The news from the monster gathering ground came back much faster than expected. In less than an hour, a third-tier beast-type lord had returned with the news and posted it on the regional channel.
The result was unexpected—he had failed. Not only had he failed, but he had been utterly defeated. Almost all of his units were wiped out, and he himself barely escaped with his life.
The reason was simple: there was a fourth-tier monster in the gathering ground.
As soon as this news spread, it caused an uproar.
"My God, there's actually a fourth-tier monster in the gathering ground?"
"This is terrifying. I haven't even reached the third tier yet!"
"So that third-tier expert was completely wiped out?"
"Seems like it. Good thing I didn't go, or I wouldn't even know how I died."
"Crap! I thought it was a reward for surviving three days, but it turns out to be a trap!"
"Indeed, nothing good comes easy in this world. I'll just stick to killing low-tier monsters."
Alex, who was in his territory, also saw the news and immediately frowned.
A fourth-tier monster wasn't just a simple step above the third tier. It represented the leap from a primary to an intermediate creature.
To put it simply, once a creature surpasses the third tier, it undergoes a qualitative change, advancing from a low-level life form to an intermediate one. It also gains a new skill, and the increase in power isn't just a simple addition.
These were the pieces of information Alex had gathered from the regional channel over the past few days.
Dealing with a fourth-tier monster would be extremely difficult for ordinary third-tier units, with the risk of being wiped out entirely.
But if they didn't face the fourth-tier monster, they would be confronted with an even more terrifying beast tide, where fourth-tier monsters wouldn't be just one or two.
Sure enough, after the discussions, a man named Sebastian stepped forward.
"Everyone, I'm Sebastian. I'm now recruiting partners above the third tier to tackle the monster gathering ground and fend off the beast tide. Those interested, please contact me."
"Sebastian? Is that the third-tier angel-type expert?"
Seeing Sebastian's message, everyone in the channel was shocked.
In their region, Sebastian was the only known angel-type lord, and a renowned third-tier expert at that. This was no secret.
After all, the angel-type was recognized as one of the strongest unit types.
Even such a powerful figure couldn't handle a fourth-tier monster alone and had to gather allies in the channel. This showed just how terrifying a fourth-tier monster was.
"It really is Sebastian! I didn't expect him to show up!"
"Sebastian, can you take me along? I should reach the third tier by tomorrow."
"Expert, please take me with you. I'm almost at the third tier too."
"Count me in. I just leveled up this morning."
"I'm only second-tier, but I have a third-tier centaur. Sebastian, would that work?"
Sebastian's appearance made the regional channel buzz with activity.
Everyone wanted to join his team to benefit from the angel-type units, which would significantly increase their safety in clearing the monster gathering ground.
Alex silently watched all this, feeling slightly surprised.
This Sebastian was undoubtedly the young man he had encountered on the plains before. If he was involved, there was a real chance of successfully eliminating the fourth-tier monster.
After all, the strength of the angel-type was no joke, and Sebastian might even become a formidable rival in the future.
Moreover, he was clever, knowing how to form alliances and strengthen himself.
"It seems I need to step up my game," Alex murmured to himself.
Unlike these people, Alex had no intention of teaming up with others.
Not only was it a matter of trust, but he also didn't want to reveal his territory's location too early, lest he be backstabbed later.
In this world where everyone was on edge, caution was always wise.
Besides, with his current strength, he might just be able to handle a fourth-tier monster—he just needed some preparation.
With that in mind, Alex walked over to the Blazing Lotus he had planted the day before.
After two days of accumulation, the Blazing Lotus had produced over 500 points of Mana, more than enough for him to create a mage plant army.
So, for the entire morning, Alex stayed in his territory, fully focused on building his mage plant army.
By midday, he was finally done, and a group of plant units capable of natural-type attack spells stood by his side.
Among them were twelve Poison Thornvines, nine Treant Berserkers, six Flower Sprites, and three new units that had unexpectedly mutated.
[Name: Explosive Mushroom]
[Race: Plant]
[Level: Tier 3 (0/50)]
[Strength: 5]
[Constitution: 22]
[Agility: 30]
[Spirit: 44]
[Skills: Nature's Dominion, Explosive Spores]
[Description: An advanced form of the Explosive Mushroom, capable of rapidly generating and throwing mushrooms at enemies, causing powerful explosions.]
Since the mutation base was the Spirit of Flora, all the units inherited the Nature's Dominion skill.
What surprised Alex the most was that the Explosive Mushroom, after evolving, had gained mobility, growing limbs from its base.
Even more absurd was that the Explosive Spores skill had evolved into Explosive Mushroom, allowing it to pluck and throw the mushrooms at enemies.
Wasn't this essentially throwing grenades?
When Alex first saw this unit, he was utterly shocked.
Admittedly, these bouncing little mushrooms looked cute, but they were no pushovers. They hurled grenades as if they were free, nearly blowing up his territory.
The addition of this new unit significantly increased his confidence in taking on a fourth-tier monster.
After scanning the vast plant army in his territory, Alex nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.
"Let's move out!"
With that, he led his plant army deep into the nearby mountains.
After keeping an eye on the monster gathering ground all morning, Alex had a basic understanding of it.
The so-called gathering ground was simply a place where many monsters gathered.
Due to the excessive number of monsters, the ecosystem was disrupted, causing havoc, and powerful individuals like clan leaders often emerged.
Following this clue, Alex soon found a gloomy mountain hollow.
The hollow was filled with zombies and skeletons, and the dense miasma swirling above it made it clear that this was a monster gathering ground.
The attributes of these monsters appeared before Alex's eyes.
[Name: Zombie]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: Tier 3]
[Strength: 31]
[Constitution: 39]
[Agility: 22]
[Spirit: 34]
[Skill: Rotting Sores]
[Description: A corpse transformed by plague, carrying deadly rot.]
[Name: Skeleton Axeman]
[Race: Undead]
[Level: Tier 3]
[Strength: 40]
[Constitution: 25]
[Agility: 36]
[Spirit: 28]
[Skill: Heavy Cleave]
[Description: A lower-tier undead wielding a powerful axe.]
As expected, these zombies and skeletons were all third-tier monsters, posing little threat to him.
After assessing the terrain, Alex cautiously led his plant army closer.