The struggle over the mines continued to intensify.
After another night passed, the rankings began to show a surge of fifth-tier lords joining the fray for the mine's resources. The impact of yesterday's airdropped treasure chests had made the mine area in the Scorched Wasteland the focal point for all lords. Every moment, new reports of skirmishes over the mines flooded in—someone was killed here, a fight broke out there, or one faction clashed with another. Chaos reigned as everyone scrambled for the resources needed to ascend to the sixth tier.
Seeing this, Alex decided it was best to steer clear of the chaos. He opened the Ranking list and noticed he was still holding onto second place. Meanwhile, Ryan Mitchell, thanks to his rare units, had clawed his way back into the top five.
"That top spot... it's no joke," Alex murmured, his gaze sharpening.
After a night of accumulation, all his fourth-tier units had been upgraded to the fifth tier. With the addition of River and Ivy, both of royal lineage, and his five rare Wood Drakes, Alex now commanded a formidable force. Even with his Ancient Tree of Knowledge stuck at the third tier, he had a total of forty-nine fifth-tier units. Yet, despite this, he still couldn't surpass the number one spot. This was unexpected.
If Alex had to guess, the top lord must have acquired rare units through some other means, stumbled upon a unique opportunity, or perhaps even managed to cultivate a sixth-tier unit. Otherwise, it was impossible to explain how they remained unchallenged at the pinnacle. After all, Alex himself had only gained the unique ability of Mutation due to his rough start. It wasn't far-fetched to think others might have stumbled upon their own fortunes.
"Truly, there are always those who are a cut above," Alex sighed, closing the ranking list and heading to the Tower of Units.
After a day of research, he had successfully upgraded the Spirit of Flora and the Toxic Enchantress to the fifth tier, making them recruitable. With the newly unlocked Wood Drake, he now had three fifth-tier units at his disposal. For the rest of the day, he planned to research and upgrade the Flower Sprite, Treant, Explosive Mushroom, and King of the Man-Eating Flowers to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances. Of course, this process would take time, but fortunately, the lower-tier units didn't consume much Mana in the early stages of research.
After setting the research tasks and grabbing a bite to eat, Alex set out with twenty-five fifth-tier plant units. The previous night, just before bed, Luke had sent him a message. Luke and his friend had gathered enough materials to upgrade to the fifth tier and wanted to trade a thousand Mana for two fourth-tier Territory Essences. Considering the valuable information Luke had provided in the past, Alex agreed. After all, he had no use for fourth-tier Territory Essences at the moment, and the Mana would be far more practical.
Crossing through the forest, Alex soon arrived at the outskirts of Luke's territory. Luke and his friend, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed to greet him.
"Alex, it's been a while!" Luke exclaimed.
"Indeed, it has," Alex replied with a smile. "Is this your friend?"
"Yes, this is Michael. The other Territory Essence is for him," Luke quickly explained.
As they spoke, both Luke and Michael couldn't help but eye the twenty-five fifth-tier units surrounding Alex. Their shock was palpable. Every single one of them was a fifth-tier unit! With such overwhelming power, Alex could easily obliterate their territories if he wished. Was this the true strength of the second-ranked lord?
Luke could hardly believe it. In just a few days, Alex's power had grown exponentially, and his army had expanded significantly. While they were still reeling from the sight, Alex pulled out two crystalline Territory Essences from his Personal Storage Space.
"Here, the Territory Essences you asked for."
"Is this really a fourth-tier Territory Essence?" Luke and Michael swallowed hard, their eyes glued to the shimmering crystals.
They knew that upgrading a territory required consuming a Territory Essence of the same tier, but seeing one in person was still awe-inspiring. They quickly initiated the trade, handing over a thousand Mana and receiving the Territory Essences in return.
"Alright, since the trade is done, I should head back," Alex said, turning to leave.
"Wait, Alex!" Luke called out suddenly.
Alex paused and looked back. "What is it?"
Luke hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Have you heard about the Misty Zone that was discovered at the edge of the wasteland yesterday?"
"The Misty Zone?"
"Yes, at the northeastern edge of the wasteland. It's a terrifying area shrouded in mist. Rumor has it that any fifth-tier lord who enters dies on the spot. No one has come out alive."
"Really?" Alex was taken aback. He hadn't seen any mention of this in the Regional Chat.
"Yes, I only heard about it this morning. It shouldn't be long before the news spreads to the Regional Chat," Luke confirmed. "Although the mist is far from our area, those who've investigated it say it's slowly spreading... and it's moving toward us!"
"Moving toward us?" Alex's eyes narrowed. This was alarming news. If the mist was indeed heading their way, they could all be in grave danger.
"And there's more," Michael chimed in. "They say there are shadows in the mist—shadows as tall as mountains!"
"Shadows?"
"Yes, that's what the survivors from the edge of the wasteland said," Michael nodded vigorously.
Alex fell into deep thought. He had always harbored doubts about this world, sensing that something was hidden beneath the surface. Recalling what Ryan Mitchell had told him earlier, combined with Luke and Michael's account, he felt there was something deeply unsettling about all this. Yet, no matter how much he pondered, he couldn't piece together the full picture.
Could it be that reaching the sixth tier was the key to uncovering the truth? But if he rushed to ascend, would he face the dangers Ryan had warned him about? It was a mystery. Regardless, this information was crucial.
After a moment of contemplation, Alex turned to the two. "Thank you for telling me this. It's very important."
"You're welcome. It's the least we could do," Luke replied with a smile. He had only shared the information because it would soon become common knowledge anyway. Alex would have found out eventually.
After exchanging a few more words, Luke and Michael bid Alex farewell and hurried back to their territories to upgrade using the newly acquired Territory Essences. As for Alex, he led his plant army back toward the Scorched Wasteland. Despite the chaos and daily casualties there, he had no choice but to venture in to gather the resources needed to reach the sixth tier. He had to prepare for whatever might come next.