Chapter 400

Chapter 400: Mission Settlement

"I never thought the Wolfspider tribe would get a slave warrior like that." Cuide stared at the empty space where Midi had stood, finally exhaling deeply. "Ten years back, that guy Risen from the Fire Lizard Tribe showed up the same way—out of nowhere. Then he made them the strongest tribe around here."

"Risen? He was a Dragonkin!" Vorg wiped blood from his lips, showing rare awe. "How can this soft-skinned round-ear, whatever he is, measure up to a real Dragonkin?"

Dragonkin in the Shaded Realm differed greatly from those in Sky City.

Too few to form communities, they lived as lone individuals.

Most became top-tier fighters, welcomed as guests by tribes and cities. Sometimes they faced rejection from all races.

Yet whether allies or enemies, these rare Dragonkin never disappeared.

This was the Shaded Realm—home to Dark Dragon City’s legendary heritage, where the ancient Black Dragon’s bloodline slept beneath the earth.

Hence, every Dragonkin here carried a sliver of ancient dragon power.

This made them far stronger than their Sea of Clouds kin.

So Shaded Realm Dragonkin earned the title "Black Dragon’s Chosen."

Even dark elves, the realm’s mightiest race, spoke of them with grudging respect.

"Never mind Risen!" Vorg growled. "Once Big Brother Cuide heals and hits peak form, that slave warrior won’t stand a chance!"

"Maybe." Cuide shook his head, eyes turning cold. "But the big tribes’ bonfire gathering’s coming up. We’ll settle this then."

While the Blue Serpent Tribe warrior marked Midi as a rival, Midi and Zaknavan had already left Dark Mushroom Forest.

Traveling single-file, they crossed Glow River and sped toward Wolfspider territory.

Chasing the Terrorclaw Scorpion added hours to their return, but they’d still make the ranking event.

First came contribution tallying.

Laden with packs, they went straight to the elder council’s settlement room, bypassing mission desks.

"Seven Ring Blood Python parts—fangs, hide, venom sacs. 800 points."

"Blood-sucking bat materials—wing membranes, sound sacs. 20 each. Forty bats plus a Bat King—950 total."

"Eight-eyed Wolf Spider—400."

"Variegated Poison Mushroom—600."

Wolfspider mages catalogued the haul, stunned. They’d handled rare materials before, but never this flood from two packs.

How’d these slave warriors gather so much in one week?

The Seven Ring Blood Python alone was lethal. Bat swarms meant death for most explorers. Yet here stood these two—unscathed, hauling trophies.

Even Wolfspider warrior teams—trained, six-strong—couldn’t match this.

Midi had topped the selection, but many dark elves still doubted him.

That trial happened in a lit cavern. Breaking Mason’s Illusion Formation just proved he had shadow-piercing skills.

Skills generally couldn’t be maintained around the clock, especially powerful True Vision abilities, which might last less than half an hour. For the Wolfspider warriors, whether a human lacking Night Vision Abilities could survive a week in the wilderness of the Shaded Realm had remained doubtful. But now, with Midi returning from his mission bearing so many spoils, those doubts had completely vanished.

Like Zaknavan, given time, this black-haired human would likely shed his status as a slave warrior and become a true Wolfspider Tribe Warrior—perhaps even a champion. Watching the young man meditating calmly nearby, the dark elf mages couldn’t help but think this, their gazes now tinged with genuine respect.

“Total of 4,190 contribution points,” announced the middle-aged dark elf in charge of the settlement room after a lengthy calculation. “By custom, we’ll round it to 4,200.”

As a two-person mission, the points were split evenly—2,100 each. Freedom required 10,000 points, meaning Midi could become a free Tribe Warrior in just five weeks. But this hinged on him staying in the top five rankings and maintaining such high yields. Still, while others might marvel at this speed, it was far too slow for Midi, bound by Death’s Pursuit Order.

“Bring out the rest, Zaknavan,” Midi said after a brief pause.

Nodding silently, Zaknavan pulled a bag from his waist and tossed it before the mages. Midi did the same.

The most valuable materials were always carried in duplicate—not out of distrust, but to ensure half survived any mishap during battle.

“Damn it, why waste my time hiding these?” the overseer snapped, scowling at the added workload. The settlement room handled all tribe missions, and delays irked him. But his complaints died when he opened the bags.

“This… these are Ferocious Beast materials! Terrorclaw Scorpion parts!”

The dark elf mages exchanged stunned glances. Terrorclaw Scorpions—infamous Shaded Realm monsters—had shells impervious to most attacks. Their magic resistance thwarted ranged strikes, while melee fighters faced lethal poison mist. An adult’s tail could hurl a fully armored half-giant through the air, and their leaps defied their size. With no weaknesses and balanced Attributes, defeating one required at least five teams (thirty warriors), often with heavy casualties. Yet Midi and Zaknavan had felled one alone?

“We didn’t do it alone,” Zaknavan clarified hastily. “We crossed paths with Blue Serpent Tribe members—Cuide, their Asura warrior, and ten others. Together, we took down the massive creature.”

The overseer relaxed. Cuide, a renowned Blue Serpent expert, explained the feat. Still, why did Midi and Zaknavan hold the Terrorclaw’s Essence? Before he could ask, a dark elf warrior arrived, summoning them to the elder council.

The mission’s true purpose—“exploring unknown regions”—meant the Dark Mushroom Forest’s status mattered far more to the tribe’s Higher-ups than rare materials. Only their approval would grant the contribution points.

Under Wolfspider warriors’ escort, Midi and Zaknavan entered the council hall.

“So these are the fighters who mapped the Dark Mushroom Forest in one week?” boomed a voice from the center—the Wolfspider chieftain.