...

This not only made Bone Jade stronger, but also more agile and nimble.

Under Lynch’s remote micromanagement, Bone Jade used the cover of shadows to slip into the camp without a sound.

A goblin sentry was dozing off, his head resting against a wooden post, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Bone Jade’s steps were light. Its Bone Knife stirred a faint, sinister wind as it sliced softly through the darkness.

"SQUELCH~"

A soft tearing sound was heard. A thin line appeared on the goblin sentry’s throat, and dark blood slowly seeped out.

Without so much as a grunt, its head slumped to one side, and it fell completely silent.

Bone Jade didn’t pause for a moment. In a flash, it was already closing in on its next target...

In less than two minutes, the few sentries inside the camp had been eliminated.

Then, Bone Jade swaggered over and opened the camp gates.

The Skeleton Servants filed in slowly, then dispersed to lie in wait throughout the area.

Finally, flanked by the Bear Goblin Skeleton, a contingent of elite goblin Skeletons, and three Skeleton Wolf Riders, Lynch strolled into the goblin camp as leisurely as a Lord surveying his own domain.

Oh, right.

He was also followed by three beautiful young maidens: the gallant Ophelia with her long chestnut hair; the lively, blonde Magical Maiden, Lilith; and the somewhat possessive, silver-haired Priest maiden, Avril.

Lynch’s gaze swept across the camp.

Although he had never been to the camp himself, he had already familiarized himself with the layout thanks to the three maidens and the Squirrel Skeletons.

The camp was quite large. In the center stood a tall hut built from choice timber, its entrance adorned with a string of dried animal bones and tattered flags. This was the residence of this tribe’s goblin chief.

Lynch shot Lilith a meaningful look.

Lilith understood at once.

As planned, she gripped her Magic Staff with both hands, closed her eyes, and began to chant a spell with her full concentration. Waves of Magic surged around her.

One second, two seconds...

Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Three seconds, four seconds...

The air around them grew increasingly scorching.

Five seconds...

Six seconds, seven seconds, eight seconds...

The incantation was complete.

She snapped her eyes open, flames seemingly burning within them. A crimson light suddenly flared at the tip of her Magic Staff.

"Great Fireball Skill!"

A blazing Fireball, a full half-meter in diameter and radiating intense heat, shot out with a whistle. It carved an arc through the darkness and slammed into the chief’s hut.

"BOOM—!!!!!"

The deafening explosion shattered the quiet of the night.

Fierce flames shot into the sky. The wooden hut was blown to splinters by the violent, fiery blast, sending sparks flying everywhere.

This was the Great Fireball Skill!

Lynch hadn’t expected it either. This Magical Maiden, Lilith, could actually cast such a massive Fireball. That was Magic only a proper Tier One Elemental Mage should be able to use.

However, after casting that Great Fireball, Lilith was on the verge of collapse. Her face was pale, sweat soaked her blonde hair, and she looked ready to topple over at any moment.

"You’ve completed your mission."

Lynch glanced at her and ordered a Humanoid Skeleton to support her.

Meanwhile, the Great Fireball had the same effect as a two-footed kick into a cesspool, instantly sending the entire camp into an uproar.

A scattered few goblins rushed out of their huts, randomly grabbing whatever weapons they could find, their faces a mixture of terror and confusion from the explosion.

But before they could even react, the Skeleton Servants lurking in the shadows closed in silently from all directions.

Bone knives, broken swords, and rusty spears all descended mercilessly upon the little green-skinned monsters.

For a moment, the air was filled with a cacophony of shrill screams, the crisp snap of breaking bones, and dull, wet thuds.

Many goblins were cut down the moment they were engaged, left twitching on the ground.

Of course, there were a few elite goblins mixed in as well.

They managed to block the first wave of attacks, but only just barely.

But these were not the targets Lynch was concerned with.

The one he truly cared about was...

"ROAR—!!!"

A roar of ultimate rage and fury erupted from within the burning chief’s hut.

CRASH!

Burning debris was blasted aside by a savage force, and a dark green figure burst out from the flames and thick smoke.

It was an exceptionally strong goblin. Although its build was not as tall and brawny as a Bear Goblin’s, its muscles were more lean and knotted, exuding a sense of explosive power.

Even though its body was charred in multiple places, its leather armor was torn, its mane was singed and curled, and blood constantly seeped from wounds caused by the blast, nothing could conceal the ferocious aura that far surpassed that of an ordinary elite goblin.

This was a Goblin Warrior, the true chief of this Goblin Tribe.

If it weren’t on fire in several places and looking rather pathetic from the blast, it could truly have been considered the Red Rabbit among goblins.

Its blood-red eyes swept the scene and instantly locked onto the main culprit.

Unlike Bear Goblins, which are strong but often lack intelligence, this Goblin Warrior was clearly much smarter.

Even though Lynch was dressed in a black robe, he was surrounded by elite Skeletons and the three maidens, making him as conspicuous as the moon in the night sky.

"AWOO~!"

The Goblin Warrior brandished a refined steel scimitar and let out a roar filled with killing intent.

An invisible wave seemed to spread out with the roar, making one’s eardrums ring.

In the next instant, it kicked off the ground with its powerful legs, making the earth tremble slightly. Its entire body shot forward like a cannonball, charging in Lynch’s direction.

Its speed was astonishing, and its strength was immense.

Along the way, a few overconfident Skeleton Servants tried to intercept it, but they had barely raised their weapons before they were sent flying by a violent collision. Their bony frames were scattered messily in the distance.

’That’s it!’

’The Goblin Warrior!’

This was precisely one of the targets Lynch was most concerned with in this battle.

Judging by its aura, which far surpassed that of an ordinary goblin, and the sense of danger it exuded, its strength was likely comparable to a proper Tier One professional among humans.

Watching the menacing green figure charge toward him, the expression in Lynch’s eyes under his hood showed not a trace of surprise, but rather a hint of excitement.

After all, he had been coveting this Goblin Warrior for two days. If he could successfully recruit it, it would undoubtedly be another fierce general, and there was a chance it could even produce a Soul Fire.

He turned his head and glanced calmly at the nervous Warrior Maiden, Ophelia, who was tightly gripping her sword and shield, as if giving a signal.

’Your turn.’

Ophelia’s heart tightened, but remembering her earlier promise, she gritted her teeth, her expression immediately becoming resolute.

"Hah!"

She let out a sharp cry, raising her round shield to protect her front while angling her Longsword toward the ground. Pushing off with her feet—thump, thump, thump—she charged forward, meeting the Goblin Warrior’s advance head-on.

Her long chestnut hair flew behind her, disturbed by the airflow.

She cut quite a gallant and heroic figure.

However, everyone knew that for a warrior apprentice to face a Goblin Warrior comparable to a Tier One professional head-on was undoubtedly a suicide mission.

Lynch, obviously, was not going to let her make a pointless sacrifice.

The instant Ophelia charged out, Lynch, the bone mage, and the Priest maiden, Avril, all acted simultaneously.

A ghostly light flashed from the Banshee’s Kiss ring on Lynch’s finger. A pale Weakness Curse was instantly cast, quickly sinking into the Goblin Warrior’s body.

The Goblin Warrior’s forward momentum immediately faltered, as if a thousand-pound weight had been dropped on it in an instant. Even the force of its charge was no longer so ferocious.

Following close behind was the bone mage’s Pain Curse.

A crimson ball of light struck the weakened Goblin Warrior head-on and entered its body.

In that moment, the Goblin Warrior’s sense of pain was drastically amplified.

The pain from the burns and blast injuries it had sustained earlier had been within its range of tolerance.

But now, it felt as if every inch of its skin and every muscle was being pierced by needles and scorched by fire. Even the slight breeze passing over its wounds brought a wave of heart-piercing agony.

"GRRGH~"

The Goblin Warrior couldn’t help but let out a muffled grunt of pain and rage. Its speed and momentum weakened by another thirty percent.

Avril’s casting speed was considerably slower.

She raised her Holy Emblem Staff and chanted piously, "Holy Light, protect and grant my companion courage and strength~"

In the night wind, her white robes fluttered, giving her a truly holy and immaculate air.

As her chant concluded, a pure white Holy Light surged from her Magic Staff and swiftly enveloped the counter-charging Ophelia.

Ophelia instantly felt a warm current flow into her limbs. Her entire body was immediately filled with power, her steps became lighter yet more forceful, and an invincible courage swelled in her chest.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

The next second.

"BANG!!!"

A heavy, muffled bang exploded through the camp.

Ophelia and the Goblin Warrior had slammed into each other viciously.

With one blessed by a strength enhancement and the other afflicted by both a Weakness and a Pain Curse, the disparity in their power was significantly leveled.

From the impact, Ophelia’s body shuddered violently. Even with the Holy Light’s blessing, the immense force transmitted through her shield made her taste blood, sending her stumbling back—stomp, stomp, stomp—three steps before she barely regained her footing. Her shield arm was completely numb.

But the Goblin Warrior was by no means better off.

The effect of the Pain Curse detonated at the moment of impact. The recoil from its scimitar felt as if it had been magnified tenfold, instantly spreading up its arm and through its entire body. The pain made its vision go black, completely breaking the momentum of its charge and even causing it to stagger.

Ophelia shook her numb arm, but her beautiful eyes lit up.

’It seems...’

’I can fight this!’

...