To synthesize the two S-level talents, John had nearly exterminated all the tarblobs in the swamp.
Fortunately, his modified fire bombs made the task feasible.
Otherwise, going one by one would have taken ages to gather enough D-level talents to synthesize two S-levels.
Suppressing his excitement, John opened his panel.
[Talents]: Wrath of the Raider (SSS), Universal Synthesis (S), Absolute Stillness (S), Annihilation of All (S), Shift …
[Attributes]: Strength 260 | Agility 300 | Mind 150 | Stamina 570
[Skills]: Instant Move (B), Throwing Knife Technique (B), Detection (B)
[Equipment]: Novice Dagger, Novice Robe
[Wallet]: 39 gold coins, 618 silver coins
"This panel… even challenging all of Zone 5's players wouldn't be a problem," John thought, satisfied.
At the same time, his hands itched.
After so much preparation, he needed a place to test his strength.
Normal players were no longer sufficient.
To train, he needed to challenge powerful monsters.
With that thought, John left the swamp and headed north of Novice Village.
Forty-five minutes later, he reached the northern area of Novice Village.
Here stood a large Goblin Tribe.
This tribe was also a popular leveling area for new players.
The tribe occupied half a mountain, with a sprawling territory.
Crude wooden buildings leaned at odd angles, forming a chaotic settlement.
John positioned himself behind the tribe, halfway up the mountain.
From his vantage point, he could clearly see many new players training energetically in front of the Goblin Tribe.
"Quick, priest! Heal me! Can't you see my HP?"
"Take down the goblin archers first! Their damage is too high."
"Archers, watch your positioning! Don't get controlled by the goblin priest again."
Without the awakened system, John might have been one of them.
The goblins' attacks were strong, but the XP was worthwhile, and with low HP, careful positioning made them manageable.
Some elite players had already reached level 5, but none caught John's attention.
As a reborn player, he knew the true treasure of this tribe lay in the back.
"If I remember correctly, it should be in that cave."
He scanned the area and quickly locked onto a mountain cave.
Without hesitation, he activated Instant Move.
In a flash, he moved at extreme speed toward the cave.
Inside the cave, a massive Goblin Chief sat cross-legged.
Beneath it lay a pile of treasure, like a small mountain.
Gold, silver, copper coins, weapons, equipment, and many locked chests—everything the tribe had accumulated over time.
Anyone who claimed this treasure could instantly raise a major guild.
But to claim it, the goblin army inside had to be dealt with.
The Goblin Chief alone was a Lv.15 boss.
It had 10,000 HP and a B-level talent.
Along with goblin guards scattered throughout the cave, even the strongest guild would need extensive grinding to enter.
The Goblin Chief yawned, swinging a wolf-tooth club, listening to reports from its minions:
"Lord, more humans have appeared outside the tribe. They coordinate well, and we've lost nearly a hundred brothers. They seem to be advancing further into the tribe. Should we—"
The Goblin Chief waved them off:
"Trash not even level 10—why bother? Don't report trivial matters to me next time, I—"
Before it could finish, a damage number appeared above its head:
[-3078!]
The Goblin Chief froze like a statue.
The goblin guards below hadn't reacted yet.
They saw damage numbers continuously flashing above their leader:
[-3078!]
[-3089!]
[-3212!]
[...]
Four terrifying damage numbers appeared in succession.
The Goblin Chief's head instantly rolled to the ground.
It slid down the treasure pile, its expression frozen in disdain.
The goblin guards stared in shock.
They looked up to see a slender human figure standing atop their leader's severed body.
It was John, who had arrived via Instant Move.
In his previous life, he had leveled here and knew the cave better than the goblins themselves.
Using a hidden path he discovered last life, John moved like a ghost.
He silently circled behind the Goblin Chief and delivered four consecutive strikes, instantly killing it.
With the Absolute Stillness talent, the Lv.15 elite boss had no chance to resist.
[You killed Goblin Chief Lv.15, Experience +31,100!]
[Level up! You reached Lv.13!]
[You plundered B-level talent Goblin Strength!]
[Goblin Strength: Passive talent; each attack deals 5% true damage]
Killing the Lv.15 elite boss raised John three levels instantly.
He stomped on the Goblin Chief's headless body, creating a heavy thud in the cave.
Only then did the goblin guards react.
Chaos erupted inside the cave.
"Assassin! A human assassin!"
"He killed our leader!"
"Call the army! We must avenge him!"
The goblins' brains had no concept of fear.
Seeing John brazenly slay their leader, they instantly went into rage mode.
Alarms blared.
Goblin after goblin surged from every corner, rushing at John standing atop the treasure pile.
John remained motionless, a faint smile on his face:
"Come on—bring more!"
The goblin guards advanced with spears, stone clubs, and bone knives.
The weapons rained down on John like a tide.
But against the 600 defense Novice Robe, their attacks were like scratching an itch.
[-0!]
[-1!]
[-0!]
[...]
White, weak damage numbers flickered across John's panel.
Occasionally, a number appeared, but only from the goblins' innate talent true damage.
Like a war god, John allowed the goblins to swarm him—yet his body remained completely unmoved.