Chương 151: Recruiting New Companions

After the airship departed, Li Qinwu carried Gob-Run on his back into the castle. He stripped him naked to examine his injuries, only to shake his head in sheer helplessness. Gob-Run's wounds had completely healed over into solid scar tissue. With his own level of knowledge as a mere Magic Apprentice, Li Qinwu knew that injuries like this were fundamentally incurable.

As formidable as healing magic was, it lacked the power to regenerate severed limbs, and it had very little effect on wounds that had already closed up and scarred over. What remained of Gob-Run's legs extended barely 10 centimeters past his thighs. With so little flesh left, fitting him for prosthetics would be an absolute nightmare; he was undeniably, permanently crippled. Li Qinwu felt deeply conflicted.

Given Gob-Run's current physical state, would he truly be capable of leading troops onto the battlefield ever again? Gob-Run seemed to sense Li Qinwu's lingering concern. A wave of profound dejection washed over his heart; though he had shouted his defiance at the top of his lungs moments earlier, the reality confronting him now was stark, heavy, and unforgiving. Noticing the crushing disappointment on Gob-Run's face, Li Qinwu clapped him firmly on the shoulder to offer reassurance: "It's fine.

Commanding a massive army requires a brain, not legs. When we get back, I'll just strap you securely onto a mount spider. You're the Cavalry Commander anyway, so it doesn't matter if you have no legs. Besides, losing the legs actually reduces weight—your mount spider will run even faster now." This pitch-black gallows humor caused the corners of Gob-Run's mouth to twitch violently.

"Boss... I am truly, deeply grateful to you." Having finished "comforting" Gob-Run, Li Qinwu dispatched two soldiers to attend to his daily needs and strode off to inspect the other returned goblins. Aside from the cavalrymen who had been sent back, there were three unfamiliar goblins among the ranks. For reasons unknown, the Mage Guild had bundled them together and delivered them as part of the exchange. The three individuals were distinctly unique: The first stood roughly 1.

9 meters tall, boasting a heavily built, powerful frame and sharp, piercing eyes that radiated the unmistakable aura of a high-ranking ruler. The second loomed at a staggering 2. 5 meters tall, thoroughly bound in heavy iron chains with a gag wedged tightly inside his jaws. His eyes burned a bloodshot crimson as he continuously emitted muffled, rabid roars—an utterly terrifying sight to behold.

The third possessed a thoroughly withered presence, so emaciated that he looked like a walking skeleton, his limbs severely deformed. Li Qinwu walked up to the first individual, the one radiating that astonishing presence, and locked eyes with him. To his surprise, the creature showed not a single shred of fear, staring right back at Li Qinwu with equal intensity. Li Qinwu narrowed his eyes. Instantly, his primal instincts screamed that this creature posed a genuine threat to him.

Although the goblin was technically weaker than him at the moment, the two of them clearly stood upon the exact same tier of existence. His baseline instinct bellowed frantically in his mind: Kill him! Slaughter this entity that dares to threaten your supremacy! Suppressing his violent impulses, Li Qinwu spoke coldly to the creature: "Submit... or die!" The special goblin's eyelids twitched violently.

Taking in Li Qinwu's magnificent, heavy plate armor and the terrifyingly massive broadsword, he very prudently bowed his head in submission.

"Fine." Li Qinwu waited for a few seconds, but the system's recruitment prompt failed to pop up. The dangerous light gleaming within his narrowed eyes grew significantly sharper. This fellow isn't being honest. Should I just put him down? After pondering for a long moment, Li Qinwu decided to give the recruitment another shot.

This creature possessed an exceptionally fierce aura and was clearly no ordinary underling—he might very well be a unique NPC companion, and Li Qinwu desperately needed capable NPCs to command his forces. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Heh, so your heart isn't truly in it? Fine, I'll give you a fair shot." Li Qinwu turned to his soldiers and commanded: "Unlock his shackles." As he spoke, he stripped off his own heavy plate armor, set aside his massive broadsword, and rolled his shoulders and waist. His bones popped and cracked in an explosive volley of snaps; his thick spine loomed as rigid as forged steel, and his raging muscles stood hard as solid stone. Freed from his heavy chains, the special goblin stood momentarily dazed.

He watched as Li Qinwu discarded his armor, threw away his greatsword, and casually curled his fingers to beckon him forward. Saying nothing further, the special goblin let out a furious roar and lunged directly at Li Qinwu. Li Qinwu charged forward to meet him, throwing a lightning-fast straight punch aimed squarely at the creature's face. The special goblin neither dodged nor ducked, throwing an identical, brutal straight punch right back at Li Qinwu's face. BANG!

The special goblin staggered backward, blood spurting freely from his nostrils. His face filled with absolute disbelief. They had both thrown their strikes at the exact same fraction of a second—why had he been hit first? Li Qinwu gave his hand a loose shake, raising his fists in front of his chest into a classic boxing stance. His reach was significantly longer; when it came to a raw slugfest, he held a massive natural advantage.

"You will die!!" Wiping the blood from his nose, the special goblin roared again and threw himself at Li Qinwu once more. Li Qinwu unleashed another straight punch directly at the creature's face. With a heavy thud, the goblin absorbed the strike fully, using the momentum to drive a counter-punch straight into Li Qinwu's face. With another loud bang, Li Qinwu took the hit flush on the jaw. He took a step back, the metallic, sweet taste of blood spreading across his tongue.

This guy's Vitality attribute is at least 25! Li Qinwu's combat fervor flared to its absolute peak. Locking his eyes onto the special goblin, he bellowed: "Come on! FIGHT!!" The two combatants immediately clashed in a frenzied brawl, throwing manic punches aimed relentlessly at each other's faces and torsos. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens of brutal blows.

Both of their bodies grew heavily swollen and bruised, covered in countless jagged lacerations torn by sharp nails until they were thoroughly drenched in blood. Yet neither of them yielded a single inch. Instead, they hurled their fists with increasingly rabid fury, the heavy, rhythmic bang-bang-bang of impact echoing across the courtyard. Catching a fleeting opening, Li Qinwu absorbed two heavy blows flush to his face to anchor his feet into a heavy power stance.

Dropping his right fist down toward his hip to coil his strength, he unleashed a devastating, explosive uppercut caught squarely in the creature's liver!

"BLEAGHH!!" The special goblin's liver erupted in agonizing pain, nearly causing him to vomit on the spot. The sheer, unadulterated torture of a perfect liver shot was something only those who had experienced it could truly comprehend—it was a biological agony that no sheer force of human will could ever resist. However, this was a fantasy world, and the creature's physical resilience was remarkably high.

Despite having his liver completely ruptured, he refused to fall, lunging forward instead to wrap his arms tightly around Li Qinwu's waist. Li Qinwu instantly brought his elbows down in a rain of merciless strikes directly against the creature's exposed back. Every time his iron elbows smashed down, an alarming, deep-red welt flared across the goblin's back, looking as though he were being struck repeatedly by a heavy blacksmith's hammer. The special goblin trembled violently beneath the brutal elbow strikes.

With a sharp pfft, he coughed up a massive spray of blood. Unable to endure the agonizing punishment any longer, he released his grip on Li Qinwu's waist, desperate to leap backward and open up some distance. Seizing the moment, Li Qinwu drove his boot forward in a crushing front kick. The special goblin took the kick squarely in the gut, flying backward through the air while coughing up another spray of blood before crashing heavily onto the dirt.

Li Qinwu cracked his neck from side to side, flared his massive back lats, and roared at the top of his lungs: "Woohoo! Pure bliss!! Come on! Let's go again!!" The special goblin staggered unsteadily to his feet, his eyes thoroughly bloodshot. Staring intently at Li Qinwu, he let out a final, desperate roar and charged once more. Li Qinwu sprinted forward to meet him, launching into the iconic flying knee strike from Double Dragon 3.

His knee smashed into the special goblin's chest with devastating force, sending the creature flying backward to crash onto the ground. When the goblin dragged himself up yet again, Li Qinwu surged forward, driving an explosive punch straight into his chin. When the creature stood up once more, Li Qinwu executed a sweeping low kick, taking his legs clean out from under him. Li Qinwu felt thoroughly refreshed from the exhilarating workout, but the special goblin felt like he was actively being beaten to death.

Finally, after being dropped yet again by another soul-crushing liver shot from Li Qinwu, the creature completely succumbed. He remained slumped on the ground, refusing to stand back up. A bright system notification window instantly flashed across Li Qinwu's field of vision: Would you like to spend 96, 099 Denars to recruit the companion Suokushou? What a bizarre name, Li Qinwu thought, clicking the recruit button without hesitation. Ding! Suokushou has joined your party.

Li Qinwu immediately pulled up the troop management interface, located Suokushou's character icon, and clicked to view his detailed statistics.

"Whoa! Holy shit, brother, your attributes are this insane?! What the hell did you do before this?!" Li Qinwu clicked his tongue in absolute amazement. The creature's base attributes were displayed as follows: Vitality 26, Control 13, Endurance 12, Cunning 18, Social 5, Intelligence 9. His gaze shifted immediately to the leadership-oriented skills below: Leadership 240, Management 245, Tactics 152. Li Qinwu was utterly flabbergasted. No, seriously, brother, what the hell was your previous profession?

All three of your army-related command skills are significantly higher than mine?! What are you, some kind of failed goblin art student who led a massive military rebellion?!