Chapter 47: The First Hero — Knight-Uther (Part 1)

Deep within a dense forest about ten kilometers west of the Holy Sword Fortress, Donald was surrounded by sixteen summoned creatures, guarding him as he moved forward.
These were the troops Donald had summoned based on the circumstances of this mission. Among them were four Night Elf archers and four Troll headhunters, all second-tier summoned soldiers skilled in combat in forested terrain. There were also two female Night Elves armed with blades and riding giant black panthers; these strong and agile women were the third-tier soldiers of the Night Elves—female hunters.
In terms of both health and combat strength, these female hunters far surpassed the previous two second-tier soldiers. Moreover, their mounts, the black panthers, were fierce second-tier creatures. To summon them, Donald had to pay an additional two second-tier magic cores.
Whether in ranged attacks or close combat, these female hunters were the best warriors. Enemies struck by their moonblade weapons also suffered extra rebound damage.
“With these magical beast soldiers as protection, dealing with powerful Bronze Warriors might be difficult, but against those below Bronze rank, even if the numbers are equal, it will definitely be our summoned warriors who win.”
The last six summoned creatures were six gaunt, tall, and ferocious humanoid monsters with green faces and sharp fangs. They were the Orcish tribe’s Troll shamanists.
Unlike in the game, trolls also existed in this world, but they were primitive tribal humanoids with no relation to orcs at all. Due to their natural resistance to magic and strong regenerative abilities, trolls were almost immune to any attack except fire and strong acids. As a result, spellcasters were extremely rare among them; even if such individuals existed, they were only troll magicians who knew a few simple innate spells. With their intelligence, they couldn’t even remember a potion recipe—so how could a profession like shamanism exist?
However, according to the game’s settings, the trolls manifested in this world with high intelligence, nearly on par with the average human level, which allowed them to master shamanic arts that combined magic and herbs.

The “Sentinel Guard” and “Trap Guard” skills of the Troll Shaman are undoubtedly the best ways to engage in guerrilla warfare against unknown enemies. The former, as a spell, can be cast more swiftly and conveniently than similar alchemical creations obtained by Donald using the Book of Truth. The latter can create stationary traps; placing them along key routes, if enemies attack, they will be stunned by the spell’s effects and take damage once they step into the trap’s range, unless they avoid it.

By setting up multiple invisible stationary traps around one’s own troops, it is possible to effectively prevent enemy ambushes and gain the upper hand in battle.

Remarkably, the Troll Shaman also has a “Healing Guard” skill that can restore the health of one’s own troops. If not for its lack of strong offensive power, weak stamina, and slow movement speed, the Troll Shaman would be an excellent all-around combat support unit.

However, this posed no problem for Donald. He didn’t need the Troll Shaman to fight against enemies. As a second-tier unit, summoning them only required second-tier crystal cores, so Donald carelessly summoned six Troll Shamans and assigned them six second-tier monsters, Lightning Lizards, as mounts. The Lightning Lizards, over three meters long, could carry the thin Troll Shamans with little effort and quickly moved forward in a fan formation, setting up twelve stationary traps and six Sentinel Guards in the distance.

Three consecutive spells were already at the limit of the Troll Shamans’ magical energy; they needed at least half an hour to recover their ability to cast spells. So Donald ordered the Lightning Lizards to carry them behind the army, as they would hardly be needed in the upcoming battles.

Once they left the wilderness and were far from the fortress, Donald no longer hesitated. He ordered the scouting creatures to find an open area free of trees. Surrounded by warriors, he took out a bronze badge and used his mental power to communicate with its consciousness.

A few seconds later, as the badge glowed with magic, a dimensional shift occurred, and a monster appeared—featuring dinosaur-like wings on its back, a humanoid body with long limbs and lightweight bones, resembling an Alien.

As soon as it appeared, it began shouting in Abyssal Language. Apart from Donald, who was connected to it through the badge, no one else present could understand what the demon was saying.

Seeing that the being he summoned was a winged demon focused on physical evolution, one whose strength far surpassed that of a blade demon and who also possessed the ability to fly, Donald immediately ordered the summoned creature to attack. Faced with a group assault, the winged demon couldn’t take advantage of its aerial advantage at all; it was shot to pieces by archers and hunters before even rising into the air. Yet, as expected of a demon with extraordinary vitality, despite having dozens of arrows and spears embedded in its body and having lost at least a quarter of its blood, it still refused to die, struggling desperately even after falling to the ground. But no matter how tenaciously it fought, it couldn’t defy Donald’s will—death was the only outcome when falling into his hands, a fate predetermined from the moment the winged demon was summoned through a contract. “Luck is on my side—my first summon is a demon at the peak of the Bronze rank!” Taking the steaming heart core of the winged demon from the summoner he commanded, Donald immediately absorbed its soul using the Book of Truth, then took out another badge to conduct a second summon. “Humans… elves? There are even orcs and trolls. How did you all end up together?” The being that appeared certainly didn’t resemble a demon—this second summon was a human man with a handsome appearance, smooth flawless skin, and a perfectly sculpted body. As soon as he appeared, he spoke in the common language of humans, expressing surprise. If it weren’t for Donald’s temporarily divine vision granted by the Book of Truth, allowing him to see the massive demonic wings behind this man and his eyes glowing with evil red light, it would be hard to believe that this handsome guy who looked like he stepped out of a movie was actually a demon. “It’s a rare male succubus!” This discovery brought great surprise and delight to Donald. Succubi were the most beautiful among all demon races, essentially demons whose purpose in life was to tempt mortal beings. Skilled in magic, they were natural witches with a wide range of spell abilities. Besides charm spells, the most commonly used one was the shape-shifting ability they displayed now. They could transform themselves into human-like creatures of various sizes, from small to large. Unlike spells like transformation magic, succubi’s ability was far more flexible, as easy as eating or drinking. The downside was that they could only transform into human-like beings, such as humans or elves.

Although succubi also enjoy the physical advantages of demons, they are not warriors. In dangerous situations, they try to avoid combat or find other ways to escape it. If forced to fight, they will use their claws, but they prefer to use their innate abilities to turn enemies against each other.

Like elves, succubi are demonic creatures that reproduce in matrilineal clans. Female succubi are often stronger than males from birth. Adult female succubi can generally reach the silver rank, while male succubi who reach the upper bronze rank already possess considerable talent. In terms of mental enchantment spells, females have a natural advantage.

However, male succubi are not entirely weak. It is said that a powerful ruler of the abyss often appears in the form of a male succubus closer to human appearance, which has elevated the status of male succubi within their race. At least they are not as lowly as the slaves of the evil Dark Elves in the legends—also a matrilineal society dominated by women, where male Dark Elves are only slightly better off than slaves. Note that this refers to slaves under the evil Spider Queen, a true goddess known for her cruelty and perversity, and it is not the same as slaves under the nobility of the main world.

At least most slaves in the main world, as long as they work hard, do not suffer inhumane treatment. But in the hands of cruel and evil Dark Elves, death can sometimes be a luxury they cannot afford.