Zhou Yan looked at the monsters outside with surprise, as they were mechanical this time.
Monster: Mechanical Dog
Quality: Elite
Level: 18
Special: Mechanized
Description: Created by alien civilizations as reconnaissance vanguard.
"Lord, these mechanical dogs are more difficult to deal with than regular monsters..."
A captain among the white-robed ghost soldiers rushed forward to brief Zhou Yan on the monsters' characteristics.
Zhou Yan nodded and observed the mechanical dogs carefully.
These mechanical monsters were indeed tough. Equipped with firearms, they could attack from a distance. If not for the high quality, power, and sufficient range of his defensive towers, his soldiers would have already suffered heavy casualties.
He knew he lacked ranged troops, but there was nothing he could do about it for now. Ranged troops couldn't be acquired on demand.
He considered building a Barracks to try his luck for a ranged unit, but he hadn't been rewarded with any buildings recently, only a lot of golden equipment.
He had also obtained two golden forging blueprints after the trial ended.
Unfortunately, he had blueprints but no materials, so they remained unused.
The mechanical dogs were significantly more agile than regular monsters. However, facing the attacks of the [High-Energy Autocannon Turrets], most of them were still annihilated, regardless of their agility.
The white-robed ghost soldiers were now all equipped with shields. Even when some mechanical dogs got close, the soldiers could defend themselves with their shields.
The battle had been ongoing for two hours. As the number of mechanical dogs increased, many managed to break through the defensive towers' range and advance towards the soldiers.
The white-robed ghost soldiers were seasoned warriors. This was their first encounter with high-tech monsters like the mechanical dogs, but they were not foolish and had prepared a countermeasure.
When some mechanical dogs approached, the firearms mounted on them activated, unleashing a volley of bullets towards the white-robed ghost soldiers.
"Hoo!"
The white-robed ghost soldiers formed a phalanx, shields forward, hiding behind them. Without needing to advance, the mechanical dogs were drawn to them.
"Clang, clang, clang!!!"
The bullets struck the shields, leaving only minor marks. These shields were all Bronze-grade or higher, more than capable of withstanding the mechanical dogs' bullets.
"Kill!"
Once the mechanical dogs closed in, the white-robed ghost soldiers quickly attacked, drawing their weapons and launching a fierce assault.
Sparks flew as the mechanical dogs were reduced to scrap metal.
Being mechanical monsters, destroying their cores meant completely eliminating them.
The cores of these mechanical dogs were in their heads. Once their heads were destroyed, they posed no threat.
However, these mechanical monsters possessed more than just firearms on their backs. Their teeth were also sharp, seemingly modified from monster fangs, granting them powerful biting capabilities.
Most of the white-robed ghost soldiers were now level 30. Coupled with their excellent equipment—while not everyone had a full set of Silver equipment, they were all equipped with a full set of Bronze equipment, and some even had a Silver piece—the bullets, even when hitting their armor, could not inflict fatal damage, only reduce durability.
For a territory with a contingent of Dwarf blacksmiths, repairing equipment was a simple matter of restoring them to usable condition.
However, as the battle progressed, one white-robed ghost soldier eventually fell, struck in the face by a bullet.
Although their helmets protected their heads, they only covered the back. The face was left exposed.
Ranged attacks were always potent. The bullet entered the soldier's brain, a fatal blow.
In all the time of the novice trial, this was the first casualty in his territory.
After the soldier's death, his soul was absorbed into the [Underworld] within the territory.
Seeing their comrade fall, the other soldiers became enraged and launched an even more ferocious assault on the mechanical dogs.
"Bring back the body."
Since the [Underworld] could revive soldiers, retrieving the body would reduce the resurrection time.
The battle today was destined to be difficult. These mechanical dogs were not only numerous but also possessed firearms. Without the [Underworld], it was impossible to say how many soldiers would have perished.
He was fortunate to have obtained such a miraculous building as the [Underworld], a secret he would never reveal to the outside world.
"Lord."
A voice called from behind. Zhou Yan turned to see Zhen Mi awake and quickly said, "Why not rest a little longer?"
"With so many monsters appearing in the territory, I can't sleep anymore."
Although Zhen Mi was tired, even her walk was a bit stiff, she didn't need to fight monsters up close. She could attack from atop the city walls.
Seeing so many monsters outside, and their strange appearance, she asked, "What kind of monsters are these? They're so strange, made of metal and able to attack like that."
"These are mechanical dogs, high-tech monsters. This [High-Energy Laser Cannon Turret] is also a high-tech weapon. We will encounter all sorts of monsters in the future."
"Is that so? Then they don't have souls, yet they can move. That's quite peculiar."
Zhen Mi tested her spiritual power and found it had no effect on these monsters, thus realizing they were soulless.
She took out her Holy Spirit Staff, unleashing a powerful magical force. The temperature of the surrounding world plummeted as if winter was about to arrive.
Then, above Zhen Mi, a mass of chilling energy formed into numerous ice cones, falling like a dense hail.
"Go!"
With a gentle wave of her staff, the ice cones, pre-charged in the air, descended like cannonballs upon the monsters outside.
"Bang, bang, bang!!!"
"Ding, ding, ding!!!"
The ice cones were terrifying, covering the mechanical dogs within a radius of several hundred meters. The ice cones pierced them directly, sparks flying as they turned into scrap metal.
With a single move, a large number of monsters were eliminated. Zhou Yan quickly praised, "Magic attacks are indeed powerful."
"I learned this during my inheritance. However, my current strength is still too low, and I can only use low-level spells. I cannot yet cast advanced ones," Zhen Mi replied.
"And this is a low-level spell."
Zhou Yan was surprised that such a powerful spell was considered low-level. He could only imagine what kind of spells Zhen Mi could unleash once her strength increased.
He was filled with anticipation and knew he needed to boost Zhen Mi's power. She was the territory's human-shaped defensive tower.
Zhen Mi waved her staff again, and a frost storm appeared. A azure wind swirled, bringing with it snowflakes. This was also a spell from Zhen Mi's inheritance, called "Ice Storm," though she could currently only form a "small" storm.