CH 68

The following day, the Hawk scouts that were dispatched discovered a thicket with a huge number of kobolds roaming around. This area was most likely a kobold lair. These monsters’ vision was mediocre, but their sense of smell was extremely acute. If they approached even closer, the Hawk scouts would be spotted, as the specific situation inside the lair remained unclear.

Xiao Yu immediately ordered, “Call everyone back; then we’ll head over there.”

Moments later, the crowd appeared before the thicket, where a large number of kobolds were found.

There was no discernible difference between this area and the rest of the woods, save that the trees here were very sparse due to the frequent appearance of monsters. Numerous trees had gnawed teeth marks on their bark, and the grass had many trampled imprints. Kobold’s excrement could be seen everywhere, and there was a somewhat pungent stench in the air.

After walking a few steps, they could see some ferocious Kobold warriors wandering aimlessly throughout the faraway trees. Some were patrolling, and some were just searching for food. However, since they were attacked at night yesterday, most people couldn’t see the appearance of the kobolds clearly, and now that these strange, dog-headed figures with fur and paws had appeared before them, everyone carried an odd look on their faces.

Suddenly, Wang Chao’s eyes lit up as if he had seen something really intriguing, and he pointed in a specific direction and said, “Look, this is really interesting!”

Everyone glanced in the direction he pointed as they saw a kobold lying on the ground while another was lying behind it, constantly moving back and forth, both focusing on the affair of passing down the family line in broad daylight. Kobolds were indeed not very strong creatures, but their breeding ability was extremely strong. Their reproductive cycle was short, and each litter could give birth to several offsprings.

Most girls in the crowd blushed and secretly called Wang Chao a hooligan.

Wang Chao, however, was still admiring it with great interest, letting out a wicked smirk from time to time.

There was a slight rustling sound amidst the grass, and a rabbit rushed out. Two kobold monsters nearby spotted it, got frozen in the spot, and reacted almost immediately as they bit the knife in their mouths, speeding towards the rabbit on all fours and barking weirdly. After a brief chase, they eventually caught up with the small hare, took the long knives from between their canines, and sliced the rabbit in two with one chop. The two kobolds took a chunk each, scooped up the bloody half rabbit, and shoved it into their mouths, chewing the meat with relish. Then, attracted by the smell, the surrounding kobolds also gathered around, hoping to get a taste of the flesh.

Xiao Yu ordered everyone: “Stop looking; those are the beasts that attacked us; kill them!”

Yunyun immediately pulled back her pale bone bowstrings and shot an arrow into the crowd of kobolds.

Whoosh!

A rocket-like blazing arrow, accompanied by the sound of piercing through the air, flew straight at a kobold warrior who was chewing the rabbit’s flesh and blood, leaving a fist-sized hole in its upper torso. The flesh and internal organs around the wound were completely scorched, instantly killing the beast. Jiang Xiaowen flapped her wings and swooped down from the sky with a spear in both hands. She stabbed her target before the other kobolds could react, and the monster hung lifelessly from the spear’s body.

“Aoohou, aohhou!”

At this moment, all the other kobolds were alarmed, and a series of strange howls could be heard in the woods, followed by dozens of kobolds. The surrounding Hawks swarmed them up before the opponents could even react. The intense battle was over in a matter of seconds, and the wounded kobolds threw aside their helmets and armor and fled in a sorry state.

Xiao Yu and his group kept killing. The woodland was teeming with monsters, mostly Kobold warriors and Kobold leaders. Their power, however, was not enough to pose a threat to everyone at the moment. In contrast, the Hawks led by Jiang Xiaowen swept the forest without hindrance, while the others basically had no chance to make a single move.

Deeper inside the woods, a village made of wood and vines stood in sight in a remote corner.

Wang Chao said carelessly, “This is the lair of those dog heads? Unfortunately, the monsters along the way were all too weak. I hope there is a guy with enough strength that can give us a good fight; otherwise, it will be too boring.”

This place was clearly a Kobold settlement. The fence was constructed of sharpened hardwood. There were no dwellings in the interior. Instead, there were merely lots of nests built using animal bones as struts and animal skins as coverings. However, the monsters were plentiful, with no less than three hundred Kobolds living there.

The human invasion caused chaos in the village. Hearing their companions call for help, the kobolds in the settlement reacted quickly and rushed out with their weapons. 

Under Du Tao’s command, the Hawks retreated and spread out to both sides to form a circle. The Bears rushed forward to meet the first batch of attacks. When humans and the monstrous beasts collided, swords were flung, and flesh and blood were torn. The Bears easily repelled the Kobolds’ initial charge. After resisting, the Tiger team behind them launched a fierce attack, cutting a bloody path through the kobold swarm in an instant, like a sharp knife cutting into a watermelon. Finally, the Hawk team members on both wings launched a pincer attack, leaving the Kobold ranks in disarray.

Most of the monsters were Kobold warriors, with forty to fifty elementary Kobold leaders among them; amidst this bunch, though, was one wearing leather armor, held a chain hammer, and had a peculiar red fur—it was a first-order Kobold chieftain.

It bravely led the kobolds to rush out as the chain hammer in its hand danced wildly. Among the Bears, only Jinshi could stop its charge, so he confronted the monster as soon as it stepped near. The kobold chieftain swung the chain hammer, hitting Jinshi’s goblin shield before it shattered with a bang. Unfortunately, the gray shield couldn’t withstand such a powerful blast and was blown apart into pieces. Jinshi also staggered a few steps back; his left arm was bloody and badly injured.

This is the strength of a first-order monster!

Jin Shi felt awe in his heart. It was his first time facing a first-order monster, but he didn’t expect to lose so badly with only one move. Although only a thin line separated him from the first order, there was a substantial gap in strength. So he didn’t dare to be careless anymore, and then right afterward, he let out a deafening roar, swung his Warhammer with his right arm, and smashed it against the beast without hesitation.

The kobold chieftain quickly forced his chain hammer to rotate and swung it down as it landed on the other party’s chest. Another blast rang out, and following a loud bang, Jin Shi’s body flew upside down for six to seven meters, only to be caught by Sun Dazhu, the Bears’ vice-leader, finally coming to a halt. 

Jin Shi’s face was pale, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. The clothes on his chest were completely torn, revealing his rocky chest inside. A large amount of rubble was constantly falling, and a large number of cracks appeared as dark red blood oozed from the gaps in his rock-strewn chest.

“Damn, it’s really powerful; I couldn’t harm it at all!”

Just as the kobold chieftain howled in triumph and was ready to follow its assault, Wang Chao rushed up like a hurricane and smashed down with a blood-red mace in hand that hid astonishing force. The monster was aware of the severity of the blow, so it didn’t dare take it head-on. Instead, it quickly took two steps back and raised the chain hammer to push Wang Chao back. However, before it could repel him, several wind gusts blew from its rear. The Kobold grew startled and wanted to dodge, but it was too late; Han Kexin’s toxic claws proceeded to lodge on its body, leaving four deep and long scratch marks, while the claw’s toxin had already spread throughout its body.

The Kobold chieftain was poisoned, but the effects would not show in the short term. In a fit of rage, it emitted a blood-curdling roar, and its red eyes stared viciously at Han Kexin. But just as it was about to deliver a crushing blow to Han Kexin, a slender and frail figure fell from the sky and pierced its head with a spear. The Kobold was forced to stop its attack against Han Kexin, and the angle of its chain hammer swing shifted and hit the tip of the falling spear. An explosion rang out, and Jiang Xiaowen’s “Splitting Air Spear” was knocked away without a second’s delay. Still, the moment it got knocked away, a great force gushed out from the spear’s end before hitting the monster head-on, directly blinding one of its eyes.

At that moment, a large amount of glowing light dust dropped and coated the Kobold; suddenly, the monster fell into a trance and stopped moving altogether.

“kill!”

Seeing that only a small piece of his shield remained, Jinshi roared and rushed forward with the Warhammer in both hands. He slammed the weapon on the head of the kobold chieftain fiercely; blood spattered instantly, and he raised the Warhammer again. With a violent blow, the kobold chieftain’s skull was ultimately broken as red and white matter fell to the ground, getting mangled together.

Jinshi took in most of the essence of this first-order monster, and his strength finally reached a critical point, bursting out in an instant—he advanced!

Unexpectedly, the first one to evolve was Jinshi, who specialized in defense.

Wang Chao lifted his berserk state and shouted in bewilderment, “It actually got done in by stone!”

Jiang Xiaowen picked up the Splitting Air Spear, her body covered in injuries, as she pouted, “Big baldy, you got lucky this time!”

Han Kexin just looked at this scene and smiled but didn’t say anything.

A few others showed envy, but that emotion was fleeting, and they didn’t stop their attacks at all. Since the kobold chieftain was dead, the battle could be considered over. Wang Chao and the three others quickly spread out and took up arms to support the others. 

Han Kexin bore sharp steel claws on both arms. Her fighting skills were outstanding, and her nimble figure quickly shuttled between the kobolds, rolling up waves of blood, bones, and flesh. Her moves were vicious and deadly, allowing the kobolds’ attacks to fall upon her body without care. Simply attacking with no regard for defense, while the piled wounds on her body all healed instantly. Moreover, her power and speed grew as more and more blood mist pooled around her. Even Wang Chao was slightly inferior in terms of killing speed.

The kobolds were soon defeated; their corpses scattered around in all directions.

Jinshi eventually emerged from his cocoon, and his formerly burly figure became even more majestic. His whole body was as dark as ink. A thick covering of pitch-black rock coated his arms, thighs, chest, abdomen, and head. There were two small black craters in each of his eyes, making it so the others couldn’t see the eyes, which made him look a bit more fearsome.

Taking a step forward, the ground shook slightly.

Another first-order master was born!

Sitting in the distance and watching the play, Xiao Yu, who has never made a move from beginning to end, nodded in satisfaction.

Jinshi had advanced to the first order, developing a new innate skill: complete rock formation!

Wang Chao hit Jinshi in the chest. He yelled and covered his hands before groaning in pain, “Wow, damn it, that’s so fucking hard!”

Jinshi chuckled, and a dull, hoarse voice sounded from inside the rocky layer, “I didn’t expect such a big change within my body either. From now on, I won’t be afraid even if I face an attack of the same intensity as a kobold chieftain!”

Xiao Yu shook his hand, and the luminous beast blade appeared in the grip of his palm. He swept out and lightly slashed at Jin Shi’s shoulder, leaving a single, shallow cut that didn’t harm him in the slightest. 

At that sight, he couldn’t help but show surprise.

“It’s really tough!”

Xiao Yu was clear about the luminous beast blade’s sharpness. Jin Shi’s rocky body should have an equivalent hardness to that of a steel statue, and his physical strength was no less than that of a poisonous zombie. Even if Xiao Yu wanted to deal with him, he reckoned it would require much effort. 

This was the hallmark of innate skills.

In general, as the wielder’s power increased, all innate abilities grew stronger and stronger. For instance, Jin Shi’s rock formation, which had the toughness of hard stones, was now comparable to steel.

This was the clearest proof.