Chapter 347 - Chapter 347: The Troll’s Abnormality, Battle Begins (2)
Chapter 347: The Troll’s Abnormality, Battle Begins (2)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Hahaha, ever since you saved me, it seems like my luck has improved a lot, and I’ve earned quite a bit of credit.” Kris chuckled at Ji Chen’s words. “So, I’ll take your words to heart. Maybe one day, I’ll even become a Legion Commander.”
As the saying goes, a soldier who doesn’t want to become a general isn’t a good soldier.
Clearly, Kris was such a good soldier, and Ji Chen quite admired this ambitious individual, or should he say, elf.
After a brief chat…
“Lord Ji Chen, are you really heading further north?”
“Yes, there are things that must be done.”
Hearing this, Kris pursed her lips but didn’t try to dissuade him. “After passing this checkpoint, you’ll be in an area where trolls roam.
We scouted it this morning and found that the trolls in this area are acting strangely. They haven’t been raiding like they did in the past few days; instead, they’ve been hiding, as if they’re planning something.
If you want to go there, you’ll inevitably have to pass through this area, so please be careful.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Chen nodded slightly and kept this information in mind.
“Thank you for the warning. 1’11 be extra cautious.”
Then, without further delay, he bid farewell and left with his army.
After passing the checkpoint, they arrived in a plain.
Near the plain’s roads were several villages, but now they were in ruins. Houses were damaged, and the ground was littered with dried bloodstains and scattered remnants, half-hidden amidst the weeds.
Clearly, the trolls had already visited this place and sown the seeds of destruction.
After passing through this grassland, which had been nearly devastated, an endless expanse stretched ahead, with dense forests so thick that hardly any sunlight could penetrate.
Walking along the forested mountain path, thin rays of sunlight struggled through the cracks in the canopy, casting dappled and swaying patterns of light between the trees. The dappled light created by the d’Alembert effect made the already tranquil forest appear exceptionally serene.
All around, the human eyes could see tree trunks and thickets. There was no sign of trolls whatsoever.
Just as Kris had mentioned, it seemed that the trolls had all gone into hiding, planning who knows what.
Maybe it was because of the troll invasion, but even the usual monsters that inhabited the area had disappeared.
Ji Chen didn’t pay much attention to this. Regardless of what the trolls were plotting, their target was the Maple Principality, not him. He was happy to continue his journey without anything getting in his way.
“March at an accelerated pace!”
With a command, the army increased their speed further.
In the absence of a water source, he had little confidence and could only urge them to exit the dense forest as quickly as possible.
Besides tasking the two talentless Monkey Gift duo to mark the location of the swamp, he also instructed them to mark the positions of various rivers, lakes, and water sources along the way.
Every time they made camp, they chose to be near a water source, allowing for resupply and giving Ji Chen a chance to recover some combat strength.
Although they hadn’t been harassed by trolls along the way, the sense of insecurity caused by their loss of combat power still made Ji Chen uncomfortable.
The ocean was his home.
In the future, unless absolutely necessary, he would try to stay close to the ocean.
With accelerated marching, they arrived at the swamp in just three days.
They began searching for traces of the marshland dragon.
The swamp was vast, about half the size of the main island of the New Moon Islands, and it was filled with muddy quagmires and dead trees. Fortunately, most of the quagmires were not knee-deep, so they could still make their way without too much difficulty.
Ji Chen took a moment to assess the situation. His combat power could recover to just under half in this swamp, which he could reluctantly accept.
His mind settled a bit.
Then, following a rule of three people per group, the Naga Berserkers and Dragon Blood Murlocs were sent out.
Soon, in the inner part of the swamp, they found large footprints imprinted in the rotten mud.
There was no doubt that these footprints belonged to the marshland dragon.
The army was regrouped, and they slowly moved forward following the footprints.
As they ventured deeper, the footprints around them became more and more numerous, and there were more and more white bone fragments floating in the mud. Many of the fragments were gnawed and shattered, leaving behind crisscrossing tooth marks.
Ji Chen’s mind stirred, and he activated the Crown of Omniscience.
This treasure had greatly aided him early on and was now playing a crucial role once again.
On the map, several red dots suddenly appeared clustered together.
They followed the traces.
Large dragons, about seven to eight meters in length, resembling small trucks, lay in the mud, dozing off.
They had four appendages resembling limbs, with thick diamond-shaped scales, robust tails resembling tree trunks, and mouths filled with sharp teeth that looked like shredder blades, all stained with blood.
[Marshland Dragon]
[Race]: Earth Dragon
[Tier]: 5th Tier, 4 Stars
[Level]: 35
[Skills]: Dragon’s Might, Dragon Scales, Charge, Bite
[Unit Traits]: Dragon’s Bloodline (Recovery ability increased by ioo%, further increased by an additional ioo% while in combat)
[Creatures with a significant dragon bloodline possess formidable defense and recovery capabilities.]
It seemed these marshland dragons considered themselves the overlords of this swamp and had little vigilance towards the outside world.
They were sleeping in broad daylight, and even Ji Chen and his group, when they approached, went unnoticed as the dragons snored loudly.
Alice whispered, “Master, should 1 enslave them as soul servants?”
Ji Chen pondered briefly and shook his head.
The marshland dragons were at the 5th Tier, 4 Stars, just one star lower than the Tyrant Azure Dragons.
However, they were purely land-based creatures, not well-suited for most ocean or amphibious units, such as the Ocean Crown. It would be better to eliminate them and obtain dragon blood crystals.
“No need for that; we just need to disrupt their actions continuously.”
Alice nodded in agreement.
The two talentless Monkey Gift duo had reported seeing over twenty marshland dragons, but there were only fifteen here. The rest were probably out searching for food or hunting elsewhere.
Dealing with fifteen was certainly more manageable than over twenty.
Ji Chen’s expression hardened.
Without further delay, he spoke in a solemn tone.
“Naga Berserkers, engage the enemy to draw their attention. Dragon Blood Murlocs, provide long-range trident support.”
“Alice, create distractions.”
“Everyone, charge!”
As he finished speaking, the army rushed forward.
Under the leadership of various unit heroes, they split into twenty groups with remarkable coordination.
Fifteen groups engaged each marshland dragon, while the remaining five acted as a reserve team, ready to assist at any moment.
The commotion caused by the charge of thousands of units couldn’t go unnoticed, even by the marshland dragons that were sleeping soundly. They began to stir, slowly opening their eyes, revealing eyes as large as copper bells. Standing up with an expression of extreme anger.
Nonsense, they were sleeping soundly and suddenly got disturbed; anyone would be grumpy when waking up.
Seeing the thousands of little creatures rushing towards them, the marshland dragons let out a low roar and launched themselves forward.
Their massive limbs stomped the ground, creating ripples in the mire, causing the earth to tremble.
This display of power was truly astonishing.
Imagine several dozen small trucks charging at you at a speed of 100 meters in seven seconds.
If these giants hit you head-on, you’d be lucky to escape with your life, let alone unscathed.
Therefore, the roles of various unit heroes were clearly demonstrated. They took their troops and decisively evaded the charge, seeking cover behind various obstacles while there was still some distance between them and the dragons.
It wasn’t until the marshland dragons finished their charge that the heroes converged on them, much like a swarm of bees.
Without proper command, this wave alone would result in at least hundreds of casualties.
As the marshland dragons finished their charge and prepared to use physical attacks, Alice took advantage of this opening and immediately activated her mind control.
With a red-tier mind control, she had the power to influence 5th Tier monsters.
The effect was immediate.
The marshland dragons suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented, and the song in their ears was like a lullaby, making them drowsy.
Meanwhile…
Within the song, there was also an uplifting power, greatly boosting the combat abilities of the Naga Berserkers and Dragon Blood Murlocs.
The bone blades contained immense force and struck the dragon scales with a metallic clash. Coincidentally, the tridents struck them and were instantly deflected.
Given that the marshland dragons had a higher tier than the Naga Berserkers and Dragon Blood Murlocs and were renowned for their strong defense, it’s not surprising that they couldn’t break through the dragons’ formidable protection..