CHAPTER 159 - THE WARRIOR’S REVENGE

The fleeing warrior did not leave Greenland Forest. Instead, he returned to a temporary shelter built by adventurers within the forest. This was where he had always sold stolen goods.

“Hey, isn’t that Da Meng? What’s with the ragged clothes? Did someone rob him?” The black merchants loitering near the entrance jeered and whispered among themselves when they spotted him.

Da Meng ignored their taunts and headed straight for the innermost part of the shelter. A large, well-renovated house stood there, its refined structure rising above the rough tents scattered around it. Inside lived the boss of the shelter—a Silver adventurer in name, but one whose strength rivaled that of a Gold rank.

The black merchants who operated in the area called him Boss Gold. He was a genius in his youth, but someone had betrayed and crippled him. With no hope of growing stronger, he had fled to the shelter in Greenland Forest to survive. Most of the black merchants backed him, so despite his circumstances, he was living a relatively comfortable life.

Da Meng knocked on the door, and a voice answered, “Come in.”

He pushed the door open cautiously. Boss Gold looked at him and immediately understood his purpose.

“You look terrible,” he said. “Let me guess. You want revenge. I’ll make the pricing clear first. Iron adventurers cost 10 gold coins each. If they die in battle, you owe us 100 gold coins compensation. Bronze adventurers cost 500 gold coins, with a 5,000 gold coin fee if they fall. Silver adventurers go for 10,000 gold coins each. You do not have to pay for their deaths since that would be their fault.”

Da Meng froze at the steep prices. Yet the urge for vengeance burned too fiercely after losing his companions and belongings. “Boss Gold, the one I want to kill is incredibly powerful. He tore through Bronze adventurers like they were nothing. Even Silver adventurers wouldn’t last more than three rounds against him.”

Da Meng had exaggerated, but he still underestimated Han Wu.

Boss Gold raised an eyebrow. “Is he really that strong? He must be a Gold adventurer as well. Why would someone like that be in Greenland Forest?”

Da Meng shrugged. “He’s not a Gold adventurer but an Iron one. His speed and power are abnormal. I saw him summon a goblin’s wooden bat himself. He crushed my teammate’s head with it.”

Boss Gold stood quickly. “An Iron adventurer? Impossible. Not even I could crush a Bronze adventurer’s head with a goblin’s wooden bat. Either you’re lying, or he’s hiding his true strength.”

Da Meng stammered, “B-Boss Gold, I swear I’m telling the truth.”

Seeing Da Meng’s desperation, Boss Gold believed him. “If that’s true, I want to meet him and see if he’s as strong as you say.”

He then summoned five Silver adventurers to follow him outside. They soon reached the spot where Da Meng had attacked Han Wu, but no one was there. They searched and found the tracks Han Wu had left behind.

Following the trail, Boss Gold led the group deeper into the forest. They hadn’t gone far when the sounds of a fight reached them. He looked ahead and spotted a lone figure surrounded by goblins.

Da Meng pointed urgently. “That’s him! He killed my team and took my equipment!”

Boss Gold motioned for his companions to stay quiet while he studied the battle unfolding before them. His eyes narrowed with surprise as he potted a goblin glowing with white light at the center of the horde. It was also gripping a massive blade.

He recognized the monster instantly. It was the Thunder Goblin, the most powerful goblin in the Greenland Forest. The blade it wielded carried the power of lightning. Even a glancing blow could paralyze its target and cripple their speed. Many adventurers had fallen to that weapon, including Silver ones.

Boss Gold had clashed with all three Gold monsters in the forest before, including this one, but every battle had ended in a stalemate. So when he saw Han Wu surrounded by the goblin horde under the Thunder Goblin’s command, he assumed the outcome was already decided.

Boss Gold sighed. “Looks like you won’t be avenging your team after all. He’s going to die at the Thunder Goblin’s hands.”

Da Meng’s eyes burned with killing intent as he watched Han Wu fight. The battle dragged on, but something about it unsettled Boss Gold. The Iron adventurer was far too strong. With each strike, Han Wu brought down another goblin. Even the Bronze Goblin Captains fell in a single blow.

The Silver Elemental Goblin Captains survived Han Wu’s blow, but the strike left them severely wounded. Without immediate treatment, they would surely perish. Only then did Boss Gold finally accept Da Meng’s claim. Han Wu looked nothing like an ordinary human while fighting against the goblins.

The real battle started as Boss Gold and the others watched with full focus. Goblins fell in waves, each one releasing a dim light that flowed into Han Wu. The experience points carried within the light surged through him, pushing his level up to 76. At the same time, the sheer number of goblins he had slain caused his Goblin Slayer title to advance to Silver, unlocking two new effects.

[Effect 1: Stone Toss. Instantly summon a stone in the user’s hand to hurl.]

[Effect 2: Magma Toss. Instantly summon a blob of magma in the user’s hand to throw.]

The two new effects gave Han Wu fresh ways to attack from a distance. He swung his wooden bat with wild energy, launching stones and magma at the remaining goblins. Many fell instantly, their heads shattered by stones or their bodies engulfed by magma. Others scrambled to extinguish the fire spreading across their clothes.

The Thunder Goblin grew frantic. Every goblin under its command had been a handpicked elite, recruited from the strongest nests across the region. Yet now, Han Wu was slaughtering them with ease.

If word of this massacre reached the other two races, its reputation would be shattered beyond repair. When it saw Han Wu kill the sixty-third goblin, something in it broke. With a furious roar, it ordered the remaining goblins to clear a path.

The Thunder Goblin swung its blade in wide arcs while chanting in a strange, guttural tongue. As it advanced toward Han Wu, thunderclouds gathered overhead, crackling with surging lightning. A wicked smile spread across its face as it brought the blade down in a sharp motion. At that instant, a bolt of lightning split the sky and struck Han Wu directly on the head.