Although the Tank Zombie's presence was overwhelmingly intimidating, Kurohone was a veteran of countless battles and reacted with astonishing speed, immediately hurling a bone spear to launch an attack.
Whoosh!
Direct hit on the shoulder!
Muscle that even bullets struggled to piercewas penetrated several inches deep.
Kanzaki Ren had already done his best to control the body to dodge, but he still couldn't completely avoid the attack. Fortunately, he managed to evade any vital areas.
Kurohone was at peak Tier-1 strength.
Equivalent to a five-star dungeon monster.
He existed on the same level as the Tank Zombie.
When two combat forces of the same tier clashed, victory was uncertain. Still, stalling for some time was not a problem.
Without waiting for Kurohone to throw a second spear, Kanzaki Ren charged forward at full speed like a battle tank at maximum throttle. He swung a thick tree trunk with both hands and smashed it straight toward his opponent.
Kurohone was extremely agile.
He rolled away, narrowly dodging the attack.
Locking onto the Tank Zombie's head, he threw another bone spear.
The Tank Zombie was slower than the goblin, so Kanzaki Ren simply stopped dodging. He raised his left arm to block while swinging the tree again with his right hand. Dirt and shattered wood exploded outward as the blow sent Kurohone flying more than ten meters away.
Blackstone Hammer King: "The enemy leader's been pinned down!"
Kaze Nemuri: "Perfect chance. Clear the fodder now!"
As the Tank Zombie battled Kurohone head-on, the adventurers surged forward in full force.
Most of the human side consisted of Blast-Resistant Corpses, the strongest all-around choice among one-star zombies. Although their armor was solid, the goblin soldiers were well-equipped and vastly superior in numbers.
At that moment, a pale, skeletal female zombie with disheveled hair appeared on the battlefield.
Nekomi Momo shouted, "Yukari! It's all up to you!"
The instant a reckless goblin soldier thrust a short spear toward Shirasawa Yukari, a shrill scream pierced the air. Before he could even react, his heart had already been ripped from his chest.
Yukari crushed the still-beating heart in her hand.
Her eyes burned with excitement and exhilaration.
"So this is the Witch's speed and burst power? I've never used a Tier-1 Essence Soul this effective before. This power feels incredible!"
Nekomi Momo: "Yukari is amazing!"
White Fawn: "Go! Kill all those filthy goblins threatening Miracle City!"
"Exactly what I was thinking!"
Yukari fully unleashed the Witch Zombie's power. Her movement speed far exceeded what ordinary goblin soldiers could react to, and the sharpness of her claws effortlessly tore through goblin leather armor and even weapons.
Wherever she passed—
Blood sprayed.Limbs flew.
The other adventurers were completely stunned.
"So strong!"
"This is the real value of a five-star monster?"
"High attack, high agility, low defense. Witches are perfect against goblins!"
The adventurers were outnumbered.
But with such a terrifying DPS on the field,
they quickly seized the advantage.
It was fast.
Less than five minutes.
The goblin soldiers were completely slaughtered.
Corpses littered the battlefield. Yukari alone had killed nearly twenty. Most of those she struck were torn apart beyond recognition. She was unquestionably the MVP of the battle.
"That felt incredible!"
"Shirasawa Yukari really stole the spotlight!"
"Witches really are insane. I'm contracting a Witch in the future for sure!"
"..."
After wiping out the goblin soldiers, the adventurers rushed to support the lord. By then, the duel between the Tank Zombie and the goblin leader was already nearing its conclusion.
Both were five-star combatants.
If it had been an ordinary Tank monster unit, mindless and overly violent, it might not have been able to defeat Kurohone.
However—
Under Kanzaki Ren's direct control,
the Tank Zombie had the edge.
After all, its physique could withstand sustained assault-rifle fire.
Kurohone's spear throws were powerful, but as long as they didn't hit a vital point, they were rarely fatal. Kanzaki Ren focused on protecting critical areas and never gave his opponent a killing opportunity.
When a Witch, two Hunters, and nearly twenty Blast-Resistant Corpses surrounded him, the battle lost all suspense.
Kurohone had exhausted his bone spears and was badly wounded. Facing Miracle City's monster encirclement, despair and disbelief filled his eyes.
"This… isn't possible…"
A dungeon not even a month old—
How could it possess such numbers and such terrifying strength?!
Kurohone realized he had made a fatal mistake.
He had underestimated this human lord.
This one was nothing like any he had encountered before.
Either this lord was an unparalleled genius among lords, or he had the backing of a massive power or noble clan—or perhaps both—which explained such explosive growth.
Without any further delay,
Shirasawa Yukari joined the fight.
Two five-star combat forces versus one.
Kurohone only managed to hold on for a few exchanges before the Witch Zombie's claws pierced his heart. Filled with hatred, regret, and unwillingness, he collapsed for good.
"Yes!"
"We won!"
"I feel like the Dark Race isn't that impressive!"
"No. It's not that they're weak. A goblin like this could become a Dark City Lord in some weaker Tier-1 regions. Here, he's just a subordinate commander."
"Exactly. It's not the enemy that's weak—it's us who are strong!"
"..."
This battle—
The enemy was completely annihilated.
Eighteen ordinary zombie units were lost.
The cost wasn't low, but eliminating fifty Dark soldiers—including a five-star combatant—made this an overwhelming victory by any standard. The adventurers were more than satisfied.
Still, a hint of unease surfaced.
Shirasawa Yukari: "That Dark Goblin was only a subordinate commander. If even he had five-star strength… could the Dark Lord already be Tier-2?"
Kaze Nemuri: "It's possible."
Solitary Blade said grimly, "Dark Races have strict hierarchies. A Dark Lord wouldn't be weaker than his subordinates. If a lieutenant is at peak Tier-1, the lord himself likely reached Tier-2."
Blackstone Hammer King: "What? No way. This is clearly a Tier-1 region. That would be incredibly rare!"
Kaze Nemuri: "Rare doesn't mean impossible."
Indeed.
The Chaotic World followed rigid rules.
Each region of the Chaotic Continent was relatively independent, like maps in a game.
Every region had a tier level.
More importantly—
Each map had a level cap.
High-tier units could freely enter higher-tier regions, but entering lower-tier ones was heavily restricted. Only under special circumstances could they do so temporarily.
Of course, high-tier beings could forcibly enter low-tier regions.
But doing so required counteracting or avoiding backlash from the laws of the world.
The most common method was suppressing one's cultivation to match the region's tier.
But just like a dragon stranded in shallow waters, such suppression erased most advantages and left safety unguaranteed. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would do this.
Thus, in a Tier-1 region like Umbral Valley, encountering Tier-2 units was extremely rare.
Low-tier beings were usually safe.
However, these rules only restricted outsiders.
If a high-tier unit was born locally and broke through naturally, it was not restricted.
That was why—
The Chaotic Continent resembled a massive interlocking puzzle.
For a top Dark Lord to stabilize a vast territory, they had to cultivate layers of subordinate lords, ensuring every tier had powerful agents.
If the Dark Goblin Lord truly was Tier-2, then within a Tier-1 region like Umbral Valley, he would be overwhelmingly dominant—strong enough to pose a serious threat to Miracle City. No wonder the adventurers were uneasy.
Kanzaki Ren, however, was completely unconcerned.
Since he chose to build his city here, he naturally had confidence.
He could already confirm that the Umbral City Lord was Tier-2—but there was only one such enemy.
The second stage of the Frenzy Secret Realm had begun deploying elite two-star Flamethrower Trackers. The third stage already featured elite four-star G3 Complete Forms. Meanwhile, Miracle City was about to unlock Tier-2 facilities.
As long as adventurers kept farming souls—
Miracle City would soon possess Tier-2 combat power!
"No need to worry. A mere goblin can't threaten Miracle City."
Seeing Kanzaki Ren's confidence,
the adventurers quickly regained theirs.
"True!"
"Miracle City's dungeon protection period still has over twenty days left!"
"With Lord Kanzaki's talent and ability, how could he lose to a goblin lord?"
"At Miracle City's growth rate, in twenty days we'll easily have thousands of people. We could bury that Dark Lord with sheer numbers!"
"Let's work together!"
"Crush the Dark Race!"
"..."
Kanzaki Ren was very satisfied seeing their morale soar.
An external enemywasn't necessarily a bad thing.
A sense of crisis united the inside and pushed adventurers to submit resources more actively.
Still, Kanzaki Ren didn't plan to wait twenty days.
He needed to seize Umbral City as soon as possible and claim a new lord core to create his second secret realm.
His only frustration was—
When would these adventurers finally farm Tier-2 Essence Souls?
At the end of the day, they were still too weak. Miracle City needed true elites to raise farming efficiency.
The problem was—
Blackstone Town was small.
Top-tier adventurers were extremely rare.
With no better option in the short term, Kanzaki Ren could only remain patient and wait.