While their banter might have seemed like playful foolishness, their mutual teasing was a clear sign of their camaraderie; neither Bai Xia nor Tian Zheng would genuinely allow such trivialities to sour their mood.
Thus, as soon as another horde of goblins swarmed into view ahead, they swiftly readied themselves and plunged back into the fray.
As they delved deeper, the sheer volume of monsters not only showered them with experience points that would make any ordinary player green with envy, but also yielded a substantial amount of gold and various useful items.
Not a single piece of equipment had dropped, however, likely due to the goblins’ utterly impoverished nature.
Beyond her steadily climbing level, Bai Xia found herself gaining something more profound: invaluable combat experience, sharpened situational awareness, and a deepening unspoken understanding with Tian Zheng.
From their initial, independent skirmishes, they were now forced to coordinate intricate maneuvers with Tian Zheng under the relentless onslaught of numerous goblins, and this unspoken synergy naturally blossomed at an accelerated pace during combat.
Naturally, as they pressed further into the depths and time wore on, the sight of those incessant green-skinned midgets endlessly scuttling out from the passages ahead began to induce an almost overwhelming urge to gag.
“Are these the only things in this blasted map! Can’t they throw a different monster at us for once!?”
With a single, decisive strike, Bai Xia dispatched the final monster of what felt like the hundredth wave, muttering her complaint with a trace of weary exasperation.
The underground cavern’s vastness and intricate layout far surpassed anything either of them had anticipated, with a labyrinth of branching passages rather than a single path.
Uncertain of the correct route, they were left with no choice but to painstakingly explore each one.
The sheer density of goblins infesting these chaotic passages was staggering; even with her level climbing rapidly, Bai Xia felt an undeniable urge to simply turn tail and flee.
After all, having spent an hour or two battling nothing but these ubiquitous goblins, a certain visual fatigue was bound to set in.
Just as Bai Xia’s movements began to feel numb from the endless goblin slaughter, the omniscient system, as if heeding her unspoken plea, finally presented a new type of monster in the passage ahead.
Though still goblins, these were strikingly different from their commonplace brethren.
“What… what in the world is that?”
Leading the charge were four or five standard goblins, but trailing behind them were two goblin archers, each clutching a crude wooden bow.
Yet it wasn’t these that captured Bai Xia’s attention.
In fact, they had encountered goblin archers before; while their back-row positioning made them a higher threat due to their ranged attacks, their flimsy defenses meant they fell easily once engaged in close quarters.
What truly piqued Bai Xia’s interest was the colossal presence looming behind this entire contingent of goblins.
“It’s a mutated goblin.”
“I know it’s a mutated goblin, of course… but why is it so ridiculously massive!” Tian Zheng’s explanation failed to satisfy Bai Xia.
She gestured toward the hulking brute standing behind the regular goblins, a creature easily two or three times their height, her ability to articulate a coherent complaint utterly lost.
The giant creature dominating their vision was not merely tall; beneath its tattered, makeshift robe, exaggerated muscles rippled and flexed.
With bloodshot eyes and copious drool slobbering from its maw, it resembled nothing so much as a demonic, mutated Hulk.
Its mere presence made the regular goblins seem like docile pets in comparison, such was its grotesque ferocity!
“Has it been on some kind of illicit growth hormone?”
Gazing at the mutated goblin, whose waist she’d likely only reach if she stretched her arm to its fullest extent, Bai Xia felt a throbbing headache begin to form.
‘How were they supposed to fight this monstrosity?’
Accustomed to cleaving through the smaller, common goblins, she was genuinely at a loss as to where to even begin attacking this hulking brute of a goblin.
However, their adversary had no intention of granting them a moment for strategizing.
The next instant, the mutated goblin let out a deafening roar and charged forward.
What followed was a scene that nearly sent Bai Xia into paroxysms of laughter.
The mutated goblin charged like a moving mountain, an imposing force of intimidation.
Yet, this creature’s intelligence was clearly lacking, as its tunnel vision focused solely on its perceived foes.
Consequently, in the very next moment, it mercilessly plowed through all its allied forces directly in its path!
The two goblin archers standing side-by-side suffered the most egregious fate.
No sooner had they drawn their crude wooden bows than they were flattened against the ground by a gargantuan foot descending from above, nearly crushed into a pulpy mess.
The goblins at the front of the formation were utterly dumbfounded.
Before they could even initiate their assault, they were scattered in disarray by their own rampaging ally, who then promptly tripped over them, causing its immense body to crash down heavily upon them!
Observing the goblin faction suffer casualties before a single blow was even struck by her side, Bai Xia was utterly speechless.
“Do goblins put on comedy skits now? I don’t think we should call it a mutated goblin anymore; ‘Goblin Traitor’ (TL Note: A humorous Chinese slang term, ‘er wǔ zǎi,’ referring to someone who inadvertently harms their own side, often used for a bungling or disloyal individual.) seems far more fitting.”
“Perhaps they truly do possess a comedic talent.” As he spoke, Tian Zheng, already with his sword drawn, surged forward into the chaotic tangle of goblins.
Seizing the precious few seconds the mutated goblin lay stunned from its tumble, he mercilessly cut down the common goblins trapped beneath its massive form, utterly incapable of resistance.
Bai Xia blinked once, then quickly followed suit.
The mutated goblin appeared formidable, yet the process of defeating it proved surprisingly effortless.
For one, its own minions had been incapacitated by its initial blundering charge.
Moreover, despite its imposing size, while its health pool was substantial, its defenses were barely superior to those of a regular goblin.
Compounded by environmental limitations and its sheer lack of intellect, this Level 8 monster, despite its boss-like demeanor, quickly succumbed to the combined might of Bai Xia and Tian Zheng’s weapons.
It became a welcome addition to their experience points, even dropping the very first piece of equipment they’d seen in this dungeon: a generic, level-appropriate axe.
Bai Xia picked it up, gave it a cursory glance, and promptly tossed it into her inventory.
“Let’s press on. It seems we’ve finally chosen the correct path this time.” Having fully replenished their combat states on the spot, Tian Zheng stated slowly.
Bai Xia, however, cast a highly skeptical glance his way. “You seemed to say that just moments ago, too.”
The cave’s interior was notoriously complex, and with Tian Zheng at the lead, they had already blundered into several dead ends.
Fortunately, neither of them possessed the ‘directionally challenged’ trait, or getting lost in this place would have been truly ludicrous.
The man’s expression grew somewhat awkward under Bai Xia’s scrutinizing gaze, forcing him to stiffen his resolve and continue forward.
“This time, I’m absolutely certain.”
“And if you’re wrong again?”
“…Then we’ll just have to deal with it.”
‘I’d rather stew in my own juices!’
Bai Xia let out a soft huff, but nevertheless followed close behind.
As they continued deeper into the cavern, they predictably encountered several more waves of goblins.
Fortunately, these creatures never swarmed them by the dozens; each encounter involved no more than ten, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to emerge unscathed every single time.
However, with each step deeper, not only did the ordinary goblins’ levels increase, but the variety of goblin types also began to proliferate and become more troublesome.
Aside from the goblin archers and mutated goblins they had already faced, they later encountered goblin mages and berserker goblins.
The berserker goblins, in particular, were strikingly different from the obviously feeble common goblins.
They were equally towering in stature, though not quite as immense as the mutated goblin, certainly earning them the title of the Schwarzeneggers of the goblin world.
Yet, their skin was a stony, dark gray, offering astonishing defenses, coupled with terrifying speed.
To Bai Xia’s wide-eyed astonishment, if cornered, they would even resort to self-destruction.