A Dance of Daggers and Goblins

Even if they were merely common small fry, Bai Xia harbored no contempt for them.

A swarm of ants, after all, could fell an elephant, and goblins were undeniably far mightier and more cunning than any ant.

It was precisely as her thoughts began to wander that an unusual sound suddenly echoed from the silent depths of the cave.

The cave’s expanse was far from cramped, its inherent gloom dispelled by the luminous blue crystals embedded within the rock walls.

As they pressed onward, the origin of the strange disturbance swiftly came into view before the two adventurers.

Undoubtedly, it was goblins!

The goblins in this game bore little deviation from those etched in her memory; the creatures now within their sight possessed a diminutive stature that even Bai Xia could easily look down upon.

Their verdant skin was barely concealed by a few scraps of animal hide, prompting a genuine wonder if any vigorous movement might inadvertently reveal more than intended.

‘Then again,’ Bai Xia mused, ‘would anyone truly care if a goblin exposed itself?’

“Jijiji!”

Four ordinary Level 5 goblins comprised the group.

As Bai Xia and Tian Zheng caught sight of the creatures ahead, the goblins, in turn, clearly registered their presence as intruders, promptly emitting grating cries before lunging forward!

These goblins were not only clad in crude attire but also brandished utterly wretched weapons.

Of the four, two clutched enormous beast bones, one gripped a decaying short sword, and the last merely held a roughly sharpened stone.

Though the previous day had seen them scrambling desperately from a pack of six equally-leveled wild wolves, today was a stark contrast.

Both Bai Xia and Tian Zheng had undergone a profound transformation, now far surpassing their former selves.

Bai Xia barely needed to lift a finger.

As the goblins closed in, Tian Zheng, now wielding his newly acquired weapons, unleashed a sweeping strike, carving a wide arc that directly cleaved the two foremost goblins to the ground.

Immediately afterward, a ‘Reincarnation Slash’ sent the remaining two, who had been charging close behind, soaring into the air.

Whether due to abysmal luck or a cruel twist of fate, one goblin was struck by the Silver Blade’s ‘Armor Break’—a phenomenon with only a one percent chance of activation upon attack.

The four defense-ignoring strikes nearly annihilated its already meager life force, and with two swift follow-up slashes from Tian Zheng, it was utterly slain!

Having instantly dispatched one goblin, Tian Zheng made no move to evade the assault of another.

Instead, he deliberately allowed himself to be struck, carefully gauging the incoming damage, before calmly rushing forward to deliver the killing blow.

Though goblins and wild wolves shared the distinction of being Level 5 monsters, their inherent strengths were unequivocally disparate.

These diminutive, green-skinned creatures lagged significantly behind wolves in terms of attack power, defensive capabilities, and even vitality, their sole advantage lying in sheer numbers.

However, this initial wave consisted of only four adversaries, rendering Tian Zheng’s engagement utterly effortless; he required no assistance from Bai Xia whatsoever.

One goblin dispatched, then a second swiftly followed, leaving the two remaining, previously felled creatures to scramble back to their feet with grotesque shrieks, charging once more.

Yet, as one goblin merely began to rise, Tian Zheng’s sword arced upward, cleaving directly into the great artery of its neck, instantly plummeting its otherwise healthy health bar.

The other, before it could even draw near, was sent sprawling backward by a powerful kick from Tian Zheng!

He then swiftly advanced, delivering a flurry of slashes that sent the third goblin to join its fallen comrades.

As for the final one… it met its demise, cut down on the ground before it could even fully rise.

Against Tian Zheng, now a formidable Level 7 after two days of relentless leveling, the four goblins found themselves utterly incapable of even a semblance of struggle.

Far from offering any challenge, confronting them with his new, potent weapons felt akin to effortlessly slicing through melons and vegetables.

This display caused Bai Xia, who had just drawn her dagger, poised to join the fray, to halt abruptly.

Her gaze swept over the goblin corpses littering the ground, an undeniable hint of disdain creeping into her eyes.

“These are simply too weak…” she muttered, almost to herself.

Disdain, however, quickly yielded to pragmatism; Bai Xia approached and sequentially employed her ‘Gathering Skill’ on each of the four goblins.

Yet, these goblins proved to be not only feeble but also incredibly destitute; creatures unable to even procure proper attire or weaponry naturally possessed little of value upon their persons.

Consequently, aside from yielding a few copper coins, they offered nothing more, a fact that only intensified Bai Xia’s already pronounced disdain.

After all, the monsters she had encountered in recent days had been remarkably generous; while equipment drops were scarce, they had profusely yielded various materials and substantial sums of money.

The meager spoils from these particular goblins, therefore, fell far short of satisfying Bai Xia’s expectations.

Such was the inherent poverty of goblins, a reality beyond remedy.

Thus, adhering to the adage that even a mosquito’s leg offers some sustenance, Bai Xia collected the paltry handful of copper coins, and together, she and Tian Zheng ventured further into the cave.

Having encountered the initial wave of goblins with such swiftness, they undeniably adopted a heightened sense of caution.

Their increased vigilance proved entirely justified, for a second wave of goblins soon confronted them head-on!

This time, a formidable six emerged.

While Tian Zheng continued to handle them with apparent ease, Bai Xia nonetheless joined the fray, primarily to acclimate herself to her newly acquired skills.

Her initial application of ‘Dark Harvest’ lacked finesse, resulting in Bai Xia enduring significant health depletion from the goblins’ focused assaults.

Even then, however, the skill’s immense power was unequivocally demonstrated.

The amplified damage of an enhanced basic attack, coupled with the bonus from a backstab, meant a single strike to a goblin’s nape could cleave away nearly a third of its vitality!

The efficacy of ‘Shadow Stealth’ proved equally potent; transforming into a shadowy form allowed her not only to reposition herself strategically but also to evade a myriad of lethal attacks, all while boasting a relatively short cooldown.

When synergized with ‘Dark Harvest,’ it rendered Bai Xia’s movements among the monstrous horde increasingly fluid and elusive.

Moreover, as they delved deeper and the goblin encounters multiplied, her command over her own skills grew progressively more refined and instinctive.

Her form, a phantom; her speed, a flash of lightning!

Dark energy coalesced upon her dagger, the teleportation-infused ‘Dark Harvest’ layered with the devastating bonus of a backstab.

Working in seamless concert with Tian Zheng, their encounters with goblins often concluded in a mere flicker of light and shadow, whereupon the enemy would vanish into a burst of white energy.

Furthermore, ‘Dark Harvest’ possessed a potent passive attribute: upon felling an enemy, its cooldown would be halved.

This transformed an already swiftly recovering ability into a veritable slaughter skill, capable of relentless execution!

At its peak, one wave saw the two of them besieged by a formidable nine goblins.

Throughout this onslaught, Tian Zheng masterfully drew their frontal aggression, simultaneously activating ‘Inspire’ to deftly evade attacks.

Meanwhile, Bai Xia, a fleeting shadow, wove incessantly among them, terminating each foe with a magnificent, dance-like grace.

As the final goblin dissolved into a shimmering white light beneath her dagger, Bai Xia, despite her somewhat precarious health, couldn’t suppress a profound sigh of satisfaction.

“What exhilaration,” she breathed.

One blade, one kill; ten paces, ten deaths—this was the brutal artistry of the assassin!

Naturally, achieving such devastating efficiency at this juncture was solely attributable to the goblins’ inherent feebleness; otherwise, Bai Xia’s delicate physique would have long since succumbed.

Even with that acknowledgment, she remained profoundly convinced that her initial choice of assassin as her primary class had been unequivocally correct!

The exhilarating sensation of dancing on a razor’s edge, coupled with the sheer joy of unbridled reaping, was a privilege no other class could truly claim.

Perhaps only an assassin could ever truly comprehend such an ultimate, transcendent feeling.