Wain and his followers ventured through the forest for several days. During this time, they encountered numerous other tribes of monster tribes, usually wiping them out mercilessly. But some tribes, like Old Potato's, chose to surrender and Wain allowed them to join their ranks.
Currently, he led a group of about eighty monsters, which led him to question his occupation. Although his task was to destroy, the system almost forced him to build an army, since it was way easier to cause destruction as a group.
Wain had also undergone significant personal growth, reaching level 31 and breaking through into the higher realm of 1st-grade, after consuming all the mana cores he had obtained.
He also felt that he was very close to reaching the 2nd-grade, but he needed a little more resources for that and relying on mana crystals was becoming slow and he couldn't afford to waste time with potential threat Edvin Elton.
On their fifth day of travel, they finally arrived at their destination. The Barestone Mountains!
The rugged terrain of the mountains made Wain confident they could hide here from any human threat. Moreover, as they were drawing nearer to the mountains, the monsters they encountered also got stronger, reinforcing his belief that Edwin Elton wouldn't pursue them into this environment.
Unfortunately, just as they reached the entrance to the mountain, their path got blocked by a group of gnolls.
Gnolls were strong humanoids, nearly two meters tall, resembling hyenas. In contrast to many other monsters, they exhibited a fair degree of intelligence and wielded weapons with a lot of proficiency, which made them challenging opponents.
[Gnoll] (Humanoid Beast, No-grade)
Level 21
Hp 160/160
Two gnolls armed with spears stood guard at the border of their territory, their fierce gazes locked onto Wain's group. They showed no fear, since the group in front of them consisted mostly of goblins and their reinforcements were on the way, so they were confident in dealing with them.
Wain also understood that the goblins weren't capable of dealing with the situation and decided to deal with it on his own.
2nd-grade spell, Spears of Flames!
Without a single word, Wain materialized seven fiery spears and shot them towards the two gnolls, who were completely caught off guard and died on the spot.
Wain had already learned that it wasn't worth trying to reason with monsters, either they submitted or died.
The two gnolls had been unfortunate not to choose the former option before their untimely demise, but Wain had no intentions of being fair. Anyone who stood in his way would meet a swift end.
As Wain prepared to move on, he noticed more gnolls approaching.
Noticing, their comrades were dead. The gnolls looked at Wain differently, unsure whether to attack him or not. A few of them immediately hurried back to notify their leader, while the rest remained standing not far from Wain.
"This is going to be troublesome." Wain recognized the situation. If he wanted to get into the Barestone Mountains, he would definitely have to get through these gnolls first.
2nd-grade spell, Barrage of Fire!
Casting another 2nd-grade spell he recently purchased, several fireballs hurtling toward the distant gnolls, who attempted to flee upon seeing the flames. Unfortunately, Wain was not one to spare his opponents. Swiftly casting [Spears of Flames] once more, he ended the lives of the gnolls, before they could escape.
"Let's continue," Wain said coldly, and the goblins followed behind. During the days following Wain, they also grew more understanding of their leader. He was frightening! With power to summon fire, no one in the forest could match him and he killed mercilessly at the sight.
However, they also learned that nothing would happen to them as long as they obeyed his commands and sufficiently hunted, so they continued to follow him since they felt safe from the other predators with him.
The group ventured into the mountain range, the ground beneath their feet changed from the soft forest ground to cold stone. Many of the goblins grew anxious as the environment changed, which has only gotten worse, when a large group of gnolls, led by a massive, muscular gnoll wielding a battle ax, blocked their path.
[Rryk, the Chief of Gnolls] (Humanoid Beast, middle 1st-grade)
Level 54
Hp 642/642
Who killed my kin?!" The Chief of the Gnolls, Rryk, bellowed upon seeing Wain's group, sending a shiver of fear through many of the goblins and other weaker monsters. Confronted by Rryk, they felt utterly powerless, thankfully they had their leader to protect them.
"I knew this would happen." Wain stared at Rryk casting the [Spears of Flames]. Although he had many more 2nd-grade spells, he liked this one the most, because it was the fastest to cast, with a great destructive effect.
Rryk was at first startled, when he saw the fiery spears, but quickly steeled himself and charged at Wain with his battle ax.
1st-grade skill, Stony Armor!
Rryk's back turned stone gray as he prepared for the confrontation with the fiery spears, attacking the spears with his ax.
His technique wasn't bad, but he was largely behind in power compared to Wain, so he didn't manage to block a single spear, each one piercing through him, knocking him several meters back.
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In just their first confrontation, Rryk lost over half of his Hp, and his situation appeared grim. The gnolls who had been following him also grew anxious after witnessing their leader's defeat, and they didn't dare to attack Wain's group.
Wain on the other hand, wore emotionless expression as he casted [Barrage of Fire], planning to end the battle, when a notification appeared before him.
"System: The Chief of Gnolls, Rryk, is attempting to surrender. Are you willing to accept?"
Seeing the notification, Wain considered the option, looking at the terrified gnolls, who already lost their will to fight. After a moment's reflection, he decided to accept their surrender.
He still didn't have any gnolls in his ranks and the ones before him were quite strong, so they could potentially be useful.
"Follow me," Wain spoke indifferently as he walked past the line of gnolls, offering no further explanation. It was their choice to surrender, so they should obey him now.
The gnolls hesitated momentarily, their fear of Wain's power still fresh in their minds. However, when they saw the goblins safely trailing behind Wain, they decided to follow suit. If even weak monsters like goblins could survive while following Wain, then they surely could do the same.
After all, gnolls and other predators often hunted goblins as food, and a large group of goblins like this would typically be easy prey. The fact that they were all still alive was a testament to Wain's power and his ability to protect them.