Goblin Hero

“That’s the ninth one.”

At the boundary between the ninth and tenth floors, Lu Mao silently drew his dagger from the back of a hobgoblin's neck. A couple of drops of dark green blood trickled down the fuller before instantly congealing.

Under the effects of the neurotoxin, the hobgoblin didn't even have time to twitch. Its knees buckled, and Lu Mao caught the back of its head, gently lowering it into the pile of rubble.

【Level Breakthrough Quest: Kill any ten monsters】

【Quest Progress: 9/10】

He crouched in place, holding his breath as low as possible.

The reverse camouflage of his Slime Cloak had less than seven and a half minutes of charge left, but that was enough. The squad of goblins ahead was still marching forward with their heads down; not a single one had looked back.

Right after returning from the hidden door on the tenth floor, he had stepped into the passage on the ninth floor only to run straight into this group of goblins. They were marching in a single-file line, moving at a double-time pace toward the backup passage.

There were ten of them. The leader was a hobgoblin, while the other nine were ordinary goblins. Their equipment was tattered, but their steps were orderly, indicating they had clearly received some kind of order.

He had hesitated for less than two seconds before tailing them. He was still ten kills short of completing the Level Breakthrough Quest the system had mentioned earlier, and this squad was just enough to fill the quota.

The first one had fallen behind at a bend. He had covered its mouth from behind, plunged his dagger into its neck, and brought it down.

The second and third had their spacing widened as the squad crossed a patch of loose rubble. He had followed the same blueprint, taking them out with one strike each.

The fourth through seventh were picked off one by one while the squad was lining up to climb over a collapsed section. Each time he struck, he targeted the very end of the line. The ones in front were too busy climbing to notice their companions behind them silently vanishing.

The eighth had taken a bit more effort. That one was walking right in the middle of the line, with lines of sight covering it from both front and back.

Lu Mao had picked up a small pebble from the ground and flicked it deep into a side fork.

The echo of the pebble hitting the ground was compressed into a sharp, muffled thud inside the passage. The hobgoblin in the lead barked something, and the entire squad turned to look toward the side fork. Seizing that brief window, Lu Mao cleanly dispatched the one at the rear.

The ninth was the hobgoblin itself. As it walked, it realized it had grown far too quiet behind it. It stopped and tried to look back. The moment it turned, its neck was exposed, and the dagger was already waiting.

Now, only one ordinary goblin remained, still marching forward with its head down.

The camouflage effect of his Slime Cloak was wearing thin. He had to wrap this up before the charge ran out completely.

Lu Mao silently stood up and crept over the rubble toward the final goblin. Holding his dagger in a reverse grip, he aimed the tip at the back of its neck—a spot he had targeted nine times already tonight.

If someone gave him an Omni-Directional Mobility gear right now, he would dare to go hunt Titans.

Suddenly, a sharp snap echoed beneath his foot.

The goblin whipped its head around, only to see a sight that would give it nightmares for the rest of its life:

An empty passage, the bodies of its nine companions strewn haphazardly behind it, and a blood-drenched, humanoid slime standing right in front of it, lunging forward with a raised dagger.

It opened its mouth, but before its shriek could escape, the dagger plunged into the back of its neck.

【Quest Progress: 10/10】

【Level Breakthrough Quest completed. Host's level has increased to LV3.】

【Physique +3. Agility +2. Perception +1.】

【Shadow Affinity Dagger growth progress +12%, cumulative +26%. Neuroparalytic toxin efficacy enhanced; paralysis trigger rate for targets below Elite Rank increased to 99%.】

【Passive skill unlocked: Silent Steps (Low-Tier)—Your control over your own body has improved! Footstep noise is reduced by 40% while out of combat.】

【Physique has broken through the threshold. Passive skill unlocked: Tough Skin (Low-Tier)—When getting beaten up, you can take a few more hits than an average person! Skin surface toughness slightly increased; resistance to cuts and abrasions enhanced.】

【Perception has broken through the threshold. Passive skill unlocked: Faint Awareness (Low-Tier)—You're being watched! Prolonged hostile stares will trigger your alertness.】

【Achievement unlocked: Goblin Slayer】

【Achievement Unlock Condition: Increase your level once solely by killing goblins.】

【Achievement Reward: Obtain +1 extra rollback attempt. Current remaining attempts: 5.】

Lu Mao pulled out his dagger and wiped the blade clean on the goblin's tattered clothes. A warm current spread from his palm to his shoulder, paused for a brief second at his spine, and then dispersed into his limbs.

The muscle soreness accumulated from the continuous ambushes was mostly smoothed away, and his breathing became much easier.

The ground beneath his feet hadn't changed, yet he could sense the size and position of every pebble. Even the direction in which the loose sand rolled between the cracks of the stone tiles became exceptionally clear.

He took a couple of experimental steps. When the soles of his boots met the rubble, the sound was significantly quieter. Then, he raised his left hand and looked at it—

When he had braced himself against the rubble earlier, he had scraped off a small patch of skin on his palm. Now, that scraped area was slowly scabbing over, its edges tingling with a faint itch.

“Tough Skin?”

He recalled his experience in the starter village of having his stomach pierced by a demonic pigman's tusks and felt that this name was far too modest.

He was about to bend down to search the hobgoblin's body when the back of his neck suddenly went numb.

He whipped his head around, but the end of the passage was completely empty.

The ground shook.

Dust showered down from above, and a few loose stone tiles clattered against the walls.

Then came another tremor, closer than the last.

A cave-in?

However, as another tremor rippled through, Lu Mao realized what was actually happening.

This was the sound of a violent impact.

Some massive creature was heading this way from deep within the passage.

“System, scan.”

【Scanning—】

【Warning: Multiple magicule reactions detected, including one unidentified magicule reaction approaching at high speed. Distance: approximately 200 meters. Path of movement: straight line.】

【Target Type: Goblin??】

【Level: ???】

【Magicule Characteristics: Homologous to the ninth floor altar, 87% match.】

【Recommendation: Evacuate the current passage immediately.】

It was already too late.

Within Lu Mao's line of sight, five figures were sprinting toward him at full speed. Not far behind them, a humanoid creature nearly as tall as the passage itself was demolishing everything in its path, charging forward at a speed far exceeding theirs.

【Warning! Elite Rank monster detected.】

【Name: Goblin Hero Zhalge】

【Level: ■■■ (Exceeds detection range)】

【Danger Level: Lethal】

【Recommendation: Retreat immediately.】

【Recommendation: Retreat immediately.】

【Recommendation: Retreat immediately.】

As the figure drew closer, Lu Mao finally saw the sheer scale of the gargantuan beast.

Compared to it, a troll would look like a newborn infant.

Right now, what Lu Mao wanted to complain about most was—

How could there be a goblin this massive...? Is this even scientific? Oh, right, this is a fantasy world.

But is this even logical in a fantasy way...?