Chapter Twenty-Six: The Kobold Den
The incantation for the fireball spell was "Fuhar." Watching Tina use it, Jia Zhengjin suddenly remembered that the kobold chief would also shout this word every time he cast a fireball. At the time, he had thought it was simply the kobold chief's own exclamation—who would have guessed it was actually a magical incantation!
Jia Zhengjin tried having Tina use a fireball on the pile of wood he had placed in the clearing outside the house. In a single strike, she knocked off thirty durability points. As for himself, even wearing the Beast Fang Ring that increased his attack by five, and thrusting his spear with all his might at the wood, he could only manage to reduce its durability by seventeen points. In other words, Tina's damage output was actually double his own!
He recalled how, when the kobold chief attacked the giant python, it seemed to barely scratch it. But now, seeing the comparison, it was clear: magical attacks truly were formidable!
Ah, why couldn't he learn magic himself? It was truly disheartening! Jia Zhengjin was initially a bit frustrated, but after a moment's thought, he cheered up. "Actually, it's the same—if I can turn Tina into a powerful mage, that means I have a super backup!"
Tina had no idea what Jia Zhengjin was thinking; she was still immersed in the bewildering and incredulous sensation of having suddenly learned magic. She continuously aimed at the wood, casting fireball after fireball, watching with her own eyes as flames struck the upright logs and ignited them in a blazing fire!
After about ten fireballs, Tina suddenly went limp.
"What happened?" Jia Zhengjin reacted quickly, catching her in his arms. Seeing the weariness on her face, he immediately understood. "Tina, your magic power is low right now. If you use it all up, of course you'll collapse! I haven't managed to get a magic-restoring blue potion yet, so you need to take it easy!"
Tina couldn't understand such complex words, but she nestled happily into Jia Zhengjin's chest.
"There, be good. Go back to your room and rest for a while," Jia Zhengjin said with concern, carrying Tina home and settling her in the bedroom.
Lying in bed, Tina soon fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion.
"Hmm... Tina's magic power is a problem. It looks like she can only cast about ten fireballs before running dry," Jia Zhengjin thought. "Doesn't that mean she won't have any magic left after a single large spell? There must be equipment to increase magic or potions to restore it, right?"
Once Tina was asleep, Jia Zhengjin went outside to inspect the other spoils of battle.
The Basic Life Potion could increase the user's maximum health by fifty points for a short period. In other words, if Jia Zhengjin drank this potion, his health would immediately rise from one hundred to one hundred and fifty points. But it only lasted a few minutes—seemingly not very useful.
The Perfect Beast Hide Boots provided seven points of defense and two points of agility. With the Superior Leather Armor giving ten points of defense, and the standard Beast Bone Helmet adding another two, the entire set gave him a total of nineteen defense points! This greatly enhanced his survivability; now, carrying the iron shield, he could walk away unscathed even if surrounded by a pack of kobolds.
Of course, if there were simply too many kobolds, he might still be in trouble.
As for the two points of agility, they were also significant! With these, Jia Zhengjin's running and jumping abilities were vastly improved—very useful for escaping danger!
He didn't hesitate to use all three blueprints.
The [Kobold Lair] allowed daily recruitment of kobolds in exchange for raw meat, with stronger kobolds requiring more meat. Construction materials: 10,000 units of wood, 500 units of iron ore, and 500 units of copper ore.
The [Garden] was a beautiful place to lift one's spirits. Construction materials: 1,000 units of wood, ten white flowers, ten red flowers, ten blue flowers, ten purple flowers, ten yellow flowers, and one watering can.
The [Arrow Tower] was a basic defensive structure that would automatically attack any hostile creatures that approached. Attack power: 10–15. Construction materials: 5,000 units of wood, 50 iron ingots, and 100 arrows. [Upgradeable]
After learning the three blueprints, Jia Zhengjin ignored the garden, but the other two buildings filled him with excitement.
The kobold lair could recruit kobolds, meaning he could lead a large group out hunting! Previously, when encountering some powerful creatures from another world, he had to flee cautiously. But with kobold followers, he could rely on numbers to win. Hunting would be easy, even without traps!
He only worried that the cowardly kobolds might abandon him mid-battle—how awkward would that be!
Still, even if they weren't great fighters, he could always send them off to mine!
The arrow tower was even more impressive: a defensive building that automatically attacked any nearby hostile creatures, and it could be upgraded. With an attack power of 10–15 at level one, who knew how strong it would become at higher levels? If he could build a dense array of arrow towers, even that fire serpent he had seen before might be slain!
With arrow towers in place, the area would be much safer. He and Tina could stroll near the house without worrying so much about danger.
Jia Zhengjin could already imagine it: a base bristling with arrow towers and garrisoned by a host of kobolds—a truly safe stronghold!
He hurried to the livestock pen, where the two kobold miners were already hard at work. They had piled up more than seven hundred units each of iron and copper ore in the clearing. He immediately changed their collection targets, gave them iron and stone axes, and told them to cut down nearby trees to clear even more space.
Eager to build the kobold lair and recruit kobolds to work for him, Jia Zhengjin grabbed a stone axe and joined the two miners, chopping trees with enthusiasm.
Effort never goes unrewarded. When Jia Zhengjin finally gathered all the materials and built the kobold lair against the rock wall behind his house, a virtual selection window appeared before his eyes.
[Kobold]: Will flee if the battle turns against them. Recruitment cost: 10 raw meat; daily upkeep: 3 raw meat.
[Kobold Warrior]: Stronger than standard kobolds. Recruitment cost: 20 raw meat; daily upkeep: 6 raw meat.
[Kobold Miner]: Excellent miners. Recruitment cost: 10 raw meat; daily upkeep: 3 raw meat.
[Kobold Chief]: Can fight using fireballs and leads the kobolds. Recruitment cost: 500 raw meat; daily upkeep: 10 raw meat.
[Werewolf]: Said to be the kobolds' ancestor. Incredibly powerful, fearless, and unflinching in battle! Recruitment cost: 1,000 raw meat; daily upkeep: 20 raw meat. (Note: One appears every full moon. Kobold lair must be at least level 5 to recruit.)
Seeing the information on the werewolf, Jia Zhengjin's excitement was beyond measure. Although the requirements seemed strict—the lair needed to be level five, and only one could be recruited per month—it was undoubtedly a mighty unit!