Chapter 685.5: Massive Blood Loss of the Cole Elves
Bay Territory's true enemy definitely included the Cole Elves.
As Elio's understanding of the Cole Elves deepened, her opinion of their Kingdom evolved.
From curiosity and doubt, to disgust and concern, and finally to vigilance and hostility.
The Lord, in collaboration with the Ail Elves and the underground factions, had set up many traps for the Cole Elf Kingdom.
Yet from Bay Territory's covert intel, Elio learned the Cole Elves hadn't suffered much loss.
Instead, they used those small crises as training and warnings.
A terrifying army of over a million was quickly regaining its former might.
Their stockpiled materials were turning into increasingly dangerous weapons and gear.
What worried Elio more was—
Even so, the Cole Elf Kingdom had only barely recovered, and shouldn't yet alarm Bay Territory's commanders.
After all, Bay Territory's rapid growth was their real source of confidence.
However, many of the Cole Elves' changes quickly raised red flags.
The Cole Elves no longer ignored Bay Territory—despite their own troubles, they still actively caused problems for them.
It had been this way before, and still was now.
Moreover, the Cole Elves had always coveted Bay Territory's technology.
Including—but not limited to—golem engineering, machinery, magic technology, and even the prized Dragon Warrior transformation.
Although some attempts had failed, their rapid response and adaptability, combined with their deep foundations, were cause for concern.
But it was concern only.
Elio also looked forward to facing the Cole Elf troops—to see their changes and if their tech had truly progressed.
After all, Elio deeply agreed with what the Lord often said:
All kinds of technology must be promptly implemented, step by step, steadily advancing.
If one only copies without research and solid foundations, it's all just a castle in the air.
"The Cole Elf Kingdom's system is flawed. Even if it changes, it'll only add pressure to us, making Bay Territory better in turn."
"Besides, their changes will definitely harm vested interests, creating bigger rifts and contradictions."
"If given time, maybe they could slowly adjust and fix those..."
Time!
Elio had long been thinking about this—everything the Lord did carried a hint of 'urgency.'
While others felt the pace was already impressive, the Lord still carried hidden worries.
And it wasn't just Elio—every Bay Territory manager could feel it.
None of them knew what exactly the Lord was worried about.
Why such haste? Why such pressure?
Still, everyone chose to trust and support him.
Because the territory kept getting better, and so did their lives.
The sun set in the west.
A warm golden glow slowly spread.
The revered sun was about to set.
The dreaded Scarlet Moon was preparing to rise.
In the bustling orc camp—
Many orc warriors were fighting over scarce food and cramped wooden huts.
The adventurers hadn't only attacked the orcs.
They were also tirelessly "clearing" the surrounding Dark Forest.
Without food and prey from the forest, how could these gluttonous orcs keep advancing?
The orc army had already suffered from food shortages before.
That failed advance had cost over 20,000 orc lives.
If the Cole Elves hadn't stepped in with food, the entire army might've collapsed.
That's why, before stockpiling enough food, they didn't dare move forward.
The Cole Elves were fine with this. They didn't believe an orc-troll alliance could truly trouble Bay Territory.
They were trying to bring in the true army of the Bloodrage Trolls to face Bay Territory.
As for the orcs, they were just filler and sacrifices.
Listening to the distant chaos, Chris exhaled softly and carefully gestured for retreat.
On the other side, the adventurers lowered their binoculars and quietly pulled back.
They transmitted the recorded firing coordinates and other data to the rear artillery teams.
Chris and the others checked the time and silently watched the sky above.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Rumble rumble rumble!
Blazing red streaks of fire flashed across the sky.
From the front camp came a series of fierce, terrifying explosions.
The continuous blasts instantly shattered the silence of the Dark Forest.
Chris and the others quickly climbed into the trees to observe.
The distant camp was already a mess, engulfed in a sea of artillery fire.
Chris looked at the still glowing red camp, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Noticing a large wave of wolf cavalry charging out, he immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:
"The bombardment worked—fish are biting! Let's fall back a bit!"
The adventurers all grinned happily upon hearing this.
They quickly laid down the prepared traps and sprinted toward the rear.
Before long—
The howls of dire wolves rang out continuously.
Sniffing the scents in the forest, they quickly reached the trap zones.
Before they could react, a flurry of arrows rained down from distant grass and tree branches.
The wolf cavalry, having learned a bit, scattered instead of bunching up to avoid the barrage.
But they inevitably stepped into the scattered traps.
Poison-coated caltrops.
Landmines hidden beneath piles of fallen leaves.
Magic bombs strung among the thorn bushes.
Deep pits laced with deadly metal spikes.
Most traps were well-concealed, and with the panicked wolves fleeing blindly, they triggered them naturally.
Realizing the enemy was nearby and the camp still under bombardment—
The wolf cavalry pressed forward through their losses and launched a charge.
No matter what, they had to force back Bay Territory's artillery units and stop the shelling.
War truly does make creatures grow.
Even the low-brained orcs were no exception.
The wolf cavalry now clearly understood—
What attacks posed the greatest threat to them!
Yet facing their reckless charge, the adventurers didn't retreat quickly this time.
Instead, they used their pre-laid traps to hold them off.
While heavily damaging the cavalry, they also drew the orc scouts' hatred.
More wolf cavalry soon followed, surrounding from the front and both flanks to the sound of horns and howls.
Triggers were pulled, toppling the charging riders.
The powerful bolts pierced through the riders' chests, then the dire wolves beneath them, slaying the vicious beasts too.
The dire wolves and orcs were tenacious, struggling and howling, clearly not ready to die.
But Chris didn't bother with a finishing blow.
They already knew how orcs treated their wounded.
If they couldn't recover on their own, they'd become food for their "comrades."
Chris withdrew according to plan, dodging the arrows flying toward him.
As long as he completed this mission—
He'd earn enough merit.
And get his shot at becoming a Dragon Warrior.
So, Chris actually hoped the wolf cavalry would chase him harder.
With his superb escape skills, he easily dodged their attacks using the trees and returned smoothly to the hidden post.
More than 10 wolf cavalry roared as they charged in.
The adventurers, already prepared, activated the auto-crossbow turrets.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Crisp and rhythmic bowstring sounds loosed a storm of deadly bolts.
The 10+ charging cavalry hadn't even reacted—
When 30-40 bolts rained down on them.
Pffft!
Crack!
Bang bang bang!
Sounds of flesh tearing, bones breaking, bodies slamming, and beastly howls filled the air.
In the blink of an eye, all the orc scouts had fallen.
An excited adventurer stroked the now silent auto-crossbow turret and swallowed hard:
"Damn, this thing's a beast. Gotta buy one after this battle."
Chris, already reset and ready, rolled his eyes and snapped:
"Quit dreaming. Check your gear, reload the turrets. I'm off to lure more prey."
The busy adventurer nodded and reloaded the turret swiftly.
Chris, picking his next target, glanced up at the treetops. Confirming the observer was still hidden, he got back to work.
Chris's easy success was rare—other fronts required intervention from Dragon Warriors and Catachan elite fighters.
Dragon Warriors specialized in frontal assaults, smashing enemies with overwhelming force.
At the same time, they drew in the attention of orc scouts like wolf cavalry.
Which let hidden adventurers fire support from a distance.
The Catachan elites had a very different style.
Their ranged accuracy was unmatched—even in dense jungle, they could kill from over 100 meters.
Two or three dozen enemies would fall before even getting close.
If outnumbered, the Catachan elites would lead enemies on a chase.
Those foolish enough to pursue were bled dry by arrows and traps.
Once thinned out, they were lured into ambush zones set by adventurers.
With little defense, the orc scouts couldn't survive arrows from all sides.
Especially not against skilled Swordmasters and Monks—
Who excelled in close-quarter slaughter.
Their attacks were swift, lethal, and highly mobile.
After a few kills, they'd withdraw and prepare the next strike.
Working with others, Swordmasters and Monks acted as vanguards and skirmishers—perfect for jungle scout warfare.
Bay Territory's magical weapons and gear also proved devastating in battle.
The heavy shotgun, perfect for close-range, could wipe out orc scouts from 20–30 meters.
That range was ideal—enough to kill and avoid return fire.
The armor-piercing explosive bolts and arrows also shined brightly.
An orc scout hit by one was either dead or disabled.
Not to mention the upgraded flamethrower.
It could scatter scout teams and set them up for ambushes.
With three or four working together, they could incinerate over a dozen grouped scouts.
A huge disparity in weapons, tactics, and coordination left the scouts utterly humiliated.
In just thirty minutes—
Over 3,000 wolf cavalry were slain or wounded, becoming loot and merit for the adventurers.
They hadn't even achieved their goal of pushing back Bay Territory's artillery.
In fact, fearing encirclement, the Bay Territory adventurers retreated under their commanders' orders.
Wyvern riders observing from above tallied the results.
The numbers were quickly compiled:
"Killed 3,000 wolf scouts, bombed 8,000 orc soldiers to death, wounded at least 12,000 more, destroyed multiple granaries and armories."
"Less than 20 casualties on our side. Tons of data recorded. An overwhelming victory!"
Alice reported the good news to Elio, her eyes filled with growing anticipation.
Upon receiving the battle report, Elio reviewed the detailed logs and footage. After a deep breath, she said:
"Send the good news back. Also, assemble two more adventurer units."
"Split off two-thirds of this unit and rebuild with a mix of old and new."
"Prioritize adventurers with Bay Territory combat command level and experience when forming teams."
"Focus on scout hunting for the next few days. Artillery shelling must not exceed 30 minutes."
With the desired results in hand, Alice got straight to work.
She ramped up command training for her group members, pushing them to take more courses and assessments.
Now was the perfect chance to rack up merit and rewards.
News of the victory spread quickly and electrified the other adventurers.
They rushed to buy Bay Territory's weapons and gear, eager to join the fight.
The orcs and trolls in the Dark Forest were about to suffer big time.
Meanwhile, the Cole Elves watching from behind the scenes were dumbfounded.
"Where the hell did all these weapons and gear come from?!"
"Don't tell me... we'll have to trade for tech again?!"
The Cole Elves were getting déjà vu—a sense of another major "bleed-out"!