4: Chapter 4 Weapons and Blackwater City

Richard did not hesitate at all; he added his attribute point to Strength, increasing it from 6 to 7, continuing to build on his strong suit—he wanted to become a muscular hunk first.

The effect after adding the point was immediate; a warm sensation surged from deep within his body, spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

This feeling was quite marvelous, as if all his muscles were taken apart and instantly reassembled, becoming denser, tougher, and more powerful!

"Damn, that feels good!" Richard almost let out a moan of satisfaction.

But this sensation came and went quickly, dissipating after just a few seconds.

However, he clearly felt that the mining pick in his hand had become much lighter, and his whole body was brimming with strength.

As for the skills...

Trip Attack seemed quite effective, capable of throwing enemies to the ground, and the description stated, "Large or Huge creatures will be tripped by you"; this kind of hard crowd control ability across size categories was indeed very tempting.

But the problem was that the prerequisite for Trip Attack was having to get close to the enemy first and then attacking their lower body.

This meant that every time he used this skill, he would have to rush right in front of his opponent, risking being knocked away by them or flanked by other enemies nearby.

Richard decisively gave up on this skill; there was really no need to engage in close-quarters combat right now.

As for Weapon Mastery, this skill was simple and direct, useful for a lifetime.

It could be considered the most practical skill, enhancing his proficiency and control over weapons, which was a combat ability he greatly lacked.

Richard chose [Weapon Mastery].

Next was choosing the weapon type; after thinking for a moment, he chose Polearm Mastery.

The reason was simple: polearms were more satisfying and treacherous to fight with. An inch longer meant an inch stronger; engaging in close-quarters combat with monsters was prone to injury.

The skill panel updated:

[Powerful Strike Lv2 (10/100)] Your attacks deal more damage and have a chance to slightly knock back enemies.

[Appraisal Lv0 (1/10)] This skill is a gift of fate and can identify any equipment or item.

[Polearm Mastery Lv0 (0/50)] When using polearm-type weapons, damage and accuracy are increased.

After the battle ended, the caravan rested by the roadside.

The goblin corpses were dragged deep into the forest, and the guards' casualties were being tallied.

Two guards had died, and three were injured; one of them had his ribs shattered by a morning star, and every breath squeezed out a hissing, wheezing sound from his throat.

William had the accompanying guards apply herbs and splints to him and forced down a cup of painkillers so bitter it could make one lose their memory.

Richard sat on the shaft of a covered wagon, wiping the blood off his mining pick with a rag.

Dried blood was hard to wipe off; he dipped the cloth in water from his waterskin and scrubbed it off bit by bit.

At this moment, William walked over with his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Although the fat merchant's expression was somewhat pained, the shrewdness of a businessman had already returned to his eyes.

He sat down next to Richard, took out a small leather pouch from his bosom, poured out two gold coins, and handed them over.

"Young man, I saw that spear thrust just now."

"If it weren't for that strike of yours, that Bugbear would have likely taken down a few more of my men," William said with lingering fear.

"These two gold coins are what you deserve. Additionally, you may pick a few items from the goblins' belongings as an extra token of gratitude."

Richard smiled and took the gold coins, saying, "It's a matter of survival; after all, we are all in the same boat."

The two gold coins felt heavy in his palm, and their golden luster was truly quite enchanting.

He weighed them in his hand and tucked them into his bosom.

The goblins' scattered loot was piled on a canvas by the roadside.

There were a dozen or so crude spears with bark still unpeeled on the wooden shafts, several slings with frayed leather straps.

A few notched daggers and some tattered leather armor that reeked of rot.

There were also some ragged small leather pouches; he didn't know what was inside, but judging by the poverty of this group of goblins, there probably wouldn't be anything good.

Richard squatted down and rummaged through them; he didn't even need to use Appraisal to know the quality of these items—there was nothing good.

Only the Bugbear's morning star and the leather armor it wore could be considered fairly decent equipment, but Richard wouldn't be so brainless as to choose the most valuable loot; after all, he was only providing assist.

His gaze passed over this pile of junk and landed beside the corpse of a guard.

That guard had died from being hit in the face by a sling, and his weapon lay beside him—a sharp halberd.

Richard picked it up.

The design of this halberd was quite sophisticated; the spearhead had a narrow, diamond-shaped cross-section, specifically designed to pierce through the gaps in armor.

Connected below the spearhead was an axe blade, with a clean and sharp curve that could chisel into an enemy's bone when hacking.

On the back of the axe blade was a hook-shaped spike, which could be used to hook a cavalryman's leg or to hook the upper edge of a shield and pull it down.

It was about 1.6 meters long, a bit shorter than a standard battlefield halberd, more like a size customized for a personal guard.

It wouldn't be in the way when swung between covered wagons, yet it lacked none of the necessary functions.

Richard gripped it and flexed his wrist.

The weight distribution was well-balanced, the shaft was made of heat-treated ash wood, and the surface had been polished to a shine from repeated handling.

"Appraisal." He activated the skill in a low voice.

The adventure scroll slowly unfurled:

Item [Refined Halberd (Fine)]

Type: Polearm

Material: Ash wood shaft, carbon steel spearhead and axe blade

Properties: Spearhead piercing, axe blade hacking, additional advantage when fighting cavalry and large targets

Length: 164 cm

Weight: Approx. 3.2 kg

Assessment: Crafted by a skilled artisan, solid materials, precise balance. Although no longer brand new, it remains sharp and reliable.

After reading it, Richard felt an itch in his heart: this piece of equipment was in great condition, worth quite a bit of money, and it was extremely suitable for him.

He then tested the edge of the axe blade with his finger; it could scrape off a layer of dead skin.

"Taken a liking to this?" William's voice rang out behind him.

"Yes, if that's alright," Richard said.

William looked at the guard's corpse on the ground and sighed: "This is Tom, my cousin. He's been a guard for me for three years. Who would have thought he'd die at the hands of a bunch of goblins."

He was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Alright, you can take this halberd. But if you do, you won't get a share of the goblin loot; it will be left for Old Tom's family."

"Sigh, he still has a wife and two daughters in Blackwater City."

"No problem. Please accept my condolences." Richard knew he was getting a bit of a bargain and quickly replied.

Richard tucked the mining pick into his waist and returned the goblin spear he had picked up earlier to the caravan's pile of weapons.

He moved his arm around and felt a certain indescribable sense of fit with the halberd in his hand; it was likely the effect of Polearm Mastery, or perhaps it was simply because this weapon was well-made.

The caravan set off again.

The rest of the journey was much safer. The sun moved from overhead to the west, and the light and shadows in the forest shifted from golden yellow to orange-red.

The caravan encountered one danger; a few grey wolves emerged from the bushes, their eyes staring at the mules and horses, drooling.

The Old Hunter shot the leader of the wolves with one arrow, and the rest circled in place twice before tucking their tails and running away.

By dusk, Blackwater City finally appeared on the horizon.