Battle

Wilderness adventuring.

It is a discipline where "even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit." Not everyone can calmly face the death of a comrade fighting by their side.

That was why the captain of the guards had gathered the elite personnel from the very beginning. Soren swept his gaze over them; almost all were warriors of the second rank or higher. These were the easiest professionals to cultivate. Other classes required vast resources to train, especially various types of Mages. Warriors, however, could be trained as long as they had sufficient meat for nutrition and mastered the appropriate training techniques. It was just that high-ranking warriors required talent; any warrior capable of reaching the third rank or higher was no simple individual.

"Spread out!"

"Raise your shields!"

Soren took over command of the team, his voice deep and steady. "Before an Ankheg attacks, there will be movement in the ground beneath your feet. Pay close attention to those strange sounds."

"Everyone, maintain a distance of at least five paces."

"It is best not to take the acid spray of an Ankheg head-on. Dodge if you can, and maintain enough space between each other to maneuver."

"Don't bother with bows and crossbows."

"They aren't very effective against Ankhegs unless there is a master marksman among you!"

"Do not attack their backs."

"The defense on an Ankheg's underbelly is the weakest, but watch out for the sharp claws on their limbs."

"These bugs are incredibly strong."

"Remember to use hit-and-run tactics. Unless absolutely necessary, do not take their attacks head-on. They stand five meters tall when upright, which allows them to suppress you from above. Protect your heads."

"The bite force of an Ankheg can snap trees in half."

"If an enemy intends to bite you, roll forward immediately. That is the blind spot of an Ankheg's attack; their serrated mandibles cannot reach anything within one and a half meters in front of them."

Order after order was issued.

A look of astonishment appeared on the faces of the other caravan guards, which gradually transformed into respect.

This was the respect for the strong.

Strength does not merely refer to how astonishing your power is; your wisdom and experience are also parts of your strength!

Often, experience and wisdom are more useful than brute force alone.

Soren felt as if he had rediscovered the sensation of his days adventuring in the wild, as there were very few wild creatures left that could threaten him after he had reached legendary status.

He had not experienced a battle like this in a long time.

The two most crucial points in dealing with an Ankheg were avoiding its acid spray and its biting attacks. The acid spray went without saying, and since its bite could snap trees, its lethality was self-evident. However, as arthropod-like creatures, Ankhegs had certain blind spots when launching attacks—for instance, they could not bend their bodies to reach the area about a meter directly in front of them when biting. Because half of their massive, ten-meter-long bodies remained underground, Ankhegs were not particularly agile when moving.

In such moments, one only needed to be careful of the six to twelve limbs on their bodies.

Actually.

There was an even simpler way to deal with the Ankheg.

That would be for the Descendant of the Northern Witch to intervene. The power of her spells was immense, often yielding unexpected results.

However, Mages never cast spells lightly!

Because they had to ensure their magic was used at the most critical moments, the main force in wilderness adventures remained the warriors.

The number of spells they could cast was limited.

Under normal circumstances, spellcasters used light crossbows, short bows, slings, or other ranged weapons to assist in combat, or perhaps helped out with staves and clubs, as long as they didn't hit their own allies. Only when facing large numbers of enemies or boss-level creatures would they cast spells on a large scale without reservation.

A second-tier Wizard could only cast a dozen or so spells a day.

The lethality was sufficient.

But their stamina was nothing to write home about!

"Dismount!"

Before they even got close, Soren ordered everyone to dismount and proceed on foot.

He then pressed himself against the ground, listening for a moment before telling the others, "Stomp your feet!"

"Keep the same rhythm."

"Stomp with all your might, and pay attention to your surroundings."

Ankhegs possessed tremorsense, making them highly sensitive to vibrations on the ground; this was the easiest way to disturb and provoke them.

Sure enough!

A faint sound came from beneath the earth, and the ground began to bulge slightly.

"They are right below us."

Soren shouted, beginning to retreat toward the rear. He was still injured and not suited for head-on combat.

Providing finishing blows when necessary was fine, though.

"Scatter!"

The captain of the guards roared, his muscles beginning to swell. The rage ability of a Northlander Barbarian was unique; due to the Baptism of extreme cold and special training methods, he suffered no period of weakness after his rage ended.

The only drawback was that the duration of his rage was not long.

The berserk state of Orc Berserkers and Barbarians can last anywhere from fifteen minutes to half an hour. During this time, their physical stamina and explosive power are enhanced several times over, turning them into complete killing machines.

However, Northlander Barbarians can only sustain it for a few minutes!

They belong to an advanced warrior class and are not categorized under the Barbarian ranks.

"Skree!"

A strange sound came from beneath the ground, and suddenly, an Ankheg burst out from the earth, spraying a sheet of acid toward the nearest warrior.

A desperate, clumsy roll.

The warrior dodged half of the attack and, at the critical moment, covered himself with his shield.

Successful dodge!

Most of the acid landed on the shield, and he did not suffer any significant injuries.

"Take it down!"

The captain of the guard rushed forward, brandishing his longsword, and the caravan guards scattered nearby began their assault.

Five warriors circled the Ankheg, while the others remained spread out on high alert. There were still movements beneath the ground; these insects were not swarming out all at once.

They were waiting for an opportunity!

Waiting for the enemy to be distracted, waiting for a chance to ambush someone isolated.

"Damn it!"

Soren's expression changed abruptly. He ran forward frantically while simultaneously raising a shield.

An Ankheg had actually targeted him!

Because he was near the rear, isolated from the main battlefield, he had become the "lone target" in the eyes of the Ankheg.

"Hiss!"

An Ankheg emerged from behind Soren, opening its maw to spray a stream of acid.

Roll to dodge.

His Dexterity of 20 saved Soren's life at the final moment. He avoided the acid spray by a hair's breadth and used his shield to block the splashing acid.

The last Ankheg had also emerged!

However, because of the sudden situation on Soren's side, the others were momentarily distracted. A caravan guard was hit in the arm, and most of the flesh on his limb was corroded away. The guy was a tough one; he made a split-second decision to hack off his own arm, then clutched the wound and gritted his teeth to bandage it.

The severed arm fell to the ground, and within moments, it was corroded down to the white bone!

"Kossado!"

Another caravan guard roared, seemingly wanting to rush over to help him.

"Don't get distracted."

The guard with the severed arm reached out to stop him, then retreated backward himself, saying in a low voice, "I'm fine."

"Take them down first!"

Injuries were a common occurrence for warriors, so their tolerance for pain was quite high. However, the fact that the guard could endure the agony of a severed arm while remaining calm and composed made Soren think even more highly of him. This guy definitely had a strong will; then again, Northerners seemed to have naturally high willpower, perhaps honed from a young age by the harsh, freezing environment.

It looked like he was a veteran soldier!

Only a soldier accustomed to life and death could be this brave and decisive.

"Attack their lower limbs!"

Since he had been targeted himself, Soren couldn't afford to worry about anything else.

He gritted his teeth, drew his scimitar, and began circling the Ankheg, seizing opportunities to strike whenever it attacked others, leaving a trail of wounds on the creature's weaker defensive spots. As for jumping onto the Ankheg's back to attack its head, that was clearly impossible now, as the injury to his leg hindered his agility.

Such a dangerous maneuver required one to be in peak condition; otherwise, it was just playing with one's life!

"Die!"

A muffled roar echoed.

The caravan captain seized a split-second opportunity, leaped up, and, mimicking the method Soren had used previously, drove his longsword directly into the Ankheg's brain through a gap in its carapace.

The first Ankheg crashed to the ground!

The pressure on the others eased. Soren seized the chance to disengage from the fray, searching for an opportunity for a killing blow.

The opportunity arrived quickly.

When an Ankheg prepared to launch a biting attack at its target, he took a deep breath, started a running jump, and then leaped up, slashing his scimitar horizontally toward the side of the Ankheg's skull.

A spray of dark green fluid splattered!

The Ankheg's body stiffened for a moment before collapsing limply.

There was one left.

Just as the others prepared to finish off the final Ankheg, the heavily wounded creature suddenly let out a screech and began frantically waving its limbs, attempting to burrow into the ground.

It was trying to escape!

Soren did not hesitate for a second. He caught his breath to steady his heartbeat, then roared at another warrior, "Give me a Javelin!"

A Spear was thrown over.

Soren reached out to catch the Spear and spun it around, pointing the tip downward. He then leaped up, reaching a height of four or five meters, let out a fierce shout, gripped the handle of the Spear with both hands, and thrust it into the ground.

Puchi!

A spray of dark green blood splattered out.

A sharp screech came from underground, and the soil trembled and churned. Soren pressed down on the Spear with all his might, using every ounce of his strength to drive it inch by inch into the earth.

Finally.

The ground gradually calmed down; the battle was over.

[Class Info: Northlander Barbarian]: They possess unique rage techniques. During training, they immerse their entire bodies in ice water. The cold suppresses the power of their rage, preventing them from boosting their strength as significantly as a Barbarian, but it also reduces the overdraft of their physical potential caused by rage, while allowing them to retain their sanity. This ensures they still possess formidable combat effectiveness even after entering a rage. [Rage: +2 Strength, +1 Constitution.]