“What should we do with this guy?”
The Goblin Lord was immobilized, but Bai Xia hesitated for a moment.
A direct attack might trigger unknown consequences—what if it went berserk or mutated? A nightmare. Yet leaving it was impossible. After all, this was a rare elite monster, a walking vault of high-tier gear and gold!
Tianzheng walked over after standing up. His gaze lingered on the Goblin Lord glaring furiously at them. Then he pulled fuel oil and a torch from his backpack. “Try burning it?”
“…You think this is barbecue?”
Though speechless, Bai Xia didn’t reject the idea.
They had no clue how long the Goblin Lord’s evolution would take. Once complete, it’d become a level-20 boss. At that point, one swipe would flatten them both.
Time was short. Situation unclear. With no certainty, risk was the only path.
Decision made—strike while the iron’s hot. Bai Xia fully restored her health on the spot, snatched the fuel oil and torch from Tianzheng, and strode forward.
The Goblin Lord seemed to grasp their intent. Its scrawnier-than-usual frame trembled violently, sharp shrieks tearing from its throat again and again.
But paralyzed completely, it couldn’t lift a finger to stop her.
Still cautious, Bai Xia halted at a safe distance from the albino-like creature and hurled the fuel-soaked black sphere.
It shattered on impact. Thick, murky liquid splattered across the Goblin Lord’s body.
The black oil bomb was a shop-bought special item—no direct damage, but ignitable for sustained burn effects.
Tianzheng’s fire suggestion clearly aimed to avoid weapon-triggered surprises.
Bai Xia tossed three black oil bombs in quick succession—the max allowed per monster in a short window. Any more would be wasted.
Drenched head to toe in ink-black sludge, the pale-skinned Goblin Lord looked freshly fished from crude oil, features barely visible.
Humiliation peaked its fury. But Bai Xia wasn’t fazed by its glaring eyes. She stepped back, lit the torch, and flung it.
Hiss!
Flames erupted across the oil-coated body. In an instant, roaring fire swallowed the creature whole!
Screech!!
The Goblin Lord became a blazing goblin. The small, pale figure shrieked ear-splittingly. The dark mist swirling around it spiraled wildly.
As an Elite Rank 1 boss, the black oil bombs inflicted minimal damage—its long health bar barely dipped.
Yet the pain was shockingly intense. Effect? Pure agony.
“Still evolving… not interrupted?” Tianzheng, poised to pull Bai Xia back, slightly raised an eyebrow. The Goblin Lord remained motionless in flames, screaming ever more miserably.
Logically, evolution should break under attack. Its persistence was unexpected.
Bai Xia spotted the key. As the burn effect faded, she tightened her grip on her weapon and advanced. “Maybe the damage just wasn’t enough.”
Before the words settled, her blade slashed deep into the Goblin Lord.
Perhaps evolution left it fragile—immobile, defenseless. Her strike dealt surprisingly heavy damage.
Seeing only futile rage in response, Bai Xia pressed on. Blade after blade fell like rain!
Though the Goblin Lord had the highest health bar they’d seen, helpless as a target, that number meant nothing.
When Tianzheng joined her—seeing her struggle—the health bar plummeted like water guzzled in one gulp.
One-fifth… one-fourth… one-third… Health drained relentlessly. No change in the creature. Then—
At exactly half health—
ROAR!!!!
A roar exponentially fiercer erupted. The chaotic dark mist surged inward, drilling into its body! Jet-black veins, like earthworms, crawled across its pale skin. Its frame swelled rapidly, inflating like a balloon.
Bai Xia and Tianzheng reacted instantly, leaping back. But crackling lightning exploded from the swelling body, sweeping outward like a tidal wave!
The lightning outpaced their retreat. Danger imminent—Tianzheng didn’t hesitate. He shielded Bai Xia from behind.
But the blast far exceeded expectations. It detonated against his back, slamming him into Bai Xia. They tumbled across the ground like a kicked ball.
“Damn it!”
Pinned beneath Tianzheng mid-roll, having accidentally bitten rock twice, Bai Xia cursed. Tianzheng stayed silent—stunned, nearly half his health bar gone.
Bai Xia, shielded beneath him, suffered only a disheveled tumble.
But…
“GET YOUR HAND OFF ME, YOU BASTARD! Are you some light novel protagonist?! *Always* grabbing a girl’s chest when you fall?!”
Staring at the hand on her chest—if he hadn’t just saved her, she’d have kicked him into orbit.
Tianzheng, now out of stun, still didn’t speak. Nor did he pull away. Instead, with eerie self-awareness, he gave a light squeeze—and blinked in surprise. “Huh… actually pretty soft?”
“…Die ten thousand times, you pervert!”
