Chương 35: Power Leveling

After clearing the battlefield, Li Qinwu led his men back to the tribe. The Goblin village was currently in ruins. Li Qinwu's small wooden cabin had been reduced to debris, and the ground was littered with holes dug by Kobolds, piles of their excrement, and the bones of their prey. The entire place was a giant refuse pit. One-Ear saw the potatoes he had worked so hard to plant uprooted and scattered everywhere. He let out a mournful wail, clutching a handful of dirt and sobbing, "All that hard work...

all destroyed! It's all gone, waaaaah!" Li Qinwu's face darkened at the sight of the ruined food supply. He backhanded the nearby Dog-Witch, sending the Kobold yelping to the ground.

"Dammit! Why did you people destroy the crops?" Dog-Witch immediately knelt and barked pleadingly. Hana translated: "He says Kobolds prefer living in caves and don't eat vegetables. They didn't know those lumps were food, so they dug them all up." Seeing Dog-Witch staring at him with wide, pitiful eyes, Li Qinwu snorted and dropped the matter. Since they were now on the same side, there was no point dwelling on the past; words that undermined unity were best left unsaid.

He said to Hana, "Tell him to hurry up and learn the Goblin language. Using a translator every time I talk to him is a massive pain. Also, put all the Kobold prisoners under his charge. If anyone tries to escape or cause trouble, I'm holding him personally responsible!" After that, Li Qinwu called Te-Ouk over and pointed at the pile of Horned Crocodile hides.

"Te-Ouk, I'll give you manpower and tools. Craft 20 sets of Horned Crocodile armor tailored for Hobgoblins." He then pointed at Dang-Dang, who was lying on the ground digging for stray potatoes.

"Make a set of full-body armor for him too. Work fast. I'm moving against the Kobold stronghold as soon as you're finished." Te-Ouk nodded, promising to work with maximum speed. Li Qinwu wanted the hardened back-plates of the crocodiles, which offered defense comparable to iron plate but were notoriously difficult to process. Te-Ouk had brought blacksmithing tools from Gobu-Fort, including iron chisels.

By punching holes along a line, they could cut the tough hide and then use crocodile tendons to lash the pieces into heavy sets of armor. Li Qinwu intended to annihilate the Kobolds with overwhelming force while minimizing his own casualties, making high-quality armor a necessity. He also distributed the softer underbelly hides to the common Goblins for guards and boots. With even light armor, these smaller units gained significant survivability—a reward for their bravery in the previous battle.

With production tasks set, Li Qinwu began mass drills. Every Goblin not involved in manufacturing had to undergo military training: running, posture, thrusting drills, and formation tactics. Under the threat of "decimation," the Goblins followed every order to the letter. Not only were the common Goblins training, but Li Qinwu's system troops needed experience too. His party capacity had increased to 40, so he recruited 20 more Goblins to fill the ranks and led them toward the river to hunt crocodiles.

About 100 meters from the riverbank, Li Qinwu had the Goblins set up the ballistae. He told Hana, "Stay with Dang-Dang. He only listens to you. Keep him hidden far back for now—I'm afraid his presence will scare the crocodiles away. Once they're on land, have him strike from the flank to cut off their retreat!" Hana sighed, patting Dang-Dang's pillar-like thigh as she led him into hiding. She felt overworked—translator, language teacher, and now combat support.

Since being captured by this Goblin, she felt like her stress levels were off the charts. She thought back to her days as a mage apprentice, being ordered around by her mentor; at least then she got six hours of sleep.

"Ugh! This is so annoying!" she grumbled as she walked away. Li Qinwu told Gobu-Spear, "Go get some fish and lure the crocodiles out. The more, the better!" In the Mount & Blade system, more kills meant more experience, denars, and loot—possibly even rare items. Ten minutes later, Gobu-Spear came sprinting back, clutching a mass of fish entrails. The stench was overwhelming. Behind him trailed over 20 Horned Crocodiles, drawn by the scent.

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"Get ready!" Li Qinwu jumped onto a ballista. He waited until they were within 20 meters, a distance where he was 100% certain of a kill.

"FIRE!" SWISH-SWISH-SWISH! Five bolts flew, pinning five crocodiles to the earth. Some died instantly; others writhed violently, but the bolts held them fast. The remaining crocodiles continued to crawl forward. Reloading was impossible.

"Within three meters! Go!" Li Qinwu shouted to the forest. Hana ordered Dang-Dang to attack. The Ogre surged out with thunderous steps, reaching the rear of the pack. He grabbed two crocodiles by their tails like they were children and, following Hana's previous instructions, swung them around like a windmill before slamming them into the ground. THUD! THUD! The two crocodiles were knocked unconscious, their bodies riddled with fractures. The appearance of the Ogre sent the rest of the pack into a panic.

They tried to flee, but on land, their speed was pathetic compared to the giant. Dang-Dang easily caught up, grabbing tails and slamming them down repeatedly. Some tried to bite back, but the Ogre's limbs were too thick and armored with calloused skin for their teeth to find purchase. Within minutes, the luckiest crocodile had only made it 70 meters before Dang-Dang crushed it. Finally, it was time to finish them off. Li Qinwu took a spear and had Dang-Dang flip the dazed crocodiles over.

He thrust his spear directly into their hearts, claiming nearly ten kills and a massive amount of experience for himself. After several rounds of "farming," Li Qinwu leveled up twice, gaining a hoard of denars and materials. He dumped all his attribute points into Vigor and his focus points into Two-Handed Weapons. The greatsword was his best weapon, and he intended to master it for the long haul. He checked his inventory.

This mass cull had dropped new items: Horned Crocodile Eggs: Can be hatched in 15 days if buried in sand. Horned Crocodile Gland: Emits a pungent odor that attracts all crocodiles within 2-3km—a precious magical material. The eggs weren't useful yet, but the glands were a game-changer. No more manual luring; he just had to place a gland in front of a prepared kill-zone, and the crocodiles would come to him. Over the next few days, Li Qinwu's level shot up to 18. He continued stacking Vigor, which now stood at 17.

He had grown to 1. 85 meters tall, a mountain of muscle with a slightly sharpened head. His troops also benefited, with everyone promoting to Hobgoblin (Tier 2). His first Tier 3 unit appeared as well. Gobu-Spear finally hit the experience cap. The promotion offered three branches: Goblin Rider (Cavalry) Goblin Warrior (Infantry) Goblin Archer (Ranged) Since they had no mounts, the Rider was out. Because Gobu-Spear had always used melee, Li Qinwu spent 200 denars to upgrade him to a Goblin Warrior.

After clicking the button, Gobu-Spear gasped as his height shot up to 1. 8 meters, his muscles bulging until he nearly burst out of his light armor. Feeling the raw power of a Tier 3 unit, he looked at Li Qinwu in awe. Li Qinwu used the moment to deliver an inspiring speech about bravery and rewards, gaining 1 point of Charm proficiency. Soon, Gobu-Bow also reached Tier 3, becoming a Goblin Archer. Li Qinwu replaced his makeshift crossbow with a proper human-made longbow.

With a skill level of 100, Gobu-Bow could now utilize the bow's full potential. Three more Hobgoblins eventually reached Tier 3, and Li Qinwu made them all Warriors to strengthen his front line. He wanted to keep training, but Dog-Witch came to him with an update.

"Boss," the Kobold said in shaky Goblin language.

"Tomorrow is my day to send prey back. If I don't send enough meat for 100 Kobolds within three days, the Great Chief will think I've rebelled and send an army to wipe us out." Training was over.

"Tell me about this Kobold tribe," Li Qinwu ordered. Dog-Witch explained that the eastern forest was divided into many Kobold hunting grounds. They used to be disorganized and constantly fighting among themselves. But then, a Kobold named Dragon-Fang arrived from further east. He was tall, strong, and covered in scales—a Kobold with Dragon Blood! He had kidnapped an Ogre family and used them to unify the tribes through force. He had sent only 30% of his power to take the Goblin village.

Dragon-Fang was now a warlord with over 1, 000 soldiers under his command. Li Qinwu's eyes narrowed. Dragon-Fang, a conqueror from the east? Dealing with over a thousand troops would be difficult. He paced back and forth. The Magic Forest could only have one king. To reach the top, he had to crush Dragon-Fang's tribe. This was his final exam. Victory meant inheriting a developed territory and a huge population of Kobold slaves; failure meant a life as a wandering refugee.

"Heh, Dragon-Fang... let's bet everything to see who rules this forest." Li Qinwu beckoned Dog-Witch over.

"Go back in three days. I'll send men to hunt so you have enough 'prey' to take back." Dog-Witch's jaw dropped.

"Bo... Boss! I don't dare! I'll be killed!"

"Relax. No one knows you turned. Dragon-Fang still thinks you're loyal. Just deliver the meat." Li Qinwu smiled like a fox before calling out, "Haocai! Take some men and pick Red Poison Berries. As many as possible!"