Goblin Scavenger

An hour later.

With a heavy expenditure of bullets, countless Wild Burrow Worms were converted into experience. Just as the worm-infested area was cleared, mountains of scrap metal appeared ahead. From within these scrap heaps, a "squeaking" chewing sound could be heard. The sound was incredibly penetrating and somewhat unnerving, as if something was gnawing at the top of my head.

A short while later, monsters appeared in my field of vision, their health bars displayed. They were a swarm of insects with golden carapaces and compound eyes covering their heads.

[Iron Eater Bug] (Elite)

Level: 20

Attack: 85-125

Defense: 38

Blood Essence: 2000

Skills: [Steel Bite Lv4] [Steel Spikes Lv4]

Details: Iron Eater Bugs are creatures that live in the Green Scrap Yard. They feed on steel and have an extremely high iron content in their bodies, even converting iron into spikes that make it difficult for enemies to attack.

This is a bit tricky!

I furrowed my brow. The strength of the Iron Eater Bugs was far beyond that of the Wild Burrow Worms. Their attack power reached a staggering 125, while my defense was only 76. Any hit would surely hurt. Furthermore, their defense was 38, and with the Lv4 Steel Spikes buff, their actual defense could easily exceed 60. Quite troublesome!

There was no other way; prioritize ranged attacks and try to prevent them from getting close!

So, I raised my submachine gun and unleashed a barrage of bullets at the five Iron Eater Bugs charging towards me, firing as I retreated. Damage numbers erupted everywhere. The Iron Eater Bugs' defense was indeed high; the bullets were at least 30% mitigated, but there was nothing I could do. In this situation, I could only rely on my bullet reserves to gain a large amount of experience!

"Squeak~~~"

After three Iron Eater Bugs were shot down, the remaining two closed in, opening their scissor-like jaws to attack.

"Swish!"

I spun around abruptly and used Step Slash to create a five-yard distance. Then, I quickly turned back to continue shooting. Bullets "tutututu" penetrated their wounds, spewing green ichor, which was quite satisfying to watch.

"Crack..."

By the time the fourth Iron Eater Bug fell, the magazine was empty.

Without hesitation, I switched my main weapon to my blade and dashed towards the fifth Iron Eater Bug. Explosive Charge erupted from its body. This charge was short, only six yards, and after stunning it, I turned and unleashed a combo of basic attacks + Dragon Blade + basic attacks + Ground Spike Slash, finishing it off!

"Squeak..."

The Iron Eater Bug twitched its body and finally died, unwillingly. The few Iron Eater Bugs turned into glowing orbs of experience that flew into my body, giving me a faint sense of satisfaction.

I frowned. Although the experience from the Iron Eater Bugs was generous, the consumption was too great. I estimated that after clearing this instance, I would be troubled by my ammunition reserves again.

Whatever, I'll finish this first!

Perhaps this instance would drop something useful, to supplement my expenses.

In Star Abyss, there was no "bind on pickup" for equipment. Even items produced within instances could be traded freely, which was quite convenient. Therefore, whenever I had an Instance Crystal, the best option was to clear it immediately. Not only could I maintain my level advantage, but I might even make a fortune from the drops.

So, I searched among the piles of scrap, not letting a single Iron Eater Bug escape, converting them all into experience. This continued until around four in the afternoon.

By this time, my ammunition reserves were severely depleted, and the Roarer's bullets were running low.

I had underestimated the consumption within the instance. I initially thought the remaining 1800+ bullets would be enough, but I didn't expect it to be so perilous. Fortunately, all the Iron Eater Bugs had been killed, and there were no more monsters in the entire instance, only the scrap heaps standing tall, awaiting the formal appearance of the instance's master.

"Damn you, you've destroyed our home!"

A shrill voice echoed from the sky. Immediately, a colossal object descended from above – it was a war chariot emitting a fiery red glow!

This was the "Rumble Bang Bang Bang" rocket car mentioned in the instance's content!

Inside the rocket car sat a short, ferocious-looking man, who was controlling the vehicle as it charged forward.

In the blink of an eye, I captured his stats!

[Goblin Scavenger] (Green BOSS)

Level: 20

Attack: 60-85

Defense: 5

Blood Essence: 1500

Skills: [Rage Lv4] [Vengeance Lv4] [Rocket Car Mastery Lv6]

Details: Goblin Scavenger, the owner of this Green Scrap Yard. He collected a vast amount of raw materials and actually built a "Rumble Bang Bang Bang" rocket car. Do not underestimate him; although he is extremely weak, the rocket car he pilots is not!

"Holy crap..."

Looking at his stats, I couldn't help but sigh. Even a Green BOSS was still a Level 20 entity, yet its stats were so weak, not much better than a regular Level 20 monster!

It could be said that without this rocket car, the Goblin Scavenger would not be able to withstand even a single blow from me!

"Kid, die!"

The massive rocket car charged forward recklessly. Suddenly, a launch tube on its top opened, and a smoke-trailing missile was successfully launched, flying directly towards me!

'What the hell...'

I secretly cursed, thinking, Who plays like this? The opponent is weak, but they can conjure missiles out of thin air. Is this even a game for humans?!

Instantly, without hesitation, I locked onto an empty space to my right and immediately activated my longest-range Explosive Charge!

"Boom!"

Three points of Essence burned fiercely within me, transforming into a terrifying force pushing me forward. I instantly moved forty yards!

At the same time, I raised my left hand, holding up the Orchid Shield to block in front of me!

The next second, a missile exploded where I had just been standing, and a terrifying shockwave swept through the surroundings!

"23!"

"31!"

"26!"

"29!"

Even behind the shield, the intense shockwave continued to chip away at my Blood Essence!

"Kid, you can't escape!"

Inside the rocket launcher, the Goblin Scavenger roared with a ferocious expression, "You dare invade my territory and kill so many of my Iron Eater Bugs and Burrow Worms! I'll grind your bones to dust and boil them into soup to drink!"

As he spoke, something on both sides of the rocket launcher spiraled open. After a slight transformation, they became weapons I recognized.

They were two sets of weapons, similar to the 1130 close-in weapon systems...

Screw you!

"Boom boom boom~~~"

The opponent's weapons fired, and huge bullets tore through the air. After hitting the Orchid Shield, my health bar began to plummet!

"233!"

"252!"

"199!"

"227!"

The firepower was dense. In almost an instant, my health bar dropped to around 50%!

My goal was to absolutely prevent my health bar from dropping to 30%. Once it reached 30%, I would trigger the "injured" status. Being injured in this game is no joke; you either go to the hospital and spend money on treatment or recuperate for months. This is a price most players cannot afford.

"Click!"

Canceling the shield's defensive form, the moment the Orchid Shield disappeared, I immediately used Step Slash to charge towards the front left, followed by a ground roll, trying my best to escape the enemy's line of fire.

"You think you can escape, you scoundrel!"

The Goblin Scavenger, controlling the rocket launcher, actually stopped firing and quickly drove around, intending to launch another attack from the side.

Just then, a dungeon prompt appeared on my interface.

[The "Rumble Bang Bang Bang" rocket launcher, while powerful, has a weakness!]

[There are some flammable and explosive materials in the scrap yard. You can detonate these materials to deal fatal damage to the rocket launcher!]

When I turned to look, the scrap mountains were still there, but some of them had red arrow markers. Below the markers, there was even a small word: "Explosive." If I hadn't seen the dungeon prompt, I wouldn't have noticed this detail!

The next moment, I grabbed my gun and ran, sprinting with all my might!

"Smelly brat, you're already trapped. Do you think you can leave here alive?"

Inside the rocket launcher, the Goblin Scavenger said maniacally, "I'm going to boil you into a delicious pot of soup. I'll eat your intestines first, then your brains!"

He really knows how to eat, knowing to eat the best parts first.

I sprinted with all my might. After rounding several scrap piles, I quickly switched my main weapon to Whisperwind and aimed at a scrap pile with a flashing arrow ahead. Just then, the rocket launcher rumbled over, only one step away from that explosive scrap pile.

Now!

I quickly pulled the bolt and fired!

"Bang!"

With a crisp sound, bullets spewed out like fire, directly embedding themselves into a fiery red piece of scrap on the scrap mountain!

The next moment, cracks appeared on the fiery red scrap, followed by a violent explosion!

"Boom boom boom~~~"

In the terrifying blast wave, the rocket launcher was tossed around several times.

It was only then that I clearly saw that this BOSS had two health bars. The rocket launcher was the outer health bar, and the Goblin Scavenger was the inner health bar. After the explosion from the scrap mountain, the rocket launcher's health bar was less than half!

"Damn it, I'll make you pay!"

The Goblin Scavenger, with a ferocious expression, charged forward with the half-health rocket launcher!

I didn't even move my toes. I directly aimed at the next explosive scrap mountain. Although this scrap mountain wasn't too far from me, I should be able to withstand the impact if I used the Orchid Shield to block!

"Bang!"

The second gunshot rang out, and the second scrap mountain quickly turned into a sea of fire!

"Clang~~ Clang~~~"

Amidst the deafening noise, the rocket car's health bar vanished, blown to smithereens.

I, meanwhile, held my shield horizontally in front of me, continuously taking hits, my health bar dropping rapidly!

It was a close call. I finally stopped at 33% Blood Essence, and any more damage would have likely injured me on this dungeon run. Even so, the massive loss of Blood Essence sent waves of sharp pain through my body.

"Bastard!"

From within the rocket car, the Goblin Scavenger stumbled out, carrying a rifle, its face contorted with rage.

Without a moment's hesitation, I charged!

Explosive Charge!

"Poof!"

A wisp of Essence storm exploded, instantly stunning the Goblin Scavenger in place. What followed was a smooth combo of normal attack + Dragon Blade + normal attack + Ground Spike Slash. Just as the Goblin Scavenger's Blood Essence was nearing zero, I swept my sword across, cleanly decapitating the creature!

Blood splattered everywhere, turning into a rain of gore. Awesome!

Some readers said they didn't understand, so here's an explanation: This book's content is 50% data-driven leveling and 50% slice-of-life. The relationship between Star Abyss and reality is that of parallel worlds.