Chapter 53: Enslavement

"You're actually here!"

Sophia could no longer contain her anger when she saw Irving's unhurried demeanor. Her face seemed to be covered with a layer of frost.

"There's less than three hours left. Do you want to get us all killed? Do you really think the outer walls alone can withstand the second wave of the disaster?" she snapped, her voice tinged with desperation and frustration.

"And all that junk you have piled up—I have no idea what it's even for, just taking up space."

Sophia vented all her pent-up frustration.

"I thought by following you, you'd help me get my revenge. If it wasn't for me using my skills last night, those beasts outside would have torn you to shreds!"

"Sophia..." Vicky beside her wanted to explain something, but Sophia interrupted her directly, "Shut up! Are you still trying to defend him? Some calamity-level beast? I've never even heard of that. It's obvious you made it up. The fact that this shelter with such defense capabilities managed to survive the first wave of disasters is just sheer luck on your part!"

"Good luck won't always be on your side!"

Within the walls of the shelter, Sophia's scolding echoed, even startling the beasts wandering outside, causing them to once again charge at the walls. However, Irving merely watched her silently.

"Are you done?" Seeing that she seemed exhausted from her outburst, a cold gleam flashed in Irving's eyes. "If you have so many complaints, you can leave right now. I'll immediately dissolve our affiliation. I won't force you to stay."

"You!"

Sophia's face turned livid. The reason she had spoken like that was partly due to her frustration from waiting for Irving for hours after she had logged in early in the morning. She couldn't suppress her irritation any longer.

On the other hand, she wanted Irving to realize that the true cataclysm was far more terrifying than he imagined.

"I'm giving you one last chance—stay or leave." Irving said, his face showing no emotion whatsoever.

Sophia fell silent.

Though she was as anxious as a cat on hot bricks, she knew she couldn't leave this man.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment. All the sounds seemed to be swallowed up, leaving only the sound of heartbeat echoing in the empty room. The tense atmosphere at this moment, like the tranquility before a storm, was heart wrenching.

Seeing her silence, Irving walked past her. "If you want to stay, follow my instructions."

Irving could have easily expelled this woman from the shelter. However, he knew that Sophia's harsh words were essentially aimed at protecting the shelter from destruction.

Although her intentions were good, her perspective was still limited to that of an ordinary player.

Mindlessly reinforcing the shelter might solve immediate problems. But no matter how strong the shelter is, it will eventually be breached by more powerful beasts. To survive the impending apocalypse, one must learn to take the initiative and fight back!

"Sophia, Irving isn't what you think." Vicky said, glancing at the seething Sophia. "Once you truly understand him, you'll see everything clearly."

Vicky hurriedly chased after Irving, who was walking towards the outer wall, while Sophia, behind them, watched their retreating figures with a complex expression. Searᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

After hesitating for a moment, she decided to follow them. She wanted to see if this man had a way to survive the second wave of the cataclysm.

Outside the wall.

The beasts that had emerged from the altar sensed the open gate, and their blood-red eyes immediately locked onto Irving. They pounded their chests with their fists, roaring loudly.

Roar!

With a series of thunderous roars, the hulking, hideous beasts charged at Irving once again.

"Exhausted my energy at the altar yesterday, that's why I didn't finish you off. Do you really think I'm that easy to bully?" Irving's deep eyes flashed with cold light. Remembering his disgrace at the altar last night, his heart was filled with anger.

He gripped the[Evil Source Wand], its tip glowing with an eerie green light.

"Go to hell!" Irving said coldly. With a slight wave of his wand, blazing fireballs shot towards the beasts like cannonballs.

Boom!

Deafening explosions echoed as the fierce light in the eyes of the leading beasts instantly vanished. They felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from this frail human!

Moreover, there was something oddly familiar about that aura... But in the blink of an eye, the fireballs were already upon them.

A mid-level[Fireball spell], which greatly drained a mage's mental energy.

Vicky, who had just arrived, was stunned by the scene before her.

There were seven fireballs!

The ground seemed to tremble, and the grassy field outside the wall was instantly scorched into a wasteland. All of this suggested that the powerful force had not disappeared but was instead gradually increasing.

The beasts lay there, some with arms blown off, others severely maimed, and some with their heads hit directly by the fireballs, dying instantly with their brains splattered.

"This..." Sophia had just stepped outside and saw the beasts all lying on the ground, either dead or grievously injured, moaning in pain. Her heart surged with turmoil, and she looked at Irving in utter disbelief.

She knew the significance of casting eight fireballs simultaneously...

"Could it be that when he fought her last time... he hadn't used his full strength? Or even half of it? "She wondered, feeling a sudden sense of defeat.

Irving ignored the two behind him and walked straight into the scorched earth, gazing down at the heavily injured beasts with a smile.

Although Anna's bestiary had no information on these creatures, it didn't matter now.

What mattered was that these beasts had immense strength, perfect for operating the eight turbine generators for free.

As Irving prepared to end their lives and then use[Soul Reap], a prompt sound suddenly rang in his ears.

[Do you want to enslave the 'Stone Gargantuan Beast'?]

Irving was stunned.

Since he had transitioned into a necromancer, he distinctly remembered that he could only control beasts as his slaves once they were completely dead. However, these beasts were very much alive. He seemed to realize something, and his gaze fell onto the [Evil Source Wand] in his hand.

This was a legendary weapon! It was said that only true warriors can grasp it and unleash its immense hidden power. With each battle, it seems to be gradually awakening, ready to showcase its true power.

"Could it be that this wand allows me to enslave beasts directly when they are severely injured?" Irving speculated.

His hunch was indeed accurate. The[Evil Source Wand]contained immense power. Especially after embedding the[Plague Heart], it had regained its original form, capable of controlling the minds of all living beings.

Note, it could control all living beings! This included players living in the Other World and even people in the real world. As long as there was a living presence, it could be controlled by it!

However, with Irving's current strength, he was far from being able to fully unleash the power of the [Evil Source Wand].

Moreover, there was a significant difference between direct enslavement and soul plundering. Soul plundering drastically reduced the original strength of the beast, turning it into nothing more than a zombie-like shell.

Enslavement, on the other hand, meant directly controlling the body. Not only would its strength remain unaffected, but it could potentially grow even stronger over time.

"Yes," Irving's voice fell.

[Enslaving Stone Gargantuan Beast...]

[Completed!]

[Notification: The player can freely command these Stone Gargantuan Beasts. They will become your loyal slaves and will unconditionally follow any orders!]

[Number of enslaved beasts: Stone Gargantuan Beast*13...]

Seeing these notifications, Irving felt a surge of surprise. His earlier speculation had been confirmed. Inwardly, he mused, "No wonder I've been labeled as Public Enemy Number One by the Will of Blue Star ever since I acquired this wand... It actually allows me to enslave otherworldly beasts directly. Doesn't that mean I can form an entire army of otherworldly beasts?"

Before he could ponder further, the system prompt chimed again.

Colossus Behemoth]

[Species: Stone Spirit Race]

[Level: Intermediate Low Tier!]

[A powerful otherworldly beast sealed within an ancient and mysterious statue. These creatures were once fearsome behemoths active on ancient battlefields. Due to a mysterious ritual, they were sealed within the statues. They possess formidable strength and enduring stamina, often used to charge and break through enemy lines on the battlefield...]

All information about the Colossus Behemoth now appeared before Irving's eyes. Previously, information about otherworldly beasts had to be obtained through the player in the angelic group who possessed the [Eagle Eye] talent. But now, simply by enslaving unknown otherworldly beasts, he could easily acquire this information.

However, his brows furrowed tightly, his gaze fixed on the [Race] and [Level] fields. Beyond the surprise, a sense of foreboding began to well up within him...