Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Enigmatic Fruit

"Roar... roar... roar..." Mikaro punched and stomped in fury, but there was nothing he could do against the nimble Wolf! Meanwhile, Wolf continued to inflict wounds upon him, further enraging the beast and drawing out more furious howls.

Seeing that Mikaro was being held at bay by the werewolf, the villagers grew bolder. They nocked arrows and let loose a rain of them, the dense volley whistling down upon the ferocious monster.

"Focus your attacks! Aim at the same spot!" Jia Zhengjin shouted from atop the city wall. "If you miss the monster, that's fine, but don't hit Wolf!"

The villagers thought to themselves that the werewolf was his subordinate—if it got shot, what did it matter to them? Of course, that was just a thought; none of them dared provoke this foreigner now, not when he might send his troops to attack them from behind while they faced Mikaro.

Perrin, having locked Alex in the cell, quickly returned to the wall. Upon witnessing the scene before her, she drew her iron sword once more, ready to join the fray.

"Perrin, stay where you are!" Jia Zhengjin stopped her. "Wolf is handling it just fine—he doesn’t need help! And with the villagers' poor aim, Wolf can dodge easily, but who knows if you or I could!"

"Understood!" Perrin sheathed her sword, her face expressionless.

"Melee is too dangerous, but ranged support might work!" Jia Zhengjin whistled, and the kobold chief ran over at once. "Take all the crossbowmen and join the battle. I want that monster dead!"

The kobold chief threw back his head and howled, then immediately ran down to open the gates and led more than a hundred kobold crossbowmen into the fight.

At first, the villagers were startled, but they soon realized the kobolds had no intention of attacking them—instead, they joined in against Mikaro. Though wary, the villagers felt somewhat reassured.

Mikaro was tough and resilient, but under Wolf's relentless clawing, the arrows of over five hundred villagers, the powerful bolts of the kobold crossbowmen, and the kobold chief’s unending barrage of fireballs, he managed to hold out for just over half an hour before his strength failed. Bleeding profusely and gravely wounded, he finally collapsed with a thunderous crash.

[Notification] The kobold chief has slain Mikaro! You have gained 600 experience points!

"I didn't expect you to be so good at stealing kills!" Jia Zhengjin said, marveling at the kobold chief. "Snagging the kill with a small fireball amidst such concentrated attacks—I have to hand it to you!"

With Mikaro dead, the villagers cheered with delight. But then, remembering that Alex was missing and that they were still surrounded by the formidable werewolf, the massive kobold chief, and over a hundred kobold crossbowmen, their joy quickly turned to fear.

"Villagers!" Seeing this, Jia Zhengjin called out, "The village chief's son is in my custody, locked in the dungeon. I have no intention of attacking the Empire of Gale, nor do I wish to harm any of you! I have no interest in overthrowing the empire! We are not enemies—there’s no need to fight! Do you really think you can defeat Wolf and my kobold army? Listen to me: lay down your weapons now, and I guarantee your safe return to your village and your families! Even if you don’t trust a stranger like me, surely you trust Tina, don’t you?"

"Swear by the name of the Creator that you will never wage war on the Empire of Gale! Swear that you will not harm a single one of us! Otherwise, we cannot trust you!" someone among the villagers shouted.

"Very well!" Jia Zhengjin nodded at once. "I swear by the name of the Creator that I will never initiate war against the Empire of Gale! I also swear not to do anything that would endanger the villagers!"

In this world, oaths carried great weight, for each one drew the gaze of the gods. To break an oath was to invite divine punishment.

After swearing, Jia Zhengjin felt an indescribable connection form between himself and the villagers.

The villagers, reassured, finally lowered their wooden spears and bows to the ground, then huddled together with their hands over their heads, awaiting their fate. With the protection of the oath, at least they no longer feared being killed.

"Escort them into the city—have them wait in the clearing!" Jia Zhengjin ordered. Wolf led the way while the kobolds quickly gathered the discarded spears and bows, urging the villagers through the gates.

Once all the villagers had been brought to the open area, Jia Zhengjin hurried outside to Mikaro’s body and began searching it.

[Notification] You have obtained Heavy Iron Armor!
[Notification] You have obtained Mikaro’s Head!
[Notification] You have obtained the Whirlwind Slash Skill Book!
[Notification] You have obtained a Perfect Steel Longsword!
[Notification] You have obtained Exotic Fruit ×2!
[Notification] You have obtained Windmill Construction Blueprints!

[Heavy Iron Armor] Defense 22. Extremely heavy, but offers remarkable protection!
[Mikaro’s Head] Word has it someone is recruiting heroes to slay Mikaro and avenge his father! Bring these three heads to the tavern in Blackwater Town—you may receive a generous reward!
[Whirlwind Slash Skill Book] Grants the warrior sword skill Whirlwind Slash upon use. Requires a sword to activate.
[Perfect Steel Longsword] Attack 45, Accuracy +2, Strength +5.

[Exotic Fruit] Possesses miraculous effects that are only revealed upon consumption. Each fruit’s flavor and effect are unique—a gamble of luck.
[Windmill Construction Blueprints] Allows construction of a windmill. Required materials: 5,000 wood, 10,000 stone, 10 iron ingots.

He drew a dagger and dismembered Mikaro’s corpse, then burned the skeleton before returning to the city with his spoils.

The heavy iron armor boasted formidable defense but was far too heavy. When Jia Zhengjin tried it on, he found himself unable to move freely. So he called Perrin over. "Put this on and try it!"

"Yes, sir!" Perrin immediately donned the heavy armor, but felt no discomfort at all.

To think a woman could outdo him! Jia Zhengjin felt somewhat embarrassed.

The Whirlwind Slash skill book was a sword technique, and Jia Zhengjin didn’t like swords—he preferred polearms. So after some thought, he handed both the skill book and the perfect steel longsword to Perrin.

Perrin had already proven her loyalty through action and had sworn by the name of the God of War, so Jia Zhengjin had no qualms about entrusting these to her.

As for the exotic fruits, he decided to sample one first. He took a tentative bite, found it rather flavorless, and finished it off with a frown.

[Notification] You ate an Exotic Fruit and gained 3 points of Agility!

It actually increased his stats? Thrilled, Jia Zhengjin hurriedly popped the second one into his mouth.

[Notification] You ate an Exotic Fruit, gained 3 points of Constitution, and have entered a state of Overwhelming Lust, lasting 12 hours!

"Overwhelming Lust? What the hell?" Jia Zhengjin was dumbfounded, and then he suddenly felt something amiss below—his little brother was standing at attention!