Chapter Sixty-Three: Night Raid
Lizardmen. One of the most annoying creatures in the swamp, their population is vast. Although they aren’t as powerful as werewolves, with only a basic Biological Level of 2, their numbers are more than ten times that of the werewolves. Typically, a small lizardman tribe will consist of one or two hundred individuals, and when conflict arises, they can mobilize dozens or even hundreds of warriors. Most adventurers avoid provoking them. Within a lizardman tribe, there is usually at least one spellcaster—either a sorcerer or a druid—who is adept at taming and enslaving monsters, capable of casting a limited number of spells, yet they often bring some ferocious swamp beasts with them.
For example, the swamp giant lizard.
A creature with a Challenge Level of 6, a length of 5 meters, and a weight of around 1500 pounds.
“Can you help us?” The girl whom he had met last night approached, her eyes red. She looked up at Soren with hope and said, “You are an adventurer. And everyone says you are very powerful. You must have a way to deal with those lizardmen, right?”
Soren shook his head gently and replied seriously, “I’m sorry. I can’t do anything either.”
“There are so many of them, and quite a few archers. This group of warriors can’t hold them off. If we don’t leave, they’ll capture the village and k*ll everyone.” Lizardmen are quite similar to humans.
They cultivate some food, with hunting being their primary source of meat. Their gathering places resemble villages, either dug-out caves or makeshift huts. Human villages in the wilderness usually have populations of hundreds, and lizardmen have a similar number. However, there aren’t many warriors among humans, while over 50% of lizardmen are warriors, and they have many archers as well. Dealing with such creatures cannot be solved by individual strength; at the very least, there is no one present with a Profession Level high enough to dominate a crowd.
They would need a warrior with a Profession Level of 15 or above, or a spellcaster of level 12 or above.
If he could confront 50 to 100 lizardmen alone while others handled the rest, it might be possible to repel them.
The lizardmen were forced to migrate out of the Black Qi Swamp.
All areas near water sources could become their new targets as a struggle for living space ensues, and the process is very brutal. Peaceful coexistence is a luxury, and ultimately, a winner will emerge to claim territory. Human villages often engage in violent skirmishes for irrigation water sources, leading to fatalities, not to mention interspecies territorial conflicts. There were once tens of millions of Indigenous people living in the Americas, but less than one-tenth of them survived the slaughter. The entire process resulted in the deaths of tens of millions.
This is merely the struggle among humans; if one considers the disparities between different races, the process becomes even more bloody.
Lizardmen would slaughter all humans, including women and children.
This world is bloody and dark; there’s no need to harbor grand illusions about the level of civilization; humans have also emerged through gradual struggles.
Soren would not risk himself for them; he lacks the capability, and it’s not worth it.
He could only offer his advice!
Whether to leave is their business, and ultimately, they must bear the consequences.
………………
Perhaps due to the lizardmen’s attack, the militia captain forgot to arrange accommodations for him. Soren didn’t mind and went to rest in the wood shed. Outside, double the number of guards were patrolling for defense, while the militia captain was discussing with the village elders whether they should evacuate. Leaving one’s homeland is a difficult choice, and disputes arose among them, but Soren had no interest in getting involved. Personal strength has its limits before reaching the Legendary Domain; dealing with a few lizardmen is manageable, but it’s beyond him to handle more.
Thus, he planned to leave tomorrow and continue observing the situation ahead.
Out of caution regarding the lizardmen, Soren didn’t sleep, merely closing his eyes to feign rest, as they might conduct a night raid.
The night grew deeper.
Soren remained awake, in a state of half-dreaming and half-waking.
Suddenly, he seemed to hear the sound of something falling, instantly opening his eyes and rolling over to rise from the heap of grass.
Clang.
Soren drew his curved blade and cautiously approached the door.
Outside, the light of torches flickered. Due to the daytime attack, the militia had heightened their vigilance, and he could hear the sounds of sentries patrolling. In such circumstances, even he had little confidence in sneaking in quietly, so he couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved. However, due to his usual caution, Soren walked along the wall to the fence. He hadn’t seen any signs yet—torches were still planted around, and someone was guarding the watchtower; sneaking up was quite difficult.
“What is this?”
Just as Soren prepared to return to sleep, he suddenly stopped, bending down to examine the ground. There was a damp mark; it had been dry these past few days, and it hadn’t rained, but this patch was a bit wet. He cautiously pinched the soil and smelled it; a faint fishy odor seemed to have been left by something.
“Lizardmen!?”
Soren’s hair stood on end, and he rolled over, pressing against the wall with his curved blade held across his chest, speaking sternly, “Stealth Assassin?”
Lizardman Stealth Assassins.
Only advanced assassins can infiltrate undetected. With 100 points in Stealth, they achieve an effect similar to an Invisibility Spell when in the shadows, making it hard to see their traces with the n*ked eye.
“Not good!”
Soren dashed towards the signal tower; lizardman stealth assassins had likely already infiltrated.
Bang.
A dull sound suddenly echoed from behind, followed by a woman’s yell, “It’s bad! The warehouse is on fire!”
The alarm spread throughout the entire village.
The patrolling guard and militia near the watchtower froze for a moment, immediately someone attempted to rush over to extinguish the flames.
“This is bad.” Soren hadn’t expected the lizardmen would start a fire; without a second thought, he shouted, “Enemy attack! There are lizardmen outside!”
In the brief moment of distraction.
Suddenly, the sound of bowstrings vibrating echoed in the night, and the guard in the watchtower trembled before falling with a thud. An arrow shot from the darkness, piercing through his leather armor, impaling his heart on the spot.
“Longbowmen!”
Soren plunged into the shadows; surprisingly, the lizardmen had trained longbowmen, rendering the leather armor worn by these militiamen as useless as paper. The ordinary militia was clearly in a panic, but the seasoned retired adventurers quickly regained their composure, starting to rally others for defense. With their rich combat experience, although they had bid farewell to their adventuring lives, they weren’t completely at a loss in this situation.
Bang bang bang!
Heavy thuds echoed outside the door, followed by a terrified shout from a young man, “Ogre!”
Soren’s mood plummeted.
He clenched his curved blade, took a deep breath, and crept towards the back. The village might not hold out, and he needed to find a way to break out when necessary. Right now, the priority wasn’t to deal with the lizardmen and ogres outside, but to eliminate the stealth assassins who had sneaked in. These enemies that could become invisible in the shadows were the most dangerous threat.
If they were left to mount a surprise attack, the chaos within would escalate before the outside was breached.
“I didn’t expect to run into a fellow traveler so soon!”
Soren’s expression grew serious as he moved silently along the corner of the wall, his silhouette obscured in shadow. He held his curved blade tightly, advancing inch by inch while paying attention to the ground around him. Stealth assassins are not visible to the n*ked eye; when in stealth, they achieve an effect akin to an Invisibility Spell, so he could only determine their position through special signs, like footprints left on the ground or the slight movements they made while moving.
Soren had faced fellow assassins more than once; as long as they showed any signs, he could pinpoint their location.
The entire village was in a state of chaos.
Screams from women and children intermixed with the shouts of adult men. The long-standing militia training finally had some effect, as many adult men picked up weapons and gathered together. The fire in the warehouse was getting larger; suddenly, the light from the blazing flames distorted, as if presenting a shimmering silhouette that soon vanished. In that instant, Soren darted out like a cheetah, slashing his curved blade at the empty air before him!
A splash of bl**d erupted.
Some creature that seemed like a hybrid of lizard and human revealed its trace.
