Chapter Sixteen: Joining the Battle

Boom! With a thunderous crash, Wood Warrior leaped forward from the rear, wasting no words as he swung the massive tree in his hand at the approaching beastmen. Though treefolk ranked nowhere near the top among land-based warriors, their sheer size was undeniable. While perhaps not as formidable as dragons or behemoths, their close-combat prowess far surpassed ordinary beastmen. With a single blow, Wood Warrior sent the beastmen struck by his giant tree flying, forcing them to halt their advance.

Undoubtedly, if the beastmen could not quickly close in on the elves, disaster would befall them. The elves’ archery had already inflicted significant casualties on the beastmen’s ranks. If they failed to reach the elves and disrupt their safe firing positions, the beastmen’s numbers would not withstand the onslaught for much longer.

Thus, despite many beastmen being intimidated by Wood Warrior’s overwhelming display, a sizable portion still chose to press forward, unwilling to retreat in the face of adversity.

“Dragon Armor One, Two, Three, and Four, you’ll come with me to hold off this treefolk. The rest, go deal with the elves!” Seeing the path ahead blocked and realizing all the white tiger cubs had retreated into Wood Warrior’s body, the lion beast commander knew Wood Warrior was a force to be reckoned with; yet, he gritted his teeth and issued the order to attack.

At his command, a surge of powerful battle energy erupted around the lion commander, and he led several beastmen straight toward Wood Warrior.

“A Grand Swordmaster!” Wood Warrior muttered grimly. He dared not pay further attention to the other beastmen. Tightening his grip on the trunk, he squared off against his opponents.

Neither Wood Warrior nor the beastmen dared to make a rash move. In terms of raw strength, Wood Warrior was likely the strongest present. However, the beastmen, though individually weaker, made up for it with numbers; their collective might surpassed Wood Warrior’s. Had they not waited to finish off the elves first, hoping to minimize losses before joining forces against him, Wood Warrior likely wouldn’t have lasted long under their combined assault.

As the beastmen finally engaged the elves, Zhou Tian hid nearby, quietly observing the battle unfold.

At first, Zhou Tian was anxious that he hadn’t managed to retreat into Wood Warrior’s body. Without Wood Warrior’s protection, Zhou Tian’s own strength was negligible—a mere snake, he would stand no chance if the beastmen targeted him.

Yet, upon calming himself, Zhou Tian realized he had nothing to fear. His initial panic was a reflex; in truth, he was not arrogant, and he knew precisely his own worth. Aside from the game system, he possessed nothing that would attract others’ interest. As long as his secrets remained undiscovered, the beastmen had no reason to pay him any mind.

From the outset, Zhou Tian was merely a bystander caught in the conflict. Whatever the beastmen sought, it certainly wasn’t him. If he’d remained with the white tiger cubs, the beastmen would treat him as an enemy by association. Only by distancing himself did he revert to the identity of an ordinary little snake. Given the beastmen’s current predicament, even if he displayed some unusual abilities, they’d hardly have the leisure to trouble themselves with him.

Indeed, after understanding his situation, Zhou Tian simply hid to the side. His cover was not perfect, but so far, no one had come to bother him.

Originally, Zhou Tian reasoned that, given his limited strength, he could offer no help. No matter who won between the elves and beastmen, the outcome was irrelevant to him.

Yet, as events unfolded, Zhou Tian found himself unable to remain indifferent. It was true his relationship with the white tiger clan was not as close as it seemed; though he’d gained much from them, he could not forget his former resentment. Ultimately, Zhou Tian’s role was that of a pet—an indignity for someone who had once been human. Regardless of how well the white tigers treated him, his status prevented him from feeling any true gratitude.

Still, despite his lack of affection for the white tiger clan, Zhou Tian remained human in soul, if not in form. As a person, he cared about relationships; he could not act solely out of cold logic and self-interest. The other white tigers might see him unfavorably, but he knew that, thanks to his talent for storytelling, the cubs regarded him as a kind of “big brother.”

Even if Zhou Tian refused to acknowledge it, he had, unknowingly, come to view the cubs as his first friends in this strange world.

Had the endangered ones been the adult white tigers who’d quarreled with him, Zhou Tian might well have let them die. But seeing Wood Warrior trapped and on the verge of danger, and fearing the cubs might perish at the hands of the beastmen, Zhou Tian could not simply sit by.

Given the current situation, barring unforeseen events, the elves’ defeat was only a matter of time. The beastmen held the advantage in numbers and had reached the elves’ lines; with their superior close-combat skills, it was only a matter of endurance before the elves were annihilated.

Once the elves fell, the beastmen would turn their full attention to Wood Warrior. Zhou Tian did not underestimate Wood Warrior, but even his strength could not withstand the onslaught alone—a single tiger cannot stand against a pack of wolves. If things progressed as expected, the fate of the white tiger cubs would be grim indeed.

Whether elves or Wood Warrior lived or died, Zhou Tian could disregard. But knowing the cubs were in danger, despite the risks to himself, he made his choice without hesitation.

As Zhou Tian had anticipated, though the elves initially held the advantage—slaughtering nearly a third of the beastmen with little loss—if the battle ended there, it would have been a great victory.

But the fight was far from over. Once the beastmen closed in, the elves’ early advantage evaporated, and they quickly found themselves on the defensive.

“Ice Blade Spell!”

“Explosive Fire Arrow!”

A deep hum resonated.

For reasons unknown, even as the beastmen approached, the elves did not retreat, choosing instead to continue their ranged attacks from their positions. The last few volleys wounded and killed several beastmen, but as the beastmen breached their ranks, casualties began to mount among the elves.

One by one, elves fell under the beastmen’s blades, and their losses grew steadily.

The beastmen sought to finish the elves quickly, while the elves desperately tried to repel their attackers. In the fierce struggle, neither side noticed Zhou Tian slipping quietly onto the battlefield.

Zhou Tian’s strength was pitiful; any beastman on the field could easily dispatch him with a single blow.

Yet, given the chaos, who had the time to deal with a little snake?

Thus, unnoticed, Zhou Tian crept into the fray, moving stealthily up to a beastman.

He eyed the thick, muscular leg before him, and without hesitation, bit down hard.

He struck and fled instantly; Zhou Tian knew he could not withstand a counterattack. Having bitten the beastman, he retreated at once, not daring to linger.

But his caution was misplaced.

Under ordinary circumstances, a beastman bitten by a snake would react immediately. But this was a battlefield—his attention could not waver from the elves. Though he felt the pain in his leg, the beastman merely glanced at the wound; seeing nothing, he dismissed the incident.

Seeing this reaction, Zhou Tian breathed a sigh of relief and immediately crept toward another beastman, intent on repeating his attack...