Chapter 16: Dangerous Struggle
The kobolds were short and small targets, making them difficult to hit from a distance, especially since Jia Zhengjin's archery skills were quite poor.
However, once they got closer, it was a different story!
As one kobold approached within just a dozen meters, Jia Zhengjin drew his bow again.
"Thwack!" This time, he accurately shot it in the neck. The unfortunate kobold was knocked down by the force of the arrow. Although it wouldn’t die immediately, the poison he had coated the arrow with took effect, leaving it to lie motionless on the ground, waiting for death.
Seeing that he finally hit his target, Jia Zhengjin’s morale soared. He quickly retreated while shooting, and two more unlucky kobolds were shot, with the arrows piercing through their bodies, leaving them paralyzed by the poison due to their reckless charge.
“Argh~~” Despite what happened, the kobolds did not immediately back down. Instead, they roared and surged forward like a swarm.
With no way to continue his hit-and-run tactics and unwilling to abandon the otherworldly human, Jia Zhengjin gritted his teeth and stowed his bow in his backpack. He raised his shield with his left hand and brandished his spear with his right, charging straight intending to engage the kobolds in a melee fight !
“Clang! Clang! Clang…” Among the kobolds, about half were still focused on their hostage, while the remaining ten surrounded Jia Zhengjin. This was still a considerable number, and he was quickly overwhelmed, forced to block the incoming blows with his iron shield. Despite its coverage, he couldn’t avoid all the strikes from the kobolds clubs arriving from all directions, which landed hard on him.
The intense pain stimulated Jia Zhengjin, especially when these short, unintelligent creatures were piling blows on him, igniting his rage. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he began to retaliate with wild thrusts of his iron spear.
The spear was also coated with poison, and the electric discharge that accompanied his attacks caught the kobolds off guard. Two of them, who were closest and had been attacking him most frequently, were struck by the spear’s tip, and in an instant, their skin was torn open. They fell to the ground, convulsing from the paralysis poison afflicting them.
“Thwack!” Jia Zhengjin pressed on, stabbing forcefully into one kobold's body, then kicking it aside.
“Clang!” Before he could relish his small victory, another kobold struck him hard on the head with a wooden club.
Dizziness washed over him, and he felt a warm liquid trickling down his face.
“Blood?” He wiped his face with his sleeve and found it immediately stained red, his vision gradually becoming blurry.
It was a critical hit! His health suddenly dropped by over 20 points. With the relentless assault from the kobolds, his health plummeted from a 100 to a dangerous 51!
Jia Zhengjin roared in anger; if this continued, not only would he fail to save the girl, but he would end up dead himself. He had no intention of dying so easily! With that thought in mind, he forced himself to endure the pain and swung his iron spear with renewed vigor, sending electric sparks flying.
After an extended battle, as Jia Zhengjin's stamina dwindled to about 20 points—nearing a critical state—the number of kobolds surrounding him finally decreased from ten to three. Just as he felt he couldn’t hold on any longer, the kobolds finally showed signs of retreat!
“Argh~~” They howled at Jia Zhengjin but began to fear the electric power emanating from his spear. Finally, they turned around and fled.
However, they were still carrying the hostage. After all the effort he’d put in, almost losing his life, there was no way he would allow their escape to go unchallenged! He quickly switched back to his bow and arrows, trying to push past his current condition and attempting to pursue them, aiming for the kobold carrying the blonde girl.
“Thwack!” The arrow flew swiftly, accurately hitting the girl's left foot.
“Ah——!” The blonde girl let out a sharp scream, then fell into a paralyzed state due to the poison.
“Damn it!” Jia Zhengjin felt embarrassed; his archery skills were truly disgraceful. He had intended to save her but nearly ended up hurting her instead! Fortunately, it only struck her foot, and the poison merely caused paralysis, not death.
He quickly nocked another arrow, finally managing to hit one of the kobolds carrying the girl.
“Thud!” One kobold fell to the ground, causing the others to lose their balance and the blonde girl to tumble into the grass.
The kobolds quickly realized what had happened and attempted to pick up the girl again. But Jia Zhengjin kept firing arrows, and another unlucky kobold was shot through the head, dying instantly!
“Argh~~” Completely demoralized, the kobolds abandoned the girl they had intended to eat, turning and scattering into the dense woods.
With only 19 health points left, having lost another point due to bleeding after the chase. Jia Zhengjin felt increasingly weak. He began urgently searching the area and soon discovered several patches of [Green Herbs].
The forest was rich in medicinal plants, and green herbs were among them. However, without a constructed alchemy lab, he couldn’t use them to make potions. The basic green herbs could only restore 1 health point each.
Luckily, they also had a hemostatic property. His immediate problem wasn’t restoring health but stopping the bleeding. Many herbs had hemostatic effects, and stopping the bleeding from his head wound was his top priority.
Using the green herbs for hemostasis, he consumed a few, raising his health points to 30. Although still weak, he was at least temporarily out of danger. Jia Zhengjin walked over to the blonde girl, squatting down to take a closer look at her.
From a distance, he could only vaguely see her figure, but now up close, he found that beneath her messy golden hair is a very beautiful face. Her eyebrows were curved like crescent moons. Her large eyes sparkled like two brilliant sapphires, and her long eyelashes framed them perfectly. She had a high, straight nose and a small mouth—she was truly a classic Western beauty. In his past life before coming here, she would definitely be qualified to be a movie star!
However, at the moment, the blonde girl stared wide-eyed and motionless, still under the effects of the paralyzing poison.
Taking advantage of her paralysis and her temporary resistance to pain due to the poison, Jia Zhengjin awkwardly grasped the arrow lodged in her calf and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that! But hey, at least I saved you. Let’s just forget about that arrow I shot, okay? I’m going to pull it out and bandage you up now; it won’t hurt, I promise!"
Jia Zhengjin pulled out the arrow and stowed it in his backpack, then quickly crushed a green herb to apply it to her leg wound. He then picked a broad leaf from a tree, using plant fibers to make a makeshift bandage and secured it with a stick.
"Wait here for a moment!" Jia Zhengjin said to the immobile blonde girl, regardless of whether she could understand him. He turned around and raised his iron spear to finish off the paralyzed kobolds one by one.
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