Out

The Defias Bandit's dagger had already slashed across the Skeleton General's neck when a grating sound like grinding teeth rang out. The bone armor protecting the neck was cut open by that strike, but to the bandit's surprise, no blood flowed out!

Taking advantage of his momentary shock, the skeleton thrust its bone blade straight at his chest. The bandit twisted to the side but still couldn't dodge in time, taking the hit. The wound immediately turned a murky blue.

"Poison!" The bandit seemed to realize the effect of the Venomous Dagger, but had no time for other defensive measures. Now the Skeleton General's blade came hacking down fiercely, while behind it the Clay Golem's petrified fists slammed down heavily. On the side, Li Shaolin's Bone Fang circled as his magic locked onto the target.

"Ha!" It was Tommy, forced back, who rallied with a mighty shout, his heavy sword striking!

In an instant, the bandit found himself surrounded on all sides.

First, the Skeleton General's bone blade swung down, which he dodged by sidestepping. The Clay Golem's heavy punch followed, and though his evasion let him slide off most of the damage, it still jolted his body. Then Li Shaolin's Bone Fang arrived after the fact, striking him square in the chest and sending blood droplets flying. After that came Tommy's heavy sword thrust.

"Shhk"—the sword pierced through his chest, burying itself deep.

The bandit stared fixedly at the blade before him, somewhat surprised. A core member of the Defias Brotherhood, level 16 in strength, and he'd fallen here—he simply couldn't fathom it. But if he knew that the other two brothers with him had also died at Li Shaolin's hands, who knew what he'd think?

"Pah!" Tommy spat heavily, kicking the bandit's corpse over. He exchanged a glance with Li Shaolin, silently acknowledging their luck.

By now, the remaining few Defias dockworkers in the field had been surrounded and killed by the group, blood pooling on the ground.

Li Shaolin sighed inwardly. What incredible luck. Back in the Fargodeep Mine, if the Golden Golem hadn't suddenly erupted, he probably couldn't have held off two elite bandits. He hadn't expected these bandits to be so formidable.

Tommy called out, and the group gathered around the room where the Dock Master was holed up.

Though they'd killed all the enemies, their own side had suffered heavy losses. Of the eight guards brought along, two were dead and three wounded. Two of the wounded seemed to be participating in such a bloody fight for the first time, crouching on the ground and retching uncontrollably. The third was too severely injured to fight. Only three remained combat-ready.

The door creaked open, and a goblin appeared before them.

Green skin, pointed ears, and a height under sixty centimeters. He wore a set of brown miniature leather armor, and a massive gold ring on his finger proclaimed its owner's wealth.

Of course, the two Brotherhood members in woolen masks following behind the goblin were also quite conspicuous.

Seeing the scene, the goblin was taken aback. He muttered something in Goblin—likely a curse—but of course, no one understood.

There wasn't much to discuss. The Brotherhood had dealt with humans long enough to know exactly why they'd come. Without further words, the goblin waved his hand, and the two bodyguards behind him charged forward.

Tommy stood with his sword, blocking the way first.

One bodyguard wielded a two-handed axe. The weapons clashed—axe against sword—with a sharp "clang." Tommy was knocked back several steps by the force before steadying himself.

"Such strength—this guy must be a level 10 warrior," Tommy said, full of surprise. But the kid feared nothing; the stronger the enemy, the more his battle lust surged. With a shout, he charged again.

The Axe Fighter (let's call him that for now) sneered, unafraid.

Just then, the other bodyguard shook out his longsword and joined the fray.

One guard raised a mace to strike, but the bodyguard casually swiped his sword, piercing the guard's thigh. The guard cried out, dropped his weapon, and wailed in pain.

As he moved to advance again, a white light slashed down from ahead—the Skeleton General, acting on Li Shaolin's command, had struck.

This Sword Fighter was incredibly skilled. With a shout, he thrust four times in quick succession, sending bone chips flying from the Skeleton General's armor. But the force seemed insufficient, and that was all it amounted to.

Li Shaolin's eyes widened in shock. "Is this guy a combat rogue?"

The Axe Fighter fighting Tommy let out a roar, a blood-red aura surging over his head. His strength instantly increased, and a few axe blows sent Tommy stumbling back. Under the influence of that roar, the Sword Fighter's power also seemed boosted, allowing him to briefly match the Skeleton General.

"What are you standing around for? Help Tommy!" Li Shaolin quickly ordered the two remaining uninjured guards over. He hadn't expected that damn goblin's bodyguards to be so formidable—he'd been careless.

Without stopping, he fired several Bone Fang projectiles at the Axe Fighter's back, slowing his assault just enough for the two guards to join Tommy.

Seeing Tommy and the others still struggling, he sent the Clay Golem to assist while summoning another Bone Shield, just in case a stray projectile came flying.

Both sides were locked in fierce combat. Li Shaolin grinned slyly. Seeing the Goblin Overseer now alone, he pulled out his Infantry Sword with his right hand, gathered Bone Fang in his left, and readied himself to finish the bastard off.

The Goblin Overseer showed no panic. He pulled out an object from his hand and hurled it at Li Shaolin.

"What's that?"

Before he could react, a "boom" rang out, and one of his Bone Shields shattered.

Damn, an engineering bomb? Li Shaolin broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing the bomb hadn't harmed Li Shaolin, the goblin waved again, releasing a wooden dummy that wobbled into place before him. Another wave, and a sheep appeared, slowly ambling toward Li Shaolin.

Is that an Explosive Sheep? Li Shaolin had at least some knowledge of the game from his past life, or else he'd probably have been caught off guard.

He fired Bone Fang, shattering the Explosive Sheep mid-path. A thunderous blast followed, smoke billowing, and the explosion's force sent everyone staggering back.

In the blink of an eye, the goblin had already fled toward the river.

Li Shaolin was about to give chase when the Axe Fighter roared again, stomping his foot. Power of Thunder surged out wildly, electrocuting the group and numbing their legs momentarily. The Axe Fighter didn't press the attack but instead turned and ran after the goblin, clearly planning to escape too.

Tommy gritted his teeth against the numbness in his legs and tried to pursue, but saw the Axe Fighter take a few steps, lock onto a distant rat, and then "whoosh"—he shot forward, carving a long trail on the ground as he sped away. The warrior's signature skill: Charge!

Just like that, he left Tommy far behind.

"Damn it!" Tommy cursed loudly. Seeing he couldn't catch up, he turned and rallied the group to surround the Sword Fighter.

"Trying to run?" Li Shaolin saw the Goblin Overseer and Axe Fighter together, apparently planning to lower the wooden boat moored at the dock and escape. With a series of "shhk shhk" sounds, he fired dozens of Bone Fang projectiles. The Axe Fighter swung his two-handed axe wildly, sparks flying, but his escape was blocked.

On the other side, the Sword Fighter's body and feet lit up with a cyan glow. He reversed his sword, used Kidney Shot to stun the Skeleton General, and activated both Sprint and Evasion, fleeing as well.

In an instant, he was beside Li Shaolin. The Sword Fighter grinned, apparently thinking that as a mage, Li Shaolin was easy prey once closed in on—like fish on a chopping board.

He flicked his sword, and another of Li Shaolin's Bone Shields shattered.

The impact of the strike made Li Shaolin realize a Sword Fighter had gotten right next to him. He jumped in shock.

The Skeleton General and Clay Golem, driven by an instinct to protect their master, hurried over. The Skeleton General in particular moved swiftly, covering the distance in a few long strides.

"Splash!" The small boat hit the water as the Axe Fighter severed its ropes.

The Goblin Overseer leaped aboard in one bound, with the Axe Fighter right behind. Then, a mechanical hum sounded from beneath the vessel as it began to move! The Axe Fighter waved from the bow, signaling the Sword Fighter to hurry.

The Sword Fighter abandoned Li Shaolin without a second thought and sprinted over.

If that Goblin Overseer escaped back to the Deadmines, he'd be plagued by the Defias Brothers forever.

Li Shaolin gritted his teeth and let out a breath. Seeing that the others hadn't caught up yet, he broke into a run and charged forward.

Thud, thud, thud—three impacts in quick succession as the Skeleton General, Li Shaolin, and the Sword Fighter all landed on the boat. The vessel rocked violently, threatening to capsize, but finally steadied.

The mechanical noise from below the boat hummed as it slowly pulled away from the dock!

On the dock, Tommy and the other guards arrived belatedly. The Clay Golem stood there, wanting to enter the water but afraid to.

"Lin, get off now!" Tommy shouted.

By now, the sky was pitch black. The dock where they'd fought was lit by ever-burning lamps, making everything visible, but the dark river channel had no light at all, and the boat was already drifting away.

"Heh heh heh heh." The Goblin Overseer exchanged glances with his two bodyguards, the Axe Fighter and Sword Fighter, and laughed. On this isolated boat, three against two—victory was assured.

Li Shaolin had no time to hesitate. He quickly pulled out the Book of the Dead, tapped it, and the Clay Golem on the distant dock vanished, absorbed back into the book. He didn't summon it again—if it fell into the water, the golem would dissolve.

The Goblin Overseer's grin was vicious. He produced a short blade from somewhere and conjured a decoy beside him before signaling his two bodyguards to attack together.

Li Shaolin began chanting a spell to replenish his Bone Shield, but only the sound came—no effect. His mana was drained! In that wild barrage of arrows earlier, he hadn't even realized how he'd used it all up.

"Haha, kid, this day next year will be your funeral!" the Axe Fighter crowed, ready to charge with the Sword Fighter.

"Is that so? The outcome is still unknown." Li Shaolin's expression remained calm. He flipped open the Book of the Dead, tapped it lightly, and another Skeleton General and Skeleton Warrior appeared before him!