One-Eyed Monster

Everything seemed like a dream.

Everything that should and shouldn’t have happened, had happened.

Here, Kuren and Yuga were no longer as confident as before; they were gradually being overwhelmed by what was unfolding before their eyes.

What kind of situation was this? It left Kuren and Yuga so bewildered they could no longer distinguish the real from the illusory.

Was everything happening before their eyes an illusion?

It didn’t seem so. Surely, the way everyone gritted their teeth was a manifestation of anger—an anger stemming from invasion, with the invaders glaring at them from the opposite side.

Was everything in front of them real?

Don’t be ridiculous! This was the Inner World Kuren had created. They knew very well what the real world was like.

But why did they now also feel an impulse to join the fight?

At this moment, Kuyi Tulan, the Chief of the Alchemy Workshop, demonstrated the caliber of a leader. The defenses he commanded repelled the enemy multiple times, and on several occasions, his use of the Alchemy Array known as Crocodile’s Mouth completely wiped out the enemy’s attacking formations, ensuring they never returned.

This scene was truly inspiring, causing everyone to wave their banners and cheer. The Alchemy Workshop’s formations were always astonishing; they certainly had a knack for defending the Empire’s territory.

But Yuga and the others still felt something was off. This feeling was like setting out to swim in a river but mistakenly ending up in a desert.

The contrast was quite stark, yet they didn’t know how to make sense of it.

No one could clearly explain the rights and wrongs of this situation, but there were always underlying patterns to be found.

It was just that the existing knowledge of Yuga, Kuren, and the others had been ruthlessly shattered. Now, they would need to sort through the ocean of their memories for a long time before they could come to their senses.

The impact of the Inner World was too immense; they were already unsure if the world they once knew was part of this Inner World.

Stan Sol wasn’t as conflicted as the other two. It wasn’t that he was unconcerned or lacked doubts; on the contrary, he had far too many. These unanswered doubts had, for the moment, undoubtedly numbed him. When doubts piled up, one grew desensitized, and the urgent desire for answers diminished.

Nevertheless, Stan Sol hadn’t given up searching for answers; he had merely slowed his pace. He had come to believe that the process, not the answers, was what truly mattered.

Thus, at this moment, within the vast Inner World, only Kuren and Yuga appeared somewhat bewildered, their faces etched with worry, uncertain of what to do.

The battlefield was ever-changing, especially as it was currently in a critical phase, so no one would notice Yuga and Kuren’s slight oddities.

After all, a major battle demanded their constant attention to the enemy’s movements.

”Perhaps this moment is the true showdown!” Stan Sol remarked calmly to Kuren.

In Stan Sol’s eyes, their ultimate goal was to get everyone to communicate and discuss together, and this battle was an excellent opportunity for that.

Stan Sol felt that this kind of battle scene was conducive to their communication, because only through constant attempts could one achieve results.

At this moment, Stan Sol found himself admiring Kadi a little; he felt that all of Kadi’s gains came from practical experience.

Having come to this realization, Stan Sol became exceptionally focused. He was taking the current war very seriously.

Naturally, he also stood on the defending side, as they shared common interests.

Opposite them was a numerous army, while their own forces were small and weak.

Stan Sol also knew that the opposing army couldn’t possibly keep probing forever. After all, the enemy also wanted to resolve the battle quickly; they couldn’t continue exploring possibilities indefinitely.

The purpose of their probing was, in fact, to achieve the greatest gains at the smallest cost.

Unfortunately, that path was no longer feasible.

Kuyi Tulan, with his brilliant command, had not only repelled the enemy’s probing attacks but had also inflicted heavy losses upon them.

Now, facing these ten-odd Adventurers with Class, the massive army on the other side would have to reveal some of its true capabilities.

It was impossible to rely solely on human wave tactics. Now that Adventurers with Class had joined the fray, many conventional advantages were no longer so pronounced. As long as there were enough Adventurers with Class who were sufficiently powerful, countless battles could be won by the few against the many.

However, if you were an army of tens of thousands, like these fellows on the opposing side, you could also try using this ancient human wave tactic. This monotonous method had a high probability of exhausting the enemy to death, but the cost would undoubtedly be painful.

To take down the opponent at the smallest cost was certainly what they hoped for, but this was, after all, an ideal scenario.

The strength displayed by this dozen or so individuals was still quite formidable.

The enemy’s formation began to change. It was no longer scattered probing squads but had instead formed a massive pocket formation. By the looks of it, they intended to engulf their opponents entirely.

”Their advantage lies in their numbers; our advantage isn’t apparent yet,” Kuren said. Even though he agreed with Kuyi Tulan’s defensive Alchemy Array, he still couldn’t bring himself to be confident in it.

”The enemy’s full strength hasn’t been revealed yet; they only hold a numerical advantage for now,” Yuga added. For them, this scene felt somewhat helpless.

They were still having trouble accepting the current situation.

”The enemy’s current advantage is their numbers, which is why they dare to brazenly attempt to encircle us,” Kuyi Tulan said. He didn’t feel the slightest bit of tension, because to him, this was merely a storm.

His Alchemy Workshop needed such a tempestuous baptism, so he hoped the storm would rage even more fiercely.

”Milo, it is time to test what we have researched for so many years,” Kuyi Tulan said lightly, clearly not taking the enemy’s tens of thousands of troops seriously at all.

”Yes, Chief.”

Strangely enough, people who had previously been unable to communicate were now chatting casually. What exactly caused this—whether it was because of the Inner World or the effect of the Ant Connection Spell—was currently unknown.

However, since the people of the Alchemy Workshop actually had the confidence to resist such a large army, they surely possessed some kind of trump card. So, when Milo replied to Kuyi Tulan so naturally, everyone began to anticipate the Alchemy Workshop’s next move.

Even an expert like Kevin lowered his blade…

Milo summoned his Exchange Beast. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the other Golden Seats quickly summoned their own Exchange Beasts as well.

Were they going to use these Exchange Beasts against a massive army?

That would be too much of a joke!

Could mere ants, field mice, and bats possibly resist an army of tens of thousands?

What a joke!

No one knew what tricks the Alchemy Workshop had up its sleeve. They only saw these Golden Seats from the Alchemy Workshop busily moving about.

A battle of unequal strength had begun; the iron hooves of the enemy’s mounts were already trampling this land…