--
TJ didn't fall for the goblin's tricks. He killed it where it stood and watched as the goblin faded into dust with a bewildered face.
As if confirming its death, several system alerts flashed past his eyes.
[Goblin killed! ]
[+10 exp! ]
[Quest Updated! ]
[Kill Slime 1/1]
[Kill Goblin 1/1]
Summon the next monster? ]
**
"Yes," TJ decisively answered.
He wasn't tired, not even out of breath. The goblin might've been swifter than the slime, but it's just as weak, especially since it's by itself. Goblins are only ever a threat as a group. The more of them there are, the worse they become. But if it's just one, even a freshly minted pro could defeat or kill them.
The next enemy, though, might not be as easy.
Fwoosh!
Accompanied by a gust of wind, the Kobold appeared.
Humanoid but smaller and leaner than most humans, standing upright with scale-covered skin that ranges from earthen brown to dull crimson. A short snout, glowing amber eyes, and clawed digits give them a distinctly reptilian appearance. Their tails sway for balance, and their nostrils flare when they scent metal or blood.
They're miners and scavengers by instinct, often carrying crude tools turned into weapons—pickaxes, jagged blades, or slings. Their voices are rasping but organized; they bark commands and coordinate surprisingly well underground.
Additionally, their bodies emit a faint heat that radiates outwards, one that could be felt by getting close enough to one.
Woof! Arrr!!
Kobolds are definitely a step up compared to slimes and goblins. While not as fast as goblins, their speed was still decent. They definitely hit harder compared to the previous two and had more intelligence.
Rumors said that Kobolds are descendants of dragons; although TJ hasn't confirmed whether this was true or not, it definitely feels like he's facing a wild beast.
The kobold he's about to face wields a sword that's almost as big and as wide as he is. Its dull edge rested upon the creature's shoulders. The sharp edge was chipped, almost jagged, all over. Its handle was long, and it surely looked heavy, yet somehow, the creature was carrying it with surprising ease.
The moment it spawned, its attention was immediately on him. It yipped, probably threatening him in the kobold language, but TJ would never know. What he knows is that this thing wasn't friendly at all.
Swoosh!
With a burst of speed, the kobold dashes forward with that big-ass sword on its shoulders. When it got close enough to TJ, it swung its massive sword, which he most definitely evaded.
TJ lunged forward, delivering a fast and precise poke to its body. However...
Ting!
The tip of his rapier slid off after meeting its tough scales. TJ hurriedly ducked to dodge another swing before retreating to gain some distance.
Kobolds have two common skills: [Tough Scales] and [Flame Breath]. The former had already made itself known to TJ.
[Tough Scales] wasn't an active skill. It's a passive skill that's exclusive to scaled creatures. Almost every creature or monster that possessed scales had this skill.
[Flame Breath] remains to be seen, but it's the source of the rumors that say kobolds were descendants of dragons.
Clang!
The sound of the kobold brandishing its greatsword sounded out; the way the creature handled it was crude and careless, but with such a big sword, it's understandable why. Besides, kobolds aren't really known for their intellect.
TJ tilted his body backwards, deftly avoiding yet another slash. He then transitioned smoothly into his offensive, sending yet another strike at the kobold's abdomen.
He was expecting his weapon to make a sharp sound again, hitting the creature's scales, but something different happened.
Tss!!
Like a hot knife through butter, the tip of his rapier pierced the kobold's chest, driving straight to its heart. The kobold was shocked and pained. It immediately tried to retaliate by swinging its sword.
TJ was similarly shocked. He wasn't expecting this either, but he focused because now was not the time to be distracted. He let go of his rapier, knowing that he couldn't dodge with it; he bent his spine back and avoided yet another large swing.
Then he rode that momentum to a backflip as he reached out to the kobold's hand, twisting it with him and forcing the creature to let go of the sword. The kobold roared in pain yet again, feeling the pain of having its arm crippled.
In its panic, it tried to scorch TJ with its [Flame Breath], but it missed. TJ moved fast and was alreafy standing behind the creature with its greatsword raised. Then, with a grunt, he bisected the kobold using its own weapon.
**
[Kobold Killed! ]
[+15 exp! ]
[Quest updated! ]
[Kill Slime 1/1]
[Kill Goblin 1/1]
[Kill Kobold 1/1]
Summon the next monster? ]
**
TJ sighed and thought about what happened.
'The armor penetration kicked in.' He made an educated guess.
If he was correct, and he's pretty confident that he was, then it would make sense why he was able to pierce the kobold's skin despite its [Tough Scales].
He bent down to pick up his weapon. He inspected it briefly, and aside from being stained with the monster's blood, it's fine. It's still sharp, flexible, and durable.
"That's 35 exp in total," he muttered. "Three and a half days' worth of exp."
TJ felt his mood surging. Earning exp this way was too easy; he wished that he could come here every day. Alas, he knows that that's not possible.
As stellar of a student as he was, it doesn't justify this kind of privilege. The maintenance cost of having VR Pods active was astronomical after all.
So, he could only do what he could right now. And that is to take advantage of this.
"Yes, spawn the next monster," he declared.
Fwoosh!
The wind blew again, and from a distance, TJ's next enemy materialized right before his eyes.
It was a black-striped dire tiger.
A sleek, towering predator with muscles coiled under an elegant pelt of black and ember-orange stripes. Its eyes gleam gold in low light, and every movement radiates lethal grace. Its fangs glint like polished ivory, and its tail flicks with silent precision—a predator's metronome.
Unlike ordinary beasts, Dire Tigers exude an aura of dominance; smaller animals scatter when they prowl. Its paws make almost no sound—the only warning before attack is a low growl that vibrates through bone.
Just like the kobold, this tiger growled at him the moment it spawned. Its ill intent was almost clear from its body language.
Seeing this creature, Cedric understood that the difficulty of this exam just spiked.
Black-striped dire tigers like this one are true predators amongst beasts. They were born to hunt others for sustenance. They're apex predators, meaning that they hunt others without the fear of anything hunting them down.
In their natural habitat, of course.
This tiger stood almost as tall as TJ was; its body was massive, and it could definitely explode with a strength far greater than something its size could/should have.
Grrr!
The deep rumbling growl of the tiger rang across the prairie. TJ wasn't seeing things when he saw how the grass underneath it trembled along with the sound.
Then, without a moment's notice, the tiger pounced at him at a speed far greater than what both the kobold and the goblin could muster.
TJ then felt a sense of crisis. Fortunately, when he started moving by employing his footwork skill, he felt his body suddenly lighten and his speed increase.
This was Flash Step's skill trait, Speedburst III, activating and increasing his speed by 40% for the next two minutes.
This helped him dodge the tiger's pounce, which would've definitely torn him apart. TJ even saw how its claws stretched out and the sheer force it carried.
Not one to be outdone, though, TJ delivered an attack of his own. He stabbed the beast with his rapier, hoping for the Armor Penetration trait to trigger again.
Alas, no luck. His rapier's tip was stopped by the tough and leathery hide of the tiger. It couldn't pass through even though TJ used a considerable amount of his strength in his stab, bending the rapier slightly with it.
What it successfully did, though, was to piss the beast off more than before.
Roar!!
It delivered a shocking roar that caused the air to tremble. It didn't hit TJ because he retreated once he noticed the tiger's throat vibrating.
The tiger used one of its most common skills, the [Beast Roar]. Had TJ been hit by this, he would have experienced dizziness and weakness. He'd become a helpless lamb that could only be torn into pieces by this huge-ass tiger.
Fortunately, he evaded it just in time.
'Oh boy, this is going to be a little hard,' TJ mused to himself.
Yes, the difficulty of this exam most definitely spiked with this monster. The previous monsters he faced before couldn't even compare themselves to this time.
This tiger will instantly tear those three to shreds in a moment's notice. That's not a question, but a certainty.
But while this beast was certainly a challenge, it couldn't trump TJ's desire to pass the exam. There was no way he'd spend another year in prep school.
Besides...
"I wonder how much exp you'd give me."