Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 619: Antidote Pill

Ragscrape was a gnoll, Dirtclaw's cousin.

Thanks to Dirtclaw, he was one of the first gnolls to be drafted into the cannon fodder troops and survive.

Now, Ragscrape's strength was nearing Alpha-level, and he had a very good chance of advancing to it.

Of course, with Dirtclaw's numerous past failures as a precedent, Ragscrape, who had already failed advancement twice, didn't feel ashamed.

In Ragscrape's view, this hardly counted as a setback.

Therefore, Ragscrape still had confidence; he firmly believed he too could become a great Alpha-level gnoll.

Kacha!

Ragscrape swung the scimitar in his hand, slicing a small Hatchery Spider lunging at his face in two.

"These little things don't look like Blind Spiders. Where in the world did so many of them come from?"

Responding to Ragscrape was Maldrak, a giant bloodline warrior.

Like Dirtclaw, after many life-and-death battles, Ragscrape had also gained a group of close comrades, and Maldrak was one of them.

This time, with the invasion of the foreign clans, Ragscrape and Maldrak had followed Delilah, both eager to achieve merits here and find an opportunity for advancement.

"Hasn't any intel on these creatures come from the rear yet?"

"None!"

Maldrak swung his spiked club, its rolling motion crushing the small Hatchery Spiders in the vicinity one by one.

"Ragscrape, I'll hold the front, you cover any that slip through!"

"Alright!"

Having fought together many times, Ragscrape and Maldrak had developed a strong synergy.

This formation, one in front and one behind, conserved a lot of stamina and was relatively safe.

"These disgusting critters don't have dark source crystals in them. Killing them is just a waste of energy."

Maldrak stood at the front, swinging his spiked club in a defensive arc, furiously smashing the small Hatchery Spiders while complaining about this fruitless battle.

"Keep it up, Maldrak! Based on my experience, there must be some kind of monster in that dark forest directing these little things."

"If we kill that monster, it's bound to drop a large, pure dark source crystal."

Ragscrape had this idea because he had participated in the defense against slime molds in the Valkorath Realm and had encountered similar controlling monsters among them.

"You're dreaming. We definitely won't get a piece of that."

"Look at all these little spiders. Those monsters probably travel in packs, maybe there's even an Alpha-level among them. It's not something just the two of us can handle."

"..."

In the center of the temporary camp, Delilah sat upright at a simple wooden table, receiving intelligence reports from the Sentinel Corps.

"Your Majesty, the surrounding forests are full of these strange spiders."

"According to the scouts' preliminary estimates, at least fifty thousand of these spiders have us surrounded."

"These spiders, with their bloated abdomens, can continuously hatch small spiders."

"The newborn small spiders are highly aggressive and prefer to move in groups."

"After killing them, we don't get any useful loot."

Fifty thousand Hatchery Spiders posed little threat to the half-million strong mixed armies.

However, counting the small spiders endlessly crawling out of the forest, the enemy's troop numbers instantly multiplied by more than a hundredfold.

Although the small spiders' combat power wasn't strong, their numbers were vast, and a moment's carelessness could lead to warriors being injured.

Most importantly, these small spiders were venomous. A bite would induce about two hours of paralysis.

On the battlefield, being paralyzed was equivalent to laying down your weapons. If no one came to the rescue, it meant waiting for death.

"Are there any good countermeasures?"

Letting the distant battle cries drift in with the wind, Delilah calmly inquired about solutions.

"Yes, the strategists recommend a fire attack. Burn the nearby forest areas to drive out these strange spiders."

"The army's logistics personnel brought plenty of burning oils; reserves are sufficient."

Delilah didn't speak. She gazed into the distant darkness, her thoughts unknown.

"Are there any other methods?"

From the shadows in a corner of the wooden hut, a voice spoke again.

"Yes, dispatch some vanguard squads to coordinate with the Sentinel Corps hidden in the forest and eliminate those spiders one by one."

"However, this method would result in significant personnel losses."

Delilah withdrew her gaze and glanced at the shadow in the corner.

"Use the fire attack. Have the logistics personnel prepare."

"Relay orders to the Sentinel Corps members: have them withdraw to a safe area."

"At midnight, set the forest ablaze."

Delilah's voice was cold. Presiding over the command, she issued the orders directly.

"Have the squads responsible for terrain reconnaissance returned?"

"Not yet!"

Delilah frowned slightly. The Four-Winged Blood Bat and a squad of harpies had flown out, but no news had returned yet.

According to Sentinel Corps protocol, at least two should have returned to deliver messages.

Now, not a single one had returned. What did this imply?

The Four-Winged Blood Bat must have run into trouble while carrying out their mission; they've encountered dark creatures.

"Relay my command: dispatch another reconnaissance squad to search for their traces nearby and prepare for support."

"Also, convey the matter and timing of burning the forest to Godfrey, Grum Ironfist, Saelen, and the others."

"Tell them to stabilize the morale of the mixed armies."

The shadow vanished. Delilah looked down and picked up the casualty report from the wooden table.

The number of deaths was within projections, even slightly lower than expected.

However, the number of wounded paralyzed by bites was several times higher than anticipated.

"Dissolve the antidote powders we brought in water and send it to the wounded."

The antidote powder couldn't truly neutralize the poison, but it could increase a warrior's Resistance and accelerate the metabolism of the venom.

This was a standard supply for armies, nothing unusual; many traveling merchant groups and Mercenary Corps kept it on hand.

The reason for the low death toll was that some in the mixed armies carried such medicine, some even more effective than what the Stoneheart Horde had.

In the distance, the battle continued.

"Maldrak, catch! I got this from Dirtclaw."

"It's good stuff the Lord awarded to the council, a special supply item!"

On the front lines, Ragscrape the gnoll took out a pill from his tunic, popped one into his own mouth, and gave one to Maldrak.

This was an Antidote Pill; it could temporarily boost bodily Resistance and had a detoxifying effect.

It also had a suppressive effect on some high-tier poisons.

Orion had many such items, obtained from Aerin.

Since Aerin advanced to Alpha-level, she had access to more resources, and the variety of alchemical items she could concoct had increased.

Orion had specifically tasked Aerin with concocting many antidotes, supplying a considerable amount to the Stoneheart Horde council.

The reason for doing so was to reduce the sacrifice of the horde's high-end combat power.

"This stuff is good!"

Maldrak hadn't taken an Antidote Pill before, but he had heard of them.

When we go back this time, with the battle achievements we've accumulated, we can definitely exchange them for another Alpha-level resource.

Once we advance to Alpha-level and join the council, we'll also be able to get these special supply items.

Maldrak thought to himself.