Assassin at Range: The Sniper’s Lethal Power

No matter how large the Goblin nest is, it can't provide enough experience for Tristan to level up straight to level 20. Unless he discovers the underground Goblin kingdom.

In fact, after Tristan reached level 11, the number of Goblins popping up had noticeably decreased. The previous battles had wiped out at least half of the Goblins in the nest. Even the Goblin leader's roars had quieted down significantly.

At this point, the Goblin leader was desperately trying to figure out who the hell had brought the killer to their door. This wasn't a mere prey; it was clearly a well-prepared hunter!

But it was too late to say anything now.

The nest had only one exit, and if they wanted to survive, they had no choice but to charge out and take down the enemy!

A deep horn sounded from the depths of the cave.

Following that, the sound of synchronized footsteps echoed.

Thud, thud, thud.

To the beat of war drums, a group of hulking Goblins appeared at the cave entrance. They were muscular, towering at nearly two meters tall.

These were no ordinary Goblins, but evolved ones—Great Goblins, with base stats much higher, reaching elite level. Their equipment was also top-notch. Not only did they wear full iron armor, but they even had crossbows.

The quality of their weapons was no joke—these weren't makeshift, slapdash creations, but looked more like military-grade gear.

Tristan was slightly surprised.

It seemed that the Goblins appearing outside Davi City weren't just a random occurrence. It felt more like they were deliberately placed here.

As for the reason? Apart from hindering Davi City's commercial activities, it probably had something to do with targeting certain nobles.

You see, the southern part of Davi City was the actual commercial district, with trade routes passing through there. Meanwhile, the eastern side was the nobles' domain, with noble merchant caravans passing through.

Why would the Goblins appear in the east of all places? It was definitely deliberate.

"Interesting," Tristan murmured to himself, feeling like he was getting drawn into the internal struggles of Davi City.

But if played right, this could yield significant profits, and also help him establish a foothold in the city.

While he was pondering, more Goblins emerged from behind the Great Goblins.

A dozen or so Goblins, carrying a comically-shaped litter, slowly approached. On the litter sat a Goblin nearly three meters tall, wearing an iron crown. Unlike the usual green-skinned Goblins, this one's skin was reddish-brown.

Goblin Leader (Bronze Grade)

Level: 15

HP: 300,000/300,000

Attack: 1500

Defense: 1200

Skills: Play Dead, Battle Roar, Trap Expert, Boomerang Throw

Description: A cunning Goblin leader, a troublesome foe.

In the ExoGenesis continent, regular Goblins were considered bottom-tier monsters, with their main advantage being sheer numbers.

Once they evolve into Great Goblins, however, they become much more formidable. If they evolve further into a Goblin Leader, their power is significantly boosted, even rivaling some mid-tier races.

Above that, there are Goblin Heroes—extremely strong individuals capable of slaying dragons.

But to Tristan, it didn't make much difference.

They were just more enemies to kill with a few extra abilities.

At the moment, with the Goblin Leader and his underlings pouring out of the cave, Tristan's plan was even more perfect. If they had stayed inside the nest, he would have had to go in slowly, step by step, clearing them out. But now, gathered together in the open, he had no qualms—he'd wipe them out in one go.

Rain of Corruption!

Shadow Dagger!

Both skills were unleashed simultaneously, easily wiping out a dozen or so Great Goblins. Even though they had evolved to elite status, they couldn't withstand Tristan's overwhelming damage output.

Before the Toxic Blood Plague could spread, the remaining Great Goblins retreated, distancing themselves from the skill's range.

Roar! Roar!

The Goblin Leader let out a furious roar, and the Goblins' eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Their battle spirit surged, and any trace of fear vanished. They raised their crossbows and began to fire, unleashing a storm of bolts toward Tristan.

Tristan dodged while observing, noticing that the barrage of bolts didn't stop.

Then, he cursed loudly.

"Shit! Repeating crossbows!"

Tristan couldn't help but feel speechless.

Who the hell was selling military-grade weapons to these Goblins? Repeating crossbows weren't something you'd see every day. These were high-tech weapons, usually reserved for regular armies, yet here they were in the hands of Goblins.

There had to be some conspiracy at play here.

And that excited Tristan.

He could sense a hidden quest coming his way.

"First, destroy this nest and wait for the follow-up tasks from Horreo."

Tristan quietly pondered.

Since Horreo was the one who sent him here, he had reason to believe that Horreo had already discovered some key clues. All Tristan had to do now was finish his current task and wait for the next.

On the other side, the Goblin Leader, seeing that even repeating crossbows weren't enough to take Tristan down—coupled with the ever-present Toxic Blood Plague—felt a sense of panic.

After all the effort to evolve this far, was it all going to be for nothing?

Impossible!

To save itself, the Goblin Leader leapt from the litter and hurled a massive boomerang at Tristan.

With the rain of bolts coming from all sides, Tristan found his movement restricted. Facing the incoming boomerang, he could only swiftly dodge while countering with a Shadow Dagger, then used Rampage Charge to evade, disappearing into the shadows to wait for the right moment.

The barrage of attacks was intense, and without the right mobility, it was tough to handle.

What was particularly troublesome was the repeating crossbows—there were so many Goblins, it felt like a full-scale barrage.

While waiting for the cooldown on Rampage Charge, Tristan didn't idle around.

He launched another Rain of Corruption, obliterating another dozen Great Goblins.

Even though they were spread out to avoid the spread of Toxic Blood Plague, their deaths were inevitable.

And since Rain of Corruption doesn't break stealth, Tristan had no reason to worry about a counterattack.

The Goblin Leader was growing increasingly frustrated. It was well-known that Stealth users had to exit Stealth when attacking. So why was this enemy able to attack without breaking stealth?

What was going on?

Why was such a strong figure going after these Goblins?

This powerful individual should be out there fighting dragons, not wasting time with them!

The Goblin Leader's inner rage was beyond words, and all it could do was release a furious roar.

Then it turned around and fled.

Are you kidding me? It wasn't stupid! If it couldn't win, why not run? Stay and die?

Tristan panicked.

If the Goblin Leader got away, he would fail his mission, and the task completion rating would drop, affecting future quest triggers. There was even a risk of the entire quest chain breaking!

With that in mind, Tristan made a quick decision to chase after it. He hurled a Throwing Knife at the Goblin Leader, delivering massive damage.

The Goblin Leader endured the pain and threw the boomerang back at him.

The Goblin Leader hadn't expected Tristan to dodge the boomerang by mere inches, narrowly escaping with a perfect move.

The Goblin Leader was stunned, seeing such agility.

Just as Tristan was about to finish the battle, the Goblin Leader suddenly let out a yell and knelt.

"Stop! I surrender! If you spare me, I'll give you all my treasures!"

At the same time, a game prompt rang out:

"Ding! You have triggered a choice quest. Please choose carefully."

Option 1: Spare the Goblin Leader.

Reward: All the wealth of the Goblin nest (worth 1000 gold).

Option 2: Kill the Goblin Leader.

Reward: Horreo's affection +5.