Chapter 6, The First Battle

In that moment, his heart was filled with the joy of victory, instilling him with great confidence. This is how humanity behaves: when confronted with the unknown, we are often timid as mice; yet, upon discovering that the unknown is something we can conquer, we tend to become blindly optimistic.

Upon reaching this thought, Lin Tianyu took a deep breath, suddenly stood up, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and looked at the pale-faced figure in the mirror, continuously encouraging himself deep within.

Lin Tianyu had not run far when his feet became covered in muck, causing him to slow down involuntarily. At that moment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back, as if he had been pierced by a thrown spear.

Fortunately, the spear was not very sharp, and the canvas raincoat was relatively tough; thus, the thrust did not penetrate too deeply. However, his anger was instantly provoked.

He glanced back, realizing that the goblin chasing him was only a few steps away. Knowing he could not escape, he suddenly turned around and delivered a sweeping strike. The goblin, unable to stop in time, was struck on the head by the blade. Although the sword was not sharpened, it was still a heavy metal object, and it caused a significant dent in the goblin's skull, clearly indicating that it would not survive.

He reached into his pocket and felt around; apart from a few small denomination bills, there was nothing else. He then checked his trouser pocket and unexpectedly touched something hard.

He was pondering whether he should continue with the book investigation when the goblin suddenly popped out again

What a great opportunity! Lin Tianyu did not hesitate for a moment, turning around and running. As he ran, he glanced back; those goblins seemed to have started fighting over the lighter, completely ignoring him. He felt a sense of relief in his heart, yet his pace did not slow down at all, until he burst through that door, firmly locking the black wooden door behind him, and only then did he truly relax.

Wawa oh yo! Gali duo a yo! It shouted loudly, as if calling out to something

Goblin? He thought uncertainly in his heart, the small creature before him indeed reminded him of goblins, which are only found in fantasy novels and online games. If it really is a goblin, then it would be fine; those creatures are timid and weak, purely meant for novice adventurers to practice their sword skills. As he pondered this, he suddenly let out a loud roar—"Ah!!!"

In the distance, a gaunt figure came into view. The zombie seemed to have halted due to the disappearance of its target. At this moment, Lin Tianyu strode forward without a trace of fear. The sound of his footsteps immediately attracted the attention of the zombie, which emitted a low growl once more and extended its forearm towards Lin Tianyu. However, Lin Tianyu was now devoid of any fear. The accelerated secretion of adrenaline caused a momentary haze before his eyes, and he took deep breaths to keep himself sufficiently calm. When he was merely a dozen meters away from the zombie, Lin Tianyu suddenly quickened his pace. The zombie growled again, extending its forearm towards Lin Tianyu, but he was now free of fear. The rush of adrenaline blurred his vision, and he continued to take deep breaths to maintain his composure. As he approached within a few meters of the zombie, Lin Tianyu abruptly increased his speed.

The double-handed sword was raised high, and with a diagonal slash, a sound of "puchi" was heard as the walking corpse was directly cleaved to the ground by this full-force strike, collapsing into the mud like a sack of grain.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Tianyu turned and ran, while the several goblins pursued relentlessly, their bare little feet racing swiftly across the muddy ground

It seemed that he had attracted attention with his loud shout. As he walked past a thicket, a small green head peeked out from the bushes, then quickly withdrew.

The zombie does not appear to be very formidable; aside from its repulsive appearance, it moves slowly and lacks vision, yet I was surprisingly frightened away by it

Lin Tianyu initially found the sound amusing, but when seven or eight goblins suddenly charged out from the bushes one after another, he no longer felt the same way

Lin Tianyu brandished the long sword in his hand, emitting a threatening sound as he confronted the goblins, momentarily falling into a stalemate

Continuing like this is not a good thing, Lin Tianyu has realized that these goblins are clearly eyeing the equipment on him. Although the replica longsword is not very sharp, it does look quite appealing. If he throws the sword, it might provoke them to fight among themselves, giving him a chance to escape

You can do it, you can do it, you will definitely succeed, Lin Tianyu! He kept repeating this to himself until the expression in the eyes of the person in the mirror gradually transformed into one of determination. He turned around, picked up the long sword that had been thrown on the ground, and pulled open the black wooden door to walk out.

The remaining goblins seemed momentarily stunned by his action, not immediately rushing to attack. However, they were unwilling to leave just like that, each brandishing rusted small knives and poorly made spears, encircling him and refusing to depart.

He stood guard with his sword raised, and after a while, a green-skinned monster over one meter tall emerged from the bushes

While shouting, he charged forward with his sword raised. The goblin, however, seemed genuinely timid, frightened by Lin Tianyu's shout and turning to flee. Lin Tianyu did not pursue; instead, he found the goblin's clumsy escape quite amusing.

Lin Tianyu, harboring such a blind confidence, strolled leisurely through the woods

First it was zombies, and now it's goblins. Could it be that this place is truly a fantasy world

It had an extraordinarily ugly large head, pointed ears, and its skin was green, covered with a layer of moss-like substance due to prolonged exposure to humid air. It wore a strange garment made of burlap and tattered animal skins, and in its hand, it gripped a wooden spear over one meter long. The spear appeared to be crudely fashioned from a rusty dagger tied to a long branch, looking exceedingly rough. The creature held this seemingly inferior spear, watching Lin Tianyu with a wary expression, its gaze sweeping back and forth over Lin Tianyu's canvas raincoat and stainless steel longsword, as if there was a greedy and ferocious glint in its eyes, causing Lin Tianyu to feel a wave of unease.

However, he is not certain about this; if by any chance those goblins do not remember themselves, wouldn't he lose his only weapon as well

After a while, when he finally adapted to the sharp pain in his lungs caused by intense exercise and his heartbeat gradually returned to normal, a feeling of shame began to gradually occupy his heart

Perhaps this can be used to distract them! As he thought this, he took out a lighter and waved the red plastic casing of the lighter in front of the goblins.

It is a lighter! He suddenly remembered that although he does not usually smoke, he had specifically packed a few disposable plastic lighters in his pocket for the sake of his expedition to the deserted island

The so-called undead creatures are nothing more than this! Lin Tianyu thought to himself, suddenly feeling emboldened. He no longer felt timid, nor was he as cautious as before. He decided to first conduct a few small-scale reconnaissance missions to thoroughly explore the surrounding terrain. Once he had gained sufficient experience, he would take enough food and embark on a long-distance march.

If we can find the humans of this world, perhaps we can engage in some trade. Even if there is a language barrier, we will always find a way to communicate through gestures and actions

Lin Tianyu took a few steps back, only to find that the corpse seemed unable to stand up again. He thought to himself, how could this monster be so weak? However, the excitement of victory quickly took over his emotions. He raised the sword in his hand towards the sky and shouted with the fervor of a soldier who had just won a battle, "Yay!!! Yay!!!"

He recalled the times when he used to boast with others online and in forums, for instance, how he would behave if he were to enter the world of Dungeons and Dragons, speaking with great bravado. Yet now, he found himself intimidated by a monster that appeared to be utterly weak.

Lin Tianyu felt a surge of joy in his heart, thinking that there seemed to be a way out. He suddenly threw the lighter far away, and in almost an instant, the several goblins surrounding Lin Tianyu all rushed towards the direction of the lighter.

The goblins immediately displayed expressions of greed, perhaps perceiving the red plastic shell as something akin to a ruby, their eyes fixated on it.

Lin Tianyu was taken aback, wondering what kind of monster it was this time