A tremendous crash accompanied by agonized roars. The roars of both bulls and both Hobgoblins. They were shoved sideways and fell to the ground.

  Boris and Torvin didn't use full force to receive the charge head-on. At the moment of impact, the two large warriors weren't so foolish as to meet tons of flesh and steel horns head-on. They angled their shields, using skillful deflection techniques to make the horn pairs slide forcefully sideways. The glancing charge made the two monsters lose momentum, and that's when Night Hawk's two giants applied absolute force to knock them down. The entire technique occurred in exactly 0.7 seconds, under the enormous pressure of two massive bulls.

  Knocked down and sliding a long distance from inertia, the two bulls temporarily couldn't stand, lying on the ground as if dazed. But the two Hobgoblins were different. They fiercely gripped their clubs, stood up, and immediately charged toward Boris and Torvin, who were raising their weapons. The battle between giants proceeded without quarter, where strength was the absolute determining factor.

  Theo observed the fight, his bow drawn taut aimed at the two Hobgoblins' heads. At this distance, he was confident an arrow straight through the eye socket would kill them instantly, not even needing paralytic essence.

  But seeing Boris's smile, he turned his bow toward the remaining wolf-riding Goblins instead. These threats needed priority handling. If they weren't stopped before reaching the caravan, accidentally hitting non-combatants would be an unnecessary sacrifice.

  Scanning the battlefield, Theo saw Rowan had stopped using fire magic like before. The azure ring on her hand glowed with weak luminescence. Water jets from Rowan's hands shot at the wolf-riding Goblins, not causing damage but the water turning to fog temporarily disoriented them, creating opportunities for teammates to finish them off.

  Sable, the squad's quietest member, was an undeniable factor on the battlefield. Different from her vacant look sitting by campfires, now her face was full of killing intent, a twisted smile on her lips, cruel eyes. With lightfoot magic, Sable's speed was beyond Theo's imagination—agile, silent, disappearing momentarily then appearing; behind her appeared faint afterimages, decisively finishing Goblins confused by Rowan's magic. With twin silver swords in hand, she was no longer an innocent black cat—she was a bloodthirsty black panther, full of danger.

  Vesper stood with arms crossed, surveying the battlefield. He didn't act, his eyes covering the entire battlefield, the two employers behind him. Finn stood beside Vesper, still using firepower from his crossbow, continuously shooting to reduce pressure on teammates.

  In no time, the battlefield was completely controlled. The two fierce Hobgoblins were being suppressed by Boris and Torvin, beaten to the point where they could no longer retaliate. The wolf riders were nearly all eliminated, only one or two fleeing in panic. The common Goblins now quickly withdrew their bloodlust, replaced by panicked flight. Only under twenty remained.

  Theo hesitated slightly about whether to finish them off, because his arrows were running low. Until now, Theo's achievements were considerable: 31 Goblins eliminated (including wolf-riding Goblins). Not counting missed shots, he'd used quite a lot. What remained were specialized arrows—common damage arrows weren't plentiful. He needed to prepare for any contingency. Theo decided not to pursue the remnants.

  At this point, Boris and Torvin also concluded their battle. Two hammer blades struck as if simultaneously: one smashed a skull, the other cleaved a Hobgoblin's head in half.

  The two large men swung blood off their hammer blades then took a deep breath, their expressions were like men who had just satisfied a nicotine craving.

  This also marked the battle's complete conclusion.

  Watching the Goblins' retreating backs fleeing in disarray, Theo looked up at Al. Because the small Pidgey's combat power couldn't match its scouting ability, he hadn't brought it into battle, instead having it scout from above to guard against unexpected developments. Quite fortunately, aside from the initially fragmented cavalry group, no other surprises occurred. Retrieving his bow and arrows, taking a deep breath, Theo relaxed his mind.

  Theo closed his eyes, feeling his heart pounding strongly, the scent of fresh blood creeping into his nostrils, the Goblins' fleeing shouts, the caravan people's joyful victory cheers. Everything surged together like a melody, the battlefield's melody. The recruit's first battle had proceeded perfectly.

  Opening his eyes, he looked toward Liam. The young warrior was now also immersed in his first victory. The Zaravand short maul dripped blood onto the ground, his hands also trembling slightly—not from exhaustion, not from fear, but something else, newer, more explosive.

  Seeing his friend was fine, Theo walked toward the two bulls. There was a suspicion he needed to confirm. Step by step, treading on earth already somewhat darkened by blood, he carefully observed the two bulls—or more precisely, the dark brown bull with a broken horn and three tails.

  It evoked a name in Theo's memory. Though looking closely now it didn't quite match his recollections, the characteristics were still very distinctive. He spoke softly, only he could hear: "G, why do I find this bull very familiar?"

  G spoke, its tone like a professor curious about collected data:

  "Based on external characteristics, 87% match Tauros features. Analysis: Bone structure characteristic of high speed and endurance, skin thicker and tougher than ordinary cattle, and most importantly three tails capable of maintaining balance, stimulating muscles, and displaying emotion—extremely distinctive. Conclusion: this is a Tauros."

  "Possibly to adapt better to the new environment, Tauros has modified body characteristics, hence such differences," G's final statement concluded.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Theo nodded, carefully observing the second Pokémon he'd seen in this world.

  Tauros now lay flat on the ground, one foreleg broken but showing no pain whatsoever. This completely contrasted with the bull beside it—though also with a broken leg, still trying to stand, dragging each step, struggling to leave this place.

  Theo observed again—Tauros's body bore many scars, from slashes, stabs, even some places with slight skeletal deformations—don't ask how Theo knew, it was thanks to "bone-setting knowledge." Its fur was uneven, large patches missing here, small patches there, and one of its two proud horns was also broken.

  It had a characteristic more unusual than the Tauros in memory: bone spikes along its spine, not sharp but giving a feeling of greater ferocity and savagery.

  But now, its eyes were weary, like letting go, like liberation, only awaiting a final conclusion.

  Theo knew it was an intelligent being. He felt a trace of confusion when he saw its eyes seeking release, some hesitation between ending a life that existed in memory.

  A hand placed on his shoulder. Theo looked up to the left—Rowan. One hand on Theo's shoulder, one hand touching her chin, she spoke, her voice full of curiosity: "It's very strange, isn't it? It has something very different from ordinary Monster Beasts."

  Withdrawing her hand, clasping hands behind her back, she leaned forward slightly: "This is a very special Monster Beast species, very intelligent, powerful. Even more special, they don't use magic. Truly, their strength doesn't come from magic, completely opposite to this place." Her voice was full of excitement.

  Then she turned her head playfully, winking at Theo: "Just like Al, your little bird."

  Looking back at Tauros, Rowan spoke, her voice somewhat regretful: "A bit unfortunate—its leg is broken, body too exhausted, spirit and will completely shattered. Even with healing magic it would be very difficult, haizzz."

  Turning toward Boris and Torvin who were about to kill the remaining bull, Rowan called out: "Boris, give this Monster Beast a peaceful passing. It's been thoroughly devastated by the Hobgoblins."

  Boris replied concisely: "Sure, tonight we'll have extra dinner."

  Hearing that, Theo frowned slightly—he didn't want to eat the flesh of an intelligent being. But he also breathed softly, relieved not to have to personally end a piece of his memory.

  In no time, Boris arrived holding his hammer. Quickly, painlessly, the peaceful passing of a pitiable life.

  Afterward, handed over to the caravan's workers for processing, its hide and meat would be an indispensable part of the spoils. Theo quickly used his cooking reputation to convince Boris to take the dark brown bull as the squad's meat ration, yielding the Tauros to the caravan. He assured Boris: that bull's meat was much tastier. He couldn't stop them from eating it, but he could choose not to eat it himself.

  Vesper ordered Theo to continue patrol with Ryel. This dual mission aimed both to recheck the surrounding security situation and ensure the bloody scent wouldn't attract other dangerous Monster Beasts in the area.

  Theo asked Liam to retrieve the fired arrows—he had to reuse materials to craft new arrows, as ammunition supply was always a major issue. Theo sighed, silently lamenting: shooting was very comfortable but preparation was exhaustingly tedious; archery was truly arduous.

  He and Ryel split into two wings to scout, saving time. Along the way, seeing the corpses of wolf-riding Goblins, even a fallen Hobgoblin's body—these were Ryel's earlier guerrilla results. Truly a formidable archer! That he could operate freely among the Goblin horde alone with just a bow further confirmed to Theo that this world's combat power was truly extraordinary.

  The Goblins' leather armor scraps and rusted metal weapons were carefully collected by the workers for later recycling. The Goblin corpses were neatly dumped to one side of the forest; the rest of disposal would be left for nature to handle.

  The group decided to travel further, to distance themselves from the bloody battle area, to preventing other dangerous Monster Beasts attracted by the blood scent. They quickly searched for a better camping location.

  Everyone would rest earlier than usual. Though the battle wasn't too perilous thanks to Night Hawk's formidability, early rest was necessary to support morale, helping all caravan members recover mentally after the recent stressful experiences.

  Dinner came faster than normal, perhaps a consequence of a day of intense training and combat. Tonight, the caravan had a feast thanks to the spoils obtained at noon. Theo hadn't missed the opportunity to gather ingredients while scouting; having already visualized the dish in his mind, The collection of wild fruits, fresh spices, cheese, and homemade dried seasonings proceeded smoothly. Everything was ready for a modified Italian Sloppy Joe, using beef, cheese, and dark bread.

  Italian Sloppy Joe.

  Because the beef was very tough and hard, Theo decided to mince it. Thanks to Boris and Torvin's muscular assistance, mincing the meat didn't consume too much of his time. However, he had to spend time adjusting the sauce, because wild fruit flavor wasn't like tomatoes so mushrooms needed to be added to balance the flavor. The dry bread, being reserve rations, had poor texture, requiring re-toasting before use. These two steps consumed quite a bit of time; fortunately, Theo didn't hesitate to utilize available help: Finn was assigned bread handling; Rowan and Sable took charge of fresh vegetables for salad; while Liam handled watching the beef stew pot. Theo only directed initially and managed detailed work; because there was so much beef, he also had to think of preservation methods and couldn't handle everything.

  In no time, the delicious sandwich was ready on plates with salad. This time, Theo paid more attention to details: Ronan and Vesper's portions were enhanced with wild greens, while everyone else's portions had more vegetables and fruits to better neutralize the bitter taste.

  The sandwich quickly conquered all members. This wasn't merely a combination of spices and meat—it was the distinctiveness of culture and food structure, reconstructing the eating method for novel diners. Satisfaction showed clearly on faces as novelty and familiarity gently blended, not shocking them with culinary cultural differences.