Yara picked up the alchemical potion and, without hesitation, drank it all in one gulp. She believed that the human powerhouse who had appeared before them would not harm them.
With his strength, killing them would be far too easy.
"What is this... my injuries are recovering?"
Immediately after Yara finished drinking, she felt a gentle power emerge within her, surging throughout her body, filling her with a warm sensation.
The fatigue from the recent battle was slowly fading, and even some of her wounds were rapidly healing.
It was unbelievable!
"This, this is too precious!" Yara looked at the alchemical potion she had just chugged, her silver eyes filled with both heartache and shock.
"Is this what Grandpa called 'magic'?"
Something that could heal injuries like this would easily fetch a month's worth of food for ten people in the valley.
"This is just an alchemical potion, but you can also understand it as a form of magic," Lyle shook his head and explained softly.
During their earlier conversation, he had already learned that the silver-haired young woman before him was the granddaughter of the deceased human hero, a fact he had gleaned from intelligence extracted from the Gray Dwarves.
The fifty or so humans behind him also noticed this scene and let out exclamations of surprise. Those who had been hesitant immediately followed suit.
They were afraid that Lyle would take back the five alchemical potions he had given them.
"That... that..."
After realizing the value of the alchemical potion, Yara felt a bit flustered. She wanted to tell her companions to return the potions but was also worried about their injuries.
For a moment, she even began to stammer.
"It's not something of high value to me."
Lyle waved his hand casually, signaling Yara not to be nervous, and then continued:
"The reason I gave you one bottle and had your companions share five bottles is because your strength far surpasses theirs; your life essence is higher."
"Their life essence is weaker, so a diluted alchemical potion is sufficient for your companions."
"Thank you so much!" Yara seemed not to be good at expressing herself and bowed deeply to Lyle again.
"Now is not the time for such talk. How many people do you still have?" Lyle asked.
"There are still over 5,000 people," Yara bit her lip.
"How many troops has the Gray Dwarf side sent?"
"About 5,000. The unit you just eliminated, sir, was the vanguard," Yara replied.
She had originally intended to launch a proactive attack and set some traps along the way, but she ended up encountering the enemy's vanguard unit directly.
"The troop strength is 1:1, but your weapons are too poor."
Lyle nodded, glancing at the weapons everyone was using. They were basically all weapons taken from Gray Dwarves.
However, the Gray Dwarves' physique was distinctly different from humans', so weapons designed for Gray Dwarves were not as effective in human hands.
[Experience Slot: 181062 / 120000]
Lyle glanced at his attribute panel. The numerous Gray Dwarf soldiers he had killed had increased his experience by nearly 70,000 in one go.
He silently calculated that each Dwarf soldier provided approximately 150 experience points.
"Um, sir..." Yara's hoarse voice softly sounded.
"Hmm?" Lyle looked at her.
"What I just said wasn't about troop strength; it was that we humans only have 5,000 people," Yara said, lowering her head. Then, she quickly thought of something and hurriedly added:
"Don't worry, sir, all of us can fight."
Lyle narrowed his eyes.
A race with only 5,000 people was practically on the verge of extinction, and that was only because humans inherently possessed relatively strong reproductive capabilities.
How many able-bodied youths could a tribe of 5,000 people muster?
Seeing Lyle's silence, Yara couldn't help but feel a pang of panic. The powerful sir before them was their only hope.
Having witnessed Lyle's strength, Yara vaguely realized that he might possess "hero" level strength, just like her grandfather.
However...
Even a powerhouse like her grandfather, could he truly, by himself, contend against such a massive Gray Dwarf army?
Yara's heart was still somewhat bewildered. She only knew that those who stepped into that realm were very strong, but she had never truly witnessed how strong they were.
Her grandfather had not taken action for a long time before his death. In her grandfather's words, as long as he was alive, other tribes would not dare to invade them.
Yara clenched her fists, and the humans behind her also remained silent.
They seemed unable to do anything.
"Lead the way. Any later, and your clansmen will be in danger." Lyle patted the dust off his body and spoke indifferently.
Yara was startled.
"According to your description just now, this Dwarf unit shouldn't be the vanguard; they were specifically sent to encircle you."
"That is to say, the true Gray Dwarf army probably isn't taking this route," Lyle said.
Yara's pupils contracted, and she suddenly reacted, her face instantly turning somewhat pale.
Beside them!
The fifty or so human soldiers had also recovered from their injuries. Hearing the conversation between the two, they disregarded their grief for their fallen companions and all stood up in an uproar.
"Yara! Those Gray Dwarves are attacking the oasis from another route!"
"We need to return quickly, or everyone will be in danger!"
Noisy sounds erupted from all directions.