CHAPTER 57: Kill and Steal

A cloud of dust rose in the distance as the muffled footsteps sounded like a muffled drum in everyone's heart. A line of gleaming longswords came into view, followed by the sight of powerful orcs straddling their huge wolf mounts.

These orc-wolf riders had obviously already completed a round of plundering. The sacks of the giant wolves beneath them were bulging at the seams. It looked as if the shops in the town of Drol had been looted until not a single shingle was left.

Perhaps it was because the wolf riders were carrying too much booty, but the speed of the giant wolves below them had obviously been affected. That was how Beacher and the others, riding spindly battle steeds, had managed to get here.

Behind the giant rock, Han Shuo wielded a tough and powerful crossbow, calmly aiming it at the most stalwart orc leading the group. At his side, Fanny also held a crossbow and kept changing the direction she was aiming at, a resolute light gleaming in her eyes. It was as if Fanny, too, knew how to steel her heart in the face of death.

Lisa's hands were empty, but she and all the other students had large boulders beside them. These boulders had been placed by Han Shuo earlier. All they needed was a strong push to start them rolling and they were sure to wreak havoc and devastation even more terrifying than the crossbows.

Accompanied by the howling of the giant wolves, a column of more than a dozen wolf riders, swift as the wind and quick as lightning, finally appeared at the entrance to the passage. Their speed was furious, and they hadn't expected to be ambushed. They all brandished their longswords and shouted wildly, spurring the giant wolves to charge.

"Awoo awoo awoo awoo."

Some of the leading wolves were suddenly checked by the tripwires as their front legs buckled and they lost their balance. They let out desperate howls as the four wolf riders, carried forward by their own momentum, suddenly flew off the backs of their giant wolves.

PaPaPaPa.

The four orcs waved their arms wildly as they crashed uncontrollably into the acid swamp ahead, landing with a thud.

The four orcs who had landed in the acid swamp also let out horrible cries, similar to those of their giant wolves. As they wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves, it was as if acid had been poured on their strong bodies. Their flesh, blood, hair and even their clothes turned to bloody water that quickly flowed into the acid swamp. The four orc wolf riders had turned into four giant skeletons in the blink of an eye.

These four orc wolf riders were only the first to be so unlucky. Three more wolf riders behind them were unable to stop their attack in time and were also thrown into the acid swamp. They also turned into three skeletons in an instant.

"This acid swamp is worthy of the title of advanced necromancy. Master Fanny, you're amazing! You must teach me this magic when we get back to the academy!" Han Shuo said to Fanny in low excitement when he saw that the Acid Bog was so vicious.

However, he suddenly noticed that Fanny's face turned horribly white after he finished speaking, and noticed that her look at the acid swamp wasn't quite right. He used his body to bump into Fanny and asked again, "Master Fanny, are you all right?"

Fanny suddenly regained her senses after being bumped by Han Shuo and said frantically, "No, nothing. This is the first time I've tried to cast this acid swamp magic since I mastered it, and I really didn't think this magic would be so harmful."

Just as Han Shuo and Fanny were talking, the ten or so orc wolf riders had all crashed into each other in chaos and confusion as those in the front had suddenly pulled on the reins and stopped their giant wolves, while the wolf riders in the rear couldn't stop their charge. A few orcs fell from their giant wolves as a result of the impact.

The tripwires and acid swamp were now useless. The orcs tried to regain their footing and formation as they shouted amid the din of voices and panic.

"Kill!"

At that moment, Han Shuo suddenly gathered his strength and roared loudly.

Lisa and the others had already been busy sharpening their weapons and were itching for action. Hearing Han Shuo's roar, they also shouted loudly as they pushed the huge boulders beside them down the hill. More than ten boulders used an imposing momentum that flared up in the sky and alternately rolled or flew down on the orc wolf riders below, accompanied by enormous rumbling sounds.

Suddenly, the orc wolf riders, who had been the hunters, became the prey. The rolling boulders became murder weapons, taking life and quickly cutting down the orcs. Already packed like sardines, the orcs hadn't had a chance to reorganise their formation properly. Faced with the descent of the giant boulders, they immediately paid a heavy price.

Four huge boulders rained down on them, smashing six orcs and their giant wolf steeds into a pool of blood. The rest of the large boulders followed with a ferocious momentum down the slope of the hill. As they crashed into the wolf riders, a chorus of anguished screams and wails rang out.

By the time this wave of giant rocks had finished, another fifteen wolf riders had died instantly. Another ten or so had been caught in the chaos and suffered injuries of varying degrees. As these orcs screamed in panic and fear, they suddenly discovered that the way back was also blocked by large boulders. Many figures suddenly appeared on the hillsides, accompanied by curses and volleys of crossbow bolts and magical attacks.

"Cruel and barbaric orcs! Die! All of you!" On the other side, Irene of the Light major had stood up on the side of the hill and cursed in a low voice with a face full of disgust. She then began to chant light magic and attacked the orcs with Beacher. It seemed as if they had finally found a target to take out their frustrations after being pursued so relentlessly by the wolf riders.

At that moment, there were about thirty orc wolf riders still alive in the passage. However, these wolf riders had to face the various magical attacks from both sides of the hills. With his crossbow, Han Shuo would shoot calmly as soon as he focused on an orc. As long as those orcs were hit by Han Shuo's crossbow bolt, they would instantly fall down, even if they hadn't suffered a hit to a vital organ. They would never get up again.

"Huh? How come the orcs you've hit all never get up again, even if they've only been grazed? The ones I've hit, as long as I haven't hit a vital part, only suffer minor discomfort?" At the side, Fanny wrinkled her forehead and asked confusedly after observing the situation for a while.

"Heh heh, that goes without saying. I took some time earlier to sprinkle some poison dust on my quiver of crossbow bolts. They're absolutely finished if even a tiny bit gets on them!" Han Shuo shot and killed another orc and explained quietly as if nothing had happened.

Fanny started when she heard his words, then angrily pointed at Han Shuo and said viciously, "You, you're a bit despicable. Where did you learn such evil methods? We cannot use poisoned arrows even when two countries are fighting... that is an unwritten rule of the Profound Continent."

Shrugging his shoulders, Han Shuo said timidly, "This is a fight to the death. Being despicable has nothing to do with it. Killing them at the lowest possible price is the right way, you are too stubborn to stick to outdated rules and ideas!"

"Yes, Bryan is right. Those damned orcs have burned, killed, plundered and raided the city of Drol. They use us every winter to raid the borders of the Empire. There's no need to talk about rules with them. Off to the side, Lisa suddenly interjected at this moment, obviously siding with Han Shuo's methods.

"Hmph, you two brats are both lily-livered. No wonder you've become close. Bryan, I'll let it go this time. You can't tell anyone what you've done once you're back in the Empire, and you can't do it in the future either. If they find out, I'm sure they'll send armed forces to suppress you. Fanny rolled her eyes at both of them and suddenly gave them a stern warning.

Han Shuo understood Fanny's good intentions. The poison powder sold in Drol City was all for use against the wild and violent magical creatures in the Dark Forest. Ordinarily, no one would dare use it against such enemies in broad daylight.

However, Han Shuo only listened to Fanny's admonitions and was still quite contemptuous inwardly. If it came down to it and his life was in danger, he would surely throw caution to the wind and use even more despicable methods.

Under the assault of crossbow bolts and various magics, the remaining orc wolf riders could only use their crossbows to attack the ambushers on the hillsides. However, Han Shuo and the others had taken full advantage of the advantage of land and numbers. Under the constant onslaught of attacks, the orc wolf riders fell one by one into puddles of blood, obviously dead.

When there were only five wolf riders left, they finally began to fear. The giant wolves could not climb over the huge rocks, so the orcs jumped down from the giant wolves, even giving up all the resources in the pouches on the wolves' bodies. They began to retreat without a care in the world.

"Oh no, they're getting away. If they escape, more wolf riders will come. Everyone go after them!" Han Shuo's expression changed drastically when he saw this situation and he hastily shouted loudly, but his body remained where it was.

Everyone panicked after Han Shuo's words and rushed down the slope, frantically chasing after the fleeing orcs. The three warriors who had been hiding ran the fastest, racing down the rocky slope as if they were on flat ground. They were quickly followed by a group of mages. Beacher was in the lead, along with Gene, Bach and a few other necromancy students. They all raised their staffs and ran out.

Just as Fanny tentatively pushed her body out and was about to run out from behind the giant rock, Han Shuo suddenly reached out and abruptly wrapped his arm around Fanny's waist in a hug. He asked in a low voice, "It's so dangerous, why are you going?"

Fanny's slender waist was suddenly wrapped by Han Shuo's arm, causing her entire body to go numb. She turned her head to see that the other necromancy students who were also about to leave were all looking at her strangely, especially Lisa, who seemed to be suppressing her anger.

Fanny blinked and became agitated as she came to her senses. A red flush came over her face and she began to struggle violently, saying angrily, "What are you doing, hurry up and let me go. Why are you holding me back?"

"You won't miss us, and don't we have more important things to do right now?" Han Shuo released his grip and chuckled.

"What could be more important?" Fanny and the others all asked in confusion.

"Collecting the spoils of war! The resources in those bags on the giant wolves are all glittering gold coins when taken to a city in the empire!" Han Shuo laughed heartily as his body had already rushed down from the mountain.

Fanny, Lisa and the others were stunned. They lost their hesitation when they saw that a few other cleverj strangers were also rushing downhill. They all shouted gleefully and ran to the fallen wolf riders to collect the spoils of war, without a thought for their composure or behaviour.

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