Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 34 An unexpected gain
The townspeople's words surprised Su Mu and his companions, but no one doubted the angry look in his eyes as he stared at the burial pit.

They were all old neighbors and friends. Perhaps they could have backed down before facing the situation directly, but after seeing this hellish scene, they could no longer hold back. He wanted Su Mu to help the people of Seli Town take revenge.

"Come on, lead the way!"

The buildings in the Hero World do not exist forever. Due to the continuous existence of magical power, they may be exhausted or new buildings may be created.

But no matter what kind of building it is, even a broken windmill can provide considerable assistance in the early stages.

Su Mu planned to make the trip, and he was eager to investigate the mastermind behind controlling the wolves. As for the danger, wouldn't it be dangerous to stay put and let the other side summon the wolf pack to attack?
The group traveled through the night and finally arrived at the place the townspeople had mentioned after half a day.

There were indeed some wild animals here, but not just wolves.

【Raging Giant Bear (Neutral Tier 2): Attack 8, Defense 6, Damage 3-4, Health 22, Speed ​​7, Size Medium】

Element: None.

Berserk: When a giant bear is injured, it will enter a berserk state, gaining 3 attack power.

A pack of ferocious bears, numbering in the dozens, roamed outside the jungle. They had taken control of the main water source, and a pack of wolves rested a hundred meters away.

Logically speaking, these two species should never be able to coexist so peacefully, but at this moment they are like domesticated pets, resting with their boundaries clearly defined.

"Be prepared, someone may be controlling these beasts."

Not long after Su Mu discovered the giant bear, the other side also turned its attention to this place. After all, there was no magic to specifically conceal their scent, and they were quickly discovered by the giant bear and the wolf with their keen sense of smell.

"Roar!"

The roar of the giant bear shook the mountains and forests as it charged toward the hiding place of the Earth Bow.

Now that they had been exposed, the archers no longer tried to hide, each firing two arrows at the beasts.

These giant bears, though thick-skinned and tough, could not withstand the stone arrows from the Earth Bow. Three archers took on one giant bear, and after a volley of fire, they killed more than 30 bears.

Its enormous body even knocked down trees, and temporarily blocked the view.

"A wolf is charging! Watch out!"

Orling warned his men to attack the wild beasts that were taking advantage of the situation to rush up the hillside.

Faced with the incredibly fast wolves, Su Mu unusually refrained from using earth magic, instead casting a spell on all the Earth Bows to enhance their attack capabilities.

Because his aura-gazing technique detected a troublesome aura emanating from the distant thatched hut.

Although they lacked the slowing effect of the Earth Bow, they possessed a built-in slowing skill. Combined with their superior attack power, they essentially wiped out the wolves that charged up the mountain.

Even if some escaped the net, leaving only a few dozen, they posed no threat at close range.

However, at that moment, hundreds of giant bears burst out of the hidden cave and rushed toward the hillside at an extremely fast speed.

Because the archers in the front row were entangled with the wolves, they could only shoot with the Earth Bows in the back row. To their surprise, the mud created by the stone arrows disappeared without a trace when they got close to the giant bear, and did not affect the opponent's speed at all.

"Exorcism Technique!"

Su Mu looked at the thin water curtain surrounding the giant bear and instantly judged the enemy's magic.

[Exorcism Spell (Water-based, Level 1): Removes the effects of magic afflicting friendly units.]

He initially noticed nothing unusual as he approached the jungle. However, when the giant bear and the wolf charged, his intermediate-level Qi Observation skill detected a faint fluctuation of water element, leading Su Mu to suspect that a hero was hiding there.

When it comes to countering earth magic the most, water magic is definitely at the top of the list. The Exorcism spell often allows for a counter-attack, delivering an unexpected blow to the enemy. The opposing team, having identified the archer's weakness, planned to use the Exorcism spell in a one-shot kill, letting the giant bear charge in and overwhelm them.

With the hero's buff, these beasts with high HP gain 2 attack and 3 defense, making them even more difficult to deal with.

The Earth Archers had just finished clearing out the wolves when they were suddenly attacked by a giant bear. Even though they were all archers, they were all in a panic.

At this point, Su Mu no longer held back.

He took out the spellbook, silently chanted the incantation, and lit up the page of the earth element. Instantly, a cloud of yellow sand rolled in, and when he looked at the battlefield clearly again, several quicksand traps appeared around him.

"Fortunately, there are two places nearby!"

Since the location of this magic is controlled by incantation power, and Su Mu's incantation power is not yet that strong, the location of the trap will be randomly shifted.

He chose the region of the Earth's Bow, centering on himself.

The ferocious bears that rushed nearby got stuck in the quicksand, their massive bodies sinking deeper and deeper, with no way to escape.

Traps also affect Earthbow, but after being baptized by the earth element, they gain the ability of Earth Sensing, making them immune to earth-based slows.

A group of archers, clad in mud armor, moved swiftly across the quicksand, shooting as they went, slaying the berserk giant bear.

The beasts were absolutely furious. They were facing such a small, weak human so close yet they couldn't touch him no matter what they did. They were truly powerless to do anything about it.

It wasn't just the beasts that were furious; the cowardly hero was also enraged. He hadn't used magic initially, waiting for the crucial moment to launch a surprise attack with his exorcism technique, thinking he had the upper hand. But he ended up being taught a lesson by the quicksand trap.

The battlefield situation changes in an instant. The giant bears that failed to launch a surprise attack were halved by two volleys of fire from the Earth Bow. By the time the Exorcism Spell was used again, this number of giant bears no longer posed a threat to the archers.

[Raging Bear - 103, Earth Bow - 8]

By the time the archers had dealt with the beasts and rushed into the hut, the water-type hero had already vanished.

Since it was a closely contested battle, it was relatively easy for the heroes to retreat if they wanted to. They searched the entire house and found treasures that they hadn't had time to take with them.

【Savage Horn (Level 1 Treasure): By blowing the horn, you can influence the mind of Level 1 beast units, preventing them from forcing them to attack (limited quantity, and requires resources).
Comment: Listen, I seem to feel the call of my ancestors!

It turned out to be a beast controlled by a treasure. This horn was extremely heavy and would grow larger when used, reaching the size of half an adult. No wonder the other party didn't take it with them.

Of course, it can influence the mind of level 1 beasts, not directly control them. Simply put, using the horn can summon nearby beasts and surround the enemy's doorstep. Even if they don't attack, wouldn't that make you panic?

Even if you have a strong mentality and can endure it, being blocked by wild beasts and unable to pass is not a solution; a battle will inevitably occur sooner or later.

This treasure has more uses than just that; Su Mu at least knows it's of great use to the undead race.

After seizing the treasure, the archers searched around again and found a pile of gold coins (1000). It seems that using the horn requires gold coins.

But another discovery is even more exciting than this one.

Behind the jungle, a square building rises from the ground, with a huge doorway below for soldiers to pass through. Inside, there are spears and armor, and sometimes there are flashes of light and shadow, showing the skill of human spearmen.

[Guard tower: You are permitted to train riflemen here.]

Production: 14/week;
Cost: 60 gold coins per person.

Review: If you don't know how to use a spear yet, come to the guard tower for training! We guarantee you'll learn, and we're honest with everyone.

Su Mu was overjoyed. The town of Cangmu was in dire need of combat buildings, and he never expected that helping the people of Seli to take revenge would bring such a reward.

This time, we finally have front-line tanks, so we don't have to be the tanks ourselves!
(End of this chapter)