Chapter 9

Roddy was certain that the orc camp before him was the first sharp tooth the orcs had extended to touch the Calen Kingdom. Because of its existence, the orcs began to gradually encroach on the border villages of the Calen Kingdom over the next few years, until about three years later, when internal strife in the kingdom led to a full-scale invasion!

Determined to save this kingdom, Roddy was filled with righteous zeal, but he understood that he had no right to explain the profound significance of this unremarkable camp to others. After all, he was just a 1st-level legion soldier. If he were to utter some "alarmist" words, who would believe him?

He needed strength, needed a voice, needed to become powerful.

Recalling the shock he had given the scouts at the shooting range today, Roddy cleared his throat and said, "This should be a typical small orc camp. Judging by the number of tents... there should be between twenty-eight and thirty-four orcs."

"There are traces of a simple animal pen around the camp, indicating that they have wolf riders, and there are about eight of them."

"Their combat strength is not strong, and the wolf riders have already gone out on patrol. Currently, there should be around twenty orcs left behind."

These words startled the scouts. Although they occasionally saw orcs from a distance at the border or heard rumors about these barbarians, no one had ever been able to make such precise judgments just by looking at the tents.

Moreover, they remembered clearly what Roddy looked like before yesterday—a coward who turned pale at the sight of a wild wolf. How could he now make such a calm and confident judgment like a veteran?

But recalling how he had hit all twelve arrows in the same spot today and then brutally beat up Rugar, and considering his previous actions, they had to accept a fact—Roddy was far from as simple as they had imagined.

"You... I mean... if we attack, do you think we have a chance of winning?"

As the captain, Carter wanted to say a few words to maintain his authority, but he clearly lacked the confidence. He changed his tone and asked politely.

Roddy frowned and thought for a moment, then cautiously replied, "I don't think we have a chance to fight them head-on, and there's always the possibility of encountering their cavalry. Wolf riders usually don't go too far because—"

He didn't finish his sentence. Suddenly, he turned his head and, without any explanation, sharply pulled the reins, urgently telling the scouts, "Quick! Get down! Don't stay here!"

Carter frowned but followed Roddy without hesitation, rushing down to the bottom of the grassy slope, out of the orcs' line of sight. However, the military skills of the group were not as good as Roddy had imagined. Two of the scouts had poor riding skills and struggled to get their horses down from the top of the slope...

Roddy thought they were in trouble. Although he hadn't seen anything unusual in his field of vision, he couldn't forget the distinctive sound of the running wargs, which proved that the expected orc cavalry was approaching!

Although the orcs here were only level 2-4 in his memory, those cavalry had once been the nightmare of all new players—highly mobile, and once attacked by wolf riders, ordinary players couldn't resist without sufficient ranged power... even 10th-level legion soldiers with heavy shields found it hard to withstand the charge of the wolf riders!

"Damn it!" Roddy heard the sound of the wargs' approach and knew that the enemy had discovered their group. He no longer tried to hide and immediately shouted, "Leave here! Quickly, quickly!"

At this moment, Roddy didn't care about letting Carter give the orders. He knew that a single step late could mean the annihilation of the entire group. His words carried the authority of the former "Shadow Hunter," and the soldiers instinctively obeyed.

He scanned the distance and quickly plotted a reasonable escape route based on his memory. Turning, he shouted, "I know the safe way out. Follow me, and don't look back!"

Carter, of course, knew who to trust in such a situation and instinctively responded, "Everyone, follow!"

The group immediately set off, and as their horses gained speed, a group of rapidly advancing black shadows appeared on a low hill in the distance...

The orc wolf riders indeed flanked them as Roddy had predicted!

The wargs, though not as tall as warhorses, were as robust as calves, and combined with the fierce orc warriors on their backs, they were a formidable sight.

A few scouts, hearing the commotion behind them, turned their heads and were instantly terrified, immediately spurring their horses to catch up with the group. The three new scouts in the second team, who had not yet fully understood why Captain Carter followed Roddy's orders so closely, now understood the reason...

The number of wolf riders was exactly as Roddy had predicted—eight, no more, no less!

A sense of relief washed over them... If not for Roddy's decisive command, they would have been charged down the hill and bitten by those orcs!

Thinking of this, the scouts felt a sense of gratitude toward Roddy, but when they turned back, they noticed that his route was somewhat strange. They didn't understand why the "safe route" Roddy mentioned involved so many rugged slopes. Logically, shouldn't they be looking for a gentle downhill path to let the horses run faster?

They didn't realize that while the wargs had powerful short bursts of speed, their endurance was far inferior to that of warhorses. The scouts were mostly climbing slopes, and the wargs, due to their size, moved much slower on inclines, significantly reducing their short-range pursuit advantage. If they couldn't catch up within a kilometer, the warhorses on the flat ground would easily outpace the exhausted wargs.

The Calen Kingdom, having enjoyed long peace, had forgotten the orcs' combat methods and characteristics, but Roddy knew them well. Another reason he chose the uphill route was that the wolf riders, besides being powerful in charges, had a formidable "net-throwing" skill. If a running warhorse was caught in a net, the outcome was obvious. On a slope, the wolf riders' net-throwing skill was also limited, reducing another major risk for the scouts.

Roddy's seemingly simple tactical command contained a depth of combat wisdom that Carter and the others couldn't grasp in a short time.

At the forefront, Roddy led the group over the last bit of the long uphill slope and then down a long incline. As the slope appeared, the orc wolf riders, who had been suppressed and unable to catch up, finally saw a chance. The leader roared and tried to charge, but soon realized his warg was exhausted, even panting as it went downhill...

Thus, they watched helplessly as the distance between them and the human scouts increased, and they let out frustrated howls...

But the orcs' inherent brutality and stubbornness kept the wolf riders from giving up. After a long downhill stretch, Roddy had already confirmed their identity—uniform black wargs, likely belonging to the orc tribe of Rohar's Hammer. Their status was similar to his, but the orc kingdom was tribal, and their "chiefs" were powerful figures, with more authority than dukes.

Their simple clothing, rusty curved swords, and unarmored wargs led Roddy to conclude that these orcs were no more than level 5, the lowest tier of wolf riders. However, combined with the wargs' impact, their sword attacks were at least four to five times more powerful than those of ordinary orcs. Dealing with them would not be easy.

Roddy was not surprised by their relentless pursuit. After dealing with orcs for so long, he knew their temperament well. So he decided to lead the scouts up another slope...

The group's speed slowed, and the wolf riders quickly closed the distance.

They howled and charged excitedly, but when they also climbed the slope and looked up, they suddenly realized that they had been controlled by the enemy's rhythm.

Ahead, Roddy's group had already reached the top of the slope and was turning!

The wolf rider leader, sensing something was wrong, tried to give orders to his companions, but saw the human leader straighten up and raise a distinctively orcish horn bow...

In the next instant, before the orc leader could react, an arrow pierced his chest with a "thud"!

The warg's forward momentum increased the arrow's power, causing him to lose balance and fall off the warg—

The following wolf riders had no time to dodge and trampled over his body, the compounded damage instantly killing the strongest wolf rider leader without a sound!

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