Jose, far away in his dragon lair deep within Bloodtooth Mines, naturally had no way of knowing that a fellow dragon in the distance had taken an interest in him. His carefree days of having food brought to his mouth continued.
A day later, the sleeping Red Dragon was awakened by a communication request from one of his followers. Looking through it with his mind, he found that it was the Gray Scale Clan's chieftain—Clark Greyscale.
"What is it?"
The Red Dragon's voice inevitably carried some irritation from being woken up. Even though he tried his best to suppress it, Clark Greyscale still could not help shivering and forced himself to continue his report.
"Master! The Gray Scale Clan has been invaded by Goblins! They may have gone mad! They charged into Gray Scale territory, disrupting food gathering and hunting. I am leading the warriors to the site now."
Jose frowned. The Gray Scale Clan's territory lay on the edge of the Kobolds' clustered region, bordering both Goblins and Moss Hide Gnolls. An invasion by Gnolls would have been normal, but Goblins...
How did those cowardly creatures dare provoke the Kobolds?!
It was late autumn now, still far from the time when food would become scarce enough to require war to reduce a tribe's population.
Could it be that the Goblin tribe's population had exploded, causing a split, and they had come to seize Kobold territory?
Whatever the reason, dealing with the invaders was the most urgent matter.
After some thought, Jose decided to observe this battle from start to finish and test the results of the Kobolds' training in real combat.
"Go! My servant! I will be watching you!"
Clark Greyscale's spirits rose. He realized this was a chance to prove himself before his master.
"Understood! My master! Gray Scale will not disappoint you!"
Jose connected to Clark's vision and saw Clark leading his clansmen through the forest at a run, the trees on either side flashing past.
Four or five dozen well-trained Kobold warriors ran beside Clark. They moved through the forest in three columns, keeping a measured distance from one another—far enough apart to swing their weapons and fight independently, yet close enough to support nearby companions at any moment.
Their training showed not only in their marching formation, but also in their equipment. Every Kobold carried a fine-steel spear with a wooden shaft, a longsword, and a round oak shield.
The spear shafts had been soaked in special potions and dried through a careful process, making them both light and durable. The spearheads and longswords were genuine iron weapons forged by Minotaur blacksmiths, incomparable to the fragile homemade iron weapons of the Kobolds.
The round oak shields were made from oak planks soaked in potion. A ring of iron sheeting reinforced their edges and secured the boards together, while grips had been installed for easier handling.
Considering that battles between monsters mainly relied on wooden clubs—Kobolds were skilled miners and thus possessed iron weapons, while other monsters mostly used clubs—and that such weapons lacked much piercing power, Jose had reduced the shields' thickness to make them lighter.
Besides weapons, the Kobold warriors also wore armor.
A Kobold's armor consisted of three pieces: two iron bracers and a piece of protective gear invented by Jose. It resembled a Chinese heart-protecting mirror, fastened across the chest with crossed leather straps to guard the vital heart.
The iron bracers were designed with great care. Their surfaces were covered in pyramid-shaped spikes, a structure that reduced weight while allowing them to be used as hammers to smash an enemy in the forehead during emergencies. The inner layer was lined with animal hide for greater comfort.
Compared to other monster tribes, where even iron weapons were rare, the Kobolds' equipment was nothing short of luxurious.
Jose, Clark Greyscale, and the Gray Scale warriors were all full of confidence in this battle.
Following the sounds, Clark Greyscale led his clansmen to the invaders. Through his follower's eyes, Jose saw the enemy as well—a scattered group of Goblins spread throughout the territory, numbering a little over a hundred.
Goblins were a short humanoid species, generally around 1.2 meters tall, reaching only an adult human's waist. They had elf-like triangular ears, green skin, hooked noses, and tiny red-bean eyes. They looked cunning and treacherous, but their intelligence was limited.
It was not just their intelligence that was lacking; their fighting ability was equally poor. Even a farmer carrying a hoe could take on three of them at once.
It could be said that other than breeding, Goblins had almost no advantages.
Yet it was precisely their ability to breed that made Goblins a headache for many races. They were like weeds in a field: cut down one year, and they grew back the next. And they could not simply be ignored.
A Goblin's courage was directly proportional to its numbers. Once they gathered enough of themselves, they would raid villages, plunder crops, destroy farmland, and sometimes go even further—attacking villages, turning villagers into chunks of meat in their pots, and setting fires before they left.
However, in Moduo Peak Forest, Goblin tribes usually had no chance to grow too large, because they were jointly oppressed by Gnolls and Kobolds.
"What gives you the courage to offend the Gray Scale Clan?!"
As Clark Greyscale charged forward, he shouted, "Warriors of Gray Scale! Kill them! Cut off their wretched heads and hang them from the branches! Let them know the consequences of offending Gray Scale!"
"Roar!" The Kobold warriors answered their chieftain's call with a battle cry.
Within Bloodtooth Mines, the Kobold warriors had learned tactics and knew how to deal with Goblins properly. They formed two ranks. The warriors in front charged with longswords in one hand and shields raised in the other, while the rear rank followed behind with spears.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sounds of stones striking shields rang out. This was the Goblins' signature tactic—stone-throwing attacks.
In the past, stone-throwing attacks would more or less have some effect, but this time, the Kobolds huddled behind their shields and were almost completely unharmed.
Seeing that their stones were useless, the Goblins relied on their superior numbers. Screaming wildly, they raised their wooden clubs and surged toward the Kobolds in a swarm.
Using the momentum of their charge, the Kobold warriors slammed their shields into the front-row Goblins, knocking them sprawling. The melee began.
Among the trees, the clashes of wooden clubs against shields, furious battle cries, frantic shrieks, and drumlike thudding blended together.
The sword-and-shield Kobold warriors focused on defense, raising their shields to block the Goblins' clubs while seeking chances to thrust with their longswords.
Behind the sword-and-shield warriors, the spear-wielding Kobolds were the true main force in slaughtering the Goblins. Taking advantage of their long weapons' reach, they attacked through gaps between the shields. Their spears were like venomous snakes darting from the grass, punching bloody holes into their enemies and splattering blood across the front-line warriors' shields.
The moment they clashed, the Goblins at the front realized something was wrong. Their companions were dying far too quickly, while their enemies were protected by shields and their own attacks achieved little.
The courage granted by their numerical advantage melted as quickly as ice beneath the blazing midsummer sun. When the Kobold warriors continued advancing over Goblin corpses, the Goblins at the front completely lost their morale.
They retreated in fear, but the companions behind them, unaware of what was happening, continued crowding forward.
With powerful enemies ahead and useless companions behind, the advancing and retreating Goblins even began attacking one another.
Fortunately, the chaos did not last long. The Goblins at the edge of the battlefield turned and ran into the forest, triggering a herd response. The Goblin army scattered and fled.
"Consider yourselves lucky you ran so fast!"
Watching the enemy flee in terror, every Kobold was filled with pride. They had defeated Goblins before, but never so easily.
Based on past experience, Kobolds and Goblins would usually engage in a chaotic melee. The Kobolds would win in the end, but they would also suffer some casualties.
This time, however, in less than a minute, the numerous Goblin army had left behind thirty or forty corpses, while only three of their own had suffered minor injuries.
This was the improvement brought by military training!
Praise the great True Dragon!
With grateful thoughts toward the True Dragon, the Kobold warriors began cleaning up the battlefield, cutting off their enemies' heads.
From the forest in the direction the Goblins had fled came the thudding sound of something heavy stepping on the ground, growing closer and louder.
Thanks to Antarctic Bear Bear for 500 coins, Dash Mosaic for 100 coins, I Love Garfield 030 for 100 coins, Cresy for 200 coins, and If Only It Were Like the First Meeting for 999 coins.
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