Chương 8: Hunting the Horned Crocodile (Part 2)

Li Qinwu didn't charge in blindly; he had no death wish. He kept his distance, leveling his spear and staying in an "observe and bait" position on the periphery. The Horned Crocodile was in extreme agony from the poison. Seeing the "little green thing" still flickering before its eyes triggered its primal fight-or-flight response. It coiled its massive body, tucked its tail, and then whipped it out like a thunderous lash.

Li Qinwu, focused entirely on the beast's movements, saw the tail coil—a clear sign of a wind-up—and lunged out of the way. CRACK! The massive tail struck a large tree with a deafening boom, leaving a deep gouge in the trunk. With that kind of force, a direct hit would have shattered bones and shredded muscle instantly. Instead of fear, Li Qinwu felt a surge of excitement. The stronger the enemy, the more experience it would drop.

If this beast was this formidable, killing it might just push him to the next level immediately! He ramped up his harassment, throwing stones and branches while shouting at the top of his lungs. Goblins and beasts alike are prone to stress-induced aggression. Li Qinwu's antics worked; the crocodile frequently paused its retreat to snap its cavernous maw at him, letting out threatening hiss-ha sounds. However, as time passed, the pain in its abdomen reached a critical threshold. It could no longer bear the agony.

Ignoring Li Qinwu's harassment, it turned in a panic, desperate to crawl back to the safety of the river. Wild animals are predictable this way; when faced with injury or terror, their instinct is to return to familiar territory. Li Qinwu grew anxious. He needed the killing blow to maximize the experience gain. If the beast made it back to the water and swam out of the system-defined "battlefield," it would be considered a retreat.

If that happened, the crocodile would die of poison anyway, but he wouldn't get credit for the kill. He couldn't let it escape! It had to die on land! Determined, Li Qinwu ordered the three goblins to get ahead of the crocodile. He wasn't asking them to fight—that would be suicide—he just wanted them to create a commotion to startle the beast.

"Everyone, scream! Throw stones! Scare it back!" Following his own order, Li Qinwu began howling like a madman, pelting the creature with debris. The other three joined in, and the scene became a chaotic frenzy, looking like a group of savages cornering a mountain beast. But the Horned Crocodile wasn't deterred. Driven by the searing pain in its gut, it ignored the noise and crawled straight toward the riverbank. Li Qinwu quickly ordered his men to scatter to avoid any casualties. But what now?

If it kept going, it would be gone. His mind raced for a solution, and then it hit him. He pulled the hemp rope from his inventory, fashioned a lasso, and cautiously approached the crocodile from the side. He threw the loop toward its head. He missed three times. He adjusted the size of the loop and carefully timed the throw based on the crocodile's rhythmic waddle. As he aimed, he noticed blood dripping from the corner of the crocodile's mouth, leaving a trail on the ground.

Li Qinwu marveled at the potency of the Red Poison Berries—to make a beast of this size vomit blood was no small feat! He found his opening and threw. The loop caught the crocodile's head and slid down its thick, fleshy neck as it crawled forward. Overjoyed, Li Qinwu grabbed the end of the rope and sprinted toward a nearby tree. He looped it around the trunk twice, tied a secure knot, and retreated to a safe distance. The hemp rope wasn't particularly thick—only about the width of an adult man's finger.

Holding a monster of this size was a gamble; if the beast struggled with all its might, the rope would snap. But this was his final move. If it failed, he would have to accept defeat. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The crocodile, tethered by the rope, struggled forward a few steps until the line was pulled taut. Li Qinwu held his breath. After a long moment, the rope held.

Instead of snapping the line, the crocodile seemed to lose all its strength and collapsed onto the dirt. The poison had finally fully taken hold, ravaging its internal organs. The fact that it had any energy left to crawl at all was a testament to the creature's immense vitality. The exhausted beast thrashed its tail and head, but it was useless. The rope, which it could have snapped easily under normal circumstances, now acted like a divine shackle, locking it in place. Minutes ticked by.

Five minutes: the crocodile twitched occasionally. Ten minutes: it began to convulse violently, its breaths coming in ragged hiss-ha gasps. Thirty minutes: the beast went still, lying like a dead dog. If not for the bloody froth bubbling from its nostrils, it would have looked like a corpse already. Li Qinwu knew he couldn't wait any longer. If the poison killed it, he wouldn't get the maximum XP from the finishing blow. To ensure it wasn't playing dead for an ambush, he didn't approach directly.

He looked at Expendable.

"You. Go stand on its back!" Expendable nearly wet himself and refused the order. Li Qinwu delivered a few sharp slaps. Expendable wailed in protest but still wouldn't budge.

"Dammit!" Li Qinwu cursed. He opened the Mount & Blade battlefield command interface, placed Expendable into a separate infantry group, and dragged the command flag directly onto the crocodile's back. Suddenly, Expendable's shaky legs moved. Driven by a mysterious, irresistible force, he walked straight onto the crocodile's back and stood there, stiff as a board. Once the "possession" faded, Expendable realized where he was.

"Waaaaah!!" He actually did urinate this time, his soul nearly leaving his body, but the crocodile remained motionless. Seeing no reaction, Li Qinwu knew the beast was truly at the end of its tether. He ordered Expendable down and took his place. He stepped onto the back of the crocodile's head—a position where, if the beast lunged, he would be thrown off rather than bitten.

"Time to go." Li Qinwu gripped his spear and drove it with all his might into the crocodile's eye. The spearhead sank deep into the beast's skull. The crocodile shuddered, its body vibrating for a long moment before suddenly going limp. It was finally dead. [Victory!] Enemies Killed: 1 Enemies Captured: 0 XP Gained: 30 Casualties: 0 Loot Obtained: Grain x2, Monster Meat x5, Horned Crocodile Hide x1 Denars Gained: 90 Level: 1 → 2 Experience: 10/40 Attribute Points +1, Focus Points +1"Finally!

That was a massive pain in the neck!" Li Qinwu wiped the blood from his spear. It had been an ordeal, but it was worth it. A single kill had leveled him up and netted him 90 Denars, putting his finances well above the danger line. He immediately opened his attributes and put the point into Vigor, raising it from 4 to 5. Immediately, his body began to change. He grew rapidly until he reached 1. 3 meters in height—roughly the size of an adult goblin.

As for the focus point, he put it into Athletics, bringing the skill to 2/5. Next, he inspected the loot. Grain x2: The standard drop. Monster Meat x5: Meat imbued with mana. Long-term consumption could increase internal mana and overall strength. Horned Crocodile Hide x1: A complete hide. The back hide was described as incredibly tough, capable of resisting blades, while the belly hide was soft enough for linings.

Armor made from this hide could resist both physical and minor magical attacks—a material far superior to basic iron! Li Qinwu's eyes lit up. Armor material! He was currently practically naked, wearing nothing but a hand-woven grass skirt. He felt terribly vulnerable; he wouldn't feel safe until he had a full set of plate. Closing the inventory, he looked at the physical corpse on the ground. The system had dropped one hide, but there was still a hide on the actual body! This was a double win.

If he could farm this a few more times, he could kit out a heavy infantry squad. Unfortunately, he didn't even have a proper knife. He couldn't even skin the thing, let alone craft armor.

"What a waste. I'll have to leave it." Li Qinwu shook his head at the carcass. It would just rot here. If he had some Hobgoblins in his party, their combined strength could flip it over, allowing them to use boar tusks to open the softer belly. Speaking of Hobgoblins, they were the upgraded version of his current troops. The goblin evolution tree went: [Goblin Pup (Tier 0)] → [Goblin (Tier 1)] → [Hobgoblin (Tier 2)]. A Hobgoblin was a complete transformation. They stood 1. 6 to 1.

8 meters tall—about the size of a human—but because they were magical creatures with high mana density, they were generally stronger than the average human male. Thinking of upgrades, Li Qinwu opened the troop management page and saw that a soldier was ready. He spent 5 Denars to upgrade one Goblin Pup into a Goblin. Immediately, Gob-Spear, who was poking the crocodile's corpse for fun, let out a cry. His body grew taller and more muscular until he reached 1. 2 meters in height.