Chương 7: Hunting the Horned Crocodile

As the first light of dawn touched the sky the next day, Li Qinwu rose to check the status of the poisoned goblin. Opening the soldier management interface, he saw his party strength was back to 4. The status of the poisoned goblin had shifted from [Wounded] back to [Healthy]. In reality, the fellow was just as the system described; once Li Qinwu nudged him awake, he began jumping and running around, full of vitality and showing zero signs of poisoning.

In contrast, the thirty-odd goblins from the same hunting party who had eaten the red berries were now stone-cold dead. Not a single one survived. Li Qinwu turned to the survivor and said, "From now on, your name is Gob-Large. Lead me to the place where you picked those poisonous berries." The four of them slipped out of the goblin tribe unnoticed. Li Qinwu retrieved his hidden spears from the thicket, and Gob-Large led the way toward the western side of the settlement.

After walking for a while, Li Qinwu called a halt and pulled some roasted fish from his inventory to share. The newcomers, Expendable and Gob-Large, were wide-eyed with wonder. It was their first time seeing a goblin conjure items out of thin air. However, their amazement was quickly overshadowed by the fish, and they began gnawing at their portions like starving beasts.

"From now on, no eating anything without my permission. That is an order. Anyone who disobeys gets a belly full of slaps!" Li Qinwu threatened. He feared a repeat of yesterday's mass poisoning. He didn't care if the rest of the tribe died, but his own troops were off-limits. He was currently down to zero Denars and couldn't even fill his party slots; if he lost soldiers to accidents now, he'd be devastated. His primary mission today was to hunt monsters and earn Denars.

If he couldn't find wild prey to pay his troops, morale would plummet until the three of them deserted. Without the system's restraint, they might blab his secrets to the tribe—something he absolutely could not allow! Once they finished eating, Li Qinwu urged Gob-Large to continue. They soon reached the spot where the berries had been gathered.

"Boss, look! Those red ones are the poison berries!" Gob-Large pointed at a small shrub, trembling. Just the sight of the fruit made his stomach ache. Li Qinwu saw clusters of red berries hanging from the bushes. They looked somewhat like strawberries but were smooth and possessed an unnaturally vivid, almost eerie red hue. Such eye-catching fruit being left untouched by small animals was a clear testament to its toxicity. Li Qinwu fashioned a container from broad leaves and filled it to the brim with the berries.

Then, he led the group north to the site of yesterday's crocodile encounter. He gave Gob-Spear his orders: "Do you remember how to make fish traps? Have Expendable and Gob-Large help you. Make a few immediately and go catch some fish." Gob-Spear's hair stood on end.

"Bo... Boss! There are Horned Crocodiles there! I... I don't dare go near..." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Li Qinwu stared at him coldly, raising his right hand in a "slapping" position. Gob-Spear instantly snapped to attention.

"Boss! Mission will be accomplished!" As the three went to gather materials, Li Qinwu started a fire with dry leaves. He found two straight branches and used the remaining two boar tusks to craft two more spears. By the time the resin on the spears had been roasted dry, Gob-Spear came running back like a madman, clutching a large, freshly caught fish.

"Good job. Eat something and rest. Don't let me down when the fight starts!" Li Qinwu took the fish and handed out more roasted fish to the three. They cheered and began to feast, none of them catching the hidden meaning in his last sentence. Li Qinwu used his nails to rip open the belly of the fresh fish. He pulled out the guts and stuffed a handful of red berries inside, crushing them until the juice soaked the cavity.

He mashed the remaining berries into a paste, coating the outside of the fish and the tips of all four spears with the red sludge. With the preparations finished and the goblins full, Li Qinwu handed each a spear. He held his own spear in his right hand and a vine in his left, with the "poisoned fish" dangling from it.

"Full? Then move out!" He strode toward the river. Gob-Spear seemed to realize the plan; his face turned deathly pale, but seeing the other two follow, he had no choice but to tag along. Arriving at the tributary, they saw several Horned Crocodiles basking lazily in the sun. Li Qinwu picked a lone target and approached cautiously. When the distance closed to twenty meters, the crocodile grew alert, its crimson eyes locking onto Li Qinwu. Li Qinwu picked up a stone and hurled it.

It bounced off the creature's thick, leathery back. The crocodile was enraged. It opened its massive maw with a sharp hiss and launched into a sudden burst of speed.

"Waaaaah!" Gob-Spear shrieked, turning to flee.

"Halt! Form up!" Li Qinwu's command acted like a physical shackle, freezing Gob-Spear in place. Now that they were in [Combat Mode], Li Qinwu could use voice commands to forcibly control his soldiers' actions. The three goblins were terrified, but they stood their ground as the crocodile charged like a low-profile tank. Li Qinwu remained calm. These Horned Crocodiles were only fast for the first few meters; after that, they slowed to a crawl. Sure enough, after a ten-meter dash, the beast began to waddle slowly.

"Maintain formation. Follow me in a slow retreat!" Li Qinwu ordered. He kept the group exactly ten meters away from the predator. He could have baited the crocodile alone, but he brought them along to test the system's control and to blood his troops. The three goblins were nearly crying, snot and tears streaming down their faces as they wailed in fear, yet their bodies remained steady, spears leveled in a bizarrely disciplined manner. Is it really that scary? Li Qinwu thought, exasperated.

Once they were a hundred meters from the bank, Li Qinwu tossed the poisoned fish. The crocodile, its patience wearing thin, was about to turn back when the scent of blood hit its nose. It looked down and saw its favorite food. The smell was odd, but to the crocodile, fish was fish. It swallowed the offering in one gulp and stared at Li Qinwu with its big red eyes, as if asking for seconds. Li Qinwu stared back, unsure if the berries would work on an amphibian. Minutes passed.

The crocodile, realizing no more food was coming, let out a frustrated huff and turned to leave. Li Qinwu felt a wave of disappointment. It seemed the poison was ineffective. According to Gob-Large, the effect should have been near-instant for a goblin. He was about to call off the hunt. Without a trick, he couldn't take on a [Tier 3] troop like this. But just as he moved to withdraw, the crocodile suddenly froze as if time had stopped. Then, the threshold was crossed.

The beast opened its maw with a horrific shriek, thrashing its tail and head violently. Its stubby legs clawed at the dirt as it spun in circles like a maniacal top, clearly gripped by agonizing pain.

"It works!" Li Qinwu grinned, leveling his spear as he charged forward to finish the beast.