A Calculated Advance into the Goblin Nest

Rubbing her slightly tingling ear, Bai Xia naturally understood Tian Zheng’s intent.

His strategy, while not exceptionally brilliant, simply leveraged the monsters’ aggro mechanic; yet, in their current predicament, it was more than enough to turn the tide.

During its evolution, the Goblin Lord was incapable of attacking or moving. Consequently, it used its aura to draw other goblins to gather around itself. This was inherently a protective measure, but now, without question, it had become a formidable constraint!

The monsters within were indeed formidable, but their strength stemmed primarily from their overwhelming numbers. Even if Tian Zheng and Bai Xia, still in their nascent stages as adventurers, possessed immense power, being swarmed by them would undoubtedly result in a swift return to town.

Tian Zheng’s intention was quite clear: by exploiting the fact that, under normal circumstances, other monsters wouldn’t stray from the Goblin Lord’s vicinity even if they spotted them, they could lure them out and eliminate them one by one!

Initially, his concern had been that even if he generated aggro, the goblins might not leave their nest. The sight of a goblin charging out, however, was an undeniable relief.

After all, if the goblins refused to budge no matter what they did, the situation would truly be unwinnable.

Fortunately, while the Goblin Nest appeared fraught with peril, the presence of the evolving Goblin Lord inadvertently offered them a significant opening.

Perhaps this was a deliberate design by the system? It was, after all, a beginner’s village, and the appearance of a Level 20 monster would be truly anomalous.

With this realization, the nearby Goblin Nest transformed in Bai Xia’s eyes, appearing no different from a gleaming dragon’s hoard.

As for the charging goblin, it was, of course, swiftly overwhelmed by the duo and cut down in a flurry of blades. It was merely a common goblin; what was it so fierce about!

Having dispatched the lured common goblin, Tian Zheng repeated the tactic. However, this time his chosen targets were the Goblin Archers and Mages positioned in the back row. With a limited supply of stones, it was only logical to prioritize eliminating the more troublesome and threatening foes.

Then, an awkward situation arose: the distance was insufficient!

The Goblin Archers and Mages were situated in the deepest part of the nest, closest to the Goblin Lord. The front lines, conversely, were occupied by Goblin Guards, along with Berserker and Mutated Goblins.

The nest’s perimeter was vast, rendering them unreachable from the outside. Yet, stepping within its boundaries would instantly trigger a barrage of dense ranged attacks!

Surveying the stones in his hand, and then the insidious goblins lurking deep within the nest, Tian Zheng’s expression involuntarily darkened.

Bai Xia had intended to offer some comfort, but upon raising her hand, she realized she would have to stand on tiptoe to reach Tian Zheng’s shoulder. Moreover, the gesture itself seemed rather peculiar. After a moment of hesitation, she instead delivered a slap to the man’s backside… Though this seemed to darken his expression even further.

“Never mind then. If we can’t reach the backline, let’s just take down the Berserker and Mutated Goblins first; their threat level isn’t low either.”

Tian Zheng glanced at her before nodding. Once at an appropriate distance, another precise throw drew the aggro of a Berserker Goblin. Bai Xia couldn’t help but lament that it was a pity he didn’t play a marksman class, as such accuracy was not something everyone possessed.

True to their nature, Berserker Goblins proved brainless. While it took two stones to lure out a common goblin, a Berserker Goblin merely needed a single hit before it came screaming out, knocking over several common goblins along its path.

However, Bai Xia and Tian Zheng had already gained experience in dealing with them. Thus, it was swiftly cut down by their blades!

An unexpected turn occurred, however, when confronting the second Berserker Goblin. The Berserker Goblin, which was calculated to self-destruct only when its health dropped to one-tenth, inexplicably detonated at one-third of its HP. This left Bai Xia, who hadn’t managed to escape the blast radius, critically wounded in an instant, sending cold sweat trickling down her back.

Subsequently, the Mutated Goblins also displayed an additional skill: Acid Vomit. While somewhat disgusting in appearance, its power proved remarkably astonishing.

Fortunately, Bai Xia, who had nearly been instantly killed before, was prepared this time, and avoided having the vile liquid splattered across her face.

The process of eliminating the four Mutated Goblins was fraught with peril. Then, as they turned their attention to the Goblin Guards, another unexpected development arose.

“…No effect?”

The Goblin Guards, in appearance, seemed no different from common goblins. However, their equipment was exceptionally superior, boasting iron swords, iron armor, and even helmets.

Yet, when Tian Zheng struck one of them with a stone, they remained utterly unperturbed!

“As expected, they wouldn’t make it this easy for us.”

Seeing no effect, Tian Zheng ceased his attempts. Instead, he used all his remaining stones to target the common goblins that were within reach.

While the system had provided players with an opening, it clearly had no intention of allowing them an easy clearance. Bai Xia and Tian Zheng had somewhat anticipated this, and thus were not overly disappointed.

After luring out and eliminating all the common goblins, only six Goblin Guards, along with an equal number of Archers and Mages, remained guarding the Goblin Lord within the nest.

Twelve monsters presented a considerable risk, yet it wasn’t an insurmountable challenge. At the very least, it was immeasurably easier than their initial predicament.

Tian Zheng summoned his weapon, and as he activated [Rally] (TL Note: A skill that boosts morale and combat effectiveness), he quietly said to Bai Xia, “Same as before. Take out the backline first.”

“Don’t be verbose; leave it to me.”

Bai Xia nodded, and gripping her weapon, strode into the nest.

Whoosh!!

The moment her foot touched the ground inside, four arrows simultaneously whizzed towards her. One of them even bore a virulent green, indicating potent poison.

Bai Xia remained unfazed. Just before the arrows could strike, she plunged into the shadows, evading all incoming attacks. The sudden disappearance of their target momentarily bewildered both the Goblin Archers and the Goblin Mages, who had been preparing their spells.

However, as the young woman reappeared from another direction, they swiftly reacted. The Goblin Mages frantically brandished their tattered staves, casting their only available spell, Earth Spike, but Bai Xia effortlessly dodged it.

While the backline’s attention was temporarily diverted by the young woman, Tian Zheng seamlessly entered the fray.

Though the Goblin Archers’ attack frequency was not low, their accuracy left much to be desired. As for the magic conjured by the Goblin Mages, while it manifested as spikes erupting directly from the ground—a strike that would be difficult to avoid if one were careless—its casting speed was unfortunately too slow.

Consequently, the threat posed by the backline to Tian Zheng at that moment was not particularly high. He easily sidestepped the only two poison arrows aimed at him.

Simultaneously, the guards originally stationed around the Goblin Lord finally reacted, and brandishing their weapons, converged upon the duo.

Bai Xia, however, paid them no mind, her sights set directly on the backline.

At this crucial moment, Tian Zheng instinctively stepped forward, executing a wide, arcing slash that encompassed all four approaching Goblin Guards. Bai Xia, leveraging the distraction as he drew the bulk of their aggro, darted between the remaining two guards. After enduring two blows to her back, she capitalized on her superior speed, swiftly darting towards the Goblin Archers’ position!