Chapter 14: Twelve Gloomhoof—and Every One of Them Advances to Rare
[Gloomhoof Warcamp]
[Type: Wild Troop Structure]
[Level: 1]
[Base Troop: Gloomhoof Centaur]
[Production: 1 every 4 hours]
[Current Stock: Gloomhoof Centaur ×12]
[Very low chance of producing a higher-bloodline unit.]
Cassian’s gaze settled on the twelve.
Exactly twelve.
The Level 6 to Level 9 Gloomhoof who had filled the Warcamp earlier had been dangerous mostly because of their numbers and organized mounted archery.
Troops recruited fresh from a troop structure started over at Level 1.
Cassian did not consider that a problem.
Levels could be fed with Battle Essence.
Starting their loyalty and growth path from zero was cleaner.
He opened the recruitment panel.
[Gloomhoof Centaur]
[Quality: Elite]
[Level: 1]
[Role: Mounted Archery / Assault]
[Skills: Rapid Shot / Charge]
[Recruitment Cost: 500 Aether Crystal each]
"All of them."
[Aether Crystal -6,000]
Twelve gray-green summoning patterns lit up across the center of the Warcamp.
Hoofbeats soon came from within them.
The first Gloomhoof Centaur stepped out with every trace of the old tribe’s markings gone. It wore simple leather armor, carried a longbow across its back, and pressed one hand to its chest.
Then came the second.
The third.
Until all twelve stood in front of Cassian in a clean formation.
No hostility.
None of the frenzy that had filled the eyes of the Warcamp’s former defenders.
[Gloomhoof Centaur ×12 have joined the Forgotten Shrine.]
Veyra leaned against one of the few wooden posts still standing.
"What are you going to call these?"
Cassian looked at her.
"What?"
"You never bothered naming the Blackfang."
"And with the Gloomhoof earlier, you just called them by position."
Veyra looked over the twelve Centaurs.
"I’m curious whether these become Number One through Number Twelve."
Cassian considered it.
"Let them survive the next fight first."
All twelve Centaurs looked up at once.
Veyra turned her head too.
"...You have a very special way of raising morale."
"Honesty saves time."
Cassian walked toward the middle of the battlefield.
"And the next fight is close."
Thirty-seven minutes remained before the Raid.
Before that, there was another payment to collect.
Not Alaric’s money.
The real value of the Warcamp itself.
During the battle, system notifications had been appearing almost nonstop. Cassian had ignored most of them and ordered the system to merge the final settlement instead.
Now the result appeared.
[Gloomhoof Warcamp Battle Settlement Complete.]
[Cumulative Battle Essence: 78,230]
[Cumulative Aether Crystal: 3,280]
[The Chieftain’s 228 Aether Crystal was already credited earlier.]
[Remaining Aether Crystal +3,052]
[Aether Crystal: 79,693]
[Troop Soul: Elite ×54]
[Rare Weapon: Windcaller Bow ×1]
[Refined Chest ×58]
[Common Chest ×208]
A long list of ordinary equipment and materials followed.
Cassian skipped over it.
His attention went to the Troop Souls.
Fifty-four in total.
He had already seen one drop when Veyra’s first spear strike tore through the central road, so he knew what they did.
[Troop Soul: Elite]
[Use on a Common troop: Advance to Elite.]
[Use on an Elite troop: Increase Growth Potential.]
Cassian took one out.
A green phantom-light pulsed in his palm.
He looked at the first newly recruited Gloomhoof Centaur.
"Come here."
The Centaur stepped forward immediately.
Cassian pressed the Troop Soul against its chest.
Green light sank into its body.
The Gloomhoof tensed visibly.
[Elite unit absorbed Troop Soul: Elite.]
[Growth Potential +25%]
Cassian’s eyes sharpened slightly.
Twenty-five percent.
That made the math easy.
He used a second.
[Growth Potential +25%]
Then a third.
A fourth.
When the fourth green phantom disappeared into the Centaur, dark silver patterns surfaced along the edges of its leather armor.
Its muscles did not swell dramatically.
But its stance changed.
More stable.
Its breathing became longer.
Even the way it focused on distant movement looked sharper than before.
A system notice followed.
[Growth Potential has reached the current Quality threshold.]
[Quality Advancement.]
[Gloomhoof Centaur: Elite → Rare]
Veyra straightened slightly.
"That can do this too?"
"The description was clear."
Cassian looked at the remaining Troop Souls.
"Four for one Rare."
"Twelve troops."
"Forty-eight."
Veyra glanced at the Raid countdown.
"Thirty-five minutes."
Cassian had already called the second Gloomhoof forward.
"Enough."
For the next minute, green light barely stopped flashing.
The fifth Troop Soul.
The ninth.
The thirteenth.
...
Every four Troop Souls, the aura of another Gloomhoof shifted.
Elite.
Rare.
Elite.
Rare.
At first, the Centaurs waiting behind stood quietly.
After the third one advanced, their breathing had become noticeably heavier.
By the seventh, one of the Gloomhoof in the back could not stop itself from scraping a forehoof against the ground.
Veyra noticed.
"They’re getting impatient."
"Normal."
Cassian took out another four Troop Souls.
"Anyone would get impatient watching everyone beside them go up in value."
Veyra raised a brow.
"Go up in value?"
"Rare is worth more than Elite."
She stared at him.
"Am I wrong?"
"No."
Veyra folded her arms around Crimson Oath.
"I just suddenly feel sorry for them."
The last four Troop Souls disappeared into the twelfth Gloomhoof.
Dark silver patterns lit across its armor.
[Quality Advancement.]
[Gloomhoof Centaur: Elite → Rare]
Cassian looked over the line in front of him.
All twelve Elite Centaurs recruited only minutes ago had advanced.
[Rare Gloomhoof Centaur ×12]
Six Troop Souls remained.
Cassian did not spend them just because he could.
The next batch of troops might need them.
Another compatible unit might create more value.
Or they might matter more later.
A reward did not become good simply because it could be consumed immediately.
If it did not change the next fight, there was no reason to spend it now.
Veyra looked over the twelve Rare Gloomhoof.
"So this is why you didn’t chase the stragglers?"
"Part of it."
"And the other part?"
Cassian looked up at the Raid countdown.
[00:34:18]
"The customer is almost here."
Veyra’s mouth curved.
"I thought you’d stand at the gate and wait for him yourself."
"No need."
Cassian walked up to the first Rare Gloomhoof.
Its bow had thickened during the advancement, and natural dark-gray patterns now ran along the limbs.
"He paid for the Raid Writ."
"These troops came from the battlefield."
"The defense tower was already built."
Cassian tapped the longbow once.
"Why should I personally help him save money?"
Veyra understood.
"You’re sending them?"
"Depends what he brings."
"And if he doesn’t bring anything worth your attention?"
"Then it’s even easier."
Cassian turned away.
"No reason to waste you."
——
About five minutes remained before the Raid when Cassian returned to the Forgotten Shrine.
A call request appeared almost immediately.
[Elara Vayne requests communication.]
He accepted.
Elara’s face appeared in front of him.
She had already changed out of the bloodstained light armor from earlier, but had not even had time to tie her hair back properly.
"Cassian."
"What are you doing?"
"Just got back."
"That’s not what I meant!"
Elara threw a Regional System notice into the call window.
[Raid Countdown: 00:04:52]
[Attacker Alaric Voss has enabled Public Battle Feed.]
"He made the battle public."
Elara stared at him.
"The whole region is watching."
"Oh."
A vein almost appeared on Elara’s forehead.
"...Oh?"
Cassian looked toward the outer boundary.
Twelve Rare Gloomhoof were lined up behind the damaged outer wall.
The Repeater Ballista Tower had already turned quietly toward the south.
Veyra stood beside him with Crimson Oath in her arms.
Cassian finally smiled.
"Good."
Elara froze.
"What part of this is good?"
"Saves me explaining after."
The countdown continued.
[00:04:17]
[00:04:16]
[00:04:15]
Elara looked at the formation behind him.
Then at the timer.
"You aren’t seriously..."
Cassian raised one hand.
"Don’t hang up."
"You can watch too."