The Fire Demon Goblin had no idea where this terrifying enemy had come from, but it understood one thing clearly—
Only one side was leaving this battlefield alive.
The moment Tristan attacked, breaking Stealth, the goblin leader retaliated immediately—
Hurling fireballs at his location and commanding its minions to swarm.
"Blink!"
Tristan was already prepared.
After just two quick steps, he activated Blink, instantly teleporting out of the attack zone.
And thanks to Blink's instant movement, there was zero risk of running into a stray fireball mid-dash—
It was a flawless escape.
The Fire Demon Goblin's eyes widened in shock—
Its entire offensive missed.
Tristan, on the other hand, had already disappeared into the shadows, waiting for his next chance to strike.
"I really need more ranged skills."
Tristan thought to himself.
If he had a dozen long-range attacks, he wouldn't even need to retreat—
He could fire off multiple skills before going back into Stealth, maybe even killing the Goblin Shaman outright.
But for now?
He had to wait for cooldowns.
Outsourcing the Skill Hunt
Since he had time, Tristan opened his friends list and messaged Drake:
"Keep an eye out for ranged skill books for me. I'll buy them with gold, cash, or trade gear."
Previously, when he got Blink, he counted it as two skill books, calling it even with Drake.
Now, if he wanted more skills, he had to pay up.
Drake quickly responded:
"No problem, big boss. I'll put out some feelers. Might even ask a few other guild leaders to see what they've got."
Tristan smirked.
"Sounds good. If you find something decent, I'll throw in two free pieces of gear."
To him, equipment was disposable.
Especially with four boss-level goblins standing right in front of him.
By the end of this fight, he'd easily have ten more drops—
Giving one or two away was nothing.
Drake was stunned for a moment before replying:
"Damn, man… Too generous. No need to give it for free—just sell it at a discount."
Tristan wasn't one to argue over small things.
"Fine, I'll do an 80% discount."
Currently, he had a Silver Grade Armor-Breaking Greatsword and an Obsidian Chestplate sitting in his inventory.
If Drake found a good skill book, he'd cut him a deal on one of them.
The Goblin General Falls
While waiting for cooldowns, Tristan stayed hidden, watching for an opportunity—
Then, his Shadow Dagger was ready again.
He struck the Goblin Shaman once more—
This time, it dropped to critical HP.
To dodge a counterattack, Tristan activated Frenzied Dash, weaving through the battlefield before activating Shadow Stealth again.
And just before vanishing—
Rain of Corruption!
Fifteen goblins dropped dead instantly.
The Fire Demon Goblin was furious, roaring:
"COWARD! FACE ME LIKE A TRUE WARRIOR!"
"HUMAN, YOU'D BEST LEAVE NOW, OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!"
"SURROUND HIM! FLUSH HIM OUT!"
Tristan ignored the shouting.
But still… Why did this guy have an accent?
Systematically Dismantling the Army
SQUAWK!
The Goblin Shaman collapsed, its lifeless eyes still filled with resentment and disbelief.
It couldn't understand—
There were hundreds of goblins here, with multiple boss-tier warriors—
So why was it the first one to die?!
Where was the justice?!
Unfortunately, justice didn't exist in ExoGenesis.
And soon, the other two Black Iron bosses followed suit—
Cut down just as swiftly.
Meanwhile, the ordinary goblins were falling apart, morale breaking as Rain of Corruption whittled them down one by one.
Even then, the Fire Demon Goblin refused to order a retreat—
Forcing its troops to fight to the bitter end.
Tristan took a quick glance at the loot—
Eight drops from the Black Iron bosses.
None of them were higher-ranked than Black Iron.
A little disappointing.
But Tristan had already secured the real prize—
Evolution points.
With three bosses down, plus all the goblins he had wiped out, he had finally hit 16 points—
Enough to evolve Shadow Stealth!
Shadow Stealth Evolves
Finding a safe position, Tristan immediately triggered the upgrade.
"Shadow Stealth has evolved! Rank increased: Silver → Gold!"
[Shadow Stealth LV5 (Gold Grade)]
Stealth Mode Breaking Stealth Strike deals (Attack × 180%) + 4000 bonus damage Mana Cost: 30 Cooldown: 12 seconds
"Your Class Skill has evolved to Gold Grade! Unlocking Skill Trait!"
Tristan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
[Trait: +30% Movement Speed While in Stealth]
Exactly what I needed.
His base agility was already over 400, making him one of the fastest players in the game.
Now, with this trait—
He was an untouchable ghost.
"One day, I'll be ExoGenesis's Flash."
Tristan grinned.
This wasn't just a minor boost—
It was exponential growth.
Because the trait scaled with percentage, the higher his agility, the more absurd his speed would become.
Dodge more attacks.
Position better in fights.
And when combined with Blink?
His survivability just skyrocketed.
The Inevitable Outcome
With the lesser goblins dead, only the Fire Demon Goblin remained.
Tristan had deliberately saved it for last—
To prevent the weaker goblins from escaping.
The fight dragged on, since the goblins had scattered too far apart, forcing Tristan to take his time cutting them down.
But in the end—
His efforts paid off.
"You have leveled up! You are now Level 12!"
"+5 Free Attribute Points!"
"+5 Bonus Shadow Attribute Points!"
"+5 Beast Blessing Bonus Attribute Points!"
Casually, Tristan distributed them evenly into Strength, Constitution, and Spirit.
Then, he turned his gaze back to the Fire Demon Goblin—
The last enemy standing.
At this point, the goblin leader knew its fate was sealed.
It had tried to run earlier, but Tristan's Stealth speed and Blink meant there was no escape.
Every time it fled, its HP drained faster.
Every time it attacked, it missed its target.
Now, it had one last option—
Go down fighting.
If it was going to die, it refused to die alone.
As it let out a series of guttural chants, the ground beneath them began to glow dark red.
The blood of its fallen kin started to crawl across the battlefield, converging into a massive summoning circle.
With a final, desperate scream, the Fire Demon Goblin roared:
"DEATHBRINGER, I SUMMON YOUR POWER!"