Mordred felt his stomach churning once more, but due to the potion he took before passing through the Gate, the dimensional shock wasn’t too intense to the point of puking his guts out. Nevertheless, as a former Sovereign, he was quite familiar with the sensation of entering a world completely different from Morgen World.
According to the information he read when taking the mission, Volcanic Zone #21 has a total surface area of 200,000 kilometers square. This Secret Plane is specifically designed for fire-path lifeforms, so the ambient temperature is over 90 degrees Celsius. It was like being put inside an oven, but for Mordred, it was very comforting. If his cultivation base were to be even higher, Mordred would feel that it’s too cold.
He scanned the area, where he’s at.
Human presence in this station-like open-air facility is scarce because the Gate can be independently operated by the ones responsible for the transit Secret Plane. Yet, his Myriad Synesthesia detected the presence of human souls scattered around the Gate.
He walked towards an information board that told him the layout of this location.
Currently, he is in the Gate Facility, located on the southernmost point of Volcanic Zone #21. There are networks of railways that connect every single major location in this Secret Plane for ease of movement, but the reason why they put the gate facility here instead of the core area in the first place, is because it stimulates the progression of difficulties.
Like in most cases, as one gets closer to the core area of the Secret Plane, higher quality resources are produced in higher quantities. Proportionally, the amount of dangerous beasts would also increase, so the scaling difficulty is a necessity to groom new hunters.
Referencing the mental map and the new map on the board, he created a route that allowed him to reach his destination faster. He then headed towards the mini-train that could fit a ten-man team. The car is semi-autonomous, so he just hopped in and set the destination.
Feeling the hot air scalding his face as the scene rapidly changed, Astaroth tried to strike up a conversation, < Your Majesty, what’s your plan for today? Not just your typical hunting, I assume? >
< Bloodline Experiment. > Mordred answered. < I have yet to master the Blastscale Wryflake’s bloodline abilities regarding the creation of bio-bombs. Considering this place is filled with fire-path kobolds, I also wanted to try enslaving some. >
< Don’t forget to collect their blood. > Astaroth asked.
< It has always been my priority. > Mordred replied as the car stopped. He had reached his destination.
dropping off from the mini-station that only had a single button to call in a new mini-train, he stopped onto the reddish ash soil. The ground was hot, as it contained a high amount of ash. He didn’t mind that as he focused on a certain direction, activating an investigative method, [Active Soul Sonar], to look for his target.
The Secret Plane is a large resource point consisting of six active volcanoes, with magma constantly being spewed from each, creating long rivers of molten earth. While most rank 0 fire-path creatures cannot stay long being too close to the magma, the heat they produce is very beneficial for their cultivation, so most kobold tribes that contain strong kobolds are located near a river of magma.
The very same village is reflected in Mordred’s ear.
His [Active Soul Sonar] indicates that the village is home to 129 kobolds, with barely half of them being fit for combat. Mordred’s mission objective, the Ashen Grey Flower, grew on the shore of the magma river, its root absorbing the fire elemental particles in the magma, cooling it down. The cooled-down magma served as a platform where the kobolds could cultivate safely above the magma, so the two had a symbiotic relationship.
Of course, the flowers are also beneficial for non-kobold fire-path cultivators because every stalk of the flower is rich with fire elemental particles. It can be consumed directly, refined into a potion, or used as an alternative spell catalyst. It has various uses, so the demand is constantly high despite being a rank 0 resource.
Mordred takes precautions by pondering for an hour, creating a plan of attack. Against 129 kobolds, he has no confidence in going home without taking significant damage or using his sound-path methods. Secret Planes typically has a plane-wide monitoring system, so if he can help it, he’d prefer not to use his eye-catching sound-path methods. However, when he detected the presence of non-kobolds approaching the village, his attention was taken elsewhere.
Most resource points are considered ‘bad’ or inefficient when they only contain one type of resource. Thus, it's common for extradimensional resource points to have multiple races living inside them.
The ones who approached the kobold village were none other than a group of Smoke Hounds. These 1.25-meter tall doberman-like canines produce copious amounts of smoke as they walk, using them both as a cover and a weapon. Since the kobolds are also fire-path creatures, dog smoke isn’t too effective as an offensive method, but it can still obstruct their vision.
‘Oh? There’s a strong one amongst the kobolds…’ Mordred’s ears picked up the soul of the kobold tribe’s chieftain who is almost at the brink of advancement to mid-stage rank 0.
However, due to the shallow dimensional laws, having mid-stage rank 0 strength doesn’t mean much. Being an invader from a higher world, Mordred has too many advantages. Even if he immediately went to have a bout with the kobold’s chief, its cultivation advantage meant nothing, especially since he had a magic gun. It is also the reason why despite having numerous multiple mid-stage and late-stage rank 0 beings, this Secret Plane’s danger level is only 3.
Mordred quietly took out some ammunition and loaded it onto his rifle. Since the Smoke Hound became his vanguard, he can utilize their presence to make a profit.
The battle began without discussion like how it is between two intellectual races. The twelve Smoke Hounds lunged headfirst toward the formation of forty kobolds. Its large and heavy body meant it was heavy enough to knock the kobold down if given the chance, and the first charge resulted in the kobold’s defensive line breaking. Yet, that doesn’t mean the end for the kobolds. Using bone spears and swords containing high metallic content, they pierce, slash, stab, or push back the smoke hounds.
Nevertheless, dog smoke has already saturated the area, greatly reducing visibility. For the smoke hounds, being able to produce copious amounts of dog smoke meant they were somewhat capable of seeing through it. This cover is especially effective now most of the smoke hounds have mixed with the defending kobolds.
According to Mordred’s calculation, the smoke hound's defeat is inevitable. The reason for this is that none of the smoke hounds are mid-stage rank 0, all of them could be considered infants.
So, Mordred pulled the trigger, sniping the chieftain’s head from afar.
Splat! The sound of a head popping can be heard, but it is quickly drowned by the chaotic ambiance of the battlefield. Despite his target being completely covered by smoke, it doesn’t affect Mordred’s aim at all.
In the first place, his ‘vision’ has never been reliable. He always used his hearing, or in this case, the passive sonar that captures vibration from the ground. Not a single kobold had noticed that their chieftain, the most powerful of them all, had been assassinated from afar. They kept on battling each other until all of the smoke hounds had been killed.
The death of the smoke hounds meant there were no longer dog smoke generators on the field. After some time, the smoke dissipates, but the kobolds’ loss is far greater than they had expected. A minority of them didn’t die due to the smoke hounds, but long-range sniping. Noticing a third party had interfered with their battle, the survivors quickly reassembled their broken formation and charged at Mordred. But at this point, this group of twenty or so survivors is not a threat to Mordred.
A kobold with a bigger physique than others led the charge while holding a bone shield in front. To stop their momentum, Mordred simply shoots the shield’s center.
Bang! The anti-beast weapon is designed to pierce extremely thick beast hides. The bone shield broke upon impact, with the bullet piercing through the kobold’s scales, only stopping after being embedded in the poor kobold’s body halfway.
With the charger stopped in his tracks, the remaining kobold faltered on their charge. Yet, one of the smartest kobolds in their midst quickly realized what he needed to do. “HISSSS!” The warcry sounded like a hiss in serpentine language.
The anti-beast weapon is extremely powerful against humanoid opponents, but it is typically more expensive and in this case, slower too, so Mordred put his rifle onto his back, held the revolver with his right hand while his left hand was put inside his pants pocket, and waited for the enemy to come closer.
25 meters…. 17 meters… 12 meters… as they approached Mordred, he had shot three times with his revolver, but being a small arm, the firepower is weaker than the rifle. It was unable to completely sever a kobold’s legs or explode their heads, so they managed to get close.
‘Heh…’ Mordred smirked, ‘Foolish.’
BOOM! The ground exploded as one of the most advanced Kobold triggered Mordred’s explosive trap. By scattering the explosive scales he generated when the kobolds were occupied by the smoke hounds, he created some sort of minefield. To capitalize on the openings that he created, he scatters some more scales with his left hand, further destroying the front lines.
Multiple explosions occurred, but the bio-bombs’ explosive power wasn’t powerful enough to kill them as Mordred’s bloodline power was still too weak. Yet, that was enough to discombobulate most of the approaching kobolds, allowing Mordred to grant coup de grace with his revolver.
With a deafening thud, the last kobold has been killed. < These kobolds are pathetic. Are you sure you need to be this cautious? > Astaroth commented, seeing the lack of resistance.
Mordred ignored her unsolicited opinion while gathering everything useful that could be taken from the kobolds or the smoke hounds. It took him half an hour before he finished collecting the most precious organs that they could offer. Then, his gaze landed at the kobold village, no longer having any way to resist with most of their combatants dead or paralyzed with fear.
Sensing the healthy amount of fear and terror from the inhabitants, Mordred almost couldn’t hold back his excitement. ‘Time to collect [Telepathic Emotion]...’ As an undead, negative emotion like fear, dread, and despair is no different than sweet nectar.
