Chapter Nine: The Tenfold Fertility Card

"Captain, the Stone-Thrower Goblin is escaping!" As Mukui shouted, they saw the Stone-Thrower Goblin retreating. A dense swarm of goblins blocked their path forward, making any attempt to break through impossible for the moment.

"Hold steady, everyone," Shi Jiu ordered. "Keep your wits about you, and pay attention to that Stone-Thrower Goblin. Don't let anyone get killed by it again." There was nothing else he could do; advancing recklessly now was out of the question. If they pushed ahead, they'd be separated from the main force and put themselves in even greater danger.

Lu Sheng, while dispatching the goblins approaching him, kept a close watch on the Stone-Thrower Goblin's movements. He had a feeling that this sly creature was up to something.

He had an idea about the Stone-Thrower Goblin, too. If he could capture it, he would gain a subordinate capable of long-range attacks. The goblin was weak now, but what if Lu Sheng could help it evolve? What would it be like at the second tier? The third? The fourth?

One card, a goblin, a stone—perhaps he could create a miracle.

Just as expected, while everyone was focused on the frenzied battle before them, the Stone-Thrower Goblin quietly emerged from behind a tent. It clutched a smooth river stone, occasionally tossing it in its hand, its gaze flitting over the members of the squad. It was searching for a target!

"Watch out for the Stone-Thrower Goblin," Lu Sheng warned quietly, hoping to prevent anyone from getting hit.

His words snapped everyone to attention, and they shuddered as they met the goblin's malicious glare.

"This damned Stone-Thrower Goblin is too cunning!" Mukui growled, biting his lip in frustration.

With this unexpected development, the squad's alertness returned. Seeing no opportunity, the Stone-Thrower Goblin disappeared from sight again.

Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, waiting for the right moment. There were still too many goblins blocking the way; once enough were slain, it would be the Stone-Thrower Goblin's turn to die.

A battlefield can transform a person rapidly. Survive one battle, and you rarely feel much fear in the next. After three days of fighting, Lu Sheng was no longer the fledgling he had been when he first arrived in this world.

As the battle reached its fever pitch, the scene grew ever more brutal. Green goblin blood mingled with human crimson on the ground.

Lu Sheng once again witnessed a goblin smash a man's skull, though thankfully not someone from their squad. This only strengthened his conviction that breeding monsters was his true path forward. Hunting was too dangerous—he needed to acquire a set of ninth-tier cards for protection first.

The Stone-Thrower Goblin appeared again, hurling a river stone directly at Lu Sheng.

Fortunately, Lu Sheng had been keeping an eye on it. When he saw the goblin target him, anger flared in his chest.

"You want to die?"

He scanned the area—the goblins nearby had been mostly slain. Time to rush out and slaughter this treacherous creature.

He sidestepped the flying stone, which struck the ground and left a deep pit. Then, with a determined stride, he charged toward the Stone-Thrower Goblin.

"Captain Shi, keep an eye on things for me. I'm going to finish this one off!"

"Got it!"

After several days together, everyone was familiar with Lu Sheng's abilities. The Stone-Thrower Goblin wasn't fast, likely slowed by the basket on its back. Earlier, it had been protected by the host of goblins, but now with most of them dead, it had no cover.

Lu Sheng gripped his machete, slick with green blood, his killing intent enveloping the Stone-Thrower Goblin.

The goblin realized it had nowhere left to run, and began hurling river stones at Lu Sheng from its basket.

Lu Sheng, sprinting forward, could clearly sense that these stones lacked the force they once had—no menacing aura, no speed, no whistle through the air. It seemed the goblin could no longer use its skill, resorting only to basic attacks.

He easily dodged several stones, then brought his blade down, cleaving the Stone-Thrower Goblin in two. Green blood spattered across the ground.

[Stone-Thrower Goblin Card +1]

With the Stone-Thrower Goblin dispatched, the battle was nearing its end. Within moments, all enemies were slain.

Including the Stone-Thrower Goblin, Lu Sheng had killed a total of four goblins. Staying cautious in the squad was safer, but yielded fewer rewards.

He had picked up one loot drop but hadn't had time to examine it; now he could finally take a look.

[Tenfold Breeding Card]

Quality: White

Tier: First

Function: Use on a creature to increase its next offspring tenfold, only effective for first-tier creatures.

This was excellent—Lu Sheng tucked it away with satisfaction.

"Hey, not bad! I'll trade you fifty first-tier source pearls for that Green Spirit Fruit, what do you say?"

The squad, busy cleaning up the battlefield, were startled by the voice, instantly tense until they saw it was their own people. Lu Sheng recognized the newcomers: the captain of the sixth squad, Lei Yan, and his team.

"Not for sale," Wang Ziping replied curtly.

"What if I insist on buying it?" Lei Yan stepped forward, his demeanor aggressive and unapologetic.

"You can try," Wang Ziping said, his tone icy with impatience.

The atmosphere grew tense as everyone watched.

"Haha! Just kidding, Wang, don't take it personally." Lei Yan laughed loudly and left with his team.

Everyone returned to clearing the battlefield.

"Mukui, what's the deal with Lei Yan? Seems like he doesn't get along with our captain," Lu Sheng asked, curious.

"That's true. You'll get used to it if you stay here long enough. Nothing much to say, but one thing—be careful around the sixth squad," Mukui confirmed, offering Lu Sheng a warning.

Lu Sheng nodded thoughtfully. The battlefield was quickly cleaned up, and loads of black timber were hauled back to the base.

The goblin lair contained only animal hides and black timber. Lu Sheng wasn't sure what they were for, but according to Mukui, they were meant for the settlement's only Card Crafter, Wang Xian.

Lu Sheng knew about Card Crafters from his memories. They could create cards with special abilities, as well as blank cards.

With blank cards, they could capture new monsters as subordinates.

Capturing monsters with blank cards was troublesome: the card had to be soaked in one's own blood, and the monster either beaten half to death or persuaded to surrender.

Lu Sheng, fortunately, didn't have to deal with such hassle—he just killed them outright.

On the way back, he took the opportunity to check the Stone-Thrower Goblin's stats.

Stone-Thrower Goblin

Quality: White

Tier: First, early stage

Skill: Powerful Throw

The stats were ordinary, nothing notable.

His collection of cards was growing—thirty-three in total now. With the sow's productivity and his regular gains, he could soon upgrade his life card's quality.

He had tried fusion: ten cards gave ten percent progress, so a hundred cards would suffice for an upgrade.

Even without hunting, he'd need only seven days to advance.

The speed of quality improvement was astonishing, seemingly abnormal. Lu Sheng suspected it was due to the drop from red quality.