Rosalind''s boldness is not just a product of her own strength; another reason is that House Brown is one of Merak''s nobilities, naturally putting her a cut above the rest.


    Rosalind felt John''s gaze and merely nced back briefly before continuing her aggressive casting.


    Numerous wide-range skills shot out from her staff, and the boosts she gave her nearby teammates were asional at best.


    John watched for a while, amused, chuckled softly, and spoke no further, instead continuing to clear the monsters in front of him.


    Learning from the first day''s experience, they implemented a shift system, not replenishing their simtive energy when depleted but meditating to recover instead.


    After all, it was only the second day, and using up all their resources at once would spell disasterter.


    They now had only the nighttime to venture out, but the forest at night was fraught with danger... better to stay in if possible.


    After a whole day of battling monsters in shifts, everyone was utterly exhausted.


    Archibald looked at the damage to the walls, his expression growing grave.


    "In one day, the wall''s damage has reached 5%. Initially, the damage was high because people hesitated to use their skills, but towards the end, everyone regained the spirit they had yesterday."


    "Today''s monster tide has caused more damage to the wall. We must n carefully; we might have to activate the protective shields soon."


    The damage to the wall wasn''t a major issue per se, but the rate at which it was urring was rmingly fast.


    If this continued, the resources they had umted might not hold up.


    "How are things on your end today?"


    John inquired about Isabe and Cecilia''s situation.


    Both Isabe and Cecilia had just finished a day''s battle, and it was clear they were both extremely tired.


    "The monsters on our side today were somewhat different from yesterday; their level seems to have increased, and both their attack and defense capabilities have risen to some extent."


    Isabe''s tone clearly carried a hint of fatigue, and Cecilia didn''t even bother to speak, simply giving a thumbs-up in agreement.


    "That''s what I feared, that each day the monsters would be stronger than thest. If this continues, we might notst the 15 days before the level of the monsters bes truly terrifying!"


    If today, the second day, they are already at level 31, wouldn''t the monsters be over level 40 by the 15th day?


    Even monsters in their forties are a formidable presence for them, not to mention the possibility of encountering elite-tier or boss-level monsterster on!


    Upon hearing John''s words, both fell silent.


    "My brother went beyond the walls today."


    Cecilia''s remark snapped John back to attention.


    "How did it go?"


    "It seems these monsters only have hearing, making anyone outside the walls a sitting duck, so my brother managed to kill some."


    "However, these monsters are very formidable when they band together. I''ve noticed that monsters of the same species even cooperate with each other."


    John pursed his lips slightly, realizing that things were indeed more terrifying than he had anticipated.


    "Their attack power increased today, so the wear on the walls was indeed higher than I expected. If it continues to rise daily, we will definitely need to activate the protective shields by the end."


    John spoke slowly, ideally hoping to initiate the shields only in thest three days.


    They were low on energy stones, which were also needed to cast the Resurrection Spell. Starting the shields too early would undoubtedly lead to them being overwhelmedter on.


    In the past, if the walls broke, they broke; if they died, they died—it was merely a failed trial, and they''d be teleported out.


    But now it was different—now, death was real.


    "Today, I n to check the forest. Although we''re only 30 li apart, when I went to the coordinates you provided, I found nothing but void, indicating there''s surely some barrier or enchantment between us."


    "It might only be essibleter in the game."


    Isabe frowned slightly, recalling the day they had encountered each other in the underground pce, "Are you saying you''re going to the pce again today?"


    John pondered for a moment before giving a negative response.


    "The pce has been thoroughly explored, and there aren''t many resources left. I''m thinking of exploring around the Treemonkey King''s area instead."


    "Treemonkey King?"


    Cecilia was dumbfounded upon hearing this name. "You''re not talking about the tinum-tier boss near your fortress''s resource point, are you?"


    Upon receiving John''s affirmative reply, Cecilia couldn''t help but roll her eyes.


    It''s true what they say:parisons really can be infuriating!


    The monsters on their side were utterly impossible tomunicate with; once a conflict arose, it was a fight to the death.


    They were indeed fortunate that the three fortresses were now able tomunicate and trade goods, otherwise their fortress would have likely been the first to fall.


    Isabe seemed hesitant, but ultimately she didn''t say much more.


    "Let''s keep sharing information in a timely manner."


    John nodded slightly, then after sharing some of the resources they had gathered today, he began to inspect the fortress.


    Old Nick''s progress was outstanding.


    They hadn''t stopped at all these past few days; the storeroom was now filled with bows made from monster bones.


    They had also created some throwable spears which were highly effective but single-use.


    They were lucky to have enough bones from their dissections, otherwise they might not have had enough.


    "Honored Commander, what brings you here?"


    Upon seeing John, Old Nick quickly set down his hammer and bowed respectfully.


    At the same time, a slightly younger-looking dwarf also bowed to John, his beard quirking up in a way that was bothical and endearing.


    "Good day, Honored Commander!"


    John also adopted their greeting, clenching his right fist and cing it over his left chest, slightly bowing, "Greetings."


    Both individuals were thrilled to see John perform their gesture. They knew John was not of their race, but his respect for their customs was greatly appreciated!


    The other dwarf, named Wayne, was a master cksmith of the same rank as Old Nick but slightly younger.


    "Honored Commander, what brings you here sote?"


    Old Nick could almost instantly tell that John seemed preupied with something.


    "It''s like this; I need your help with something."


    John paused briefly before stating his request.


    He nned to venture into the forest at night but was not very familiar with the nearby paths, thus needing Old Nick and Wayne''s assistance.


    Old Nick and Wayne exchanged a nce, their beards twitching, "Honored Commander, the forest at night is fraught with dangers, including the pervasive Shadow yer... For your safety, we urge you not to go."


    Shadow yer? John furrowed his brows, what was that?


    Seeing John''s unfamiliarity with the Shadow yer, Old Nick stroked his beard.


    "We don''t know when it started, but at night, a kind of invisible, intangible creature began to appear. Itpletely devours a person''s essence and then takes their ce."


    "Because it''s invisible and intangible, there''s no way to guard against it. By the time you realize what''s happening, all your defenses have been drained, your mind power drastically reduced, leaving you just waiting to be reced."


    "Is that so?"


    John furrowed his brow slightly, suggesting that this so-called Shadow yer might be capable of mental attacks.


    "The most terrifying part is that they mimic everything about their host, even infiltrating the host''smunity before proceeding to ughter them en masse."


    "After killing someone, the original entity splits, creating a new Shadow yer thattches onto the next person, continuing until the entiremunity is transformed. Only then do they seek a new target."


    It seemed to be a novel form of reproduction.


    John grew more perplexed.


    "So, there''s no way tobat it?"


    His mind power was high and his mental resistance robust, so he still wanted to give it a try.