Chapter 35: Mission Accomplished

"Swish!"

At Scott’s warning, Li Xia tilted his head to dodge an arrow. Seizing the momentum, he spun around, gripping his spear with both hands and swinging it with force. The tip of the spear hummed as it carved a perfect arc through the air toward the lower left.

He parried the iron blade swung by the Orc and, using the rebound force, pulled his spear back to deliver a sudden, piercing thrust.

The highly resilient spear shaft vibrated intensely under a specialized technique, causing the spearhead to oscillate in tandem. This trembling tip tangled with the javelin thrust forward by the Orc riding a Warg. With a crisp metallic clang, the force of the Orc’s powerful lunge was deflected.

Unbalanced and caught by his own inertia, the Orc continued his forward motion, leaving his defenses wide open. The vibrating spear suddenly steadied, and with a light, precise thrust, it drew a spray of blood.

The Orc clutched his throat and fell backward, but the Warg opened its jaws to continue the charge. Li Xia released his grip, leaned back, and drew a sharp breath. Utilizing the Sun Breathing technique he had mastered to perfection, he unleashed a muffled "thud." The airborne Warg let out a pained howl and was sent flying backward.

Li Xia lunged forward two steps, reclaimed his spear, leapt high, and smashed it down with all his might.

The spear traced a graceful arc in mid-air before crashing down onto the skull of another Warg rider.

"Thud."

The head shattered like a rotten watermelon, blood spraying from every orifice. The giant wolf let out a wretched cry, its spine arching in an unnatural, distorted curve. It collapsed to the ground, its front paws struggling frantically while its hindquarters lost all function, releasing waste uncontrollably—a clear sign of a severed spinal cord and complete paralysis.

Li Xia walked forward slowly to retrieve his spear, using the moment to steady his ragged breathing. He raised his right foot and stomped down hard; the giant wolf’s whimpering ceased instantly.

The lead Orc’s eyes were wide with fury. It glared at Li Xia with a gaze filled with unconcealable hatred and terror.

"Retreat!"

The remaining Orcs scrambled into the darkness without looking back. Within moments, the once-chaotic battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

They just ran?

Fair enough. This wasn't an online game; if they couldn't win, they would naturally flee. Withdrawing after sustaining over 50% casualties was actually a sign of tenacious fighting spirit.

Li Xia let out a long breath. He hadn't been injured in the skirmish, but the physical exertion had been significant; he was truly exhausted.

He pulled a piece of chocolate from his emergency kit, popped it into his mouth, and expectantly checked the notifications from the Temple.

【Killed Mirkwood Orc Legion Scout, Contribution Points +2】
【Killed Mirkwood Orc Legion Scout, Contribution Points +2】

...

【Killed Mirkwood Orc Legion Warg Scout, Contribution Points +4】

There had been five Warg riders and twelve ordinary Orcs. Li Xia had taken out half of them. If all five of his previous spear thrusts had hit vital spots, he could have taken down at least two more Warg riders.

*My spear technique still needs work!*

Still, the rewards for killing two Warg scouts and six ordinary scouts were generous.

【Currently obtained 24 Contribution Points. Detailed ranking information will be displayed once the Contribution Ranking opens. Rewards will be settled based on contribution points after the main quest is completed.】
【Current Contribution Bonus: 24% increase in treasure chest drop rate.】

He looked at his drop rate with satisfaction. It was a pity that this was a multiplicative bonus rather than additive. Even so, a 24% boost was not insignificant.

Contribution points were clearly important. Otherwise, with so many kills, there should have been at least a treasure chest or two. The Temple only balanced it this way if contribution points were extremely valuable.

In any case, it was a good haul.

...

The rest of the journey was exceptionally calm, as if the Orc scouts had merely been an anomaly.

In fact, that was likely the case. Bored during the latter half of the trek, Li Xia sorted through the plot details he could still recall. These Orcs were likely tracking the Dwarven party. This meant that once he reached Lake-town, the cinematic sequence involving the dragon Smaug would trigger soon.

Once Smaug met his miserable end at the hands of Bard the Bowman’s Black Arrow, the final battle would begin—the Battle of the Five Armies, the climax of the main quest.

Gradually, a vibrant green began to appear in the gloomy forest, and among the strange, twisted trees, straight beech trees began to emerge. These beeches grew taller and more numerous. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy like sharp arrows, piercing the darkness.

The air was no longer thick with rot, replaced instead by the freshness of the woods.

The path widened, and Li Xia’s mood lifted accordingly. After this long journey, his longing for sunlight and fresh air had reached an unbearable peak. When he finally stepped out of the forest and arrived at the bank of a wide river, a notification immediately popped up.

【Your Mirkwood Resistance has increased by 10%】

This reward was negligible, primarily because it had so few applications and barely improved his overall strength. It was no wonder those newcomers preferred to abandon rewards to travel in groups along the river.

He filled his canteen and dropped in a purification tablet from his emergency kit. Once the water was purified, he gulped down a large amount.

Wiping his mouth, Li Xia sat on a rock by the river and gazed into the distance.

According to the map, the river before him was the Running River, which originated from the front gate of the Lonely Mountain, forming two waterfalls and encircling Dale.

And that massive lake in the distance must be his destination: Lake-town.

After a brief rest, he continued along the riverside path. Now, Li Xia only wanted to reach Lake-town as quickly as possible.

He needed a good meal and a long sleep.

Anything purchased in the real world couldn't be brought in, and he hadn't been to the Temple to restock supplies. Aside from the pathetic chocolate in his emergency kit, he hadn't eaten a proper meal in over twenty-four hours.

*Once I get to the Temple of Light, I’m definitely filling up my inventory!*

...

The sun gradually set, and flickers of light began to appear in Lake-town. Built upon the water, the small town possessed a unique beauty under the glow of the twilight.

As he drew closer, the town revealed more of its character. It seemed to be constructed on wooden pilings, connected to the shore by a long wooden bridge.

There were guards at the bridgehead, but they were lax in their duties, sitting lazily by a fire and nodding off in the warmth.

When Li Xia passed by them, the guards merely looked up. Seeing that he carried no weapons and didn't look like a bandit, they grumbled a few words before slumping back down into a deep sleep.

【Current Quest: Arrive at Lake-town within 48 hours.】
【Quest completed. Distributing rewards.】
【You have received Attribute Point *1, Points *1000.】

Finally here—Lake-town!