He sent two men to drive the Green Oxen back. After that, the group continued onward. Just then, some rustling came from a nearby patch of grass. Everyone stopped, and a Fierce Fire Rabbit sprang out. This one was smaller than the one they had killed before.
The Fierce Fire Rabbit was truly short-tempered. The moment it appeared, it dared to attack Zhao Fu and his group, firing a Fireball at them.
The Shield Bearers raised their shields and stepped forward, blocking the Fireball. Its force only knocked one of them back a step and caused virtually no damage.
Zhao Fu ordered the Archers to attack. Faced with so many arrows, the Fierce Fire Rabbit quickly tried to dodge, but the outcome was inevitable: it was shot dead in a hail of arrows. However, it dropped no Elemental Orb, which left Zhao Fu somewhat disappointed.
They continued onward and soon encountered over thirty Black Goats. Using traps, they managed to capture them as well. The next few days went much the same way.
They had tamed quite a lot of beasts, though: 36 wild boars, 85 Green Oxen, and 215 Black Goats.
They still hadn't obtained a single magic-type skill, nor had they found any sign of horses. Over the past few days, Wang Dawu had roughly repaired all the weapons they had obtained from the rift, and the iron armor had been repaired, too.
Now their equipment had undergone another major upgrade. Most of the Archers and Shield Bearers among the thirty men Zhao Fu had brought were now using blue-quality weapons, while nearly all the Infantry had blue-quality weapons.
After Wang Dawu finished repairing the equipment, Zhao Fu had him forge a special set of gear. It was designed specifically to deal with skeletons, and Zhao Fu had discussed its creation with Bai Qi and Li Si.
For now, Zhao Fu continued leading his men deeper into the Terror Forest to explore, hoping to encounter more magical beasts or discover some horses.
As Zhao Fu led the group through a valley, several Gray Wolves suddenly charged out. A few Archers quickly shot them dead. The valley piqued Zhao Fu's interest, so he decided to take a look inside.
What he found was remarkable: a den. Zhao Fu hid on a distant slope, watching the area below and not daring to approach.
There was a flat area nearly three thousand meters across in the valley below, overgrown with weeds. In the middle stood a platform built of stone bricks, much like the Land of Origin in an ordinary village. A stone sculpture shaped like a wolf floated above it.
Many Gray Wolves surrounded the platform, playing and tussling in the valley. There were a great many of them—over four hundred, perhaps close to five hundred—and among them was a wolf king. It was as large as a tiger, with smooth gray fur, keen eyes, and a tuft of silver fur on its head.
Although he hadn't found any magical beasts or signs of horses, Zhao Fu was still delighted by this discovery.
He immediately led his men back to gather their forces. A total of 326 soldiers set out for Gray Wolf Valley.
Naturally, Zhao Fu didn't choose to attack head-on. Unless victory was all but assured, he wouldn't launch a direct assault. So at first, he had his men lie in wait.
He had them set traps to lure the Gray Wolves out. It was simple: use fresh meat to attract them. The traps didn't need to be too close; a suitable distance would do. Wolves had an excellent sense of smell, and this way they could ensure only a dozen or so would be drawn out.
This time, Zhao Fu had killed several wild deer and deliberately cut them into pieces. He also scattered plenty of blood on the ground. To ensure the traps worked, the men who set them had to roll around in a mud pit to mask their scent with mud. They also carried things like chili peppers and garlic to confuse the wolves' sense of smell.
The plan worked perfectly. Before long, the bloody scent drew out more than a dozen Gray Wolves. They were still cautious; rather than pouncing on the venison immediately, they sniffed around from a distance. Only after sensing no danger did they slowly approach.
The Gray Wolves gathered around the venison but still didn't eat right away. They lowered their heads and sniffed it again. If Zhao Fu had poisoned it, that wouldn't have worked. After the wolves detected no danger, they were just about to start eating when—
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Arrows shot out from the forest toward the pack. The Gray Wolves were startled and turned to flee, but most were still shot dead. A few escaped the rain of arrows, but the men Zhao Fu had already positioned there intercepted them.
Just then, one Gray Wolf stopped and raised its head, about to howl. Zhao Fu was startled. If it howled, it would surely draw out every Gray Wolf, ruining the plan. He hurriedly raised his bow and loosed an arrow.
The arrow traced an arc through the air, its tip flashing with a cold glint.
"Thwack!"
It sank straight into the Gray Wolf's neck. The wolf fell to the ground at once, choking a few times before twitching and dying. Zhao Fu immediately ordered the others to kill the remaining wolves quickly and make sure they didn't get a chance to howl.
The others followed his orders and quickly killed the few that remained. Afterward, they continued using the same method to lure out more Gray Wolves, though they proceeded with even greater caution.
Using this method, they killed 213 Gray Wolves. With so many dead, the Gray Wolf King in the valley sensed something was wrong. It stood up and walked onto a large rock, then raised its head high!
"Awoooo!"
A tremendous howl rang through the valley. All the Gray Wolves that had been playing or eating stopped what they were doing and raised their heads to howl in response!
"Awoooo! Awoooo! Awoooo..."
Howls erupted all around, deafening in their intensity. Countless birds in the valley took flight in alarm.
Zhao Fu led all the soldiers into formation. They marched forward step by heavy step, their dull footfalls carrying the oppressive, murderous aura unique to an army as they entered the valley.
The Gray Wolf King stood atop the boulder, watching Zhao Fu and his group with its wolfish eyes. It let out an angry howl, and the Gray Wolves charged toward them without regard for their own lives. Three hundred Gray Wolves surged forward like a gray tide.
"Form ranks!"
Zhao Fu shouted. The Spear-Shield Soldiers marched forward three steps, their heavy footfalls echoing as they all aimed their spears at the oncoming wolves. The Archers drew their bows in unison, while the Gnomes set up their crossbows.
"Loose!"
Seeing the pack enter their range, Zhao Fu shouted.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh..."
Arrows hissed through the air, forming a rain of projectiles that flew toward the charging pack.
"Thud! Thud! Thud..."
Arrows fell like raindrops. Gray Wolves dropped one after another, though many kept charging over the fallen in an unending assault.
"Loose!"
Zhao Fu shouted again.
A second rain of arrows streaked through the air, blanketing the pack. Gray Wolves fell dead once more.
But by then, the pack had reached the soldiers and lunged at them. The soldiers thrust their spears forward with all their strength.
"Thud! Thud! Thud..."
Blood sprayed as the spears pierced the Gray Wolves' bodies. A single wolf wasn't very strong; it was a pack that made them formidable. But after two volleys of arrows, only a little over 150 of the 300 Gray Wolves remained. They were still a pack, but Zhao Fu's forces outnumbered them two to one. His troops also had a full range of unit types and sturdy defenses, so the battle was overwhelmingly one-sided.
The Gray Wolf King could no longer stand by. Its body turned into a black blur as it charged toward Zhao Fu and his men.