「Two minutes later.」
Fang Zhen returned to the vicinity of the Goblin Camp.
He planned to charge the goblins' den, but that didn't mean he had to brute-force his way in.
Fang Zhen took a roundabout path and crept back, first confirming the position of the Goblin Sentry he had spotted earlier.
There were two sentries near the camp, positioned about ten-odd meters away. They were stationed roughly forty-odd meters apart from each other.
Fang Zhen had deliberately taken an arcing route on his way back, which brought him perfectly into the blind spot behind one of the Goblin Sentries.
This goblin was also a Crossbowman. It held a wooden crossbow, which was already drawn and loaded with a sharp Crossbow Arrow.
Fang Zhen wasn't sure how powerful the Crossbow Arrow was, or if it could pierce his riot suit's defense.
To be safe, Fang Zhen decided to take out this sentry Crossbowman first and eliminate any future trouble.
The Goblin Sentry looked confused at the moment. It kept staring toward the stream, as if unsure whether to go provide support or remain at its post.
Fang Zhen quietly circled around behind it.
A few meters away from the Goblin Sentry, Fang Zhen slowed his steps. He leaned his long spear against a large nearby tree and took the titanium alloy slingshot from his waist.
A long spear wasn't very advantageous in the woods. The surrounding trees were quite dense, leaving no room to wield the spear or build up a charge. Sneaking up for a stealthy throat-slitting with his curved blade was also unrealistic; this Goblin Sentry was alert.
Fang Zhen decided to test the power of his titanium alloy slingshot.
Fang Zhen carefully opened the pouch of steel balls at his waist and took one out.
The steel balls that came with the titanium alloy slingshot weren't the small ball bearings you'd find in a bicycle chain, but large projectiles the size of his ring fingertip.
Fang Zhen took out the steel ball, placed it in the pouch of the elastic band, and then pulled the slingshot's band back with all his might.
The band's elasticity was extremely strong. Even using his full strength, Fang Zhen felt like he still hadn't pulled it all the way back.
Fang Zhen drew the band, aimed at the goblin a few meters away, and once he was sure of his shot, he suddenly let go.
"TWANG!"
The band of the titanium alloy slingshot let out a hum as it vibrated through the air. The steel ball shot out with immense force.
Fang Zhen's aim was true. The steel ball flew out and struck the Goblin Sentry precisely on the temple.
"GAK!"
The Goblin Sentry let out a wretched cry. The force from the titanium alloy slingshot was unexpectedly immense; it sent the creature staggering back several steps before it collapsed. The steel ball was so powerful that it embedded itself directly into the Goblin Sentry's temple, with more than half of the projectile lodged deep inside its head.
So grievously injured, the Goblin Sentry had lost all ability to fight. It could only writhe and howl in agony on the ground.
With his first strike successful, Fang Zhen casually tossed the slingshot to the ground, grabbed his spear from against the tree, and charged forward. He thrust the spear down at the Goblin Sentry on the ground.
With one stab, the sentry on the ground went still.
Fang Zhen pulled his spear free and saw that the other Goblin Sentry, over forty meters away, had spotted him and was shrieking in alarm.
Fang Zhen ignored that sentry and charged toward the Goblin Camp, spear in hand.
Combat experience had taught Fang Zhen that he couldn't leverage the full advantage of his long spear in the woods; open ground was far more favorable for him.
And the Goblin Camp was just such an open space.
Fang Zhen, now filled with experience and confidence, rushed into the camp at a full sprint. He locked onto one goblin and executed a piercing thrust.
The targeted goblin shrieked, trying to dodge the sharp point, but Fang Zhen's all-around attributes completely overwhelmed these little green-skins. The long spear still pierced straight through the goblin's chest.
Only after he had killed the first goblin did the surrounding ones react and begin to close in.
At that point, only four living goblins remained in the camp.
Fang Zhen was in peak condition. After killing one goblin with a thrust, he once again entered a state of complete, undistracted combat focus.
He swung his long spear in a wide arc, forcing back all the encroaching goblins. Just then, a goblin brandishing a dagger shot up and lunged at him.
As if he had been expecting it, Fang Zhen calmly pulled his spear back, positioning the spearhead in front of the lunging goblin.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, the goblin impaled itself on the spearhead. It struggled for a few moments before its breath ceased.
Fang Zhen flung the corpse aside.
He realized he had completely seen through the goblins' attack patterns.
He wasn't sure if these goblins learned from or imitated one another, but their attacks really only followed a few set patterns.
Goblins with swords or daggers would mostly use a leaping lunge. The first time he encountered it, it felt quite tricky; a sudden move like that could disembowel you if your reaction was a split-second too slow.
But after seeing it multiple times, Fang Zhen discovered the pattern. It seemed to be a common skill among the little green-skinned monsters who wielded swords or daggers.
Fang Zhen had also developed a counter. As long as he was careful, maintained his distance, and positioned his spear correctly when a goblin committed to its suicidal lunge, it would impale itself.
Fang Zhen had also deciphered another one of their moves. During intense combat or when trying to flee, goblins armed with blunt weapons, axes, or clubs had a skill where they would throw their weapon.
This move was rather risky, a sort of last-ditch, do-or-die attack. If the goblin succeeded, it could unexpectedly injure its opponent. But if it failed, it would be left unarmed and at the mercy of its foe.
Fang Zhen guessed this was a tactic they commonly used when fighting in a group; after all, even if you lost your weapon, your allies were still there.
The first time he encountered it, Fang Zhen had almost fallen for it. Now, however, he had seen through the tactic. As long as he paid attention, he could dodge the thrown weapon on instinct alone. Since his reaction speed surpassed the goblins', it wasn't a major threat.
At this moment, Fang Zhen felt a calm confidence amidst the heat of battle. The entire battlefield situation was under his control.
He pulled his spear free, swung it fiercely to knock down one goblin, then gripped it with both hands and lunged forward, stabbing another one to the ground.
Only one goblin was left standing.
It was the last mini-elite in the camp, clad in leather armor and holding a studded mace.
Seeing only one left, Fang Zhen felt even more at ease and charged forward, spear in hand.
The leather-armored goblin reacted as if on instinct, violently hurling the studded mace in its hand straight at Fang Zhen's face.
Fang Zhen wasn't surprised at all.
"Predictable!" Fang Zhen grunted. He had already anticipated it. His reaction was so fast that even before the mace arrived, he had already swung his spear and knocked the thrown weapon aside.
The leather-armored goblin was now unarmed, its face a mask of terror.
It didn't even have time to run.
With a single thrust of his spear, Fang Zhen pierced the leather-armored goblin's throat.
The leather-armored goblin was lifted off its feet and sent flying, the spear pinning it to the ground by its throat.
The leather-armored goblin struggled for a few moments, then lost its strength and went still.
Fang Zhen planted a foot on the leather-armored goblin's body and pulled his spear free.
He scanned his surroundings.
There was still one Goblin Sentry left in the woods. However, it was completely terrified, trembling among the trees. It lacked the courage to charge in and fight to the death, but it didn't dare to run away either, leaving it frozen in place, utterly bewildered.
Within the camp, Fang Zhen had wiped the place clean.
'Is it over?' Fang Zhen disregarded the Goblin Sentry in the woods. It was just an insignificant grunt, not worth his attention.
At this point, Fang Zhen could feel his stamina starting to wane.
His combat state just now had been excellent. Amidst the excitement, his focus had been razor-sharp—far better than his earlier stress-induced reactions.
However, after several consecutive fights and a fair bit of running, his physical energy was definitely declining.
Just as Fang Zhen was about to deliver finishing blows to the goblins in the camp and then clean up the Goblin Sentry in the woods, he suddenly heard a furious roar from behind him.
"GAR-GOO-REE!"
Fang Zhen immediately spun around.
There, in the direction of the stream which the camp faced, stood a huge creature, clearly larger than a regular goblin, radiating pure rage.