Chương 171: 171： Forging the Magic Rangers

Next, Soren retrieved two corked vials from the utility belt at his waist. A thick liquid sloshed inside them, emitting a foul, metallic stench. [Minor Troll Serum].

"Darion, Lyra! Step forward!" The silver-haired girl, Lyra, stepped forward, biting her lower lip. Beside her was the solemn amphibious warrior, Darion.

"This is the reward for your military merits. Drink it." Soren offered no further explanation. Without a hint of hesitation, Darion popped the cork and downed it in a single gulp. Merely seconds later—"Arghh!!" Darion fell to his knees in agony. The muscles across his entire body bulged and writhed as if something alive was crawling madly beneath his skin. A rapid succession of sickening cracks echoed from his bones. It took several minutes before Darion could finally stand up, panting heavily.

His already rugged frame had visibly bulked up, and a nearly imperceptible layer of acid-resistant mucus now coated his skin.

"Darion, your [Toxin Resistance] has evolved." Soren nodded in utmost satisfaction. Soren then pointed at Kyle.

"The Misty Swamp might lack many things, but it has no shortage of toxic waters and venomous plants.

"Kyle possesses [Herbalism Mastery], while you now have evolved [Toxin Resistance] and are an expert swimmer. The two of you will collaborate immediately. I want you to harness every hallucinogenic weed, corrosive fluid, and poisonous flora this swamp has to offer!

"In this godforsaken, resource-starved wasteland, we cannot afford to waste a single ounce of potential!

"Furthermore, Darion, I hereby appoint you as the Chief Swimming Instructor for the entire army, as well as the Vice-Captain of the Second-Line Pikeman Battalion! You have three months. If I find anyone who still can't hold their breath and dive by then, kick them into the water until they learn!" Darion wiped the residual serum from the corner of his mouth and let out a wild laugh.

"Understood, my Lord!" Lyra, on the other hand, didn't exhibit the same explosive physical changes as Darion after consuming the Troll Serum. Her innate talents hadn't noticeably upgraded, but her slender frame was now brimming with a terrifying physical strength that shocked even herself. Her overall physical attributes had undergone a qualitative leap. Feeling somewhat lost and anxious, Lyra raised her head to look at Soren.

During their previous battle, amid the gruesome sight of severed limbs flying across the battlefield, she had clutched her throwing knives in terror, too paralyzed to strike at the enemy's vital spots. For a soldier, such hesitation was fatal. She thought she was going to be discarded. Soren keenly saw through the young girl's inner fears.

"From now on, you are reassigned as my personal bodyguard. You will stay by my side." As he spoke, Soren glanced at his Chief Mage, Victor, who stood nearby.

"Victor, she possesses a rare [Basic Mana Affinity], and you possess the profound knowledge of a Silver-tier Mage. I want you to spare one hour every day to teach her magic.

"I don't expect her to learn massive, forbidden area-of-effect spells. I only need her to learn how to enchant her throwing knives! I want her to become a Throwing-Knife Mage—one who can weave armor-piercing wind blades onto the edges of her daggers!" Lyra realized that Soren was actually protecting her, while simultaneously offering her an incredible path for growth. Overwhelmed with gratitude, she dropped to one knee, tucking a loose strand of silver hair behind her ear.

"I swear upon my life to protect yours, my Lord." Next, Soren's gaze shifted to Renn, the scar-covered martial monk. Standing by the door, his exceptionally burly frame imposing, Renn crossed his arms and spoke in a steady, unhurried tone.

"You don't need to worry about me, my Lord. I'll continue my duties as the unarmed combat instructor. Wherever you need a vanguard to charge, I await Greywater Village's orders. Just point, and I'll strike." Soren nodded. Renn's [Hardened Skin] paired with his lethal hand-to-hand combat skills made him the perfect blade to shatter any deadlock on the battlefield.

"Next, we address the issue of our troops.

"The one hundred and fifty-six newly rescued human laborers will all be conscripted into the Second-Line Macedonian Phalanx. They will be placed under the command of Kyle and Darion.

"The Macedonian Phalanx requires the least investment. As long as we teach them how to lock their stances and level a three-meter-long pike, they will become a highly lethal defensive wall on the battlefield!" Soren's brows suddenly furrowed, causing everyone in the room to instantly hold their breath.

"Due to the reassignment of Gary and Meyer, our frontline elites have been reduced to just sixty-one men. This ace unit needs to be brought back to full strength. However..." Soren turned his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over Ein, Captain of the Longbow Battalion, and Buck, Commander of the Wolf Cavalry! Met with this piercing glare, both Ein and Buck felt their cheeks burn, awkwardly lowering their heads. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"After completely annihilating the Bloodaxe Battalion, I fully intended to promote the bravest soldiers into the frontline elite based on their military merits." Soren demanded, a hint of anger lacing his voice:"But! The Quartermaster reported to me that those very Wolf Cavalrymen and Longbowmen under your commands who were slated for promotion collectively disobeyed orders!

Some even feigned illness, fabricating excuses to refuse their promotion to the frontline, rejecting the best treatment our army has to offer?" Buck forced himself to take a step forward. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Please quell your anger, my Lord... It's not that they lack loyalty.

"It's just... they refuse to leave their old units.

"Those bastards claim that the Wolf Cavalry and Longbowmen are just as elite!

"More importantly, they've all bled and taken blades for each other on the battlefield. One of the promoted longbowmen said that if he puts on the heavy, face-concealing helmet of a frontline elite, he wouldn't be able to find the corpses of his sworn brothers in the chaos of battle..." Brotherhood of the battlefield! This was an unexpected side effect of implementing modern Earth military tactics.

The soldiers had forged life-and-death bonds, and this camaraderie far surpassed their desires for promotions or wealth. They were more than willing to die for Soren, but they absolutely refused to abandon the veterans they had fought alongside. While this was phenomenal for army cohesion, it posed an obvious obstacle for a commander trying to restructure his forces. Soren took a deep breath. He naturally understood this profound sentiment, one that only survivors of countless brutal battles could truly comprehend.

"Rules are rules. If they are unwilling to leave the Wolf Cavalry and Longbow Camps, then so be it. Kyle! Find nine soldiers with military merits from the Second-Line Macedonian Pikemen. Whether they are willing or not, drag them kicking and screaming into the frontline elite formation!" After all, the Macedonian Pikemen were currently the most numerous unit.

"With these nine promotions, our frontline elites will total exactly seventy men!

"As for the Pikeman Battalion: the original one hundred and four men, plus the one hundred and fifty-six new recruits, minus the nine who will be drafted out. That brings the total to two hundred and fifty-one soldiers. Kyle, I want you to keep a tight grip on them!

"If you fail to forge them into a seamless, impenetrable pike phalanx within three months, I will hold you personally responsible!" Kyle's face flushed red as he slammed his right fist over his heart and roared, "I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!" Finally, Soren turned his attention to the Half-Elf Commander, Ilya, who had been quietly listening from the sidelines.

Ilya had witnessed this man's leadership firsthand—he was empathetic to his men, yet possessed an undeniably domineering and dictatorial resolve. It was only during this military meeting that she truly felt the suffocating presence of a true Warlord.

"As for our fresh blood," Soren said, his tone softening slightly.

"Ilya. The one hundred and thirty Half-Elf warriors under your command boast superb archery and possess a faint aptitude for magic. However, the way I see it, your application of magic lacks any systemic structure!" Ilya's cheeks flushed slightly. Half-Elves lacked any systematic magical heritage. While she had personally fumbled her way into understanding how to apply her magic, she lacked the pedagogical vocabulary to translate her own experiences into actionable lesson plans for her subordinates.

Easily seeing through her embarrassment, Soren waved a hand, gesturing for Victor to step forward. This Silver-tier Mage, who had once served as the Commander of the orthodox Mage Corps of the Silvermoon Kingdom, held a vast repository of arcane formulas and elemental matrix theories within his mind. Victor adjusted his somewhat worn yet immaculately clean robes, offering a polite, scholarly smile. Soren decisively issued his final command:"Starting tomorrow, Victor, grab your blackboard and chalk.

I want you to utilize the orthodox curriculum of the Silvermoon Kingdom's Magical Academy! You will drill the [Mana Resonance Formula], the [Elemental Gathering Arts], and whatever else is necessary... cram it bit by bit into the skulls of those one hundred and thirty Half-Elves!" Teaching and nurturing talent happened to be Victor's specialty.

"Rest assured, my Lord. Even if I were given a Dire Bear, as long as it possessed a shred of magical aptitude, I could teach it to forge magic circuits!" Soren's expression turned imposing and absolute.

"They must be able to draw their blades to slit throats in close-quarters, retreat to pierce armor with their longbows, and imbue their arrowheads with fire and wind magic! Ilya, you will study alongside Victor.

"Within one year, I want to see a unit that flawlessly integrates melee, ranged combat, and spellcasting. I, Soren, will have my Magic Ranger Battalion!"