Chapter 22: The Black Iron Warrior

“What does this mean?”

Ye Da felt a wave of unease as he watched the massive goblin set down its spiked club and stand at attention.

“Is it not planning to leave?”

He glanced at the time: it was already 5:15 pm. Only fifteen minutes remained before nightfall, but Ye Da couldn’t afford to wait until the last possible moment to head back.

For safety’s sake, he had to be on his way by 5:25.

Though anxious, Ye Da was in no hurry to pit himself against this creature.

From his analysis glasses, he had just learned that this goblin sentry was actually an Iron-ranked Warrior.

Ye Da didn’t fully understand what being an Iron-ranked Warrior entailed, but a title like that was surely no small matter.

Anyone who’s played games knows—monsters with titles are either bosses or elites, far more dangerous than ordinary ones.

Even the giant python Ye Da fought earlier that afternoon hadn’t qualified as an Iron-ranked Warrior, so he was certain this goblin was at least as strong as the python, if not stronger.

Ye Da forced himself to wait patiently...

Three minutes passed.

Then five...

Dusk deepened, leaving only a smear of crimson on the horizon that was quickly fading. The mist in the bamboo grove thickened, transforming the land into a spectral garden outside the Southern Gate of Heaven.

With only ten minutes left before full darkness,

That damned goblin was still standing there, eyes half-shut, nodding off, refusing to move.

Ye Da had thought it would leave quickly, but now, judging by its stance...

Could it be standing guard?

The thought sent his heart racing.

He couldn’t wait any longer!

If he stayed, he’d either be bludgeoned to death by the goblin or fall prey to whatever lurked in the darkness.

He couldn’t take that risk!

Ye Da had to find a way out—while there was only one goblin below.

He had no hope of defeating it head-on, but escape might be possible!

He slid down the tree trunk, clinging to its rough bark. Once on the ground, he peered cautiously from behind the tree.

The hulking goblin hadn’t noticed him and was still dozing.

It was the perfect chance! Time to go!

But the moment Ye Da took his first step, the goblin let out a thunderous sneeze.

Ye Da shrank back behind the trunk, heart pounding in his chest.

Just as Ye Da resolved to wait for the goblin to settle down before making another attempt, another harsh, chattering voice echoed through the bamboo. Though he couldn’t understand the words, Ye Da could tell this was a second goblin—its voice was far sharper, like a eunuch’s.

And as that screechy voice nagged on, subtitles flashed across the lenses of Ye Da’s analysis glasses.

Could they translate speech too?

[You lazy oaf, the king is coming soon! Why aren’t you keeping watch? If the king finds out, you’re a dead goblin!]

[Yes, sir, sorry, sir!]

The subtitles had the unmistakable tone of machine translation, but that didn’t matter.

What mattered was—Ye Da had just realized there was another goblin hidden in the bamboo!

If that sneeze hadn’t lured out the second goblin, the one lurking in the shadows might have spotted him. Worse, this tall, scrawny, sharp-voiced goblin had a bow slung over its shoulder—clearly an archer.

If Ye Da tried to escape and that goblin sent an arrow flying at his back...

He shivered at the thought.

No, he couldn’t risk it.

Ye Da scrambled back up the tree.

He checked the time—5:23. Still couldn’t go. Damn it!

As the minutes slipped by and night deepened, the steamy fog enveloped him, soaking his clothes.

A chill wind set him shivering.

“With the fog this thick, they shouldn’t be able to see me, right?”

The mist below was dense enough to be a pool. At this visibility, unless the goblins had x-ray vision, they couldn’t possibly spot him.

If he was careful, extra careful, he could make it out!

“Who’s there?”

A goblin screeched again below.

Thanks to his analysis glasses’ real-time translation, Ye Da could follow the goblins’ chatter.

The archer goblin whirled and snarled into the mist.

Ye Da listened closely and caught the faint rustling of something moving among the bamboo.

This made Ye Da pause in his attempt to sneak away—perhaps the creature in the bamboo would lure both goblins away, sparing him the risk.

But to his surprise, the archer goblin twitched its ears, then loosed an arrow blindly into the fog!

A dull thud reverberated through Ye Da’s chest.

The goblin could pinpoint targets by sound alone—how was he supposed to escape now?

Unless he could move in absolute silence, which was impossible in this dense bamboo, where any step would brush against the leaves.

“Go collect the body!”

“Yes.”

The archer goblin ordered the bulky sentry, who slung the spiked club over his shoulder and dashed off toward the arrow’s trajectory—moving with an agility that belied his size.

These goblins were even more troublesome than Ye Da had imagined.

“Captain, it’s a Jumping Mushroom.”

The sentry goblin emerged from the bamboo, easily dangling a limp Jumping Mushroom by the neck in his huge green hand.

The archer glanced over and said indifferently, “The king ordered us not to spare any living thing. Got it?”

The sentry nodded, then tore the cap from the Jumping Mushroom and bit off half of it.

Ye Da watched in silence, swallowing hard.

Thank goodness he hadn’t tried to run—otherwise, the goblin might be feasting on his thigh right now!

The bamboo rustled violently not far away.

More Jumping Mushrooms?

The archer’s ears twitched, gauging the sound.

Ye Da braced for another arrow, but instead, the archer gave the sentry a kick and barked, “Stop eating!”

“The king is coming—stand at attention!”

Ye Da straightened, clutching the tree trunk, peering into the depths of the bamboo.

The fog had thickened so much that he could barely make out any details.

But from the depths of the grove, a squad of goblins emerged, each massive, each laden with heavy burdens, their thunderous march shaking the earth.

Ye Da could not ignore their arrival.