Before the humans had time to think, the surrounding gnolls were already sharpening their swords and impatiently preparing to attack. Whooshing sounds rang out as a short spear with a metal tip and a wooden trunk struck Gray, tearing open the warrior's chain armor and leaving a deep wound.
These fellows weren't friendly at all in their first meeting.
The injured Gray took a few steps back and glanced at the wound on his body. He then moved forward again and roared angrily, "Slaughter these filthy scum!"
On the other side, the gnolls didn't say anything. Most of them wore light armor and landed on their hind legs, swinging their hammer as they pounced forward.
A fight was about to break out.
According to Caesar's assessment equipment, the individual combat ability of an ordinary gnoll was equivalent to that of a normal human soldier. They were weaker than elite soldiers and couldn't compare at all to these adventurers who had specialized in various aspects.
However, the gnolls had the advantage in numbers and also had a natural advantage. They had night vision and could move freely in the Dark Mantle, making it difficult for humans to reach.
Therefore, the adventurers felt pressure from the moment they made contact. These gnolls were armed and wearing light armor and were much harder to deal with than the ordinary gnolls.
"Boss, should we disperse them?" At this time, the only spellcaster in the camp stood out and asked the leader.
The reason why this team was more advanced than other adventurers was because of their rich experience, seamless cooperation, and even more because they had a mage.
Spellcasters, no matter where you were in Airadia, were a rather rare profession. They were also the core of advanced adventurers.
This was a young man. His level wasn't high, and he was a middle mage who had just left the fledgling stage. He had a head of fine black hair, pale skin, and a typical southern face.
"Don't."
The leader was a middle-aged great warrior. Although his energy wasn't as exuberant as a young lad, his mind was meticulous and he had rich experience. "The night is still young, now is not the time for you to make a move."
Under his guidance, the adventurers formed a circle around each other in a defensive position, maintaining a tight and stable formation. They were like a meat grinder, killing the gnolls that pounced forward.
But as time passed, not only did this not have any effect, the situation became even more critical.
One of the characteristics of low-level species like the Gnolls and Kobolds was their high reproduction rate and short reproductive cycle. So after all these years of accumulation, even the Black Dragon Lord did not know how many Gnolls Hogg had under his command. Anyway, there was an endless stream of Gnolls jumping out of the forest, almost endless, and constantly joining the attack on the humans.
At this time, casualties began to appear in the 25-man team.
"Use the smelly sack."
Looking at the densely packed Gnolls, the leader of the humans finally said that after carefully understanding the distribution of monsters in the north, they had temporarily purchased a lot of small tools from the northern countries. Among them, there were Stink Sacs used to deal with large groups of Gnolls.
But before this, the leader had been holding back. For adventurers, every penny had to be carefully calculated and used on the edge of the blade. So when he saw that the number of Gnolls had reached a certain level and that the Stink Sacs had the greatest effect, he finally ordered his team to use them.
The most obvious advantage of the Gnolls was their sensitive sense of smell. They could easily distinguish every smell in the air, but this was also their biggest weakness. Airadia had been around for so many years, and the humans had already figured out a set of methods to deal with all kinds of monsters.
These small tools, which could play a huge role in a critical moment, were carried by every member of the adventurers. So when these adventurers threw the Stink Sacs made from a mixture of skunk secretion and pickled herring juice on the ground and stomped on them, a fainting smell immediately spread out.
The savage, low-intelligence, and defenseless Gnolls were immediately hit after a second. The originally continuous attack collapsed in an instant. They whimpered, retreated, and then scattered in all directions. These guys were not afraid of death, but such a stench was unbearable for them.
Of course, there were some smart ones among them. After taking two steps back, they immediately began to howl at the sky.
"Awoooo —"
Due to the continuous stream of adventurers entering Blackwing's Nest over the past few years, the clans under the Black Dragon Overlord had gradually gotten used to it. Hence, not every group of adventurers would alarm the leaders of the upper echelons. Many of them were dealt with by the clans that discovered the adventurers at the first instance.
Only when they encountered enemies that they could not deal with would the beasts of Blackwing's Nest sound the alarm and call for support from other clans.
Like now.
"Hurry up and leave now to get rid of them."
The leader held his breath and ordered in a deep voice. The Stink Sacs not only caused great damage to the Gnolls, but also affected humans. Of course, this was not the most important thing. What was important was that he saw through the intentions of these beasts. "They are calling for support."
The adventurers did not continue to be attacked, and the pressure on the adventurers was greatly reduced. Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, they listened to the leader's order and began to retreat, preparing to enter the forest to get rid of the Gnolls.
However, at this moment, something strange suddenly happened.
The howls of the Gnolls seemed to have awakened something. Just a moment later, the entire Blackwing's Nest shook slightly. This was not an exaggeration. The ground was really shaking, as if there was an earthquake.
Whether it was the Gnolls who escaped to avoid the Stink Sacs, the humans who were holding their weapons and preparing to retreat, or the other Blackwing clans, they all felt an indescribable sense of oppression rising in their hearts.
It was true. Something really rose from Blackwing's Nest. It was a huge shadow. The wings on its back seemed to cover the sky. The bright moon dimmed, and the terrifying aura seemed to have frozen time.
"Leader, is this our target?"
Gray's face was pale as he looked at the huge creature that could only be described as a "seat." His legs could not help but tremble. He looked back and saw that his companion, the thief Soratul, was constantly retreating.
"I think so."
The leader's heart was cold. Even if he could not see the creature's face, he could tell that it was at least 20 meters tall.
Marsha above, a 20 meter tall Black Dragon. What kind of concept was that?
The Black Dragon's body was only slightly larger than the White Dragon's. It was a relatively small dragon species among the Pentashade Dragons. An old Green Dragon could reach 20 meters, a Red Dragon could reach 30 meters, and a Black Dragon was only about 18 meters.
What was a 20 meter tall Black Dragon?
An extremely old Black Dragon?
An Ancient Dragon?
The leader did not dare to think about it anymore. At this moment, dragon-slaying warriors, evil dragons, and treasures were all thrown to the back of his mind. Survival was the only thought in this group of people's minds. He could not suppress the fear in his voice and urgently asked the spellcaster for help. "Quickly cover our aura and let us go!"
They wanted to turn around and start fleeing, but the Black Dragon gently leaped up and spread its wings. Crimson flames immediately tore through the night sky. Before these people could run two steps, the strong wind pressure knocked them all to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the Black Dragon was already in front of them.
The terrifying giant beast half stood up and looked down at the almost paralyzed humans. "I am very happy to see you, humans."