With the preparations finished, it was time to make a move. Alex, with Dim Dim in tow, went to the Goblin Camp to check again.
The young man hoped the goblins had moved away from the teleportation gate, but... sure enough, they hadn't moved from their spot.
He had already expected this to happen though, so he wasn't too disappointed.
Instead, he asked the Dim Sum God to proceed with the plan that they had agreed on beforehand.
He hoped that the plan that they had made would be enough to overcome the first hurdle he had to face to venture forth in the world of Arcana.
"Dim Dim, let's do it."
Without missing a beat, Dim Dim jumped off Alex's head and headed to the tree several meters away from him.
Alex's gaze followed the Dim Sum God, who nimbly climbed the tree and settled on one of its branches.
The strategy he had come up with required Dim Dim to stay somewhere hidden and serve as his extra eyes by letting him know of the goblins' position.
Then, he would take them out one by one.
A few hours ago, he had just been an ordinary human. He couldn't possibly become a seasoned warrior as soon as he transmigrated.
That was how ELO worked now.
Obviously, he wasn't suicidal, so fighting the goblins as a group wasn't an option.
This was no longer a game. He had to use any means at his disposal to ensure he wouldn't die before he lived his life to the fullest.
Gripping a fist-sized rock he took out of his storage ring, Alex snuck as close as possible to the goblin sleeping on the ground.
The other goblins were busy eating, so they didn't notice someone had wandered very close to their camp.
Suddenly, the sleeping goblin cried out in pain, alerting its comrades.
The other goblins immediately upped their guards, glancing at their surroundings.
The wounded goblin roared in anger as it picked up its wooden club and looked around with bloodshot eyes.
From behind a tree, Alex threw another rock, but it wasn't aimed at a goblin this time.
The rock landed on a nearby bush, creating a rustle that distracted the monsters who were now paying close attention to any disturbance around them.
The wounded goblin, eager to avenge itself, ran in the direction where the sound came from.
It didn't even bother waiting for its comrades, simply rushing out in pure desire to kill the creature who had dared to attack it in its sleep.
The Goblin Warrior and the two other goblins didn't move away from their spot. Unlike the wounded goblin who had lost its rationality due to its injury, the three of them didn't act impulsively.
'They're smarter than I thought,' Alex realized.
The young man remained still as he tried his best to calm his wildly beating heart.
As if sensing something, the Goblin Warrior raised its head and sniffed. It then pointed in the direction of Alex's hiding spot.
The two goblins then spread out, intending to encircle whoever was hiding behind the tree.
The Dim Sum God alerted the young man in time that the goblins had found his position.
Dim Dim's shout distracted the monsters long enough for Alex to make his move.
Without hesitation, he ran away as fast as he could.
'Time for Plan B,' Alex thought as his breathing quickened.
He could feel his adrenaline pumping inside his body and, to be perfectly honest, he also felt fearful because he was about to fight real-life monsters for the first time.
The Goblin Warrior roared as it chased Alex. The two other goblins followed suit.
But how could he be caught easily?
Alex jogged regularly, so he was confident about outrunning the goblins, who didn't specialize in prolonged running. Not to mention, he had added most of his stat points to Constitution, and Agility, raising his stamina in the process.
As soon as he heard Dim Dim's shout, Alex made a turn and pulled out the wooden spear he had prepared out of his storage ring.
He didn't bother to aim and poured everything he had into a single-strike spear thrust.
The Goblin Warrior was about to turn when it found itself facing Alex's attack at point-blank range with no chance to evade.
His wooden spear slammed into the goblin's chest, drawing blood.
A pained scream escaped the Goblin Warrior's lips as it tried to pull back from the spear embedded in its chest.
Alex didn't think it was enough, and he had no intention of wasting his surprise attack so easily.
He roared with determination, as if to reduce his fear, and pushed the spear deeper into the Goblin Warrior, hoping to worsen its injury.
Unfortunately, his strength wasn't enough, and he failed to pierce the spear through the monster's body.
Hearing the Dim Sum God cry out another warning, Alex let go of the wooden spear and ran away without a second glance.
A few seconds later, the two goblins caught up and found their leader wounded, with bloodshot eyes.
The Goblin Warrior talked in goblin language, ordering the two Goblins to pursue the human who was still within their sight.
Their leader had no intention of letting Alex escape. Once it caught him, it would tear him limb from limb.
Alex realized he had gained a good distance away from the monsters, so he suddenly stopped and looked in their direction.
It wasn't that he was tired or anything. He simply wanted the goblins to catch up to him, aiming to lure them away from the Goblin Warrior.
The strategy Alex had come up with was simple.
He would take down the goblins one at a time, ensuring he wouldn't get surrounded by them.
Slowed down by its injuries, the Goblin Warrior struggled to catch up to Alex, giving him the breathing space to focus on the two other goblins first.
A game of cat and mouse unfolded as the young man lured the two goblins toward the river, keeping himself visible but out of reach.
As he expected, the goblins had difficulties catching up to him, stopping to catch their breath from time to time.
Whenever they paused, Alex seized the opportunity and hurled rocks at them with accuracy.
Every time the goblins were struck, grunts of pain and frustration sounded, wearing them down and driving them mad.
But what could they do aside from angrily waving their wooden clubs at the cheapshot who seemed to treat them like target practice?
The young man was faster. With no way of being able to close the gap between them, the two goblins were starting to hesitate running after him.
The goblins might not be wise, but they were catching on. They knew they couldn't match the human's speed, and they were now reluctant to keep chasing him.
Alex noticed this and so gave them a reason to keep chasing him.
He continuously hurled stones at them while calling them ugly.
The monsters might not understand the human language, but they could sense his mockery, making them forget about returning to their camp.
Alex had been a Tank in ELO, so he was very used to taking the aggro of the monsters his party was dealing with.
Suddenly, one of Alex's stone throws got lucky and hit the eye of one of the goblins, and perhaps dealt crit damage because the monsters staggered afterwards.
He had been targeting this particular goblin from the very start, and the moment the rock hit its eye, the monster collapsed on the ground and died, aggrieved.
[Map Feature Unlocked!]
[You have learned the Passive Skill, Improved Stone Throw, and Head Shot!]
[Improved Stone Throw]
— Stone attacks deal +1 bonus damage.
— Headshots inflict +5 bonus damage. This can apply to any other kind of attack aside from stone throws.
— Land 3 consecutive headshots to deliver an extra +10 bonus damage.
Alex and the last goblin stared at each other for a few seconds after the other goblin died.
Both of them were shocked at what had happened, so the sudden turn of events took them by surprise.
Both of them froze, eyes bulging like they couldn't believe what they'd just seen. Honestly, it was quite unexpected.
But the young man quickly recovered. His face displayed a wide grin, so wicked and unhinged that it sent a shudder down the surviving goblin's spine.
If someone that went by the name of Lloyd Fr*ntera saw Alex right now, he would definitely give the young man a 10/10 for that smile alone.
After killing a goblin, not only did Alex gain a level, but he also confirmed that his strategy worked.
"It's your turn," Alex said as he looked at the other goblin, who now seemed less scary than earlier.
The goblin realized it was about to get f*cked up real bad, so it screamed and ran away in fear.
However, how could Alex possibly let it go?
The monster was a walking experience point!
"Don't run!" Alex laughed as he threw a stone at the fleeing goblin. "I'm your friend!"
If the goblin could speak human language, it would have already cursed Alex and his nine generations for being shameless!
Despite its best efforts to escape, the goblin soon succumbed to the constant damage it received from the emboldened Alex, who had now turned the tables against the monsters hunting him.
How the tables have turned! The Hunter had become the Hunted.
A few minutes later, the unfortunate goblin died due to Alex's relentless pursuit. The young man's confidence rose further after killing his second goblin.
"Two down," Alex said as he looked at the Experience Bar located on his Status Page.
[Experience Points: 32%]
Now that he had finally killed two of the four goblins, the fear that had gripped him when he first encountered the monsters had lessened drastically.
Although he still feared them, he understood he could now kill them while keeping himself out of harm's reach.
Alex didn't feel much disgust or suffer any trauma from killing goblins for the first time.
He had learned to hunt animals in the mountains during his survival training, so he was not at all squeamish at the sight of blood.
Just like every human being, the young man was starting to adapt to his new reality.
He then drank some water from his waterskin, allowing him to recover from the exhaustion he accumulated after all the running he had done.
— Stamina regeneration increased by 30%
Seeing that Dim Dim's Food Buff had once again activated, the young man headed back to the Goblin Camp to finish what he had started.
If he got lucky, he should be able to arrive at the Town of Thaloria before the sun set on the horizon.