Clearly, Bai Xia was no priestess—her healing power fell far short of mending wounded hearts.
Seeing her flustered and angry, Tianzheng didn’t dare tease further. He sprang up and reached to help her stand, only to have his hand swatted away with a look of utter disdain.
He didn’t mind. Pulling out a healing potion, his focus snapped to the Goblin Leader, who had just erupted in violent transformation.
In the brief moment lightning sent them flying, the nearby Goblin Leader had utterly changed… No—had it become an entirely new species?
Before, it was scrawny and small, skin ashen and malnourished. Without the "Leader" title hovering above its head, anyone would’ve mistaken it for a mutated common goblin.
Now? Completely different.
Its frail frame, wrapped in crackling lightning, swelled past two meters tall. Muscles bulged; lightning coiled around its body. One arm alone was thicker than Bai Xia’s waist!
Calling it a goblin felt wrong—it resembled a lightning-wreathed werewolf… if you ignored its unchanged, grotesque head.
"Pfft!"
Bai Xia snorted, her earlier annoyance forgotten. The image was absurd: a child’s head crudely grafted onto a hulking brute. The dissonance instantly reminded her of Nezha from an old animated series.
Though the Goblin Leader’s tiny head was far more sinister—especially those blood-red eyes burning with rage and hatred.
[Mutated Goblin Leader]: Level 10 Elite. HP 2200/4400. Once ordinary, it mutated after consuming an unknown substance. Evolution interrupted—power now runs rampant.
Talent: Goblin Commander: Summons one random goblin minion per 10% HP lost.
Skills:
Lightning Slash: Channels lightning into a blade. Heavy damage + brief paralysis.
Thunderstorm: Detonates lightning around self, creating a small electrified zone.
Lightning Fall: Gathers all lightning energy. After brief charge, bombards area with falling strikes. Damage stacks per hit. (Cooldown: skill lockout post-use. Trigger: HP ≤30%.)
System details flashed. Seeing it remained a Level 10 elite boss, Bai Xia let out a slight sigh of relief.
Total HP had risen slightly, but it stayed at half-health—a huge relief.
"Thank goodness it’s still half-health. Full HP would’ve summoned five minions already. Random spawns? Could’ve been trouble."
Just as relief flickered, brilliant white light erupted around the Leader.
"Eh?!"
Five flashes vanished. From the glow emerged five monsters.
Bai Xia: "…"
Two Goblin Warriors. Two Goblin Slingers. One Goblin Archer.
First encounter for Bai Xia and Tianzheng. None looked strong—especially the Slingers, pitch-black skin making them seem like coal-mine refugees.
Ragged cloth scraps covered them. No visible stones. Honestly, less threatening than earlier green-skinned goblins.
But unknown meant danger. Bai Xia stayed sharp. One enemy had become six—pressure spiked instantly.
While she silently cursed her jinx, the Leader charged with a roar, hefting a massive lightning-wreathed blade. Pure, undiluted vengeance.
Understandable. They’d interrupted its evolution. Hatred had shattered all records.
Minions moved instantly: Warriors close behind, Archer drawing bow, Slingers… raising gnarled hands.
No stones. They chanted. Earthy light swirled into their palms—solidifying into sharp stone spikes!
Bai Xia had pictured Slingers like those in a certain lag-prone MMORPG: basket-backed stone-throwers.
No stones earlier? Turns out—they were spellcasters.
Annoyed, but no time. Bai Xia and Tianzheng retreated, weaving to dodge incoming attacks.
They sidestepped the Archer’s poisoned arrow easily. But as a Slinger’s spike whizzed past—BOOM!!
The "harmless" spike exploded. Shrapnel engulfed them both before they could evade.
Minimal damage, but the shock caused disorientation and slowed movement—just enough for the Leader to close in, blade raised.
It roared. Lightning writhed like serpents along the steel. A horizontal slash flashed toward Bai Xia.
"Targeting me first?"
She smirked. Signaled Tianzheng back… then ducked and covered her head.
*Zzzt!* Blade sliced empty air. Bai Xia stood unharmed.
Tianzheng froze mid-retreat, nearly hit by another arrow. *If that were me… head gone.*
"Foolish monsters! Having witnessed my ultimate loli technique—the head-hug crouch—you may die without regrets."
Using the move to evade, Bai Xia surged forward. Shadow Reaper phased her through the Leader’s body. Before it turned, she turned blades on its two minions.
The Leader whirled, unleashing lightning—but Bai Xia vanished with Shadow Step. Tianzheng’s sword strike interrupted its next move. Helpless, it watched Bai Xia close in and slash the minions down at their weak points.
