They Call This a Fortress

Under the care of the four, the Kobold suppressed by Li Xunsheng wasn't doing much better than its kin in the trees...

And during the process of its thousand Health points disappearing, Li Xunsheng and Zhao Jun contributed the least...

The highest damage dealer was Yi Qing. Even though Zhao Min had high and stable magical power, due to the need for casting animations, her damage frequency was far inferior to the highly agile Assassin. Therefore, Yi Qing, who occasionally landed Critical Hits, contributed greatly and obtained five War Merits.

To save mana points, Zhao Min stopped after casting two fireballs, knowing her damage output couldn't match Yi Qing's. She thus received two War Merits.

With the damage boost from her weapon and [Omnipotence] and [Throat Cut], Xuan Sheng's damage was barely passable, though it couldn't compare to the previous two.

As for Zhao Jun, he had absolutely no redeeming qualities... Mediocre stats, mediocre damage, truly pathetic among the four.

"Hmph, if you need help next time, say so earlier. This can actually kill people."

Noticing Li Xunsheng's insufficient damage, Zhao Min, despite her sharp tongue, proactively extended her fair hand to help Xuan Sheng up from the ground.

The tsundere girl is out of the meta now~ But, considering this little guy has a good heart, I'll help her out this once... Of course, only this once.

If I help again, I'll be called a saint... I'll help her change her personality, and whether she lives or dies afterward is up to her... Thinking this, Xuan Sheng spoke again:

"Let's deal with the sentries on the outer perimeter first. At least clear our escape route..."

If the pressure from the front becomes too great later, retreating would be unavoidable.

If the guys behind aren't dealt with, being surrounded like dumplings means there's nowhere to escape.

Anyway, the experience the Kobolds give is pretty good. Although War Merits are distributed proportionally to damage, in a party, experience is divided equally.

"There are pairs of sentries in the four directions of the valley. There are three more, let's take care of these first."

Following the same method for the other sentries, the four-person party finally arrived in front of the valley's gate...

Seeing the result of the Kobolds' several days of busy work, everyone fell somewhat silent...

"Why... is there only one door?"

A wooden door, surrounded by a wall built from mud and other strange mixtures combined with wooden stakes.

But the problem was... no matter how you looked at it, the crudely made main gate, the open canopy, the incredibly rough fence...

Shouldn't this be called a pigsty with a door?

"What's going on?"

Did they come to the wrong place? Is this small fence actually the Kobolds' outhouse? Is the fortress on the other side?

Zhao Jun looked at the young man leading the way in confusion, seeking instructions from the captain.

"No... this is the place..."

His eyelid twitched, Li Xunsheng covered his face, almost unable to stifle his laughter.

He hadn't expected that the Kobolds' so-called 'fortress' was actually built underground!

Don't let the bizarre and ugly structure above ground, indistinguishable from a pigsty, fool you. Inside the cave beyond the door, there was a whole different world.

Although... the Kobolds' habits seemed similar to giant ants...

But in any case, the cave they dug was extensive and interconnected, so caution was necessary.

"Their main forces are underground. This fence and door are just to enclose the entrance to the cave."

After posting the Kobolds' habits in the party chat panel, the other three suddenly understood.

"However... Brother Li really knows a lot..."

After a slight sigh, Zhao Jun arrived at the door and paused.

"Does anyone know how to pick locks? They actually added this thing to the door..."

Having grown accustomed to the combat habits of Kobolds and his teammates, Zhao Jun, his mindset settled, regained his composure. He crouched down to carefully examine the door.

"Did the previous team we killed have a key?"

"No."

Zhao Jun shook his head and looked at Yi Qing.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

"Then lockpicking..."

Among them, only she was heading in the direction of an Assassin... So, a rogue's lockpicking skill should be somewhat useful...

"I didn't learn it."

Yi Qing spat out the two words coldly, crossing her arms, unable to help.

Time was tight. She spent most of her time grinding monsters and improving herself. How could she have time to learn such things?

"Lockpicking, huh... I think I know a little bit about that..."

Related knowledge suddenly flashed through his mind, causing Xuan Sheng to rub his forehead in a daze.

What's going on... Did I used to be a staunch anti-worker before entering the game?

Why is this kind of knowledge suddenly flooding my mind when I need it...

"Why aren't you going over there then?"

"Big Sister, I need lockpicking tools to pick the lock... What else can I use?"

"You're the Big Sister!"

Zhao Min's face flushed red as she retorted indignantly.

"Then what do we do?"

Zhao Jun was also stumped. They had found the Kobold settlement, but couldn't open the door... What was the point of that?

[Crude Wooden Door: If your lockpicking proficiency is Lv.5 or above, you can easily open this door with a lockpick (iron wire or similar item)]

[Actually, if your Strength is above forty points, you can try to force it open]

Hmm...

Focusing his gaze on the [Fortress], Xuan Sheng quickly obtained the relevant information.

[Kobold Fortress: Dug out hastily by these semi-barbaric, low-intelligence creatures, these caves are extremely deep and complex. Minor disturbances above will not alert the garrison within; you can open the door at will.]

"So what do we do now? Should we go back and look for clues elsewhere?"

Seeing the silent young man, Zhao Min didn't say anything rashly and offered her suggestion.

"No need."

Since normal combat noises wouldn't affect Kobolds in different areas, they could just act directly.

Under the puzzled gazes of everyone watching, Xuan Sheng walked up to the door and, with a slight lift of his leg...

"Boom!"

Flying wood chips fluttered down. The original wooden door was instantly blasted open with a large hole. The immense impact even kicked up dust from the ground, creating a hazy mist all around...

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Waving away the swirling dust, Zhao Min tenderly tied up her long hair and took two steps back.

Seeing Zhao Min's state, Xuan Sheng shook his head slightly. "This is a mission in the wilderness. Young Lady, I suggest you stay in the city."

Casually snapping off the remaining parts of the wooden door, the young man's nonchalant expression made Zhao Jun secretly tremble.

Big Boss Golden Shovel, how did he do that?

He had already checked the wooden door earlier.

According to the basic detection skill provided by the game system, that door could indeed be forced open with high Strength.

But! Although the system didn't state the exact value, it said that Strength around Lv.10 would be needed to do it.

In other words, at least forty points of Strength were required to force the door open!

And this Big Boss Golden Shovel in front of him was only level five, just like himself!

Could it be that he already has over forty Strength at just level five???

How did he do it!!!

If you can't find the book by its title, you can try searching for the author. Perhaps the name has just been changed!