004 Monster-Slaying Competition!

The dwarf paladin, Otraz, was responsible for tanking the monsters, while Morning Breeze handled both damage and healing. At first, Morning Breeze assumed this guy would be a poor tank, but after a quick observation, he was surprised to find Otraz could pull five goblin patrols at once without any trouble. Their skills seemed evenly matched—the real difference lay in their gear, especially defensive equipment, where a two-tier gap separated them.

“You don’t have many area attacks in your class, so focus on picking off targets—do it violently if you can…” Otraz reminded Morning Breeze as he blocked with his shield, urging him to burst down individual monsters to reduce pressure on himself.

Morning Breeze’s healing was indeed subpar; without shifting into tree form, it was even weaker. Otraz hadn’t known much about Morning Breeze’s class before, but now he realized most of the skills were centered on sustained healing, with rather poor single-target recovery. For example, the Rejuvenation spell provided healing over time, and most major healing abilities also offered a brief regenerative effect. Their big single-target heals were unimpressive; for boss fights, Morning Breeze wasn’t suitable as the main healer, but did excel at group healing.

For such a versatile class, Otraz thought Morning Breeze was performing admirably. Unlike himself, blessed with three talent trees, Morning Breeze’s healing output was already respectable. The problem was that Morning Breeze’s equipment provided no bonus to healing or cast speed—his gear was almost entirely offensive.

But his burst damage was outstanding!

Otraz noticed that when Morning Breeze shifted into feral panther form, the twin claws in his hands unleashed tremendous power, his attacks quite ferocious. In terms of damage, Morning Breeze was at least on par with him, if not stronger. If Otraz hadn’t kept a close eye on the goblin patrols Morning Breeze was attacking, the threat would have shifted to Morning Breeze long ago.

“Let’s change things up. From now on, you attack in panther form and leave the healing to me. Just manage your threat—alternate attacks between two patrols and don’t pull too much aggro.” Otraz calculated that this approach would speed up their monster kills.

“If you die, don’t blame me!” Now that he didn’t have to keep shifting back to human or tree form to heal, Morning Breeze found things much easier. Otraz could instantly heal himself, and though the amount was less, it added up. With Morning Breeze’s strong offensive abilities, the kill rate was secured.

An hour later, every goblin patrol outside the goblin stronghold lay dead at their feet. The patrols in the world map were much tougher, but Morning Breeze and Otraz cut through them as if they were just grinding, feeling no pressure at all. Their strong gear and formidable skills made a powerful combination. If they encountered more than two patrols at once, they’d retreat without hesitation—Otraz would reset the aggro and run, and Morning Breeze would sneak away under cover of stealth. Fortunately, both knew the other wasn’t to be trifled with, so neither tried any underhanded tricks, which made for swift progress.

Arriving at the stronghold gates, they saw two goblin warriors standing guard, with arrow towers on either side manned by archers scanning the area with telescopes. Drawing the monsters out would not be easy; unless they could kill quickly, a swarm of goblins would pour out and things would get messy.

“To clear out the goblin stronghold faster, why don’t we make a bet?” Otraz seemed to have a mischievous idea. He wasn’t afraid of Morning Breeze, but found him too cautious to deal with.

“A bet? I just hope you can handle losing!” In real life, Morning Breeze had little interest in gambling, but in a game, it was a different story. He was confident he wouldn’t lose to anyone; even if the guild leader showed up, he could take them down. Though his shapeshifter class was mediocre at tanking, damage, and healing, with the right gear and skill, he was the ultimate questing character.

“We’ll see who has the skill!” Otraz took a white gold coin from his bag, flipped it in the air, caught it, and said, “There are about 210 goblins inside the stronghold. Let’s see who can kill more. If you win, this white gold coin is yours. If you lose, I get your Meteor Burn forbidden spell scroll.”

“No problem!” Morning Breeze had been wanting to buy a white gold coin for a long time, but no one would sell. Plus, he was short on funds and couldn’t afford one anyway.

They set their kill targets and ranges in the party settings and began. Morning Breeze shifted into crow form and waited outside the stronghold, targeting any isolated goblins he could find. He even had time to observe Otraz’s methods.

Otraz showed some skill. He used a goblin rifle to lure the gate guards out, then ran, dragging them away. When the rest of the goblins lost interest and returned inside, he killed the two he’d pulled. It was slower, but impressive for a solo effort.

Not bad at all!

Morning Breeze had to act too—if he lost the forbidden spell scroll, this dwarf might well turn on him. He landed near a house trailing smoke and observed the goblins within.

[Goblin Cook]: Normal monster, Level 5, HP: 500.

Having often raided strongholds in the national zone, Morning Breeze knew that the creatures in houses were either elite NPCs or these cooks. Ten goblin cooks—this was a gold mine. At level 30, it was easy for him to kill them, but he still had to be careful; if one escaped or shouted for help, things could get complicated.

He shifted into berserk form and crept closer. When he was right behind the nearest cook, he struck—his claws instantly killed one cook, and before the others realized what was happening, he slew them all in three seconds.

Morning Breeze's kill count: 10. Otraz's kill count: 2.

“How did you do that? So fast?” Otraz was astonished—he hadn’t expected Morning Breeze to kill ten goblins in one go while he only managed two. The difference in speed was staggering.

“That’s a secret!” Morning Breeze ignored him, shifted into crow form, and continued searching for easy kills within the stronghold.

Goblin blacksmiths, residents, armorers, alchemists—Morning Breeze hunted down all the easy targets. His kill count quickly outpaced Otraz’s.

Morning Breeze's kill count: 43. Otraz's kill count: 12.

But soon, Morning Breeze’s pace slowed—he’d run out of soft targets. Now he had to consider the higher-level goblin patrols. Usually, patrols came in linked groups, making them tricky to kill. The archers in the towers might be easier, but taking them out risked being overwhelmed, which would let Otraz rack up kills. Morning Breeze wasn’t about to let that happen.

Within the stronghold, goblin patrols traveled in groups of at least two. He needed to find pairs he could isolate, taking care not to be seen. That meant luring them into corners or into houses. Facing two patrols at once—both five levels above him—would be a challenge.

Otraz could handle it thanks to his superior defensive gear and the open space outside. Morning Breeze, forced to fight in cramped rooms, had it much tougher.

He cast Rejuvenation on himself for steady healing, then tossed a skill to pull two goblin warriors inside. Shifting to bear form, he attacked, dodging as much as possible in the tight space.

[Magnetize]: Magnetic skill. Magnetizes two targets within 40 meters, choosing either S or N pole, lasting 6 seconds. Same poles repel, opposite poles attract. If heavy metal is nearby, both targets rush toward it; if light metal is present, it flies toward the targets. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Cost: None.

Morning Breeze magnetized the two goblins, making them crash into each other, then shifted to human form to heal himself, restoring as much health as possible. He then shifted to berserk form, focusing his burst damage on one goblin patrol. When the magnetize effect ended, he shifted back, retreated to heal again, then resumed tanking in bear form.

Savage Defense!

He poured all his rage into Savage Defense to reduce incoming damage. With limited skills and moderate burst, Savage Defense bought him crucial time.

[Tenfold Gravity]: Gravity skill. Increases the weight of all objects within 40 meters by ten times, slowing movement for 6 seconds. Interrupts casting for all players in range. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Cost: None.

He relied on his skills to make up for his weakening health. Under the effect of Tenfold Gravity, the goblin patrols moved sluggishly. Morning Breeze struck with a burst, healed himself, then switched back to bear form. After exhausting both support skills, he finally killed one goblin patrol, leaving him with just one more to finish off.

By splitting his survival and support skills, using them alternately, he avoided having to sit and wait for cooldowns. Gradually, he mastered pulling and killing monsters in confined spaces. Two goblin patrols were manageable; three would be risky, requiring all his skills to survive.

Morning Breeze's kill count: 51. Otraz's kill count: 37.

Otraz's kill speed was catching up—as a true tri-talented class with top gear, he could handle three goblin patrols at once. His main challenge was having to sit and drink water to restore mana after each fight. Morning Breeze, in human or tree form, also used mana, but his healing was less frequent, so he rarely had to worry about running out.

For now, Morning Breeze was in the lead, but if things continued this way, he risked losing. He needed a new plan, or his forbidden scroll would be gone!