WorldCrafter - Building My Underground Kingdom-Chapter 73: Balista

A Krell Soldier leaped onto a Brute’s back, tearing into its throat with serrated claws. A Krell Scout, even while bleeding out, still fired one last bolt, hitting a Ravager square between the eyes. A Krell Tank went berserk, throwing itself into three enemies at once, crushing them under its sheer bulk.

But it wasn’t enough.

[Your Krell Scout has perished!]

[…

[Your Krell Soldier has perished!]

[Your Krell Scout has perished!]

Ben seeing there’s no hope quickly send his order rough the hivemind, ’That’s enough supervisor try to find way to retreat.’

Unfortunately it’s too late, a Brute smashed Number Two’s leg, sending it sprawling. Before it could recover—a spine impaled its side. The Supervisor coughed up black blood, struggling to stand. Through the hive mind, Ben felt its determination. Its refusal to give in.

But reality didn’t care about resolve Number Two, surrounded and bleeding out, froce his weak obdy to move taking the crossbow from the krell scout remain, it than manouvered poitnign it than "FOR THE MASTER!!!"

THWANG!

A final bolt pierced a Ravager’s skull—right before the pack descended upon it. And then— Darkness. The hive mind link went silent. Ben exhaled, eyes sharp. ’That ravager.’

[Your Krell Supervisor has perished!]

Ben exhaled slowly, fingers tightening into a fist. He should’ve ordered them to retreat from the start. The supervisor had been intelligent, but it still lacked experience. And it wasn’t like Ben could just dump his own experience into their minds. ’At the very least, this confirms something—the Ravagers haven’t gone all out yet.’ He pulled up the map of the area, eyes scanning the terrain.

The slime nest was located far to the east. The Ravager base he had scouted was slightly north. But if their numbers had increased this much in such a short time, then there was no way that was their only nest.

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Ben’s gaze hardened. He needed a clearer view of the land. Even with Consume, the knowledge he gained from the Ravagers was frustratingly limited. They weren’t thinkers. They were soldiers, drones—mindless hunters acting only on orders.

Their memories were basic. They were born, they matured, and as soon as they were capable, they joined the hunt. That was it. No deeper thought, no understanding beyond the commands given to them, Just like his Krell.

He zoomed in on the map, marking several locations—five potential sites where other Ravager nests could be. ’This can’t go on.’ He needed more resources. More forces. More firepower.

Pulling up the Creature Creation Screen, he quickly summoned two more squads, followed by six additional Krell Scouts. He turned to the five Scouts first. "Spread out and locate as many Ravager nests as you can. Move fast, stay hidden. Report everything."

The Scouts nodded sharply before vanishing into the distance. Ben then locked eyes with the last Scout. "As for you, take the two squads and head back to the main base. Gather resources and bring them here. Prioritize White Gemstones and Explosive Talismans."

The Scout bowed slightly before immediately rallying the troops and departing. Ben watched them go, mind already planning his next move. Explosive bolts. They were the only way he could level the playing field against the Ravagers. And he needed better armor—something that could withstand the long-range projectiles from the newly identified variant. His jaw tightened as he recalled their movements, their attack patterns. ’I’ll call them Spine Ravagers.’ .

As the Krell carried out their assigned tasks, Ben got to work on his own. If the Spine Ravagers wanted to use ranged attacks, then he’d return the favor.

A standard crossbow wasn’t enough. He needed something bigger. His fingers moved across the creation interface, sketching out a design—a massive, reinforced ballista. This wouldn’t just be a weapon; it would be a siege tool that do devastating damge.

The base of the stronghold was square, which made the placement easy. Four watchtowers, one at each corner. That way, no matter where an attack came from, there would always be a clear firing angle.

Each tower would be manned by a Krell Scout permanently stationed there, their job to maintain and fire the ballista at any approaching threats. ’With this, no enemy will be able to approach unscathed.’

The ballista would use reinforced Grimslate bolts, sharpened and weighted for maximum impact. But that alone wasn’t enough. Explosive ammunition.

A normal shot could pierce through armor, but a detonating payload? That could wipe out entire clusters of Ravagers in one blast. Ben smirked. ’I will need larger Explosive Talisman.’

Meanwhile back at the mainbase Deep within the laboratory, Elvira was hunched over her workbench, surrounded by scattered notes, crystals, and alchemical tools. Her fingers carefully traced over a half-finished enchantment sigil, adjusting the runes with focused precision. She had been immersed in her research for hours.

But the moment Ben’s command echoed through the hive mind— ’Send more Explosive Talismans immediately, and I need a larger one.’ Her entire body stiffened. She whipped her head up, panic flashing in her eyes. "…Shit."

Elvira glanced at the empty workspace. Not a single finished talisman. She had gotten so wrapped up in her experiments that she had completely forgotten to actually make them. "WHY DIDN’T HE SAY SOMETHING EARLIER!?" She shouted, bolting upright.

Technically, this was her fault. But in her mind? This was Ben’s fault, too.

He should’ve reminded her sooner!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it—!" She scrambled, grabbing blank talisman template, and gemstones all at once.

She had no time to refine or perfect anything. Ben needed results.

And if she didn’t deliver them fast?

She could already imagine him storming in, looking pissed, ranting about wasted resources, and—worse—getting even stingier about giving her more gemstones.

Elvira gritted her teeth. That could not happen. She was already at a critical point in her research. She needed more White Gemstones, not less. There was no way she was letting this screw everything up. With a deep breath, she slammed her hands onto the table—And began working at full speed.