Chapter 884: Conflict and Light (Part IV)

After Jier finished inspecting the Dwarf Soldier Spear in his hand, which had its mysterious spearhead runes activated, he saw the dwarves outside the house disperse to surround the area after receiving support from the three dwarf warriors who had been patrolling together earlier, and he knew these dwarf soldiers had lost the courage to advance.

Even though their numbers had increased, their approach had become conservative. It seemed these five soldier spears were truly very important to them; having lost them, they didn't even know how to fight anymore.

Considering that the weapons he had just obtained were not ordinary, Jier quickly entered the Lady's dream to store the four unactivated dwarf soldier spears, deciding to only temporarily use the weapon with the activated runes for the subsequent battle.

Furthermore, before exiting the Lady's dream, he lay down to rest for a while on the Healing Fluorescent Mushroom he used to enter and exit the dream, healing the injury on his thigh.

After being wounded earlier, Jier had immediately tensed the muscles of his left thigh and actively moved his Life Energy there to stop the bleeding. But his Life Energy had no effect on self-healing or treatment, at least that was Jier's judgment. So, before leaving the dream, he lay comfortably on the slightly elastic Umbrella Mushroom, letting these mushrooms with mysterious healing powers treat him.

Honestly, although these mushrooms were not as effective as the healing methods of Bata'er Jiaoshi, the treatment process was steady and inconspicuous, especially since it was painless and itchless, and would not drain his energy or make him overly exhausted.

When he disappeared and reappeared in the outside world after only a few breaths, he had already undergone effective treatment and rest, and more importantly, he had carefully cleaned his dirty new cloak; as a precaution, he did not wear the cloak when he came out, for fear that this garment he liked would get dirty again.

In the pitch-black livestock room, Jier licked his lips and briefly practiced with the new weapon in his hand, preparing to begin the next battle.

The upcoming battle was very important, as it concerned most of the affairs after dawn, such as fighting, intimidating, negotiating, and bargaining with the dwarves.

"The radical faction was captured before dawn, so the remaining dwarves don't have many paths left to choose. Considering their current situation, they should—no, they likely won't choose overly radical methods." Jier muttered to himself, nodding affirmatively at his own judgment.

This was a method he had thought of as safe and appropriate after passing through Huitou Forest yesterday and dealing with these people in the valley during the day.

There was no help for it; the strength of the dwarves was simply too great. Even though Torito Village had over a hundred people who could fight, several times the number of dwarves here, their combat effectiveness was simply not worth looking at.

Dwarves armed in armor, even if they were not professional combatants but merely dwarf civilians or dwarf miners, Jier estimated that a few dozen such dwarves could easily crush hundreds of human soldiers on a frontal battlefield.

Tonight, he had used the momentum of the day's battle to incite many villagers who had long been dissatisfied with the dwarves' status, but this was far from enough, and one could even say it was somewhat too risky. The humans in the village had been under the management and rule of the dwarves for decades, accumulating a lot of resentment; once ignited, it would not be a good thing without his presence.

Fortunately, he was there. Perhaps it was precisely because he was there, and although the villagers did not participate in the day's battle on a large scale, they had all seen the process and results of the fight. This led to many villagers joining the resistance against the dwarves as soon as he called out after dark.

To use a classic line from a movie in his previous life: 【Whoever wins, they help.】

But this was still not enough. Even if Jier had the combat power to defeat the dwarves one by one in mobile warfare, and the villagers chose to resist, it was still not enough. After all, this only activated the confrontational situation already buried here, but lacked a limiting agent to stabilize or extinguish it.

Now, those dwarf soldiers outside the house were the 'limiting agent' Jier had chosen.

These people were not only the militant and radical faction among the dwarves; with them gone, the dwarves here would certainly have less incitement when making every choice, and one less option to make a completely wrong decision.

Furthermore, these professional dwarf soldiers were likely an indispensable part of the dwarf group. With them in hand as a bargaining chip, the dwarf leader would surely make more concessions and compromises.

In fact, when Jier made this assumption, he also wanted to capture the muscle-bound dwarf warriors he had fought during the day; that way, he would have more cards in his hand, and the dwarves' status in any subsequent negotiations would only be lower.

But he didn't have that opportunity tonight; luck had sent these dwarf soldiers to him, but not those guys.

But Jier thought about it again, and perhaps this wasn't a bad thing.

Putting himself in their shoes, if he were the dwarf leader and both groups that served as his main combat power were quickly captured by the opponent, he probably wouldn't negotiate at all, but would instead retreat into the deep mine pits overnight with the remaining personnel and refuse all possible communication for decades.

Excessive strength could also create obstacles. Only in a gamble where our side has chips, the opponent also has chips, and everyone believes there is a possibility of winning, can a gamble be established.

Jier tentatively extended the spearhead of the spear out through the large hole he had smashed in the wall.

The dwarves outside looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what the human Knight in the house was doing.

Suddenly, Jier did a small hop and jumped out of the large hole. The three dwarves directly facing him reacted subconsciously and launched an attack.

The Dwarf Soldier Captain swung his right arm to throw his Small Iron Hammer forward, while his left hand raised another small hammer, ready to launch the next strike at any time. Another dwarf soldier with a dislocated arm also threw a small hammer, heading straight for the human Knight who had suddenly jumped out.

The dwarf warrior who had just arrived to join the battle cautiously raised the Great Hammer in his hand, guarding against the human Knight's attack. In this short while, he had already heard about their situation from the Soldier Captain and knew that the human Knight opposite was not easy to deal with, and that he was basically no match for him. But having said that, if it came to a fight, he wouldn't take a single step back!

The four dwarves surrounding the left and right sides of the house heard the commotion and urgently lifted their feet to rush over.

But just as they lifted their feet and before their bodies had even turned, Jier had just landed when he did another small hop and nimbly jumped back into the large hole in the wall he had come out of.

Bang! Crash—

Bang.

Two sounds in succession, both from the small hammers thrown and hitting the wall of the human building. The Dwarf Soldier Captain had more strength and was using his dominant hand, so the thrown small hammer had plenty of force; even though it didn't hit anyone, it still knocked off a lot of mud from the outer wall of the first floor of the house after hitting the wooden wall, and blasted a fist-sized hole in the wooden plank wall behind it.

As for the other dwarf soldier's attack, it was quite mediocre; lacking force, the small hammer flew and missed as well, only hitting the wall before rebounding and falling to the ground in front of the hole in the wall.

The Dwarf Soldier Captain frowned and was about to speak when the Great Hammer-wielding dwarf who had come to support shouted, "Careful! That guy is deliberately tricking us into using our throwing weapons!"

Switching the small hammer from his left hand to his right, the Soldier Captain glanced at the talkative guy: "I saw that." He then scolded the four dwarves on the left and right who were coming to support: "Go back! Maintain the encirclement! Don't let him run away from other places! The stolen spears must be taken back!"

"Yes!" "Yes!" the two dwarf soldiers responded.

"Huh?" "Why did you throw away your weapon?" These were the reactions of the two ordinary dwarf warriors who had come to support.

However, the Dwarf Soldier Captain had overthought it; Jier did not take the opportunity to leave from the back or the front door of the house. He merely jumped back into the large hole he had smashed and then patrolled the spearhead of the stolen dwarf soldier spear in the middle of the opening.

The Dwarf Rune on the spearhead emitted a faint, pale red light; it couldn't illuminate anything, but it made it easy for people to see the activated runes. At the same time, the smooth blade of the spearhead reflected the moonlight from the sky, bringing with it the unique coldness of a weapon used as a tool for slaughter.

The Dwarf Soldier Captain watched the distance of the spearhead protruding from the pitch-black hole and discovered it was exactly one human stride away from the small hammer that had fallen on the ground at the opening. This discovery made him frown, and he pursed his lips tightly, squeezing a short, coarse dwarf curse through his teeth.

"What now?" the dwarf warrior holding the Great Hammer asked in a low voice.

The Soldier Captain said nothing, so the dwarf warrior continued to ask: "We can't just stay in a stalemate like this, right? We have to do something."

The Soldier Captain, who had already lost his long-time habitual weapon, was unhappy, and being asked like this repeatedly, he said: "How about this, the soldier in front is fainted on the ground; we'll provide cover, you go drag him over, how about that?"

"Okay!" Unexpectedly, this dwarf warrior who seemed to realize the human Knight was difficult to deal with agreed directly.

The dwarf soldier with the dislocated arm looked at this ordinary dwarf in surprise, and the other explained: "We can't just do nothing, right? Doing things little by little, just like mining; no matter how deep the mine is, it's all dug out by us bit by bit. I'm going!"

The Soldier Captain was silent for a moment. He actually had other ideas and didn't necessarily have to let this talkative guy take this risk at this time. For example, using the Great Hammer in the dwarf warrior's hand to strike the supporting beams of the human building in front to cause a collapse, forcing the human Knight hiding inside to take the initiative to take risks, and so on. But since this guy had agreed so straightforwardly, it was hard for him to speak again.

Considering that dragging the unconscious soldier back was also a necessary thing to do, he didn't say much and waved his hand, signaling the other to act.

But just as the dwarf warrior holding the Great Hammer took a step, the human Knight moved again.

Jier jumped out once more!

It was another small hop, but the difference was that this time, while jumping out, he swung out a small throwing hammer used by the dwarves in mid-air!

That thing seemed to be the one the Dwarf Soldier Captain had thrown into the house just now; at this moment, the surface of the small hammer was dirty, and it flew out at high speed.

Unlike the dwarves who threw the small hammer by swinging it clockwise forward, Jier swung his arm horizontally, and at the same time, as the weapon left his hand, his fingers followed the trajectory of the release with a twist, making the small hammer spin clockwise like a drill as it flew out.

Whoosh—

The distance between them was too close, and the small hammer that had just left his hand instantly arrived in front of the Dwarf Soldier Captain.

Because Jier's attack was too sudden and the attack method was not what the dwarves had expected—fighting with the dwarf spear stolen from them as before—the abruptly flying small hammer really caught the Dwarf Soldier Captain off guard.

In less than the blink of an eye, this dirty weapon smashed into the Dwarf Soldier Captain's right shoulder.

Crack! The exquisitely crafted and incomparably sturdy Dwarf Soldier Armor burst with a great deal of light, and many bright, fleeting sparks scattered from the Soldier Captain's shoulder. The Dwarf Soldier Captain was like a rag doll; his whole body rotated and flew backward following the loud impact on his right shoulder, spinning along the narrow dirt road in the village and crashing obliquely into the wall of the Dwarf Residence behind him.

First came a loud bang, followed by the harsh noise produced by the Dwarf Soldier Captain's entire body sliding and scraping against the wall of the Dwarf Residence.

Squeak, squeak, squeak—

After spinning and scraping against the wall for several meters, the Dwarf Soldier Captain was lucky enough to land on his feet first.

But that was the extent of his luck; the sudden attack, combined with the massive impact and force, made his whole body feel as if it were being torn apart. Landing on his feet could not make him feel any better. Because the next moment, unable to control his legs due to the immense shock and pain, the Dwarf Soldier Captain sat down hard on the ground.

Yet miraculously, or perhaps because the armor he had boasted about was indeed no ordinary piece of equipment, after taking such an attack, the right shoulder part of his armor remained intact—or at least, the surface was intact.

At the same moment, after Jier threw the Small Iron Hammer he had picked up, he did not even look at the targeted Dwarf Soldier Captain. He directly controlled the shaft of the Dwarf Spear with his left hand, lifted it, turned the spearhead horizontally, and then, after leaping out of the large hole in the wall, took a large step forward with his left foot and swung the Dwarf Spear down heavily.

The Dwarf Soldier, whose right arm was dislocated, was just about to throw the Small Iron Hammer in his left hand at the Human Knight who had suddenly rushed out of the hole in the wall, when a loud impact exploded on the body of the Soldier Captain to his left. At the same time, the splashing sparks and bright light caused his eyes, which had adapted to the dark night, to squint sharply.

This single blow prevented him from throwing the Small Iron Hammer in his left hand. Then, his right shoulder received a heavy strike—not a thrust, nor a slash from the sharp edge of the spearhead, but a bash with the spearhead turned sideways!

To be honest, he felt that it would have been better if the opponent had thrust at him, because the soldiers all knew that the Soldier Armor they wore was not only sturdy, but specifically designed and manufactured so that it would not be pierced by their own equipment—that is, the Dwarf Spear they used.

Even if the Sharpness Rune on the spear was activated by blood, it was the same.

Because inside their armor, there was a specifically placed set of Anti-Sharpness Runes (Dwarf Rune), and it did not require any specific conditions to be activated. When the blacksmiths of the Dwarf Kingdom designed and manufactured this set of soldier equipment for guarding the Treasure Mine, they had considered the situation where weapons might be stolen. After all, with armor that was hard to pierce and spears that could pierce many defenses, people would always inevitably wonder: what would happen if the soldiers' spears were taken away and used against the soldiers of the mine?

Clang!

His already dislocated right arm suffered another heavy blow; even though the Soldier Armor was not damaged, he still bore the force of the strike.

Moreover, the force that followed was even more astonishing, directly pressing down and forcing the Dwarf Soldier to half-kneel on the ground.

"Ha!"

The Dwarf Warrior holding the Great Hammer nearby was not a dead man either. Once the engagement started here, he could no longer worry about dragging away the unconscious Dwarf Soldier. He directly swung the Great Hammer in his hand in a full circle on the spot, aiming for the head of the Human Knight.

Jier, however, did not care about the Iron Hammer swinging straight toward his head; he merely took two quick steps forward, moving out of the opponent's attack range.

He held the Dwarf Spear with his left hand, pressing it onto the right shoulder of the Dwarf Soldier in front, and kept exerting downward force, giving the opponent no chance to counterattack.

After getting close to the opponent, Jier flew into the air and kicked the front of the Dwarf Soldier's Helmet. Even with the metal face guard on the Helmet blocking it, Jier could see bloody front teeth flying out from the mouth of the Dwarf Soldier who had been kicked directly in the face.

This Dwarf Soldier then followed in his captain's footsteps, being kicked away by Jier to crash into the wall of the Dwarf Residence behind him, scraping up dust and sparks, before falling heavily to the ground.

Immediately after, Jier turned around and saw the Dwarf Warrior holding the Great Hammer, who was planning to ambush him from behind.

Being stared at by the Human Knight like this, especially after seeing with his own eyes the soldier who was much more capable than him being knocked away like that, the Dwarf Warrior was stunned for a moment.

But then, the man hardened his gaze and smashed the heavy hammer in his hand down hard!

But this moment of hesitation was enough for Jier to turn around and lift the Dwarf Spear with both hands to block.

Bang!

The heavy hammer landed exactly in the middle of the spear shaft that Jier was holding horizontally. First came a loud noise, followed by a dazzling, brief burst of sparks. With Jier's strength, he would certainly not be unable to stop the hammer swing of an ordinary Dwarf Warrior; the difference in strength between the two was too great.

Jier did not even sway; he stood straight, channeling the massive force he received through his feet and into the ground beneath him. At the same time, the metal shaft of the spear vibrated; although it made it difficult for Jier to grip it tightly, the vibration also absorbed and released a small portion of the impact force.

Once the attack was blocked, Jier did not have time to lift his foot to kick the guy in front of him, because the Dwarf Soldiers and Dwarf Warriors on both sides had noticed the continuous loud noises and flashes here and were rushing over.

Arriving before the Dwarf Soldiers were the Small Iron Hammers they had thrown from the left and right sides.

It was unclear whether these soldiers were confident in their throwing skills or simply did not care about the lives of their companions; they disregarded their Great Hammer-wielding companion who was still entangled with Jier and threw a Small Iron Hammer each, one from the left and one from the right, one after the other.

Jier knew that Dwarves had three times the strength of Humans, and the armor he had made last year might not—no, would definitely not—withstand the thrown projectile weapon. Therefore, he did not block it head-on, but jumped on the spot, leaping over three meters high to avoid the two projectiles heading toward him.

Whoosh, whoosh—two sounds flew past the side of the Dwarf holding the Great Hammer, breaking him out in a cold sweat.

But it had to be said that the two Dwarf Soldiers who launched the attack were highly skilled; neither missed, and both Small Iron Hammers grazed past the side of the Dwarf with the Great Hammer, hitting the spot where Jier had been standing earlier.

But Jier was no longer in his original spot; he had jumped up.

"That's it!"

The Dwarf Soldier who had just thrown the Small Iron Hammer roared in excitement, and following his excited shout was another Small Iron Hammer thrown out immediately after!

The other Dwarf Soldier on the other side was the same; during several previous engagements, he had also heard from other Dwarves that this Human Knight liked to use jumping to dodge their Dwarf attacks.

So at this moment, when the opponent was jumping in the air, it was the opportunity they had been waiting for.

Both of them attacked at the same time, the flying Small Iron Hammers spinning straight toward the Human Knight who was still rising in the air.

They had calculated the lead for the opponent's rising position due to the jump, so this time the thrown weapon would definitely hit! A hit would be enough to break through that layer of pathetic Human Metal Armor on the opponent.

But would Jier grant them their wish?