Chapter 18: Breaking the Curse, Elite Boss

By evening, a flicker of firelight could be seen in the forest.

It was the Goblin territory.

Sini looked at the Goblins patrolling the perimeter and warned, "Master, there are Goblin knights and Goblin mages."

Compared to Goblin warriors and archers, Goblin knights and mages were far more dangerous.

John, however, was excited and said, "You stay back."

His target was the Goblin mages.

Standing up, he immediately cast Fireball, targeting a Goblin knight on the outskirts of the territory.

Boom!

-397

A damage number floated above the Goblin knight's head. These guys had considerable magic resistance.

"Intruder! There's an intruder!"

The attacked Goblin knight roared in anger.

Whoosh!

A huge fireball whizzed by from the edge of the territory, illuminating the surrounding forest and revealing John's figure.

"Human!"

"Attack! Tear that guy apart!"

The Goblins were furious, charging forward with a roar.

The ground trembled slightly as a massive horde of Goblins, including five hundred knights and over a thousand mages, surged forward.

Sini was startled and quickly warned John, "Master, be careful, those knights have the Charge skill!"

First-tier knights had Charge skills, and if a mage got close, they were as good as dead.

Whoosh, whoosh...

Countless spells whistled through the air—fireballs, wind blades, and arrows—intertwining and enveloping John's position.

"Watch out for yourself," John reminded Sini. Ignoring the spells overhead, he charged into the Goblin army.

Boom, boom...

-1

-1 ...

Spells hit John but couldn't penetrate his defense, only forcing a deduction of 1 HP per hit.

Even so, getting hit by these spells could still be fatal.

John's speed far exceeded that of a level 10 agility-maxed assassin. He swiftly bypassed the Goblin knights and plunged into the ranks of Goblin mages.

"Hmph, foolish human!"

A Goblin mage sneered as John approached, disdain on its face.

It thinking he was like a moth to a flame, ignorant and reckless.

John brandished his staff, not casting a spell but instead striking the Goblin mage hard.

Boom!

-301

The Goblin mage's spell was interrupted, and 300+ damage floated above its head.

The mage stood there, dumbfounded, staring at John in confusion.

A warrior wielding a mage's weapon?

Boom, boom!

Two more strikes of the staff, and the Goblin mage fell dead.

John swung his staff, charging into the ranks of the Goblin mages, moving like a force of nature.

Fire Rain rained down, and the staff struck repeatedly.

Piercing wails echoed.

The Goblin mages' formation shattered, leaving them helpless and fleeing in panic.

The charging Goblin knight army finally realized what was happening and rushed back to defend.

But the disorganized Goblin mages severely hindered their Charge, preventing the knights from fully utilizing their Charge advantage.

From a distance, Sini watched in stunned silence.

A phrase popped into her mind: melee mage!

"Monster, the master is a monster!" Sini muttered to herself.

She had initially planned to help, but now it seemed she would only be a hindrance.

Sini sat back comfortably against a tree, watching her experience points soar, feeling elated.

Leveling up while lying down, this was amazing!

...

Screams and curses filled the air.

The battlefield was in chaos.

John moved effortlessly, swinging his staff and striking the Goblin mages mercilessly.

[You have killed a level 20 Goblin mage. You have gained 20 experience points.]

[Plunder talent activated. Spirit attribute +1.]

...

The notifications kept flashing.

Finally, John's spirit attribute reached 500 points.

[Your spirit attribute has surpassed 500 points. Dino's curse has been forcibly lifted.]

[You have leveled up to level 10. You have gained 4 free attribute points and 1 skill point.]

[Your experience points have reached the maximum for the novice level. You can continue leveling up after your class advancement.]

John felt a wave of relief wash over him, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He had successfully reached level 10.

"Finally, I'm free!" John exclaimed in delight, quickly dispatching the last few Goblin mages.

"Insolent human, you will pay!" came the enraged shouts.

With the Goblin mages dead, the remaining Goblin knights went all out, charging towards John with fury.

John smirked, swinging his staff as a Fire Rain fell.

-789

-791

-899

...

A series of damage numbers appeared.

The Goblin knights had 1600 HP and 120 magic resistance, but they were still killed by John's two spells.

"What... what are you? A warrior or a mage?" a Goblin knight asked in terror.

This human was too strange—blazing speed, incredible physical damage, terrifying magical damage...

This couldn't be a level 10 human.

Whoosh!

Another Fire Rain fell, and the Goblin knights collapsed in droves, unable to withstand the assault.

"Human, stop harming my people!" a furious roar echoed as a gust of wind whipped through the area, and a large sword slashed towards John.

John's expression turned serious. With no time to dodge, an Earth Shield quickly formed in front of him.

Boom!

The Earth Shield shattered, and the immense impact sent John flying.

He was startled; his spirit attribute had reached 517 points, and with the Earth Shield's protection, it should have absorbed 490 points of damage.

The fact that the shield broke meant this enemy dealt over 490 points of damage.

"Boss!" Sini, seeing the gigantic Goblin that had suddenly appeared, instinctively wanted to help.

But she held back, knowing her strength was no match for the boss. Her intervention would only be a hindrance.

This was the 25th-level elite boss, the Goblin Chief. 

The final monster in the Secret Area of Goblin. Defeating it would grant them the Goblin treasure.

The Goblin Chief, seeing its fallen kin all around, veins bulging in anger, roared with fury, "Human! You are unforgivable!"

Whoosh!

The greatsword swung, and the Goblin Chief activated the Sword Slash skill.

John remained calm, eyes sharp, closely watching the Goblin Chief's movements before decisively countering.

Bang!

-613

A Fireball struck the Goblin Chief, interrupting its skill.

The Goblin Chief was taken aback. This human's single attack had wiped out a tenth of its health. 

And more terrifyingly, it had disrupted its skill.

This interruption was intentional!

The Goblin Chief, far more intelligent than ordinary monsters, sensed John's formidable strength.

Taking advantage of the Goblin's hesitation, John quickly created distance, unleashing a Wind Blade.

Bang!

-609

The attack hit the Goblin Chief again.

Enraged, it charged at John, its speed far surpassing his.

But each time it got close enough to attack, John would interrupt with a skill and widen the gap.

...

"Damn it!" the Goblin Chief cursed, feeling a deep sense of helplessness against John.

"Whirlwind Slash!" The greatsword swung, and a fierce wind howled as the Goblin Chief launched its skill once more.

At that moment, a Fireball came hurtling towards it.

The Goblin Chief, now wary, turned to absorb John's attack head-on, determined not to let him interrupt.

"Die!" The Goblin Chief's face contorted in pain, yet its eyes gleamed with confidence. This strike would surely kill the human.

John was taken aback, not expecting such a maneuver from this seemingly clumsy creature.

Whoosh!

The greatsword, accompanied by a raging wind, crashed down like a tidal wave, engulfing John.

He tried to dodge, but it was too late. He swung his staff, summoning another Earth Shield.

Bang! Bang!

A series of collisions shattered the Earth Shield, and John took the hit.

-509

A damage number appeared above him.

John sighed in relief, grateful for the hundred-plus points of constitution he had plundered from the Goblin knights. Without those, this strike would have been fatal.

Even so, his health was immediately halved.

"You're still alive?" The Goblin Chief was stunned, a sense of dread creeping over him as he saw John still standing.

John smirked coldly, "Heh, time to end this."

With a wave of his staff, a rain of fire descended, enveloping the Goblin Chief.

-511

Following that, a Fireball and a Wind Blade hurtled towards the Goblin Chief.

Bang! Bang!

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-615

The Goblin Chief's health plummeted, leaving him with just over a hundred hit points.

This time, John stopped running and charged forward.

The Goblin Chief looked confused but then broke into a joyful grin. He had been struggling to get close to this human.

Nearby, two surviving Goblin Knights were alarmed and shouted a warning, "My lord, be careful! He's not a mage!"

Not a mage? Have these two lost their minds?

The Goblin Chief ignored them, raising his greatsword overhead, ready to strike John.

Bang! Bang!

John dodged nimbly, then swung his staff, striking the Goblin Chief hard.

-101

-93

The Goblin Chief's health was completely depleted. As he fell to the ground, a single thought echoed in his mind: This guy... is he really not a mage?