"Charge!"
"Don't run! You're my mount!"
A quiet swamp area full of aquatic plants was suddenly filled with the sound of countless footsteps and shouts.
Two Mud Dolls overflowing with mud ran away in panic. However, they soon gave up resistance and crouched down on the ground.
That was because over fifty demihumans riding on monsters charged towards them from all directions. Even more incomprehensible were the countless demihumans not riding on monsters that were running even faster and shouting excitedly.
"I caught them first!"
"Nonsense, I did!"
"I know how to make them listen to me!"
"Same!"
Soon, the swamp area became a noisy stage.
The dozens of demihumans who got to the two Mud Dolls first each grabbed a part of the monster and engaged in a heated debate.
Ayrin was elated as he watched the spectacle and told the others next to him, "Another two decent monsters added. This army is becoming proper!"
A peculiar leader…… A peculiar army……
Rinloran, Chris and the others kept thinking of those lines in their minds.
The peculiar demihumans had already learned to use monsters to chase after monsters.
From experience, Ayrin's group learned they didn't need to care about the arguing demihumans. They would soon enter a rowdy brawl and quickly settle amongst themselves to decide on the riders of the two monsters.
In any case, when so many demihumans charged alongside those monster mounts, it really did look like a grand spectacle.
"Leader! Leader!"
One demihuman squeezed through the crowd to reach in front of Ayrin's group.
This demihuman looked old and weak. His horse face was greatly distorted. He clearly joined the fight for the two Mud Dolls. It was clear to see he fell behind due to a difference in power and speed compared to the younger demihumans as he was panting heavily.
"What?" Ayrin looked at the old demihuman, unsure what he was up to.
"Leader, if I can provide a useful suggestion, can you reward me with a monster and let me become a Monster Knight or Platoon General?" The demihuman quickly asked with flattery.
"Will it help make the army stronger?" Ayrin opened his eyes wide, "If so, of course you can!"
The horse demihuman immediately suggested, "Leader, I suggest that all the Monster Knights should be equipped with saddle crossbows. Also, all of us should get javelins."
"Saddle crossbows? Javelins? What are those?" Ayrin scratched his head.
"This is our demihuman army's tradition!"
The horse demihuman proudly explained, "During the Era of the War with Dragons, saddle crossbows and javelins were the standard equipment of the official demihuman army. Near the end of the war, we rode onStone-skinned Earth Dragons at the frontline. Each one of them had a saddle crossbow and pulled a chariot that contained a large number of Demon Hunting Javelins. Leader, since the ancient war to present, if our demihuman army encountered a powerful Corps, we didn't dare to charge ahead voluntarily. However, using the saddle crossbow and throwing javelins from the backline is our forte! Leader, using such methods, our demihuman army once achieved glorious results in the Era of the War with Dragons. We even exterminated a middle-sized Corps once!"
These peculiar demihumans do know their own shortcomings!
Rinloran and the others became speechless after hearing the horse demihuman.
"When I force the demihumans to fight, they do seem cowardly…… Hiding behind the monsters and throwing javelins sound like a better choice." Ayrin's eyes sparkled. He asked excitedly, "What does the saddle crossbow look like, and what about the Demon Hunting Javelin? Why don't you have them?"
"The saddle crossbow is a winding clockwork type heavy crossbow, with an effective range of about three hundred meters. The bolts can pierce the defensive arcane skills of four-gate arcane masters and below. Although us demihumans don't dare to fight head on against powerful arcane masters, we have plenty of physical strength and we don't slack off! We can keep spinning the winder and shoot the crossbows!"
The horse demihuman did not feel ashamed at all and seemed rather proud instead, "The Demon Hunting Javelin is a javelin that can accumulate a scarce amount of arcane energy itself. It can be thrown further and gain a better piercing power. Leader, the reason we don't have them is because we lack the blueprints and crafters. However, there are many crossbow turrets similar to the saddle crossbow in many bunkers within the Fearotz Stronghold. We can dismantle those and use them. As for the Demon Hunting Javelin, if there isn't any with the special material, normal javelins will also do. Because our demihuman army still has a large size, but the size of a normal Corps can no longer compare to the Corps during the Era of the War with Dragons."
"There are crossbow turrets similar to the saddle crossbow inside the Fearotz Stronghold?"
"Yeah! There are almost twenty thousand demihumans here…… But the large Corps outside are only about a few thousand strong. These demihumans have great physical strength but can't make use of it in a normal fight. However, if they all throw javelins, that should be an impressive sight!"
Ayrin and Rinloran glanced at each other. Even the hygiene freak Rinloran who looked down on the demihumans due to how dirty they were could not help but imagine all of them throwing javelins at the same time.
"Leader! The metal veins in the Thorns Swamp have almost dried up, so we weren't able to make proper weapons. However, there should be enough metal and ore in the Fearotz Stronghold." The horse demihuman thought Ayrin was hesitating. He immediately added, "Leader, please don't worry. We will definitely not be lazy. If you agree, we will produce many javelins once we arrive at the Fearotz Stronghold!"
"Your suggestion sounds decent! Oi! Get a Mud Doll here!" Ayrin shouted towards the brawling demihumans around the Mud Dolls.
He and the others had completely grasped the temper of the demihumans. They did not need to be polite towards them.
The submissiveness of the demihumans made them enjoy being ordered around by powerful individuals instead of resisting them.
They had no principles of themselves. They did not care who they followed, only that the stronger their boss was, the happier they were.
A few demihumans who got beaten black and blue immediately brought a Mud Doll over.
"We will be catching more monsters next. That way, you will have more protection."
"If there are any others who can provide useful suggestions for the army, I will give them the privilege to become a Monster Knight or Platoon General!"
Especially these last words made the demihumans cheer.
"Leader! I have a good suggestion!" A tall demihuman excitedly shouted out as he squeezed to the front almost immediately.
The demihuman pointed at his body and spoke, "Leader, look!"
"What do you mean?"
Ayrin looked at the demihuman. He wore a thick dark red leather armor which looked even more crude than the leather armor sold in the cheapest handicraft shop in St. Lauren.
"Leader, look! Normal weapons can't pierce this!" The demihuman took out a sword and stabbed his own body.
With that, Ayrin and Rinloran noticed the difference.
The leather armor the demihuman wore seemed to be made out of a special material. Apart from being sturdy, it was very elastic. After a closer look, it seemed to be a single piece without any sewing.
"This isn't made of leather?" Ayrin asked in surprise.
"Leader, this isn't made with leather, it's made with the Rogue Worm!"
The demihuman immediately explained, "If you crush the Rogue Worm into paste and let it solidify, it will become sturdy armor like this!"
"Rogue Worm?" The group was surprised, "A type of worm?"
"Yes! There is a lake in our Thorns Swamp that is filled with them. After drying their eggs, we eat them. There are plenty of those thumb-sized worms, enough to equip an army!"
"You just have to crush the worms into paste?"
"Yes. And then just wait for the paste to solidify. The solidified paste is fireproof and waterproof. It's similar to an arcane resistance layer!" The demihuman excitedly continued, "Leader, if all the monsters and foot soldiers wear this armor, our fighting strength will greatly improve!"
"It really seems sturdy!"
Ayrin pulled the paste armor with force and felt he was unable to tear it apart with just his physical strength.
However, he had one doubt, "Since it's enough to equip an army, why didn't you do that before? Why do you only mention it now?"
"Our previous leader was Zolka."
The demihuman pointed behind Ayrin.
Ayrin and the others turned around and immediately understood. The Zolka that the demihuman mentioned was the mentally handicapped Troll who now worked for the demihumans.
"I discovered this with my companion. However, when my companion told Zolka, Zolka scolded him as a coward. Then, Zolka shouted 'Our era has come' and threw my companion into the furnace." The demihuman explained to Ayrin.
"……"
Rinloran and the others were speechless again.
