Chapter 57: A Unicorn Egg?

Chapter 57: A Unicorn Egg?[Seraphina Drahmoulis] This hero is currently in a weakened state. Recovery Time: 71 hours, 23 minutes, 46 seconds. All attributes are reduced to one-tenth of their normal values during the weakened state. Defense is further reduced by 50%. No experience can be gained during this period. "A three-day weakened state, huh? That’s not too bad. Could’ve been worse." Ethan shook his head and let out a sigh of relief. ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! BOOM! At the same time, realizing that Seraphina was safe, Cicero and the Silver Pegasus Knights charged at the remaining three unicorns. This time, the unicorns didn’t last long—one after another, they fell under Cicero’s dragon claws! And with that, the battle to conquer Unicorn Glade in Wishing Valley had finally come to an end—with a solid victory! A faint smile appeared on Ethan’s face as he held the unconscious Seraphina in his arms and made his way toward Unicorn Glade. Just then, a system notification rang in his ears. "A Tier 11 unit recruitment lair—Unicorn—has been discovered in the wild. Would you like to claim it?" "This lair is within the territory of your castle, Valkarion. Once claimed, it will be permanently under your control..." "Claim it!" Ethan responded without hesitation. After all the effort he had put into conquering Unicorn Glade, this was exactly what he had been aiming for. Now that it was finally his, he could finally breathe easy. "Congratulations, player ’Valkarion,’ on successfully claiming the Tier 11 unit recruitment lair—Unicorn! You have also received an additional recruitment slot as a bonus." "As the first player in the world to conquer a Tier 11 wild recruitment lair, you have earned a special reward! You have gained 30,000 reputation points with the Light Alliance." "Congratulations, player ’Valkarion,’ on receiving the following resource rewards: 300,000 gold, 20 units each of wood, mercury, ore, sulfur, crystal, and gems." "Congratulations, player ’Valkarion,’ on obtaining a special reward. Please explore to discover its effects!" ... Ding! Ding! Ding! A flood of system notifications rang in Ethan’s ears. At the same time, the recruitment building interface for Unicorn Glade appeared before his eyes. [Unicorn Glade] Wild Lair Owned Wild Unicorn Glade Lairs: 1 Recruitment Rate: 3-2 Tier 11 Unicorns every six months (First recruitment includes 1 bonus unit). Recruitment Cost: 1.2 million gold, 20 gems. "As expected... 1.2 million gold." Ethan let out a small smile and turned to Elynn. "Elynn, how much gold and how many gems do we currently have in Emerald Castle?" "Master, Emerald Castle currently holds 2.78 million gold and 40 units of gems." "That’s more than enough." Ethan’s eyes lit up. "Give me 2.1 million gold and 20 gems." "Understood..." Elynn immediately transferred the requested resources to Ethan. "Recruit!" RUMBLE! A deep, resonant roar echoed through Unicorn Glade. At the same time, as the system deducted 2.4 million gold and 40 gems from his inventory... Buzz! Buzz! Deep within Unicorn Glade, two beams of radiant white light emerged. The light expanded, forming a shimmering portal, as if something powerful was stirring within. SWOOSH! SWOOSH! Moments later, two immaculate, snow-white figures stepped out of the glowing portal, their bodies radiating a divine brilliance, exuding an overwhelming presence. Two Tier 11 Unicorns! As they fully materialized, they scanned their surroundings before locking eyes with Ethan. Their gazes brightened instantly. Then, in perfect unison, they bent their front legs and knelt before him, letting out a deep, resonant hum. Thanks to the system’s built-in Unicorn Language Translation, Ethan immediately understood their message. "We humbly thank our Lord for recruiting us!" At the same time, the status panel for the two Tier 11 Unicorns appeared before Ethan’s eyes. [Unicorn] Tier: 11 HP: 6,000 Attack: 90 Defense: 85 Damage: 108~121 Innate Abilities: Magic Resistance, Blinding Strike, Demon Slayer [Magic Resistance] Increases the Magic Resistance stat and resistance chance for all allied units under the same hero’s command. [Blinding Strike] Attacks have a chance to blind the enemy, rendering them unable to retaliate. Ineffective against targets with Magic Resistance Level 4 or higher. [Demon Slayer] The Unicorn’s holy aura grants it a natural advantage against demonic entities. Deals 30% increased damage against units from the Inferno faction. "Damn..." Even though Ethan already had Seraphina and Cicero, two absolute powerhouse units, he was still taken aback by the sheer insane stats of the Unicorns! 6,000 HP?! That was practically a walking fortress! No wonder even Seraphina and Cicero had struggled to take them down. If an average player had faced these Unicorns, even if the creatures just stood there and let themselves be attacked, it would probably take days to bring them down! And that 85 Defense stat? Just looking at that number made Ethan’s scalp tingle. His throat felt dry. And then there was the 90 Attack stat and over 100 base damage—this thing wasn’t just a tank, it was a walking weapon of mass destruction! But what truly made them terrifying were their three innate abilities—Magic Resistance, Blinding Strike, and Demon Slayer. Especially Magic Resistance—that one was downright broken. Why? Because in large-scale battles, what’s the most dangerous thing? First, high-tier units. Second, magic. Magic came in all forms—single-target, area-of-effect, buffs, curses, summons, and more. And in mass warfare, the most terrifying spells were AoE (Area-of-Effect) magic. They could wipe out entire armies in one cast. No dodging. No blocking. No escape. That’s why powerful AoE magic users were feared and often considered walking disasters—nobody wanted to mess with them. But Magic Resistance? It was the ultimate counter to magic. If the resistance level was high enough, magic could be completely nullified—rendering even the most devastating spells useless. That alone made these Unicorns priceless. ... "As expected of the 11-Tier Unicorn I’ve been dreaming about for so long—it’s seriously strong!" Ethan grinned in satisfaction. Then, without hesitation, he stepped deeper into Unicorn Glade. He hadn’t forgotten the system notification from earlier. "Congratulations, player ’Valkarion,’ on obtaining a special reward. Please discover it yourself!" A special reward—and one that wasn’t revealed outright? That could only mean one thing: it had to be something incredibly valuable. And it had to be somewhere inside Unicorn Glade. Sure enough, it didn’t take long before Ethan found out exactly what this so-called special reward was. "Congratulations, player Valkarion! You have discovered a Unicorn Egg hidden within Unicorn Glade. Would you like to hatch it?" A Unicorn Egg? Ethan’s entire body tensed, his pupils contracting as excitement surged through him. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even have access to unit eggs—after all, troops could be recruited directly from recruitment points. The fact that this egg existed at all could only mean one thing... A Unit Hero! Ethan’s eyes burned with anticipation as he stared at the 11-Tier Unicorn Egg, his voice trembling with excitement. "If I’m right... once this egg hatches, it’ll be an 11-Tier unit—a Unicorn Hero! Just like Seraphina and Cicero!" Seraphina and Cicero had both hatched from Green Dragon Eggs, which was why they had become Green Dragon Heroes. And if this 11-Tier Unicorn Egg successfully hatched, then unless something went terribly wrong, it would undoubtedly become a Unicorn Hero. A Unicorn Hero! An 11-Tier Unit Hero! Ethan estimated that once the Unicorn Hero hatched, its starting tier would at least be Legendary (Orange-Tier). A Legendary (Orange-Tier) Hero—do you even realize what that means!? In some ways, a Legendary Hero could determine the fate of an entire nation! The world of Glory Lords X wasn’t just a game—it was a real world. And because of that, the concept of an "all-powerful" hero didn’t really exist. Every hero had their own strengths and weaknesses. Some were unstoppable attackers but had weak defenses. Some were fortress-like defenders but lacked offensive power. Some weren’t particularly strong in combat, but they were masters of troop training and economy, making them invaluable for logistics and support. Because of this, both the natives of Glory Lords X and the players from Earth had gradually developed a standardized way of evaluating heroes. They categorized heroes based on their specialties and strengths, determining their combat effectiveness and overall value in different fields. And over time, these classifications had evolved into widely recognized, easy-to-understand titles that helped people gauge a hero’s true power and usefulness. The hero rankings were as follows: Benchwarmer, Recruit, Expert, Master, Grandmaster, Warlord, and Mythic! Benchwarmer Heroes were best suited for... well, staying home, managing farms, or sitting in a tavern complaining about their low wages. Most had little to no combat ability, but at least they could help with inventory management or serve as tactical sacrifices in defensive battles. These were usually Common (White-Tier) Heroes. Recruit Heroes could be deployed with the army, handling battlefield logistics, overseeing operations, and issuing commands. Most were either Common (White-Tier) or Rare (Blue-Tier) Heroes. Master Heroes were capable of leading small forces into battle, functioning like generals with the ability to hold strategic positions. Most were Rare (Blue-Tier) or Epic (Purple-Tier) Heroes. Grandmaster Heroes were true strategists, tactical geniuses, or economic powerhouses—pillars of stability for any kingdom. Their abilities were game-changing. Some could end wars with sheer military prowess. Some could unite people and govern nations with unmatched leadership. Some were impenetrable fortresses, nearly impossible to defeat. And some were so well-rounded that they could single-handedly determine a nation’s rise or fall. These heroes were typically Epic (Purple-Tier) or Legendary (Orange-Tier). Warlord Heroes were the ultimate weapons of powerful nations—beings so strong that they stood above entire kingdoms. Their presence alone was enough to stabilize a superpower, acting as an unshakable pillar of dominance. In some cases, their influence even surpassed that of kings—they were demigods, standing above royal authority itself. These heroes were usually Legendary (Orange-Tier) or Ultimate (Crimson-Tier). Mythic Heroes were... invincible. These were the absolute rulers of their respective factions—the apex of all heroes. Across the entire world, throughout countless years of history, only a handful had ever existed. Only the most elite Ultimate (Crimson-Tier) Heroes could even qualify for the title of Mythic. Even Cicero and Seraphina, as powerful as they were, still had a ways to go before reaching that level. This alone showed just how valuable and powerful a Legendary (Orange-Tier) Hero truly was. Ethan was just about to say "Hatch!"—but then he stopped. A thought struck him. This 11-Tier Unicorn Hero Egg... could he give it to Emily? Or maybe Isabella? Sure, an 11-Tier Unit Hero—a Legendary (Orange-Tier) Hero—was something he could never have too many of. But at the same time... Emily and Isabella were the two people closest to him. They were the only ones he truly cared about. If either of them had a Unicorn Hero by their side... It would be an unbreakable shield—a guarantee that what happened with Sinclair Group and Inferno Dragons Guild would never happen to them again. That settled it. "Do not hatch." Ding! As soon as Ethan made his decision, the Unicorn Egg transformed into a flash of white light and was stored in his system inventory. At the same time, a thrilled smile spread across his face as he turned and walked out of Unicorn Glade. "Master!" "Chirp chirp...!" Elynn and Cicero immediately rushed up to him. Cicero, in particular, let out a series of excited whimpers as he burrowed straight into Ethan’s arms. Ethan wrapped one arm around Cicero while turning to Elynn. "How are the casualties?"