His Luck Was Too Good

"There's killing intent."

Years of gaming experience had forged Yang Yu's awareness and reaction speed far beyond those of ordinary people. When the dart tore through the air with a piercing whistle, he immediately raised his shield and used [Intercept].

Unfortunately, [Intercept] did not completely block the attack. The dart forcibly pierced Yang Yu's defense, taking away a quarter of his health.

That was close, way too close. If he hadn't blocked it, he would have lost nearly two lives. Terrifying, truly terrifying.

Yang Yu narrowed his eyes in the direction the attack had come from. It was too far away for him to see who had attacked him.

Andeno also sensed that something was wrong and immediately ordered the party to stop and stay on guard.

The Elite Assassin Goblins' eyes widened as Yang Yu continued to bounce around unharmed, staring at one another in disbelief. Countless Goblin Chiefs had died easily to that move before. Even if they were beaten to death, they would not believe that this assassination had failed against a mere human.

Was it strength? Or pure coincidence? He clearly gave off the aura of a weakling. A weakling like him could not possibly withstand the Deathly Dart.

The Elite Assassin Goblins kept searching their minds for an explanation that could convince themselves. In the end, one Goblin reached a conclusion.

"It looks like that young man just acquired a skill, and that skill greatly reduces damage. When we threw our darts, he happened to be testing out his new skill. So he only blocked our darts by sheer luck."

Once that conclusion was voiced, the other Elite Assassin Goblins all approved.

Elite Assassin Goblins were the finest among their kind. They possessed extraordinarily high attack power and agility, and they never missed. There was no way hunting down a mere human could go wrong.

The only explanation was that their chosen target had been too lucky.

"Damn it. I never thought our perfect plan would be ruined by that brat's good luck!"

"What should we do now? They're completely on guard. I think we shouldn't act rashly and should wait for the main force."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Opposed."

"Opposed."

The Elite Assassin Goblins stood atop the tall trees, each holding their own opinion. Whenever disagreements arose, they often made decisions this way.

This method of decision-making was subjective. While expressing their opinions, the Goblins could explain their reasoning. If the other Goblins found it convincing, they could change their minds until a consensus was reached.

"Opposed! Our Goblin Assassin Corps has never failed. This failure is our shame. Only the enemy's blood can wash away our shame—or our own blood can!"

The moment those words were spoken, the Goblins who had agreed moments ago immediately switched sides. No one thought they should wait for the main force any longer.

They were the noblest warriors among Goblins. Only the top fifty warriors of the tribe could receive that lord's baptism and become Elite Assassin Goblins. That status itself was an honor, and no one could tarnish their glory.

The other side was merely a battered remnant. Even without the main force, they could wipe them all out. Such was the pride of the Goblin Assassin Corps.

"Killing intent! Such intense killing intent!" Andeno's chest muscles trembled. The murderous atmosphere made his pecs shiver.

The surrounding canopies rustled, stirring like restless maidens. Eerie black shadows darted through the leaves. Several scouts in the trees tried to get a better look when darts suddenly flew from the void and struck them squarely in the face. They could only tumble unsteadily from the trees, losing all breath at once.

A few quick-reacting scouts leaped from the trunks and returned to the group, standing guard alongside the others.

A sense of crisis filled the air, as though it could ignite at the slightest spark.

In an instant, volleys of darts shot from the treetops. The warriors in the front lowered their bodies and did everything they could to block them. Taking advantage of that opening, the Elite Assassin Goblins leaped down from the canopy, their blades plunging into the adventurers' bodies.

Cries of agony rang out as several adventurers fell instantly, blood pouring from their wounds.

Then, at the same time, every Elite Assassin Goblin fixed its gaze on Yang Yu—the man whose luck had completely ruined their plan.

They swore to tear him and his party to pieces and turn them into nourishment for the revival of the Ancient Empire.

"Why are they all looking at me?" Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Yang Yu tilted his head. I only blocked a dart. Did that really make them hate me?

Yang Yu glanced at the Goblins' stats and was a little dumbfounded.

The Elite Assassin Goblins were level 23, with attack power exceeding 300 and speed above 100. In exchange, however, their other attributes were terrifyingly low. They only had 150 health. Yang Yu could kill one with just a few casual slashes.

Most Goblins leaned toward endurance. He had never heard of Goblins built this extremely, as if someone had reset all their points and redistributed them entirely into attack and speed.

This was really troublesome. High-speed, high-attack monsters were difficult to deal with. He had no crowd-control skills yet, and even with fancy footwork, facing eight speedy Goblins could easily leave him helpless and at their mercy.

However, Yang Yu's worry was unnecessary.

Only one Elite Assassin Goblin stayed behind to fight Yang Yu. The other seven became entangled with the rest of the adventuring party.

Oh? Are they looking down on me? Fine by me. Just don't regret it.

A smile appeared on Yang Yu's face.

If these Goblins had kept hiding in the dark and throwing darts, he might truly have been helpless. But they had actually foolishly come out to fight him in close combat. Yang Yu could have laughed out loud in his dreams.

To be honest, Yang Yu had never feared a one-on-one fight against a high-attack, low-health melee monster. He could often kill them before they figured out the right way to fight him.

The Goblin came at him fiercely, but Yang Yu showed not the slightest fear.

Perhaps his hands had once been unable to keep up with his mind, and he could not even dodge a Slime's attacks. But now, after putting just a tiny bit more into speed for footwork, there was no reason he could not dodge a Goblin's attacks.

The Goblin's only chance was to use its speed to dart left and right, attacking back and forth to create openings.

But note, it only had a chance.

With Yang Yu's current endurance, taking one slash from the Goblin would not be a problem. Once his health dropped to a dangerous level, a [Sudden Killing Intent] would forcibly erase the Goblin's speed advantage and let Yang Yu seize the initiative once more.

The outcome of this battle had been decided the moment the Goblins sent out only one Elite Goblin. Yang Yu raised his shield and used [Shield Block] to stop one of the Goblin's ordinary attacks, then countered with two slashes aimed at its chest.

The Goblin reacted with lightning speed, dodging one slash and letting the other cut into its arm, perfectly avoiding its vital points. It licked its wounded arm, let out an angry roar, and charged forward with its dagger using [Phase Charge].

This time, Yang Yu took the slash without dodging. At the same time, red light burst from his eyes. He swung his sword rapidly and pierced through the Goblin's chest.