...

However.

If he wanted to recruit it, he’d have to kill it first.

Lynch saw Lilith cracking her knuckles, eager to take on the Hellhound, and quickly stopped her.

"This thing has high fire resistance. Forget about it for now and prioritize taking out that goblin warrior."

"Roger." Lilith was the most obedient of the three maidens. Her Magic Staff immediately turned, and she chanted a spell to launch a small Fireball at the goblin warrior.

At the same time, Lynch finally dispatched his elite Personal Guard.

Lynch had kept his elite Personal Guard by his side to guard against a potential sneak attack from the Shaman. Now that the Shaman was dead, it was time to commit his decisive force to end the battle quickly.

"You’re up. Target: the goblin warrior," he said with a wave of his hand.

The next instant, the tall and brawny Bear Goblin Skeleton brandished its weapon and charged out, launching a basic attack at the goblin warrior currently locked in a fierce battle with Ophelia.

Ten elite goblin Skeletons followed close behind.

Meanwhile, under Lynch’s micromanagement, the three Skeleton Wolf Cavalry skillfully skirted the chaotic battlefield, closing in on the Hellhound from three different directions.

He had gone to great trouble to acquire them by using the maidens as bait, so he was reluctant to throw them into a head-on clash.

Therefore, they didn’t directly join the siege on the Hellhound. Instead, they circled it from a distance, using their speed advantage to feign charges. These intimidation and harassment tactics tied up the Hellhound’s attention, preventing it from focusing its full power on Bone Valor’s defensive line.

Now that his Personal Guard was gone, Lynch shuffled his feet and discreetly tucked himself between the Priest maiden and the Magical Maiden.

The Priest maiden: "Er..."

She bit her tongue and silently shifted her Magic Staff to the side, giving him some space.

But the Magical Maiden, Lilith, didn’t mind at all. She even adjusted her stance to better serve as a meat shield for her senior.

At almost the same time.

On the other side, after casting its Curse, Bone Jade commanded its own large group of goblin minions, its nine Humanoid Skeleton Personal Guards, and the Fishman Priest Skeleton to charge the Hellhound and join Bone Valor’s line.

After doing all this, Bone Jade glanced left and right, then copied its master, shuffling over and squeezing into the gap between the two maidens, Avril and Lilith.

It even mimicked Lynch by slightly lowering its skull, as if that would reduce its risk of being attacked.

The two maidens: "..."

Er...

Even the corner of Lynch’s mouth twitched. ’This guy... is so embarrassing.’

He hurriedly avoided the two maidens’ strange looks and focused his attention on the battlefield.

The Hellhound truly lived up to Lynch’s expectations for a mount. Even while afflicted by a double Pain Curse, its strength was still formidable.

With every swipe and breath attack, the sound of shattering bones, CRACKLE, CRUNCH, echoed endlessly.

Bone Valor and its seven or eight remaining Fishman Skeletons only lasted about ten seconds before they were reduced to a pile of shattered bones again under the Hellhound’s ferocious assault.

What was slightly troubling was that the bone fragments scorched by the Hellfire seemed to have been cooked through. They gave off a burnt, foul stench, and clearly could not be reawakened by the Skeleton Resurrection Skill.

However, before the Hellhound could even catch its breath, Bone Jade’s thirty goblin Skeleton minions and nine Humanoid Skeletons charged forward to form a new defensive line.

It was worth noting that the Fishman Priest Skeleton didn’t rush forward rashly. Instead, it hid in a corner and raised its Magic Staff to launch a sneak attack.

"FWOOSH~"

A Water Arrow, filled with a damp chill, stealthily flew out and struck the Hellhound’s mouth just as it was about to breathe fire.

"TSSSSSS~"

Caught off guard, the Hellhound took the Water Arrow deep into its throat. The arrow collided with its scorching breath, instantly vaporizing into a large cloud of white steam.

The Hellhound’s fire-breathing was instantly interrupted, and even its searing aura seemed to weaken slightly.

"Uh..."

Lynch was dumbfounded by the sight.

’Ever since this Fishman Priest Skeleton started following Bone Jade, it’s gotten even more devious.’

’But I have to admit, even though its Water Arrow Skill is pathetically low-level and has limited power, it’s quite effective against a Fire Element monster like the Hellhound.’

Seizing the opportunity, Lynch raised his staff again. Spiritual Power flowed as he chanted a low incantation, and the spatial vortex leading to the Netherworld reappeared.

Bone Valor, the Witch Demon King, climbed out once more, brandishing its Bone Knife, and heroically joined the siege against the Hellhound.

It was a good thing Lynch’s Meditation training had progressed rapidly recently, granting him a decent increase in Spiritual Power. Combined with the Spiritual Power boost and recovery bonus from several pieces of Magic Equipment, he was able to manage this high-frequency spellcasting. Otherwise, he would have been completely drained.

Meanwhile, the overachiever, Bone Jade, wasn’t idle either.

It pointed its Magic Staff at the goblin Shaman’s corpse. Death energy shrouded it like a mist, and the corpse’s flesh and blood instantly burst apart.

The next moment, a stooped goblin Shaman Skeleton rose to its feet.

It looked around in a daze, then, under Bone Jade’s command, picked up the Magic Staff it had used in life and joined the group attack on the goblin warrior.

One small Fireball after another flew toward its former companion as if they were free.

Although the effect of its Magic was far weaker than in life, it was still a spellcasting unit and inflicted considerable damage on the goblin warrior.

"You and your bad luck!" Seeing that the Shaman Skeleton also lacked a Soul Fire, Lynch shot Bone Jade an irritated glare. "Next time there’s an elite unit, you’re not allowed to raise it. I’ll do it."

Bone Jade remained silent under the scolding, merely refreshing the Pain Curse on the goblin warrior.

"Hmph!"

Seeing it behave, Lynch irritably began processing the other corpses on the battlefield.

He waved his Magic Staff, successively converting the scattered goblin corpses that the Bone Jade Department had previously cleared out into Skeleton Servants.

The elite goblin Skeletons among them were sent directly to swarm the goblin warrior.

As for the minion Skeletons, they were all thrown into the cannon fodder army meant to wear down the Hellhound.

The scales of battle began to tip dramatically.

"SQUELCH~"

Bone Jade finally finished off the last goblin elite, which had been putting up a desperate resistance. Its Soul Fire flickered, and it immediately joined the beatdown on the goblin warrior.

Already afflicted by multiple Curses, and facing the Bear Goblin Skeleton’s brute force, the elite Skeletons’ harassment, Ophelia’s frontal engagement, and a continuous bombardment of Fireballs from two Mage units, the valiant goblin warrior was powerless to turn the tide.

"AWOOO~!"

Amidst a tragic roar, several weapons pierced its body simultaneously.

Its sturdy body trembled, and the steel scimitar in its hand fell to the ground with a CLANG. The light in its crimson eyes faded rapidly.

As the weapons were pulled out, its body collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Meanwhile, the Hellhound was still tangled up with the endless stream of cannon fodder Skeletons.

The Fishman Priest Skeleton hiding in the corner was especially infuriating. It would periodically fire a sneaky Water Arrow, specifically timed to interrupt the Hellhound whenever it was about to breathe fire or gather its strength. This drove the beast into a hopping rage, but it was utterly helpless.

"Only one dog left~~" Lynch chuckled, his tone relaxed.

He shook his slightly heavy head and gulped down an Awakening Potion.

Then, with a hint of excitement in his eyes, he cast the Skeleton Resurrection Skill on the goblin warrior.

Flesh and blood burst apart, and a Skeleton with a thick but agile frame stood up.

And then.

Lynch’s vision went dark. ’Damn it, no Soul Fire again.’

’Why is it so hard to create a Soul Fire Skeleton?’

Then, Lynch shot an annoyed glare at Bone Jade. "What are you looking at? It’s definitely because you looked at it that I had such bad luck."

Bone Jade’s Soul Fire flickered with confusion. ’But I was thinkin’, I didn’t even peek?’

"Hmph~" Lynch decided not to bicker with it for now and refocused on commanding the battlefield.

The goblin warrior Skeleton picked up the steel scimitar it had wielded in life and joined Lynch’s happy little family, attacking the Hellhound in unison.

The poor Hellhound was instantly surrounded.

Its eyes, now filled with terror, cast a gloomy glance at the goblin Shaman Skeleton in the attacking party.

If its intelligence were high enough, it would surely be cursing the goblin Shaman in the slang of the lower realms by now.

’Why the hell did that worthless bastard summon me to this godsforsaken Prime Material Plane?’

’Just to feed?’

...