“What should we do about this guy?”
The Goblin Lord was immobilized, yet Bai Xia found herself in a momentary dilemma as she gazed upon it.
Directly attacking it might trigger unforeseen consequences, potentially leading to a berserk mutation that would be incredibly difficult to handle.
However, leaving it unattended wasn’t an option either; after all, this was a rare elite monster, a symbol of high-tier equipment and wealth!
After getting back on his feet, Tian Zheng walked over to her side.
His gaze lingered briefly on the Goblin Lord, which was still glaring furiously at both of them.
Then, he suddenly pulled out some flammable oil and a torch from his backpack.
“Shall we try burning it?”
“…Do you think we’re having a barbecue?”
While Bai Xia was somewhat speechless, she didn’t outright dismiss the idea.
They had no idea how much longer the Goblin Lord’s evolution would take.
Once it completed its transformation, it would become a Level 20 Lord BOSS, and at that point, the two of them likely wouldn’t even withstand a single swipe of its claw.
With time running short and the situation unclear, taking a risk seemed to be their only option, given the uncertainty of what might unfold.
Having made her decision, and adhering to the principle of striking while the iron was hot, Bai Xia restored her stats on the spot.
She then snatched the flammable oil and torch from Tian Zheng’s hand and advanced towards the creature.
The Goblin Lord seemed to realize their intentions.
Its body, even more emaciated than a regular goblin’s, trembled incessantly, all the while emitting a series of shrill cries from its mouth.
Yet, no matter how fiercely it struggled, being unable to even lift a single finger, it was powerless to prevent Bai Xia’s approach.
Nevertheless, Bai Xia did not let her guard down.
She halted a short distance away from the Goblin Lord, which appeared to be suffering from albinism, and hurled the black sphere wrapped in flammable oil directly at it.
The black sphere shattered instantly upon impact with the Goblin Lord’s body, and the thick, unknown black liquid within immediately coated its form.
Black oil bombs were special items obtainable from the shop at this stage.
They dealt no direct damage themselves, but could be ignited with fire to inflict a continuous burning effect on enemies.
Tian Zheng’s suggestion to use fire was clearly driven by his concern that directly attacking the Goblin Lord with weapons might trigger an unexpected event.
Bai Xia hurled three black oil bombs at the Goblin Lord in quick succession.
This was the maximum number that could be effectively used on a single monster within a short period; any more would be a waste.
The three black oil bombs completely stained the greyish-white skin of the Goblin Lord an inky black.
It looked as if it had just been dredged from a pool of crude oil, its features barely discernible.
Thus insulted, the Goblin Lord’s fury coalesced to its absolute peak.
Yet, Bai Xia was not intimidated by its massive, glaring eyes.
She first retreated a short distance, then ignited the torch and flung it onto the creature.
*Sizzle!*
The black oil bombs coating the Goblin Lord’s entire body ignited upon contact with the flame.
In the very next second, surging tongues of fire engulfed its entire form!
“Hiss!!”
In the blink of an eye, the Goblin Lord transformed into a flaming goblin.
The grey-skinned dwarf let out an ear-splitting shriek, and the black mist that had been swirling around it scattered uncontrollably.
As an Elite Tier 1 BOSS, mere black oil bombs naturally couldn’t inflict significant damage on the Goblin Lord.
Although the spectacle was impressive, its lengthy health bar had only diminished by a negligible amount.
While the damage was indeed pathetic, the pain it inflicted upon the Goblin Lord was surprisingly immense, though the effect was limited to that alone.
“It’s still evolving… not interrupted?”
Standing beside Bai Xia, ready to pull her back at any moment, Tian Zheng observed the Goblin Lord.
It remained motionless within the flames, its cries growing increasingly agonizing, which made him raise an eyebrow slightly.
Normally, an evolution process would be interrupted by a sudden attack.
However, the Goblin Lord was still in its evolving state, which somewhat surprised him.
Bai Xia, however, quickly grasped the crux of the matter.
As the burning effect of the black oil bombs began to fade, she gripped her weapon anew and advanced towards the Goblin Lord.
“Perhaps the damage simply wasn’t enough.”
Before her words had fully left her lips, she was already close enough to strike a clean blow across the Goblin Lord’s body with her blade.
Whether due to its inherent fragility during evolution or some other reason, the Goblin Lord was not only unable to move or attack, but its defense was practically nonexistent.
As a result, Bai Xia’s single strike inflicted a remarkably substantial amount of damage.
Seeing that the Goblin Lord merely thrashed in impotent rage after her attack, Bai Xia no longer hesitated.
She unleashed a flurry of strikes, her blade falling upon its body like a relentless rain.
While the Goblin Lord possessed the highest health bar among all monsters encountered thus far, it was helplessly pinned down like a target, allowing itself to be butchered.
In such a situation, even an immense amount of health was nothing more than a mere number.
Especially after Tian Zheng joined the fray, seeing Bai Xia struggling slightly on her own, that lengthy health bar plummeted as if it were simply draining away.
In the blink of an eye, the Goblin Lord’s health bar had dropped by a full fifth.
Its eyes turned even more scarlet, and the black mist swirling around its body grew more chaotic.
A fifth… a quarter… a third.
Its health continued to fall, yet the Goblin Lord itself remained unchanged.
Then, the moment its health finally dropped to half…
“ROAR!!!!”
A roar, countless times more ferocious than before, suddenly erupted from the Goblin Lord’s throat.
The surrounding turbulent black mist, as if drawn by some unseen force, suddenly surged and burrowed into its body.
Within moments, dark, worm-like patterns crawled all over the Goblin Lord’s greyish-white form, causing its body to rapidly inflate as if being pumped full of air.
Bai Xia and Tian Zheng, who had been constantly vigilant of every change, reacted instantly the moment the Goblin Lord underwent its mutation, retreating backward.
However, in the very next moment, streaks of lightning suddenly erupted from the Goblin Lord’s expanding body, sweeping outwards like a surging tide!
The lightning bolts far outpaced Bai Xia and Tian Zheng’s retreat.
As the crisis loomed, Tian Zheng, without a second thought, immediately shielded Bai Xia with his own body.
Yet, the power of the lightning far exceeded their imagination.
When it exploded against Tian Zheng’s back, it sent him crashing directly into Bai Xia, and the two of them, propelled by the impact, tumbled far across the ground like bouncing balls.
“Damn it!”
Pinned beneath Tian Zheng as they tumbled, Bai Xia, who had just “chewed on” several mouthfuls of rock, couldn’t help but curse.
Tian Zheng, lying atop her, offered no response, for the recent lightning strike had not only instantly obliterated nearly half of his health bar but also left him briefly stunned.
Bai Xia, however, protected beneath him, suffered no substantial damage herself, apart from the slight disarray from being slammed and tumbled.
Only…
“Get your hand off me, you pervert! Are you some kind of light novel protagonist who always lands with their hand on a girl’s chest when they fall!?”
Gazing at the hand pressed against her chest, Bai Xia thought that if Tian Zheng hadn’t just saved her, she would absolutely have kicked him away right then.
Emerging from his stunned state, Tian Zheng still remained silent.
However, he also didn’t immediately release his hand; instead, with an almost self-aware gesture, he gave a slight squeeze.
Then, a surprised expression crossed his face.
“It’s actually quite soft?”
“…Go die ten thousand times, you pervert!”