22: Sword and Shield Practice
One-hit kill!
Lin Feng himself was a little surprised by this result.
He knew his current strength was formidable, but he hadn't expected that, combined with the most ordinary white-grade longsword, he could unleash such terrifying destructive power.
A strength attribute of 9.02 was not just simple brute force; it also enhanced Lin Feng's explosive speed and coordination. This made his sword thrust swift, accurate, and ruthless, concentrating almost all his power on the tip of the sword.
The Goblin, struck in its fragile throat, was utterly incapable of withstanding such horrific piercing damage.
The Goblin, instantly killed, didn't even have time to scream before its eyes widened, a gurgling sound escaped its throat, and it collapsed limply.
The other two Goblins seemed to be stimulated by this bloody scene. They let out a more piercing shriek and attacked Lin Feng from both left and right.
Facing the pincer attack, Lin Feng's response was completely different from when he was bare-handed.
He chose not to dodge or retreat; instead, he advanced, thrusting his steel shield sharply forward to the left!
"Bang!"
The edge of the steel shield struck the chest of the Goblin on the left with precision and force. The immense power directly caused that Goblin to stumble, its attack rhythm instantly disrupted.
This was another use for a shield—a shield bash!
Although he hadn't learned any shield skills, with his powerful strength and Physique, even the most basic bash was enough to produce excellent control.
While knocking away the left Goblin, Lin Feng's body had already rotated to the right. The longsword in his right hand traced a simple yet deadly arc, sweeping upwards from below, aiming for the abdomen of the Goblin on the right.
"Puff!"
The sound of the blade piercing flesh rang out again.
A long gash appeared on the Goblin's abdomen, and green blood and internal organs instantly spilled out.
"-95!"
Although it didn't hit a vital spot, it still caused tremendous damage.
That Goblin let out a mournful shriek, its wooden club dropping weakly to the ground, as it clutched its belly and struggled in pain.
Lin Feng gave it no chance. With a flick of his wrist, the longsword swept upwards, precisely slicing across its neck.
The second Goblin, dead.
At this moment, the Goblin that had been knocked away by the shield bash had just regained its footing. It looked at its two companions, who had died in the blink of an eye, and finally, a hint of something called "Fear" appeared in its cloudy little eyes.
It let out a strange cry and turned to flee.
How could Lin Feng let go of these "Materials" that were about to be his?
He chased after it with a swift stride, and the longsword in his hand cleanly pierced its heart from behind.
The battle ended.
From start to finish, the entire process took no more than fifteen seconds.
Lin Feng didn't even break a sweat.
He stood beside the three Goblin corpses, looking down at the sword and shield in his hands, his eyes glinting with thought.
"With weapons and a shield, my fighting style has become more dynamic and efficient."
A shield is not just for defense; it is also a Sharp Weapon for control and creating opportunities.
The longsword, on the other hand, converted his powerful strength attribute into deadly destructive power in the most efficient way.
He felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.
Before, he had only fought using his body's instincts. Now, he was truly beginning to think about how to use "tools" to maximize his attribute advantages.
He didn't rush to collect the corpses but slowly wielded the longsword in his hand where he stood.
Stab, cleave, sweep, hack... these were all the most basic sword movements. He hadn't learned any systematic sword techniques, but relying on the faint control brought by the Weapon Proficiency fragment and his perfect control over his body, he repeated these movements over and over again.
His movements, initially clumsy, gradually became fluid, and finally, seamless.
He then raised his shield, practicing blocking, ramming, and the coordination between shield and sword.
Time slowly passed in this monotonous yet focused practice... One hour later.
Another part of the Goblin Forest.
Avril's team was engaged in a difficult struggle with a slightly larger Goblin Warrior.
This Goblin Warrior was much stronger than ordinary Goblins, wielding a crude stone axe and wearing simple leather armor. Its Health and defense were significantly higher.
"Shield Warrior, hold the line! It's about to use [Cleave]!" The team's commander, a Warrior named Zhao Kai, shouted loudly.
The Shield Warrior at the front of the team immediately raised his shield and activated the [Block] skill.
"Clang!"
The stone axe struck the shield heavily, producing a loud clang. The Shield Warrior grunted. Although his defense wasn't broken, he was shaken by the immense force, staggering back repeatedly, and his Health dropped a small amount.
"Mages, output! Quickly!" Zhao Kai urged anxiously.
The female Mage in the team quickly chanted a spell, and fireballs rained down on the Goblin Warrior.
"-28!"
"-31!"
Damage numbers appeared, but they were not ideal. The Goblin Warrior's leather armor provided it with decent magic resistance.
"Priest, heal the Shield Warrior! Quickly!"
Under Zhao Kai's command, the entire team, though a bit flustered, cooperated quite well. They were like a machine just starting to operate, each gear diligently meshing, struggling to push the battle forward.
After ten long minutes of "tickle-damage" output and risky healing, they finally wore down the Goblin Warrior's Health.
"Phew... Finally... finally killed it."
Everyone slumped to the ground, panting heavily. The Mage's Mana was almost depleted again, and the Shield Warrior's Health was less than one-third remaining.
"Quick, see what dropped!" Zhao Kai, ignoring his fatigue, rushed forward excitedly.
Beside the Goblin Warrior's corpse, a pair of worn-out straw sandals lay quietly.
[Worn Straw Sandals]
[Quality: White-grade]
[Rank: 3]
[Attribute: Agility +1]
"Wow! Equipment dropped! And it adds attributes!"
"Great! We're really lucky!"
A cheer immediately erupted from the team. A white-grade piece of equipment that only added 1 point of Agility was already a huge fortune to them.
Avril looked at her cheering teammates, a relieved smile on her face.
Although the process was tough, overcoming powerful enemies through teamwork and gaining rewards—this was the true joy of an adventurer's journey.
She leaned against a tree, drinking a potion, and silently calculated in her mind.
"This Goblin Warrior's experience value is about five times that of an ordinary Goblin. Divided among the five of us, each person gained about 5% experience. If we kill a dozen more, I should be able to reach Rank 4."
She felt satisfied with her progress.
She had no idea that in just this one hour, Lin Feng, whom she considered "only good at hiding," had single-handedly cleared over thirty Goblins.
While they were still cheering for defeating an elite monster, Lin Feng had already honed his sword and shield coordination to an even greater proficiency.
He stood in a messy clearing, surrounded by the corpses of seven or eight Goblins.
He glanced at his status; his Health had only decreased by less than one-tenth.
"It's about time to officially start 'harvesting'."
He put away his longsword, squatted down, a look of harvest-like joy on his face, and began his favorite "gathering" phase.