C2 Choice 3

Despite their diminutive and gaunt appearances, goblins possessed strength and speed that far surpassed the average human, rivaling that of elite national athletes. Armed with wooden sticks as strong as steel, they were formidable opponents not easily bested by the average person.

Without the extensive combat experience from his past life, Lin Yuan would have been easily overwhelmed by them.

Having buried two bodies in the ash heap, Lin Yuan approached the window to find the once deafening noise had vanished. He shook his head in dismay; the exposed schoolyard had become a vast slaughterhouse from which no one could escape the goblins' carnage.

Lin Yuan's survival in his previous life hinged on a moment of sheer luck—tripped by someone while fleeing the school building, he was trampled unconscious by the crowd. Awakening later, he spent an entire day hidden in the central air conditioning ducts. It was only a week after the goblins' retreat that he and about thirty survivors ventured out of the school and into the forest, embarking on a radically different existence until his eventual demise at the hands of a monster.

His left arm, nearly severed before, now showed only slight redness and swelling. His physical condition had improved dramatically. Lin Yuan nodded to himself, acknowledging it was time to begin the hunt.

In his past life, survivors had learned that the earliest monsters they faced were actually the weakest, and even the average person stood a chance against them. These creatures were prime fodder for strengthening oneself.

Regrettably, due to panic and disorder, 99% of people missed this golden opportunity. A single misstep led to a cascade of failures, leaving them to struggle in agony until death, much like Lin Yuan's previous end.

But this life would be different.

With a flick of his steel spear, Lin Yuan set an immediate goal: to strive to become a Tenth Rank Dark Iron warrior before the goblins retreated. It had taken him six months to reach that level in his past life, but now, seizing the right opportunities, it seemed well within reach.

He then planned to make his way to Redhedge City within a month. There, the infamous warrior of his past life had slain a Gold monster, unlocking the legendary talent of Devour.

As footsteps approached once more, Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed. He retreated to the corner and buried himself deep in the ashes, ready to remain unseen.

The storage room was Lin Yuan's choice for a reason: it was cluttered with items and had only a small window, providing dim lighting that was ideal for hiding and ambushing.

Goblins typically conducted their searches in small squads, with five members each. It was likely that other Goblins had come to investigate when they noticed a team had gone silent.

"Gugu," grunted a Goblin clad in leather armor, noticeably bulkier than the rest, as he entered wielding an oversized wooden club.

Was he the Goblin captain?

Lin Yuan remained motionless, silently observing the approaching Goblin captain, biding his time to deliver a lethal blow.

"Gu Gu, Gu Gu!" Two more Goblins arrived. One donned a horned hat and a rattan skirt, clutching a short bow.

He didn't step into the storage room but stood at the threshold, an arrow nocked and ready, cautiously surveying the interior.

'This is bad,' Lin Yuan inwardly cursed. Why was there an elite archer in a regular Goblin Squad? The combat prowess of an elite archer surpassed even that of the Goblin captain.

"Gua Gu!" The captain bellowed upon finding traces of Goblin blood. Seizing the moment, Lin Yuan leaped from the ashes, thrusting his steel spear forward.

The spear effortlessly skewered the captain's neck, but Lin Yuan didn't release his grip. Instead, he used the corpse to barrel into another Goblin.

"Whoosh!" An arrow shot through Lin Yuan's left foot, pinning it to the ground.

The strike nearly toppled Lin Yuan mid-charge. The elite archer's reflexes were astonishingly quick, beyond his anticipation.

With a fierce tug, he freed his foot and hurled the body at the elite archer, then spun to slash at the common Goblins.

"Puff!" Green blood spurted from the heart. Lin Yuan extracted his bone-cutting knife and lunged at the elite archer with all his might.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The whistling of arrows filled the air. Lin Yuan's heart pounded as he faced a triple shot.

He sprang up, tucking into a tight ball. One arrow grazed his cheek, another struck his upraised arm, and the last bore through his right side, cruelly anchoring him to the concrete wall.

The elite archer had run out of arrows—a perfect opportunity! Lin Yuan hurled his sharp knife, seizing the moment as the archer scrambled to dodge, and lunged forward with ferocity. They collided with a thunderous crash. Lin Yuan swiftly rolled, trapping the archer's head under his arm, and with a forceful twist...

"Crack."

The archer's neck broke, his eyes glazing over as he slumped to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Lin Yuan clutched his abdomen and collapsed onto the dirt. The wound wasn't large, but the violent motion had caused a loop of intestine to slip out. He gingerly pushed it back in and yanked the arrow from his arm, panting heavily. Plans had to adapt quickly; the skirmish was brief, but any slip-up could've been fatal.

Four energies burst forth from the Goblin corpses, surging towards Lin Yuan.

With a jolt, Lin Yuan's body shook, his stature stretching from 1.7 to 1.75 meters as his injuries visibly healed.

Two levels up, just like that?

Lin Yuan glanced at the fallen archer. Something was off; this one was worth ten ordinary Goblins! Normally, reaching Dark Iron First Rank required the energy of five Goblins, and it doubled with each subsequent rank.

A squad of Goblins should have only sufficed for First Rank, yet he had soared to Second Rank—all thanks to this elite archer.

"The power of ten, in under an hour—it's a world apart from my past life!"

Lin Yuan nodded in satisfaction. Now a Second Rank Dark Iron, he didn't need to play defense. He could actively hunt Goblin squads and rapidly enhance his own strength.

Approaching the elite archer, Lin Yuan retrieved the Bone Eviscerating Blade, collected the bow and quiver, and methodically untied the archer's vine armor.

"A mutated Goblin, that explains the exceptional combat prowess and experience."

The archer's skin hue matched that of his kin, yet his chest bore a distinctive bronze tint.

Lin Yuan grabbed a hefty metal plate from the shelf, over half a meter in length and at least a centimeter thick. With twenty strands of iron wire, he twisted together two handles, quickly fashioning a rudimentary yet substantial shield.

Originally used for barbecuing during the school's anniversary celebration, the plate weighed in at over fifty kilograms, resembling a small gate. Had Lin Yuan not recently advanced in rank, lifting it would have been impossible.

He hoisted the shield in his left hand, giving it a swing. Despite possessing the strength of ten men, it still proved to be somewhat of a challenge.

"Now that I have the shield, it's time to find a new weapon."

Lin Yuan evaluated the steel spear in his grasp, which felt as insubstantial as a straw—too light and lacking in power. He furrowed his brow, pondering where he could find a weapon that felt right in his hands.

The cafeteria was stocked with an array of knives, yet all were too small for his needs. The Goblin commander wielded an enormous Jungle Blade, but Lin Yuan doubted he could wrest it from the clutches of an entire goblin horde.