Leaving the Forest

Watching the Vigier Soldiers form ranks to block the charging Gnolls, with Nord archers providing support from afar, Ronan charged towards the Gnoll leader. Soldier versus soldier, general versus general – it was only reasonable.

The Gnoll leader dodged the wooden spear Ronan threw, then watched as Ronan charged at it. It bared its teeth, let out a low growl, and then began to run, swinging the chain hammer in its hand.

When they were less than three meters apart, Ronan suddenly knelt, leaning back and sliding on the ground using the momentum. The knee guards on his legs left two marks in the soft soil. Using this posture, Ronan dodged the chain hammer swung by the Gnoll leader while simultaneously slashing its unprotected calf with his knife. However, its fur was tough, and Ronan couldn't put much force into the attack with his current stance, so the wound wasn't deep.

Sliding behind the Gnoll leader, Ronan pushed off the ground with his hand and quickly stood up. As the Gnoll struggled to turn around, Ronan slashed its right knee pit again.

This time, it cried out in pain, its right leg weakening and almost causing it to collapse. It turned back and angrily swung its chain hammer, but Ronan dodged with a backward leap.

The Gnoll leader had learned its lesson. It swung its chain hammer with great force, turning the area within a meter in front of it into a forbidden zone. Ronan couldn't get close at all and could only circle it using his superb agility, waiting for his subordinates to finish off the other Gnolls before dealing with it together.

The chase continued for nearly three minutes. When the Gnoll leader came to its senses, it found itself surrounded. The Vigier Soldiers had picked up the Gnolls' wooden spears, and holding shields in one hand and spears in the other, they had completely encircled it. It looked at the bodies of Gnolls scattered on the ground and the burning thatched huts, a hint of sadness and anger flashing in its eyes.

It let out a roar to the sky and charged forward like a trapped beast. It blocked a thrusting wooden spear and swung its chain hammer at the shield of the Vigier Soldier in front of it. The immense force sent the soldier to the ground, and the shield itself was severely dented.

But at the same time, wooden spears from the other four directions pierced its body. It spat out a mouthful of blood and raised its chain hammer to attack again, but Ronan leaped from behind, using a tilted Vigier Soldier's shield as a springboard, and slashed its unarmored nape. Though the heavy blow didn't sever its thick neck, it broke half of its neck bone.

It could only bleed from its mouth, kneeling powerlessly on the ground before its upper body slowly collapsed.

"A formidable enemy, but a shame. Your equipment is too poor, and your subordinates' quality is lacking."

Wiping the blood off his knife with a piece of cloth and sheathing it, Ronan spoke to his subordinates:

"Clean up the battlefield, collect the spoils of war, and control the fires so they don't spread. I need to examine the mission rewards."

Starfall was a katana similar in length to the Dianfu, but significantly stronger in attributes. Unlike the Dianfu, its blade was as black as ink, with only the edge gleaming with a white light. The tsuba and handle were very simple. According to its description, the sword was made of meteorite iron, sharp and durable, and not easily damaged. Ronan confirmed this by clashing it with the Eagle Saber; Starfall was unharmed, but the Eagle Saber gained a deep notch.

The Wolf Fang Necklace, on the other hand, was literally just a necklace made of wolf fangs. Three fangs, larger than usual, were strung on a thin cord. However, wearing it increased agility by 1 point. Ronan felt it looked quite cool after putting it on.

By this time, his subordinates had finished cleaning up the battlefield. Besides some herbs and dried meat the Gnolls had stored, there was nothing else of value. Ronan discarded the dried meat directly, unsure of what it was made from, as he had heard that wild Gnolls had a habit of eating their own kind, and Ronan had no interest in eating Gnolls. After a brief rest of a few minutes, Ronan and his group prepared to return to their temporary resting spot.

The battle had gone reasonably well. Apart from the soldier whose arm was likely fractured when the Gnoll leader struck his shield, the other soldiers mostly sustained minor superficial wounds. The external wound medicine obtained from a previous mission came in handy.

After walking in the forest for nearly two more weeks, Ronan and his group finally emerged. During this time, they encountered two Savage tribes, one Gnoll tribe, and one Lizardmen tribe. They also ran into a group of Forest Goblins and faced several beast attacks.

However, the most dangerous encounter was with a Feral Black Bear. The bear stood nearly three meters tall when on its hind legs, its massive size rendering arrows useless. Fortunately, Ronan had previously recruited two squads of Rodok Veteran Spearmen. These soldiers, clad in chainmail shirts, wearing nasal-guarded helmets, and armed with long spears and large shields, formed a phalanx. With the assistance of the Vigier Soldiers and Nord archers, they barely managed to kill the black bear.

But Ronan's troops suffered heavy losses. The soldiers couldn't withstand even one attack from the black bear. The bear's death throes killed six Rodok spearmen and three Vigier Soldiers. One Nord archer was severely wounded and died later during the journey due to a lack of proper medical care. Ronan had to bury them on the spot.

Ronan skinned the black bear. The edible meat was consumed directly, and the rest was discarded. Ronan also tasted bear paw, something he couldn't experience in his previous life, but due to the preparation and seasonings, he didn't find it particularly delicious.

After recruiting the two squads of Rodok Veteran Spearmen, Ronan had also completed the Knight's Path quest. However, he hadn't claimed the reward directly because the full set of Knight Plate Armor was inconvenient and heavy for movement in the forest, only suitable for battles. Moreover, the forest terrain was not conducive to warhorses.

Over these two weeks, through weekly quests and combat, Ronan had also leveled up to ten. After increasing his agility points to over 20, he felt a noticeable change. It seemed that 20 points was a watershed. With agility at 20, he could even clearly see the trajectories of arrows shot by the Nord archers. He could even catch arrows shot from less powerful bows with his bare hands, a discovery made during a skirmish with a Savage tribe.

Therefore, Ronan planned to allocate his next level-up points to strength and endurance first, bringing them to 20, and then focus on charisma, strengthening himself before increasing his troop numbers.

Furthermore, Ronan discovered that he could unlock a special skill every five levels to enhance himself, with a choice of three options each time. At level 5, Ronan chose Keen Intuition, and at level 10, he chose Ape Arm.

Keen Intuition: Your intuition is enhanced, providing a warning when facing danger.

Ronan tested it by having a Nord archer aim an arrow at him from behind. As he was being aimed at, Ronan felt a tingling sensation on his back.

Ape Arm: Your arms are extremely strong, granting a +1 Strength bonus to your arms, and allowing you to wield most two-handed weapons flexibly with one hand.