Chapter 79: Oh no, this goblin isn't easy to handle

A golden light flashed, and three figures appeared in the dim underground city.

Ai Ge looked around, finding it different from his imagination—everywhere were collapsed buildings or rotting metal.

"Is this the so-called armory? It looks like a construction site's junk heap."

But wherever players passed, it became barren scorched earth.

Even this trash showed clear signs of having been disturbed.

Moreover, the area was quiet; any monsters were likely cleared out long ago.

Wu Li kicked a nearby stone, shrugged and laughed,

"Isn't that normal? Since the game offers a shop, it certainly won't let us get equipment for free easily."

Fu Le didn't speak, but walked over to a collapsed stone wall.

On its smooth side, something like symbolic writing seemed carved, but too much time had passed, blurring it beyond recognition.

However, this close observation gave him another discovery.

He crouched, reached out and brushed away dust, revealing some axe and sword cut marks.

If examined more closely, it seemed to contain remnants of bones and corpses.

"What's wrong? Fu…"

Ai Ge noticed the old man seemed to have found something, and instinctively wanted to shout "Fu Gui".

But thinking it over, whether Fu Gui, Fu Shu, or Gui Shu, they all sounded like servants' names, so he quickly corrected himself.

"... Hua Shu?"

Fu Le opened his mouth, had to accept this odd name, and began to explain.

"Look, there are marks of sharp weapons cutting and biological death; I infer a battle took place here long ago."

Wu Li froze, then his eyes lit up.

"If we're lucky, might we also find some leftover good stuff?"

"Maybe."

Fu Le couldn't deny it, smiled, and opened the system-provided map.

The players' map only roughly marked some info of the closed beta site, with most areas still under war fog.

But it was sufficient for them now.

"Look, this is the armory; east is the Great Holy Seat, north is the training ground."

Fu Le called the three over and pointed out a route with his hand.

"The Production Team's intention is still obvious: they want us to head north all the way."

"When I was young I also played some games; I think once we reach the training ground, the novice stage will be over."

Having decided on the direction, the three set off toward the training ground.

The further they went, the fresher the traces in the surroundings became.

Disturbed rubble, various footprints, goblin corpses hacked to death, blood spilled by injured players, and…

"Ah!"

Wu Li screamed, panicked as he pulled his leg out of a pit

"Why does the armory keep having pits dug out by someone?!"

Ai Ge glanced, his imagination running wild.

"Doesn't the shop have shovels? Maybe some players are already digging for treasure."

Fu Le didn't believe it, but arguing was pointless; he merely reminded them.

"We'd better stay quiet; monsters' main way to find enemies is usually hearing."

Wu Li muttered complaints, then patted the dust off his leather armor with regret.

He was about to say more, but was signaled to be silent.

Seeing his two companions' growing solemn expressions, he also realized and lowered his voice.

"Monsters coming?"

"Ready!"

Although amateur, having read some books, a simple three‑person formation could still be devised.

Moreover, with spears set on both sides and a shield raised in the middle, the resulting sense of safety invisibly boosted morale.

The three advanced silently until a vivid green figure appeared in the nearby ruins.

They simultaneously opened each other's panels, and their faces all turned strange.

"Uh…"

In the end, Wu Li laughed out loud.

"Hahaha, 2, 2, 0, 0—what beautiful stats!"

As if hearing his mockery, the little thing that lives forever in anger squealed and charged over.

"Wah!"

"Watch out!"

Fu Le gave a low call, returning to combat readiness.

Ai Ge also held his breath, gripping his spear tightly with both hands.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Stab!"

At Fu Le's command, the spears on both sides thrust simultaneously at the goblin that had already entered attack range.

Puff—, the sensation was odd, as if a wooden stick had pierced a cloth sack brimming with rice.

There were some obstacles, but not many; the sharp spear tip easily pierced the goblin's body.

Up!

With another command, Fu Le and Ai Ge lifted their spear tips together.

The raging goblin was like a roasted duck hung in the air, flailing its limbs helplessly, unable to struggle at all.

There was no need for the sword‑and‑shield troops to act; the probing attacks of the two spearmen were enough to repel the enemy unharmed!

Very good!

Fu Le never holds back praise; this is an important part of the team's feedback loop.

Impressive!

Wu Li, excited, tapped the shield with the back of his sword and carefully stepped forward to finish the blow.

But looking up close at this little green‑skinned creature with blood‑red eyes shaking its head, he suddenly felt his hand grow weak.

This is also the fundamental reason why few developers dare to attempt the hard‑core VR game that everyone has been clamoring for.

—Only a handful of Northern‑Hemisphere nations can afford this new‑era light luxury.

Yet how many players living here have ever seriously seen blood or taken a life?

In novels, decisive killing needs just a sentence; online, decisive killing needs only keystrokes; but in reality…

Kind!

Wu Li raised his hand and, with a single slash, chopped the goblin's head clean off.

Just by briefly recalling the various Japanese‑style western fantasy works produced by island nations, he easily overcame the last bit of mental pressure.

He even laughed, flicking off the fresh green blood from his blade.

Ha ha, back in my rural hometown, I used to love watching grandpa slaughter pigs and butcher sheep as a kid, so I'm used to it.

Seeing the goblin completely dead, Fu Le and Ai Ge withdrew their spears.

This slash is awesome—how did I not know you had this skill?

Ai Ge walked over, affectionately patting Wu Li's shoulder, but felt a lingering fear inside.

Damn, luckily the brothers in the dorm have iron‑clad bonds; otherwise this would have been terrible…

Not bad, our first battle is a victory.

Fu Le clapped his hands, realizing that the two teammates he randomly chose turned out to be reliable good hands.

Though inexperienced and prone to go off‑track, they're still far better than those leech‑like parasites in the company who only hold the team back.

By the way, let me show you something good.

After joking with Ai Ge for a bit, Wu Li displayed the notification and panel he had just received.

【Experience +3】

【Level: 1 (3/100)】

Whoa, so killing monsters actually levels you up—nice.

Listening to Ai Ge's praise, Fu Le rubbed his chin and calculated the profit.

At this rate, to get us all to level two we'd have to clear one hundred and two goblins…

Before he could finish, Wu Li, smug, swung his hand.

Hey, Hua, isn't this goblin easy to handle?

Exactly, the three of us iron triangle can grind all night long!

Seeing all the excited youngsters, Fu Le didn't want to dampen everyone's enthusiasm.

But after thinking, since he's an elder and a veteran, he ended up playing the villain.

He coughed forcefully, his expression so serious it was almost terrifying.

Don't get too happy!

Our coordination is still raw; we might handle a single goblin with near certainty, but more?

This…

Countless familiar plotlines flashed in their minds, startling them back to their senses.

Right, right, Hua, let's keep it a bit hidden, a bit hidden…