A group of three goblins stood ahead—two melee goblins and a fire goblin, which had the ability to attack from a distance.
Jack didn't rush in blindly. Instead, he carefully observed the fire goblin's attack methods, just as he had done before. He needed to understand its attack rhythm before making a move.
It didn't take long before he figured out its pattern.
The fire goblin's attack style was nearly identical to the frost goblin's, except that instead of launching ice blades, it hurled fist-sized fireballs. The fireballs moved sluggishly through the air, and the goblin's casting animation was obvious, making them easy to dodge.
Jack also noticed another key detail—the fire goblin needed to charge up for a fraction of a second before launching an attack. During this charging phase, it couldn't move or perform any other actions.
Standing still like that made it a perfect target.
Armed with this knowledge, Jack made his move. Within moments, he dodged its attacks and swiftly struck the fire goblin down.
> [System Notification]
You have killed a "Fire Goblin (Lv1 Ordinary Creature)."
You have gained 100 experience points and 1 energy coin!
A second notification popped up right after.
> Congratulations! You are the first to kill a "Fire Goblin" in Novice Village G233. You have received the first-kill reward: "Ordinary Blind Box."
Jack's eyes brightened with excitement.
"Yes! That makes three first kills!"
Not wasting time, he finished off the two melee goblins he had been kiting. Then, he quickly returned to his cabin to open his newly earned blind boxes.
> [System Notification]
You have opened an "Ordinary Blind Box." Congratulations! You have received the equipment: "Poor-Quality Leather Boots."
You have opened an "Ordinary Blind Box." Congratulations! You have received the item: "Small Experience Potion."
Jack inspected the leather boots first. They were of the same level as his worn-out Tang sword—just Lv1 ordinary quality.
The boots gave him +2 defense and +5% movement speed, which was a decent upgrade.
Different types of armor had their own special effects. Leather boots, like all leather armor, slightly boosted movement speed. He also knew that armor was classified into categories such as cloth armor, light armor, heavy armor, and plate armor, each offering different benefits.
After equipping his new boots, Jack turned his attention to the special item he had just received—the Small Experience Potion.
---
[Item: Small Experience Potion]
Type: Tradable one-time consumable
Requirements for Use: None
Effect: Grants a 10% bonus to experience gained for the next 60 minutes.
---
Jack's eyes lit up.
"This is exactly what I need!"
Even though the bonus was only 10%, it was still valuable in the early game. His SSS-level Chaos Talent allowed him to grow stronger at a rapid pace, but increasing his experience gain would make him even more unstoppable.
Without hesitation, Jack drank the potion and immediately spent the 300 experience points he had just gained.
> [System Notification]
You have spent 200 experience points to enhance "Worn Tang Sword +2." Weapon attributes have slightly improved!
You have spent 100 experience points to enhance "Poor-Quality Leather Boots +1." Equipment attributes have slightly improved!
Now, his Tang sword had gained 2 additional attack points, and his boots had an extra 1 point of defense.
Feeling well-prepared, Jack stepped out of his cabin, eager to hunt more goblins.
---
A Neighbor's Request
As soon as Jack walked outside, he noticed the door to the cabin across from his creaking open. A furtive figure peeked out, scanning the area before hesitantly stepping forward.
"Hey, bro! Would you mind letting me tag along?" the man asked, his voice uncertain.
Jack eyed him curiously.
"Why do you want to team up?"
"I can... uh, help you pull the monsters!"
Jack shook his head.
"No thanks. I don't need help with that."
The man looked disappointed.
Forming teams had become a common strategy among the other survivors. In group fights, players would pull aggro on different goblins, preventing any single person from being overwhelmed.
However, Jack had already proven that he didn't need a team to take on goblins. He could defeat them effortlessly by himself.
Besides, he preferred to keep a low profile.
As the saying goes: "A tree that stands tall in the forest is the first to be cut down." He wasn't going to expose his full strength just yet.
Seeing his chance slip away, the man forced a smile.
"Alright, alright, I get it... By the way, my name's Qin Fen. You can call me Handsome!"
Jack chuckled.
"Alright, Handsome, see you later."
With that, he turned and headed toward his next battle.
---
Secret Observers
Meanwhile, Jack's brief exchange with Qin Fen had been overheard by other nearby survivors. Many of them had also wanted to form a team with Jack but, after seeing him refuse Qin Fen, they knew they didn't stand a chance.
However, two sisters living in the neighboring cabins were having a heated discussion about him.
"Sister, he's really strong! Should we ask him to team up with us?" the younger sister, Su Youwei, whispered eagerly.
Her older sister, Su Qiutong, shook her head firmly.
"No way!"
"Why not? We both have support abilities. Fighting monsters alone will be really hard! And those goblins are so creepy..."
"You can never judge a book by its cover. We don't know what kind of person he really is. This world is dangerous, and we have to be careful."
Su Qiutong's heart felt heavy.
Unlike most survivors, she and her sister had gotten lucky—they were not only placed in the same Novice Village but were living in cabins right next to each other.
However, the sisters faced a huge disadvantage.
Neither of them had any combat skills.
Su Youwei had awakened an A-rank talent: "Lucky Halo," which boosted the luck of herself and her teammates.
Su Qiutong, on the other hand, had a B-rank talent: "Holy Light Affinity." While it had great potential, at the moment, it could only heal small amounts of HP.
Their personalities and talents both made it clear—they needed a strong teammate for protection.
Jack seemed like the best candidate.
However, Su Qiutong wasn't ready to trust him just yet.
"Let's observe him for a while first," she said, cautiously watching Jack's every move.
Su Youwei sighed.
"Alright... But I still think we should just ask him."
---
Jack's Rampage
Unaware of the sisters' discussion, Jack continued his hunt.
With his improved Tang sword and leather boots, slaying goblins became even easier.
More than half an hour passed.
By the time he struck down another melee goblin, his experience bar had surged to 3,300 points.
Thirty goblins had died by his hand.
Taking a short break, Jack found a safe corner and opened his status panel.
A grin spread across his face.
"Alright… It's time to level up."
---
To be continued...
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