Assassin at Range: The Sniper’s Lethal Power

The fleeing goblins would occasionally glance back, seeing that the terrifying enemy was still following, and immediately began to call out in various pitches to alert their companions.

"Set traps at the lair! Take this enemy down!"

This, of course, was exactly what Tristan wanted.

Previously, he could have wiped out all the goblins, but there was no need to. If he killed them all, who would lead him to the lair?

The trade routes to Davi City were long, and the surrounding terrain was complex. If he went to find the goblin lair by himself, it would take quite a bit of time. But if a goblin guided him, it would be much easier.

There was, however, a significant risk involved.

Not only were there a large number of regular goblins in the lair, but also goblin shamans, goblin archers, and other special types. With both ranged and melee attacks, and their large numbers, they could be a real headache.

If they couldn't hold off the siege, even a small squad would likely face disaster.

But Tristan wasn't worried.

If things went south, he could just use Stealth and Rain of Corruption. Even Gold Grade bosses couldn't see through his Stealth, let alone mere goblins.

...

More goblins crawled out from various corners, screeching as they launched their attack.

Tristan responded with a flying dagger, and with the spread of Toxic Blood Plague, he managed to kill dozens at once. His experience bar steadily increased, already reaching 70-80% of the way to the next level.

By the time he destroyed the goblin lair, he would likely level up.

During his time in the Wild Arena, Tristan had seen the true power of Toxic Blood Plague. As long as the monsters were densely packed, it would spread and refresh itself, killing even the toughest enemies.

This time, in dealing with the goblin lair, he was relying on this powerful ability.

After all, goblins were famous for being numerous.

Each lair had at least a few hundred of them. Relying solely on Shadow Dagger and Rain of Corruption would take a long time, even if every strike killed instantly.

...

After chasing the goblins for nearly half an hour, the surroundings became increasingly desolate. The air was thick with a rancid stench and the smell of blood.

The goblin lair wasn't far now.

As he thought this, he saw a mass of figures on a slope to his left. Dozens of goblin archers aimed at Tristan's position and began raining down arrows.

At the same time, another group of goblins, wielding staffs, appeared on a nearby slope and cast lightning bolts.

"Whoa, this lair is quite high-spec. There are so many goblin shamans," Tristan muttered in surprise.

This wasn't very far from Davi City, and yet there was such a large lair? It seemed a bit outrageous.

Where was Davi City's military? Didn't they send people on regular patrols?

But this wasn't something Tristan needed to worry about. There was no need for concern.

What really mattered was the high-ranking officials in Davi City.

As a player, his job was to take the quest and finish it.

Right now, all he needed to do was deal with the enemies in front of him.

These goblins were clever, launching their attack from around 70-80 meters away.

This distance was no accident. During their retreat, the goblins had gathered data with their lives.

They had noticed that the enemy's attack range was only about 50 meters.

So, standing 70-80 meters away, they assumed they were out of range.

The goblins' plan was clever.

Unfortunately for them, Tristan had a hidden trump card.

His current stats were more than enough to make Shadow Dagger hit targets 100 meters away.

The previous 40-50 meters had just been to lull the enemy into a false sense of security.

Moreover, he still had Rain of Corruption.

This skill had an even longer range.

Faced with attacks from two directions, Tristan activated Frenzied Charge, breaking through their encirclement while releasing Rain of Corruption towards the goblin archers.

The dark energy appeared above the goblin archers' heads, quickly coalescing into arrows that rained down from the sky.

With over 5,000 damage, the targets were instantly wiped out.

The goblin archers, standing far away, ended up taking even higher damage.

Next came the second and third arrows.

By the time the fifteenth attack landed, there were no goblin archers left standing under Rain of Corruption.

Even those lucky enough to survive were infected by Toxic Blood Plague and began losing health in waves.

Within just a few seconds, all the goblin archers were wiped out, contributing a huge amount of experience.

Meanwhile, the goblin shamans weren't faring much better. After taking a Shadow Dagger to the face, they suffered the same fate as the goblin archers, being wiped out by Toxic Blood Plague.

In the distance, hidden behind rocks, goblins let out terrified shrieks.

Had their carefully prepared trap been broken so easily?

Didn't they say the enemy's attack range was only 50 meters? How had it suddenly extended to 70-80 meters?

Angry, the goblins tore apart the fleeing survivors.

Damn it! They had lied about the enemy's abilities!

Tristan couldn't help but feel disappointed.

That was all experience wasted.

But his plan was already a success, and he didn't care about these few remaining goblins.

At the edge of his vision, Tristan spotted a cave partially hidden by grass.

That was the goblin lair.

Before he could explore further, several green figures appeared at the cave entrance.

Goblins with better gear emerged.

Unlike the goblins with ragged cloths and wooden sticks from before, these goblins were armed with iron equipment, offering better offensive and defensive stats.

But it didn't matter.

In front of the sharpshooter, all were equal.

Shadow Dagger flew out, and the goblins who had just set up formations at the entrance of the cave and hadn't had time to charge in were instantly wiped out.

Even more goblins inside the cave were taken out in the same sweep.

This was the true power of Toxic Blood Plague—if the damage was too much to withstand, the goblins would turn into a new source of infection, spreading death further.

Game notifications flooded Tristan's screen, signaling that over 50 goblins had been killed in the blink of an eye.

And this was far from the entire strength of the lair!

Just a few seconds after Toxic Blood Plague ended, more goblins appeared.

There were even more than before.

However, this time, the goblins had learned their lesson and kept their distance from each other.

Though this reduced the effectiveness of their collective charge, it was still better than being wiped out all at once.

Tristan was prepared.

Rain of Corruption was unleashed again, easily wiping out fifteen goblins.

It was a shame that not all of them were killed, but it wasn't a big issue. He could just wait for the cooldown.

Rain of Corruption not only had a long range, but it also targeted enemies automatically. Unless the goblins were separated by tens of meters, they wouldn't be able to escape their doom.

Seeing their well-prepared tactics fall apart, the goblin leader in the lair became enraged, repeatedly howling to urge the goblins to battle.

On one side was the terrifying enemy, and on the other was their own leader. The goblins, caught in the middle, could only grit their teeth and charge out of the cave, giving Tristan wave after wave of experience.

Outside the lair, Tristan couldn't stop himself from grinning.

So polite! These goblins were too polite.

They were practically bringing him experience points, worried that he might level up too slowly.

"You have reached Level 11!"

"You have gained 5 free attribute points!"

"The power of shadows gathers within you, you have gained 5 additional free attribute points!"

"Beast Blessing activated, you have gained 5 more free attribute points!"

"Hunting Moment activated, you have gained 1 evolution point!"

"Hunting Moment activated, you have gained 1 evolution point!"

...

In just a few minutes, over 200 goblins had been killed. Not only had Tristan leveled up, but he also accumulated two evolution points.

What surprised him even more was that goblins were still emerging from the cave.

"Bring more! At this rate, I might just reach Level 20."

Tristan was beaming with joy, his eyes softening as he looked at the goblins.

These were no longer vile creatures, but rather, little wealth-bringers!