CHAPTER 71: GOBLIN SLAUGHTER

Lucien’s blade found its mark on the second goblin’s throat, the flaming edge slicing through thick, scarred flesh. The creature gurgled, dark blood spraying as it collapsed.

[You have dealt 1,247 damage]

[Critical hit! Weakness exploited: Neck]

[Target has received 2,555 damage]

[Target has been eliminated]

[You have received 1,616 Fusion points]

No time to celebrate. Three more red goblins converged on his position, their rusted weapons gleaming in the firelight from his blades. Lucien’s Watcher’s Eyes caught the coordinated attack pattern—they were trying to box him in.

’Not happening.’

He dropped low, sweeping his leg in a wide arc that caught the nearest goblin off-balance. As it stumbled, Lucien sprang upward, both Nightfang blades carving parallel arcs through the air. The first blade opened the stumbling goblin from ribs to shoulder, while the second found the eye socket of another attacker.

[You have dealt 1,089 damage]

[You have dealt 1,456 damage]

[Critical hit! Weakness exploited: Eye]

[Target has received 3,519 damage]

[Target has received burn damage...]

NovelBin.

[Target has been eliminated]

[You have received 1,616 Fusion points]

The third goblin’s axe whistled past Lucien’s ear as he twisted away, close enough that he felt the displaced air. His counter-attack was immediate—a vicious upward thrust that punched through the creature’s sternum.

[You have dealt 1,203 damage]

[You have dealt burn damage]

The goblin shrieked and staggered back, flames spreading across its torso. But Lucien was already moving, his enhanced speed carrying him toward the next cluster of enemies. His movements were becoming more fluid, less predictable—exactly what he’d hoped for.

A spear thrust came from his left. Without thinking, Lucien pivoted on his heel, letting the weapon pass harmlessly by while his right blade traced a burning line across the spear-wielder’s extended arm.

[You have dealt 892 damage]

[You have dealt burn damage]

The goblin’s grip faltered, and Lucien’s left blade followed through, opening its throat in a spray of crimson.

[You have dealt 1,334 damage]

[Target eliminated]

[You have received 1,616 Fusion points]

But his success was drawing attention. The remaining goblins were no longer attacking piecemeal—they were organizing, forming a rough circle around him. Lucien could see their strategy forming; it was the same thing that the red goblins from the outer cave had done:

Overwhelm him with numbers while their wounded comrades fell back.

’Time to break their formation.’

[You are using Unique Trait: Stealth]

Lucien’s form vanished for a moment, but something moved across the goblin line.

They were disoriented, lost for a minute as they could no longer find their target.

However, the next minute, bodies started dropping.

Suddenly Lucien appeared—his blade was first revealed as it moved in a deadly dance, striking twice before the creatures could react. One goblin dropped immediately, its spine severed. The other whirled around, only to catch Lucien’s blade across its face.

[You have dealt 1,567 damage]

[Critical hit! Weakness exploited: Spine]

[Target eliminated]

[You have received 1,616 Fusion points]

[You have dealt 1,098 damage]

[You have dealt burn damage]

The formation shattered. Goblins spun in confusion, trying to reorient on their suddenly mobile opponent. But Lucien was already elsewhere, his speed and 360-degree vision making him a nightmare to track.

He rolled between two goblins, his blades spinning as he moved. The creatures’ legs buckled as his weapons found their hamstrings, and he finished them with quick thrusts to vital organs before they could fall.

[You have dealt 743 damage]

[You have dealt 821 damage]

[You have dealt 1,289 damage]

[You have dealt 2,340 damage]

[You have dealt 3,156 damage]

[You have dealt 4,000 damage]

[Target eliminated]

[You have received 1,616 Fusion points]

[Target eliminated]

[You have received 1,616 Fusion points]

The hall echoed with the sounds of combat—steel on steel, flesh being torn, the dying screams of goblins. But beneath it all, Lucien heard something else: slow, rhythmic clapping.

From the far end of the hall, a figure rose from what appeared to be a throne carved from bone and stone. Unlike the other goblins, this one was different—larger, more intelligent-looking, with intricate golden markings covering its red skin like ritual tattoos.

The figure called out, its voice carrying clearly across the battlefield:

"Impressive, little human. But you have only faced my weakest children. Let us see how you fare against those who have truly earned their place in my army."

Erikta raised one clawed hand, and the remaining goblins suddenly stopped their chaotic assault. They backed away, forming organized ranks. And from the shadows at the edges of the hall, new figures emerged—goblins that made the variants Lucien had been fighting look like children.

These were larger still, their muscles rippling with unnatural power. Their weapons weren’t rusted or chipped—they gleamed with an oily, malevolent sheen that suggested enchantment. And their eyes... their eyes held an intelligence that made Lucien’s skin crawl.

[Predator’s Instinct has detected overwhelming killing intent]

[Warning: Multiple Elite-rank variants detected]

[Threat level: Extreme]

Lucien felt sweat beading on his forehead as he took in the new opposition. These weren’t just stronger—they were smarter, more coordinated. And there were at least twenty of them.

He adjusted his grip on the Nightfang blades, feeling their familiar weight. The flames along their edges seemed to burn brighter, as if responding to his rising adrenaline.

’Alright then...’

He slowly settled into a combat stance.

’Let’s see what you’ve got.’

The moment he finished that thought, everything went black. All he remembered was trying to move—but one of the Elite Variants with purple skin vanished, and the next instant, all his senses vanished with it.

[You have lost 5,679 health points]

[Critical Hit! Weakness exploited: Head]

[You have lost 10,223 health points]

[You have entered stunned state for five seconds]

Lucien’s body flew through the air and slammed against the tall door of the room before sliding down and crumpling on the ground.

However, just before he landed, the purple goblin that had struck him was already sprinting forward with blurring speed.

Lucien couldn’t move, and five seconds was too much time for the monster to reach him.

The monster reached him and threw its leg up. As the leg came down, Lucien gritted his teeth.

[You have resisted stunned state]

A terrifying clash reverberated across the entire dungeon boss room.