Equipment Printing School Mage

The original human form quickly disappeared, and the dense hair on the body turned into canine fur in the blink of an eye. The human appearance was transformed into a genuine wolf head.

The three werewolves, united in their hatred, roared in unison, "Shut your stinking mouths, you sissy bastards who only know how to eat honey and pick up fish from the river!"

The two villagers had also disappeared, and standing in their place were two half-bears standing on two feet, holding heavy axes.

The bear couple also opened their bloody mouths: "You shit-eater, keep your mouth clean!!!"

Fifty Woods of Flame

Even though the troops are divided into two groups, it does not mean that there will be no conflicts within any of the groups.

Wargs are not mounts that anyone can easily ride. They have the word "wolf" in their name, but unlike dire wolves, wargs actually lack direct bloodline connection with true wolves.

The biological classification given by mages to wargs is monsters.

Those belonging to the same category as them almost make people wonder whether they are monsters born of nature.

Owlbears, Chimeras, Shapeshifters, Mind Flayers—

"You don't need to tell me this." Moonsong looked at the monster that was grinning and eager to try, frowned, and took a few steps back. "I didn't intend to ride a wolf in the first place."

"Really?" The hobgoblin leader shrugged and whistled. The hobgoblins who had already mounted their mounts exchanged glances. "Then let's all dismount and walk. Losing touch with the team is a big no-no."

Todd and Moonson looked at each other.

The former druid frowned. "No need. Time is of the essence right now. We must bring this village under our control immediately. Everything else can come later."

The hobgoblin leader was silent for a moment, then leaned slightly over the warg. "Your will."

Then, all the hobgoblins present immediately clamped their wolf bellies tightly and rushed forward with shouts.

Wargs are monsters that thirst for blood and slaughter, and they understand the need for stealth. However, now is the time to spread despair and death, so they will naturally express their true nature without restraint - even if this does not have a completely positive effect on their actions.

They were divided into groups of two, one group ran straight forward, and the other groups broke up into small groups and rushed into the entire forest.

If the villagers of Hollow Corner were really scattered around the edge of the forest as expected, then tonight's hunting would definitely be a time-consuming task, although not arduous or dangerous.

The worst of it was that there was no oil or water—what store could a poor woodcutter living in the forest have!

However, the journey to find the target went much smoother than the hobgoblins had expected.

In the late summer night, there was a man standing alone in the clearing of the forest.

A bright torch was stuck at his feet, making him extremely conspicuous in the darkness. The two riders noticed the abnormality here from almost a few hundred meters away.

It was a young human male. He was not wearing any armor and was standing naturally in the clearing in the forest. He had a strong but well-proportioned body.

Beside him were two long swords, one long and one short. In the light of the torches, the two swords were silently shining with cold light.

However, even the short sword was probably not much shorter than the earth goblin's.

The two hobgoblins looked at each other and hesitated for a moment.

On this night, there is actually such a person blocking the road?

Regardless of the outcome, they must pass the message back first.

They hesitated for a moment, patted their mounts, and pulled the reins.

The two cavalrymen refused to advance rashly, but instead signaled their wolves to be silent.

They turned around and moved silently towards the command center.

****************

"Someone is already defending the front!?"

This news far exceeded their expectations.

The commanders of the operation almost immediately looked at the only person who might have leaked the information.

Todd.

The newly rescued priest frowned in annoyance. "I was rescued just a few minutes ago... and I've already been discovered? Isn't this village a little too vigilant?"

At this point, he pondered for a moment: "A tall, strong young man...? Isn't that one of the two guys who attacked me?"

This description quickly triggered a sinister association with Moonsong: "Tall and strong? How exaggerated is that?"

The two hobgoblins looked at each other and replied, "He is a head taller than the strongest and tallest man we have ever seen."

"He's a complete ogre. But he looks like he should be very human."

Such people are extremely rare in Faerun.

Moonsong fell silent. "...I know that guy. The only problem is, he should still be in the Holy Forest."

The hobgoblin leader looked at the druid, who lowered his head slightly, and asked in a slightly flattering tone, "What should we do next? Lord Moonsong, as soon as you say the word, I will immediately gather all my men to launch a siege. Even if all of us die or are injured, I will not hesitate!"

This was supposed to be a polite remark to boost morale, and the hobgoblin leader didn't think at all that the shadow druids were really willing to let their team launch an attack at the risk of their lives.

What's more, their regiment still doesn't know the real reason for fighting.

If you really want to offer advice, you should be cautious at this time - such people are either absolutely confident in their own abilities, or they are just trying to attract attention.

No matter which situation it is, rushing in all at once is the worst option.

Moonsong silently glanced at the Earth Elf Commander and said, "We can't just attack like this..."

However, before the hobgoblin leader could gloat, the former druid said the second half of his words: "There's no need to recall the wolf riders. But we must make sure that warrior's death is agonizing."

The venom in the voice caused everyone present to shudder, and no one dared to ask what had happened.

***********************

Mars frowned, his ears moved slightly, then he reached out and pulled out his greatsword, shouldered it, and said loudly: "What a pity. If you had left like this, you would still be able to see the sunrise."

"I should be the one saying this."

Todd slowly walked out from behind the woods, his voice as cold as the early arrival of winter: "I don't know your true identity, but your fate is already determined - even if you surrender now."

"......?" Mars narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed, "Mr. Todd, you don't appreciate your luck. Since you escaped, you shouldn't come back."

"...Heh." Todd sneered. "That guy in the white robe said you were just a mercenary with a financial relationship with him. That doesn't seem to be the case at all."

"Oh, then let your imagination run wild."

Mars raised his eyebrows slightly as he spoke. "Ah. An old friend is here again, Mr. Moonson. You should be at the top of the Holy Oak Tree at this time and place. Why are you standing in front of me here at this time and place?"

Mu Ensong's face darkened completely: "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you."

Mars sneered and took the other sword in his hand.

He held the huge sword with only one hand and swung it cautiously without any hesitation.

The paladin glanced at the hobgoblin leader who appeared next to the druid on a warg and nodded, "I see."

As he spoke, he pointed seemingly casually in the direction of the hobgoblin and whispered a few words.

When those spells entered their ears, the pupils of the Earth Elf Leader and Moonsong dilated at the same time.

An inconspicuous silver light flashed from the necklace on the chest of the Holy Knight. The next second, a thin line of fire flew towards the center of their group as fast as thunder.

Moonsong immediately stretched out his hand and made the same gesture. An almost identical line of fire streaked across the sky, colliding precisely with the paladin's line of fire, and then both dissipated in the air.

This sudden clash plunged the battlefield into a brief silence. The hobgoblin leader rubbed his throat in fear and immediately shouted in goblin language, "Disperse immediately! Disperse! If you don't want to die, keep ten meters between your riders!"

Todd watched the flames dissipate in space, and belatedly gritted his teeth. "...Just now, that wasn't a fireball spell?! Didn't you say this guy was a warrior?!"

"If that fireball explodes, we'll suffer heavy casualties!"

Mars' reaction was exactly the same.

For the first time, the paladin expressed genuine confusion. "This is the first time I've heard of a druid who can cast Fireball... The world is so vast, and there really are all kinds of strange things."

Moonson stared intently at the eight-pointed star on the paladin's chest and took a deep breath. "...Mystra's holy emblem...with a sword..."

While priests are powerful spellcasters and generally possess excellent martial arts skills, most priests are not allowed to use weapons that would cause the enemy to bleed. Therefore, they often use various blunt instruments.

However, there is a profession that is very similar to a pastor in every aspect, so much so that outsiders often find it difficult to distinguish them when they work side by side with pastors in the same church.

There is only one special thing - people who engage in this profession often like to use swords.

The so-called holy sword in Faerun often refers only to the sacred weapon used by this profession.

"Mystra's Secret Fire Knights...! Humph, so you didn't trust me from the beginning." Moonsong's eyes were slightly bloodshot with anger, and he curled his lips at his companions. "I'm afraid it's completely contrary to your imagination - not only are they not members of the guild, but they are the organization's greatest enemy."

Todd also came to his senses, a cold frost forming on his face. "It's been over a decade since I've heard of the mighty Mystra Paladin. Now it seems the legend will remain silent. The corpse of a Paladin is worth a fortune in the shadows of the world."

Mars frowned and kept glancing around with his peripheral vision.

Wolf riders were constantly passing through the woods on both sides, apparently preparing to surround him.

He thought for a moment, put down the half-sword in his hand, and instead focused on holding the giant sword in his hand.

This time, Moonsong hesitated and did not counter the spell again.

The encirclement wasn't complete yet, so it wasn't time for a full-scale attack.

"—My teacher once said that when outnumbered, the best strategy is to use counterspells relentlessly, completely suppressing the opponent's spellcasting ability."

Mars said slowly, "But spell countermeasure is a sophisticated technique. Only spellcasters who study the arcane can dabble in it."

"Whether you're a mage or a warlock, you should try to counter my spell at this moment. Even if you can't immediately identify it and your counterattack is likely to fail*, you shouldn't give up trying... unless your magic power is extremely limited and you simply don't dare to risk it."

"So, you're a warlock... well, you know fireball, so you're also a demon warlock. Ah, a demon warlock who became a druid. This life experience is probably enough to make the front page of Candlekeep Monthly. The title should be... [From Digging Ashes to Digging Soil]?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the paladin's sword began to tremble slightly.

At first, the greatsword only emitted a gentle hum, but after a few breaths, the sword's edge transformed into countless afterimages in the air like bee wings. At the same time, the greatsword emitted a deafening explosion in the air.

The silence of the entire night was swept away in an instant.

Todd was silent for a moment: "Moonsong, he is calling for reinforcements."

Moonsong said coldly: "You don't need to tell me, just do it! I want to see who can come to save him tonight!"

As his voice rang out, a dark shadow suddenly emerged from the darkness behind Mars.

He was a hobgoblin wearing a devil mask, and the first gift he brought to Mars was four darts with dim light.

At the same time, in the woods on both sides, two groups of wolf cavalry rushed out of the bushes at the same time, shouting and blowing fiercely.

Author's Note: Note 1: Counterspell is also a system that has evolved numerous times over the rules. In Edition 2, countering an opponent's spell is actually quite simple. Edition 2 isn't turn-based, but rather a system similar to Chinese Paladin 3, where spells have a casting time, and if an opponent is attacked while casting a spell, the spell is immediately interrupted. I'm not familiar with Edition 3, but it seems to require spell identification first, followed by the preparation of an identical spell, before a counter can be performed. Edition 5 is relatively simplified, with a single spell called Counterspell being sufficient to counter.

Note 1 continued: In this book, [the author sets it as follows]: Counterspell's mechanics are a combination of 3 and 5. There is a spell called Counterspell. However, Counterspell requires that the spell cast by the countered party be successfully identified by you and be on the countered party's spell table. Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in a significantly increased difficulty (meaning an additional +5 DC on the ability check).

Fifty-one Blood-soaked Swords

The giant sword is more than enough to block the sword, but it is too much to use it to block the darts from behind.

Mars turned his feet and jerked his head, the greatsword on his shoulder drawing a delicate arc. The blade, still vibrating at high speed, collided with a dart with great precision.

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-"

In just a brief moment of contact, countless metal-on-metal collisions erupted. Amidst the piercing clashing and sparks, the dart was instantly deflected to the side, colliding with another, sending both darts careening off course.

The remaining two darts no longer had any obstacles between them and Mars—

At least that's what it seems.

Mars chanted a few spells, and a light blue shield-shaped force field silently appeared in front of him.

A dart slammed headfirst into the force field shield and immediately lost its momentum. The last dart that managed to bypass the shield, just before it was about to hit Mars, suddenly collided with the invisible force field armor and fell to the ground.

Seeing that none of these four semi-sneak attacks had landed, Todd narrowed his eyes slightly. "Secret Fire Knight, this is probably how they fight."

"The Paladins are like a group of indestructible iron blocks, and the Knight of Secret Fire is the best among them. Even if he gave up armor to guard against the druid's spells, he still did not lose his defensive power."

Fortunately, this knightly order composed entirely of Mystra's paladins has been completely destroyed.

After the darts, the siege of the wolf knights followed.

The priest of the Gods and Non-Gods Society hesitated for a moment and looked at the earth goblin leader who was on guard.

Use spells to bombard the target and friendly forces at the same time... Let's forget about this.

He shook his head and pointed his finger at Mars: "Human immobilization."

If there are some low-level spells that can determine the outcome of a battle once they take effect, then the Hold spell series is definitely at the top of the list.

Only two rings are needed, and only humanoids can be targeted. However, if successful, it can completely paralyze the opponent's body, freezing them in place without even a muscle movement.

By then, even a little girl who lacks training can use a dagger to cut the opponent's throat.