The rhythm was hypnotic. Stab. Kill. Loot. Eat.
Lin had lost count of the time. The pile of loot behind him—wolf fangs, goblin ears, and jagged daggers—was growing into a small mound.
[Status Check] [Rank: F (High)] [Experience: 850/1000] [Free Stat Points: 4]
"Almost E-Rank," Lin panted, wiping sweat mixed with green blood from his forehead.
The pheromone scent was fading, but the tunnel outside was still packed with screeching monsters. However, the mindless rush had stopped. The smaller goblins were pulling back, whimpering.
The ground vibrated. Thump. Thump. Thump.
A heavy, guttural roar shook dust from the dungeon ceiling.
[Warning: Elite Monster Detected.]
A massive hand, the color of bruised moss, gripped the edge of the rock fissure. The rock cracked.
"Big one," Lin muttered.
A head the size of a watermelon forced its way into the light. Tusked teeth. Yellow eyes. Muscles that looked like coiled steel cables.
[Monster: Hobgoblin Warrior] [Rank: E] [Note: High physical defense. Enraged.]
It was holding a crude stone hammer. The fissure was too narrow for its shoulders, but the Hobgoblin didn't care. It roared and smashed its hammer against the rock wall.
BOOM!
The "Choke Point" crumbled. Shards of rock flew like shrapnel. The narrow V-shape widened instantly. The safety zone was gone.
The two clones lunged forward to intercept. But the Hobgoblin was fast. It backhanded the first clone.
POP. The clone exploded into smoke instantly. No resistance.
The second clone stabbed its dagger into the Hobgoblin's forearm. The blade skidded off the thick hide, leaving only a shallow scratch. The Hobgoblin grabbed the second clone by the head and crushed it. POP.
Both clones down in two seconds. Lin stood alone in the cul-de-sac. No meat shields. No terrain.
The Hobgoblin grinned, drool dripping from its tusks. It raised the stone hammer. One hit would turn Lin into paste.
"Glass cannons can't tank," Lin analyzed coldly. "But I have points."
He opened his interface. [Assigning Free Points...] [INT +4] [Current INT: 22]
[System Alert: Intelligence Threshold Reached.] [Shadow Clone Capacity Increased: 2 -> 3]
"Come out," Lin ordered.
SWISH. SWISH. SWISH.
Three shadows rose from the floor simultaneously. They didn't form in front of Lin. They formed behind and beside the Hobgoblin, right in the dust cloud caused by the smashed wall.
The Hobgoblin paused, confused by the sudden movement in its peripheral vision.
"Grab him," Lin commanded.
Clone 1 jumped on the monster's back, wrapping its arms around the thick neck. Clone 2 and Clone 3 dove for the legs, tackling the knees with their combined Strength of 14 (12 base + 2 from level up).
The Hobgoblin roared, thrashing wildly. It was strong enough to throw them off, but not instantly. It stumbled, its balance broken for a split second.
That was all Lin needed.
He didn't run away. He ran toward the monster. He used Clone 2's back as a stepping stone, launching himself into the air.
The Hobgoblin looked up, its eyes wide. Lin held the rusty screwdriver in both hands, point down.
"The eye," Lin whispered. "Soft tissue."
Gravity + Strength + Precision.
SHUK!
He drove the metal shank deep into the Hobgoblin's left eye socket. Black blood sprayed like a geyser.
The monster howled, a sound of pure agony. It dropped the hammer and clawed at its face. The clones held on tight, weighing it down, preventing it from thrashing Lin off.
Lin twisted the handle. He felt the metal scrape against bone, then plunge into the soft brain matter.
The Hobgoblin stiffened. It seized up, then went limp, crashing to the ground like a felled tree.
[Ding!] [Elite Enemy Defeated.] [Experience: +200] [Level Up!] [Rank: E (Low) Achieved!]
Lin rolled off the corpse, gasping for air. His heart hammered against his ribs. He looked at the dead giant. "Efficiency check: Poor," Lin critiqued, shaking his hand to get the black blood off. "Too risky."
He looked at the corpse. A faint blue light was glowing under the Hobgoblin's chest armor.
"Loot," Lin said.
("Enjoying the massacre? Drop a Power Stone to feed the Clone Army!")