Let's see if you can guess what kind of weapon Ryan will craft next. Here's a hint—it's related to the environment. By the way, I've caught a cold these past few days, so I'm trying to update more frequently. Thanks for all the support, and the good news is the book has been signed. I won't say much, but rest assured, the story will definitely be completed.
The tunnel in front of him was the largest one around the city of Muan, even wider than a highway, with walls several hundred meters high. According to scout reports, there were 150,000 goblins in this area. Ryan observed these goblins at the defensive works and noted that they were similar in size to gnomes, with large ears, protruding noses, and keen eyes that allowed them to see in the dark. Their senses of hearing, smell, and sight were incredibly sharp. It was said that they could smell food from 10 kilometers away and analyze the enemy's numbers and size by detecting vibrations in the ground. Ryan was astonished upon hearing this—essentially, they were a one-man radar system.
Ryan carefully observed the environment around him. This was a straight path about 5 kilometers long, surrounded by hard obsidian and some iron ore. At the part of the tunnel closest to Muan city, three massive walls had been built, each 50 meters high, made of enormous stone blocks and magma-cast materials. It looked almost impenetrable. However, both the dwarves and the dark elves were pessimistic about the situation. From a distance, Ryan could see the goblins, who were still standing 2 kilometers away, seemingly unaware of the landmines ahead. He was secretly excited, as the goblins hadn't triggered the mines yet, meaning his plan was already half successful. The goblins were armed with strange weapons made of animal bones, stone, and some iron armor inlaid into their hides. They were making a lot of noise, and Ryan could hear their chatter even from this distance.
"Ryan, Darkya has already killed almost a hundred goblins. Take a look at this!" Kobe appeared from somewhere, bringing some bad news.
Ryan looked at Kobe, but didn't seem too disheartened by the information. He knew his own situation best. He was, however, curious as to how Darkya managed to kill so many goblins. Before he could ask, Kobe continued, "Mostly, it's because Darkya is a high-level magic archer, and she uses magic arrows. She caught the goblins off guard. However, she's already used up nearly one-tenth of her magic arrows. Darkya is currently relocating her position to keep attacking those goblins who don't know what's coming."
Ryan furrowed his brow upon hearing this. With Darkya handling the goblins, it would reduce the effectiveness of his landmines. Just as he was about to think further, he noticed that the goblins in front of him had suddenly quieted down. Looking up, he saw that the goblins had parted to make way for a passage. This was a typical behavior—whenever the goblin chief felt that the front was secure, he would make his way forward to issue the command for a full-scale attack, showing his authority.
Due to the distance, Ryan couldn't clearly make out the goblin chief's appearance, but his heart started racing, his anxiety rising. Around him, the dwarven soldiers and dark elves were quietly preparing their gear. They knew that if the goblins breached the city, there would be nothing left. All life would be consumed, and all weapons and armor stripped for future attacks. Any food that couldn't be eaten would be dried into jerky for the goblins' journey.
"Look, the goblin chief's personal guard," someone beside Ryan called out.
Ryan turned his attention to the center of the goblin mass. Two groups of goblins, fully armored and taller than the rest, made their way through the crowd. Their leather armor was mostly intact, though riddled with holes, and their iron weapons had visible signs of damage, showing their origins. Ryan's anxiety intensified. The personal guard of a goblin chief typically numbered only about a thousand, but the 4-kilometer stretch of the tunnel ahead of them seemed to be filling up with goblins. He realized that the chief was likely nearing the landmines.
"Darkya has killed over 600 goblins, and the magic arrows still—" Kobe, panting, rushed over to Ryan with more information but was abruptly cut off by what he saw.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a massive explosion erupted in the distance, lighting up the entire tunnel. But that wasn't all—one explosion after another, like a chain reaction, extended toward Ryan's position. Ryan watched in awe as goblins were sent flying through the air, only to crash back down like ragdolls, their bodies landing on others. This, in turn, triggered more mines, turning the entire tunnel into a series of explosive detonations.
The explosions continued for a full two minutes. The passage, which had once been packed with goblins, was now a sea of shredded bodies. A pungent, horrific smell began to permeate the air, and occasionally, the anguished cries of dying goblins could be heard.
Ryan, caught in a moment of exhilaration, was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the surrounding silence. He turned around to see that the normally lively gnomes, dwarves, and even the elegant dark elves had all gone pale, their legs trembling as they dropped their weapons in fear. The scale of destruction had left them utterly stunned.
On Darkya's side, she had just taken the life of the 1008th goblin with her last magic arrow. The arrow's powerful penetrating force passed through three goblins before finally piercing the last one. Darkya was thrilled and presented her "achievement" to the city lord. The Hark brothers were supervising the process, and their faces looked grim, though they were pleased because, as far as they knew, Ryan hadn't killed a single goblin yet. Darkya, eager for recognition, turned to the city lord and asked, "My lord, I have slain my 1008th goblin. Please give me your fair judgment..."
But before Darkya could finish, the sound of a massive explosion echoed through the tunnel.
The explosion rang through the tunnel, followed by blinding light, flying limbs, shredded flesh, and the overpowering stench of blood. The desperate screams of the goblins filled the air, all playing out before Darkya's eyes. Everyone around her knew that Ryan had planted some strange devices along the passage, but no one had high hopes for them. Not only were they ugly, but they also emitted no magical energy. In everyone's understanding, the stronger the magical energy, the greater the destructive power.
"That's... over ten thousand goblins, right?" Hark's voice came weakly from behind.
"Die, you short bastard! Get lost! I didn't lose to you!" Darkya's face turned pale as Hark reminded her, and she cursed angrily.
Hark was stunned—he never thought a dark elf would curse like that—but he continued to warn, "There are still five other passages. I wonder..."
"Everyone, follow me and kill!" The city lord, seeing Darkya about to snap, shouted and led the charge toward the goblin horde. The passage was now filled with blood, shredded bodies, and the occasional surviving goblin, who stood dazed until dark elves, dwarves, and gnomes swiftly ended their lives. At the other end of the passage, a shocking sight met the city lord's eyes—goblins were slaughtering each other. The goblins in the front tried to retreat, but those in the rear kept charging forward, causing chaos and carnage.
This was exactly what Ryan had predicted. Stampedes weren't unfamiliar to humans, but the goblins here seemed unaware of the danger. The stronger goblins in the front started swinging their weapons to kill anyone who got in their way. Seeing this, more goblins joined in, thinking it would make the retreat faster. The situation quickly turned into a massacre, as the pursuing goblins caught up with those at the front. Only the exhausted goblins, worn out from killing, were taken down by the rear attackers, and their screams drove the others to swing their weapons harder. The line of goblins stretched for over ten kilometers, all packed into the narrow passage.
The pursuit continued for an entire day under the city lord's leadership. Every returning warrior was exhausted, their weapons broken, and their bodies soaked in blood. Meanwhile, Ryan stood proudly at the bridge, waiting for Darkya. Everyone who saw him stepped back, their gazes filled with admiration and a hint of fear.
Darkya, too, didn't know how many times she had swung her fine sword. The blade had broken, and goblins lay at her feet, their throats slit with ease. But despite the carnage, Ryan's mischievous smile kept appearing in her mind. As the last of the goblins fell, Darkya had no choice but to head back to Muan City. Though she could have walked away, the honor of the dark elves was something Darkya couldn't disregard. From a distance, the city lord watched this with a sigh.
"Haha, Ryan, well done!"
"Good job!"
The Hark brothers and Kobe, upon seeing Ryan, cheered and rushed to give him a warm hug.
"Ryan, those landmines killed over 100,000 goblins, and five of their leaders. There's one passage that had too many forks, and that goblin managed to escape, haha!" Kobe grinned lewdly.
"Heh, this success was thanks to everyone, but the key was how densely packed the goblin army was. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gotten such a big result." Ryan, of course, knew the power of his landmines. The success was largely due to catching the goblins off guard.
"Heh, Ryan, you're being too modest. After such a huge victory, you're still humble?" A voice came from afar, and Ryan looked up to see the city lord returning.
Ryan immediately asked, "My lord, with so many dead bodies here, won't it attract high-level magical beasts?"
"No, the area for miles around has already been cleared by the goblins. For the time being, no magical beasts will come. By the time they do, we will have already dealt with it." The city lord replied straightforwardly, then quickly left, while Darkya, her head lowered, tried to sneak past.
"Stop, go take a bath! I told you to clean up, clean up! You look like a maid!" Ryan wouldn't let Darkya off easily, especially considering she was a magic archer.