Tristan has no idea how the barbarians did it, but they were found rather quick. One by one, Tristan could feel the blood seals disappearing away from the three warriors he set out before.

He also starts seeing more and more riders following him from a distance.

There was no point in chasing or killing them right now. One thing was clear, their location has been compromised thanks to this.

Right now, Tristan has nothing to go on. All he had was the hope that the Arcadian army would arrive as soon as Barry said.

He was not stupid, and he could not deny he had a major concern with all the secrets the mayor was keeping from him. But in this situation, it was either having to rely on the barbarians' mercy or the fat elf's, and he would rather take his chances with the latter.

They ran without stopping for more than one hour, and finally, they arrived at the aforementioned abandoned fishing port.

It was just a simple port that stood near deep water. A dozen worn out wooden houses, with rotting wood mixed with the smell of the sea, could be seen all around there. Though surprisingly the house was still standing, there were too many holes on its surface for it to be used as a proper shelter.

When the group arrived at their destination, Barry was not to be seen, but Tristan could still see his name with the system's list. With the influence he has, Tristan could deduce that Barry was currently riding along the riverside to find the reinforcements promised before.

Now, it is time for the activity Tristan hated the most, waiting.

Waiting for the uncertainty of their fate. Would the barbarians come first, or would the reinforcement troops come first?

Time passed, with each minute, Tristan could see dozens more barbarians starting to gather in the nearby hills.

"Dammit, how are they so fast?!"

More and more barbarians gathered throughout the hills surrounding the fort, but every single one of them merely stood by and observed. None dared to make a move.

"Are they… waiting for something?"

Tristan didn't want to admit that he had run out of plans and was now reduced to waiting, but this time, he hoped that the reinforcements he's waiting for would arrive first.

Another hour passed, and the skies had started to darken, but no barbarians had made their move. Everyone just kept on coming to gather on top of the hills.

Astrid was able to recognize some of them. According to what she knew, there were at least five tribes gathering there. From the myriad of colors of the clothing Tristan could see from where he was sitting, it seems that her assumption was correct.

He did a quick count with his system, and it said the numbers are no less than 3000.

"Great, now we're going into a battle of 3000 people against 10. I'm certain our odds of winning this time are better, right?" Tristan said, shrugged, and sighed.

Tristan glanced at one of the abandoned houses, where the rest of the group was hiding while observing the situation outside.

"Sir Tristan, why don't you do another trick like you did in the last battle?!" Seth said, his voice wavered a bit. From how it looks, it seems that he was trembling in fear.

"They're not stupid enough to fall for that trick again, I suppose."

Right after he finished talking, three barbarians in fancy clothes rode down to the port village. Tristan's eyes widened as he watched them come closer.

"No way?!" Tristan shook his head. There's no way they will send more of their captains for him.

Tristan quickly told everyone hiding in the abandoned house to prepare in case a sudden attack comes. Meanwhile, he, Astrid, and Scrall would go out to meet them.

Finally, they were close, and Tristan was given a close view of the three of them. Even without Astrid's confirmation, Tristan was able to deduce right away that his opponent was trying to trick him. Except for their extravagant, colorful clothes, they carry themselves with an aura of prey caught in a spider's web. There was no strength whatsoever that came out from them.

Tristan was sure they were not leaders, they were merely ordinary fighters, if he could call them that. They were trembling.

Although Tristan knew it was a trick, he still decided to use his blood seal on one of them. This is a crucial moment, and he couldn't afford to leave a stone unturned.

[Human, Battle power: 18]

[Blood seal would require 60 blood essence to take effect]

After being turned, the man quickly pleaded for his life. They were just a villager that was caught and told to dress like this, the two others also said the same thing.

They were sent to deliver a simple message.

"Surrender or die."

The opponent really was just playing around with him and surrender of course was not an option. He gritted his teeth and looked at the cliffs, where the barbarians had started raising their respective flags. It was the Jarl from yesterday's battle.

"You all can go back and tell the man, he can go fuck himself"

Tristan was tempted to directly charge towards the hill and captured the man, but he needed to be patient. The longer he waited, the higher the chances they had to survive. Right now, he not only has to save himself, but also his group, including his only sister.

The barbarians started hitting their shields, creating a rhythmic beating to increase their warriors' spirits.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Tristan returned back to the abandoned house to meet his group. Right now, he has no other plan than to fight. He told everyone to prepare for battle, and before it all begins, he decides to take the time to access his system.

"I guess it's finally time to upgrade." He muttered.

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Written by Avans, Published exclusively by W.e.b.n.o.v.e.l,