Qi Sight!
Different colors of qi immediately overlapped in Julian's vision.
Julian looked, scanning the qi residues around but he only detected the residue left by the dead- a tainted black qi residue.
His eyes constricted. 'This Goblin can hide his qi residue from my Qi Sight?!'
Julian was shocked but on the other hand, a name rang in his head. 'Assassin!'
The Goblin Assassins that he killed earlier were the weakest of their kin, but having spent time in the library before accepting the system mission, Julian already learned about the Classes in Gomorra, including the most common skills.
The Assassin Class embodies the art of erasure, Julian was sure that in the lower levels only an Assassin could completely evade his detection.
At Lvl. 5, they unlock Vital Jab & Silent Body- Passive.
Vital Jab is a qi skill that delivers a quick strike targeting nerves and pressure points. As for Silent Body, it greatly reduces sound, scent, and the environmental disturbance left by an Assassin.
It explained why even with his enhanced dual-bloodline senses, Julian couldn't pick out the location of the final Goblin.
At Lvl. 10, Assassins awaken, becoming D Rank and unlocking 3 skills in the process- Qi Suppression, Shadow Step, and Backstab.
When activated, Qi Suppression drastically lowers an Assassin's detectable qi signature. This was how the final Goblin could escape Julian's Qi Sight.
Shadow Step enables an Assassin to instantly move a short distance through shadows, while Backstab when activated from behind or concealment deals greatly increased damage.
Julian didn't stop at Lvl. 10 Assassin skills though.
As a Class that he was wary of from the onset, he learned all the Assassin Class skills till Level 20.
At Lvl. 15, Assassins unlock Poison Application & Evasion Instinct- Passive.
The former enables Assassins to instantly coat their weapons with deadly qi-infused toxins, while the later grants an Assassin increased chance of narrowly avoiding lethal blows.
At Lvl. 20, Assassins awaken Blur Movement & Enhanced Agility- Passive.
The former when activated, makes an Assassin's movement extremely difficult to track while the later increases agility.
Julian's knowledge ended here.
The question was, which level was the Goblin Assassin?
Julian saw another shadow move at the left side of his periphery vision and instantly he turned to his left, but the true shadow squirmed from his right side which was now his blind spot- misdirection!
The Goblin activated 2 skills instantaneously.
Shadow Step!
Backstab!
Julian couldn't react on time.
The Goblin Nest was just too cramped for him for any high-speed maneuvers, and having moved to the left earlier, the attack came before he could react.
The Goblin moved like a ghost.
All Julian could see from the periphery of his vision was a Goblin slightly taller than the others, garbed in black assassin attire with burning red eyes filled with malice, armed with a sharp black-bladed dagger that was now stabbing at his back.
Before the attack could hit, the System Snooping tool activated.
DING!
~----~
[Snooping Tool utilized!]
Name: Goblin Boss
Level: Lvl. 22 D Rank Initiate Assassin
Class: Assassin
Race: Goblin
[Racial Traits & Abilities:]
[1. Scavenger Physiology (Lvl. 1).]
[2. Cowardly Cunning (Lvl. 10).]
…
[WEAKNESS: Fragile Physiology.]
~----~
'Level 22?'
Julian's thoughts were interrupted as he felt the tip of the dagger's blade stab into his spine, the force rattling his bones inside as it dug deep into his scale than every other attack till now!
For a moment, Julian's heart skipped a beat but the dagger couldn't cut the scale completely.
CLANG!
Fiery sparks erupted in the nest as the loud sound of metal reverberated in the wake of a dagger stabbing into Julian's spine.
Julian's Dragon Scale held.
For a moment, Julian almost relaxed but then, persistent in its attack, within milliseconds of the first attack the Goblin activated the same skill again.
Backstab!
The Goblin Boss violently thrusted the dagger again.
Julian felt a concussive force accompanied by heat press against his spine as his enhanced senses picked up groaning and cracking sounds coming from his golden scales; his eyes widened. 'It's breaking?'
'I can't let it hit my spine!'
He moved his body just in time as…
BAM!
The sharp edge of the dagger stabbed into his back, missing his spine by just a few inches due to his sudden movement.
The Goblin drew first blood!
Julian reacted instinctively, swinging his right leg in a devastating roundhouse kick but the Goblin already retreated.
The System lit up.
DING!
~----~
[You have been poisoned by a qi-infused toxin!]
[Calculating damage… calculating damage…]
[ERROR!]
[ERROR!]
[Your unique dual bloodline has negated poison effect!]
~----~
Julian stared at the Goblin Boss in a daze.
The Goblin glared at him with red eyes burning with deep-rooted hatred. On its right hand was a menacing dagger with a black blade, while on its left hand was a transparent orb swirling with menacing black qi.
Julian's senses picked up an ominous power from that orb, but he didn't focus on that because something else was overwhelming his instincts.
With his free left hand, Julian touched his back, feeling a wet liquid and then he raised it to his face to look at it.
Julian saw red, slightly golden blood.
'It's my blood'. He thought in a daze.
The sight of his blood stimulated something inside of him, and then from his dual bloodlines, an imaginary explosion took place.
The sight of his blood triggered a primal instinct from Julian's dual bloodlines as the red qi inside his body instantly turned rampant, leaking out of his body.
BZZZ!
His red qi exploded outwardly like a tsunami!
His eyes burned red.
In that moment, Julian lost control of his emotions as rage took over. Sin Catalyst churned on overdrive.
Staring at the Goblin Boss, only a single overpowering and arrogant urge to tear the puny Goblin into pieces remained.
His qi pulsed.
Slumber!
Julian's red qi detonated, spreading red mist into the nest and towards the Goblin Boss as he circled to the side to evade.
Then Julian kicked the ground with his right leg as leverage and pursued.
BOOM!
He erupted with speed towards the Goblin Boss.
The moment Julian moved, the Goblin disappeared as if he was erased from reality, suddenly appearing behind him again with Shadow Step as his dagger stabbed forward with Backstab again but this time, Julian retaliated.
Aether Bolt! ×50!
Julian didn't care about his qi, he had vast reserves of it and Sin Catalyst made sure that he would never run out of qi.
In that moment, the Goblin Boss felt his danger instinct spike.
But just as the qi started gathering to unleash 50 instantaneous blasts of energy, the Goblin's green qi pulsed, pouring into the circular orb that was in his left hand.
Silencing Strike!
It was not a strike per say, it was a pulse of black qi and the moment it pulsed, the Aether Bolts never came out.
All 50 Aether Bolts were nullified!
Despite the fact that his attack was just inexplicably nullified, Julian showed no visible reactions as rage already took over his mind.
Vital Jab!
The Goblin Boss struck again but this time, its attack met a barrier- Kinetic Shield.
Then Julian turned and engaged the Goblin in close combat- his shortsword vs the Goblin's dagger.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
A flurry of strikes were exchanged in a few seconds as fiery red sparks flew in the Goblin Nest.
Julian didn't fight like a Mage at all, he fought like a Warrior.
And despite the fact that this Goblin Boss was 12 entire levels stronger than him, the boon from Julian's dual bloodlines enabled him to meet the Goblin Boss toe to toe in terms of power, even overpowering him.
The Goblin tried to escape a few times and hide but Julian didn't let him as he sustained overwhelming pressure.
Even as he attacked with his Shortblade, he piled on the pressure by trying to activate Aether Bolt countless times as the Goblin Boss was forced to intercept with the Artifact, silencing and destabilizing the attack each time.
But this way, they both expended qi in waves but compared to the Goblin with limited qi reserves, Julian had vast reserves of qi.
The Goblin's qi got exhausted first. And finally, the blade of the Goblin Cleaver nicked the Goblin's arm.
Blood flowed, the Goblin flinched and that was all it took.
Aether Bolt! ×20.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Julian blasted the Goblin Boss with raw concussive blasts of energy with devastating force till the Goblin's body was mangled.
With his qi exhausted, he couldn't activate his skills to dodge. An Awakened was weak without qi, an Assassin was toothless without qi.
The Goblin Boss became a stationery target and Julian bombarded him to death.
DING!
~----~
[Congratulations! You have killed a Lvl. 22 Goblin Boss!]
[You have gained +12,000 EXP!]
[Due to +10 Level difference, your experience gain has been multiplied by 5!]
[You have gained +60,000 EXP!]
~----~