Chapter 52: Deterrence (Please keep reading)

As the Troll was roared at and killed by the Half-Orc Hou, Gavin distinctly felt an invisible warm current flowing into his body; it was the Law of Magic.

Although most of the Law of Magic was taken by Hou, Gavin's professional level was low, meaning he required very little Law of Magic to advance. Even a tiny fraction felt quite significant. If this happened two or three more times, Gavin would level up.

Gavin had activated his professional template less than three months ago; this pace of leveling up was quite astonishing.

"Roar!" The Half-Orc roared again, swinging the multi-lump giant wooden club, soaked in the stench of Troll blood, down toward Gavin.

"Get far away." Gavin kicked Gorse aside, dodging Hou's attack while sneering, "What, you dare turn on me just because you've activated your professional template? Don't forget what it was that allowed you to kill a Troll. Strength alone is useless; the prerequisite is that you must actually be able to hit your enemy. You're too slow—still too slow. Can you be any faster?"

Despite his contemptuous attitude, Gavin's nerves were taut.

The Barbarian could be considered one of the most suitable choices for a Half-Orc's talent class.

The special ability, *Rapid Movement*, allowed his movement speed to surge by one-third.

While this special ability wasn't like a *Haste* spell that could increase attack speed, the pure increase in movement speed, combined with the massive boost to strength and constitution after entering a *Rage*, also enhanced his explosive power.

The custom-made multi-lump giant wooden club felt incredibly natural in his hands, slightly increasing his attack speed as well.

Coupled with the Half-Orc's own growth over the past ten days, these combined factors made him incomparably more terrifying than when they first met.

The only thing worth being grateful for was that Gavin had studied the Half-Orc thoroughly. He knew his attacking habits and patterns very well, making him relatively easy to dodge.

Even so, it was truly like dancing on the edge of a blade; several times, he had dodged by only a hair's breadth.

Gavin did nothing but dodge as much as possible, luring the Half-Orc into attacking, while his own counterattacks were minimal.

He was waiting—waiting for the Barbarian's *Rage* duration to end.

For the Half-Orc Hou, who had only just activated his professional level, this state could not last very long.

In less than half a minute, the Half-Orc wilted. He looked utterly exhausted; his attack frequency slowed, and his movement speed lost its edge.

Offense and defense immediately swapped. The one-handed sword in Gavin's hand unleashed a storm of strikes against the Half-Orc Hou, every blow aimed at a vital spot. Before long, the Half-Orc was covered in lacerations and wounds.

"Stop fighting, stop fighting... I surrender... I surrender... I didn't mean to attack you just now, My Lord... I couldn't control myself... It won't happen again... never again..."

There was none of the previous arrogance left in the Half-Orc Hou. He only dared to cower and dodge, not daring to strike back, pleading for mercy repeatedly.

"Couldn't control yourself? It seems to me you thought you'd grown capable, that you had the power to take me down." Gavin snorted angrily, showing no intention of stopping his attacks. This situation had to be nipped in the bud; he had to leave a bone-deep lesson so that even if the Half-Orc entered a *Rage* in the future, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on him.

"No, absolutely not... I will control myself... I will definitely control myself next time..." the Half-Orc promised hurriedly.

"Look at me." Gavin suddenly halted his offensive and shouted loudly.

"Yes..." Unsure of what was happening, the Half-Orc Hou cowered and lowered his head to look at Gavin.

A deep blue light seemed to overflow from Gavin's eyes.

*Boom!*

The Half-Orc Hou felt as if an invisible heavy hammer had slammed into his head. With a howl of pain, he clutched his head and screamed.

No, that wasn't right.

It wasn't as if his head hadn't been hit by a heavy hammer before.

That feeling couldn't be compared to this.

He felt as if his brain were about to explode, as if his blood and brain matter were about to spray out.

This sensation lasted for several seconds before slowly fading away.

When the Half-Orc Hou stood up again, the look in his eyes when he viewed Gavin had changed; there was a fear that came from deep within his bones.

It seemed his choice had been correct. For a fellow with such physical toughness, one should strike at the spirit. He should have hit this guy with a *Mind Blast* long ago.

"Consider your merits and faults offset. The ale that was originally meant as a reward for you tonight is canceled." Gavin simultaneously activated three types of punishment: physical, mental, and material.

"Ah?!" To the Half-Orc Hou, the severity of this punishment was even greater than the physical one, second only to that mental attack just now.

He curled his body up, looking as aggrieved as a bullied young wife, not daring to voice any objection.

Gavin ignored the Half-Orc Hou and walked toward the Goblin camp.

Calling it a "camp" was an exaggeration; it was actually just a crude fence, crooked and haphazard, very much in the style of Goblins piecing things together.

"What are you doing... don't come over here..."

Timid screams drifted from behind the fence.

A moment ago, they had witnessed their new protector, the Troll, being violently killed by the Half-Orc Hou.

A moment later, they witnessed the once-invincible Half-Orc being taught a lesson by Gavin until he acted like a grandson.

At this moment, in their eyes, the seemingly non-robust Gavin looked like a demon wreathed in murderous aura—taller, stronger, and more terrifying than the Half-Orc.

Gavin stopped about a dozen meters away from the Goblin camp and said, "Tribute. Triple the tribute."

"Triple tribute? Why don't you just kill us?"

"No, we don't have that much tribute!"

Another round of Goblin shouting erupted from within.

"Triple tribute, not a bit less. You have two choices: either you bring it out yourselves, or we come in and take it." Gavin shouted loudly. "Hou!"

"My Lord, what are your orders?" The Half-Orc jogged up, slightly hunched, his fawning expression at least eighty percent similar to Gorse's.

"Stand up straight, chest out," Gavin reprimanded. "Don't copy Gorse's act. Just obey orders."

"Yes, My Lord." The Half-Orc sucked in his stomach and puffed out his chest.

"Count to several dozen. If they don't bring the tribute out, smash through their gate and charge in."

"No need for all that trouble, I can charge in right now." The Half-Orc grinned savagely; killing the Troll had greatly boosted his confidence.

As for stumbling in front of Gavin, he didn't take it to heart at all. More accurately, he had become used to it, viewing it as a mere isolated incident.

"Hmm?" Gavin let out an displeased grunt. He had a calculation behind asking the Half-Orc to do this.

The strength of the Black井 Kobolds was still limited; one Black井 mine was enough for them to dig, and there was no immediate need to expand.

He was also unwilling to waste more energy on these Goblins. The best method was to use threats and extortion to maximize their initiative and force them to create surplus value.

When Gavin's deep blue eyes fell upon him, the Half-Orc shuddered violently and hurriedly said, "Count, count! I'll start counting immediately! One... two... three..."

"No need to count, no need to count! We are willing to pay tribute, we are willing to pay..."

Soon, the Goblin camp was opened again, and several Goblins shuffled out, pushing and shoving one another.