The air was thick with tension as the Goblin King, Jin Laji Tzede, made the first move. Leading his elite forces, he leaped from the platform, stirring up a cloud of dust.
The training goblin army halted abruptly, standing straight as they assembled in formation under the Goblin King’s command.
The Goblin King’s name held deep significance. Tzede was the surname of the ancient Goblin Emperor, a title he inherited as a self-proclaimed descendant. Laji was the name of the first human he hunted, a name of great personal importance. The meaning of Jin represented his ultimate goal of supreme simplicity and power, eschewing strategy for sheer strength—a testament to his ambition to achieve god-like might.
In this world, the name translated without issue, but due to Yang Yu’s system translating meaningful names, it resulted in a laughable interpretation: “Trash Collector.” Yang Yu managed to stifle his laughter the first time he saw it, avoiding the wrath of the Goblin King and allowing him time to organize his team and form a defensive formation.
Managing a group of unpredictable NPCs against a massive army might seem daunting, but treating it like a strategy game simplified the task. The challenge lay in giving verbal commands in real-time, predicting enemy movements, and controlling multiple points to avoid a complete collapse.
“Andeno, the battle is about to start. Your job is to hold off the Goblin King for as long as possible. The longer you last, the greater our advantage.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
Andeno flexed his impressive muscles, brimming with confidence.
“One more thing, I want to learn [Shield Counter]. Can I get my reward in advance?”
“If it helps the battle, it’s not impossible, but time is tight…”
“Don’t worry about time. I’ll learn it quickly.”
In this game’s highly flexible system, Yang Yu didn’t expect to get his reward early, but it worked.
The system’s task updated accordingly:
[Emergency Task: Rapid Rescue]
[In the depths of the forest, something unknown has caused several adventurer squads to go missing, worrying the Adventurers’ Guild. To prevent further escalation and possible calamity, the guild has organized a rescue team to investigate and rescue the trapped adventurers.
Task Requirements: Join the rescue team, assist under Andeno’s leadership, and rescue at least 10 missing adventurers.
Reward: Skill [Shield Counter] (selected), 8000 experience points, three lottery draws.
Advance Reward Penalty: Experience gain -50% (until the task ends, permanent if the task is abandoned).
Failure or Abandonment Penalty: All attributes -10%.]
Pre-claiming rewards was allowed, but the system imposed harsh penalties to discourage exploiting the feature.
Yang Yu handed Andeno a shield. Andeno slipped it onto his arm, a red, spike-like glow enveloping it for about five seconds.
“Think you can learn it just from that?”
“Absolutely.” Yang Yu took back the shield, placed it on his left arm, and successfully executed [Shield Counter].
Andeno grinned, clapping Yang Yu on the back. “You’re something else. Many people struggle to learn this skill and give up halfway, but you got it on the first try.”
Learning a supposedly difficult skill so easily must seem strange to NPCs, Yang Yu thought.
Living in this world, he became curious about how NPCs perceived a player like him. Understanding the game world from various perspectives while staying rational and investing some emotion might be key to mastering a game.
Having tackled many challenging games, he felt a bit lost but regained some of his initial passion through this game.
If following the existing player typology—killer, explorer, achiever, socializer—he now leaned more toward achiever.
Therefore, if NPCs showed genuine emotion toward him, he felt obliged to respond in kind.
“Maybe I seem to learn quickly, but I’ve spent a lot of time and effort (earned skill points). Not all skills come easily.”
“I misspoke. I need to prepare a bit more. It’s been a while since I felt this tension. I need to be completely relaxed to give my all.”
Andeno began doing some stretches, loosening his muscles. Suddenly, a dark shadow darted through the forest.
“Careful.”
Yang Yu deployed a phantom shield, blocking a dart aimed at Andeno.
While Yang Yu was learning the skill, the elite assassin goblins had begun to encircle them, preparing to attack from all angles.
The battle started without any signal.
“Warrior One and Warrior Three, focus ahead! Watch out for the elite assassins! Everyone else, stay alert.”
Tension spread through the rescue team instantly.
The Goblin King smirked arrogantly, swinging his long staff, igniting a deafening roar from the goblin army as they charged in an orderly fashion.
“Priests Four and Five, get ready. Buff Andeno on my command. Priest Four, use [Power Word: Shield]; Priest Five, use [Kras’s Blessing]; Priest Four, follow with [Stamina Enhancement].”
“Understood!”
Yang Yu commanded swiftly and clearly, ensuring the rescue team prepared their defenses against the goblin assault.
The two forces clashed quickly.
The Goblin King swung his staff, igniting flames that enveloped his fists and staff. These were not real flames but a magic that enhanced his attacks.
With 400 intelligence, 300 strength, and strange buffs, Yang Yu knew the Goblin King was a formidable hybrid melee mage.
Yang Yu had no idea how long Andeno could hold out. His goal was to gain the upper hand while Andeno kept the Goblin King occupied.
“Priests Four and Five, now!”