Hunting Kobolds

According to the data reported by the lackeys, they had slain over 360 kobolds, while Renard's System clearly showed the number 246. Who was lying was self-evident.

However, he didn't expose them. Greed might be the original sin, but it was also a necessary trait for ordinary people.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. Only fifteen minutes had passed. He had expected a hard-fought battle, but he hadn't thought they would achieve victory so easily.

Renard listlessly put away his pocket watch, intending to declare a retreat. Yet, he suddenly discovered that the kobold-slaying quest had not disappeared.

"Slaughter Quest: Kill 200 kobolds. Reward: 1 Potential. Completion: 0%."

Had the quest difficulty increased? He hadn't anticipated this situation beforehand and showed a hint of surprise. He then scanned the nine lackeys and asked, "Do you want to continue?"

They exchanged glances, and then Ben stepped forward. He wiped the still-wet bloodstains from his face and asked, "Is it still two copper coins per head?"

"Naturally," Renard replied with an unyielding expression. He generously took out eight silver coins from his pouch, adding, "However, I expect the numbers to be accurate, or at least not too far off."

A kobold tribe with less than 300 members, and they managed to bring back 360 heads. It was truly laughable.

"I allow you to be greedy, but learn to know when to stop," Renard said, handing the silver coins to Ben. He then casually flicked the dirt off his clothes and headed towards the next target.

The lackeys exchanged knowing smiles. This was a test between both parties. They knew exactly how many kills they should report next.

Renard's next target was Kobold Camp #32. This camp was significantly stronger than the previous one, with over 400 members.

Yet, the battle was still a one-sided slaughter. The lackeys cooperated skillfully, their blades flashing, leaving their opponents in disarray.

They fought from the south of the camp to the north, and then from the north back to the south. Blood splattered, and bodies littered the ground. The few kobolds who managed to survive didn't even have time to escape before the second wave of slaughter arrived.

Compared to the wailing and fleeing kobolds, their companions who were decapitated in their sleep seemed incredibly fortunate, as they entered eternal slumber without experiencing any pain.

Next was Kobold Camp #30, then Kobold Camp #26...

The group acted like a powerful bulldozer, clearing out almost every kobold camp within a ten-mile radius.

After the quest was completed, Saint Brieuc Fortress would likely enjoy a long period of peace.

The difficulty of the kobold-slaying quest had been steadily increasing, from 100 to 200, then to 300, and it only entered a cooldown period at 500.

This meant they had killed at least 1,500 kobolds in a single day, and they had exceeded the quota twice. Therefore, the actual number could only be higher.

An average of nearly 200 kobolds killed per person. Such bloodshed made one wonder if they would fall into hell after death.

Of course, that was a matter for after death. Whether hell even existed was still unknown.

As evening fell, Kobold Camp #26 was razed. After reporting the results, Tommy looked up at the sky and reminded him, "Young Master, it's getting late. We should head back."

The dark red sunset was about to disappear behind the mountain range. The oppressive atmosphere that had settled after the battle permeated the wilderness.

Today's battles had been exciting and fruitful, but everyone was exhausted. Austin chuckled, "Perhaps before nightfall, we can return to Saint Brieuc Fortress and enjoy a hot bath and some warmth."

The others grinned knowingly, their expressions quite lewd.

However, Renard's reply made their eyelids twitch. "What's the hurry? We still have many prey to deal with."

Although the kobold-slaying quest had entered its cooldown, he still had quests to hunt goblins, to hunt hobgoblins, and so on.

Tommy swallowed and stammered, "Young Master, camping in the wild is very dangerous. We..."

Before he could finish, Renard raised his hand to interrupt. "Stop the nonsense. Are you afraid, or are you unwilling to serve me? Are the tents and sleeping bags just for added weight?"

This completely cut off the lackeys' escape route. Fern quickly stepped forward to pledge his loyalty, "Your will is the direction of my progress."

Renard patted his shoulder with satisfaction, raising his eyebrows as he looked at the other lackeys. "And you?"

Tommy and the others gritted their teeth inwardly, then reluctantly echoed, "Your will is the direction of our progress."

Renard's smile widened. "That's right. This is just the warm-up. Don't you want to earn more money?"

Earning money or enjoying themselves—it was a difficult choice, but greed forced the lackeys to choose the former.

In the middle of the night, they set up tents by a stream. Except for Renard, everyone else jumped into the cold stream to bathe and change into fresh clothes.

Renard spread a map on the table and used a quill to draw and write, finally circling four relatively large hobgoblin camps.

After doing this, he rolled up the map, stuffed it into his backpack, and lazily crawled into the sleeping bag in his tent to summarize his day's gains.

"Host attributes: Strength: 8, Agility: 7, Intelligence: 5, Charisma: 6, Potential: 4, Unallocated Skill Points: 5."

"Host's Strength-based skill levels: Iron Bones: 3, Strong Attack: 3, Precision: 2."

"Host's Agility-based skill levels: Riding Skill: 0, Martial Arts: 3, Control: 4."

"Host's Intelligence-based skill levels: Battle Qi Usage: 0, Eidetic Memory: 5, Tactical Command: 0."

"Host's Charisma-based skill levels: Command: 2, Valor: 2, Near Death: 1."

He had completed five kobold-slaying quests in total, exceeding the quota twice. This rewarded him with two random attribute points. One point was added to Charisma, which was useless. Fortunately, the other point was added to Agility, which made him feel slightly better.

Renard was a pragmatist. He allocated all his potential points to Strength and Agility. Improving his own strength was paramount right now, at least until he defeated Gilbert.

Two skill points for Strength-based skills were allocated to Iron Bones and Precision. Two skill points for Agility-based skills were allocated to Martial Arts. One skill point for Charisma was added to Near Death.

"Host attributes: Strength: 10, Agility: 9, Intelligence: 5, Charisma: 6, Potential: 0, Unallocated Skill Points: 0."

"Host's Strength-based skill levels: Iron Bones: 4, Strong Attack: 3, Precision: 3."

"Host's Agility-based skill levels: Riding Skill: 0, Martial Arts: 5, Control: 4."

"Host's Intelligence-based skill levels: Battle Qi Usage: 0, Eidetic Memory: 5, Tactical Command: 0."

"Host's Charisma-based skill levels: Command: 2, Valor: 2, Near Death: 2."