Chapter Twelve: The Old Master Lends a Helping Hand!

"Will this really work?"

Xiat felt it was somewhat ridiculous. The Thunder Ruins were scattered with dead branches and withered leaves, dominated by black and dark green tones. Two pure white snowmen stood out conspicuously in this landscape.

"Don't worry. The snowman suits not only protect against lightning but also mask our scent."

The two chubby snowmen wobbled as they moved, advancing slowly and cautiously exploring the Thunder Ruins.

Trailing behind, Xiat suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Pretending not to notice, she stretched out her leg and tripped Yelin, finally venting some frustration!

Naturally, Yelin was not to be outdone. The plump arm grabbed at her in retaliation, and the two snowmen started brawling fiercely.

Ahead, a goblin patrol squad was making rounds, coincidentally coming face to face with the two fighting snowmen.

"Keno is so clever, he actually knows how to patrol his territory!"

Yelin was secretly amazed. As a once-in-a-century goblin, Keno's caution alone could frustrate most adventurers to leave empty-handed.

The goblin squad was equally baffled. What were these chubby white things? Their heads looked quite human, but why were they so huge? Had they been drinking inferior formula milk?

Could they be seeking refuge with Lord Keno?

A few days ago, some glowing cat demons had joined Keno’s ranks—they were silvery and luminous, far better looking than the hideous cat demons, and now served as living light bulbs under Keno’s care.

"Command!"

The goblin squad typically consisted of four ordinary goblins plus one special goblin capable of simple magic. Yelin chose an ordinary goblin to ensure the command would be executed precisely.

Bang!

The chosen goblin wielded a spiked club and suddenly struck the fire goblin captain on the head.

The crude weapon, with bones affixed to the wooden club, instantly tore two bloody holes in the fire goblin’s forehead. With a sudden downward strike, a chunk of flesh and skin was ripped off, dripping with blood.

The other three goblins were stunned, then their eyes flashed with cruelty as they turned on the "commanded" goblin, mercilessly beating it with their weapons, splattering blood in the air.

Goblin society was rigidly hierarchical; resources were distributed according to rank. Weak goblins were not only ostracized but sometimes killed and eaten.

If the fire goblin had died instantly, the others might have hesitated. But although part of its face was missing, the fire goblin still snarled orders to kill. The goblins, bound by strict class consciousness, hesitated not a moment.

Minutes later,

a goblin squad had perished in infighting...

"See? It's simple. We don’t even have to lift a finger."

Wrapped in a thick, warm snowman suit, Xiat still felt a chill shooting from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head, her skin tingling with cold.

---

No need for life-or-death combat—utterly bloodless!

From this perspective, taking down Thunder Keno didn’t seem impossible after all.

The unexpected smoothness of the plan surprised not only Xiat but also Yelin himself.

He was currently level 7, with a very high success rate in commanding ordinary goblins, while the success rate with cat demons was fifty-fifty.

Whether facing patrol squads or mixed small outposts of cat demons and minotaurs, as long as goblins were present, it meant a self-destructive internal conflict with no clear origin.

Two strange, chubby white figures and a suddenly crazed companion were clearly a bigger threat to the monsters in the Thunder Ruins.

"Xiat, how much energy do you have left? Enough to deliver a lethal blow? Let’s go all out!"

Yelin’s eyes burned as he looked about fifty meters ahead, where bolts of brilliant lightning struck roughly every seven seconds, shaking the ground with thunder.

That was the place Thunder Keno preferred to linger—the core of the Thunder Ruins.

Thanks to the unique effect of "Command," they had somehow breached the blockade and reached the core!

"Give me another potion, and I can unleash a Shadow Flash Triple Slash at the cost of exhaustion!"

Inside the snowman suit, Xiat licked her lips. Thunder Keno was worth a fortune, and she was penniless—the clothes and shoes she wore were gifts from Yelin. She needed that gold.

"Here you go. Remi’s aid, top-tier strength elixirs, and the God of War potion. Be careful—take the God of War potion only when you face Keno; its effect lasts only a minute."

"I’ll feed it to you. Don’t take off the snowman suit—it’s a hassle to put back on."

The two removed their pixelated helmets. Yelin poured two potions down Xiat’s throat. The last God of War potion was tucked near the snowman suit’s neck opening for her to grab when needed.

"If your claws dare to fumble inside this suit and touch the wrong spots, I swear the Shadow Flash Triple Slash will cleave your head off!"

Xiat’s gaze was icy and murderous; her tone was cold and merciless.

"Alright, alright. I’ll put it on top; you grab it yourself."

Approaching Thunder Keno was extremely perilous—not the time for flirting or fooling around. Yelin knew that much.

"I’ll lead."

Donning his pixelated helmet, Yelin led slowly from the front. Sudden movements might provoke Keno’s hostility.

"I’ve got it!"

A sudden idea sparked. Yelin drew the light-element heirloom katana, holding it firmly with both hands, and charged toward Thunder Keno in a heroic pose reminiscent of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt.

Blessed by the elves, the light-element katana was sure to catch Keno’s interest.

"Command!"

---

Another goblin went berserk, swinging an iron weapon at a companion, plunging the small area into chaos…

"Strange. With such a commotion, why hasn’t Keno shown up?"

Thunder Keno possessed near-human intelligence and great power. Constant turmoil and two seemingly harmless snowmen should have roused his wrath.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning struck the iron weapon held by a decurion, instantly reducing it to charred remains. The confident two froze in fear.

"Something’s off…" Xiat whispered.

"Of course something’s off; your own minions just got struck down."

"Also, have you noticed? The goblins and cat demons near the core are panicked and disorganized."

"The outer goblins still patrol, but why is the inner group so chaotic?"

Keno must be in trouble!

Perhaps slain by a passing powerful adventurer?

"Get your potions ready. Let’s move in a little closer."

Finally, braving the constant lightning, they entered a half-ruined house with a stone bed covered in animal pelts. There, they found Thunder Keno!

His physique was similar to an ordinary goblin’s, but his skin bore a profound silvery-gray hue. Mysterious lightning runes covered his body, with occasional crackling arcs of lightning erupting from his arms.

Around the fur bed were four glowing cat demons locked in wooden cages, their skin now charred black and lifeless.

Outside, scattered cat demons, goblins, and even minotaurs lay blackened like charcoal, utterly dead.

"Look at Keno’s body—what is that black smoke?"

"It’s…"

Yelin’s tone was strange, his face full of astonishment. "It’s the Black Nightmare. Keno’s been ensnared by the Black Nightmare. Old man, I haven’t even met you yet, and you’ve already done me a big favor!"

"Black Nightmare? What’s that?"

"I’ll explain later. Keno can’t wake up for now, but once he does, he’ll go berserk. We have to take the potion now and finish this instantly!"