Chapter 14: Fierce Battle Against the Elite Stone Goblin

He had definitely blocked with his shield. 

The shield’s damage reduction was 40%. 

Yet, it still took 300 damage? 

Kang Ju-ho kept his eyes on the elite stone goblin, deep in thought. 

If he hadn’t blocked with his shield, it would’ve been 500 damage. 

‘Not as much as I’d hoped.’

Virtual Earth’s damage formula differed from PC Earth. 

In PC Earth, when resistance and reduction were 0%, damage was calculated by subtracting defense from attack power. 

In other words, raising defense reduced damage by the same amount. 

But in Virtual Earth, raising defense didn’t reduce damage proportionally. 

Even increasing defense by 500 might only reduce damage by 300, or maybe 200. 

No exact formula had been revealed, but speculation suggested it was percentage-based, and many players agreed. 

‘It must’ve reduced some damage… ‘

Raising defense did reduce damage to an extent. 

If he had stopped by the city to sell byproducts and buy equipment to boost defense, this fight would’ve been much easier. 

‘Focus for now!’ 

Kang Ju-ho sidestepped to dodge the incoming metal club. 

The battle had already begun. 

Regrets were useless. 

His remaining health was 3400. 

If he blocked every attack with his shield, he could withstand 11 hits. Without the shield, only 6. 

‘Can I take it down in time?’

The elite stone goblin wasn’t just high in attack power. 

Its health and defense were also substantial. 

‘I can do this! Monsters don’t benefit from high defense either.’

It wasn’t just players who struggled with high defense’s limited effect. 

Monsters faced the same issue. 

In the past, high defense might’ve reduced damage to a mere 1, but now it could take 50 or even 200. 

Kang Ju-ho fought cautiously, dodging the elite goblin’s attacks as much as possible. 

After landing eight successful hits, he shouted, 

“Seok-ju!” 

At this point, even if Kim Seok-ju joined the fight, the elite’s aggro wouldn’t easily shift. 

“Attribute Shackles!” 

At Kang Ju-ho’s call, Kim Seok-ju, who had been safely observing from the bushes, cast Attribute Shackles. 

A stream of water from his staff bound the elite goblin’s body. 

“Seven seconds!” 

Kim Seok-ju shouted. 

Being an elite, the shackles’ duration was significantly shorter than on regular goblins. 

“Okay!” 

Kang Ju-ho opened his inventory and drank a potion. 

It restored 100 health per second. After recovering 500 health, he immediately swung his hammer at the elite goblin. 

Attacking or taking damage would halt the potion’s effect. 

The reason he attacked despite having room to recover more was simple: to trigger the shackles’ explosion effect. 

Thud! 

As the hammer struck, the water stream exploded. 

-!@#$@# 

For the first time, despite eight prior hits, Kang Ju-ho heard the elite goblin’s scream. 

He swung his hammer again at the grimacing, pain-stricken elite. 

Thud! 

This time, it didn’t scream, only swinging its metal club. 

Kang Ju-ho quickly stepped back to dodge. 

‘Huh?’

He couldn’t help but be startled. 

The elite goblin’s gaze kept flickering toward the bushes. 

It was a sign that aggro was about to shift. 

‘Because of the shackles’ explosion?’ 

The explosion from Attribute Shackles dealt significant damage, naturally credited to Kim Seok-ju, not Kang Ju-ho. 

At that moment: 

“Physical Enhancement!” 

[Physical attack power increased by 24% for 3 minutes.] 

Kim Seok-ju cast a buff. 

Buffs also affected aggro. 

“Don’t cast it!” 

Kang Ju-ho shouted at Kim Seok-ju. 

“Attribute Enchantment!” 

[Weapon enchanted with water attribute for 3 minutes.] 

[Shield equipped.] 

[Shield enchanted with water attribute for 3 minutes.] 

But it was too late. 

Kim Seok-ju had already cast the enchantment as Kang Ju-ho shouted. 

Whoosh!

The elite goblin’s head fully turned toward the bushes. 

‘Damn it!’

Cursing inwardly, Kang Ju-ho rushed at the elite. 

Thud!

His hammer struck, and the elite’s gaze snapped back to him. 

Phew. 

He’d narrowly saved Kim Seok-ju from being targeted. 

Kang Ju-ho let out a mental sigh of relief. 

But the relief was short-lived as another metal club swing came. 

He grimaced. 

In his haste to reclaim aggro, he’d rushed in too quickly and couldn’t dodge. 

Boom! 

The club hit his shield, pushing him back. 

-!@#!@ 

The elite goblin roared and charged at him. 

Kang Ju-ho prepared to counter, shouting, 

“Tell me when the shackles’ cooldown is up!” 

The shackles’ damage was significant enough to nearly pull aggro despite eight prior hits. 

The cooldown was two minutes. 

In two minutes, he could land more than eight hits, ensuring the aggro wouldn’t shift even with the shackles’ explosion. 

Whoosh!

The metal club came again. 

Kang Ju-ho dodged to the side and swung his hammer. 

Boom! 

The club hit the ground. 

Thud!

At the same time, his hammer struck the elite’s side. 

‘What?’

Kang Ju-ho was slightly taken aback. 

The elite’s reaction had changed. 

Previously, it barely flinched, but now it visibly winced in pain. 

It didn’t counterattack immediately either. 

Kang Ju-ho stepped back, eyeing the elite’s now fiercer expression. 

‘Why’s it acting like that all of a sudden?’

Something had clearly changed. 

Thud! Thud! 

The elite charged again. 

Kang Ju-ho set his thoughts aside, dodged its attack, and countered. 

Thud! 

-!@$!@ 

This time, it screamed and writhed, far beyond a mere flinch. 

Kang Ju-ho was certain. 

‘It’s weakened!’ 

He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but it was taking more damage than before. 

There was no other explanation for why it was writhing when it had only flinched before. 

This was his chance. 

Kang Ju-ho swung his hammer repeatedly. 

Thud! Thud! 

But perhaps he’d been too aggressive, thinking it was an opportunity? 

The metal club came again, and Kang Ju-ho, distracted by his attacks, noticed it too late. 

Boom! 

He barely raised his shield in time, sliding back and retreating further to create distance. 

He glanced at his health. 

‘What?!’

He was shocked. 

His health had dropped by 500. 

‘500 even with the shield?’ 

‘Could it be like Vegart?’

The fifth main episode’s final boss in PC Earth, the Black Count Vegart, came to mind. 

Vegart had absurdly high defense, but as his health dropped, his defense decreased, and his attack power increased. 

The elite goblin’s behavior suggested it shared this trait. 

‘I need to play safer…’

Kang Ju-ho swallowed hard. 

He didn’t know how much health the elite had left. 

Its attack power could rise even further. 

A single hit, even blocked, could kill him. 

Focusing entirely on the elite, Kang Ju-ho shouted, 

“This thing’s like Vegart! We need to attack together!” 

Kim Seok-ju’s class was Enchanter. 

While he had attack skills, they weren’t strong, as his role was support-focused. 

But against an elite with Vegart-like traits, even weak attack skills didn’t matter. 

Its lowered defense meant significant damage. 

At Kang Ju-ho’s words, Kim Seok-ju stepped out from the bushes into the clearing. 

“Just support with Mana Bolts when you can.” 

“I’ll use shackles as soon as the cooldown’s up, okay?” 

“Yeah!” 

As soon as he answered, the elite charged. 

Kang Ju-ho ran toward it. 

The distance closed quickly, and the elite swung its club. 

Its attack power had increased, but not its speed—in fact, it was slightly slower. 

With Kang Ju-ho fully focused on dodging, he sidestepped the club easily and countered. 

Thud! 

The hammer hit the elite’s side, and it grimaced, raising its club. 

But it didn’t swing. 

Boom! 

A Mana Bolt hit the opposite side, causing an explosion. 

“Nice, Seok-ju!” 

The elite staggered, giving Kang Ju-ho an opening to swing again at the same spot. 

Thud!

After landing the hit, he quickly retreated. 

The elite’s skin was turning red, starting from its face. 

Kang Ju-ho recognized the phenomenon. 

‘Blood state? It’s exactly like Vegart!’ 

When the Black Count Vegart’s health dropped below 20%, his skin turned red, and his attack power and speed increased exponentially. 

‘An elite in a low-level zone?!’

The Stone Goblin Forest was a low-level hunting ground. 

It was baffling that an elite here exhibited a Blood state. 

“Hyung, what do we do? It’s in Blood state!” 

Kim Seok-ju asked. 

“How long until shackles’ cooldown?” 

Flat attacks wouldn’t cut it. 

With its attack power exponentially higher, its defense was drastically lower. 

They needed one strong hit to finish it. 

And they had it: the combo of shackles and shield bash. 

“Twenty seconds!” 

Kim Seok-ju answered. 

Kang Ju-ho gritted his teeth. 

The elite’s skin was already over 90% red. 

It would fully enter Blood state and move before the cooldown ended. 

‘Can I hold out?’ 

He couldn’t gauge how much its attack power and speed had increased. 

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

The fully red elite charged at Kang Ju-ho, moving much faster than before. 

Kang Ju-ho, shield raised, backpedaled to buy time, but the elite’s speed was overwhelming. 

It swung its club. 

Whoosh! 

The club cut through the air at an incredible speed. 

“…!” 

Despite his full focus on dodging, Kang Ju-ho couldn’t avoid it. 

He blocked with his shield. 

Boom!

The club struck, pushing him back. He checked his health. 

“…!” 

He was stunned. 

‘How much did it increase?’

His health, over 3000, was now 1800. 

Even with the shield’s reduction, it took over 1000 damage in one hit. 

He couldn’t fathom how much its attack power had risen. 

‘If I mess this up, the next hit..’

A chill ran down his spine. 

‘I have to dodge!’ 

If he didn’t, he might die. 

Kang Ju-ho locked eyes with the approaching elite goblin.