Chapter 662: Go Big

After the slaughter of the four Fallen-Star Serpents, Thoren did not waste any time lingering in the cavern.

His undead Greater Dune Scorpion moved forward. The Soul Lantern of Eternal Crypt floated above Thoren’s head, casting its pale light across the cavern and pushing back the oppressive darkness.

However, before proceeding too far, Thoren took out his system interface and examined the four Fallen-Star Serpents he had just killed.

Without hesitation, he opened the Abyssal Market and selected the option to sell their corpses.

The moment he confirmed the transaction, the four enormous bodies disappeared from his inventory, and his Gold Balance increased by twenty thousand Gold Coins.

Thoren’s eyes brightened slightly.

Although the Fallen-Star Serpents had possessed dangerous illusion abilities, their abilities were now useless since they were dead.

More importantly, their corpses were worth far more to him than turning them into his undead.

‘As long as I earn 50,000 Gold Coins, I will upgrade my vanguard weapons.’ ℯℓ.

Thoren mused as he closed the interface .

The stronger his vanguard became, the easier it would be for him to explore the dangerous regions of the third floor without constantly worrying about his own safety.

After all, he had no intention of allowing the dangers of this floor to stop him before he found the exit.

With that thought in mind, Thoren continued deeper into the unknown.

The cavern gradually changed as he advanced. The passage widened in some places before narrowing sharply in others, forcing his undead Greater Dune Scorpion to adjust its movements.

Many side tunnels branched away from the main route, their interiors swallowed by darkness.

Thoren paid close attention to his surroundings.

He had already learned that the creatures inhabiting this region were far more intelligent than ordinary beasts.

However, now that he understood their capabilities, they were no longer as troublesome as before.

As long as his Soul Lantern remained active, his Perception could cover a considerable area, allowing him to detect approaching enemies before they could launch a surprise attack.

Under these circumstances, the Fallen-Star Serpents had become valuable sources of income. And he intended to take full advantage of that opportunity.

Not long after he resumed his journey, his Perception detected another Fallen-Star Serpent lurking behind a massive stone pillar.

The serpent had concealed most of its body within a narrow passage, leaving only its two heads positioned near the entrance as it prey

Unfortunately for it, Thoren had already discovered its presence.

He immediately ordered his undead Storm Tyrant and undead Royalty Stonewall to attack.

The two undead warriors charged forward, forcing the serpent to abandon its hiding place. It hissed furiously and attempted to draw them into an illusion, but its ability failed to affect them.

The Storm Tyrant’s hammer descended.

The Royalty Stonewall’s dark blade flashed.

Before the serpent could retreat into the passage, the undead General and undead Garron arrived from the opposite side, cutting off its escape.

Within seconds, its body collapsed onto the rocky ground.

Thoren calmly sold the corpse through the Abyssal Market before continuing his journey.

Another Fallen-Star Serpent appeared farther ahead.

Sometimes, a single serpent would emerge from a side tunnel, attempting to ambush his advancing legion.

On other occasions, two serpents would attack simultaneously.

Unfortunately, they all failed.

Thoren’s undead army responded with ruthless efficiency, crushing every serpent that dared to attack them.

Whenever the situation required greater force, Thoren deployed his undead vanguard, allowing the Storm Tyrant, Royalty Stonewall, Kharv, General, and Garron to overwhelm their opponents through coordinated attacks.

The battles were fast and brutal.

Each encounter ended with another corpse entering Thoren’s possession. And each corpse became another payment from the Abyssal Market.

The deeper Thoren traveled, the more numerous the Fallen-Star Serpents became.

At first, he encountered them only occasionally, with long stretches of empty passage separating one battle from the next.

However, as he advanced farther into the cavern, their presence became increasingly common.

He began discovering multiple serpents occupying neighboring tunnels, their enormous bodies concealed behind stone pillars and within deep crevices.

The environment itself also became more dangerous.

Even so, the faint smile on Thoren’s face continued to deepen. Every additional serpent meant another opportunity to earn Gold Coins.

Every battle brought him closer to his goal.

He had initially expected that gathering fifty thousand Gold Coins would take at least a couple of days.

Yet the situation had turned out to be far more profitable than he anticipated.

A single complete Fallen-Star Serpent corpse sold for five thousand Gold Coins on the Abyssal Market.

With every transaction, the distance between him and his goal became smaller.

“Two more to go…”

He grinned as he examined his Gold Balance, his heart beating with anticipation.

He was almost there.

As if the Abyss itself had heard his thoughts, two Fallen-Star Serpents suddenly attacked from separate side tunnels.

HISSSSS!

Their enormous bodies burst from the darkness, and their four heads lunged toward Thoren’s position with terrifying speed.

Their mouths opened wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs as they attempted to catch him and his mount between their attacks.

However, Thoren was not surprised.

He merely glanced toward the approaching serpent and he opened his undead space.

“Finish them.”

The undead vanguard and five undead Thunderhide Rhinos immediately surged forward.

The two Fallen-Star Serpents attempted to activate their illusion abilities, their strange eyes glowing only for it to fail miserably.

The first serpent turned toward the Thunderhide Rhinos.

It tried to retreat, but the five enormous undead beasts had already spread out, restricting its movements.

BANG!

Against the ferocious five undead Thunderhide Rhino and the undead vanguards, the two Fallen Star Serpent stood no chance at all.

The entire fight had lasted less than a minute and the two were already dead.

Thoren watched the two corpses for a moment before a chuckle escaped his lips.

“That was easier than expected.”

He opened the Abyssal Market and sold both corpses.

The moment the transactions were completed, his Gold Balance increased by another ten thousand Gold Coins.

[Gold Balance: 50,000 Gold Coins]

Thoren stared at the number flashing on his interface, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

He had done it.

‘A single Low Grade Silver Equipment costs ten thousand Gold Coins, while Peak Grade Silver Equipment costs one hundred thousand Gold Coins.’

His smile gradually faded as he examined the figures.

With fifty thousand Gold Coins, he could purchase several pieces of Low Grade Silver Equipment.

Doing so would allow him to upgrade the weapons of multiple undead fighter immediately.

It was a practical choice.

The difference in combat effectiveness could become significant, especially when several of his undead fought together.

However, another possibility remained.

He could save his money.

Instead of spending his hard-earned Gold Coins on Low Grade Silver Equipment, he could continue hunting Fallen-Star Serpents until he had enough to purchase Peak Grade Silver Equipment.

Thoren rubbed his chin as he considered the options.

‘Should I go for the low grade or wait until I have enough Gold Coins and go big?’

Thoren’s expression became thoughtful.

Deep in his heart, he wanted to go for the best. He had never liked settling for an inferior option when a better one was within reach.