Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 59: For glory!

"Your Highness, Cicero!" Elynn quickly bowed.

With a loud thud, Cicero dropped from the sky, landing right in front of Ethan and Elynn.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a streaking meteor and shot straight into Ethan’s arms.

Then, without hesitation, he started nuzzling and rubbing against Ethan affectionately, chirping and cooing like an overgrown pet demanding attention.

Ethan chuckled, wrapping Cicero in a bear hug before asking, "How did the mission go?"

Cicero’s task was crucial. If he had managed to gather precise intel on the fortress hidden deep within the Suffocating Swamp Forest, it would be a game-changer for Emerald Castle in the upcoming siege.

A mission with nothing but benefits.

Hearing Ethan bring up "serious business," Cicero immediately stopped fooling around. He straightened up in Ethan’s arms, sitting properly before launching into an animated flurry of gestures and chirps.

Thanks to the system’s automatic translation, Ethan instantly understood what Cicero was trying to convey.

"Werewolf Warriors, Gnoll Marauders, Lizard Warriors, Serpent Flies, Dragon Flies, Basilisks, Greater Basilisks, Mighty Gorgons, Dark Raiders, Wyverns, Grim Raiders?"

Cicero had observed all these unit types stationed within the fortress inside the Suffocating Swamp Forest.

From low-tier to high-tier, they had everything.

The distribution was balanced, covering all aspects of combat.

And when factoring in the sheer number of troops... Ethan immediately realized why this mission was ranked S-tier. It wasn’t just an arbitrary difficulty rating—it was the real deal.

A fortress packed with that kind of firepower was no joke.

Of course, that assessment applied to Emerald Castle as it was a month ago.

Not now.

With their current strength, the forces stationed in that swamp fortress—an NPC stronghold—wouldn’t be able to stop Emerald Castle’s unstoppable advance.

This battle was already decided.

That fortress would fall, another stepping stone on Emerald Castle’s path to dominance.

Realizing this, Ethan let out a small breath of relief. Then, with a confident wave of his hand, he said, "Alright, let’s head to Crescent Ravine and check it out!"

Roar!

Hearing this, Cicero wasted no time. His body shifted and expanded, morphing into his massive dragon form. He lowered his back, allowing Ethan to climb on.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With Elynn leading the way, the three of them soared into the sky, heading toward the hidden new map within Wishing Valley—Crescent Ravine.

Before long, they arrived at the northwestern edge of Wishing Valley, near the region’s outer borders.

To the west of Emerald Castle, Wishing Valley stretched far into a vast, ancient forest—silent and untouched by time.

Towering mountain ranges and treacherous, winding paths cut through the landscape, making travel difficult and information scarce.

Because of this, Emerald Castle’s previous exploration efforts had mostly stopped at this point.

"Once I’ve completely secured the area around Emerald Castle and taken full control of this region, my next target... will be you!"

Ethan cast a deep glance at the ancient forest towering over the mountain range before shifting his gaze toward the location Elynn had pointed out—Crescent Ravine!

At first glance, the area ahead seemed like an ordinary, sunlit forest. However, nestled within it was a low-lying ravine, subtly concealed by the surrounding landscape.

This was it—the hidden map: Crescent Ravine!

The entrance to Crescent Ravine was incredibly well-hidden, shielded by the low valley, mountains, and dense forest. It blended so seamlessly into the terrain that without careful observation, it would be nearly impossible to notice!

But the moment Ethan stepped inside, he was met with an entirely different world.

The ravine was enclosed by towering mountains, casting a dim yet not oppressive light over the area. Within the crisscrossing shadows of the gorge, numerous glowing resource nodes shimmered—gold veins, scattered wild creatures, and more.

Beyond that, deep within Crescent Ravine, Ethan caught sight of something truly breathtaking.

In the distance, a radiant glow—like the brilliance of the sun and moon combined—shimmered softly.

A pure, gentle light emanated from that place, warm and weightless.

The sight was so mesmerizing that, in an instant, it captured Ethan’s full attention.

"Master, that’s the place!"

Elynn pointed toward a pale blue deer not far away, as well as several golden-hued ones further in the distance. "That’s a Moon Doe! And over there—those are Sun Deer!"

Ethan followed her gaze and immediately saw them—Moon Doe, Sun Deer—along with their status panels.

[Moon Doe]

Hidden Special Unit!

Tier: 9

HP: 1800

Attack: 50

Defense: 40

Innate Abilities: Blessing of Luna, Moonlit Veil

Blessing of Luna: During battle, has a 10% chance to invoke a strength blessing for all allied units under the same hero’s command. If successful, affected units gain +5% Attack and Defense and +10% HP.

Does not affect heroes.

Ineffective against Tier 11 and above units. (Correction: Effective against Tier 11 units!)

Note: Buffs can stack.

Moonlit Veil: Can phase into near-invisibility under moonlight, reducing enemy awareness by 70%.

[Sun Deer]

Hidden Special Unit!

Tier: 10

HP: 2200

Attack: 60

Defense: 50

Innate Abilities: Blessing of Sol, Flamewalker

Blessing of Sol: During battle, has a chance to cast Tier 3 Fire Magic: Solar Aegis on all allied units under the same hero’s command.

Deals continuous fire damage to enemies of Tier 12 and below.

Grants 500 temporary shield points to allies.

Effectiveness is reduced against higher-tier enemies.

Note: This magic effect does not stack!

Flamewalker: Can walk through flames and even molten lava, gaining +30% fire magic resistance.

...

"Holy..."

Ethan sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes widening in astonishment.

This was insane. Absolutely insane.

As expected, the Moon Doe and Sun Deer were indeed special hidden units! But more importantly, their innate abilities were so ridiculously powerful that they more than lived up to their status as Tier 9 and Tier 10 hidden units.

Take the Moon Doe’s ability, Blessing of Luna, for example—

This was the definition of a game-changing war buff.

If you had enough Moon Doe in your army, they basically became walking buff dispensers.

And that? That was terrifying.

Even crazier, the Blessing of Luna could be applied to units all the way up to Tier 11.

Tier 11 Royal Units.

That alone made them invaluable.

Just imagine—if you had a whole squad of Moon Doe taking turns praying over a Tier 11 unit, wouldn’t that mean that unit could maintain the Blessing of Luna buff for an entire battle?

And fighting while constantly buffed? frёewebnoѵēl.com

That was like giving wings to a tiger.

Even more absurd? Blessing of Luna stacked.

Stackable buffs.

In any situation, stackable buffs were always—always—insanely strong. No exceptions.

Because let’s be real—who in their right mind would ever complain about having too many buffs?

The Sun Deer’s ability, Blessing of Sol, was just as ridiculous.

Solar Aegis—boosts defense, increases HP, and even enhances attack power.

A full-on combat god-tier buff.

Sure, if you looked at their individual stats—attack, defense, HP—they seemed a bit underwhelming. But that was clearly by design.

Their role wasn’t to fight on the front lines.

It was the same as the Tier 6 special unit, the Vestal.

These kinds of units were naturally fragile.

They were meant for support.

They didn’t need to charge into battle.

All they had to do was stay in the back, heal, throw out buffs, and they’d already be worth their weight in gold.

"Let’s check how many Moon Doe and Sun Deer are available for recruitment in the Creature Dwellings..." Ethan said eagerly, making his way toward the two recruitment sites deep within Crescent Ravine—Moon Glade and Sun Garden.

A short while later, he arrived and took stock of the available creatures.

There were nearly twenty Moon Doe ready for recruitment.

As for the Sun Deer, there were about six or seven.

"This should be easy enough..." Ethan glanced at Cicero, then assigned all three of his Tier 11 Unicorns to him.

As a Combat Hero, Cicero wasn’t just a powerhouse on his own—

He could also lead troops into battle.

And considering that the Moon Doe and Sun Deer weren’t frontline fighters but support units, this fight wasn’t even a challenge for Cicero and the three Tier 11 Unicorns.

If anything, it was a complete walk in the park.

"ROAR!"

Sure enough, Cicero responded to Ethan’s unspoken question with absolute confidence.

"Attack!" Ethan grinned and gave the command.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, three flashes of white light streaked across the battlefield as the Tier 11 Unicorns materialized beside Cicero, charging forward with unstoppable momentum.

"ROOOOAR!!"

At the same time, Cicero shifted into his battle form, unleashing a deafening dragon’s roar.

His massive figure loomed over the battlefield, casting a shadow that swallowed half of Crescent Ravine in an instant.

Then—

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, Cicero landed right in the middle of the panicked Moon Doe and Sun Deer!

Like a tiger pouncing into a flock of sheep, he tore through them without mercy.

Even though Cicero couldn’t benefit from Ethan’s attack and defense bonuses as a Combat Hero,

It didn’t matter.

Because as a Tier 13 Green Dragon Hero, his raw power was already overwhelming.

The Moon Doe and Sun Deer, being support units, stood no chance against him.

Slash!

Crunch!

Rip!

In mere moments, five Moon Doe had already fallen—either crushed beneath Cicero’s claws or devoured whole.

Meanwhile, the Tier 11 Unicorns weren’t slacking off either.

They unleashed their divine fury, swiftly taking down two Tier 10 Sun Deer.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Suddenly, the remaining Moon Doe and Sun Deer scattered in all directions—

Instead of continuing to fight, they turned and ran—

Straight toward Ethan and Elynn!

Ethan blinked in surprise before quickly realizing what was happening.

The sheer difference in power and Tier had triggered a passive chain reaction.

Even though wild creatures weren’t particularly intelligent, they had strong survival instincts.

Sensing that they had zero chance against Cicero and the Unicorns, they immediately switched targets—

Going after the weakest prey instead.

But unfortunately for them—

Neither Cicero, nor the Tier 11 Unicorns, nor even Elynn were about to let that happen.

"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"

Cicero rampaged through the battlefield, cutting down more enemies with every strike.

The three Tier 11 Unicorns formed an impenetrable defensive line in front of Ethan, ensuring that not a single enemy could get close to him.

"For glory!"

"For our master!"

"Charge!"

At the same time, Elynn dashed forward, sword raised high, and engaged a Tier 9 Moon Doe head-on!