There were no goblins in sight anywhere near the cave.
Only after moving farther away did Subutai finally encounter them.
Fortunately, there were no goblin archers among them only goblin warriors.
Gripping his spear tightly, Subutai stepped back once and hurled it with all his strength.
The spear whistled through the air.
Before the goblins could even react, two goblin warriors were already impaled and dead.
Without stopping, Subutai rushed forward, yanked the spear free from the corpses, and swung it sideways at throat level.
The arc of the blade sliced through the necks of three goblins at once.
Blood sprayed as they clutched their throats and collapsed to the ground.
[You have killed a "Goblin Warrior."]
Seeing this, the remaining goblin warriors panicked and turned to flee but Subutai gave them no chance.
He cut them down one by one with swift, merciless strikes.
Last night's battle had taught him many things.
Though he was still exhausted and unable to exert his full strength, he had learned that targeting the throat allowed him to kill goblins easily without wasting energy.
More importantly, he realized how to exploit fear.
When many goblin warriors attacked together, killing them might seem easy but he would inevitably suffer injuries as well.
However, if he could frighten them and scatter them, he could kill them far more safely and efficiently.
Learning and adapting in real time, Subutai smiled in satisfaction, resting his spear across his shoulder as he walked on.
After wandering through the forest for several hours, a familiar sound reached his ears, and a notification appeared before his eyes.
[You have killed a "Goblin Warrior."]
[You have leveled up.]
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1, Perception +1. You have gained 5 status points.]
Subutai wiped the blood from the tip of his spear and allocated his points +2 to Strength, +1 to Agility, +1 to Spirit, +1 to Perception.
He whispered softly "Status."
[Status]
Name: Subutai
Class: ??? King
Level: 4
Mana: 216
Strength: 27 (+5.4)
Agility: 18 (+3.4)
Spirit: 18 (+3.6)
Perception: 20 (+4)
Status Points: 0
Seeing his stats, Subutai smiled with overwhelming confidence.
He leapt up into a tree and admired the beauty of the forest for a moment.
Then, spotting the massive cave once more, he descended and headed toward it.
As he approached, the corpses that had once littered the area were gone. Instead, several new goblin warriors stood guard at the cave entrance.
Without overthinking it, Subutai lured them out one by one by throwing stones and silently killed the guards.
He slowly entered the cave, taking a deep breath as he imagined the enemies waiting inside, gripping his spear tightly as he advanced.
"Those fights earlier were just a warm-up," he whispered to himself.
"Now the real battle begins."
At the heart of the cave, dozens of goblin warriors stood gathered along with four goblin archers and a single goblin shaman.
And at the very back.
A goblin far larger than the rest sat upon a stone chair like a king upon his throne.
The moment Subutai saw this, he activated both of his skills.
[Your body is enveloped in mana. Strength increased by 20%.]
[Mana-based skill effectiveness increased by 10%.]
Power surged through his body.
Veins bulged, muscles tightened, and raw strength flooded his limbs.
A crazed smile spread across Subutai's face as he charged straight at the goblins.
"I can do this. This is going to be a truly fun fight."
The goblin seated on the stone throne said nothing.
Instead, arrogance gleamed in its eyes, and a faint smile curved its lips as if it were eagerly awaiting an entertaining spectacle.
Soon, the goblin shaman noticed the sound of Subutai's footsteps. It turned toward him, shrieked, and raised its staff.
"Grahhhhh!"
At the signal, the goblin warriors and archers roared like madmen and charged.
"Grahh! Grahh! Grahhh!"
As the goblin warriors rushed forward, four arrows suddenly flew from behind them, all aimed at Subutai.
Alert and ready, Subutai raised his spear, blocking three arrows and dodging the fourth.
He continued charging, closing the distance until he could strike.
From that range, he began cutting down goblin warriors with precise slashes to their throats.
Suddenly, a wave of intense heat surged behind him.
His hair stood on end as instinct screamed danger.
Subutai leapt upward without thinking.
Looking down, he saw a fireball incinerate the spot where he had been standing only moments earlier.
Turning around, he locked eyes with the goblin shaman, which was grinning at him grotesquely.
Remaining calm, Subutai quickly finished off the remaining goblin warriors.
Just as he started to sprint toward the goblin shaman, several arrows slammed into the ground in front of him, forcing him to halt.
Only then did he realize he had nearly forgotten about the goblin archers.
But there was only one thought in his mind.
I have to kill the goblin shaman first.
The shaman was far more dangerous than the archers.
It raised its staff again, forming another fireball aimed straight at Subutai.
But Subutai gave it no chance.
Gripping his spear with all his might, he hurled it forward.
The spear tore through the air, piercing straight through the goblin shaman's chest.
Blood spilled from its mouth as its body slammed heavily onto the ground.
The forming fireball dissipated into nothingness.
As Subutai rushed over and reached out to retrieve his spear from the corpse.
Something sliced through the air toward him.
He spun around and raised his spear just in time to block it.
The goblin who had been sitting on the stone throne had thrown its sword at him.
The Goblin King rose to its feet, standing tall beside its throne.