Merediun is the city where Kenji and Eliza live, an innovative urban landscape brimming with ordinary life. Beyond the city's limits lies a dense forest, where a hidden camp is now situated. Deep in the forest, the camp is filled with armored monsters. Within this camp, a lizard-like commander approaches the young, demon-like general studying a map of Merediun.

"General, the preparation is now complete for the invasion next month," the commander reports.

The general, with a sharp focus on the map, responds, "No, we will start the attack next week."

The commander is taken aback, confusion evident in his eyes.

The general adds, "We need to assess their strength first."

"I don't doubt your command, general. However, the lord himself informed us that this world is filled with powerless animals—"

The general cuts him off, "I understand your concern, Pred. However, unlike some of the generals we have, I am the most careful one. We should not think like the animals that live here, or else we will lose."

Commander Pred's face shows disappointment but he remains silent. It becomes clear that the threat Kenji and Eliza face is not merely brute force, but also a strategic mind capable of careful planning and foresight.

***

Having tamed a centaur is really paying off. I’m harvesting a lot of soul energy because of him. In fact, I’ve almost gathered a thousand. I’ve transformed the red orb into an axe and let Strong One wield it for me. It seems like the Three Moons aren’t restricted to me alone, as long as I grant permission.

I discovered that after taming a monster, it gains the ability to talk to me. Surprisingly, Strong One is very talkative, which is a bit odd considering his bulk and formidable appearance.

We are currently focusing on hunting goblins since they are the easiest to hunt, the weakest, and come in bulk. It’s just like in-game 'farming.' So far, everything is going according to plan, and this is what I envisioned when I got the Tamer's ability.

However, I don’t think Eliza and I can defeat the enemies alone, especially with us going up against another god. We need to build an army, and I have to start with monsters for now. Nevertheless, since they are creations of Yozak, I suppose we share the same soul energy.

There are many skills available in the Shop that I can afford now, especially with Strong One by my side. However, I can’t just buy skills impulsively; I need to ensure that they will be useful in the upcoming battles.

I’m aware that some enemies will be immune to certain elemental skills, so I need to prioritize acquiring major elemental skills. Assigning these skills will allow me to strategically fight against various enemies in the future.

For now, I’m eyeing four skills that I think we really need if we want to win the battle:

1. Ice Manifestation (3000 soul energy): This skill allows the user to conjure and control ice, creating powerful ice constructs and launching ice attacks. It can be used to freeze enemies in place, create barriers, and cause severe damage in combat. This will be especially useful against enemies vulnerable to cold or those with high mobility, as ice can slow them down and restrict their movement.

2. Area Heal (3300 soul energy): This skill provides a healing effect over a large area, restoring health to all allies within its range. It can help us sustain longer in battles by ensuring that injuries are quickly healed and our forces remain strong. This will be crucial for maintaining our strength in prolonged engagements and supporting our army’s resilience.

3. Body Armor (1500 soul energy): This skill transforms the user’s body into a powerful armor, enhancing defense significantly. I plan to assign this to Strong One, providing him with extra protection against enemy attacks. This will be beneficial in frontline combat, allowing Strong One to endure more damage and act as a reliable tank in battle.

4. Sorrow Summon (10000 soul energy): This skill allows the user to bind the soul of a slain enemy to a contract, commanding them to fight for the user before they can rest. The summoned entities are compelled to serve temporarily, providing additional combat support and increasing our forces. This skill could turn the tide in battle by leveraging the fallen enemies as temporary allies.

But acquiring these skills will require a significant amount of time and effort, as the soul energy needed for each is tremendous—especially for Sorrow Summon. I’m determined to gather enough energy to secure these abilities and defend my world against the looming threat. Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder how Eliza is faring in her own preparations.

Suddenly, a dark cloud began to appear from the south, moving ominously in our direction.

“Master, there’s something strong coming” Strong One warned.

I scanned the horizon and saw an enormous army of skeletons advancing toward us. I used the green orb to scout and check their levels. Each skeleton soldier and mage was around levels 1 to 5, but their sheer number was staggering—about a thousand in total.

A battle was clearly on the horizon, but I saw it as an opportunity—a chance to significantly boost my soul energy.

I might have mentioned before that I need to be careful with how I spend my soul energy on skills, but facing this army of a thousand skeletons requires something immediate and powerful.

I quickly scanned the shop and found the perfect solution:

Thunderous Charge (500 soul energy): This skill imbues the user with the power of lightning, enabling a devastating charge attack. As the user charges forward, their hooves generate electrical energy that intensifies with speed. Upon impact with the enemy, the charge releases a powerful shockwave of electricity, stunning and damaging all nearby foes. It's especially effective against tightly clustered enemies like these skeletons.

I assigned the Thunderous Charge to Strong One, knowing it was a perfect match for his centaur strength and agility.

"Alright! This is going to be fun," Strong One exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement as a lightning aura began to crackle around him. He prepared to charge, his powerful form poised to dive into the mass of skeletons.

“It’s harvesting season,” I said with a grin, watching as the Three Moons transformed—one into a sturdy shield, another into a powerful bazooka, and the third, the green orb, remaining on standby, ready to assist.

Strong One charged forward, his body radiating an intense aura as he barreled toward the skeleton army. I could feel the raw power emanating from him, and I aimed my bazooka toward the rear of the skeleton horde, planning to disrupt and block their advance completely.

In a flash, Strong One reached the front lines, releasing a shockwave so powerful that it sent skeletons flying in all directions. I fired my bazooka, the explosion tearing through the rear ranks of the army, taking out a significant number of skeletons.

But something was off. Despite the destruction, there was no sign of soul energy to harvest from the fallen skeletons.

While Strong One held the line, battling the skeletons, I activated the green orb to scan the area and analyze the situation.

The orb quickly revealed a disturbing truth: this massive horde of skeletons was just a skill summoned by a much more powerful entity—a Skeleton King, a level 100 monster. The realization hit me hard. I couldn't believe I was facing such a high-level opponent so soon.

To make matters worse, the Skeleton King was endlessly summoning more skeletons. If I didn't defeat it directly, we would eventually be overwhelmed and defeated. There was no other choice; I had to take down the Skeleton King before it was too late.

The situation was quickly spiraling out of control. The Skeleton King was no ordinary enemy, and its minions were relentless. I needed to think fast. How could I possibly reach the center of the army, where the Skeleton King was, without getting overwhelmed?