The situation was extremely dangerous.
Night Wolves possessed high physical resistance, and Ashveil’s territory had practically no fighting strength. Even if all three lumberjacks armed themselves with axes, they would struggle to defeat a single wolf.
"Ria, can you handle them?"
"At my current strength, killing a few wouldn’t be difficult. However, I doubt I could protect everyone against an entire pack."
Ashveil frowned. He had just obtained an ancient sovereign, yet he was still in danger of being eaten on his first night.
What kind of luck was this?
He examined the information displayed by the system.
[Night Wolf | Tier 1]
[Trait: High Physical Resistance]
[Weakness: Fire, Strong Light]
Ashveil considered his options. Although the wolves were resistant to ordinary weapons, they were still vulnerable to fire. More importantly, the Lord’s Hall remained protected by the system.
"Ria, can you create fire?"
"Of course. Why?"
"Then we don’t need to fight the wolves. We just need to keep them away from the villagers."
Ashveil immediately called Rowan over and ordered him to gather everyone inside the Lord’s Hall. He also instructed the villagers to bring whatever food and tools they could carry, since there was no guarantee that the other buildings would survive the night.
"My lord, what about you?" Rowan asked.
"I’ll be right behind you. Just make sure everyone gets inside."
As the villagers hurried toward the Lord’s Hall, Ashveil positioned himself near the entrance, keeping his eyes on the forest while remaining close to the protected building.
Several pairs of green eyes were already visible among the trees.
"Ria, how long can you keep them away?"
"That depends on how many decide to attack."
"Then let’s hope they’re smarter than they look."
The first Night Wolf emerged from the forest, followed by several others. Their black fur seemed to absorb the fading sunlight, and faint traces of dark energy surrounded their bodies.
One of them noticed Ashveil and immediately began approaching.
"Ria?"
"I see it."
A small violet flame appeared above Ria’s palm. She sent it toward the approaching wolf, striking the ground directly in front of its paws.
The creature immediately recoiled, snarling as it retreated from the flames.
Ashveil’s eyes brightened.
"It really works!"
"Did you doubt me?"
"Not you. The system."
However, the other wolves were already spreading out around the settlement. Although they hesitated whenever Ria threatened them with fire, they showed no intention of abandoning their prey.
Ashveil quickly realized that they couldn’t continue like this indefinitely. Ria’s power was limited, and the wolves were becoming increasingly aggressive.
"Everyone inside!" he shouted.
Rowan hurried through the entrance with the other villagers. Ashveil followed them, while Ria remained outside for a moment to discourage the approaching wolves.
One of the creatures suddenly lunged toward the doorway.
"Ria!"
Before it could reach him, the wolf collided with an invisible barrier and was violently thrown backward.
[Lord’s Hall Protection Activated!]
The creature rolled across the ground before scrambling to its feet. It snarled at Ashveil, but another attempt to approach the entrance ended in the same result.
Ashveil stared at the wolf in surprise.
"So that’s how the protection works."
The other wolves soon realized that they couldn’t reach the people inside the building. After circling the Lord’s Hall several times, they began prowling around the unprotected cottages instead.
Unfortunately, that created another problem.
"My lord! They’re going to destroy our houses!" Rowan exclaimed.
"I can see that!"
Ashveil watched helplessly as one of the wolves began tearing at a cottage door. Although the Lord’s Hall was safe, he couldn’t afford to lose the few buildings his territory possessed.
"Ria, can you drive them back into the forest?"
"I can try, but I’ll need to use more of my power."
"Do it. We can’t let them destroy everything."
Ria stepped outside and raised her hand. Several violet flames appeared around her before shooting toward the wolves. The creatures immediately scattered, and one that failed to retreat quickly enough was struck directly in the side.
The wolf howled in pain before fleeing toward the trees.
The remaining wolves followed shortly afterward, unwilling to continue approaching a creature capable of wielding their greatest weakness.
Ashveil finally relaxed.
"Thank goodness. I thought we’d lose the cottages."
"You’re welcome, little lord."
"Yeah, yeah. I’ll thank you properly when we survive the night."
However, just as he was about to call the villagers outside, a frightened shout came from Rowan.
"My lord! There’s something behind the cottages!"
Ashveil immediately turned toward the settlement.
Four short, reptilian creatures had appeared near the damaged building, carrying crude weapons and wearing pieces of leather armor.
[Kobold | Tier 1]
[Trait: None]
Leading them was a larger kobold wearing a helmet decorated with animal bones.
[Kobold Chieftain | Tier 1 Elite]
[Trait: Enhanced Strength]
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Ashveil couldn’t believe his luck. The wolves had barely retreated, and another group of monsters had already appeared.
Worse, the kobolds seemed considerably more intelligent. Instead of rushing toward the Lord’s Hall, they began searching the cottages, apparently looking for food and valuables.
One of them discovered the supplies that the villagers hadn’t managed to bring inside.
"My lord, they’re stealing our food!" Martha cried.
Ashveil’s expression darkened.
They only had three days of provisions remaining. If the kobolds took what little they had left, the entire territory would face starvation.
"Ria, we have to stop them."
"I thought you wanted to avoid fighting?"
"That was before these bastards started robbing us!"
Ria smiled faintly. "Very well. I’ll help you, but don’t expect me to do everything."
Ashveil grabbed an axe from the pile of tools beside the entrance.
"Rowan, stay inside with the others. Don’t come out unless I tell you."
"But my lord!"
"That’s an order!"
Ashveil stepped outside with Ria, immediately attracting the attention of the kobolds.
The chieftain let out an angry cry and pointed its blade toward them. The four smaller kobolds abandoned their search and rushed forward.
"Ria!"
"Leave the leader to me."
Her crimson eyes flashed with violet light.
[Sovereign’s Gaze Activated!]
The chieftain suddenly stopped moving. Its eyes turned violet as Ria seized control of its body.
Although the creature struggled to resist, its movements were no longer its own.
Before the other kobolds could understand what was happening, their leader turned around and struck the nearest one with its blade.
The unfortunate creature collapsed with a shriek as green blood splattered across the ground.
The remaining kobolds froze in confusion.
Ria took advantage of their hesitation and sent a violet fireball toward them. One kobold was engulfed in flames, while the other two were thrown backward by the impact.
Ashveil stared at the scene in astonishment.
Even with only three percent of her original strength, Ria could easily overwhelm several Tier 1 monsters!
Unfortunately, one of the injured kobolds quickly recovered and charged toward him.
Ashveil immediately raised his axe.
The creature swung its short blade, forcing him to retreat before he could attack. Although the kobold was injured, its movements were still considerably faster than he had expected.
"Damn it!"
Ashveil gritted his teeth and swung his axe with both hands. The blade struck the kobold’s shoulder, causing it to shriek in pain.
However, the creature refused to retreat.
It lunged forward again, and Ashveil barely managed to avoid its weapon. Taking advantage of the opening, he struck the kobold across the neck.
Green blood splashed across his clothes as the creature collapsed.
[Tier 1 Kobold Killed!]
Ashveil gasped for breath as he stared at the corpse. His hands were trembling, and his entire body ached from the brief exchange.
This was his first real battle, and he had nearly been killed by an injured Tier 1 monster.
Before he could recover, an angry roar came from behind him.
The kobold chieftain had broken free from Ria’s control and was charging toward her with its blade raised.
"Ria! Watch out!"
"There’s no need to worry."
Ria calmly avoided the attack before activating her ability once more.
[Sovereign’s Gaze Activated!]
The chieftain froze in place, its body once again falling under Ria’s control.
"Little lord, finish it."
Ashveil immediately rushed forward and swung his axe at the immobilized creature’s neck.
The chieftain collapsed.
[Kobold Chieftain Killed!]
With their leader dead, the last surviving kobold attempted to flee.
"Ria, are the wolves still nearby?"
"They’ve withdrawn into the forest. We should be safe for now."
"Rowan! Help me capture that one!"
Rowan and the other villagers hurried out of the Lord’s Hall. Working together, they tackled the injured kobold and restrained it with a length of rope.
After a while, the battle finally ended.
Of the five kobolds, four had been killed, while the last had been captured alive. Although the cottages had suffered some damage, the villagers had survived, and their remaining food supplies were safe.
Ashveil finally lowered his axe.
Between having his vitality drained by Ria and fighting his first battle, he was beginning to wonder whether he would survive his first night in Eryndor.
At that moment, a system notification appeared.
[Kobold Raid Defeated! Territory Defense Successful!]
[Territory Evaluation Updated: Basic Defensive Capabilities]
[Rewards: Source Stone × 1, Gold Coins × 30, Tier 1 Troop Recruitment Voucher × 1, Coarse Iron Blade × 3, Iron Axe × 2, Old Leather Armor × 4.]
Several items materialized beside the kobold corpses.
Ashveil’s eyes immediately brightened.
A Tier 1 Troop Recruitment Voucher!
He had been worrying about his territory’s lack of military strength, and now the system had rewarded him with exactly what he needed.
With ten actual soldiers, Ashen Hollow would finally possess some means of defending itself.
Beside him, Ria glanced at the rewards before smiling.
"Not bad, little lord. You performed better than I expected."
Ashveil looked at the blood covering his clothes.
"...I nearly died."