Kobold Shaman

Though Shawn was still underage, he had a sharp dagger in his hand.

Facing Kobolds less than half his height, he had no reason to be afraid.

Without another word, Shawn rushed in front of the Kobold. The dagger in his hand stabbed fiercely into its chest, sending it to meet the God of Kobolds—if such a thing truly existed. Who knew what kind of creature that would be?

Killing was nothing remarkable, whether for the original Shawn, who had lived through the chaotic era of Azeroth, or the current Shawn, who had personally slaughtered pigs and dogs in twenty-first-century Earth. Besides, Kobolds had never been considered intelligent life by humans—though they had actually entered the Stone Age.

Still, corpses did look rather disgusting...

Shawn continued onward and encountered several more Kobolds.

Kobolds were not particularly intelligent and were timid and cowardly. Even when they had the advantage in numbers, they would be afraid upon encountering Shawn, who was bigger than them. As long as Shawn struck decisively and swiftly, the Kobolds would scatter in panic, leaving him only to hunt them down.

Kobolds had short legs and ran slowly, making the pursuit almost laughably easy for Shawn.

The mine tunnels crisscrossed one another, twisting and changing constantly. Though Shawn had a good memory, he was still afraid of getting turned around. Fortunately, after entering this place, the Space Garrison had unlocked a new function—the map.

Yes, the map. A feature found in everything from top-tier games to third-rate ones.

The entire map was pitch-black, with only a small section displaying a detailed image. That was where Shawn had already been. Judging by the area shown on the map, the entire dungeon was probably about the size of a village.

For a mine, that was already quite large.

If Shawn had to explore the entire mine, he would exhaust himself to death—and starve to death as well.

Fortunately, Shawn could leave the mine at any time.

For 10 Supply Points, he could open the Portal of Time and Space and remain in this mine for a full shichen. If Shawn wished, he could leave early, but the 10 Supply Points would be wasted.

Within one shichen, Shawn had to obtain at least 10 Supply Points just to break even.

For Shawn, that was quite a daunting task.

Shawn continued forward.

Ten minutes later, Shawn spotted a bright firelight. At the end of the passage was unexpectedly a spacious hall.

Shawn cautiously approached and discovered that there was a small bonfire in the center of the hall. Some unknown creature's meat was roasting over it, seemingly almost done and giving off a rich, savory scent.

Three Kobolds sat around the bonfire, their six eyes fixed on the cooked meat while drool continuously dripped from the corners of their mouths.

Two sturdy Kobolds, each a head taller than ordinary Kobolds, held battered daggers. They wore linen clothes of unknown origin, stained everywhere with grease.

The other was an obviously elderly Kobold. It wore an ill-fitting human Mage Robe and held a crooked magic Staff that looked as though it had been made from an old tree branch. At the Staff's tip was a bright gemstone that emitted a faint blue glow.

It looked very strange.

But it was not funny.

Because Shawn knew what it meant.

Those two sturdy Kobolds might have been Kobold Overseers or Kobold Chieftains. Either way, their challenge level would not be below Level 2, which was already the limit for an ordinary adult man. To deal with even one of them, Shawn might have to risk his life. Even then, he would find it difficult to defeat one and might very well die at its hands.

Let alone two of them.

More importantly, there was that elderly Kobold.

It was clearly a spellcaster among Kobolds: a Kobold Shaman.

As a type of spellcaster, Shaman Witch Doctors were the spiritual leaders of Kobolds. Not only were they wiser and mentally stronger than ordinary Kobolds, but they were also more knowledgeable and possessed a certain ability to cast spells. A creature skilled in low-level Evocation Arcane Magic would absolutely have a challenge level no lower than Level 3.

Evocation was one of the seven schools of Arcane Magic. It studied how to transform Arcane Energy into tangible explosive force. Among its most classic and well-known low-level spells were Fireball and Frostbolt.

Shawn's frail body could not withstand even one hit from either spell.

Of course, because of a spellcaster's nature, this elderly Kobold Shaman might possess spellcasting power comparable to a Level 5 fighter, but its weak body was even frailer than that of the most ordinary Kobold.

If he launched a sneak attack and landed the blow, Shawn was confident he could kill it in a single strike.

But even so...

"Is it really okay to make an ordinary underage boy deal with a group like this?"

Shawn's mouth felt bitter, and he decided to give up.

At any time, preserving his life was Shawn's first choice.

Life came first. Only by staying alive was there hope.

A great leader had once said, "When the enemy advances, we retreat. When the enemy retreats, we advance! When the enemy camps, we harass. When the enemy tires, we attack!"

Shawn would add one more line: "When the enemy is strong and I am weak, run for it!"

Shawn quietly retreated without making the slightest sound. He was extremely cautious, afraid of alerting those Kobolds.

But at that moment, Shawn inexplicably turned back, and heaven gave him a reason to stay amid the scattered lights.

The roasted meat was done.

Kobold Shamans held a very high status within Kobold tribes, so naturally no one dared compete with it. But after the Kobold Shaman took the best portion, the two sturdy Kobolds began fighting over the remaining roast meat.

There was nothing remarkable about a battle between two Kobold Warriors. It was merely fists against feet, knives against blades. By the end, they had even grappled together in hand-to-hand combat, competing in stamina, strength, and willpower.

The other Kobolds seemed accustomed to such scenes, and no one paid them any attention. Perhaps every time the roasted meat was ready, this happened. It had become an essential event in the Kobolds' monotonous lives, a form of entertainment to relieve their dull existence.

As long as no one died, nothing mattered.

The Kobold Shaman showed no intention of stopping them. Instead, it took its roasted meat and left. Such incidents clearly happened often, and it had long grown accustomed to them.

As a lofty Shaman Witch Doctor, it knew how to manage its subordinates. Conflict among those beneath it was beneficial for keeping them under control.

It had learned this from the humans of Stormwind City. Human nobles loved such methods of controlling others.

The Kobold Shaman fell into its memories.

When one grew old, it was easy to recall the past. Though it was only in its thirties, that was already a rare old age among Kobolds. Perhaps in a few more years, he would be laid to rest in the earth. Before then, he often thought of the beauty he had once known.

Those adventures, those perilous journeys.

In a daze, it walked toward the mine tunnel where Shawn was hiding.