C19 The Troublesome Goblin

"I trust my gut. When the national martial arts exam rolls around, the truth will rise to the surface!" Zheng Hao declared confidently.

As Zheng Hao and his group left the Martial House, Zhang Ze pondered, "Why is Zheng Hao seeking me out? Did he catch a glimpse of my punching data on the Strength-Measuring Machine that day?" It dawned on Zhang Ze that Zheng Hao probably saw him as a rival.

Considering their school had only two spots for admission into Qing University Martial Arts School, it wasn't shocking that Zheng Hao felt threatened.

"I'll have to be extra cautious and maintain a low profile," Zhang Ze mused. "Revealing my abilities by accident and drawing attention could land me in a heap of trouble."

Resolved, Zhang Ze vowed to keep his strength under wraps until the martial arts exam.

Having finished cleaning up the Martial House, Zhang Ze departed. Approaching the school building's entrance, he spotted Liu Wei in a grave discussion with two uniformed men.

Zhang Ze was clueless about the situation and chose to quietly walk by. He overheard one of the men warn Liu Wei, "This individual is extremely dangerous. Make sure the students stay alert."

Curiosity piqued, Zhang Ze anticipated that Liu Wei would soon share the news in their group chat.

True to his expectation, about ten minutes later while on the subway, Zhang Ze saw Liu Wei's message pop up in the group:

"Attention all, a dangerous fugitive has made his way to Tianfeng City. The city police urge everyone to be vigilant. Avoid going out at night unless necessary, and report any suspicious individuals immediately."

Liu Wei included a photo and detailed profile of the fugitive, and Zhang Ze noted the man was missing a pinky on his right hand.

Due to the relentless onslaught of Devil Cave Monsters in recent years, nations had deployed their military might to the frontlines, leaving domestic security stretched thin and crime rampant.

Fugitives on the run were an annual occurrence, yet they seldom led to dire repercussions. As such, many, Zhang Ze included, didn't give the situation much thought.

When Zhang Ze got home, Zhang Feng had already prepared dinner. They finished eating right at eight o'clock, and without delay, Zhang Ze stepped into the Devil Domain.

In the aftermath of the last skirmish, Zhang Ze had acquired the Heaven Swallowing Frog, but his other minor monsters had taken a beating. With six openings in his Summon Monster team, he was determined to fill those vacancies today.

"The monsters on this level are predominantly Goblins, split into two types: those who excel in hand-to-hand combat and those who specialize in ranged attacks. I'll take on a Goblin first, then decide which type to recruit for my squad."

Resolved, Zhang Ze left the altar and ventured into the forest's heart.

Along the way, he encountered a trio of Adventurers locked in combat with two Goblins. One, armed with a sword and shield, fought with ferocity. The other, a peripheral figure, lobbed fist-sized rocks at the Adventurers with relentless precision.

Despite their numbers, the three Adventurers were outmatched by the Goblins' might.

The Sword-shield Goblin was particularly formidable, dealing over a hundred points of damage with each strike. And when the Adventurers struck back, the Goblin's shield deflected their blows, sparing it from harm.

The Long-range Goblin's stone-throwing was both rapid and deadly accurate. Zhang Ze watched in awe as it hurled a barrage of stones in mere seconds, each one inflicting between 100 to 200 points of damage on the beleaguered Adventurers.

Overwhelmed and outclassed, the Adventurers cried out in agony. Skilled in melee, they were still no match for even one Sword-shield Goblin, let alone the Rock Goblin's relentless barrage from afar.

"Curse that Goblin! My attacks are useless against its shield!"

"Hit by another rock... That Rock Goblin is infuriating!"

"Guys, I'm running on empty here! What do we do?"

Ultimately, the Adventurers retreated to the safety of the altar. Any further engagement would have spelled certain death for them.

"Both Goblin types are impressively strong," Zhang Ze remarked, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "No need to overthink this. I'll summon the type of Goblin I come across next."

With this in mind, Zhang Ze called forth all his monsters, including the formidable Heaven Swallowing Frog and the Iron Tooth Wolf.

Zhang Ze's decision to summon his entire roster of monsters stemmed from his belief that the Hard Armor Turtle and the others were ill-equipped to take on the Goblins.

To leave no room for error, Zhang Ze went as far as to summon the boss to aid in the battle against the monsters!

Goblins in this area typically appeared in pairs, with the Sword-shield Goblin and the Rock Goblin working in tandem. Unable to find a solitary Goblin, Zhang Ze was forced to launch an attack on both simultaneously.

Upon spotting the enemy, the Sword-shield Goblin hoisted his shield, opting for defense when he realized they were outnumbered.

Meanwhile, the Rock Goblin, positioned behind the Sword-shield Goblin, had already started pelting Zhang Ze's summoned creatures with a relentless barrage of stones.

The health of Zhang Ze's monsters dwindled steadily.

"Damn! Those stones hurled by the Rock Goblin pack a serious punch!"

Zhang Ze winced as he watched the Hard Armor Turtle's health take a nosedive, but he couldn't help admiring the Rock Goblin's formidable combat skills, which even the Hard Armor Turtle couldn't withstand. Zhang Ze found himself coveting the Rock Goblin for his own.

The Sword-shield Goblin held the line, absorbing the brunt of the assault from the Hard Armor Turtle and the other monsters, effectively shielding the Rock Goblin behind him. Their strategy was simple yet effective.

With the Sword-shield Goblin's health down to half, the Rock Goblin had already dispatched a Hard Armor Turtle and a Poisonous Spider!

"Heaven Swallowing Frog, switch your target. Take out that Rock Goblin!"

Realizing the tide was against them, Zhang Ze swiftly revised his strategy, directing his team's sole long-range specialist, the Heaven Swallowing Frog, to strike the Rock Goblin.

Capable of launching fireballs from a distance, the Heaven Swallowing Frog unleashed a massive fireball that hit the Rock Goblin squarely, sending him tumbling and inflicting substantial damage.

The system alert chimed in: "The Rock Goblin's Blood Volume has decreased by 310 points!"

"Awesome!"

While Zhang Ze was expertly drawing his bow and releasing arrows, he directed his Heaven Swallowing Frog, "Heaven Swallowing Frog, hit them with another attack."

With a mighty hurl, the Heaven Swallowing Frog launched a fireball that struck the Rock Goblin squarely. The creature's health plummeted to around ten percent. Zhang Ze was certain they were moments away from defeating the Rock Goblin when something unexpected occurred.

The Rock Goblin spun around and bolted into the dense forest.

"He's actually running away!" exclaimed Zhang Ze, at a loss for words. But he knew this was to be expected. The monsters in the Devil Domain possessed intelligence, after all. It was perfectly normal for them to flee when outmatched by an adversary.