally trapped this big guy in a cage."

Tian Ming's soul fire flickered as he bowed slightly and replied:

"All of this is due to Master's brilliant foresight."

"This Source Essence Giant Beast was originally designed to jump out from the core of the mineral vein and attack when invaders broke through the mineral shell from the surface to conduct large-scale mining."

"But Master did the opposite, using underground tunnels to infiltrate and mine. This not only ensured the safety of the troops but also utilized the hardness of the mineral shell to restrict the giant beast's size advantage."

"It could be said... using their shield to defend against their spear. There is absolutely no... flaw."

Xu Qin was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Tian Ming, oh Tian Ming! Who did you learn this skill of flattery from?"

"However..."

"I must admit, it sounds quite satisfying. Hahaha!"