"Dat!!" The goblins charged in the direction where Anyi had vanished. However, as they came closer, the only thing that awaited them was the sight of another quivering body. Anyi had once more vanished into thin air, his location unknown.

Rustling...

Rustling...

The sound returned once more. The goblins descended into a state of hysteria, peering about profusely, their heads brimming with beads of sweat. The human had gone missing in one direction, so why was there noise in other directions as well?

Their sense of smell had been seriously disrupted by the potion, to the point where it was almost completely useless. They could only guess that the sounds were caused by the two humans, but they couldn't discern whether the noise was coming from a male or a female.

The goblins conversed briefly, reaching a conclusion. First, they needed to locate the source of the noise. They deduced that the individual spotted over here was a male, while those seen on the other side were unmistakably female.

Compared to the man with his evident combat prowess, the female appeared weak and had a slower pace. They knew that if they captured the woman, the man would be forced to reveal himself.

While goblins lacked complex emotions and were oblivious to the concept of love, these vile creatures still took pleasure in exploiting human emotions to heighten their satisfaction when killing their prey. All they needed to do was capture the woman.

From her hiding spot, Annie observed the goblins as they resumed their movements. To her relief, they weren't heading towards her but instead moving in the opposite direction.

"Safe for the time being," Annie thought, letting out a silent sob of relief. It was fortunate they didn't approach her location, and equally fortunate they didn't pursue Anyi.

From her vantage point, she could see Anyi eliminating some goblins and continuing his escape in a different direction. The goblins, however, didn't follow him; they simply wandered off.

"Might they be plotting their escape? If they choose to run away, that would be the most advantageous," Annie thought. In that case, Anyi wouldn't have to risk his life to annihilate them, and they could both seize the opportunity to flee.

However, as she observed the goblins slowing their movements, it didn't seem like they'd be fleeing. Annie glanced towards Anyi, who was hiding behind a tree. Worry and dread filled her as she stared at him earnestly.

'Class 1 Disaster Goblin invasion... typically, there will be as many as fifteen to twenty goblins, depending on the village's scale. When the goblin mortality exceeds 2/3, the Class 2 monster, Hobgoblin, will appear.

When the number of goblin deaths reaches eleven or twelve, they will initiate their escape mechanism. The purpose of fleeing is to notify the Hobgoblin, allowing them to annihilate the enemy,' Anyi thought, processing the relevant information about goblins in his mind.

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These monsters were still products of a game-like world, and there were related rules. Whether he died from electric shock in his first life and then got isekai'd into this world, or died from a Demon Lord in his second life, he kept these rules in mind. However, because this was reality, some rules differed from those in games and could only be discovered through persistent and repeated experimentation.

One example is that goblins' bones are more durable than those of humans. Their hazardous regions are the face, neck, torso, pelvic region, and waist.

Hence, when they use their arms to shield themselves, the ideal course of action isn't to slash at their hands with weapons. Instead, the most appropriate strategy is to deliver a powerful kick to incapacitate them initially, then focus on attacking their unprotected abdomen. Their large heads are also extremely sturdy. Even with all kinds of hammers, they're difficult to break, so it's best not to plan on stunning them. Even if you can pierce their eyes, you won't be able to hit them effectively.

"Puff!" Anyi delivered a stab from below, piercing the goblin's back as it crouched on the ground. His blade sliced through the creature's waist, causing it to let out a miserable wail.

"Miao ah ah ah!!!" As the goblin screeched in pain, Anyi stood up and delivered a powerful kick, flinging it away. Simultaneously, he withdrew his sword and quickly left the area. The other goblins heard the wailing but chose not to follow, instead focusing on listening for the sound of Anyi hastening away.

The cover provided by the cries masked Anyi's position. Nearby, an enraged goblin approached a massive rock, picked it up, and slammed it onto the injured goblin's face. It pummeled the rock down with great force a few times until the pitiable cries finally quieted. Within this short duration, Anyi had already crept towards another goblin.

"Six," he counted silently. He purposely avoided directly killing the goblin, allowing it to moan pitifully, which drastically impeded the other goblins' ability to hear.

In truth, the movement in the other direction was neither him nor Annie. It was something or someone belonging to the natural world—neither a human nor a monster.

The potion not only agitated the goblins but also made other beasts with acute olfactory senses uneasy, causing them to linger nearby or flee. There were not only goblins in the jungle.

If their olfactory sense had been intact, they would naturally distinguish that the creatures in other directions were not human. However, their noses were now effectively ruined, and they lacked the high intelligence necessary to differentiate between creatures. This was something Anyi had previously anticipated.

'5'

'4'

'3'

'2'

...

The number of goblins gradually decreased. They needed to detect it immediately! As their companions died, the dread in their hearts grew stronger.

This was a jungle, their stronghold, their hunting ground. However, at this time, they sensed that they were akin to prey. In the dimness, a hunter repeatedly slaughtered their friends, progressively diminished their strength, exhausted their energy, and robbed them of their resolve. Despite their simple emotions, they realized that at this moment they were being victimized and maltreated.

After slaying the eleventh goblin, Anyi crept into a nearby hiding place and silently observed. As expected, eliminating eleven or twelve goblins would trigger their escape mechanism. But if they still didn't take action, then killing one more would be necessary.

Yet, as dread accumulated, the goblins ultimately halted their search for foes and congregated. Unable to decipher Anyi's schemes, they began to chirrup and converse. Their language system was uncannily basic, with most of their assertions being simple and straightforward. Regardless, Anyi understood everything.

"Hide...?"

"Hide."

"Hide!"

With a common understanding reached, the goblins contemplated their escape.

"Eh, wanna flee?" At this instant, Anyi suddenly emerged from the shadows.

"Stand still!!!" His roar unleashed a deluge of anger and resentment from his past life. A potion flew from his hand, hitting a goblin's hard head directly.