The War Begins

Jose, deep within the Red Dragon's lair in the Bloodtooth Mines, was naturally unaware that a fellow dragon far away was thinking of him. His life of being fed without lifting a finger continued.

It wasn't until a day later that the slumbering Red Dragon was awakened by a communication request from its familiar. A quick mental check revealed it was the Chieftain of the Gray Scale Clan—Clark Greyscale.

"What is it?"

The Red Dragon's voice, inevitably, carried a hint of morning grumpiness. Even though he tried his best to suppress it, Clark Greyscale couldn't help but shiver and, steeling himself, continued his report.

"Master! The Gray Scale Clan has been invaded by goblins! They must have gone mad, charging into Gray Scale territory, disrupting food gathering and hunting. I'm currently leading our warriors to the scene of the incident."

Jose frowned. The Gray Scale Clan's territory was located on the edge of the Kobold's clustered area, bordering the Goblins and Moss Hide Gnolls. An invasion by Gnolls would be normal, but Goblins…

How did those timid creatures muster the courage to provoke Kobolds?!

It was currently late autumn, far from the season of food scarcity that necessitated population reduction through warfare.

Could it be that the Goblin tribes had experienced a population boom, leading to a split and a grab for Kobold territory?

Regardless of the reason, dealing with the invaders was the immediate priority.

Jose pondered for a moment, deciding to observe the entire battle. He would use the practical combat to test the Kobolds' training results.

"Go forth! My servant! I will be watching you!"

Clark Greyscale's spirit surged. He realized this was an opportunity to prove himself before his master.

"Understood! My Master! Gray Scale will not disappoint you!"

Jose connected to Clark's perspective and saw Clark leading his kin through the forest, the trees blurring past on either side.

Beside Clark ran forty to fifty well-trained Kobold warriors, arrayed in three columns. They maintained a certain distance from each other, spaced just right to allow ample room for wielding weapons independently while also enabling them to support their companions at any moment.

Their training was evident not only in their formation but also in their equipment. Each Kobold was equipped with a steel spear with a wooden handle, a longsword, and an oak round shield.

The wooden handles of the spears had undergone special processes like soaking in potions and drying, making them both lightweight and durable. The spearheads and longswords were genuine iron forged by a Minotaur blacksmith, a far cry from the Kobolds' own fragile, self-made ironware.

The oak round shields were crafted from oak planks soaked in a potion, with the edges reinforced by a band of metal sheeting and fitted with a comfortable grip.

Considering that most monster combat primarily involved wooden clubs (Kobolds, being skilled miners, had access to ironware, while other monsters mostly used wooden weapons), and their piercing capabilities were not strong, Jose had reduced the shield's thickness to make them more lightweight.

In addition to weapons, the Kobold warriors were equipped with armor.

The Kobold armor consisted of three pieces: two iron bracers and a piece of armor Jose had personally designed. This armor was similar to the Chinese huxin jing (heart protector), secured to the chest with crisscrossed straps, protecting the vital heart area.

The iron bracers were designed scientifically, with pyramid-shaped studs distributed across their surface. This structure not only reduced weight but could also be used as a hammer in critical moments to bash enemies' heads. The innermost layer was a soft beast hide for added comfort for the wearer.

Compared to other monster tribes, where even ironware was rarely seen, the Kobolds' equipment could be considered luxurious.

Jose, Clark Greyscale, and the Gray Scale warriors were all confident in this battle.

Following the sounds, Clark Greyscale led his kin to the invaders. Jose, through his familiar's vision, also saw the enemy—a group of goblins scattered throughout their territory, numbering over a hundred.

Goblins were small, humanoid monsters, typically around 1.2 meters tall, only reaching an adult human's waist. They had pointed, triangular ears like elves, green skin, hooked noses, and small red eyes, appearing sinister and cunning, but possessing limited intelligence.

Not just in intelligence, but their combat prowess was also limited; a farmer wielding a hoe could take on three of them.

Essentially, apart from their prolific breeding, goblins had almost no redeeming qualities.

However, it was precisely this prolific breeding that made goblins a troublesome issue for many races. They were like weeds in a field; cut them down, and they'd grow back the next year, yet they couldn't be ignored.

The goblins' courage was directly proportional to their numbers. Once their numbers grew sufficiently, they would attack villages, plunder crops, destroy farmland, and even go further, attacking villages to turn the villagers into meat for their pots, and not forgetting to set fire to the place before leaving.

However, in the Moduo Peak Forest, goblin tribes generally didn't have the opportunity to grow to a significant size, as they were oppressed by both Gnolls and Kobolds.

"What courage allows you to dare offend the Gray Scale Clan?!"

Clark Greyscale shouted as he charged, "Warriors of Gray Scale! Kill them! Chop off their lowly heads and hang them on the branches! Let them know the price of offending Gray Scale!"

"Roar!" The Kobold warriors responded to their chieftain's cry with war cries.

Within the Bloodtooth Mines, the Kobold warriors had learned tactics and knew how to scientifically deal with goblins. They formed two lines. The warriors in the front row charged with longswords in one hand and shields raised in the other to protect their bodies, while the warriors in the rear followed with spears.

Bang bang bang!

The sound of stones hitting shields echoed. This was the goblins' signature tactic—stone throwing.

In the past, their stone-throwing attacks had some effect. This time, however, the Kobolds remained behind their shields, almost completely unharmed.

Seeing that their stone attacks were useless, the goblins, confident in their superior numbers, let out war cries and swarmed towards the Kobolds, brandishing wooden clubs.

The Kobold warriors, using the momentum of their charge, knocked over the front-ranking goblins with their shields. Close combat had begun.

In the forest clearing, the clash of wooden clubs against shields, furious war cries, frenzied goblin shrieks, and the thudding sounds of combat intertwined.

The sword-and-shield Kobold warriors focused on defense, using their shields to block the goblins' wooden clubs and seizing opportunities to thrust their swords.

Behind the sword-and-shield Kobold warriors, the spear-wielding Kobold warriors were the main force for killing goblins. They utilized the advantage of their longer reach to attack from the gaps between the shields. Their spears flashed like vipers emerging from the grass, piercing the enemies and leaving wounds that bled profusely, the blood splattering onto the shields of the front-ranking warriors.

Upon contact, the goblins in front realized something was wrong. Their comrades were dying too quickly, while the enemies, protected by shields, were barely affected by their attacks.

The courage granted by their numerical advantage melted away like ice under a scorching summer sun. As the Kobold warriors continued to advance, stepping over goblin corpses, the morale of the goblins in front completely collapsed.

They retreated in fear, but their comrades behind them, unaware of the situation, continued to push forward.

With enemies in front and "pig teammates" behind, the advancing and retreating goblins even began attacking each other.

Fortunately, this situation didn't last long. Goblins on the edges of the battlefield turned and fled into the jungle, triggering a herd mentality, and the goblin army scattered and fled.

"You're lucky you ran fast!"

Watching the enemy flee in terror, all the kobolds felt proud. Though they had been able to defeat goblins before, it had never been as easy and comfortable as today.

Based on past experiences, the kobolds and goblins would engage in a chaotic battle, with the kobolds ultimately emerging victorious, but not without suffering some casualties.

This time, however, in less than a minute, the goblin army, which had the advantage in numbers, left behind thirty to forty corpses, while their side only had three lightly injured.

This was the progress brought by military training!

Praise the great True Dragon!

With grateful thoughts for the True Dragon, as the kobold warriors cleaned up the battlefield and cut off the enemies' heads, the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground echoed from the forest in the direction the goblins had fled, growing louder as it approached.

Thanks to Nan Ji Xiong Xiong for the 500 coins, Ji Xing Ma Sai Ke for 100 coins, Wo Ai Jia Fei 030 for 100 coins, Cresy for 200 coins, and Ruo Zhi Ru Chu Jian for 999 coins.