Chapter 39: Courage and Bloodthirst

A thousand square meters wasn’t large, but with over a hundred people guarding its edges, it still seemed too weak to Neo. His suggestion of “abandoning the platform and using narrow passages to defend” was clearly a last-ditch effort, relying on close unity and the advantage of small, easy-to-defend areas to withstand the waves of attacks from the monsters.

The patrol captain rejected Neo’s proposal. He believed choosing the ridge path meant completely giving up mobility and flexibility, turning the battle into a stale fight of brute force against brute force. Of course, another reason was that the patrol captain was somewhat hopeful and unwilling to use such a direct method that put his troops in mortal danger to maximize their fighting spirit.

Time was of the essence, and soon the opportunity to use the narrow passages was lost. The stone walls and frozen ground on both sides of the ridge were covered with monsters. With the ridge path occupied, more monsters began climbing the cliffs of the platform.

Do everything possible to hold the platform! Monsters didn’t surrender—they killed on sight. Fight to the death! The patrol captain’s rallying cry was simple, and his ability to deploy troops was solid. He balanced combatants and non-combatants evenly and even formed four three-person teams to fill in gaps. Unfortunately, it was too conventional, lacking effective use of available resources.

But Neo filled this gap. He took a few lightly injured soldiers who had barely recovered and handed them ropes, saying, “Tie yourselves to the stakes. Be careful when those monsters try to snatch your spears—use them to pull you down…”

The stakes were the same ones used to build the walls earlier. Their upper parts had been cut off to make temporary spears, leaving a section below that could be tied with ropes, serving as a safety belt.

While preparations were in full swing here, the monsters had already climbed up. These evolved creatures were much faster and tougher, several times larger, with heads taking on a rat-like shape—snouts protruding forward and lengthening. They had sharp front teeth and thick, fleshy rat tails covered in thin black hair, looking extremely disgusting. Most of these monsters were at the level of top-tier Level 4 fighters, with a few even approaching Level 5. Neither cliffs nor hard frozen ground could resist their clawed attacks.

“Argh!” Roars of battle filled the air. The defenders had plenty of warriors, among whom the strongest was the wild wolfman Oleg, who was at Level 8. As the core of the battle group, his battle roar had a high level. In Neo’s system, this meant his additional battle roar talent was fully developed, and his skill level had reached the highest possible for a Level 8 warrior. Its range was 120 meters. With his roar, everyone felt their strength double, at least by 50%.

A few higher-ranked patrol members also used defensive auras. These auras were said to be derived from the Holy Knights’ Devotion Aura, also enhancing defense. However, most defenders lacked armor, and these auras weren’t very powerful. Neo felt that they were merely equivalent to adding a layer of rough cloth to thin shirts—barely useful at best.

In terms of support capabilities, the shaman’s totem enhancements are quite powerful. Even if Neo ignored the issue of exposing his identity, the situation they faced was absolutely life-threatening. According to Nancy’s estimates, unless something drastic happened—like the arrival of some extraordinary hero or the monsters suddenly changing tactics and abandoning their aggressive approach—there was less than a 10% chance that the defenders could hold out until dawn. Moreover, Neo had already discussed with the patrol captain that holding out until dawn didn’t necessarily mean victory.

Initially, the defenders performed well. Dozens of bows and crossbows were effective, and the moderately long spears also proved useful. Even those monsters that managed to climb up were often met by the swords of stronger fighters, who would kill them before they could cause harm.

The patrol captain personally supervised the situation, along with over a dozen skilled fighters guarding the only entrance to the platform. Seeing this, he was largely satisfied. With more than a hundred people on their side, over 90% of whom were strong adults, they had considerable combat strength when working together.

After initial panic, the dozens of non-combatants also gradually calmed down. The situation didn’t seem so difficult anymore. When wooden spears were thrust at the climbing monsters, these could at most use one front paw to defend themselves or simply dodge sideways. But on such a steep cliff, such movements were extremely difficult. Moreover, the defenders had the advantage of being higher up and were protected by ropes, allowing them to reach out and pull the monsters back. With the intense battle, there was no time to be afraid.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of the defenders, the monsters suffered heavy losses, falling from heights of dozens of meters into the valley below, where there was either frozen ground or jagged rocks—surely a fatal end.

Yet Neo knew this seemingly optimistic situation was only temporary. He trusted Nancy’s calculations: the attackers would only grow stronger, while the defenders would weaken.

“Come, let’s get involved too and do what we can,” he said. Although the defenders were under great pressure, they weren’t yet in a desperate situation. Many, including those dissatisfied with Neo and a few privileged individuals, managed to hold back their anger. Neo then led the families of the refugees and the wounded to do what they could—such as dismantling carts, using their parts as projectiles, or making spears. Some people had their spears snatched away by monsters, so they needed to arm themselves. There were also suggestions to use shields made from cart boards and frames—by burning two holes and tying ropes around them to form a simple shield. Neo knew these would be needed soon…

After half an hour of fighting, the defenders were already feeling overwhelmed. Their wooden spears were worn out from constant use, and their swords and blades left them gasping for breath. Yet the monsters kept coming—over 2,000 evolved ones—meaning each person had to kill more than 20 monsters on average. Not to mention the difficulty of fighting one against twenty, even the mortality rate of the monsters was initially quite high. But as more died and became stepping stones, the survival rate of later arriving monsters increased steadily. Neo took the chance to glance down while handing out spears and saw that the monsters were smarter than expected. After realizing that dead bodies could save their lives, they killed a large number of the lowest-tier monsters and piled their corpses into high platforms. Those knocked off by spear shafts would roll around, shake their heads a few times, and retreat to catch their breath before climbing back up. Moreover, the monsters grew stronger in their grasping and climbing attempts, leaving many shallow pits on the cliff face, which made it easier for them to climb and hide, thus increasing the difficulty of knocking them off.

“Be careful with your strength when attacking. It’s better to strike less frequently but with enough force, otherwise you’ll easily be grabbed by the monsters! We don’t have many wooden spears left,” Neo reminded the front-line fighters as he distributed them.

“That’s easy for you to say! Try fighting for half an hour yourself.” Finally, someone lost their temper and began to ignore hierarchy and authority.

Neo smiled, handed the spear to that person, and said nothing more. There was no point in getting angry at those who were already dying. He would handle the next delivery of weapons in the same way. Whether they listened or not didn’t really matter to him. From the start, he hadn’t expected these people to save their lives; they could only hold out as long as they could.

Fortunately, the patrol officer hadn’t lost his mind. He understood that although Neo wasn’t directly fighting, he had contributed greatly to logistics. Moreover, disassembling vehicles and making wooden spears and shields also required effort, so Neo and his team weren’t necessarily having an easy time.

“Pass my order: the longspear users retreat for 5 minutes to rest, while the mobile team takes over entirely…”

Without the longspear users, the battle retreated to the edge of the platform. Everyone felt they were struggling to defend it, but with sheer determination, all the professionals managed to get through those 5 minutes. In fact, more monsters were killed in those 5 minutes than in the previous 15.

“Drive the monsters back down!” At the officer’s command, all the professionals used their skills to push the monsters back down. After resting, the longspear users stepped in again.

Although this counterattack was very successful, 5 minutes wasn’t enough to restore their strength. After another 15 minutes, the longspear users were even more exhausted, and their spears were finally used up. More and more people withdrew from the front lines of combat.

The fighting conditions became even tougher, but there was still a way to hold on a little longer. Under Neo’s organization, the disassembled vehicles were pushed off the platform by the unarmed non-combatants. One after another, they crashed down, causing significant damage to the monsters. But there weren’t many such makeshift projectiles, and they were quickly exhausted.

By this point, the longswordsmen had largely withdrawn from the battle, suffering nearly 20 casualties, two-thirds of whom were lost in the last ten minutes. The patrol captain realized the front line could no longer be held. Just as he was about to order a retreat to form a defensive formation,Neo suggested, “Use your skills and go all out—it’s worth it!” This time, the captain followedNeo’s advice because he saw non-combatants being organized into shieldbearers and receiving basic training. In fact, the main reasonNeo gave this suggestion wasn’t just that shieldbearers needed to learn certain essentials, otherwise they would only hinder efforts, but also because the evolved monsters were nearly exhausted. If they could use the terrain advantage to wipe them out, their side would gain some breathing room. Of course, this wouldn’t prevent total annihilation. His dark vision reached 120 meters, allowing him to see what was happening below the cliff. Another feast had begun, and there were already too many climbing marks on the cliff face—the monsters wouldn’t stop. By “breathing room,” he meant time to deal with the unevolved monsters. This time, it was difficult for the professionals to go all out. The Windward Berserkers’ wolves had transformed, increasing their consumption rate, but they had no choice but to do so to gain sufficient combat power. Many, including several patrol riders, were shocked and inspired by the transformation of these wild wolves. ButNeo knew that the Windward warriors who trained in the Morthok wilderness all year round were more skilled and experienced than the patrol riders. Though good at explosive attacks, they understood the importance of sustained effort better and were better at controlling the pace of battle. It was only 2 a.m., and their transformation now foreshadowed tragedy… It was a bloody battle, andNeo joined in. His broadsword performed adequately, but given his background, after this wave of fighting subsided, though covered in blood and flesh, none of it was his own. Almost suddenly, the defenders felt the pressure ease. When the evolved monsters disappeared from sight… “Ha! We held them off! We killed thousands of elite monsters—we won this round!” Some cheered, some jumped for joy, some cried with happiness, while others sat down or lay sprawled on the ground. The patrol captain also stepped away from the battlefield at the entrance of the platform. His expression was grave as he approachedNeo, “Sir, our current situation…” This captain still had some sense. He had realized that the about 30 Windward Berserkers led by Олег were far more elite than his men, especially in close combat on land. Such combat power should have been underNeo’s control, but when he called for troops under the guise of local security orders,Neo cooperatively handed it over to him instead of fighting for it. Naturally, it wasn’t because he was afraid ofNeo and his men. Now, the captain wasn’t trying to figure out why the 2fifth
fifth (wǔ) typically translated as “fifth” or “5th”，ordinal。in military organization，platoon or specific organizational unit。fifth man，可译为 “fifth man” or “fifth soldier”。 soldiers were hiding their identities and operating under the radar. He simply used basic logic to conclude thatNeo, who could command such a force, must be no ordinary person, so he humbly sought advice.

Nio plunged his sword into the ground, shaking his hand that held it, and said, “You fight the enemies ahead, while I’ll count from behind. Roughly speaking, we’ve killed over a thousand evolved monsters—about two-thirds of them. The rest have retreated for the second Blood Feast, right at the foot of the cliff.”
“Does that mean these rat-like monsters aren’t the elite among monsters, but rather evolved creatures that have finished feeding?”
Nio nodded. “The monsters are about to come up. Let the shield bearers and the main combat forces coordinate and take turns resting.”
Though Nio didn’t mention the outcome of the final battle, it wasn’t hard for the officer to guess. With a sigh, he called over a shield bearer to hold his shield while he began drafting a report. After finishing it, he didn’t send it right away—he still needed to confirm the situation thoroughly, as it was extremely important.
The monsters had already arrived. The ordinary ones, along with the shallow pits left by the evolved ones on the cliff face, provided them with a way to climb. Although they were far slower than the evolved ones, they posed a continuous, almost endless threat to the defenders.
The battle seemed to repeat the situation at the beginning of the platform defense. The ordinary monsters weren’t strong enough, and the defenders’ strength had also waned. The shield bearers began to act as assistants to the professional fighters, working alongside soldiers of rank 4. Those of rank 5 or higher couldn’t coordinate well with them and would only be a burden.
“Sorry!” One of the two doctors on the defense side apologized to Nio as he checked on the wounded. He was a water mage who wasn’t skilled in healing. It was he who used life detection magic to let the invaders pinpoint Nio and his men’s location. By now, he fully understood how the people here had planned to deal with the crisis. He admitted it was he who brought disaster upon them; otherwise, they might still have had a chance to survive.
“What more can I say to someone who will pay with death for their mistakes?” Nio said lightly before walking away. This mage, with his ability to detect life, could naturally sense the changes in the monsters. Under the gaze of the magic eye, the ordinary monsters appeared as faint glows of green light, while the evolved ones emitted much brighter light. Now, those blindingly bright lights were appearing, their intensity almost matching that of the life lights of the defenders’ main combat forces…
“Miner boss, three of our men have run away, and three are dead.” When Nio found Gris, Gris handed over two dark rune scrolls. Having found a way out, he naturally didn’t want to risk his life. Although Gris couldn’t predict the movements of the other fighters, he was still aware of the situation.
Nio grunted, took out five Annihilation Rune Scrolls, and handed them to Gris. “Sweat and blood smell—just relying on blending into darkness is hardly enough to survive. These are to mask our scent. Distribute them among the men. Again, be smart. I’ll let you know when the time is right.”
“…” As Gris took the five rune scrolls, he felt a mix of emotions. “How come I never realized how deep this boss’s waters really are?”

Gris left, and Grot arrived. Neo raised the corners of his mouth. “Well, did you hear that?”
“I’ve been thinking that if it’s possible to make three people disappear out of thin air, there must be a way to do the same for a fourth person as well.” Grot also knew this was their last chance, so he stopped pretending to be courteous.
“Reducing one’s own chances of survival in exchange for giving others a chance to live—unless it’s out of noble sentiment or friendship, then…”
“A price.”
Neo nodded.
“My contract with my previous employer has expired due to this incident. Owing a life—such a debt isn’t truly unpayable. As long as one is alive, there’s always a chance, don’t you think?”
“That’s the advantage of dealing with smart people,” Neo said, nodding. “To ensure my investment isn’t lost, you need to do me a small favor.”
It was indeed a small favor. The silence barrier and the flame barrier were trivial spells for Grot. Using the remaining materials, Neo created three more rune scrolls: two corresponding to the ‘Chaos Field’ distortion and one corresponding to the ‘Corpse Dust’ annihilation.
When Grot held the three lowest-grade dark rune scrolls in his hands, he was speechless. To be honest, if these scrolls were sold, they wouldn’t even be worth 50 dinars even if sold together. Yet they were perfectly suited for the situation at hand. 50 gold for the life of a level 7 caster—Grot had never imagined he would become so worthless one day.
Neo didn’t care about such things. Even a single paperclip could be worth a luxury villa at a critical moment. Thus, a contract of servitude was signed. A professional like Grot naturally knew how to use these three runes. He had already used ‘Corpse Dust’ to eliminate odors, greatly reducing the monsters’ attention—a huge help in facing the impending close-quarters battle.
Together with the two dark rune scrolls returned by Gris, Neo now had an extra set of ‘Escape Rune Set 3’. For this true last chance to survive, he had two candidates. One was the werewolf Oleg, but after some thought, Neo abandoned this rather skilled werewolf. Unlike Grot, Oleg was deeply entangled in political messes, and the likelihood of him becoming a traitor was very high.
The other candidate was the client who had fled with the patrol knights. His family held considerable influence in Silfanis, and it was partly because of this that the patrol captain was willing to lead his family in an escape. Giving this man the chance could yield benefits that force alone couldn’t provide, especially aiding Neo in his future actions. But offering it to him also carried great risk.
Neo was confident enough to escape on his own. What made him hesitate was that if the truth was exposed due to this guy’s greed, Grot and the others would be in danger. People would have no mind to fight monsters—they’d be desperate to survive. Even Gris and the others might lose their chance to escape, resulting in a complete loss for everyone.
In the end, this last chance remained in Neo’s hands, growing more and more likely to be wasted as time passed.

The monsters’ second feast was clearly much longer than the first, and the monsters that had evolved twice still hadn’t shown up after over an hour. Even so, the defending side was already showing clear signs of collapse—the endless stream of monsters climbing up seemed insurmountable. When a new batch of monsters that had evolved once joined the attack, people could no longer hold on and had to retreat to form a circle, a last-ditch effort to resist.
“We’re all going to die here…” Most people had realized this by now. Aside from a few who collapsed under the pressure, most were saying to their companions, “If I can’t hold on, end it quickly. It’s too painful to let these bastards devour us alive!”
Even surrounded like this, they managed to hold on for nearly another hour. When Gries cast his ninth questioning glance, Neo knew the resistance was over. Although most of the main combat forces were still alive, they were utterly depleted, unable to sustain even their most basic weapons or combat abilities. More importantly, he could sense that monsters that had evolved twice had appeared!
“Hahahaha! Damn it! I never thought we’d all end up as fertilizer for those damn monsters’ evolution. The more fiercely we fight, the faster they evolve! Damn! Damn! Damn!” The officer finally gave up. An activated magic scroll was thrown high from his hand. Inside the burning scroll, a mountain eagle formed from green light spread its wings and took off.
“Don’t let us die for nothing!” The officer screamed as he threw the scroll. The eagle turned in midair, grabbed the scroll, and with a flash of green light, vanished hundreds of meters away in a streak of light.
“Let’s go all out!”
“Let’s go all out!”
People let out their final roars. Yet this didn’t give them even a few minutes of heightened strength or combat power. An outbreak of energy required certain conditions—it wasn’t just about adrenaline kicking in.
“Now! Follow me out!” Neo finally gave the order, heading toward the platform’s exit. Although monsters kept pouring in from the ridges, Neo focused on the cliffs on both sides of the ridge—no more monsters were climbing up there. As for the stakes driven in by Gries earlier, there was no point thinking about them; the cliffs surrounding the platform were already covered in monsters.
Gries and the others had been waiting for this moment. As Neo pointed with his broadsword, Grot released the “Flame Sky Snake” he had held back all night. A fire snake as thick as a bucket formed in midair and rushed downward like a snake leaping into water. Under Grot’s command, it turned into a fading trail of fire, burning the leading monsters to ashes while only scalding those at the back. But this act was like lighting the way—Gries and the others, wielding swords that flashed with blade light, slaughtered the monsters damaged by the fire snake.
“Help them!” Oleg ordered, leading over a dozen surviving West Wind Werewolves to rush out of the defense circle with Neo and the others.

What could Neo say? He didn’t know about these West Wind Werewolves, but Oleg wasn’t foolish at all—he clearly understood from the start that Neo and his group must have some way to escape. Yet he still led his brothers to fight bravely to the death on the battlefield. This wasn’t just a matter of brainwashing; it was also about the honor and awareness of being soldiers. These people were truly worthy warriors.

“Kill them!” Emotions are often ignited by actions and the atmosphere around them. After calculating all night, Neo’s fighting spirit finally surged.

Just then, something unexpected happened—the monsters attacking pulled out a person from the heavily damaged defense circle. Whether from extreme fear or some other reason, the person was enveloped in black-purple flame-like light. Against the already scarce light from torches and combat energy, it stood out sharply. Even more astonishingly, the monsters didn’t kill this person but instead threw him backward quickly. In the valley, accompanied by faint bursts of combat energy-like flames, excited howls rang out—those were the cries of the evolved monsters.

In the midst of the chaos, Neo managed to see everything clearly. “Damn it! After all night of struggle, I finally see the real deal! So it’s for you!” In an instant, he understood the core reason why the monsters were determined to trouble these people at any cost: their special bloodline was a key factor in rapidly giving birth to high-level demons. These hardy, non-combatants were the crown the monsters wanted to seize that night!

“That’s not so easy! Since I’m ready to fight to the death, I won’t let you get what you want so easily!” Neo pointed his sword and roared through gritted teeth, “Stop him! He’s an element for evolving into a high-level demon!” At the same time, he unleashed a slag puppet made from crushed blood rock, using it as a conduit for his magical power to activate his Boiling Blood Ring.

“Argh…”

His potential was unleashed, his combat power soared, and all his combat metrics increased significantly—his attack speed rose by 30%. Affected by this, the eyes of all the defenders turned red, and the final battle of howls began…