Unexpected Turn (Signed the Contract Successfully, So Let's Celebrate)

The gnolls barely had time to regroup before they launched a charge under their captain's lead.

Gnolls were generally larger than humans. Their nearly two-meter-tall bodies charging in formation was enough to make many adventurers who had never seen a major battle shudder in fear.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuan could still think rationally. As he tightened his grip on his longsword and prepared to meet the enemy, his thoughts raced:

"There are simply too many of them. There are only four of us. We'll be worn down to death even if we fight them head-on. Without reinforcements, we're all going to die here."

"But where would reinforcements come from? Wait, aren't the enemies themselves reinforcements?"

Having suddenly thought of something, Zhang Yuan raised his cloak with surprise and hope.

I'm the gnoll captain. Lead the charge!

The leader of this gnoll squad was named Ingot. He had come from a remote gnoll fortress, though no one knew why he had wandered all the way here.

Relying on his powerful physique, Ingot had defeated the previous leader and smoothly taken control of all the gnolls in the area. Of course, he had also conveniently inherited the former leader's thirty-plus beautiful female gnolls.

That afternoon, Ingot had been wondering why the gnolls who went hunting had never returned. Fortunately, his keen sense of smell allowed his underlings to follow the scent and the smell of blood to discover their companions' corpses.

He didn't feel much sorrow over losing a few underlings, but this had happened right after he became leader. Wasn't that a challenge to his authority? Especially after he heard that a certain gnoll had died—one of the young she-gnolls he favored had cried herself half to death.

When he asked the young she-gnoll, she only said that the dead gnoll had been her sworn younger brother. Fine. Even if it was just to avenge one of the females in his harem, he couldn't let the murderer go.

Following the scent all the way, they finally cornered the killer in this patch of woods.

"Die!" Ingot bellowed, striding forward with his halberd swinging.

But suddenly, the hateful human before him somehow transformed into an incomparably beautiful female gnoll. Ingot swore that even in the gnoll fortress, where gnolls gathered, and even among the matrons who surpassed all others in beauty, he had never seen such a stunning she-wolf.

She's mine! Ingot's eyes turned red. Looking at the other charging gnolls, he felt that the damned creatures were trying to steal the other half destiny had chosen for him. "Awooo! Die, all of you!"

Just as the gnolls charged over, Zhang Yuan remembered his cloak and cast three Charm spells in succession, controlling the gnoll captain at the very front and the two soldiers behind him.

The three gnolls who had been leading the charge immediately turned back from the brink, spun around, and swung their weapons at their own companions. Their attacks were so fierce that it was as if the others had stolen their wives.

The gnolls who had been struck by their companions' betrayal fell into chaos. With their own leader among the attackers, they could only fight with their hands tied as the three traitors beat them back step by step.

There were fewer enemies attacking from the other direction, and the remaining three could still hold off their assault. The tall gnolls had little they could do against the two short yet sturdy Dwarf Shield Axe Warriors. Those wielding long weapons could still hack down from above, but the ones with hand axes suffered terribly. They could only hunch over and fight like they were playing whack-a-mole. Who knew whether they would lose certain functions after this battle?

Worse still, their opponents were short but not lacking in strength. Their chops were easily blocked by the shields, while the dwarves' low strikes carried tremendous force and never left the area below the waist. It was truly despicable. After exchanging blows for a while, one of their companions had already undergone an amputation, while another had it even worse—his family jewels had been severed outright.

You had to squeeze the soft persimmon first. Zhang Yuan immediately had Xiaoxiao use her Throwing skill, grabbing a gnoll and hurling it into the enemy formation.

As one flailing companion descended from the sky, the remaining six gnolls were knocked to the ground by the shock wave. The three who had worked together before rushed forward as one, and Zhang Yuan was no less aggressive. With just two sword strikes, he sent the two gnolls still trying to stand back down forever.

However, before they could finish off the enemies who had already lost the ability to fight back, the gnolls on the other side finally hardened their hearts and dealt with their own companions.

Killing the three Charmed companions had cost them two lives as well. The remaining seven gnolls charged over in a frenzy.

"Minsc, deal with the two remaining gnolls. Kagan, Bard, hold them off with Xiaoxiao. I'll prepare a spell."

The big man took up his greatsword and went after the two gnolls who had just climbed to their feet. Kagan muttered under his breath as he raised his shield and planted himself in front of the unscrupulous mage.

However, enraged gnolls were not so easy to deal with. The ones blocked by the dwarf and Xiaoxiao immediately sent two around the side, charging straight at Zhang Yuan.

Forced to stop casting, Zhang Yuan could only draw his sword and charge one of the wolves. Rather than be attacked from both sides, it was better to sever one of their fingers.

Taking advantage of its height, the gnoll delivered its signature vertical chop. Having anticipated the move, Zhang Yuan performed a lazy donkey roll to evade it, then attacked the enemy's left side. In a hurry, the gnoll swept its halberd across.

The enemy's long weapon had an enormous attack range, but it also had the weakness of being unwieldy. Zhang Yuan gripped his longsword with both hands and barely blocked the blow, then simply rolled forward with the momentum. Taking the opportunity to close in on the enemy's feet, he thrust his sword at the gnoll's calf before even getting back up. It was Mount Hua Cleaving versus the Foot-Repairing Sword Technique.

The gnoll staggered when its left leg was pierced and nearly fell. It only managed to remain standing by bracing itself against the ground with its halberd. Just as Zhang Yuan prepared to press his advantage, another gnoll arrived, accompanied by the howling sound of a greatsword slicing through the air.

In his haste, Zhang Yuan swung his longsword to meet it. He deflected the attack, but the price was having his sword knocked flying. The gnoll behind him, despite its injured calf, refused to give up the chance to take revenge. Gritting its teeth and steadying itself, it thrust viciously at its enemy.

Yet gnolls were not mindless golems. The pain still affected its attack. The slight distortion in its movement caused the halberd, originally aimed at Zhang Yuan's heart, to stab toward his waist instead.

Zhang Yuan spun around, attempting to dodge the ambush. The distance was too short, and his hurried evasion was far from effective.

Even with the protection of Mage Armor, the axe blade of the halberd still tore a bloody gash across Zhang Yuan's waist. With a roar of pain, he simply leaped into the gnoll's arms and punched it in the nose.

The nose was probably a weak point for every canine, and gnolls were no exception. The gnoll's nose began bleeding and its tears flowed after the blow, making its husky-like face look as if a sauce shop had exploded across it.

The shorter the weapon, the greater the danger. The gnoll, with Zhang Yuan having closed directly into its center, had a halberd in hand but could do nothing with it. It simply threw the halberd to the ground and clamped both hands around the murderer's neck, intent on squeezing him to death.

If it had been an ordinary person, being strangled by a two-meter-tall monster would have meant certain death. But Zhang Yuan's high constitution gave him room to fight back.

While being strangled, Zhang Yuan held his breath, tucked in his neck, and tensed every muscle there. One hand desperately hooked into the gnoll's nostril, while the other reached toward his waist.

Hanging from his waist was the dog-leg knife that had come with him to this other world, specially sharpened to a keen edge.

He drew it in reverse like a sword-drawing technique, exploding with the strength he had left. He twisted his waist, drew the blade, swung his arm, and cut the throat in one fluid motion.

Made with modern metalworking techniques, the dog-leg knife might not have been a magical weapon, but it was still more than a gnoll's flesh could withstand—especially its vulnerable throat.

The gnoll's entire throat had been cut open, its neck seemingly half-severed. It instantly lost all its strength. Its dimming eyes and fountain of red spraying from its neck proclaimed that its life had completely departed. Only its hands, still locked in a rigid grip, refused to release the enemy before them.