Yes, from the beginning of the battle to the end, not even two minutes had passed.
However, that was enough for Noan to gauge Alex's combat prowess.
At this mont, Noan could confirm that he could easily kill Alex. Even if two of them appeared, it wouldn't change the outco.
Once again, Noan was struck by the terrifying power he had inherited from that mysterious girl.
Just a single drop of her blood had granted him this overwhelming strength—what would happen if he drank her blood regularly?
The thought of the Bloodline Clan's power, especially the might of that girl, sent a shiver of anticipation through him.
Returning to the present, Noan had no intention of killing Alex just yet. There were still many experints he needed to conduct.
If his experints succeeded, he could better understand the limits of his innate ability.
"Keep monitoring him. Don't let him get near any energy crystals, or at the very least, limit his access to any energy sources."
"Understood, Master." Upon hearing Noan's command, Vylyss lowered her head, a delighted, almost sinister smile forming.
…
The next day.
Caleb sat on a fallen tree trunk blocking the only path from the safe zone to the zombie-infested area, his expression filled with despair.
By this ti, it seed like almost everyone had abandoned him, except for Austin and their most loyal subordinates.
After all, no one wanted to be a shield protecting cowardly Lords.
So, they left.
That was human nature.
On the surface, people appeared united, but when their interests were threatened, their true colors were imdiately revealed.
Caleb understood that the Lords who had left weren't necessarily wrong.
Why should others risk their lives fighting zombies to protect those weaklings hiding in their territories?
And when they were in danger, who would co to save them?
The alliance quickly crumbled.
Caleb and Austin couldn't use force to compel everyone to follow them.
After all, there were too many Lords in this area—over 300.
If just 50 worked together, they could ally strong enough to rival Austin and Caleb.
Not to ntion, there was also that mysterious young man with monstrous strength lurking in the shadows.
The real problem was that no one wanted to cooperate. People were consud by selfishness and cowardice, hiding away in their territories, waiting for a miracle to save them.
And, of course, that so-called miracle was the belief that their territories could withstand the zombie horde's assault.
"Fine!" Austin sighed. "If they don't want to fight, we still have ourselves and our subordinates. Don't worry."
"Are you stupid?" Caleb could no longer hold back his frustration and snapped, "Do you really think we can fight off 10,000 zombies out there?"
"Do you think we can stand against that horde of D and D ranked zombies swarming outside?"
Austin let out another sigh. He had only wanted to reassure Caleb, but of course, he knew full well—this was a war they could not win.
If all the Lords had united, perhaps there would have been a sliver of hope.
But he had underestimated human selfishness.
The alliance had collapsed in just a single day.
"But sitting here won't solve anything either," Austin frowned. "We should move deeper into the Gloomy Forest or find the river and build a defensive position there."
"As long as we work together, we'll find a way to survive."
Caleb exhaled deeply before giving a slight nod.
Yes, right now, they had to stick together—at the very least, it would help them hold out for a little longer.
And if they could no longer hold out…
Then, they would have to seek their Master's help.
Caleb reached into his pocket and took out a silk-threaded orb, gripping it tightly in his palm, determination flickering in his eyes.
"You're right. We still have a chance to win," Caleb said as he slowly stood up.
Austin, too, understood exactly what "chance" Caleb was referring to—their Master.
Hidden in the darkness, Noan observed the scene and slightly nodded.
"Master, will you help them?" Vylyss, standing beside him, asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" Noan replied with a smile.
Vylyss tilted her head in confusion. "But they're weak and useless. There's no reason for us to waste our efforts protecting them."
"Hahaha…" Noan chuckled and said, "Vylyss, even ants have their purpose. Austin and Caleb still hold imnse value—they just haven't had the chance to prove it yet."
Noan said that, but deep down, he had another reason—Austin and Caleb's character.
They could have simply ignored the other Lords, hiding away in their territories and waiting until danger forced them to beg for his help.
But they didn't. Instead, they had tried to rally the Lords to fight together.
Even though the outco hadn't been what they had hoped for, their actions had forced Noan to reevaluate his opinion of them.
…
The next morning, Noan felt a surge of excitent.
Ever since evolving to Rank E, the mutation rate of the Skeletons he fused had increased significantly.
Because of that, his Skeleton Hunter and Shielder both reached Rank D , and he also gained a Skeleton Swordsman.
This ant that he now had:
One Skeleton Hunter (D ) One Shielder (D ) Two Skeleton Swordsn (D )
He also commanded a 30-Skeleton army, all at Rank D .
With this force and the advantageous effects of the 'Pioneer's dal,' he was sure he could effortlessly hold back the zombie horde.
Of course, he had no intention of acting too soon or playing the hero.
All he needed to do was wait until Caleb and Austin were at their limit. That would be the perfect ti to step in.
As for the other Lords? Their deaths ant nothing to him.
Ah, no—actually, it ant a great deal.
Noan had stationed Zhisse to keep an eye on them. When they were about to turn into zombies, he could kill them and collect more resources, along with 'Lord Points' to advance his rank.
Why hadn't he just killed them outright?
Because he was still human—not a complete monster. So remnants of humanity still lingered within him.
However, if they were dood to fall, he would offer them a rciful release—saving them from the fate of becoming mindless undead.
The only thing bothering Noan was that he still hadn't unlocked the class selection for his Skeletons. Because of this, most of his units were basic warriors, limited to lee combat.
Just as he was contemplating this, Vylyss suddenly appeared at his side, grinning as she reported:
"Master! The zombie horde has breached the safe zone. It seems those insects couldn't hold them off."
Noan gave a slight nod. He knew exactly what Vylyss ant when she referred to the "insects"—the Lords in this area.
He had anticipated this outco long before. There was no way these Lords could withstand the onslaught of the zombie horde.
If they had worked together, they might have stood a chance. But their selfishness had made sure that would never happen.
After all, nurous D-rank, D , and even D-Peak zombies were within the horde.
If they managed to breach the safe zone, not a single Lord would survive.
"And what about Alex?" Noan suddenly asked.
"Alex is… quite busy killing zombies," Vylyss giggled mischievously.
Seeing her playful smirk, Noan grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his chest.
His hand moved gently over her curves, eliciting a soft gasp from her lips.
"Master… um…"
"You're ssing with him, aren't you?"
"Hehehe…" Vylyss chuckled. "That's right. Master, it's just a little spatial magic. Watching him struggle so hard to kill zombies, I thought I'd help him by collecting all the energy crystals for myself."
Noan smirked, shook his head, and ran his fingers through her silky hair.
"You did well. Keep it up."
"As you wish, Master."
…
Safe Zone
Alex's face was red with rage, his eyes burning with fury.
"Son of a—! What the hell is going on?!" he snarled, grinding his teeth so hard it felt like they might shatter.
Even though he was still injured from yesterday's ambush, he had co out to fight today.
Not because he wanted to play the hero—but because he had no choice.
He had found no zombies, no monsters in the Gloomy Forest.
So, taking a risk, he had co looking for the zombie horde instead.
He knew the drop rate for F-rank energy crystals from these low-level zombies was abysmal.
But damn it!
He had killed over 100 zombies and still hadn't found a crystal.
What the hell was happening?!
Was his luck really this cursed?!
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