Since he had set out early in the morning today, Winnie didn’t have time to complete his daily tasks, and now he felt like ants were crawling all over his body.

Walking through the mountain forest, his silver-scaled armor and brass shoulder plates gleamed brilliantly, reflecting dazzling light.

Winnie tightened the saber at his waist, as if this could give him a greater sense of security.

Nervousness was inevitable.

After all, in both lifetimes, this was his first time gripping a weapon and engaging in a fierce battle with monsters that only existed in fantasy.

Moreover, based on the intelligence he had gathered, the goblins in this world lived up to their notorious reputation, murder, arson, pillaging, and abducting women, they did it all.

They were truly the epitome of evil, far surpassing his own skills as a rogue in terms of professionalism and competence.

As for the fate of the abducted human women… Well, it goes without saying.

Those who know, know.

In fact, according to many unverified legends, they had even kidnapped elven princesses and Human Saintness.

Winnie was grateful he wasn’t a woman.

Otherwise, if those goblins caught his scent, they might just get a buff.

The dense forest blocked out the sky, and Winnie began to understand why the knight corps had failed to completely eradicate the bandits in the Berek Forest.

Given the lushness of this jungle, finding cover was easy, but spotting anything beyond five meters was nearly impossible.

The knights were unfamiliar with jungle warfare and the terrain, while the local bandits knew the forest like the back of their hands.

They weaved through the jungle with ease, using the countless natural covers to evade the knights’ searches. It was a perfect natural sanctuary.

No wonder the players jokingly referred to Berek Village as a “grinding cage.”

This natural barrier was ideal for harboring all sorts of filth, with every kind of monster crawling into it.

Thinking about it this way, it wasn’t surprising that goblins had made their home here.

A refreshing breeze carrying the scent of soil suddenly carried a hint of blood.

Winnie gathered his thoughts and looked up.

He had arrived.

Before him, a lush curtain of vines covered a moss-covered stone cave.

If one didn’t look closely, it would be easy to mistake it for just a large rock.

“Wak Wak!” A sharp cry rang out, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps retreating deeper into the cave.

Winnie knew he had been spotted by the goblin sentries.

They had already retreated into their nest to inform their kin that a human intruder had arrived.

They had probably also reported his numbers and equipment.

Goblins were good at nothing except bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

The lack of immediate action was because they weren’t sure if he was truly alone.

Once their scouts confirmed he was by himself, the horde of goblins, unable to hold back any longer, would likely swarm out.

As expected, after a brief silence, the cave erupted with a series of strange screeches.

In an instant, the area above and around the cave was filled with green goblins, their yellow eyes gleaming.

Their attire was varied, clearly pieced together from the clothes of unfortunate adventurers.

Their weapons were equally diverse, some carried short bows, others slingshots, throwing knives, or simply picked up sharp stones from the ground.

While these weapons might not seem impressive, they could still pose a significant threat to adventurers.

Being hit in the face or a vital spot by a stone could severely impair one’s ability to move.

After all, this was reality, not a game.

Getting struck by a sharp rock wasn’t just about losing a bit of health or having your defense broken, it could be far more serious.

The goblins waved their weapons, shouting at Winnie in their incomprehensible language, “Wak Wak!”

Not a single word of human speech could be discerned, so Winnie understood none of it.

However, he noticed many details about the goblins.

For instance, they weren’t completely hairless monsters, they had pores.

Their small yellow eyes lacked pupils, and they emitted a stench similar to that of wild boars.

Up close, Winnie wanted to pinch his nose, but he couldn’t, he couldn’t reach it right now.

Goblins probably didn’t know the concept of bathing.

Were they trying to suffocate him with their stench?

Winnie noticed that the goblins on both sides were attempting to flank him, cutting off his retreat.

But it didn’t matter. He had no intention of retreating anyway.

The ones who should be running weren’t him, it was these goblins.

“Wak Wak!” The goblins stared at the gleaming silver-scaled armor Winnie wore under the sunlight, their eyes glinting with greed, as if they had just spotted a treasure.

The goblin at the front, waving a small flag of unknown origin chaotically in the air, let out a series of shrill cries.

The goblins behind him, as if pumped with adrenaline, raised their bows and slingshots, hurling stones and throwing knives at Winnie.

In short, they unleashed every ranged attack they could muster.

“Whoosh! Whoosh!” The stolen arrows and throwing knives couldn’t even pierce the scaled armor, bouncing off effortlessly.

As for the stones and slingshot pellets, they merely clinked against the thick steel-plated armor, their force completely dissipated.

The iron-clad man stood motionless, as if he hadn’t even felt their attacks.

“Wak wak?” The goblins were stunned.

“Done?” Winnie stretched his shoulders, which had grown stiff under the weight of the armor, and drew his saber.

The goblins, still stubbornly refusing to give up, continued their futile attempts.

A barrage of stones and arrows rained down on the iron-clad man, but he didn’t even flinch, let alone take a step.

Seeing the iron-clad man charging toward them, the goblins panicked, pushing and shoving their way back into the cave, trampling over their own kind in their haste.

Those who were knocked down by their companions didn’t make it back to the cave in time.

When they looked up again, a massive shadow loomed over them.

“Had enough fun?” With a swift swing of his blade, Winnie decapitated a goblin that hadn’t made it back to the cave.

Watching the straggling goblins scramble to their feet and flee, Winnie found it difficult to give chase.

Although the enchanted armor reduced the weight of the plate, it didn’t eliminate it entirely.

He still had to endure the burden of the heavy armor.

He couldn’t afford to exhaust his stamina too early.

Glancing at the lifeless goblin at his feet, Winnie trudged forward with heavy steps, heading into the cave.

Inside the cavern, the flickering firelight reflected off the silver-scaled armor.

The sound of footsteps, accompanied by the clinking of metal plates, filled the air as the iron-clad man advanced with an overwhelming presence.

“Wak Wak!” The goblins switched to melee weapons, stolen short swords and cleavers, but as they watched the iron-clad man approach, they only dared to howl, none brave enough to step forward.

Seeing this, Winnie smirked and gestured provocatively at the goblins, curling his finger in a “come here” motion.

Two goblins, enraged by the taunt, charged forward, each slashing at Winnie from either side.

“Clang! Clang!” Two faint metallic clinks echoed.

Winnie glanced down at his abdomen, the armor plates hadn’t even been scratched.

With swift movements, he grabbed one goblin’s head with his left hand, slamming it to the ground, and crushed its skull under the heavy steel boot.

At the same time, he swung his saber, slicing the throat of the other goblin, who was still frozen in shock.