Chapter 66: Fed in the Fires of War

  The gnolls ultimately failed to catch up to Field, watg helplessly as he dashed into the gates of the lumberyard.

  The archers and rangers shot their deadly arrows, felling seven ht gnolls who had charged too far ahead, f the rest to retreat.

  As soon as the gate closed,

  Ange ordered the soldiers to roll several heavy logs to block the entrance, while calling the archers and rao the watchtowers.

  The timely warni that the workers had already been evacuated, so there was o worry about additional casualties.

  Ange was somewhat regretful that the wooden walls of the lumberyard weren’t fully pleted, with only one side fortified.

  Fortunately, the materials used were thid solid, and without heavy ons, the gnolls would find it difficult to breach the walls quickly.

  That time would be enough for the soldiers to deal deadly blows with their steel spears.

  The only thing that made Ange uneasy was the fact that there were only 80 soldiers ihe lumberyard, while over 450 gnolls were outside.

  Although there were nearly 1,000 kobolds within the lumberyard, Ange knew full well that they couldn’t be relied upon for bat. At best, they could serve as on fodder to slow the enemy.

  Ange assumed that this might have been why the lord brought the kobolds along during the retreat.

  In truth, Matthew hadn't thought that far ahead. His focus was entirely on the gnolls outside, his eyes filled with excitement.

  Yaya had already firmed that there were nnoll spellcasters or priests among the enemy.

  Even if there were one or two elite gnoll brutes anding them, their morale had clearly dropped. The fact that they hadn’t attacked immediately was a clear sign.

  By now, after days of researto "Feat Analysis" and experimenting with the legendary feat Fate’s Choice, Matthew had a good grasp of how to use them.

  The gentler method:

  By analyzing a target’s activated feats through data, he could reach a level of uanding that allowed him to derive trainihods for those feats.

  This approach worked for anyone who met the prerequisites for learning, making it ideal for broader application.

  But Matthew had his own way:

  He extended his hand, grabbing a handful of the gnoll watcher’s brown fur and yanked him roughly closer.

  The gnoll watcher thrashed violently, shaking the entire cage. Several onlookers turheir heads but quickly looked away after notig Matthew's as.

  No one would interfere with whatever the lord wao do!

  "Detailed data analysis in progress..."

  "Detected rough information oarget's feat. Please upgrade Feat Analysis..."

  Matthew checked his skill points—he had accumuted 9. Without hesitation, he chose to upgrade.

  "2 skill points ed. Extraordinary Iance – Feat Analysis upgraded to LV2!"

  "Detailed data analysis in progress..."

  "Detected some information oarget’s feat. Please upgrade Feat Analysis..."

  Still not enough?

  "3 skill points ed. Extraordinary Iance – Feat Analysis upgraded to LV3!"

  "Detected signifit information oarget’s feat. Please upgrade Feat Analysis..."

  Matthew grimaced as he eyed his remaining 4 skill points but didn't hesitate to upgrade to LV4!

  With the higher level, a flood of knowledge, informatiohods, and teiques surged into his mind.

  Matthew could clearly feel himself abs various insights on the Quick Cast feat, which were quickly being part of his skillset.

  With just a thought, he could swiftly put this knowledge into practice.

  However, Matthew soon realized that the knowledge entering his mind was mostly theoretical.

  Much like the memories he brought from his past life, they wouldn’t instantly trao bat power.

  Theiced the prompt on his data dispy.

  "Suffit informatioed. Would you like to e 3,000 experience points to learn the advanced feat – Quick Cast?"

  What else could Matthew say?

  As the 3,000 experience points were ed, Matthew felt a clear transformation in his mind.

  Closing his eyes, Matthew "saw" his mental and spiritual energy strug a plex are model, following the steps from his newfound knowledge.

  Mana nodes began f one by one, while his mental energy expahe structure, giving rise to a beautiful are model.

  Matthew found himself absorbed in the process, greedily soaking up the knowledge and sav the stru of the are model.

  This was exactly the foundation he had been g!

  After several minutes, a crisp system notification snapped Matthew out of his reverie.

  "Ding! You have learhe advanced feat – Quick Cast LV1. Your casting speed is increased by 50%!"

  A surge of excitement welled up within Matthew as he felt the flow of mana in his body qui, and his overall power increase.

  Acquiring his sed advanced feat greatly boosted Matthew's fidence!

  g his fist, he calmly drew his rapier, and in the gnoll watcher’s bewildered fear, swiftly drove the bde into him.

  Squelch!

  The st of fresh blood filled the air as the gnoll watcher stopped struggling, his body growing cold.

  As the sweet sound of earned experience echoed in Matthew's mind, he waved to Old John and wiped the blood from his sword with an air of indifference.

  "Throw his body out. He was the st gnoll spellcaster."

  "With him goheir fighting spirit and motivation will plummet."

  "If we hold off the first few waves of their attack, their assault will quickly weaken..."

  Old John caught sight of Yaya hiding ireetops and, reassured by Matthew’s calm demeanor, rexed.

  The lord must have some trick up his sleeve!

  This must be a test for the soldiers!

  The gnoll watcher’s body was thrown outside, and the enraged howls and roars of the gnolls quickly followed.

  Clearly, this btant provocation had infuriated the dim-witted creatures!

  Led by the gnoll brutes, the remaining 400 gnolls charged en masse toward the gate.

  The soldiers, who had been waiting, began their terattack from behind the wooden barricades. Arrows flew through the air, and spears thrust forward in unison.

  The sounds of metal g, mixed with shouts and roars, filled the air.

  Watg the gnolls cluster together, Matthew’s face twisted into a sinister grin.

  In the heat of battle, Old John would never have guessed that his earlier assumption had been spot on.

  Matthew hadn't allowed Yaya to use her dragon's aura, which could have easily given the soldiers an advantage ireat or attack, because he wao temper them.

  Life ah at the edge of the bde, fighting with blood and steel.

  Only through such trials could true warriors be fed, honing the fi soldiers!

  FAL