This time, Kanzaki Ren imposed strict constraints on the temporary workers.
After all, Hunters and Smokers were worth several times more than ordinary zombies. Adventurers, meanwhile, were a notoriously undisciplined and impulsive bunch. To prevent them from doing something catastrophically stupid, punitive measures had to be put in place.
That was also why Kanzaki Ren had not allowed adventurers to take on the role of the Tank.
Otherwise—
Once adventurers got carried away, who would care whether the Tank lived or died?
Losing a Tank Soul Crystal at this stage would be a devastating blow to Miracle City.
"Sign me up!"
"I'm definitely signing up!"
"I want to be a Hunter this time!"
"Even without rewards, I'm doing it!"
As expected, the adventurers were wildly enthusiastic, rushing forward to register one after another.
Especially for special zombies like Hunters and Smokers. Even with death penalties in place, their excitement remained completely undiminished.
…
Shadowvale Gorge.
Roughly circular in shape.
More than a hundred li in diameter.
Ruled by dark-race goblins.
By Kanzaki Ren's estimation, the goblin stronghold lay more than sixty li away from Miracle City. It was a first-tier dungeon called Shadowvale City, housing at least a thousand combat-capable forces.
This was the core short-term strategic objective.
If they could successfully take this dungeon, Miracle City would gain massive resources, fully dominate Shadowvale Gorge, and more importantly, acquire a new core. That would allow the territory to create a second dungeon in the future.
However—
Though it was a short-term goal,
It wasn't happening immediately.
At the very least, today's limited force was nowhere near enough to threaten Shadowvale City.
Kanzaki Ren had no intention of swallowing an elephant in one bite. The dark goblins didn't just have a city, they controlled multiple outposts throughout the gorge. These outposts were perfect initial targets.
Red Claw Village had once been one of them.
After teleporting the territory's forces to Red Claw Village and marching six or seven li northwest, they would reach Red Rock Mountain Mine, one of the dark race's key strongholds and Miracle City's objective for this operation.
Its location was critical.
It was a mandatory route for any attack on Shadowvale City.
At the same time, it was rich in resources.
If they could seize the mine and strip it clean, building an Adventurer Inn would be trivial.
One hour later.
Recruitment ended.
A total of 27 mercenaries were enlisted.
Total expenditure: 145 Spirit Power and 145 Soul Crystals.
Each Blast-Resistant Zombie cost 5 Spirit Power and 5 Soul Crystals.
Each Hunter or Smoker cost 10 Spirit Power and 10 Soul Crystals.
Remaining Soul Crystals: 684.Remaining Spirit Power: 1562.
With disposable workers, numbers added up quickly and costs rose sharply. That was why permanent monsters from the Monster Barracks were essential. Used together, the two approaches maximized cost efficiency.
Of course—
More monsters didn't automatically mean better results.
First, the Monster Barracks had a capacity limit.
Second, permanent units carried high upfront costs and ongoing upkeep. Too many would drag down the territory's finances. Quality mattered far more than quantity.
Kanzaki Ren planned to build a Soldiers' House as soon as possible.
That structure could convert contract adventurers into combat units, with no numerical limit and negligible cost. If enough contract adventurers existed, forming armies from them would be the most economical solution available.
…
That night.
The Chaos Tide receded.
Dungeon closing time arrived.
The territory's divine stone at Red Claw Village glowed brilliantly.
Dozens of figures descended from the main city, led by a massive, oppressive Tank Zombie.
"Hahaha! I'm insanely lucky!"
Lone Wolf laughed loudly.
He had drawn the Hunter role.
At the moment, he looked like a hooded man clad in black.
"My luck isn't bad either!" an adventurer named Wool Warrior said proudly, now transformed into a Smoker. "Who wants to taste my tongue?"
"Damn it!"
"That's disgusting!"
"Get the hell away from me!"
"Why don't you find a mirror? If I turned into that, I'd rather be a Blast Zombie!"
"…"
Wool Warrior snorted."You're all just jealous."
Wind in Slumber cut in,"Stop wasting time. We need to move now."
"Right!"
"The mission comes first!"
"Stick close to Big Brother Tank!"
"Yes sir! Big Brother Tank isn't like us temps. He's an officially registered territorial unit!"
"…"
Kanzaki Ren didn't personally join the battlefield.
But he could remotely control the Tank.
The sensation was very similar to playing strategy games like Red Alert, StarCraft, or Warcraft.
After a grueling march, the Tank led the 27 temporary workers to their destination: a stretch of reddish-brown mountainous terrain.
A moderately sized mining camp stood there.
Kanzaki Ren knew this was the Red Rock Mountain Mine, a dark goblin stronghold guarded by 30 goblin warriors, 50 goblin miners, and a powerful Goblin Champion.
Goblin warriors were one-star monsters.
But their equipment far surpassed that of Red Claw Village, making them exceptionally strong for their tier.
Goblin miners were weaker one-star units, but with fifty of them, they were still a formidable force.
On top of that, the Goblin Champion possessed power comparable to a four-star monster. Red Claw Village's goblin shaman had only been three-star.
This was clearly a battle where the enemy outnumbered them, and the difficulty was anything but low.
Even with a Tank Zombie—
To minimize losses, this battle had to be won through strategy, not brute force.
"There's a watchtower ahead!"
"Two goblins are on sentry duty."
"That position overlooks the mine. It's extremely dangerous for us."
"Then we quietly take them out. We need the advantage of a surprise strike!"
"…"
Under Kanzaki Ren's guidance, the adventurers scouted the area and quickly located the watchtower.
Lone Wolf and Wool Warrior volunteered immediately, planning to use the Hunter and Smoker's strengths for an assassination.
"Then it's up to you two."
"Don't worry! Mission guaranteed!"
They moved at once.
Lone Wolf, relying on the Hunter's agility, silently approached the tower, climbing up with hands and feet. He clung beneath the platform like a gecko.
Wool Warrior, the Smoker, had poor mobility but exceptional range. He climbed a nearby tree and waited.
"Get ready."
"Count to three. Move together."
"Got it."
"Three… two… one!"
From the tree, Wool Warrior unleashed his tongue, stretching seventeen or eighteen meters. It wrapped precisely around a goblin's throat and yanked it straight off the platform.
The second goblin panicked.
Before it could shout or ring the alarm—
A black shadow pounced.
Lone Wolf lunged in Hunter form, pinning the goblin down. His claws sliced through its throat, silencing it forever.
"Die!"
Lone Wolf tore into it with savage strikes, killing the unfortunate goblin on the spot.
The goblin dragged down by Wool Warrior fared no better.
After hitting the ground half-dead, it was immediately swarmed by Blast Zombies and beaten into a bloody pulp within seconds.
"Hahaha!"
"Beautiful work!"
"Special zombies are insanely useful!"
"Now we can approach the camp before those idiots even realize what's happening!"
"This run is solid!"
"…"
The operation went flawlessly.
Morale soared.
Watching from behind the scenes, Kanzaki Ren nodded in satisfaction.
Why not pour all resources into permanent monsters?
This was exactly why.
Monsters lacked intelligence. Remote micro-management had limits, and only basic commands could be issued. They were rigid and poor at improvisation.
Adventurers might be undisciplined—
But they had ideas.And plenty of dirty tricks.
After eliminating the watchtower guards, the adventurers pressed on. Using the Hunter and Smoker's abilities, they silently eliminated six more patrolling goblin warriors.
So far—
Not a single unit on Miracle City's side had been lost.
Their advantage was growing rapidly.