Chapter 2
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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
nThe Jackalans were the most common humanoid race found in the Nahrin Desert.
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nThey once had a massive population that stretched across the Nahrin Desert to the Senwaya Range. During the many years the dukedom was at war with other dukedoms, the Jackalans had taken advantage of the situation and invaded the dukedom’s northern lands. They remained a solid threat to the dukedom for nearly three years.
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nThey were considered as a disgusting inflammation that seemed to spread all the way to the central regions.
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nWhen the Dukedom of Leo was done warring against the other dukedoms, they immediately sought to purge the Jackalans from their lands.
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nThe massive purge lasted for a year.
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nThe Jackalan Tribes, which behaved as if they had reached paradise when they first invaded the dukedom, were quickly crushed by the retaliation.
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nThe Jackalans had no high-grade weapons or armor, which meant that they were no match for the human forces.
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nThe Jackalans were easily killed by the cavalry units, which were highly regarded by the Dukedom of Leo and a source of great pride.
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nIt was said that the number of chopped Jackalan heads 10 years ago was enough to line both sides of the road.
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nThe brutal purge quickly spiraled to become an all-out genocide, stretching from the northern border of the dukedom into the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert. The main Jackalan Tribes, which had greater numbers, almost became extinct from the genocide.
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nAny surviving Jackalan Tribes moved into the desert north of the dukedom in fear.
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nThere were still some scattered pockets of them left.
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nThere were quite a number of Jackalan Tribes within the Senwaya Range, which was evident from how the northern villages of the dukedom were sporadically raided by Jackalans.
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nAs for the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert, the Jackalan numbers likely spiked from having gained a 10-year respite.
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nThere’s no going back now.
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nKant wetted his parched, cracked lips. His expression was filled with resolve.
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nHe was determined to build his village after making the arduous journey through the desert. With the system’s Kingdom of Swadia as his cheat, he was determined not to fall into a state of having absolutely nothing.
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nThe dunes, which were recently discussed, were right in front of them. That was where they were about to set up camp.
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nThe plan was to set up tents in the shade behind the dune.
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n“Alright, you people, get busy!”
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nThe knights were still under Rowan’s command. He went on to carry out his arrangements for them. “Search the perimeter thoroughly. I don’t want any Jackalan or beast chewing up my innards while I’m asleep!”
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nThe 20 knights immediately spread out after receiving his orders.
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nHowever, some hardly bothered with the task they had been given. They had been marching for six days and not seen any Jackalans around.
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nAs such, the knights were not very thorough with their search. After confirming that there was nothing out of the ordinary within the vicinity of the dunes, they all returned to set up tents so they could get some much-needed rest.
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n“Get the tents up.”
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nKant arranged for the peasants to get to work as well.
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nThe three carriages included supplies to set up camp. There were more than a dozen tents, as well as sticks and ropes for erecting them.
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nSome of the peasants were quickly digging into the sand with their sickles. They were removing sand about 11 inches down from the surface, revealing the cooler layers underneath.
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nThat was one of the tricks of living in the desert. Lying down inside the sand enabled them to escape the heat.
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nIt was a technique employed by the Jackalans surviving in the desert, which was picked up by the soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo. The technique was, in turn, recorded by scholars in the books they wrote.
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nBefore Kant ventured into the desert, he had looked up all kinds of books on the Nahrin Desert and thoroughly read them.
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nTwenty tents were set up over the recently dug holes in the sand. The tents were erected with sticks and fixed in place with ropes. All 51 people in the entourage were able to have a good rest within the camp, as well as the 27 horses.
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n“I’ll leave the rest to you, Rowan.”
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nKant stood before his small tent and sighed a breath of relief.
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nThe hardest part of the work needed to set up camp had been completed. Rowan nodded in reply. “Yes, Your Lordship.”
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nThe work after required feeding and watering the horses. People were also assigned to prepare lunch and distribute water throughout the day to everyone present. While the job was relatively easy, it had to be taken seriously. No one was better suited for the job than Rowan, who was careful and steadfast.
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nThe tents blocked the sun, and the shallow holes brought coolness from the earth.
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nKant spread out a linen sheet and laid down. He felt as if all the exhaustion from the difficult journey was disappearing.
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nIt might actually be best to have a pint of lager at such a moment, he thought.
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nKant closed his eyes and sighed. I wonder when I can start living easily again.
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nHe was, at the moment, at the stage of starting from scratch.
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nLager was basically a luxury at such times. There was no way he could have drunk some anyway. No trade caravans traveled to the Oasis Lookout to sell cheap liquor to their fief.
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nAfter all, they were in the Nahrin Desert.
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nIt was a barren wasteland where no humans were usually found.
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nKant Shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
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nHe sniffed for a bit and smelled the fragrance of food from outside the tent.
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nIt was lunchtime. Just as Kant was preparing to take a nap in the hole, the familiar chime of the System Prompt woke him up.
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nA dialog box appeared on his retina at the same time.
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nDing… Side Quest assigned
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nSide Quest: The Jackalans’ Ambush
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nReward: Date Palm Trees x 20 (Ripe)
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nIntroduction: The smell of cooking attracted a group of Jackalans with a keen sense of smell. You need to annihilate them.
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nKant immediately rose from his hole.
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nHe looked determined since it was a side quest from the system, which was assigned irregularly and at no set time.
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nHowever, such a side quest from the system did verify something important.
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nThere was a group of Jackalans with unknown numbers preparing for an ambush around the dunes where they were camping. Furthermore, the Jackalans had found them and were ready to strike at any moment.
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nWe’ve been careless!
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nKant was exasperated by the knights’ inability to properly scout. Given how he had no command over them, there was no way he could have given them orders.
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nHe swiftly walked out of his tent. There were more than a dozen peasants still preparing lunch outside.
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nAs for the knights assigned by the dukedom to escort them, they were all burrowed in their tents and holes. There was not so much as a scout found anywhere outside of the tents. They had very much let their guards down.
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nKant frowned hard at the situation.
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nIf it had not been for the System Prompt, those Jackalans would have probably gotten right beside the tents and remained unseen.
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nHe did not make a big deal out of it.
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nKant came to the side of the carriage and found his box.
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nWithin it were a light crossbow and a quiver with 20 short, thick iron bolts.
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nHe needed to be the one who discovered the Jackalans. Otherwise, there was no way he could explain how he knew the Jackalans were about to attack. Despite being somewhat of a scholar, he was certainly not a mage who possessed mystical powers.
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nAlong with three Swadian Peasants, he swiftly walked to the top of the dunes above their campsite.
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nHe cautiously squatted as he scanned his surroundings.
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n“Over there. I found them.”
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nA peasant noticed them first. He continued to speak in a subdued voice as he pointed northward, “Look, Jackalans. Many of them.”
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n“Yeah.” Kant nodded.
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nApproximately half of a mile north of the dunes where they were camping, they were about 50 Jackalans wearing ragged clothing and snooping about. They laid low as if they were out hunting.
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nActually, they were hunting. After all, human meat was often found on the menu of some of the more brutal Jackalans.
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n“Fall back. Wake everyone up and prepare for combat.”
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nKant slowly backed away while remaining in a squatting position. Although he still looked very serious, his expression had considerably lightened.
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nFrom the looks of it, more than 50 Jackalans seemed like a lot. They were almost equal to Kant’s entourage.
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nIn actual fact, they were not all that much of a threat.
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nAll 20 of the dukedom’s knights, who were still resting in their tents in the sand, would have been able to quickly take care of the Jackalans. Furthermore, they would have done so without incurring huge losses.
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nSeasoned knights with ample training could have easily dealt with those primitive humanoid races.
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nKant quickly ran down the dune as he held onto his light crossbow. He said, “Captain Rowan, we’re in trouble. Please get everyone to prepare for combat. About 50 Jackalans are about to ambush our camp.”
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n“Jackalans?”
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nCaptain Rowan sounded rather surprised.
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nThe 20 knights in their tents quickly grabbed their weapons and emerged with stern expressions. When they scanned the surrounding dunes, they did not find anything out of the ordinary.
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nRowan did not doubt Kant and asked, “Your Lordship, where are they?”
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n“Over there, and they’ll hit us real soon,” Kant said as he pointed north of the dunes.
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n“Get on your horses and get ready to fight.”
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nRowan gritted his teeth and glared at the knights behind him. He quickly berated them. “Damn it, you four will spend the night polishing everyone’s boots. I told you to scout the area, yet you missed that many Jackalans out there.”
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nThe four knights looked glum, but they did not retort.
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nIt had truly been their mistake. The four of them were tasked with scouting to the north.
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n“Your Lordship, I apologize for the matter, but we will deal with the Jackalans.”
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nRowan led the knights to mount their horses. They all took their lances and longswords along. He turned to Kant and seriously said, “We will all deploy, so we probably will not be able to cover for you. Please be careful, Your Lordship.”
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n“No problem.” Kant nodded.
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nThe knights were never meant for defense. They would head out and hit the Jackalans head-on.
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nOnce an ambush was discovered, the element of surprise was gone.
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nSeeing the 20 knights, led by Rowan, quickly go up the dunes and head north, Kant gave his orders. “Everyone, prepare for combat. Follow my lead.”
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n“Understood!”
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nThe 30 Swadian Peasants unanimously responded.
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nWhile their main job was to work in the fields, they were no strangers to combat.
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nTheir specially modified sickles were mounted on 6-foot-5-inch staffs, making long scythes that resembled halberds. The weapons were capable of stabbing and slashing. Although they seemed unwieldy, they were weapons capable of dealing massive damage.
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nFurthermore, the 30 Swadian Peasants held their long scythes and went into two square formations.
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nAfter this battle, some of them were likely to get an upgrade.
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nKant took the Swadian Peasants to the top of the dunes.
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nApproximately 650 feet away, the 20 dukedom knights were thrusting their lances, which were over 6 feet long, and charging without fear at the ragtag band of Jackalans.
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n“Glory to the Dukedom of Leo!”
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nThe knights shouted their motto as the warhorses beneath them galloped at high speeds.
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nAlthough the sand limited their absolute speed, the charge of the knights caught the Jackalans by surprise.
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nThe Jackalans were the dominant beings in the Nahrin Desert. That emboldened them enough to sneak up to the place where they smelled something nice, even though they had no idea who they would be up against.
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nWhen they saw the ones charging down the dunes were human knights, all of them began to scatter in fear.
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nThe slaughter from 10 years ago was still fresh in their memories.
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