After the greenskin attack, the mercenary group became much more cautious in their actions than before. Each of the three squads aimed to return early and depart late every day, avoiding the possibility of similar dangers.

When Airen, leading the hunting team, learned of this, he reacted strongly. He insisted that half of the camp should always remain, with the other half sent out to work and earn money. This proposal was supported by Manid, but Avi didn't adopt it.

The reason was simple: in his plan, the future development of the mercenary group required solid economic support. No matter where in the world, having money didn't necessarily mean being able to do as one pleased, but without money, everything would be difficult. Avi understood this principle well.

"We need enough funds to procure good equipment, recruit manpower, and then ensure the base's security. If we only focus on base security now, further development may be delayed, and unforeseen changes may occur. By then, we may not be able to handle it," Avi explained.

Facing Avi's explanation, Airen seemed to realize his own overreaction and immediately apologized to him repeatedly. However, Avi was more concerned about why Airen was so sensitive about this particular issue.

After everyone else had left, Avi found Airen in the makeshift stable made of fences.

"Please forgive me for just now—" Airen's expression was very unnatural, and he regretted his impulsive remarks.

"It's a good thing to directly express your opinion to me," Avi said. "But I didn't come here for that. I want to know why you are so sensitive about this particular issue."

"...I believe that the safety of the camp is the foundation of everything. If the camp is breached, all the previous hardships and efforts will be meaningless."

"Besides that?"

"..."

Airen initially didn't want to mention the cause and effect, but he felt guilty about concealing it from Avi, who had been kind to him. After much hesitation, he decided to be frank.

"Originally, when we followed that nobleman, it was because our hunting camp was burned down by goblins, our supplies were exhausted, and we had to take risks and enter the wilderness, only to be attacked by the greenskins."

"Looks like he chose to believe that nobleman," Avi thought to himself. "From the descriptions of his followers alone, it's too absurd to walk into the ambush of the greenskins so conveniently, and only the nobleman escaped. But since they don't want to think too much, I'd better not waste words."

"You can rest assured that the camp's defensive works are becoming more and more solid. During this time, we will intensify the training of new recruits, so we won't fear such incidents in the future," Avi said. "And I'm planning to have Manid handle some matters again."

"Ah, I understand." After thinking for a while, Airen said, "Since it's something Mr. Manid wants to do, and you specifically told me, it should be about buying equipment or something, right?"

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"Yes." Avi nodded. "The new recruits have trained enough. Plus, there's a lack of tools for recent repairs. I need you to escort Manid to Midenheim tomorrow to purchase equipment, horses, tools, and supplies."

"As you wish."

"There's no time to waste. You'll set out tomorrow morning, so be careful on the road."

"Yes."

"Oh, Airen." Avi stopped Airen, who was about to leave. "I have something to do and can't go. Please pick out a lance for me. Tomorrow, I'll give you 1,100 gold coins. You and Manid can discuss how to use them. I trust you both."

...

After Airen left, Avi alone walked into the tent, put on his heavily worn leather armor, and after polishing his hand-and-a-half sword, he strapped it to his back and prepared to leave. Just as he was about to leave the camp, he ran into Rafe, who was carrying a bundle of wood.

"Hey, boss, where are you going?"

"Practice," Avi said. "I want to hone my skills more during this time."

"That's great! If you have time, I'll tag along!" Rafe glanced at the pile of wood on his shoulder and remarked, "But not now, those folks are really pushing for the wood."

"No need to worry about me, I can handle it myself."

As he made his way, Avi observed the fervent work of many mercenaries and farmers, which invigorated him. The soreness from previous battles seemed to have subsided considerably.

His purpose for venturing alone into the forest this time was straightforward: training.

After observing for a while, Avi discovered that the system's experience acquisition wasn't limited to just battles. Activities such as completing tasks, daily training, ordinary skirmishes... all could accumulate "system" experience points, akin to gaining skill experience in real-life activities.

In other words, the system concretized abstract concepts into reality.

With this guiding principle in mind, Avi decided to make the most of any available leisure time to maximize experience acquisition, swiftly improving his personal combat prowess and unlocking the system's potential.

"The medieval Warhammer world isn't just about having a capable army," he thought. "The most reliable strategy is to excel individually, like Tairitien... Even if I'm currently just a Teddy, it's manageable. Practice will prevail."

The greatest strength of the Mount & Blade system was its ability to directly elevate abilities and instill knowledge, effectively accelerating learning by tens or even hundreds of times.

Thus, Avi resolved to venture into the forest to level up. The Black Forest was no longer as perilous as before. After the recent activities of the mercenaries, the frequency of beastmen lurking around had significantly decreased. It was relatively safe to linger on the forest's periphery.

Nonetheless, the Black Forest still exuded an oppressive and unsettling aura. Avi gripped his hand-and-a-half sword tightly, cautiously stepping into the forest's embrace...

After emerging two hours later, in the fading glow of the sunset, the mercenaries in the camp couldn't discern whether the blood on their leader's body was real or merely the hue of the setting sun.

Avi stumbled into camp, collapsing under the watchful eyes of his comrades, his strength depleted.

"Boss, what happened?!" Rafe rushed over to assist Avi, patting him down. "Strange, how did you end up like this without any injuries?"

"I'm fine..." Avi managed weakly, "just a bit... tired."

"Get some water!" After instructing the mercenaries, Rafe inquired, "What were you up to?"

"I took care of a few—dun dun dun, took care of a few greenskins, that's all." Avi gulped down some water, wincing, then continued, "Those who fled into the forest earlier were still lurking around, so I went after them."

"There were quite a few, boss. Could you handle it alone?"

"Joking aside, don't think you're the only capable one. Every captain and companion in our mercenary group is top-notch." After saying this, Avi realized something was amiss and added, "Except for Manid."

"Hey, that haggard man will rise up in the future too!" Rafe chuckled. "As long as he's with us, he'll definitely be a tough guy!"

"Hopefully..."

Avi smiled contentedly, then drifted into unconsciousness.