At Thorian's command, they exited through the North Gate, setting their course towards the West. Upon reaching their intended location, Thorian initiated a dialogue with the brown kobold, detailing the same protocol that Lapis had employed with his team. Once the briefing concluded, the kobloid pack dutifully trailed their brown leader into the village to test their class aptitudes.

With the group of kobloids engrossed in accepting their quests and assessing their individual talents for each class, Nox and Thorian commenced their duty as guards. Thorian adhered strictly to his previous plan, utilizing solely his waterball spell for the entire shift. Despite Nox shouldering the bulk of the workload, Thorian's long-range assistance with his water spell was not without its merits. Nox's shadow-engulfing ability amplified the impact of Thorian's waterball spell, turning it into a formidable weapon. Their combined powers enabled Thorian to shatter enemies' bones and blast them away with a potent shockwave.

As the hours rapidly ticked away, Nox dispatched the final Rabbarian from a group that had naively attempted to penetrate the village's defensive wall. He then scaled the barrier in a single leap, swiftly joining Thorian in the watchtower.

“Thorian, why aren’t you using your other skills?” Nox eventually queried, his bewilderment palpable. “It would have been so much easier if you fought with me down there, we could have killed even more!”

Meanwhile, Thorian was assessing the advancement of his spell:

Waterball Description You summon a watery orb and launch it at your enemies, drenching them and knocking them off balance. Proficiency 68.3%

Not too bad, this is great progress for just two hours of work.

After evaluating his Waterball proficiency, Thorian turned his attention back to Nox, shaking his head in response. "That's not necessary, Nox. Our current hunting pace suffices. It's more crucial to increase my skill proficiency."

Perched on the watchtower ledge, the shadowstalker cocked his head, his confusion unabated. “Why is that? It’s not really a good skill. Fireball is much more powerful.”

Upon hearing Nox's straightforward reasoning, Thorian chuckled. "It's not as simple as that, Nox. My waterball skill training is geared towards unlocking a more advanced class. The more basic skills I perfect, the higher the quality of classes I can access."

Nox's puzzled expression promptly morphed into surprise, quickly followed by a look of shock. “Wait, is that really how it works? Should I be focusing on backstab more? Maybe I should get another skill and raise its proficiency too.”

"That would be prudent," Thorian agreed, nodding, before falling into contemplation. "Actually, now that I think of it, you should make a point of finishing off your enemies with backstab. Once you've slain a specific number using that skill, it will unlock a new one that can open the doors to a special class."

“Oh, really? You should have told me that sooner,” Nox chuckled in response. “But thank you, every enemy I will kill after will be with backstab.”

As their conversation concluded, Thorian shifted his gaze to the vista beyond the watchtower. Foreboding howls and roars echoed from the forest's depths, yet their tranquility remained undisturbed by any immediate threat, affording them a brief respite. Thorian lifted his gaze to the sky, tracking the mid-arc transit of the twin suns across the heavenly expanse. These celestial twins, bound in a tidal system, journeyed across the sky at a synchronized pace and in approximate alignment.

Despite squeezing every drop of value from each passing second, it feels like there's an overwhelming amount of tasks yet to be done. Especially that quest...

Contemplating the human hunting quest, Thorian's eyebrows furrowed in concern. He bore no particular aversion to slaying humans - his past life was a testament to that - yet the sheer quantity required to complete the quest was staggering. If he intended for each of his men to meet the 500-kill quota, they would collectively have to hunt down over thirty thousand men and women. This figure represented a significant proportion of Locksley's populace.

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That can't possibly be the correct approach. Even if feasible, exterminating them would unequivocally cast me as humanity's nemesis. From a diplomatic and political perspective alone, such a course is unwise, Thorian ruminated, scratching his chin. More importantly, that is just not in my nature. I am not a destroyer, I am a conqueror.

Lost in his contemplation, Thorian's brows furrowed, a deep crease marking his concern. Eliminating a mere 500 humans shouldn't pose a significant challenge to me, which would lead to my securing the rare evolutionary variant and thus ensure my dominant position. At this point in time, the majority of them likely remain oblivious to the concept of classes. And those who are aware wouldn't pose a threat to someone like me, who has already gone through his first evolution.

While Thorian was engrossed in his thoughts, Nox abruptly jolted him back to the present. “Hey, Thorian. I was meaning to ask you: when are the monsters going to stop trying to fight us? Are we just going to have to stay guarding the wall for the whole time?”

Hearing Nox's question, Thorian took a few moments to dismiss his previous lines of thought before refocusing on the present. "Do you recall that strange purple anomaly from which those large cat monsters emerged?"

Nox's brow arched in puzzlement. “Yeah, I do. But what has that got to do with anything?”

"Those are known as portals," Thorian clarified. "As we speak, these portals are manifesting throughout the forest and across the entire country. They will persist in unleashing hordes of monsters for another day and a half."

Both Nox and Thorian cast a solemn gaze towards the forest before the shadowstalker replied, “I see. So we just need to hold out for today and tomorrow. We can do it.”

Contemplating the occurrences that were set to follow the first wave, Thorian couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows post that. Some genuinely bothersome and terrifying creatures will emerge, but we'll deal with them when the time comes."

Having spoken, Thorian glanced back towards the village. Ventus and his orc team had cleared the area around the western gates an hour and a half ago, and now, devoid of trees, Thorian had an unobstructed view of the Village Hall and the Guilds.

The squad of kobloids, led by the brown kobold, were progressing from the village center towards Thorian and Nox. From a distance, Thorian noticed that the previously injured kobloids had been healed by the priests. The brown kobold leading his team bore an exuberant smile, clearly delighted at the substantial power boost his group had recently attained.

I should bestow a name upon him as well. This would ensure parity between the eastern and western gates.

Pondering this, Thorian proceeded to commend the kobloids on their newfound prowess before bestowing a name upon the brown kobold. The appellation he settled on was Vivax, an old language term signifying "Energetic". Thorian believed this was apt for this particular kobold's disposition, and with that rationale, he selected it.

Having delegated the responsibility of guarding the western gate to Vivax and his team, Thorian's next destination was the southern gate. Saxum, Ifrit, and Inly were stationed there, and the orcs tasked with timber cutting had already made their way to it. With the brown kobloids now comfortably integrated into the tribe, Thorian felt increasingly confident about advancing his plans of assimilating the orcs.

I wonder what types of evolutions they'll gain access to once they unlock their classes. That would indeed be intriguing to observe.

A grin spreading across his face at the prospect, Thorian strode towards the southern gate in the company of Nox. From a distance, they could witness the impact of Ventus's skill as trees toppled one after another.

As they drew nearer, they could see the orcs carefully transporting tree logs towards the village center. Even from a distance, Thorian could discern a sizeable mound of timber encircling the territory altar.

Approaching the tree line, Thorian's ears picked up a familiar voice.

“In the heart of woods where wild winds play,

Orcs heed the goblin's clever say,

Axe bites deep, and tall trees sway,

With the breaking dawn, we begin our day.”

Hearing the melodious notes wafting from the cleared forest, Thorian instantly identified the voice's owner. Brix? What's he up to?

As the pair drew closer to the voice's origin, they observed the goblin in question, engaged in singing and dancing while the orcs continued their labors undisturbed. Rather than wearing stern expressions, the orcs seemed notably more relaxed and comfortable.

“A goblin that sings and dance? I have never seen something like that!” Nox exclaimed, turning towards Thorian with bright, eager eyes. “Have you seen a goblin like that? That is amazing!”

Thorian wore an intrigued expression as he watched the cavorting goblin, remarking, "That's Brix. He pleaded for mercy in the past, so I allowed him to join us."

"Oh, so he's a part of us now?" Nox's surprise was evident. “That is great to hear! I like the way he sings, his voice is really good!”

Noting that Brix was performing as instructed, Thorian navigated through the bustling orcs to reach Zogthar and Ventus. As he journeyed, the orcs cast unusual glances his way. However, instead of hostility and hatred, these gazes bore a sense of respect.

Interesting, I wonder why that is?