I Became the Progenitor Vampire - Chapter 375

Chapter 375: Chapter 377: At the Break of Dawn, the Horns Sound Chapter 375: Chapter 377: At the Break of Dawn, the Horns Sound April 12, in the afternoon, as dusk approached, the sky grew dimmer.

A squad of grim-armored Dwarf soldiers was marching at the time, and wherever they went, whether it was Demon Beasts or other beings, all were intimidated by their vast numbers and hastily cleared the way.

Ahead of this Dwarf army were over 20,000 goat cavalry members, with massive curved horns that looked like they were forged from steel, radiating a sense of power.

Behind the goat cavalry was a contingent of tens of thousands of Dwarf war chariots, crafted by Dwarves into the shape of hedgehogs, which were hair-raising to behold.

Following those were the Dwarf heavy infantry, encased as if in tin cans. It was said that in ancient times, the formidable Dwarf heavy infantry could withstand the charge of cavalry. Though the legends might be somewhat exaggerated, they also indirectly attested to the formidable nature of Dwarf heavy infantry.

Among them were crossbowmen clutching powerful crossbows whose lethality was no less than that of bows, classified as weapons with a high floor and a low ceiling.

A crossbow in the hands of a child could severely injure or even kill the enemy if they pulled the trigger and hit the target, whereas, with a longbow, a child couldn’t even draw the string.

Of course, once proficient with a longbow, the various tactical shots were something that crossbows could not match.

The Dwarves had a love for forging weapons and fine wines and naturally had no interest in practicing with longbows, so the easy-to-use, powerful crossbow became their weapon of choice.

Naris Copper Hammer, the 19th Level leader of the Copper Hammer Tribe, and Rabiao Hammer, the 17th Level Clan Leader of the Barbarian Hammer Tribe, rode majestic male goats at the forefront of the goat cavalry, leading the army forward.

It had already been a full half month since they left the Blue Sea Province, but the 15 days of marching had not tired this amazingly enduring troop.

On the contrary, as they drew closer to their destination, the entire Dwarf army became increasingly exhilarated.

The Southern Provinces were mostly hilly terrain, which caused little trouble for the Dwarves, skilled at marching through the mountains and rocks.

“Rabiao, what place is this? How far is it until we reach the Barren Wasteland?

My battle-axe can’t wait to taste the fresh blood of the Beastmen!!

And those damned Vampires, we’ll take them out into the sunlight and let them burn to death!

Nobody dares to compete with the Dwarves for Mithril, nobody!”

The voice of Naris Copper Hammer sounded full of righteous indignation.

The male goat beneath him seemed to sense his master’s anger, lifting its forefeet high and stomping fiercely onto the ground.

Soil splattered.

Me-eh~
Despite the aggressive and fierce action, the sheepish bleat that followed gave a somewhat comically angry vibe.

“Look, my little treasure is already enraged. If male goats ate meat, he would be very willing to devour the brains of those Beastmen.”

Hearing his counterpart’s question, Rabiao Hammer’s deep eyes revealed a hint of anticipation. It was the anticipation of imminent revenge and the eagerness to reclaim the Secret Silver Vein.

“Naris, this is the territory of Green City, which is the capital of the Southern Province. We’ve just passed by it.

Next, we will follow this trade road directly through the border of the Nolan Empire and reach the Barren Wasteland.

In no more than five days, we will reach the valley that belongs to the Barbarian Hammer Tribe.”

“Speed up! I can’t wait any longer! The Secret Silver Vein belongs to the Dwarves only!”

Naris Copper Hammer shouted.

And at that moment, far from the range of the Dwarf army, on a small hill, a group of about ten gamers preparing to hunt Gnolls caught sight of the massive Dwarf army.

They immediately looked excited.

“Holy shit, this is the first time I’ve seen so many Dwarves. Look at these Dwarfs’ equipment; it’s so sturdy I could hack at it all day and not make a dent, right?

What the hell are these guys up to, dragon slaying?”

“Goat cavalry?? The main fighting force of the Dwarves, they’ve got to be up to something big…”

“Shall we follow them and see? If we could snag a few high-Level quests, we’d be set…”

“Follow them your ass, let’s just stop them outright…”

“Aren’t you afraid of death? The experience penalty in this crappy game is so severe…”

“Nonsense, of course, I’m afraid to die, but would you pass up this kind of opportunity?”

After some noisy quarreling, they all reached a consensus. In the end, they sent three players to go up and chat with the Dwarves to take on some quests.

With the player’s nature, faced with a scene of this magnitude, they definitely wouldn’t let it slip by; they’d risk being mistakenly killed over it.

The three designated players also knew to avoid risks wisely, conscientiously stowing all their weapons and equipment into their System Space, and walked towards the Dwarf army with clean hands.

Anyway, they couldn’t beat them in a fight, and if something did happen, they might not even have a chance to run, let alone kill themselves before being slain by Dwarves…

Players beaten countless times by Glory had seldom acted as unrestrained as before.

Obeying rules was the blood-stained lesson drawn by countless people; those who didn’t abide by the rules were mostly still lingering at Level 1 or were beaten to the point of quitting the game…

“Respected Dwarf sirs, we would like to talk with you~”
Before they could get close to the main force, a few Dwarf goat cavalry responsible for guard duty spotted the three players brazenly approaching.

“Who are you?”

The male goat stood about 2.6 blades tall, quite burly, and the Dwarf riding it looked down from a height with a commanding gaze.

“Dwarf sire, we are adventurers from the Lost Plane. Do you have any quests that you need us to complete?”

The young man who spoke first sounded a bit naive.

Hearing this, several Dwarves exchanged glances, all with somewhat odd expressions.

Are these guys idiots?

With such a huge army behind them, do they still need them to help complete quests?? What could a few Level 3 professionals do? Transport hay for the goats?

“Not needed, leave here quickly, stupid humans, we have no time to play with you.”

The leading Dwarf said and even gave them a glare, turned his goat around, and left.

Dwarves were a kindhearted race and, though never soft on enemies, had little inclination to bother with these innocuous humans.

The three players were suddenly anxious; they were sent packing before even starting, which could not stand. The leading Assassin player decided immediately.

“Dwarf sire, I have important intelligence to report to you!”

Several dwarves pulled on the reins, their faces expressing speechlessness as they looked at the three players, “You guys have important information?”

One of the dwarves burst out laughing.

“Important information? What important information could you possibly have? That Aunt Mary’s roast turkey tastes awful?”

“Hahaha, Aunt Mary’s roast turkey? That truly is a nightmare…”
“Oh my, you guys still remember that? I’ve had enough, the taste from ten years ago still makes me scared of anything turkey-related. By the Forge God above, it’s the only thing I’ve ever been afraid of in my life…”
The dwarves erupted into laughter, then ignored the players and started to regroup.

“Damn it, are these dwarves idiots?”

The three players felt somewhat helpless. This was a tough crowd, wasn’t it?

But they lacked the courage to approach again. Though they could communicate with the dwarves, provoking them would be costly, and they would lose all the experience they had worked hard to gain over the month by doing quests.

“Let’s go, damn this broken game, why is it so hard to accept a quest…”

“Ptui, just a dwarf? If grandpa here were to do a quest I wouldn’t even bother with them. These shorties have probably never experienced my scolding!”

At this moment, the disturbance caused by the players caught the attention of two Dwarf Clan Leaders.

“What’s going on? Who are those humans?” Nalis Copper Hammer asked, somewhat irritated, to a dwarf beside him.

“Please wait a moment…”
After a short while, the dwarf returned, “Clan Leader, those are adventurers from the Lost World, claiming that they have important information to report…”
“Adventurers from the Lost Plane?” Nalis Copper Hammer’s eyes lit up with curiosity. The Copper Hammer Tribe was located deep in the mountains, and players had yet to enter this stage because the towering walls had blocked them out.

He had not yet had a real encounter with these legendary beings rumored to be able to resurrect themselves.

“Rabiao, are you familiar with the adventurers from the Lost Plane?”

Rabiao shook his head, “Before I found the Copper Hammer Tribe, I had many dealings with these adventurers. However, they act with no logic, have no sense of rules, and are nothing like us.

However, their information is quite accurate. Maybe we could summon them to get the latest on the events happening in the Barren Wasteland.”

Hearing this, Nalis Copper Hammer nodded, “Then call them over…”
These days they’d encountered quite a few players, but the Dwarf Army was too busy to deal with them. Now that they were nearing their destination, some useful information might not be amiss.

The somewhat disgruntled players had just turned to leave when the sound of hoofbeats followed them, and several goat riders approached.

“Adventurers from the Lost Plane, our Clan Leader summons you.”

This?

The three players exchanged glances and quickly became excited, with thoughts of epic quests, hidden professions, dragon eggs, and Divine Artifacts flashing through their minds.

This was bound to be a windfall.

Without hesitation, they quickly followed.

As for what they had just said, they claimed they couldn’t remember…

Shortly after, the three players met the two Clan Leaders seated high atop their sturdy goats.

“Adventurers from the Lost Plane, is there any information you’d like to report to us?” Nalis Copper Hammer lost interest after looking at the famed Undead.

A bunch of Level 3 rookies couldn’t even beat the sturdy goat he was sitting on.

Uh…

The assassin player, who had spoken out of desperation, was suddenly at a loss. What information did he have? Hadn’t he just bluffed to meet them?

Feeling the stares of the people around him, he panicked.

Who knew bragging came with a price nowadays?

I’m foolish, seriously foolish. I knew these dwarves were easy to talk to, but I didn’t expect you to take me seriously. We agreed it would be heartfelt, not hard-hitting. Now what? In trouble?

“Are you deceiving me?”

Nalis Copper Hammer raised an eyebrow, his aura emanating outwards like an Evil Dragon.

The three players immediately felt as if a boulder was pressing on their chests, almost unable to breathe.

The assassin player panicked at the response. This was bad.

After struggling for a while, he suddenly remembered the recent buzz about Divine relics. Though it was the talk of all Glory, it still counted as important information.

And it seemed that the NPC barely paid any attention to this according to the forums…

He decided to speak up on the spot.

“Respected Dwarf sir, there is indeed some information to report to you, but it’s such a significant matter that I’m not sure how to begin…”
Although mentioning the cliched Divine relics might get him beaten, he had to act confident–what if they didn’t know?

But Nalis Copper Hammer, unaware of the players’ foolish nature, became interested.

“What’s your name, adventurer from the Lost Plane?”

Uh, why didn’t he continue asking?

The face of the assassin player named Knowledgeable Sister froze, and then, under the watchful eyes of the others, he mustered up courage and said.

“I, my name is Knowledgeable Sister…”
What the hell?

Knowledgeable Sister?

Looking at the burly man and then thinking about the name he just heard, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Then someone chuckled lightly, followed by all the dwarves erupting into boisterous laughter.

“Cursed adventurers, hahaha, you kill me! By the Forge God above, I bet this is the funniest joke I’ve heard in my life.”

“Knowledgeable Sister?? If Aunt Mary knew about this name, I swear, she’d be so happy she’d never roast another turkey… hahaha…”
“Hahaha, I can’t take it, I’m going to fall…” Thump–before he could finish speaking, a dwarf couldn’t contain himself and toppled over from his goat, raising a cloud of dust as he hit the ground.

The player named Knowledgeable Sister wished he could travel back in time to the day the game server launched and drag himself out of the gaming pod to slap himself hard.

“Damn it for picking such an unlucky name!!!”

Tearful big sister wanted to cry without tears…

The two players beside her showed no mercy as they flashed their big white teeth, laughing just as loudly as the Dwarves.

“Ahem, Intimate… Adventurer from the Lost Plane, you may now share your information.”

Nalis Copper Hammer really couldn’t bring himself to say the name.

“Yes, Dwarf sir,” Intimate Big Sister couldn’t wait to get past this part, and hastily said, “Esteemed sir, I wonder if you have heard about the Divine Remnants?”

“Divine Remnants?” Nalis Copper Hammer and the surrounding Dwarves exchanged curious glances, “Are you referring to the Divine Remnants of Risier City that’s been all the buzz outside?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that Divine Remnants just some false news spread by you adventurers?”

Intimate Big Sister’s mouth twitched; who spread false news? This news was truer than gold; the problem was that few of you believed it.

“No, sir, this is genuine news, not false. Our Lost Plane is interconnected, possessing very advanced means of communication.

Once a person gets the news and is willing to share it, the whole world can quickly become aware.

There are those among us who have entered Risier City and witnessed the sight of the Divine Remnants…

And Risier City is less than 100 kilometers from here; the Beastmen have still not retreated, so it’s very possible the Divine Remnants have not yet been excavated by the Beastmen.

If you are willing to explore, you could arrive by tonight…

Moreover, more and more Human Clan armies are starting to lurk around, and the Beastman Army has become more vigilant… It seems the seal on the Divine Remnants is about to be broken.

With such a powerful Dwarf army at your disposal, perhaps you can get a share of the spoils.”

“Beastmen are stationed there??” Hearing this, Nalis Copper Hammer’s eyes widened, “Those damned bastards!”

He turned to Rabiao Hammer, “Rabiao, is Risier City really just a little over 100 kilometers from us? Do we need to divert our path to confirm this?”

Rabiao fell silent for a moment, pondering, and then suddenly turned to look at the three silly players.

“Is what you say true? Does Risier City really have Divine Remnants?”

“Absolutely true, sir!! You can also send a vanguard force to verify it. Once they are near Risier City, just capturing and questioning a few local people will confirm the truth.”

Hearing this, Rabiao nodded, “Nalis Clan Chief, we can change our route. Risier City is a Human Clan city. The Beastmen often quickly retreat back to the barrens after invading Human Clan cities.

For them to occupy a Human Clan city for such a long time without leaving, there must be a reason.

Moreover, Risier City also has direct access to the barrens, so if these adventurers are lying, we would only lose half a day at most, not a significant loss.

But if it’s true, then those damned Beastmen won’t have the pleasure of reaping the rewards alone!”

Nalis Copper Hammer was immediately persuaded by such well-founded arguments.

“Very well, my brother, then we head to Risier City to see if those despicable Beastmen really did uncover the Divine Remnants.”

The Dwarves might love their ore, but the allure of the Divine Remnants was obviously no less than that of a Secret Silver Vein.

“Send the orders down, the army will turn, heading towards Risier City.

Send a vanguard of 1000 from the Mountain Goat Cavalry to scout for any ambushes and danger; the main force will depart half a Sunshine Hour after the vanguard.”

The Dwarf signal officer received the order and immediately went to pass it on, while the three players got instantly excited, following their advice meant there was a chance.

“Noble Lords, if you have any tasks, you can entrust them to us adventurers, we don’t fear death…”

“Very well, Intimate… Big Sister…” Nalis Copper Hammer forcibly suppressed the urge to say the ridiculous name, “You follow the vanguard to scout ahead, and your two companions will stay with the main army as we move forward.”

The three of them immediately lit up with excitement; they all heard the system’s promotion, their faces filled with exhilaration.

“Yes, sir!”

Watching the teeming army, Intimate Big Sister felt like she was about to ascend to heaven – she had struck it big this time, and hurriedly sneaked a few snapshots to show off on the forums.

You might not believe it if I said it, but I brought tens of thousands of Dwarf troops to Risier City to fight the Beastmen–damn, it’s thrilling.

Other aspects of this lousy game may be lacking, but the realism is to die for.

And so, unbeknownst to all, a Dwarf army, because of the sudden appearance of players, quietly advanced towards Risier City.

Mountain Goat Cavalry, Dwarf War Cars, Dwarf Heavy Infantry, Dwarf Crossbowmen… an army formidable enough to make anyone take notice was, by a sheer stroke of luck, heading towards an explosive situation.

At this time, it was the afternoon of April 12th… It seems there was only one more day until the seal of Risier City would be broken.

—
—
—
“Your Grace, 30,000 troops have assembled at Grey Corner City, and our secret mobilization order has brought the entire 200,000 troops in readiness.

Among them, 20,000 heavy cavalry, 30,000 light cavalry, 30,000 archers, 100,000 infantry, 10,000 from the Pegasus Cavalry, and a sieging corps of 10,000 armed with siege crossbows are ready.

At this moment, all troops, under the protection of priests from the Knight Temple and the Noble Temple, have drawn near to within 50 kilometers of Risier City.

Now, everyone is waiting for your command.”

The Knight Captain, donning a blue cloak, stood at Duke O’Kelly’s side and reported, his cloak billowing in the strong wind.

Duke O’Kelly had yet to speak, when the bishop from the Noble God Sect stepped forward respectfully.

“Your Grace, the Holy Light Pearl has given warning thrice; tomorrow will be the day the seal breaks.

We are running out of time.”

Duke O’Kelly turned to glance at the bishop and nodded slightly.

“Send the orders, the army will advance 40 kilometers, and at dawn tomorrow, sound the horns!

I need to take Risier City as quickly as possible… God of Nobles above, I swear, the Beastmen will serve as stepping stones beneath our feet!”

“At your command!”

After the Knight Captain turned to deliver the orders, Duke O’Kelly’s expression turned solemn.

“Bishop Sir, this time I have summoned 1,000 official Mages from the Mage Association of Green City to join the Pegasus Cavalry in this campaign.

“All spellcasters will be under your command. You may now lead them to prepare. To cast large-scale composite magic, the preparation time is not trivial.”

“This war will be unprecedented in its intensity. I can already smell the gunpowder…”

“This time, failure is not an option. Victory is our only choice!”

“Yes, Duke!”

The bishop, wearing a pristine white priestly robe, bowed deeply and then turned and left the towering loft.

Duke O’Keilly stood atop the loft, thirty blades high, overlooking the quiet Green City below, his gaze growing more profound, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.

Whoosh whoosh~
At that moment, countless shadows swept across the sky, and a tremendous sound of tearing through the air rang out.

Duke O’Keilly slightly raised his head, his eyes catching sight of numerous white figures.

White wings, strong bodies clad in thick armor, double riders, one with a longbow, the other with a shield and lance…

Pegasus Cavalry.

This was Green City’s ace in the hole, as well as the powerful weapon against the Beastman’s double-legged flying dragons.

In Duke O’Keilly’s pupils, the silhouettes that covered the sky were reflected.

“The war… is about to begin…”

“The ancient evil, I have already felt its awakening…”

“This is the first opportunity, and perhaps, also the last.”

“The day they awaken, will be the day of humanity’s destruction. Green City needs my protection.”

“In my name, O’Keilly Nolan, let the battle commence!”

—
—
—
The mobilization of the military seemed to cause a great stir, especially when the Pegasus flew directly over the city, unable to hide their forms.

But by that time, Duke O’Keilly was no longer prepared to conceal his intentions.

When the war at Risier City broke out, this matter inevitably could not be kept secret, what he needed now was– to conquer the city occupied by the Beastmen, even at a terrible cost.

Even when deciding on this plan, Duke O’Keilly had already cold-bloodedly considered that this terrifyingly powerful army was entirely made up of men walking to their deaths.

Mercy does not command an army; only by completely shedding human weakness and sympathy can one qualify to control the army most effectively and thus gain victory in war.

After the Pegasus Army had vanished from sight in the sky, Duke O’Keilly no longer hesitated and turned to enter the house.

Guards immediately stepped forward to arm him.

As the tall Duke O’Keilly, cloaked in a cape of the Nolan Empire’s flag color–the dark blue of Blue Heart Maple–stepped into the backyard, hundreds of ready Pegasus awaited his command.

All of these Pegasus Cavalry were Level 10 beings, each squad of ten led by a Level 15 Sky Knight, the reserves Duke O’Keilly had accumulated over decades of ruling the southern province. These elite professionals were his tools of rule.

“Duke!”

Hundreds of Sky Knights simultaneously removed their helmets and saluted in unison.

“Mount up, we march!”

These were Duke O’Keilly’s absolute confidants, who could never betray him. Their morale was so high that not even warriors would retreat, so there was no need for any pre-battle rally.

“Yes!”

Clang clang~
In a mere moment, all the Pegasus Knights mounted their steeds.

“Ascend!”

Whoosh whoosh~
Wings kicked up the leaves and dead grass on the ground, as the white Pegasus Knights soared into the sky, with Duke O’Keilly riding a four-winged Pegasus at the forefront, leading the way.

Their target pointed straight at Risier City.

Once the Pegasus left the City Lord’s manor, the already anxious sects and nobles realized that Duke O’Keilly seemed to be undertaking a significant matter… They felt something was amiss.

In the past, however severe the situation, a portion of the Pegasus Knight Order always remained at the City Lord’s manor, but such a complete departure had never been seen before.

When they indirectly confirmed the whole message through servants of the City Lord’s manor, a huge commotion erupted among the upper echelons of Green City’s nobility.

All they discussed was one thing: what was Duke O’Keilly up to?

When their spies confirmed that Duke O’Keilly recently moved a large number of troops toward Risier City, and that the Pegasus Army also headed in the direction of Risier City, they could no longer contain themselves.

Could the Divine Relic at Risier City be real?? If not, why would Duke O’Keilly make such a move?

Risier City, already abuzz over the Divine Relic, once again caused an uproar, and countless messages spread through pigeons, falcons, and magic to the surrounding areas.

Before long, the entire Nolan Empire would know about the Divine Relic, for a fake relic did not warrant the mobilization of a huge army by a Duke who governed a province, nor warrant his personal attendance.

At last, the vortex of Risier City, which settled briefly due to the players’ intervention, began to boil over in earnest.

April 13th, dawn.

As the first light of the day struck the land outside Risier City.

What appeared was a shocking scene: hundreds of thousands of human soldiers with spears at the ready, their military bearing austere.

Warriors, thieves, spellcasters, priests, knights, archers, and most of the mainstream Glory professions could be seen.

The Pegasus Cavalry in the sky occupied the high ground, and siege equipment was being rapidly assembled below, while the Caster Corps began laying out large-scale composite magic.

Nobody could have imagined that, overnight, the region outside the city controlled by the Beastmen could be occupied by human forces.

But whether it was the Beastmen on the city walls, or the surrounding players, or the spies hidden in the shadows, upon seeing such an epic scene, everyone had the same realization:
The war had come so suddenly.