Chapter 33: Battle
Outdoor adventures emphasize that “a lion uses all its strength even when tackling a rabbit.” Not everyone can calmly face the d*ath of their comrades in battle.
Therefore, the Guard Captain gathered elite personnel right from the start. Soren glanced over hastily; most were warriors of the second tier or above, the easiest profession to cultivate. Other professions consume a lot of resources to train, especially various spellcasters, while warriors only need sufficient meat to replenish nutrients and to master the appropriate training techniques. However, higher-tier warriors require better aptitudes; it is not easy to elevate one’s power to the third tier or above.
“Disperse!”
“Raise your shields!”
Soren took command of the team and said gravely, “Before the Burrowing Worm attacks, the ground beneath your feet will make sounds. Be careful to watch out for those strange noises.”
“Everyone maintain a distance of five steps.”
“Do your best to dodge the Burrowing Worm’s corrosive acid spray; avoid direct confrontation if possible and keep a space to evade.”
“Do not use crossbows.”
“These won’t do much against the Burrowing Worm unless any of you are sharpshooters!”
“Do not attack its back.” “The belly of the Burrowing Worm has the weakest defense; be cautious of its claws.”
“These worms possess immense strength.”
“Everyone remember to dodge; unless necessary, avoid taking their attacks directly. When they stand upright, they are about 5 meters tall and can dive down to suppress you, so be careful to protect your heads.”
“The Burrowing Worm’s bite can snap trees.”
“If the enemy intends to bite you, you can immediately roll forward; this is the blind spot for their attack, as their serrated mouth cannot reach within 1.5 meters in front of them.”
Commands were issued one after another.
Other merchant guards showed expressions of shock, which gradually transformed into respect.
This was respect for the strong.
Strength does not merely refer to how astonishing your power is; your wisdom and experience are also parts of your strength!
Often, experience and wisdom are more useful than sheer brute force.
Soren seemed to have regained the feeling he had during past outdoor adventures, as there were very few wilderness creatures capable of threatening him after becoming a Legend.
He hadn’t encountered such battles in a long time.
The key points in dealing with the Burrowing Worm were to avoid its corrosive acid spray and biting attacks. While avoiding the spray was obvious, the biting attack was also deadly enough, capable of biting through trees. However, as a type of arthropod, the Burrowing Worm also has blind spots when it attacks, much like how it cannot bend its body to bite about a meter in front of itself. Given its enormous body, which is about ten meters long and partially underground, the Burrowing Worm does not move conveniently. At such times, one only needs to be cautious of its 6 to 12 legs.
In fact, there is an even simpler way to deal with the Burrowing Worm.
That is to rely on the mysterious descendant of the Northern Witch, whose spells are extremely powerful and can often achieve unexpected results.
However, spellcasters are always reluctant to act easily!
They need to ensure their spells are used at the most critical moments, so the main force of outdoor adventures still consists of warriors.
The number of spells that can be cast is limited.
Generally, spellcasters use light crossbows, short bows, slings, and other ranged weapons to assist in battle or use staffs and clubs to help out, as long as they don’t hit their own people. Only when facing large numbers of enemies or boss-level creatures do they unleash their spells without holding back.
A second-tier wizard can only use about a dozen spells in a day.
While the destructive force is adequate, the sustainability is not that impressive!
…
“Dismount!”
Before approaching, Soren ordered everyone to dismount and walk.
He then crouched down, listened for a moment, and said to the others, “Stamp your feet!”
“Keep in the same rhythm.”
“Stamp your feet with all your might and pay attention to your surroundings.”
The Burrowing Worm has a sensitivity to tremors, so it is very sensitive to the vibrations from the ground. This is the easiest way to provoke and anger them.
Indeed!
A faint sound came from underground, and the ground bulged slightly.
“They are right below.”
Soren shouted and began to retreat, as he still bore injuries unfit for direct combat.
He could still manage to deliver finishing blows when necessary.
“Disperse!”
The Guard Captain roared, his muscles began to swell. The Northern Barbarians possess a unique rage ability; due to their baptism by cold and special training methods, they do not experience a period of weakness after raging.
The only downside is that their rage does not last long.
Orc berserkers and barbarians can maintain their rage from 15 minutes to half an hour, during which their stamina and explosive power are amplified several times, turning them into killing machines.
But the Northern Barbarians can only sustain it for a few minutes!
They belong to an advanced profession of warriors and are not categorized with barbarians.
“Creak!”
An odd noise came from the ground, and suddenly a Burrowing Worm burst from the surface, spraying a stream of corrosive acid at the nearest warrior.
A desperate roll.
The warrior avoided half of the attack and, at the crucial moment, used his shield to cover himself.
Successful evasion!
Most of the corrosive acid landed on the shield, and he sustained little damage.
“Take it down!”
The Guard Captain rushed forward with his sword drawn, and the scattered merchant guards began their assault.
Five warriors maneuvered around the Burrowing Worm, while the others remained vigilant in their positions. There were still movements beneath the ground; the worms did not swarm out all at once.
They were waiting for an opportunity!
Waiting for enemies to be distracted, stealing the chance to ambush the isolated.
“d*mn it!”
Soren’s expression suddenly changed, and he ran forward frantically while grabbing a shield.
A Burrowing Worm had actually targeted him!
Because he was at the back, away from the battlefield, he became a ‘lone target’ in the eyes of the Burrowing Worm.
“Hiss!”
A Burrowing Worm emerged from behind Soren and sprayed a stream of acid.
He rolled to evade.
His agility of 20 points saved Soren at the last moment; he narrowly avoided the corrosive spray, then used the shield to block the splattering acid.
The last Burrowing Worm also emerged!
However, due to the sudden turn of events on Soren’s side, the others lost focus momentarily, and a merchant guard got sprayed on the arm, with most of the flesh on his arm corroded away. That guy was tough; he decisively chopped off his own arm and immediately pressed the wound, gritting his teeth to bandage it.
The severed arm fell to the ground and quickly corroded down to bare bones!
“Kosado!”
Another merchant guard shouted, seeming to want to rush over to help him.
“Stay focused.”
The guard with the severed arm stopped him, then retreated toward the back, speaking in a low voice, “I’m fine.”
“First, take them out!”
Injuries are commonplace for warriors, so their tolerance for pain is high. However, the guard demonstrated calm and composure despite losing an arm, which made Soren regard him much more favorably. This guy’s willpower is definitely strong; perhaps Northern people are naturally resilient, having been tempered by the harsh and cold environment since childhood.
It appeared he was a retired soldier!
Only soldiers who have seen life and d*ath can be so courageous and decisive.
“Attack its lower limbs!”
Now that he had become a target himself, Soren didn’t care about anything else.
He gritted his teeth, drew his curved blade, and began to move around the Burrowing Worm, occasionally taking opportunities to attack when it targeted others, leaving wounds in its more vulnerable areas. As for attacking its head, that was clearly impossible due to the injury in his leg affecting his agility.
Such a dangerous action should only be attempted in perfect condition, or else it would be playing with one’s life!
“d*e!”
A deep roar reverberated.
The Guard Captain seized a fleeting opportunity, leaped up abruptly, and mimicked Soren’s previous method, stabbing his long sword through the breach in the shell into the Burrowing Worm’s brain.
The first Burrowing Worm crashed to the ground!
The pressure on the others eased as Soren seized the chance to leave the battlefield and sought his opportunity for a lethal strike.
The opportunity soon arrived.
When a Burrowing Worm intended to launch a biting attack, he took a deep breath, began to run, and then leaped up, striking with the curved blade towards the side of the Burrowing Worm’s head.
A spray of dark green liquid splattered!
The Burrowing Worm’s body stiffened for a moment and then slumped down feebly.
Only one remained.
Just as the others prepared to take down the final Burrowing Worm, the injured one suddenly screeched and crazily waved its limbs as it bore down into the ground.
It intended to escape!
Soren did not hesitate; he took a breath to calm his pounding heart, then shouted to another warrior, “Give me a spear!”
A long spear was thrown over.
Soren caught the spear, turned it around, and then leaped up, reaching a height of four to five meters. He yelled, gripping the spear tightly, and dove it down into the ground.
Puff!
A spray of dark green bl**d erupted.
A high-pitched screech came from underground, and the soil shook and heaved as Soren held the spear down firmly, using all his strength to drive it deeper into the ground.
Finally.
The ground gradually calmed, and the battle came to an end.
…
(They possess unique rage techniques, allowing them to immerse themselves in ice water during training; the cold suppresses their raging power, preventing a significant increase in strength like barbarians, but also lessens the strain on their bodies from the rage while retaining their sanity, allowing them to maintain decent combat effectiveness after the rage ends.)
