Chapter 60: Mindset Changes, Clearing Out Goblins

Very quickly, the six forest wolves were skinned until only their bloody, skinless carcasses remained. However, they had not come out this time to harvest prey, but for practical training; Jibu and the others only took the wolf pelts and a small amount of wolf meat before stopping.

"Captain Jibu, let the recruits practice with the wolf carcasses first; have each of them cut out a piece of viscera."

"Understood." He then gave the order.

The six forest wolves had just died and their bodies were still warm; the stench of blood rushed straight to his head. Xia Duo, an Earthling who had been baptized by countless movies, now also felt extremely uncomfortable.

These recruits, however, performed even better than Xia Duo. Upon hearing the order, they immediately drew their one-handed swords, ready to strike. Watching Dien, who looked eager to try, Xia Duo finally understood that there was still a difference between himself and these people from another world.

He had overestimated himself and underestimated these people from another world.

Borrowing a Skinning Knife from Jibu, Xia Duo also began his own tempering.

Stroking the forest wolf that had already been skinned, Xia Duo only felt a wave of nausea. This was his first time touching a corpse that was bloody and warm; it felt as if something was blocking his heart.

Deep in his heart, a voice reminded him, "You must adapt! You must survive!"

No longer hesitating, Xia Duo pierced the wolf's belly with the knife, made a cut, and then reached his other hand inside. It was slippery and warm, as if he were digging into his own entrails.

Casually grabbing some kind of tissue, Xia Duo pulled hard, then cut the connecting part with one stroke, and an organ was thus removed.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Duo carefully experienced his current mood—excitement, panic, nausea, shifting in turns, but it was immediately replaced by an instinct for survival and determination.

Throwing away the organ, he entered a state of Spellcasting Focus. Xia Duo cast 【Prestidigitation】 to clean the bloodstains from his hands and body, returning to his previous appearance.

Only his mindset at this moment had already changed.

……

Just as Xia Duo finished cleaning the bloodstains from his body, the other recruits, including Dien, had also already obtained the viscera from the forest wolves.

"Continue forward!" This time, Xia Duo gave the order directly. "Captain Jibu, notify Aiwa and have him scout the nearest Goblin camp as soon as possible and report back quickly."

Jibu seemed to sense that some unknown change had occurred in Xia Duo; he actually dared not look him in the eye. Lowering his head, he replied "Yes," and began to summon Aiwa.

It was a small piece of hollow animal bone; blowing it produced a sound difficult for ordinary people to distinguish. Through different pitches, he could convey information to Aiwa.

From this special Bone Whistle, Xia Duo became increasingly certain that Jibu and Aiwa held great secrets, but as long as it did not affect him, Xia Duo had no intention of interfering.

Less than a minute after the sound of the Bone Whistle rang out, Aiwa walked out from behind a tree. After Jibu relayed Xia Duo's words, Aiwa disappeared again without a word.

Xia Duo did not doubt that it was Aiwa who spoke when he went to find Mage Huosite last time, but he just felt that by being so mysterious, weren't they just inviting suspicion?

Afterward, the group continued forward. During this time, they encountered a few lone Goblins, but they were either casually cut down by the veterans walking in front or swarmed by the excited recruits and stabbed to death with Long Spears.

This made Xia Duo somewhat doubt whether clearing out Goblin camps could actually serve the purpose of practical training.

Soon, Aiwa sent word—a Goblin camp had been discovered near Area 11, with a number of about thirty.

Xia Duo immediately ordered them to head to that Goblin camp. They stopped at a distance of 20 to 30 meters from the camp, where seven or eight large trees growing close together enclosed a nearly circular clearing, forming a natural courtyard.

Although the gaps in the courtyard wall were wide enough for two horses to pass through at the same time, such terrain had a natural attraction for Goblins, who did not possess much Wisdom.

At this moment, this small cluster of 30 Goblins was sharing food they had picked or stolen from somewhere unknown: pine nuts, mushrooms, carrion, and so on.

Except for the leader, who knew to roast it over a fire before eating, the rest of the Goblins just ate without a care. Once they got a share, they stuffed it into their mouths, and as their filthy fangs closed, various red and black juices dripped from the corners of their mouths.

It was exceptionally disgusting.

"Captain Jibu, you take command and set the tactics. Try to let the recruits get some experience."

Since this was his first time dealing with specific combat, Xia Duo did not want to challenge an expert's experience with his own imagination; it was better to let Jibu command, and he could just learn from the experience.

"Yes."

Captain Jibu slung his large shield onto his back, took out his bow and arrows, and ordered: "Recruits, move forward slowly in a counter-attack formation. The rest of you, disperse and surround them. Prioritize shooting the several strong Goblins around the Goblin leader."

At this moment, Captain Wuke of Dien's squad also signaled the other members to follow Jibu's command. Soon, the eight recruits raised their Long Spears and approached the Goblin "courtyard" from two directions.

Meanwhile, the others dispersed to the surroundings, preventing the Goblins from escaping while also keeping watch on the perimeter.

Because Dien did not know any offensive Spells, he could only carry a one-handed sword and follow behind the recruits of his squad; Wuke was looking after him.

As for Xia Duo, Jibu was by his side, and he prepared to try 【Acid Splash】. Since mastering this Spell, he had only attacked humanoid targets in the Spell Laboratory back at the Mage Tower.

He had never attacked a real living creature before, and he was truly eager to try!

……

As the recruits approached the Goblin "courtyard" with their Long Spears, Jibu gave the order, "Fire!"

Accompanied by a "whoosh" sound, the Goblin leader and several of the stronger Goblins around it fell dead instantly, and the other Goblins who witnessed this scene collapsed in an instant.

They grabbed the food beside them and prepared to scatter, completely disregarding the situation they were currently facing. A few who were too stupid actually ran straight into the recruits' spear formation.

Xia Duo's gaze was cold as he focused on a Goblin spinning in place not far away, then began to guide the power of the Magic Net.

——【Acid Splash】

A rotating ball of acid appeared out of thin air and immediately headed straight for that Goblin. Xia Duo watched the Goblin expectantly, counting silently in his heart—3, 2, 1, hit!

The acid ball struck the Goblin's head squarely. Almost instantly, white smoke began to rise from the Goblin's face, followed by it falling to the ground, wailing and rolling incessantly.

As the white smoke dissipated, Xia Duo saw a strange, small creature whose upper body had been corroded into pits and craters. At this moment, if one only looked at the upper body, perhaps even the Goblin's mother wouldn't recognize what this wailing, moving creature was.

Without hesitation, Xia Duo fired another acid ball, ending this lowly life.

……

Two instances of Spellcasting gave Xia Duo a better understanding of the power of 【Acid Splash】. Although the acid ball did not fly very fast, its power was quite sufficient; at least an ordinary human could not withstand more than a few hits.

Moreover, Xia Duo already had some ideas for improvement, just waiting for some free time to conduct research.

For now, it was better to finish clearing out this Goblin camp first.