Deep in the forest, the sound of goblin roars echoed, and Johnnie was surrounded by four goblin elites.
However, these four goblins were quickly beaten into retreat, completely powerless against him.
The sky darkened, and the game environment grew dim as well. No other players were visible around him—he was the only one engaged in battle with the goblin elites.
His attacks were smooth and seamless, and in no time, all four goblin elites fell to the ground, lifeless in pools of their own blood.
[Level-up for defeating goblin elites, +2 experience]
[Your level has increased to 1st Tier 2nd Level, with +1 to each of the four basic stats, and you have gained 2 free attribute points]
Prompt messages flashed on the screen. He felt a surge of heat within him, his body glowing briefly as his strength increased slightly.
"Already leveled up!" he muttered in surprise. It had only been less than half a day, and he had already reached level 1st Tier 2nd Level.
The speed of leveling up after defeating higher-level monsters was incredibly fast.
In his previous life, he remembered it taking more than two days to reach 1st Tier 2nd Level, and that was only because a kind-hearted level 1st Tier 3rd Level player had helped him level up.
He skillfully gathered the ears of the four goblins, then turned his attention to the items that had dropped on the ground.
Two copper coins and two pieces of gray equipment.
He casually collected them. His inventory was nearly full, with 55 goblin ears and 34 pieces of weapons and gear, including two white-grade items.
One was a mage robe that added +3 magic damage, +1 spirit, and +50 health and mana.
He would save this piece for Crysic.
The other item was an assassin's gear—two daggers, which had decent attributes as well.
At this point, his equipment had been completely upgraded, now including three pieces of white-grade gear, one of which was an accessory belt that added 100 health points.
His current stats were more than enough to take on a 1st Tier 3rd Level half-orc.
But there was still the task of killing goblins that remained unfinished, so he had no choice but to continue slaughtering goblin elites here.
Now that his level had increased, killing goblin elites only gave him 1 experience point per kill, and he no longer gained experience from killing normal goblins.
He just needed to kill 200 more goblin elites to reach 1st Tier 3rd Level.
"I need to speed this up, and try to kill 1,000 goblins before other players show up," he murmured to himself, a crazy idea forming in his mind.
The goblin-slaying task gave a gray-grade item as a reward for killing 100 goblins, and a stat potion for 200.
These were the known rewards.
But if he killed 1,000, would the reward increase?
He was curious to find out.
At this point, the game world was completely dark. The forest had grown more dangerous, with groups of goblin elites heading out to forage for food.
In the darkness, a figure flickered. Johnnie turned into a ghost, launching a surprise attack on one of the goblin elites.
Whoosh!
His sword plunged into the goblin's body, a massive damage number flashing on the screen as a critical hit was triggered.
-45
"Roar!" A loud roar echoed through the forest. The goblin's bloodshot eyes widened, and it raised its spiked club high, swinging it fiercely at Johnnie.
"Wait, this isn't a goblin elite, it's the boss goblin leader!" Johnnie recognized the figure before him. The goblin was larger and more muscular than the elite ones, with fierce eyes, sharp fangs, and a spiked club that swung down with terrifying force.
He had no time to dodge. His sword was quickly raised to block across his chest.
Bang!
A muffled grunt escaped his lips as a sharp pain shot through his hands, almost causing the sword to fly out of his grasp. He staggered back several steps, barely managing to steady himself. A damage number flashed above his head.
-101
A terrifying three-digit damage!
This was with his level-up and upgraded equipment. If he were an ordinary player, this hit would have immediately killed him.
The goblin leader was a 1st Tier 3rd Level regular boss, but its power far exceeded that of a regular 1st Tier 3rd Level monster. Its stats were double those of monsters of the same level.
"Hmph, it's rare to encounter something that can actually threaten me," he said coldly, showing no fear. Excitement flickered in his eyes.
As long as this goblin leader couldn't immediately kill him, with his strong combat experience and insane health regeneration, he could definitely handle it.
"Roar!" The goblin leader bellowed and swung its spiked club, charging at him.
"Nice!" He stepped forward, using a special technique to deflect the spiked club with his sword, and as he did, his blade shimmered with a cold gleam.
Swish, swish...
-22
-21
Two swift strikes landed, leaving two ghastly gashes across the goblin leader's chest and shoulder.
Before it could react, Johnnie smoothly slid back, easily dodging the goblin leader's follow-up swing of the spiked club.
The goblin leader was powerful, but its movements were slow and clumsy. Johnnie played with it, toying with the creature effortlessly.
Apart from the first attack, which had caught him off guard and caused him some damage, its subsequent strikes couldn't even come close.
Whoosh!
The wind howled as the goblin leader spun its spiked club in a large arc, charging up for a heavy strike.
It was a warrior skill, Power Strike, with a 10% chance to stun the target.
Johnnie's eyes flashed, and instead of retreating, he advanced. His sword glinted with icy light as he precisely struck the goblin leader's wrist.
Swish!
-21
A damage number flashed, and the goblin leader stood frozen in place, stunned and confused. Its skill had been forcibly interrupted, something it had never experienced before.
"Pathetic," he sneered. He had expected a more evenly matched opponent, but this one was clumsy and slow to react, providing no challenge at all.
With a flash of sword light, his attacks rained down again, each strike dealing over twenty damage.
The goblin leader howled in pain, unable to defend itself.
In just a few minutes, its 400+ health had been reduced to a quarter.
Johnnie's attacks grew even fiercer, each strike aimed at a vital point, and another critical hit triggered.
Buzz...
Suddenly, a faint vibration echoed.
He felt a wave of danger. Years of life-and-death combat made him react instinctively, almost on reflex. His body shifted sideways at an awkward angle, narrowly avoiding the incoming threat.
Whoosh!
A fiery sting of pain shot through his neck as an arrow zipped past, grazing him. It struck the ground with a tremor, its fletching quivering.
[Ding, you have been maliciously attacked by the player Wecheat's team]
The prompt flashed on the screen.
"Who!" he growled under his breath, looking toward the bushes behind him.
"Huh, you actually dodged it." A surprised voice rang out. Hidden by the night, a five-person team emerged from the bushes.
The leader was a young man holding a wooden bow, his expression haughty. He looked at Johnnie and coldly said, "Kid, this boss is targeted by my Prince Guild. If you don't want to die, scram."
"Prince Guild?" Johnnie thought for a moment. He hadn't heard of this guild before. Coldly, he replied, "What trash, daring to steal my boss."
"Seeking death!" The archer was enraged. No one had ever dared to insult him like this.
"Get him! Take care of this guy first, then we'll kill the boss." He gave a cold command, and his teammates quickly moved, charging toward Johnnie.
His team was specially configured—one knight, two assassins, and two archers—perfect for taking down bosses.
Johnnie sneered, easily dodging the two arrows that flew toward him. He turned and charged at the two assassins.
Swish, swish...
-55
-59
Two terrifying damage numbers flashed, both critical hits. The first assassin hadn't even reacted before being instantly killed.
-2
A damage number also flashed above Johnnie's head.
He lost 2 health points, barely breaking through the defense.
The remaining assassin stood frozen in place, his eyes wide with terror as he looked at Johnnie.
What kind of monster is this? He had maxed out his stats and specialized in explosive damage as an assassin, yet he had only dealt 2 damage?
"Is this the kind of strength you have to try and steal my boss?" Johnnie laughed in disbelief. He truly didn't understand where these guys got the confidence to come after the boss here.
Without mercy, he struck again with three swift sword swings, killing the remaining assassin. He quickly turned toward the two archers.
"Biguy, block him for me!" Wecheat panicked, quickly hiding behind the knight. He drew his bow and aimed at Johnnie.
Whoosh...
The arrow shot toward him.
Johnnie didn't even bother dodging. He took the attack head-on from both archers.
-3
-1
Two arrows hit, both dealing single-digit damage.
Wecheat was slightly stronger but still only caused 3 damage.
"Die." Johnnie reached the knight, swinging his sword. Despite the knight's high health and defense, he only took four strikes before disappearing in a flash of white light, dropping two pieces of equipment on the ground.
"You bastard..." Wecheat cursed in fear, but as he spoke, the cold steel of a sword met him.
He and the remaining archer were easily killed, their wooden bows falling to the ground.
When a player is killed, there's a certain chance for their equipment to drop, though the probability isn't high.
However, Johnnie had killed these five players, and each of them dropped 1-2 pieces of equipment. This was likely due to his Lucky Master class.
He collected everything. Although the gear was all gray quality, each piece was worth 90 silver coins.
"Now, it's your turn." He looked at the goblin leader.