Brian Carter appeared extremely cautious. Druids who haven't learned shapeshifting skills aren't good at close combat, have low health, and can be taken out easily. Fortunately, he was already level ten, wearing spiked shoulder pads and a few pieces of basic gear, so his defense was decent.

A chilling aura seeped from the dense grass. A cold wind blew by, and he sensed some faint movement behind him, immediately becoming alert.

Screech! With a sharp, piercing cry, a green-skinned goblin about half as tall as a person leapt out of the grass, swinging a hatchet at Brian Carter.

Just as the hatchet was about to hit him, Brian Carter shifted his body to the side and slipped into the nearby grass, feeling the hatchet whistle past his ear, making his heart race. This was Brian Carter's first time fighting a monster in close quarters, so it was natural to feel a bit nervous. Luckily, he had trained in close combat, so his reactions were extremely sharp.

Firebolt!

Brian Carter chanted a spell, and a small fireball shot toward the green-skinned goblin, exploding on impact with a bang. The goblin's health immediately dropped by a chunk. The Black Oil spell took too long to cast and wasn't suitable for this kind of encounter, so he could only use Firebolt. Since his level was one higher than the goblin's, the fireball's damage was considerable.

The green-skinned goblin chased after Brian Carter, but Brian Carter darted swiftly through the thick grass, quickly putting distance between them. Firebolts shot from his palm one after another. With a bang, the goblin was blasted away, landing sprawled on the ground.

It seemed that grinding monsters wasn't all that difficult, Brian Carter thought, feeling as if he had gained some insight.

Brian Carter bent down and picked up the items dropped by the goblin—two copper coins in total.

"Actually, grinding monsters is pretty similar to real-life fighting. In reality, close combat relies on agility, strength, and technique, while in the game, you just need to use a few skills. The only tricky part is mastering the timing and cooldowns of your skills," Brian Carter muttered. In the past, he had just played virtual games casually, but now that he was truly putting effort into studying them, he was naturally making new discoveries.

Thinking as he went, he kept an eye on his coordinates. A few minutes later, he finally reached his destination. Looking into the distance at a patch of thick weeds, he spotted a burly goblin warrior carrying a spiked club. Goblin warriors were gnome-type creatures—short in stature but very strong in combat. Their sturdy armor gleamed with a silvery light, making them look quite formidable.

Level fifteen elite creature: Goblin Warrior Sagalor, 900 health. This guy had a lot of HP! If the information was correct, there should be a blood-staunching herb and a pile of ore nearby. Scanning the area, his gaze finally landed on the edge of a patch of thick weeds, where a small, inconspicuous reddish plant caught Brian Carter's eye. It was indeed the blood-staunching herb. This herb could be used to make basic health potions and would be quite valuable for some time to come. Not far from the herb was a pile of gleaming ore—the lowest-grade white copper ore!

White copper ore was a material for forging equipment and was fairly valuable. Unfortunately, you could only learn the mining skill after reaching level fifteen, and you had to be at least a miner apprentice to mine white copper ore. Brian Carter had to give up on that—his goal wasn't to become a miner.

He estimated the distance between himself and the goblin warrior, recalling all the information in his mind about how to kill it.

Brian Carter slowly approached the goblin warrior and stopped about fifteen yards away. The goblin warrior still hadn't noticed Brian Carter, wandering back and forth with its spiked club. Brian Carter crouched down, dug into the dirt, and placed the first ground spike. After setting the first one, he retreated six steps and buried the second. He continued like this, taking five minutes to set all six ground spikes in place.

Once everything was ready, Brian Carter slowly moved closer to the goblin warrior.

At ten yards, a sharp gleam flashed in Brian Carter's eyes as he locked onto the goblin warrior and began chanting spells.

The goblin warrior was wandering around when it suddenly sensed something. Its ghostly blue eyes immediately turned toward Brian Carter's direction, letting out a low roar as it charged forward with its spiked club.

Their eyes met. Feeling the threat from the goblin warrior, Brian Carter's heartbeat quickened slightly. This challenge against Goblin Warrior Sagalor was much harder and more dangerous than the earlier fight with the venomous spider Aisara. But at this moment, he couldn't afford even a trace of fear.

Six yards. Five yards. Brian Carter uttered the final syllable.

Black Oil!

Thick, sticky black oil poured down from above, drenching the goblin warrior. Under the effect of the oil, the goblin warrior's movement speed slowed noticeably.

Firebolt!

A fireball shot toward the goblin warrior, hitting it with a hiss. Flames immediately engulfed its body, and damage numbers in the twenties floated above its head.

Level two Black Oil and Firebolt—yet this was all the effect they had. This guy's defense was really high.

The goblin warrior let out an angry roar, ignoring the blazing flames on its body, and swung its spiked club down at Brian Carter.