Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 41: The Opponent Overwhelmed by Wealth

The rangers surrounding the rear had blocked the slavers’ last hope of escape.

They tried to make a desperate final stand, only to crash into the shield wall and get skewered by spears, falling with no chance to resist.

The battle was over in less than five minutes from start to finish!

Aside from a few escapees like Clark, more than 40 members of the Bloodhand Slaver Group lay dead.

Matthew's soldiers, on the other hand, suffered no fatalities, with only five lightly wounded.

As the fight ended, Angela ordered the soldiers to clean up the battlefield. The soldiers who had fought were only now beginning to process what had just happened.

"Is it really over?"

"We won?"

"These ruthless slavers were this weak?"

"They weren’t any tougher than those fishmen monsters!"

"Haha, I overheard their talk before—every single one of them deserved what they got!"

"Shame a few managed to run off. They fled even faster than fishmen!"

"..."

As the soldiers cleaned the battlefield, they chatted among themselves, easing the tension and trying to shake off the unsettling feeling from the battle.

After all, killing monsters and killing people were two very different things!

Suppressing the excitement and adrenaline, Leon suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over him as he wiped the blood from his sword. He noticed Old John approaching and couldn’t help but smile.

Old John grinned and patted Leon’s shoulder before asking:

"Well done, lad! Where’d you learn those sword skills? Pretty fierce!"

Leon opened his mouth, a bit at a loss, before pointing toward the Dark Forest in the distance:

"Found it in there... I’m not even sure if I should be talking about it."

After collecting all the weapons and loading the slavers' gear onto carts, Matthew decided not to distribute the loot right away. First, it would take time, and second, the soldiers weren’t yet ready for more equipment.

When fighting in formation, simplicity, efficiency, and uniformity are key to strength!

For Matthew, this battle was the first time he had faced real human opponents.

Now that it was over and they had won so decisively, the weight on his heart lifted.

This morale-boosting victory had been a must-win for Matthew.

Not just a win, but a crushing, overwhelming victory.

Only such a decisive victory could fully win over these soldiers and inspire them to follow him into even more dangerous battles!

Matthew had planned meticulously, and it was this level of preparation that made the seemingly effortless victory possible.

He had weakened the enemy in many ways before the battle even began.

He had specifically instructed Village Chief Field to feign weakness, subtly making the enemy overconfident.

Then he sent Yaya to scout their numbers, which allowed for the full force of his troops to engage from a position of strength!

Yaya had silently taken out all the enemy sentries, leaving the slavers blind before the fight even began.

From his vantage point, Matthew observed the enemy’s positions and assessed the most dangerous individuals, targeting them for early elimination.

And all of this was just weakening the enemy’s strength—what was more crucial was how he had enhanced his own soldiers.

Before the battle began, Matthew’s preparations were already in motion.

Angela’s aura had allowed the soldiers to adapt to their sudden increase in speed and strength.

The orderly formation built up their momentum step by step, leading them to the peak of their power just as they needed it.

Right at that critical moment, Matthew used "Mass Haste" to unleash their maximum destructive potential!

Even before the melee began, Matthew had disrupted the enemy by launching a surprise attack.

Using "Sleep" followed by five volleys of "Magic Missile," Matthew had quickly taken down the enemy’s strongest warrior, Carman.

This shattered the slaver group’s morale and threw them into disarray!

With preparation on his side, how could the enemy not be defeated?

Of course, it wasn’t just tactics—money had played a huge role too.

Angela’s aura training alone had cost Matthew 500 gold coins!

The "Mass Haste" scroll used before the battle? That was worth over 2,000 gold coins!

The newly upgraded weapons and armor the soldiers used were of fine quality, representing a significant investment of gold.

What about the slavers?

They were dirt poor!

Even as professional mercenaries, none of them had enchanted gear.

Sure, the slaver group was profitable, but that money went to the higher-ups—not to these expendable grunts!

These men were mere pawns, easily discarded, worth less than the slaves they caught.

Comparing the two sides, it was clear the slavers were doomed to lose.

Matthew glanced at his status screen, noting the now-dulled "-3" in the Luck category.

His choices had been correct!

Besides the weapons and armor, Matthew’s only real gain was the experience points they had contributed.

The 44 defeated enemies had provided him with 1,400 experience points and 3 skill points!

His total experience now exceeded 3,000 points, enough to level up with 1,000 points remaining.

He decided to save it for later!

Without hesitation, Matthew turned to the assembled soldiers and produced five bottles of healing potion, saying:

"Wounded soldiers, step forward!"

Even though they had expected it, when Matthew revealed those valuable potions and placed them in front of the injured men, every soldier felt a surge of pride and gratitude.

With a lord like this, what more could they ask for?

They’d fight with everything they had!

With this simple gesture, Matthew earned the undying loyalty of his soldiers.

It was clear that in future battles, these men would fight fiercely and never retreat!

Chief Field, still in a daze, watched Matthew’s lavish use of wealth and felt faint.

What lord or archmage ever cared this much about their soldiers?

To be blunt, most of the soldiers hadn't even been worth as much as their weapons or potions!

Field didn’t need to guess Matthew's deeper motives, but he was certain of one thing: as long as their lord continued treating them this well, they would stand with him, even against the elves of the North.

After drinking the healing potions, the wounded soldiers quickly recovered, declaring themselves ready to fight again.

The rest of the soldiers, having finished cleaning the battlefield, repaired their gear under Angela’s guidance, forming up for the next march.

Matthew swiftly executed the two injured prisoners, confirming the accuracy of the intelligence gathered during interrogation.

Petting Yaya, who had played a crucial role, Matthew considered his next move with his motivated soldiers at his back.

"We’ve eliminated 45 professional enemies. There are likely 80 more left, including five mid-tier professionals..."

"They wouldn’t have expected their forward force to be wiped out in just a few minutes."

"It’s been less than 10 minutes since the fight began, but the kobolds are almost here..."

The battle had only just begun!

Note: After one hour the next chapter will be posted