Chapter 23: Monster Strategy
Congratulations! You completed the second stage of the VR simulator!
You received 500 coins!
Calculating your score…
Flawless Victory + 1000 points.
Time + 450 points
Solo fight + 1000 points…
Congratulations! You scored 2450 points.
Do you wish to proceed to the next stage? Y/N
That surprised Ethan a little bit. Even though Ian was there, the simulator didn't accept his presence as someone who was there to help him. Regardless, he took the third position again, and the second and the first were the same as the previous stage.
"Wow, amazing!" Ian said while clapping his hands and with a smile on his face. "You did it again without receiving a single point of damage. Still, with your level of power, I wonder if you will be able to do the same in the next stage."
Ethan also had a feeling that things would become a little more complicated in the third stage. However, it wasn't like he had to fight seriously. Besides, he had skill points and if, and if he used them, Ethan was sure that Bash would become strong enough to crush even monsters bigger than himself. However, Ethan didn't feel like solving his problems like that. He wanted to regain his strength by working hard and using those status points in a serious situation. Not in a simulator where his life wasn't in danger.
Regardless, Ethan still had to name his position on the rank, so this time he used: This party is getting crazy, let's rock. Weirdly enough, despite his problems, Ethan saw himself smiling while messing around like that. It was an excellent way to remember the good old days, where his only worry was about what he should eat during the late hours of the night on the weekends.
"You have some weird sense of humor," Ian said while frowning. "Well, I guess it is better than embarrassing himself and using lame nicknames."
For an instant, Ian got curious about the position in the rank of Ian. However, he soon got rid of the idea. Ian doesn't look like the type who would take the simulator seriously. If he really was an assassin in another world, then he had no reason to show his skills.
Besides, Ethan also didn't get closer to such a person. Ethan was a warrior who faced his enemies fair and square, his hands were probably dirtier than Ian's, but he did everything without sneaking around and ending the life of his enemies while they were aware of him. Warriors and assassins don't get along well for obvious reasons.
Ethan had enough coins to buy a much better sword than his current one, and despite that, he decided not to do it. It was all for the sake of training. Besides, to sharpen his instincts, Ethan had to face some difficulties.
You received a new quest!
Complete the third stage of the VR simulator!
Reward: 1500 coins.
Weirdly enough, Ethan frowned when the new monsters appeared. It was those yellow goblins again. However, they were a bit different from the previous ones. First of all, those new goblins looked pretty fit, unlike the other goblins, who looked like they were about to die of starvation. Not only that, the second group had goblins fully armed and armored. Those who had lances also had shields big enough to protect them.
Some of them were armed with dual swords, and the archers had crossbows… rapid fire crossbows. As if that wasn't impressive enough, all the goblins appeared while showing a formation. Those who had shields were at the front and didn't intend to let Ethan pass by them. The dual wielders were right behind them, but it looked like they would attack only if the lancers were defeated. They were there to protect the archers on the back.
"Well, this is quite surprising."
It looked like Ethan would have to face a proper army in that situation. Although the enemies were just fifty goblins, the difficulty raised quite a bit. However, Ethan had tons of experience in facing armies. After all, he defeated the demon army alone in another world. Things would have become a bit more difficult if the front line had attacked first. However, the ones who made the first move had been the archers. They made bolts rain down over Ethan, but he successfully protected his body just by raising his sword and turning it to the side.
Some bolts hit his sword, while others passed by Ethan and hit the ground behind him. However, some began to lose height pretty soon and ended up flying direct to his chest. Still, Ethan just had to take a few steps forward in order to avoid them. The goblin archers insisted on that strategy, but before they could run out of projectiles, they stopped.
"Well, it looks like their AI isn't half bad."
The lancers and their shields charged toward Ethan as if they were a wave. Now that was a problem. Ethan wasn't strong enough to stop them. Nor did he have a sword large enough to hit a big number of them. The only real option was to retreat and destroy the enemy formation. However, Ethan had never retreated before, and he wouldn't start now in a simulator. Besides, the dual wielders and the archer followed their frontline, and all in order to keep their formation.
"I will have to make it do with what I have here."
Although they were big goblins with shields, their shields weren't made of iron, nor were they much thick. They could be destroyed. Before doing anything, Ethan allocated the free status points that he had into strength and then readied himself. He didn't have much stamina, given that he blocked the arrows a few times in the previous stage, but he had more than enough to use Brutal Swing a single time… and so he did it.
When the monsters were close enough to hit Ethan, he disappeared from their sight with a single movement. He wasn't fast enough for that, Ethan just let the strength of his body explode in a second, and that was what caused that illusion. The next moment, five goblins and their shields were thrown away in the air. The monsters didn't die, but their shields broke. More important than that, their formation had been destroyed. Without worrying about getting surrounded, Ethan dashed toward the dual-wielders. Before they could react to the human who suddenly appeared before then, the head of the two rolled on the ground.
You received forty-two experience points.
You received eight coins.
You received twenty-four experience points.
You received eight coins.
Ethan couldn't help but suffer a few scratches here and there in that position. However, before the monsters could land any real blow, he would split them in two.
"I guess that is one way to deal with many enemies alone," Ian said while studying Ethan's fighting style. "Still… how come he can pull this off without being barely stronger than a single of the goblins?"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone