Chapter 271: Eat, Sleep, Slay Trolls

"Fine, you may take the oath." Lei En nodded in agreement.

Tai Lien immediately drew his hand across the axe blade, and blood spurted out.

He knelt on one knee before Lei En, raising his voice to swear: "Loyalty is my life, loyalty is my belief, loyalty is my glory! I, Tai Lien, under Ji Li Man's witness, devote my loyalty to Ryan Augustus, obey his Willpower, carry out his orders, remain forever loyal, never betray!"

As the oath rang out, the blood on Tai Lien's hand rose and floated, like a living thing writhing in midair, eventually forming a rune identical to the original-body symbiosis Element.

Lei En was already very familiar with the procedure for establishing a symbiotic bond.

He lightly touched the blood-colored rune, and a surge of Willpower entered his mind; the world tree in his soul trembled slightly, and he calmly said, "I accept your loyalty."

When his words fell, the oath was sealed.

Lei En saw the branch on the world tree bearing thirteen leaves sprout a fourteenth, and on the phone interface, Tai Lien's avatar also appeared.

A mere thought from him let him hear Tai Lien's inner voice.

This symbiotic link grants the two a high degree of tacit understanding, especially useful in battle, allowing instantaneous grasp of each other's intent.

Tai Lien instantly transformed: blood-colored runes flashed across his skin, channeling countless energies into his body; his muscles bulged and contracted, containing massive power, reshaping his soul and flesh from the inside out!

The amplification he gained through original-body symbiosis surpassed that which Xi Ka Liu Si had originally received.

Lei En's current strength has long exceeded his former self; not only has his power risen to Level 8, but he also possesses Level 9 toxin resistance and Level 7 swiftness—these are all supreme Elements!

The stronger the original body, the greater the amplification the symbiont receives.

A few minutes later, Tai Lien completed the transformation.

He rose, feeling his brand‑new power; the astonishment in his eyes was indescribable. The weakened version of the Truth Will made his consciousness crystal clear, and he understood his current state like the back of his hand.

"This feeling! It's too strong!"

Tai Lien discovered his power had surged to nearly three times, his muscles tightening to a hardness that reflected a metallic sheen.

His legs moved swiftly and powerfully, yet without compromising agility—truly unbelievable.

Tai Lien suddenly realized he was only a hair's breadth away from ascending to legend!

"Boss!"

He shouted excitedly, looking at Lei En, finally understanding why Xi Ka Liu Si had unflinchingly chosen this human as the original body and even urged him to join.

Lei En smiled with satisfaction.

Tai Lien was already powerful; after receiving amplification from him, his strength instantly rose to Level 6, just a step shy of Level 7.

If there is surplus soul power, invest a bit into him, and a third legendary Extreme Warrior can be born immediately.

Given Tai Lien's talent, he would be the best candidate for future Extreme Warrior shooting instructor.

Tai Lien's transformation did not go unnoticed by the other Ma Kula Ge, who eagerly gathered around, shouting, "Boss, I also want to become a symbiont…"

"Everyone, don't rush; split into three groups and take oaths in turn."

In the courtyard, oath‑taking voices kept echoing; moments later, all the Ma Kula Ge had formed symbiotic bonds with Lei En.

On the soul world tree, after the original branch's leaves reached twenty, a second branch sprouted at the same height.

The new branch also bore eleven leaves.

So many leaves already exceeded the sum of the other Elements; the foliage was lush and moved without wind, finally giving the world tree a hint of a true tree's appearance.

In the phone interface, the thirty‑one Extreme Warrior avatars were merged into a single icon; opening it displayed the full Extreme Warrior list, ready for interaction.

The newly added Extreme Warriors joyfully experienced the great power.

Lei En clicked each avatar in turn, inspecting their soul Elements.

These eighteen Extreme Warriors overall were slightly stronger than the first batch, receiving greater amplification; thus even the weakest possessed Level 7 transcendent power.

Of course, they still couldn't match the current state of that earlier group of Extreme Warriors.

After all, they had all fought the great battle at Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, absorbing countless soul power.

Jumping from Mid-stage to High-stage was such a drastic change that the Extreme Warriors felt unfamiliar; fortunately, the weakened Truth Will let them quickly adapt to their new bodies.

Among them, Tai Lien was a Level 9 pinnacle, and two other outstanding Extreme Warriors reached Level 8.

Lei En closed the list, and suddenly, voices rang in his mind one after another.

This was a side effect of original-body symbiosis: symbionts affect the original body's Will, but his Truth Will could block most of it; still, he heard it now.

The hearts of the thirty‑one Extreme Warriors merged into an indescribable interference that pierced deep into his soul, like countless voices whispering at his ear yet unintelligible, reminding Lei En of the babble of the Blood Soul Curse that can drive one mad.

Lei En shook his head as if to shake something off, slightly boosting the Truth Will's protection.

In an instant, the interfering voices faded away, disappearing.

"Huh…"

"It seems the number of symbionts I can bind is limited; only thirty‑one Extreme Warriors already cause trouble. I can at most handle another twenty‑or‑thirty; any more and I can't bear it."

"However, once my soul grows stronger, the number of symbionts I can bear should increase."

At this point the Extreme Warriors, having adapted to the new power, approached Lei En, saluting in unison, "Honored, boss!"

"Mm." Lei En smiled and nodded, "From now on you are all Extreme Warriors, and also my brothers."

"Don't worry about your compensation; each of you will receive at least two hundred Gold Shields per month, all daily expenses are on me, I've also prepared armor and weapons, stored on the airship, and will hand them over shortly."

Lei En immediately offered generous terms.

Even though the Extreme Warriors are symbionts, as the original body he can control their fate, but winning their hearts remains essential; he cannot let their spirits grow cold.

Anyway, he can afford this money now; it's not a huge sum.

In recent months, he used space‑time manipulation to forge a massive stock of armor and Lambo Spears, enough to equip over a hundred Extreme Warriors.

"Long live the boss!"

The Extreme Warriors erupted in excited cheers.

Having spent years as mercenaries on Zhu Bile Shan, earning a few dozen Gold Shields a month was decent; two hundred Gold Shields was definitely a high wage.

Not to mention, Lei En gave them great power; even with modest pay, they were willing.

At this moment Xi Ka Liu Si counted the people and asked, "Tai Lien, I recall there were over twenty brothers on Zhu Bile Shan; why are there only eighteen now?"

Tai Li En shook his head, his expression gloomy.

The other Extreme Warriors also wore unpleasant expressions.

"This year our mercenary corps has been unlucky; in several contract missions we lost four brothers," Tai Li En said, "and rivals keep showing up to provoke us, snatching our contracts, so the money we earn is far less than before."

"Rivals? Other mercenary corps?" Lei En asked.

In fact, he had just realized that Tai Li En must have run into trouble, so when Xi Ka Liu Si knocked on the door, their reaction was that intense.

"Yes."

A hint of hatred flashed in Tai Li En's eyes. "The Man Fa La Bu mercenary corps—they're also barbarians from Sai En Gao Yuan, but they associate closely with a band of highland trolls. Half their members are trolls, equipped with shaman priests, and they outnumber us; in every clash we've been at a disadvantage."

"Those cunning trolls, a few days ago they sowed discord with our employer, stole the contract, and even got the employer to withhold our fee. I'm working on a way to get it back."

"Highland trolls…" Lei En nodded.

The most famous race on Sai En Gao Yuan is, of course, the barbarians, but another race whose strength is not inferior to the barbarians is the highland trolls.

Trolls are one of the oldest races in the Ai Lun E Si world; they once built a splendid civilization and Empire. Their reign is called the "First Era," also known as the "Troll Era," which predates the current Human Era by thirty thousand years!

In that age, trolls' footprints spanned the whole world, and their traces can still be found today.

Many intelligent races, to varying degrees, carry troll blood.

There are even rumors that elves actually evolved from trolls. Of course, elves firmly deny this; how could filthy, ugly trolls be ancestors of noble, beautiful elves?

Today's trolls have indeed long lost their former glory.

They are excluded from civilized worlds, living in harsh jungles, swamps, highlands, or deserts; their strong vitality lets them persist stubbornly, surviving multiple eras of rise and fall, yet never truly being eradicated.

Many adventurers, while exploring unknown lands, often haven't had time to rejoice before discovering that trolls have already taken over.

They are like wild grass, never fully eradicated.

Almost every pioneer, nation founder, Empire conqueror, upon reaching a new territory, must clear out the local trolls. Throughout successive dynasties, when civilizations change, trolls seize the chaos to try to revive their former splendor, but each time they are extinguished.

Archaeologists have a joke: from ancient times to now, the corpses of slain trolls linked together could circle the world a hundred times.

Adventurers also have a catchphrase: eat, sleep, slay trolls.

The history of Ai Lun E Si is a blood‑tears chronicle of trolls.

Trolls have many branches; during the long ages without civilization, many troll tribes regressed, becoming ferocious and brutal, no different from beasts.

But some trolls have preserved their culture, remain an intelligent race, and have contact with the human world.

The highland trolls on Sai En Gao Yuan are one such group.

"Where is that employer? Take me to see," Lei En decided to avenge his subordinate: "The contract can be terminated, but the fee must be paid—no copper piece less!"

(End of chapter)