The scale of this beast tide was staggering. It had already reached nearly double the average size of any recorded beast tide in history.

  This was far from good news.

  No matter how superior the City Guard’s equipment was, they were still bound by the limits of their numbers and raw strength. Humans, after all, have a breaking point in their stamina. Meanwhile, the sheer number of monsters lurking in the depths of the Cloud Mist Forest remained a terrifying unknown.

  If the horde continued its relentless assault, Cloud Mist City was as good as gone.

  "Form ranks!"

  At the absolute front of the formation stood the elite defensive unit Qin Ming had poured a fortune into.

  Clad in a uniform set of Earth Spirit Heavy Armor, wielding Ice Crystal Knight Swords, and bolstered by Bracers of Strength, these hundred soldiers possessed an almost impenetrable defense. As heavy knights, their primary duty was simple: be the meat shield.

  While a hundred men couldn’t completely halt a stampede of this magnitude, they successfully blunted the momentum of the charge. And in war, a little breathing room is all you need.

  Behind the lines, the Mage Corps raised their staves in unison. Mana began to condense violently.

  Above the swarming monsters, the sky flickered with pulses of red light as thick fire clouds gathered.

  "Rain of Flowing Fire!"

  This was one of the few area-of-effect (AoE) spells available to low-level mages. Once a mage specialized into a Fire Elementalist, this spell would evolve into its devastating superior form: Fire Meteor.

  However, against these Level 10-ish monsters—most barely reaching the Brave-rank—the Rain of Flowing Fire was more than enough.

  The clouds ignited. Embers began to drift down before the storm truly broke.

  BOOM!

  The moment the mana reached its saturation point, countless fireballs plummeted from the sky like a torrential downpour of liquid flame.

  CRASH! THUD!

  As the fireballs struck, they erupted into high-temperature blossoms of flame. The monsters shrieked in agony as their fur ignited. The kinetic impact alone was enough to tear flesh from bone. One look at the scorched, cratered earth was enough to tell how much the spell’s potency had increased.

  "The casting speed and destructive power... they’ve more than doubled."

  "I have to say, Manager Kael's goods have truly saved our lives," Qin Ming thought, standing atop the wall. It wasn't the first time he’d made that mental note today.

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  For mages who hadn't yet reached the Brave-rank, a standard-grade staff from Kael’s shop provided an incredible boost. Although the System never displayed specific numerical stats on the gear, Kael could guess the general range. The same piece of equipment produced different results depending on the user's strength.

  This was also why higher-grade items, starting from the Rare tier, had usage restrictions. For lower-leveled individuals, slightly "lesser" gear was actually more compatible and effective.

  Doubling the speed of mana condensation—that was a terrifying multiplier. Without that speed, an AoE spell like Rain of Flowing Fire could never have been channeled so quickly, nor would the fireballs have carried such weight. Without it, the heavy knights at the front would have likely buckled under the initial pressure.

  The firestorm blanketed the horde, instantly slowing the momentum of the beast army.

  "Mages, stand down and recover mana! Take your pills!"

  "Warriors, advance! Follow the heavy knights! Push them back! Priest camp, prepare for healing!"

  The counterattack orders rippled through the ranks. In this world, an army wasn't just a mass of swordsmen; it was a complex machine of different classes.

  In the City Guard, "classes" weren't necessarily official designations, but rather specializations. For instance, the soldiers in the Warrior Camp practiced specific martial arts and used gear suited for front-line combat. The mages and priests followed suit.

  Ultimately, it boiled down to the "Holy Trinity": Tank, DPS, and Healer.

  With the backing of high-end gear and Kael's pills, the City Guard began a ferocious counter-offensive. Supportive spells from the priests fell like golden light upon the warriors and knights locked in melee.

  The tide of battle was turning in their favor.

  Qin Ming breathed a sigh of relief. As he looked at the piles of monster corpses littering the field, his eyes flickered with a greedy light.

  Those are all monster cores... if I bring them all to Kael’s shop, how much gear could I buy?

  Without realizing it, Qin Ming’s mindset had shifted. Cloud Mist City was slowly turning into a giant "resource-farming raid team" for Kael.

  Probably...

  "What did you say? A double-sized horde failed to cause significant human casualties?"

  Naga sat upon his throne of bleached bone, his presence radiating an effortless, terrifying authority. He looked down at the cowering orc scout.

  "Yes, Commander Naga. That is the intel from the front lines," the soldier stammered.

  "Any other discoveries?" Naga’s brow furrowed.

  "None for now."

  "I see. Keep watching."

  "Yes, sir!"

  The soldier hurried out of the tent. Just then, an old orc entered. He wore a skull upon his head, a necklace of jagged fangs around his neck, and simple linen robes. He leaned heavily on a gnarled wooden staff.

  "Shaman Naro, why have you come?" Naga’s eye twitched slightly at the sight of the old man.

  "Naga, things are not going well at the front," Shaman Naro said slowly, ignoring the question.

  Naga laughed. "There is no need for concern, Shaman. They are merely humans."

  "That is exactly why I am here," Naro said, thumping his staff against the ground. "I have observed the front. Those humans? Their individual strength is nothing special."

  "I am aware," Naga grumbled.

  "No, you are not. The standard-issue weapons and armor of Cloud Mist City have been entirely replaced. I suspect their equipment is the problem." Naro coughed, pointing out the crux of the matter.

  "What!?" Naga’s eyes widened.

  Naro coughed twice more, catching his breath before continuing. "This is why I say you lack vision. Cloud Mist City’s gear usually follows the standard patterns of the Arowana Empire."

  "But this time, the equipment used by the City Guard is fundamentally different. If one cannot quickly increase their own strength, using better steel is indeed a very wise choice."

  Naro’s analysis was spot on—a tactical shift that even Qin Ming hadn't fully appreciated until the Shaman pointed it out.