On Lin Chen's side, he had already set out with Ina, Lilith, and the others—heading straight toward the southern Darkmoon Forest.
If memory served, that troop type he wanted came from the first-clear reward of a secret realm known as the Catacombs of the Wronged Soul.
It was a blue-tier secret realm, with difficulty higher than the [Ferocious Insectoid Hive] he'd cleared previously.
So Lin Chen decided to explore Darkmoon Forest for a full day first.
Partly to gather more resources and continue mass-training troops—and partly to strengthen his current army.
That was crucial.
After all, fresh recruits were worlds apart from high-level battle-hardened troops.
"Same drill—treasure chests, bosses, monsters, materials, resource points—don't miss a thing,"
Lin Chen shouted from atop his Griffin Knight.
The heroes nodded and sprang into action.
What Lin Chen was doing now was pioneering.
The fastest way to gather resources in the game—no contest.
Also the most loved activity among Lords server-wide.
Nothing beats the thrill of plundering an untapped virgin zone.
Soon, Lin Chen's forces had plunged deep into Darkmoon Forest.
Everything here was draped in shades of darkness.
Even the trees themselves looked ominous.
Thick foliage waved in the wind with eerie whooshing—like ghost cries or wolf howls.
The monsters here were mostly undead.
The undead—souls of the dead brought back to life.
Ranging from common skeletons to powerful Bone Dragons, Lich Kings, and Necromancers.
Currently, Lin Chen's troops faced wave after wave of skeletons:
Tier 3 Skeleton Archers
Tier 4 Skeleton Greatswordsmen
Tier 5 Gargoyles
Creepy appearances and nothing to scoff at in power.
But Lin Chen wasn't worried.
Undead were classic dark creatures, weak to light-based attacks.
His Griffin Knights carried traces of light-element power—perfect for countering undead and dealing bonus damage.
So Lin Chen's forces advanced smoothly.
"Your troops killed 10,000 Skeleton Greatswordsmen. Gained 100,000 EXP."
"Your troops killed 10,000 Skeleton Archers. Gained 50,000 EXP."
"You opened a Gold Chest. Gained 300,000 basic resources, 1 Subject Refresh Card, 2 Resource Point Transfer Scrolls, and Platinum-Grade Equipment [Grip of Giants]…"
System messages rolled in nonstop.
Tons of EXP.
Tons of resources.
Lin Chen was loving it.
The whole day was spent slaying monsters.
They even took down two undead bosses.
The loot was decent.
By dusk, the sun dipped westward and the forest grew even more haunting.
At night, undead monsters would grow stronger.
No point lingering—Lin Chen's party packed up and returned to the city.
Back home:
Lilith and Ina handled dinner.
Jia Lou and Mankun fed the troops.
Lin Chen reviewed the day's harvest.
Loot Summary
Basic Resources: 13.65 million
Food: 230,000
Troops:
Tier 1 ×3
Tier 2 ×2
Tier 3 ×1
Tier 4 ×2
Equipment:
Platinum ×3
Gold ×5
Silver ×8
Bronze ×8
Scrolls:
Subject Refresh ×8
Undead Soul Essence ×3
Resource Point Transfer ×3
Gathering Boost ×5
Resource Point Upgrade ×6
Various other materials.
Not an overwhelming harvest, but definitely solid.
No hesitation—Lin Chen sorted out the unusable stuff for sale.
Still, what he cared most about was progress on special material acquisitions—crucial for building the Human Totem miracle structure.
He opened the market and raised an eyebrow.
After more than ten hours of purchase orders running, he'd acquired an average of 80,000 units of each of the 10 required materials.
Still short of the minimum needed.
Especially for future upgrades.
"Damn… harder than I thought."
Lin Chen sighed.
He opened the purchase request inbox—only to be greeted by a wall of spam:
"Evernight, what are these materials for?"
"Hey, I'm the guild master of Twin Star Guild. Wanna add me as a friend?"
"Big bro, carry me! I'll trade you materials for high-tier troops, okay?"
All useless fluff.
These people saw Lin Chen's potential and wanted to latch on.
But they brought zero value to the table.
Not worth Lin Chen's time.
He casually skimmed through a few more before planning to close the tab—when one message caught his eye:
"Lord Evernight, I have a batch of special materials you're looking for.
If interested, please accept my friend request and we can talk privately."
(Images attached)
Unlike the other spam, this message had substance.
Lin Chen clicked the images—sure enough, they showed exactly the materials he needed, and in good quantities.
Tempting.
He checked the sender—his brows raised slightly.
"Hundred Flowers Garden… Briar Rose.
So it's her. This offer might not be so simple…"
Lin Chen was familiar with the name.
Briar Rose—one of the top Lords within X Country in his previous life.
She only recruited female players, yet under her unique leadership, her guild rose to power.
In terms of strength, they ranked top five among all X Country alliances.
Her real-life identity? Unknown.
Lin Chen had no idea.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered were the resources she offered.
To accept or not?
After a moment of thought, Lin Chen chuckled:
"Let's see what you're really up to."
And with that, he accepted the friend request.
Just like that, Lin Chen gained his first friend in this life's game.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]