Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 175: Contract is now in effect!

"Alright, don’t worry about it!"

"Take care, Archmage Eldrin..."

Balthazar and Ethan both nodded, standing up to see Eldrin off as he hurried away.

Once Eldrin was gone, Balthazar hesitated for a moment, then suddenly spoke up. "Lord of Emerald Castle... about what you mentioned earlier—I think it’s time we talk."

"What I mentioned earlier?" Ethan blinked, then looked a little surprised. "You mean... you’re considering joining forces with Emerald Castle for now?"

"Yeah..." Balthazar nodded, speaking honestly. "To be frank, I couldn’t trust you before. But now? After what you did... every last one of us Behemoths owes you our lives. Trust doesn’t even matter anymore."

"And besides..."

He paused, then continued, his tone heavier. "Besides, that damn Dungeon army is a cancer that needs to be cut out. If we don’t deal with them, we’re all dead. And if we try to fight them separately... I hate to admit it, but the truth is, the Behemoth clan isn’t what it used to be."

Back in their prime, the Behemoths had thirty-eight 13-Tier Behemoths and seven 14-Tier Ancient Behemoths.

Sure, they weren’t quite on the level of the Night Elf Kingdom, Snowy Castle, or the Kingdom of the Elementals—but they were still a force to be reckoned with. As reinforcements, they could’ve put serious pressure on the Dungeon army.

But after the near-extinction event they’d just survived, all that remained of their once-mighty force were fifteen 13-Tier Legendary Behemoths and only three 14-Tier Mythic Ancient Behemoths.

To put it bluntly, that kind of power wouldn’t even make a dent in the Dungeon army—it’d be like tossing pebbles at a fortress.

So after thinking it through, Balthazar had come to a decision: for now, they’d accept Emerald Castle’s offer.

First, with the stat boosts from a unit hero, their combat strength would get a serious upgrade—better damage, better survival, better everything.

Second, deep down, he was curious. He wanted to see what Emerald Castle was really like—whether it was a place where the Behemoths could truly belong.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s eyes lit up the moment he heard Balthazar’s words.

Without hesitation, he said, "Balthazar, you’re making the right call. If we join forces, I’m not saying we’ll definitely win—but we’ll sure as hell stand a better chance. The pressure will be way more manageable."

"But I’ll only agree under one condition," Balthazar said seriously. "We’ll sign a mercenary contract—but the terms and duration of that contract will be decided by us Behemoths."

"Deal," Ethan nodded. "You set the terms and the timeline. My only non-negotiable is this: once the battle starts, you follow orders. No going rogue. That’s my bottom line."

"No problem," Balthazar replied without hesitation. "We’re good at fighting, sure—but when it comes to actual warfare, strategy and all that... yeah, we’re not exactly the brightest. We know that. So once the battle begins, I give you my word—my people will follow your commands to the letter. No freelancing."

"Perfect," Ethan said with a nod. "In that case, no point wasting time. Let’s get that contract signed."

"Give me a moment," Balthazar said, standing up and heading out.

Not long after, he returned—contract in hand, the terms and duration already agreed upon with his people.

Ding!

"Player Valkarion is about to sign a mercenary contract with Behemoth Balthazar and his Behemoth clan. Contract details as follows... Duration: One year. Payment: 10 million gold, 1,000 units of mercury. Proceed with contract?"

Was that even a question?

Ethan had been working toward this moment from the start—and now, finally, he was taking the first real step toward that goal.

"Sign it!"

Ding!

"Congratulations, Player Valkarion! You have successfully hired:

—15 Legendary Units (13-Tier) Behemoths

—3 Mythic Units (14-Tier) Ancient Behemoths

Contract duration: One year. Contract is now in effect!"

Vmmm—

As the system notification faded, a strange, powerful energy pulsed outward, linking Ethan, Balthazar, and every Behemoth unit back in the Behemoth Lair—both the Legendary and Mythic ones.

Ethan immediately felt it—that subtle shift, that unmistakable sense of connection. These weren’t just allies anymore. They were his. His people. His command.

The contract’s magic had kicked in.

"Lord Ethan..."

Balthazar spoke slowly, his eyes flickering with a mix of emotions. His expression was complicated—like he was trying to process something unfamiliar. This sensation of being bound, of being tethered to someone else’s will... it was a first for him. And yeah, it felt a little uncomfortable.

But at the same time, there was something else. Something warm. A strange, unspoken sense of closeness.

Before, his feelings toward Ethan had been gratitude—pure and simple.

But now, thanks to the contract’s influence, that gratitude had deepened. It had morphed into something more: a quiet respect, a sense of loyalty, even a kind of kinship.

"Balthazar," Ethan said, standing up, "I’m heading back to plan the deployment. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to come along."

Sending reinforcements wasn’t something they could afford to delay. The longer they waited, the more unpredictable things could get—and the worse the situation might become.

"I..."

Balthazar hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. I’ll come with you. I want to see how you handle things."

"Alright then."

"Let’s move."

Ethan didn’t argue. He turned and headed out of the Behemoth Lair without missing a beat.

...

Not long after, Ethan, Balthazar, and Seraphina returned together to Emerald Castle.

...

In the grand hall of Emerald Castle, Ethan’s seven elite unit heroes had once again gathered together.

But this time, there was someone new in the room—a guest, if you will. The Chieftain of the Behemoth tribe, Balthazar, had arrived.

"I’ve got two announcements to make," Ethan said, his gaze sweeping across the room. "First—Balthazar, representing the Behemoth tribe, has agreed to temporarily join forces with Emerald Castle. In other words, from this moment on, he’s one of us."

"Seriously?!" Seraphina blinked in surprise, then broke into a bright smile. "That’s amazing!"

Even a wounded lion still has its fangs.

Sure, the Behemoths had taken heavy losses and weren’t nearly as powerful as they used to be. But even now, in terms of raw numbers—whether it was their Tier-13 Legendary Units or their Tier-14 Mythic Units—they still far outclassed Emerald Castle.

If Emerald Castle could harness that kind of power, it would be a game-changer. A massive leap forward.

"Greetings, everyone. I’m Balthazar of the Behemoth tribe. From today onward, I’ll be counting on your guidance." Balthazar’s deep voice rumbled through the hall as he looked around, sizing everyone up.

Truth be told, even though he’d known of Emerald Castle for a while, this was actually his first time setting foot inside. And among the seven elite unit heroes present, aside from Seraphina, Cicero, and Elyra, the rest were strangers to him.

There was Elynn, the Elven Pegasus Knight;

Lilith, the Dragonblood Elf;

Eldorin, the Ancient Treant Warrior;

And Bromir, the Ironhide Dwarf.

He was meeting them all for the first time.

And as he took them in, he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise.

He hadn’t expected Emerald Castle to have two Crimson-tier Ultimate Heroes, three Orange-tier Legendary Heroes, and two Purple-tier Epic Heroes.

That kind of lineup? That was no joke.

To put it in perspective—

In Sylvanwood, the vast forest realm divided into four major regions—north, south, east, and west—the two most dominant powers were the Kingdom of the Night Elves in the west and the Kingdom of the Elementals in the east. No one questioned their supremacy.

And even those two juggernauts only had two Orange-tier Legendary Heroes each.

Which meant that even if you didn’t count Emerald Castle’s two most powerful assets—Seraphina and Cicero, the Crimson-tier Ultimate Heroes—the rest of their lineup alone was enough to rival the top dogs.

If those five other heroes could survive and grow to their full potential, Emerald Castle wouldn’t just be a rising power—it could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Night Elves and the Elementals.

Hell, it might even surpass them.

It was just a matter of time.

Three Orange-tier Legendary Heroes versus two? On paper, it didn’t seem like a huge gap.

But in reality?

That was the edge that could tip the scales completely.

And with that realization, Balthazar felt his decision to join Emerald Castle settle deeper in his heart. This wasn’t just a temporary alliance anymore. He was starting to see a future here.

The Behemoths were a simple people.

But that simplicity could also be called single-mindedness—or stubbornness.

To them, strength was everything. Power was the only law they respected.

And when they found someone stronger?

They followed.

So if the Behemoths didn’t want to be ruled, that was one thing. But if they had to choose? They’d always side with the strongest.

Only overwhelming strength could earn their loyalty.

Only then would they willingly follow someone—not out of obligation, but out of genuine respect.

And if you weren’t strong enough? Even if you saved their lives, they’d rather die repaying the favor than kneel to you.

Yeah, it might sound a little extreme, maybe even stubborn to the point of madness—but that’s just how the beastkin were wired.

And the Behemoths? They were the pinnacle of the beastkin race. That stubborn streak? They took it to the absolute limit.

Fortunately, from the look on Balthazar’s face, he seemed pretty satisfied with Emerald Castle’s strength—at least in terms of its core power.

And that was a damn good sign.

Because when the time came for Ethan to formally recruit the rest of the Behemoth tribe, this would make things a whole lot easier.

Meanwhile, after Ethan’s heroes—Elynn and the others—had all taken turns greeting Balthazar, Ethan raised his voice again.

"Now, onto the second matter."

He paused, his tone turning serious.

"The Dungeon army in the eastern region is getting bolder by the day. The Kingdom of the Elementals is being pushed back hard and has no choice but to ask for help. They’ve already reached out—through the Behemoth Lair and Archmage Eldrin of Snowy Castle in the north—to propose an alliance with us to fight back against the Dungeon forces."

Ethan glanced around the room, making sure everyone was paying attention.

"I’ve agreed to the alliance."

"In other words, unless something unexpected happens, we’ll be heading to the eastern front soon."

"We’re going to war?!"

Seraphina’s eyes lit up instantly, her whole body practically vibrating with excitement. "That’s amazing! Master, if you’re sending me, I swear I’ve been dying to teach those damn Dungeon creeps a lesson! This time, I’ll make sure they regret ever crawling out of their holes!"

As a warrior-class hero—and a battle-hardened dragonkin at that—Seraphina was born for war. Combat ran in her blood. She lived for it. If Ethan hadn’t been keeping her in check, she probably would’ve turned all of Sylvanwood upside down by now.

Only the blood of her enemies and the sound of their screams could truly satisfy her.

And lately? The fights she’d been in just weren’t cutting it.

But now? Finally, a real war. A real battlefield. A chance to go all out.

This kind of opportunity didn’t come around often.

She wasn’t about to waste it.

"Don’t worry," Ethan said with a helpless smile. "There’s no way I’d leave you out of this."

He knew this was just who she was. She didn’t just like fighting—she needed it. There was no point trying to suppress that side of her. Better to let her unleash it.

Besides, the Dungeon army might be twisted, savage, and merciless—but from another angle, they were the perfect training dummies.

Right now, Seraphina was level 30.

But to reach her second awakening, she needed to hit level 55—and that was still a long way off.

The truth was, a Crimson-tier Ultimate Hero didn’t truly live up to the title until they’d undergone a second, even third awakening. Only then could they be considered the real deal—beings so powerful they were practically divine.

That path was long. But it had to be walked.

So hopefully, this rare and precious chance to grind through waves of enemies would help Seraphina level up fast.

She needed it.

And Ethan was counting on her to seize it.