Huh?
What was going on?
'How could there not be a single living thing in those crude buildings?'
'It doesn't make any sense!'
'When I snuck in just a moment ago, I could still hear faint sounds from inside. How did the place become empty in the blink of an eye?'
With no time to ponder, Bakadi and his Ratman subordinates had already charged to the doors of the Lord's Hall. They extended dozens of sharp claws, grabbed the bronze rings embedded in the doors, and worked together to ram the heavy oak doors open.
Then, a torrent of black shadows surged into the hall like a vicious wave breaking through a dam, only to freeze the moment they stepped inside.
Under the dim, vaulted ceiling, villagers holding axes and hoes surrounded them like an iron barrel. The dense human wall, glinting coldly in the torchlight, had sealed off the entire hall completely.
"S-So many people!"
Bakadi's throat bobbed. His whiskers trembled violently like a startled spider's legs, and beneath his gray-black fur, a vein throbbed on his neck.
But soon, a flicker of contempt crossed his crimson pupils.
The massive crowd before him, though as dense as a swarm of ants, was composed entirely of human farmers dressed in coarse cloth.
They clutched rusty hoes and Stone Axes, their shoulders still caked with dirt. They didn't even have a single piece of decent armor and looked completely devoid of combat prowess.
"Heh, you scared me for a second. So it's just a bunch of human farmers?"
When he was younger, Bakadi had followed the Forest Alliance Army to attack a city in the human empire's Northern Territory.
He knew all too well how fragile these untrained farmers were—the moment an attack began, their screams would cut through the battlefield before any blade, and their knees would hit the ground before any spear.
Wiping them out would be as simple as crushing ants.
"Brothers!"
"The enemy is just a fragile mob of human farmers!"
"As soon as we show them a bit of our strength, they'll scatter like lambs to the slaughter!"
"So!"
"Don't worry!"
"Go and slaughter them to your hearts' content!"
"Then find this castle's human Lord and bring him to me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Bakadi shot out like an arrow from a bow. A foul stench trailed him as the cold glint of his Bone Blade rushed toward the spiral staircase.
His hind legs kicked off the stone steps, shattering them. His Bone Blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle, its edge gleaming eerily in the torchlight as he aimed for the throats of the several villagers blocking the stairs.
However, the expected spray of blood never came. The farmers he'd dismissed as ants didn't scream in terror. Instead, a gap suddenly opened in the shadows where they stood.
In an instant, a handsome young human male rushed out. His black hair flew back as he moved, and the cold light of the torches cast a sheen on his sharp profile. He intercepted Bakadi's short but sturdy body, stopping him dead at the staircase.
The streamlined dagger in his hand seemed thin and fragile, but as Bakadi's Bone Blade came crashing down, it held firm like a city wall. Its narrow edge steadily blocked the powerful chop.
CLANG!
The sharp ring of metal on metal shattered the hall's dead silence. Sparks flew where the dagger and Bone Blade met, scattering like tiny fireflies and tracing a blinding streak of light under the dome.
Feeling the powerful tremor that traveled up his Bone Blade, Bakadi's front paws went rigid. Foul-smelling saliva dripped from his curved fangs onto the cracked stone steps, his eyes filled with shock.
"What?!"
A rough cry of alarm burst from his throat, and the gray fur on his body stood on end from the shock.
"You damn bastard!"
"How can you be so powerful?!"
After a brief moment of thought, Bakadi stared intently at the young man before him with his murky eyes. Beneath the black hair, the man's still-youthful face flickered in the firelight. His shoulders were straight but not broad, and a lean figure could be glimpsed beneath his belted tunic.
'Could it be?'
'Is he a Professional who has obtained Extraordinary Power?'
'Otherwise, how could someone so young, with such a slender body, unleash such incredible power?'
As a battlefield veteran, Bakadi's judgment was not wrong.
Qin Feng was indeed a Professional. Not only that, he was a Divine Chosen Lord wearing six pieces of Lord's Equipment, and a Riding and Cutting player with a cheat that permanently increased his own Attributes.
His Panel Attributes far exceeded Bakadi's.
He simply lacked the experience and skills for melee combat.
He had only learned how to draw a bow and shoot an arrow through the system.
Otherwise, with his current Four-dimensional Attributes, boosted by the 100% additional attribute bonus from "King of War," he could have killed Bakadi in a single blow just now...
After a few brief exchanges, having gained no advantage, Qin Feng retreated to the edge of the stairs. His gaze was locked on the constantly moving Ratman Leader before him, his knuckles tightening slightly on the hilt of his dagger.
'This is bad. He seems a bit tricky.'
This Ratman Leader was clearly a seasoned warrior, possessing ruthless Combat Skills and a meticulous combat strategy.
Meanwhile, Qin Feng was clueless about close-quarters combat and had never learned any systematic Combat Skills. Trying to take down the Ratman Leader by himself would certainly take a lot of time.
If the fight dragged on for too long, given the guy's Combat Skills and the impressive attack value on his panel, there was no telling how many precious villagers would be lost to him.
'Sigh...'
'No other choice...'
'I'll have to sacrifice the pawn to save the king, mobilize the masses, and pin down the most dangerous enemy first... and not give him any chance to create distance or reposition... then find an opportunity to finish him off...'
Having cleared his thoughts, Qin Feng spun around abruptly, pointing his dagger at Bakadi on the staircase. His voice was exceptionally clear as it echoed through the hall:
"Fire Fox, Forest Wolf, attack this guy with me!"
"Everyone else, take advantageous positions and hold off the remaining enemies!"
"Remember, if you're seriously injured, don't keep fighting! Find a way to fall back and save your own life!"
Yes, Lord!
Upon receiving the command, three Fire Foxes with fur like glowing embers flicked their fluffy tails. Their streamlined bodies left three fiery afterimages amidst the spattering blood as they leaped toward Bakadi's back like arrows loosed from a bow.
The tamed Forest Wolf simultaneously let out a low whine, tore out the throat of a Ratman before it with its claws, then redirected its Field of View and charged toward Bakadi's right flank.
At the same time, the villagers holding hoes and Stone Axes surged forward like a tide, filling the gaps in the line left by the few Zoo Soldiers.
Relying on their overwhelming numbers and a ferocious, death-defying tenacity, they forced the Ratmen brandishing Bone Blades to retreat again and again.
But the good times didn't last.
The wild Wolf Pack on the perimeter had already flooded into the hall like a black tide. They clawed their way up the steps, latched their sharp teeth onto the villagers' pant legs and tore viciously, pushing the bloody, fiery melee up the stairs and around the corner.
Instantly, fragments of flesh and fur flew through the air. Overturned torches reflected in the wolves' eyes, turning them into two balls of burning, eerie green light. Blood seeping through the gaps in the staircase flowed into a winding red stream.
[One of your villagers has died!]
"Fuck!"
Witnessing his precious subjects begin to suffer casualties, Qin Feng's pupils abruptly constricted to pinpoints.
He looked at Bakadi.
This Ratman Leader was far more difficult to deal with than he had expected.
Even though his Panel Attributes completely suppressed Bakadi's, and even though Bakadi was surrounded by four Zoo Soldiers of comparable strength, he hadn't lost a single drop of blood. On the contrary, his momentum grew during the struggle, and he had actually forced the three Fire Foxes and the Forest Wolf to the brink of death.
If this stalemate continued, he feared that several more of the villagers fighting the Wolf Pack and the Ratmen would fall, and his painstakingly recruited "Zoo" Warriors might also suffer casualties.
'Damn it...'
'I have to end this quickly...'
At this thought, Qin Feng finally cast aside his concern for his own pain and deliberately created an opening for Bakadi, allowing the Ratman's Bone Blade to pierce his chest.
[You have taken fatal damage! Your Life Value -46!]
The next second, he charged forward into the Bone Blade, pressing himself tightly against Bakadi's body as the Ratman Leader stared in stunned disbelief.
[You have taken fatal damage! Your Life Value -42!]
Bakadi was aghast.
"Wh-What are you doing?"
Qin Feng endured the excruciating pain in his chest and said through clenched teeth:
"Motherfucker!"
"I'm taking you down with me!"
With that, Qin Feng's left hand clamped onto the other's furry neck like an iron pincer. He used all his strength to drag him toward the Fire Foxes while his right hand, holding the dagger, struck like a viper, plunging into the Ratman Leader Bakadi's bloated abdomen.
Bakadi let out a shrill screech, his sharp claws raking frantically at Qin Feng's arm. Lines of blood seeped out from between his claws and dripped down Qin Feng's elbow, but he couldn't break free from the brute force fueled by killing intent.
The three Fire Foxes seized the opportunity to pounce, sinking their bone-white fangs viciously into the Ratman's exposed knees. The alpha wolf clamped its jaws on the wrist of his weapon-wielding arm. The crisp sound of shattering bone mixed with Qin Feng's blood-soaked roar, erupting in the hall filled with flying flesh and blood.
[You have killed the leader of the Ratman Tribe!]
[The enemy's morale is collapsing!]
...