Dragonblood Kobold

"Ding~ Quest: The Kobold's Watch is complete.

Reward: The fealty of a Kobold Bloodline Mage has been issued. Please claim it yourself."

Loren's first war in this world ended with the surrender of the Bloodline Mage, Sim Claw.

The Kobolds' morale visibly crumbled after Sim Claw furiously cursed them to surrender.

With the ebb and flow of battle, the Berserk Barbarians went on a killing spree.

If Loren hadn't stopped the Barbarians in time, no one would have been left alive on the field.

But because of this, he now had over a hundred prisoners.

Before long, the battlefield was cleared.

The Berserk Barbarians were like deflated balloons, legs weak as they supported each other, their axe-wielding arms trembling uncontrollably.

The combat power boost gained from Berserk was almost exaggerated.

But there was a price to pay; the day-long weakness after Berserk meant this skill could never be a regular skill.

However, these weakened, burly men were in good spirits, even exhilarated.

Because after the war, everyone felt their strength had increased.

Barbarians lived in the harsh, cold mountains, constantly fighting magical beasts and competing with brown bears for food. They were very sensitive to their own strength, able to clearly perceive even the slightest increase.

This time, the increase was so significant.

Post-battle statistics showed that 10 High-tier Bronze Barbarians had advanced to Silver Beginner during the fight.

These barbarians roared with excitement, their gazes towards Loren filled with fanatical adoration.

This was the strength bestowed by their new king!

Praise the Goddess!! Praise Lord Loren!!

The war was over, and now came the aftermath.

Loren, dragging his weakened body, went to the area where the wounded were being treated in front of the caravan.

Nearly forty Barbarians lay on the ground in this open space.

Their armor bore the scorch marks of fire, their bloodstains had dried to black, some wounds from claw attacks were gaping, and in some places, bone was visible.

Pained moans echoed in the air.

All the Barbarians were injured to some degree, but wounds inflicted by ordinary Kobolds were not serious; a few days of rest would heal them given the Barbarians' physique.

Only those affected by magic were in dire condition; elemental energies were consuming their lives, rendering ordinary healing methods completely ineffective.

Loren's expression was as cold as ice, his killing intent almost tangible.

These Barbarians were the foundation of his power.

Sim Claw, the Kobold Bloodline Mage standing nearby, keenly felt the cold glint in Loren's eyes, trembled, and quickly looked away, his heart almost consumed by fear.

For some reason, Sim Claw had only felt anger when facing the Barbarian Chieftain Yas and Fiana, both Gold and Platinum-grade powerhouses.

But only when looking at Loren, whose expression was calm and showed no hint of anger or displeasure, did he feel an unspeakable fear.

It was the primal fear of a lesser being towards a higher being, emanating from the depths of their bloodline.

"How are their injuries?"

Loren turned to the Barbarian Chieftain beside him, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Lord Loren, their bodies have been damaged by elemental energy. If we don't remove that extraordinary power, I fear..."

The robust Yas's face was filled with pain.

Although Barbarians did not fear death, none wanted to see their comrades fall before them, especially killed by lowly Kobolds!

This was absolutely unacceptable to the proud Barbarians.

Loren's gaze shifted to Sim Claw, who was cowering and pretending to be dead, and he said lightly.

"You should have a way to remove the elemental power from their bodies, shouldn't you?"

Sim Claw's body trembled. He mustered his courage and looked up at Loren, his face looking worse than if he were crying.

"Y-yes, my lord, I should be able to remove it."

Loren nodded and gestured to Fiana.

"Help him undo the power seal."

Fiana eyed Sim Claw with extreme vigilance.

"Stand behind me."

After instructing Loren, she stepped forward. Platinum-grade energy blazed from her like flames, instantly enveloping Sim Claw.

A few breaths later, a faint white energy rose from the Kobold Bloodline Mage and dissipated into the air.

His magic had returned.

Before Sim Claw could even rejoice at the flow of magic within his body, CLANG – a sharp longsword was placed against his throat, the chilling sensation of metal against skin making his skin crawl.

Fiana's tone was cold.

"Stop playing tricks, Kobold. I've killed far more Spellcasters than you can imagine."

Xim's face stiffened, and he immediately became obedient.

Under the wary gaze of the others, he trembled as he approached the wounded.

"Esteemed lady, I need to channel my magic."

"Mm."

After receiving permission, Xim breathed a sigh of relief. Magic surged from his body, and a crimson fire element power began to gather.

A few breaths later, that elemental power enveloped an area of dozens of meters around them.

The barbarian wounded lying on the ground suddenly let out cries of extreme pain, but after a brief period of suffering, the elemental power that had been eroding them had unknowingly dissipated completely.

The barbarians, who had been on the verge of death, instantly regained some spirit, and their breathing stabilized.

Loren immediately used the Eye of Truth to check.

Barbarian

Level: Bronze High-tier

Status: Critically injured

(Omitted).

These thirty-odd people had originally been on the brink of death. Now, although not fully recovered, they had returned to a critically injured state. Their lives were saved.

Loren breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn't die, with the barbarians' robust physique, they would be back on their feet in no time.

With the barbarians out of danger, Loren's mood improved significantly. He opened the system panel again, finally in the mood to check the quest rewards for defeating the Kobold, the Kobold Bloodline Mage—Xim Claw.

With a hint of curiosity, he activated the Eye of Truth.

Xim Claw

Level: Silver Beginner

Bloodline: Dragonblood Kobold (B+ Rank, Awakened)

Loyalty: 0 (May defect at any time)

Bond: Kobold Bloodline Mage. When the number of Kobolds nearby exceeds 100, magic recovery speed increases by 30%, and spell power increases by 20%.

Evaluation: He has mastered powerful spells from his bloodline. Due to the meager dragon blood within his body, his spell power has been enhanced.

Loren felt his eyes go blind. Dragonblood Kobold??

He looked at the foolish creature before him, draped in a black cloak and trembling under his gaze, his expression quite colorful.

No wonder this guy's spells were so powerful. This was incredible!

Any life form that became associated with a naturally extraordinary race like dragons would become unusual.

This Kobold was simply bursting with luck.

He glanced back at the large hole blown open by magic in the distance and the thirty-odd barbarians lying on the ground, his eyes narrowing slightly.

A Bloodline Mage with dragon blood and mastery of two potent spells. This quest reward was truly extravagant.

Setting aside the Fireball Spell, a second-tier spell, the third-tier spell Bloodthirsty Wonder Technique, which could boost the combat power of hundreds of Kobolds, required a Gold Grade High-tier Mage to learn.

With just this one spell, the Kobold could be considered priceless.

In the Nol Main Plane, Spellcasters were extremely rare, always being top-tier powers that were hard to come by.

On top of the scarce numbers, the quantity of Spellcasters mastering third-tier or higher-level spells was even smaller, let alone a third-tier area-of-effect spell like Bloodthirsty Wonder Technique.

In fact, under normal circumstances, such area-of-effect buff spells were only learnable by Platinum-grade Mages. Gold Grade High-tier Mages were merely at the threshold of learning.

Now that this Kobold who knew Bloodthirsty Wonder Technique had become his subordinate, it was almost equivalent to him possessing a Platinum-grade Mage!

In Decker City, hiring even a Silver Grade Spellcaster required exorbitant costs, let alone Gold or Platinum Grade. The entire city probably didn't even have 10 Platinum-grade Mages.

Loren's mood became greatly cheerful in an instant.

However, why hadn't this Kobold pledged allegiance yet?

After pondering for a moment, a thought struck Loren. The system prompt said he needed to receive it himself??

He looked at the Kobold Mage with a detached gaze.

His voice carried no emotion.

"Xim Claw, you led your subordinates to attack my caravan, causing heavy casualties.

Now, in the name of the Grayhawk Lord, I judge your sins!"

"Fiana, seal his power."

Fiana nodded and once again used her Platinum-grade energy to seal Xim Claw's magic.

Loren stepped forward a few paces, took the cross longsword from Fiana, and placed the blade on Xim's neck amidst his terrified expression.

The cold sensation of the blade transmitted through his skin. Xim felt his entire body go soft at that moment, his gaze towards Loren filled with terror.

What does this Tyrant want?!

Loren's tone was icy.

"After my judgment, you and all the Kobolds have been confirmed to have committed unforgivable capital crimes.

You now have two paths: First, pledge allegiance to the Gray Eagle Territory and become my subordinate, serving me and atoning for your sins.

Second, I will execute you immediately."

Sim looked at Loren's unwavering gaze and his heart shattered.

No, he couldn't die here. He still had a future. He had only awakened his bloodline for a month!

He didn't want to die, he didn't want to die!!

"No!! Great Nobles, I am still useful, you can't kill me, you can't kill me!!

I, I am willing to pledge allegiance to you, I choose one! Choose one!!

I am willing to become your subordinate!!

I am a mage, and there are many spells in my bloodline that have yet to awaken. You must believe me, I am still useful to you!!"

His voice stammered, and his Kobold face was filled with anxiety and panic, terrified that Loren would wave his hand and his longsword would slice his throat.

But his struggling body was tightly held by the two barbarians behind him, rendering his efforts futile.

Loren nodded slowly and turned to look at Fiana.

"Is what he said reasonable?"

Fiana, with her cool expression, felt very strange. She then looked with pity at the Kobold mage, who was frantically signaling to her, his face full of desperate hope that she would say a good word.

Why did this scene feel so familiar? Hadn't those guild presidents who came to the inn to cooperate with him that morning encountered the same thing?