As Kosor wielded his great sword to sever the writhing tentacles, he shouted, “Enzo, this cannot continue. We must locate their leader and eliminate him first!”

Enzo nodded, his gaze scanning the figures shrouded in black for the leader’s presence. Suddenly, he noticed that one figure’s staff emanated a light far more radiant than the others, and the surrounding tentacles seemed to obey his command.

“Kosor, that staff’s brilliance likely belongs to the leader. Let us concentrate our attacks on him!” Enzo exclaimed.

The two of them coordinated their efforts, charging towards the robed figure. Observing their advance, other members of the Half-Orc Legion rushed to impede them, but were forcefully repelled by Enzo and Kosor.

As they drew near the cloaked leader, he suddenly swung his staff, unleashing a wave of dark energy towards them. Enzo and Kosor swiftly dodged, the energy wave striking a large tree behind them, causing it to wither instantaneously.

“His power is formidable. We must proceed with caution.” Enzo cautioned.

Breathless, Kosor declared, “No matter what, we must defeat him today and escape this place.”

Once more, they launched their assault. Enzo utilized elemental energy to disrupt the black-robed leader’s spellcasting, while Kosor seized the moment to strike. After a fierce struggle, Kosor finally found an opening and thrust his sword toward the leader. The black figure, caught off guard, was grazed on the arm by Kosor’s great sword, causing the staff to clatter to the ground.

With their leader’s guidance lost, the remaining members of the Half-Orc Legion faltered in disarray. Seizing the opportunity, Enzo and Kosor pressed their final assault, driving the legion’s forces back entirely.

Panting heavily, Enzo remarked, “At last, it is resolved. Let us make our swift exit.”

Kosor picked up the fallen Congenial Wood, replying, “Indeed, we must not allow any further missteps.”

The two individuals cautiously departed from the perilous area, making their way towards the blacksmith’s abode. Throughout their journey, they remained ever vigilant, acutely aware of their surroundings, fearful of any lurking dangers.

Upon returning to the blacksmith’s residence, they found him anxiously awaiting their arrival at the door. His relief was palpable as he exclaimed, “At last, you have returned! I was worried that something had befallen you.”

Enzo presented the Congenial Wood to the master blacksmith, saying, “Master, we have procured the Congenial Wood and rescued Kosor. Shall we commence the forging of weapons?”

The blacksmith examined the Congenial Wood with care. “Indeed, the quality of this wood is commendable. However, before we proceed with weapon crafting, there are additional preparations to be made.”

Kosor inquired, “What else do we need, Master?”

The blacksmith entered the house and emerged with a list. “We require some magical ore, which can be found in the nearby mines. Yet, be warned, for the mines are guarded by formidable warcraft. You must exercise utmost caution.”

Enzo glanced at the list. “Very well, we shall head to the mines at once.”

Kosor patted Enzo on the shoulder. “This time we must tread more carefully. We can’t afford to be reckless as before.”

Enzo nodded in agreement. “Indeed, let us proceed.”

The two set off in the direction of the mines, traversing rugged terrain until they finally reached the mine’s entrance. Inside, darkness loomed, intermittently pierced by ominous, low growls that sent shivers down their spines.

Kosor gripped his sword tightly and whispered to Enzo, “Given those sounds, the warcraft within are surely formidable. We must be fully alert.”

Enzo, equally wary, replied, “Agreed. Let us venture in and assess the situation, taking it step by step.”

They cautiously ventured into the mine, groping their way forward under the faint illumination. Not long after, a rustling noise reached their ears, as if something were approaching.

Suddenly, a colossal creature resembling a pangolin, adorned with menacing spines, emerged from a nearby cave. Its bell-like eyes fixed upon Enzo and Kosor, emitting a threatening “huff” from its maw.

Kosor murmured, “By the heavens, it looks quite formidable—tough skin and solid flesh.”

Enzo nodded, responding in hushed tones, “Let’s aim for its eyes first. That should be its vulnerable spot.”

With that, Enzo summoned elemental energy and shot a beam towards the creature’s eyes. The warcraft sensed the impending danger, swiftly turning its head to evade the attack, then charged fiercely at Enzo, its massive bulk creating a gust of wind.

Kosor shouted, “Watch out!” as he swung his great sword, aiming for the creature’s flank. The sword struck, sending sparks flying, yet it seemed merely a tickle, inflicting no substantial damage.

Infuriated, the warcraft whirled around, lashing its thick tail at Kosor. He leapt back just in time, narrowly dodging the blow.

“This beast is too resilient. Ordinary attacks won’t do, Enzo. We need a different strategy.” Kosor called out.

As Enzo dodged the warcraft’s assault, a spark of inspiration struck him. “Kosor, let’s lure it into those ore deposits. The sharp edges might tear into it, perhaps even breach its defenses.”

Kosor considered this and nodded in agreement, “Right, let’s do it!”

The two individuals began to deliberately scamper around the mine, provoking the warcraft to pursue them relentlessly. Seizing the opportunity, they dashed towards a particularly jagged patch of ore, and at the last moment, deftly sidestepped. The warcraft, unable to halt in time, collided forcefully with the rock. With a resounding thud, the hard ore lacerated its skin, eliciting a painful cry from the creature.

“What a chance! Let’s strike while it’s down!” Kosor shouted, lunging forward to deliver several swift blows to the warcraft’s injured area, while Enzo unleashed a barrage of elemental attacks aimed directly at the wound.

Under their combined onslaught, the warcraft gradually succumbed to exhaustion, crashing to the ground with a thunderous thump.

Kosor wiped the sweat from his brow, exhaling a sigh of relief. “Phew, we’ve finally dealt with one. I wonder how many more of these beasts lurk in this mine.”

Enzo gazed at the fallen warcraft. “Regardless of how many remain, we’ll tackle them as they come. Let’s continue our search for ore.”

They ventured deeper into the mine, encountering several other varieties of warcraft. However, bolstered by their previous experience, their coordination grew increasingly seamless, and they swiftly defeated each one.

At long last, in a secluded corner of the mine, they discovered the magical ore required by the old blacksmith, filling several bags to the brim.

Kosor chuckled, “Aha! We’ve finally unearthed the ore. Let’s hasten back before any unforeseen events occur.”

Enzo nodded in agreement, “Yes, let’s move swiftly.”

As they retraced their steps, laden with ore, they had scarcely reached the mine’s entrance when a cacophony erupted from outside. Peering cautiously, they beheld a group of individuals clad in gray, encircling the blacksmith’s dwelling as if searching for something.

Kosor frowned, “Who are these people? They don’t seem to come with good intentions.”

Enzo lowered his voice and said, “I’m not sure. Let’s hide and observe for a while to see what their intentions are.”

The gray-clad men rummaged through the blacksmith’s residence, and one of the leaders shouted, “Search thoroughly! Those few must have hidden the Congenial Wood here. It’s what our boss desires, and if we fail to find it, we’ll all be in deep trouble!”

Upon hearing this, Kosor whispered to Enzo, “So they are after the Congenial Wood. We cannot allow them to succeed.”

Enzo’s gaze hardened with resolve. “Of course! We fought hard to acquire it. It must not be snatched away. We’ll seize the opportunity to capture them all at once.”

At that moment, one of the gray-clad men seemed to sense something and approached their hiding spot, muttering, “I think I heard something over here. Let’s check it out.”

Enzo and Kosor exchanged a glance, gripping their weapons tightly, prepared to act at any moment. The man drew closer, and just as he was nearly upon them, Kosor sprang forward, swiftly subduing him with a single stroke and covering his mouth to stifle any sound.

Enzo quietly inquired, “Who are you? Why are you trying to steal the Congenial Wood?”

The man trembled in fear, stammering, “We… we are from the Blood Wolf Gang. We heard… we heard that Congenial Wood is valuable. Our boss wants to sell it for a fortune. Please… spare me.”

Kosor scoffed coldly, “You must be out of your mind for money. You think you can take what doesn’t belong to you without considering your own worth?”

Enzo pondered for a moment before saying to Kosor, “Let’s bind him up and ensure he doesn’t escape. Then we can deal with the others to avoid any prolonged complications.” .net

Kosor nodded, swiftly binding the grey-clad man to a nearby tree before stealthily advancing with Enzo towards the other grey-clad figures.

Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, they launched a sudden assault, catching the adversaries off guard. Enzo harnessed elemental energy, unleashing it towards the densely packed foes, instantly toppling several grey-clad individuals to the ground.

Kosor, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, brandished his great sword and plunged into the midst of the enemy, forcing the grey-clad men to retreat in disarray.

Upon witnessing this, the leader of the grey-clad men shouted, “Who are you? How dare you thwart our plans! Brothers, unite and bring them down!”

At the leader’s command, the grey-clad men swarmed towards Enzo and Kosor, thrusting the battle into a fierce frenzy.

Amidst the chaos, Enzo urged, “Kosor, let’s take out their leader first. The rest will likely scatter.”

Kosor acknowledged with a nod and charged towards the leader. After a fierce struggle, the duo managed to drive the members of the Blood Wolf Gang into a hasty retreat.

Watching them flee, Kosor spat disdainfully, “Hmph, with such meager skills, they dare to attempt theft without considering their own limitations.”

Enzo chuckled, “Alright, let’s not dwell on them. We should hurry inside, deliver the ore to the master craftsman, and see what else we need to prepare.”

As they entered the dwelling, the old blacksmith beamed at their safe return, especially with the ore in hand, and remarked, “Well done! You found the ore quite swiftly. However, we are still short of a crucial component— the Special Spark needed for forging.”

Kosor inquired, “Master, where might we find this Special Spark?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep