With the crushing defeat in this battle, the fate of the Ratman Plane was sealed.
The death of the Rat King, the annihilation of the bloodthirsty giant rats, and the loss of the elite ratmen—along with the extermination of most common ratmen—left the species in ruins. Their resistance was utterly broken.
Now, the rat people had no means to defend against the relentless assault of the Night Tribe.
Even with their rapid reproduction and short growth cycle, it no longer mattered.
Without the command of the Rat King, they couldn't unite. Infighting would erupt as ambitious ratmen squabbled over the vacant throne. Even if the Night Tribe left them alone, the rat people would destroy themselves from within.
But the Night Tribe had no intention of giving them such a chance.
No matter how fast a species breeds, it cannot escape the one unyielding truth of survival: resources.
No matter how fertile a creature is, without sufficient resources, there is no growth. There is no future.
Just as the goblins had relied on the blood-red vines in their plane, the rise of the ratmen was built on a similar resource—an underground liquid resembling stalactite nectar. One drop was enough to feed a single ratman for a day.
Severing the source of that sustenance would ensure that the ratmen would never again become a threat.
This war had only one theme.
Slaughter.
The Night Tribe struck decisively, targeting every ratman settlement near the resource veins. With their forces shattered, the ratmen could do nothing but fall.
Within five short days, the system's judgment was clear: the Night Tribe had taken full control of the plane fragment.
Su Xingyu received his system rewards.
[System prompt: Plane exploration completed. Plane fragment secured. Over 90% of ratmen eliminated.]
[Rewards: 1 purple treasure chest, 3 yellow treasure chests, 7 white treasure chests, 5000 units of world origin, and 1 Giant Rat Heart.]
Compared to his first conquest, the rewards this time were underwhelming. Still, it was a solid haul.
Leaving behind 50,000 skeletal ratmen and several logistics officers to manage the occupied territories, Su Xingyu returned to the Night Tribe through the portal.
Red River Region, Night Tribe
As tradition dictated, Su Xingyu hosted a grand victory banquet in honor of the returning warriors. Lavish rewards were given to those who had distinguished themselves on the battlefield. Laughter echoed through the halls, and for five days, the soldiers were granted leave to rest and enjoy their triumph.
Once the celebrations were over and tribal affairs attended to, night had fallen.
Alone in his chambers, Su Xingyu pulled out the spoils awarded by the system.
Eleven treasure chests gleamed before him, along with a glowing epic material—the Heart of the Giant Rat.
[Heart of the Giant Rat]Category: MaterialGrade: EpicDescription: Contains the concentrated essence of a bloodthirsty giant rat. A treasured relic of the rat people.
Su Xingyu raised an eyebrow. "I only just sold the Goblin Heart, and now I get this? Maybe a Giant Wolf Heart is next. That'd be perfect for boosting the Wolf Corps."
He placed the heart aside and turned his attention to the most promising item.
The purple treasure chest.
"All the others are junk. This one better make it worth the blood."
He opened the chest.
Swoosh—
[System prompt: Purple treasure chest opened. Obtained Epic Forging Experience Book ×1.]
"Ha! Jackpot!"
Eyes wide with excitement, Su Xingyu seized the glowing orb and examined it.
[Epic Forging Experience Book]
Category: Consumable
Grade: Epic
Requirement: Gold-Level Forging Profession
Description: Grants the knowledge and insights of an epic-level blacksmith. Greatly increases the chance of breaking through to epic-tier. The richer your foundation, the higher the chance of success.
Even though it was a one-time-use item, this was a treasure of unimaginable value. Su Xingyu's mood soared.
Epic.
In the entire world, outside of a few lucky players holding special privileges, there were barely any epic-tier professionals. This single item had made the entire expedition worthwhile.
Currently, the Night Tribe only had a handful of gold-level professionals. Among them, just two were blacksmiths.
Just two.
Even if they hammered away until their arms gave out, it would never be enough to equip the growing army.
The tribe had blueprints. They had materials. What they lacked were skilled hands.
Take Han Yan, for instance. As the tribe's chief blacksmith, he could craft five gold-grade weapons per day at best. That was already an impressive output.
But if he broke through to epic level, everything would change.
Not because epic blacksmiths could churn out more weapons—they still only had two hands. Even with four, it would be like scooping water from a lake with a spoon.
The real value of an epic blacksmith lay in mentorship.
A gold-level smith may struggle to guide others past the same bottlenecks. But an epic-tier craftsman? They had already walked the path and could light the way for others.
If Han Yan succeeded, the entire forging system of the Night Tribe would rise.
Su Xingyu stored the glowing orb and eagerly opened the remaining chests.
[System prompt: Yellow chest opened. Obtained Second-Level Cavalry Camp Blueprint ×1.]
[System prompt: Yellow chest opened. Obtained Second-Level Cavalry Camp Blueprint ×1.]
[System prompt: Yellow chest opened. Obtained Special Scroll: Rat King Heritage.]
[System prompt: White chest opened. Obtained 300 Blood Spirit Flower Seeds.][System prompt: White chest opened. Obtained 10 × Holy Light Healing.]
[System prompt: White chest opened. Obtained…]
As expected, most of the loot was forgettable.
He had already upgraded the three basic barracks to level two. The two extra blueprints couldn't yet be combined into a level-three design, so they were set aside for now.
Su Xingyu's eyes turned to the final item of interest.
[Rat King Heritage]
Category: Scroll
Grade: Gold
Requirement: Innate Spiritual Attribute ★★★★★★
Description: Grants a qualified ratman the ability to ascend and become the new Rat King.
His lips curled into a thoughtful smile.
The legacy of the Rat King, now rests in his hands.