Risk and reward are directly proportional—that's the basic rule of the "Novice Trial."
For new lords, the most crucial skill is managing this balance. Expanding the territory too quickly can lead to overwhelming dangers that make surviving the full 30 days impossible. On the other hand, expanding too slowly may minimize threats but results in little to no gain.
For ordinary lords, most take a "play it safe" approach, focusing on survival rather than ambitious progress. If fortune strikes—like discovering a top-tier building, piece of equipment, or summoning a high-quality hero—they might decide to take a gamble.
As for the geniuses and second-generation elites, they often choose to take calculated risks. Victory means massive gains; failure just sends them back home.
Though Wu Chi came from an ordinary background, his cheat system allowed him to progress far faster than his peers, leading to dangers far beyond what most others encountered.
He recalled hearing a story during school about a senior who encountered a boss—an Elite Kobold Lord—on the 30th day of their trial. This boss had traces of the rare [Red Dragon Bloodline], making it particularly strong in fire magic. Despite this, 100 militia units were enough to grind it down and defeat it.
But comparing that boss to the [Three-Headed Buddha Child] was laughable. The latter could likely annihilate the kobold lord in one hit. The gap between their strengths was immense! And yet... this was only the 10th day.
It was clear that the challenges Wu Chi would face over the next 20 days would only become more terrifying. Moreover, since Wu Chi wasn't going to halt his territory's growth, the monsters he encountered would continue scaling in difficulty.
"I can't even imagine what kind of battles I'll face later," Wu Chi muttered, taking a deep breath. He quickly stored away all his gains in his inventory and began gathering treasure chests.
It took quite a while, but eventually, he collected all the loot:
6,731 Skeleton Lizardmen Kill Chests
1 Three-Headed Buddha Child Kill Chest
"Hmm, 731 more than expected. Something similar happened last time too."
"Could it be that some monsters drop two chests?"
It was an odd observation since monsters typically only drop one kill chest.
"Maybe it has to do with luck?" Wu Chi speculated. Both Lin Daiyu and Qin Keqing, thanks to their [Jinling Twelve Beauties] synergy bonus, had a "+1 Luck" effect. Their combined influence might be skewing the drops in his favor.
"Well, luck isn't something I need to figure out right now. More rewards? I'll take it!"
Feeling optimistic, Wu Chi stretched and prepared to head back to his territory to take a bath and get some rest.
But just as he reached his territory, he noticed shadows moving within the black fog.
"What the hell? Already!?"
Wu Chi's eyes widened as, from the fog, pale white skeletons emerged. Their entire bodies were made of bones.
The front line consisted of skeletons carrying bone shields and bone swords, while behind them were skeleton mages with glowing hands, channeling elemental energy.
Wu Chi quickly donned his [Lens of True Knowledge] and used [Identify].
[Skeleton Shield Warrior]
Race: Undead/Void
Level: 10
Quality: White (Common)
Constitution: 50+10
Spirit: None
Skills: [Shield Formation], [Defensive Stance]
Description: Once a shield warrior in life, it retains combat instincts even in death and feels no pain.
[Skeleton Mage]
Race: Undead/Void
Level: 10
Quality: White (Common)
Constitution: 20+5
Spirit: 60+20
Skills: [Raise Undead], [Fireball], [Ice Spike]
Description: The price of toying with fire and ice is this.
This was a group of skeleton troops. Thankfully, it wasn't the 11th-day main force, only a small group of about a hundred skeletons attacking from a single direction.
Wu Chi sighed in relief and immediately spent Void Crystals to repair the walls and towers.
Void Crystals -100! [Wooden Wall] enters repair mode. Estimated completion: 60 seconds.
Void Crystals -400! [Stink Bomb Tower] enters repair mode. Estimated completion: 10 minutes.
Void Crystals -400! [Lightning Tower] enters repair mode. Estimated completion: 10 minutes.
The repairs weren't too costly overall, but the expenses still added up. Luckily, Wu Chi had plenty of Void Crystals on hand and didn't mind the expenditure.
With repairs underway, Wu Chi estimated the enemy numbers.
"About a hundred or so. Let's kill them!"
He began issuing commands.
Skeleton troops didn't need to breathe, but when the "Weakening Stink Bomb" spread out, even the skeletons started stumbling. They wobbled like drunkards, completely breaking formation.
The fact that stink bombs could affect skeletons defied explanation, but Wu Chi wasn't about to waste time analyzing the phenomenon.
"Fire!"
At his command, the Machine Gun Towers roared to life. Explosive shells, flaming blasts, freezing curses, and piercing arrows rained down upon the skeleton troops.
In moments, the hundred-some skeletons were blown to bits, scattered across the battlefield like fragments of porcelain...
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