Chapter 50: Under Leveled

With him severely underleveled for the quest, he had no choice but to rely on his massive game knowledge that he had accumulated in his past. That was his competitive advantage and the only option he could rely on. It was the source of his confidence, except that it was currently dwindling faster than the speed of light, the more he knew about the assault plan.

"What the… A castle siege against the goblins where the weakest mob is level 36 and above?" His eyes widened with terror when he thought about the scale of the upcoming battle.

With his one-on-one battle against a mere goblin scout, he knew just how strong the goblins were. He was completely no match against it. During the battle against the goblin, it took all he had in his arsenal just to escape from it, and even then, he only managed to escape from the danger with just a sliver of health left. 

The stress and fatigue from that battle was more than he could handle. And now, he has to join in a siege battle against a large magnitude of goblins? With his current level, he doesn't even stand a chance in surviving. Heck, he doesn't even have the qualification to be a cannon fodder for the war! This scenario was not what he had expected in mind.

"Hah… Hah… Calm down!" Venn took a deep breath. Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is. It was useless to panic and he knew it. Rather than losing his calm, he kept his focus and continued to listen to Nigyo Brugven's speech.

"The upcoming war will involve the entire army and all of the personal troops of the five families. That will result in us having a numerical advantage over them. We have a rough estimate over the number of their troops, and I say we have a huge advantage over them. Six thousand of us versus two thousand of them. It will be an easy victory for us if we strike them with all our military might." 

The elder Brugvun continued to speak of his grand battle plan proudly. He could already imagine himself standing on top of the clan after his grandson successfully marries Ysera, which would subsequently grant him a perfect excuse to devour the Shuten family. With a certain unfortunate mistake from his order in the upcoming battle, he could get rid of those pesky personal troops supporting the Shuten family as well. As the grand commander of the whole battle operation, it was a piece of cake to him to orchestrate such a mistake.

"Uncle Nigyo, Ysera has something to say. Reconnaissance reports from my scouts estimated that the number of goblins residing in the castle are a lot more than two thousand based on their activities they exhibited. It is highly possible that their headcount is in the four thousands range. Attacking a castle which provides the defenders a terrain advantage with our number is ill-advised." 

Right when Nigyo Brugvun was in the midst of his fantisation, Ysera interrupted his wishful thinking in a polite tone. Although Ysera was nothing but respectful in her words, it made Nigyo Brugvun unhappy.

Thinking that Ysera had not given up her struggle to delay the union of the Brugvun family and the Shuten family, he argued fiercely to defend his stance.

"What a load of crap! When the goblins first appeared in our land nine months ago all of a sudden, and murdered our fellow men at Blackwater Castle in cold blood, their numbers were already leaked. A messenger was able to flee before the castle fell and delivered us this precious information at the risk of his life and you dare to question him? "

"Even if the goblins had grown in number since then, it is impossible for their numbers to grow to a great extent. The brave warriors of our clan are perfectly capable of handling them, so you can keep your worries to yourself. Unlike your father who led our men to death with his incompetence leadership, this will not be the case for me!

After berating Ysera and ignoring her, Nigyo Brugvun turned towards the audience in the tent. With an ear-piercing voice, he gathered the attention of everyone in the tent back to him again.

"Now everyone listens to me, the goblins have a pattern of splitting a portion of their troops to attack our villages swiftly for the aim of plundering resources while the rest of them holed up in the castle like cowards. Recently, their attacks have been getting much more frequent than in the beginning, and they are even targeting cities near the capital as well. It is time for us to get rid of this menace once and for all, and so we will strike them eight days later, at dawn. From now till the time of assembly, the family heads and the generals are to inspect the warriors' equipment, battle readiness and prepare them for the battle ahead!"

"General Brugvun! Come forth!" Nigyo Bruven ordered with a booming voice. 

"Yes! Grandfather!" At his order, General Brugvun stepped forward and immediately knelt down on his knee with his head bowed to Nigyo Brugvun to await his instruction. As one of the strongest Oni in the clan, his heart was pounding as he realised this was his chance to bring honor and prove himself as one of the greatest. The time for him to shine has arrived!

"You will be tasked as the grand commander for this upcoming battle! Take this jade medallion and assemble the main troops of the clan at the training grounds. I want to see a well-trained army in eight days! Bring glory to our clan! Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear!" General Brugvun replied loud and clear.

General Brugvun was feeling intoxicated from the attention he had gained from the others in the tent. It was a prestigious moment for him, and he swore that he would sear this moment into his memory for ages to come. All eyes, including Ysera, were on him as he accepted the position of the grand commander. This unparalleled honor belonged solely to him.

However, right at this moment, a jarring voice shattered this perfect moment of his. Like an annoying house fly buzzing in his ears, the owner of the voice asked an inconsequential question nonchalantly like it was nothing, seemingly unaware that he was interrupting the sacred ceremony of his.

"Erm… Not that I want to interrupt or anything, but er… do you guys have some troops to spare? I can lead them in the upcoming battle as well." Venn awkwardly asked the crowd.