Elite Kobold

Moreover, judging by what this man said earlier, he wasn't just focusing on Strength!

He mainly invested in Strength and Agility. Could it be that this big shot's Agility was nearly as high as his Strength?

"Alright, let's go. Going by their habits, they should be spread out in groups of no more than ten. If they come one at a time, it shouldn't be too much trouble."

Holding his shield, Xuan Sheng led everyone downward...

[Kobold Soldier (Exhausted State): All Attributes decreased by 50%]

[They are constantly digging downward, seemingly searching for something. If they can obtain specific intelligence or documents, they should be able to easily determine their objective.]

Under these circumstances, the four of them encountered almost no obstacles as they advanced downward.

They explored step by step. None of the kobolds they encountered could put up much resistance. Overly exhausted, they had no choice but to march toward their deaths.

Although the kobolds were in poor condition, the War Merit and experience they yielded were not reduced at all, bringing everyone quite a substantial profit.

"How many have we killed now? Why haven't we found any information related to the quest?"

After crossing who knew how many empty rooms, Zhao Jun wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked aloud.

This place was indeed good for leveling, and it even offered additional War Merit. But if that was all there was to it, it would be hard to satisfy anyone.

After all, his main purpose was still to bring his comrades in the Novice Village into this main city.

For that, they had to figure out the purpose behind the kobolds coming here as quickly as possible!

"The... I can't remember. But be careful. There should be an Elite Monster in the larger empty cavern below."

Relying on the Eye of God to easily obtain the monster's information, Xuan Sheng gestured for everyone to stop and wait for Zhao Min to recover her mana.

"An Elite Monster?"

By this point, the number of kobolds they had cleared out had nearly reached three digits. Yet under such a prolonged battle, Li Xunsheng had relied on a small shield to block every attack without taking a single hit.

Zhao Jun had recorded all these battles in his heart, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement.

Although Zhao Min, who was releasing skills from the rear, couldn't see everything clearly, Zhao Jun had spent some time fighting monsters alone on the front line and knew exactly how difficult this was.

When their attributes were roughly equal, meaning their speeds were also not far apart, the monsters' rich combat experience would only cause players immense trouble. They were absolutely not mindless fools, but genuine warriors skilled in close-quarters combat!

Yet opponents like these were pushed aside as easily as toys before this man. They could not even touch his body, let alone inflict any damage...

"Recovered? If you're ready, let's set off."

All this way, Xuan Sheng, the main tank, had not lost a single point of health. Needless to say, the others had fared even better.

"The Elite Monster shouldn't be too difficult to deal with... But just in case, I'll give you this."

There might be a large number of other kobolds around the Elite Monster. To avoid getting dragged into a prolonged battle, Xuan Sheng took out several portions of fries and handed them to Zhao Min.

[Player 'Golden Shovel' gifted you five portions of 'Somewhat Successful Fries']

"This thing... Wait, you're the one selling them?!"

Only now did Zhao Min discover that the game name of the person her brother called "Big Shot Li" was "Golden Shovel." Her eyebrows shot up.

So it was you, you profiteering merchant! I finally caught you!

She had wanted to buy the first batch of fries the moment he listed them!

Unfortunately, her fingers had been too slow, and she hadn't managed to get any.

Then, when she tried to buy the second batch through the auction house, she discovered that this profiteering merchant had actually raised the price!

Unable to afford the supplies, Zhao Min could only give up resentfully. She had not even had enough mana to try fighting the Elite Monster as she had originally planned.

"I made them, so of course I get to sell them."

"Hmph, stinking profiteer..."

She cautiously cursed the profit-obsessed fellow twice in her heart, then put away the fries. For the sake of the free supplies, she decided not to hold his previous actions against him.

"Then let's go."

Having prepared herself mentally, Zhao Jun picked up his two-handed greatsword and began exploring forward alongside Li Xunsheng.

Unlike all the caverns they had passed through before, this space suddenly widened.

If the other places had merely been crude worksites for ordinary kobolds to mine, this place was clean and refined, almost like an office. Even the ground was covered with fine gravel, no longer filthy and disorderly as before.

"Roar!"

A strange roar suddenly came from deep within the cavern. A tall Elite Kobold with a warhammer strapped to its back slowly emerged from the cave...

[Kobold Squad Leader (Elite!) Lv. 10!]

[Life: 2000/2000 Attack: 120 Defense: 40]

Thick iron armor wrapped the roughly 1.4-meter-tall kobold from head to toe. It already held a greatsword forged from refined steel in both hands. Through its helmet, a pair of pitch-black eyes glared viciously at the outsiders who had intruded into the cavern.

Among the kobolds, it definitely counted as a hulking brute. Even if it seemed slightly short in front of ordinary people, its fierce aura still sent chills through everyone, making it impossible to underestimate.

"This is troublesome."

Seeing the enemy's full heavy armor, Yi Qing's brows knitted tightly. She could not find anywhere to strike.

Its high defense would weaken most of her attack damage. Under these circumstances, even if she landed a Critical Hit!, the effect would be greatly reduced if she tried to fight through the heavy armor head-on.

"It's fine. Just keep an eye on that entrance over there. Don't let any other kobolds rush in and disturb us."

Xuan Sheng waved the shield in his hand and looked at the enemy's attributes:

[Kobold Squad Leader: Strength: 40 Agility: 25 Constitution: 30...]

[Skill: Shock! Deals damage equal to Attack Power x2 within a three-meter radius and stuns targets for one second!]

It wasn't particularly difficult. It would just take some time...

But why did this humanoid Elite Monster feel so much stronger than the irrational Elite Monster formed from the demonic villagers earlier?

"Whoa!!"

The spirited squad leader was different from the other kobolds exhausted by labor. Taking advantage of its position to slack off, it was in peak condition, with none of the negative effects that reduced all its abilities by 50%.

With a swing of its great hammer, the kobold attacked both Li Xunsheng and Zhao Jun at the front of the group!

"Damn it!"

The moment the enemy moved, Zhao Jun roughly estimated its Agility.

At his speed, he couldn't dodge this!

"Keep your voice down. It wouldn't be good to wake the other kobolds!"

The instant Zhao Jun's heart jolted, Li Xunsheng had already stepped forward. With lightning speed, he met the incoming great hammer head-on, his shield crashing into it with a mighty jolt!

"Clang!"

A heavy collision rang out. The fierce Kobold Squad Leader's great hammer was knocked high into the air, and the immense force transmitted through its hands left the kobold, which prided itself on its martial prowess, utterly dumbfounded.

"Don't just stand there. Attack!"

While the enemy was off-balance, a streak of gray light flashed and slipped through the gaps in its heavy armor, stabbing straight into the kobold's arm!

[Weakness Damage! -103!]

The bonus damage from [Throat Cut] and [All-Rounder] caused this Weakness Damage to soar directly into the triple digits!

"Duang~"

The two-handed greatsword smashed into the heavy armor and left Zhao Jun's hands numb from the recoil...

[-8]

What the hell!!!