Chapter 13

Roddy squinted his eyes and spoke in a low voice about his plan, "The兽人 camp has lost the Wolf Riders, this mobile force, and they can't replenish it in a short time. This means that for a few days, they will definitely be short of troops! I think... if we launch a surprise attack, we might be able to directly remove this thorn and make those兽人 scram!"

This seemed to suit Ruge's taste. Although he was still resentful about Roddy beating him, if the兽人 could really be driven away as Roddy said, he was more than willing to put aside the "secondary contradiction" and firmly unite to combat the "primary contradiction" — after all, in his heart, he still wanted to avenge his fallen comrades.

If Roddy could really let him kill those damn兽人, Ruge would be willing to take more than just one beating, even ten!

"You said there are still over twenty兽人 in the camp, so... even if we all go together, we have no hope of winning. Don't tell me you're just good with words. You can kill Wolf Riders, I believe that, but how do we kill a whole camp of兽人? Can we even win?"

This was a very objective question, and no matter how eloquent Roddy was, he couldn't avoid it. To be honest, Ruge still hoped that this young man could come up with a plan. Killing eight Wolf Riders today had already made him realize that the other party was more capable than he appeared, but he needed a reason.

A reason to step forward and avenge his fallen comrades.

"The kingdom hasn't dealt with兽人 for a long time, and many people have forgotten their weaknesses, forgotten our human advantages... or rather, we seem to have forgotten the most important point — that is...兽人 are not as strong as you think."

Roddy's words were somewhat sarcastic. In the past thirty years, there have been many skirmishes and battles on the border, but without a lord leading a large army, humans, lacking formation and tactics, could not defeat the strong兽人 in small-scale battles.

On this point, others might not understand, but Ruge raised his eyebrows thoughtfully.

"Why can I easily take down these兽人? Why did we win today's battle without any losses?" Roddy was not speaking to Ruge with a mocking tone but as a fellow "captain," which made Ruge accept everything he said without resentment. "Because war is not a one-on-one fight. Using the right tactics, we can also defeat them without bloodshed, just like today!"

Rhetoric combined with facts truly convinces people. Regardless of whether Roddy was previously holding back, the fact that he single-handedly took out half a Wolf Rider squad was undeniable, and no one could doubt his words.

Hearing these words, Ruge's wavering heart was suddenly filled with a long-lost excitement — a passion that had never truly cooled...

"If... I mean, if — you really have the confidence, a squad of scouts will follow your command!"

"Moreover, as long as we can kill those green-skinned beasts, I won't hold a grudge about what happened today." Ruge squinted his eyes, "But if you're just exaggerating..."

The rest of the words were unnecessary; this was just Ruge's way of expressing himself. For such a statement, Roddy simply nodded in acceptance. He didn't rush to say anything but scanned the scouts in front of him, waiting a few seconds before continuing, "...I only emphasize one point: this is war, and any of us could die at any moment, without even leaving a body."

The atmosphere instantly became quiet.

"If we want to stop them, what we need to do is not just reconnaissance or shooting a few arrows and running away, but to fight the兽人 face-to-face!"

"We will ultimately have to face those guys, and there is no room for侥幸."

"So... if anyone wants to back out, I won't stop you. But among those who stay, I don't want to see any cowards dragging us down."

At this moment, Roddy indeed had the right to speak these words to the scouts. Whether this team of only fourteen people could be called an "army," any small group needs a leader — and Roddy was now the core of this small team about to set out.

No one backed down in the face of Roddy's words.

Perhaps out of ignorance, perhaps out of naivety, but more so out of the unextinguished passion in their hearts, just like Ruge's...

This scene was not unexpected by Roddy... Having fought for the Kingdom of Carren on the battlefield, he understood... no matter whether this country ultimately falls, its people have an indomitable will.

Especially in this border region, where battles are frequent, "blood" and "courage" are the most obvious labels for everyone.

Things began to go smoothly from there. Roddy became the overall commander of the two scout teams, set the meeting time for the next day, and then dismissed them. After a silent dinner with everyone harboring their own thoughts, he picked up two scimitars and headed to the blacksmith's shop.

Was this battle necessary?

Roddy weighed it for a long time and finally decided to take action. He was not the type to rush in recklessly. As a former tech enthusiast and a ranger, he knew how to achieve the most with the least resources.

Beating Ruge in the morning was not just to vent his anger — eliminating the unstable factor in the team was Roddy's fundamental goal. If Ruge was reasonable, that would be best; if not, Roddy would not let him follow. The current outcome was better than expected, with the scouts united and their goal clear. With such a team, Roddy dared to make the decision to attack the next day.

Just a few dozen兽人 of level 4 or below, Roddy was confident that with his skills and knowledge of兽人, he could solve the problem alone in a few days. However, that would risk the enemy replenishing the Wolf Riders, and considering his overall plan, Roddy ultimately felt that a lone wolf couldn't change a country.

He needed more resources, even if it was just a dozen scouts of level 4 or below.

But thinking about the number of兽人 in the camp, he couldn't help but sigh...

"It's a bit troublesome."

Recalling the scene from today, the兽人 camp had dug trenches to obstruct cavalry attacks, which was a significant disadvantage for the scouts, who had the advantage of horses. If the兽人 fortified their position, it would be impossible to win with fewer numbers on the plains — while conventional tactics might not be without a chance, the casualties would be heavy.

Holding two兽人 scimitars, Roddy walked into the blacksmith's shop, thinking about how to solve the problem with the fewest resources, but his appearance startled the blacksmith, Stan, who trembled and almost fled in terror.

The reason was simple: the兽人 scimitars were far more intimidating than the standard short swords used by scouts. Holding one was already difficult for most people, and Roddy held two, looking extremely fierce, even more so than the bandits described by bards. Stan, who had been a blacksmith for thirty years, had not seen much of the world. The largest city he had been to was Holier, and he had never seen a living兽人, let alone elves or halflings. So, seeing Roddy walk into the shop at sunset truly frightened him.

"Uncle Stan, it's me."

Roddy quickly sheathed the scimitars and showed a harmless smile — Stan, of course, recognized Roddy. He had borrowed tools to polish the horn bow earlier that morning, but with the darkness, the silhouette was quite menacing. Hearing Roddy's voice, the timid middle-aged man finally emerged from the corner, took a moment to recover, and then complained, "It's... you... Roddy... What are you doing here so late?"

"I want to borrow your forge and anvil." Roddy got straight to the point with this request that left Stan speechless.

As a player who had transitioned from a life player to a PVP player with a berserker secondary class, Roddy had also studied "weapon forging," though not at the highest level, only at the "Advanced" level. However, compared to the blacksmith in front of him, Roddy was more than qualified to be his master.

In "Rift," weapons did not drop from monsters; most player weapons had to be crafted, including bows, arrows, regular weapons, and even crossbows. As a result, the number of life players was no less than that of PVP players, and Roddy was one of the many who had worked tirelessly to forge, tan, and craft bows.

For the current Roddy, he needed to modify these two scimitars — including adjusting the center of gravity, reducing the blade weight, and sharpening them — to make them usable for his level 2 self.

Roddy was well aware that his advantage lay in his memory and combat skills. The berserker's ferocity lay in its ability to significantly increase burst damage. Although he was now only a level 2 minor character with greatly reduced attributes compared to before, using berserker combat techniques, he could still double his attack power within the same level.

The only concern was the loss of defense — as a level 2 basic character, his defense was minimal. He could only rely on his combat experience to dodge, and facing the powerful兽人, blocking and parrying were not reliable. Without the attribute advantage, Roddy admitted he couldn't match the strength of those green-skinned beasts.

He pondered his tactics in his mind, but the blacksmith, Stan, remained unmoved, thinking Roddy was crazy — "Roddy, I know your battle with the兽人 is tough and dangerous, but that's no reason to go crazy..."

"Huh?" Roddy snapped back to reality, seeing Stan's comforting expression and feeling somewhat amused, "I need to modify these two swords. I just need to borrow your tools, no extra materials needed."

"Do you think blacksmithing is playing with mud?! I, Stan, have been a blacksmith for thirty years —"

Before he could finish, Roddy handed over a few copper coins from his pocket...

"Can I play with mud once, Uncle Stan?"

Roddy had no other choice but to resort to his old trick. Fortunately, Stan was not that unreasonable. Seeing Roddy's determination, he waved his hand and let him use the tools, not even looking at the copper coins. Compared to the quartermaster Dick, he was a truly kind-hearted villager.

Roddy didn't waste any time, took the tools, and started working by the still-hot forge, skillfully pumping the bellows to raise the flame temperature, and then began his modifications with a "ding ding" sound.

Stan, who had initially thought Roddy was just having a whimsical moment, stood with his arms crossed. At first, he expected Roddy to give up after a few hammer strikes, but to his surprise, Roddy's movements were standard and professional, like a seasoned blacksmith...

This made him widen his eyes, and his initial arrogance vanished.

He then opened his mouth in amazement, as Roddy's forging skills even made Stan feel genuinely inferior...