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Polly was still feeling grateful for his narrow escape from death. Suddenly, the surrounding temperature dropped sharply.

‘What’s going on?’ The gnome tried to move, only to find his body completely immobile. A quick glance revealed the cause, his arm had somehow been frozen solid against the wall!

He struggled frantically, yanking with all his might.

**Crack, crack—!**

Shards of ice tumbled to the ground, yet his arm stayed locked within the solid block.

“Haha! Look at that stupid face of his!”

Polly froze at the familiar voice, it was the voice of the goblin from earlier! In disbelief, he lifted his head, only to see the two goblins standing right in front of him. All traces of his earlier smugness vanished in an instant.

“You can’t kill me! I—yes, I know the secret behind the battle puppet! If I die, no one will be able to stop that lunatic!”
“Oh? Let’s hear it, then,” Kanrel said lazily.
Polly gulped and hesitated before suggesting, “If you unfreeze me first, I’ll tell you.”
Liburi stepped closer. “Really?”
“Really!”
“Alright.” Liburi nodded and unfroze the ice around Polly’s left arm.

But before Polly could even sigh in relief, he found his right arm encased in ice once more!

“Now you can talk, right?”

***

Meanwhile, Starry was struggling bitterly against the battle puppet.

The iron-bodied monster was nearly impervious to damage, even Autumn Strike barely left a scratch. With her vision obscured by fog and the terrain so tight that she kept bumping into the walls, every movement was a desperate gamble.

Thanks to her high defense and lifesteal, her HP bar swung wildly up and down. If not for the Wraithfire Boots reducing the boss’ hit rate, she would’ve been finished long ago.

The battle puppet still had 35,000 HP left. She had no idea how the gnomes managed to build such a monster, the difference in strength between them was simply absurd!

Starmew had already been smashed to death ten seconds earlier and returned to the Pet Space.

Zane didn’t know how much longer Starry could hold on. Ever since obtaining his new gear and skills, he had gotten a bit overconfident, enough to think he could storm straight into the gnome’s nest.

In truth, if not for this battle puppet, they wouldn’t have been in such a miserable state. At the very least, the Snowfeather Goblins were far stronger fighters than these gnomes.

Half a minute later, a familiar surge of lightning flashed across the puppet’s enormous fists.

A Thunder Fist was coming! But there was no room to dodge or retreat, every skill was still on cooldown. She glanced at the Thunder Halberd, its twelve-hour cooldown nowhere near ready.

Without the protection of the Iceflow Shield, this blow would be fatal!

**Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!**

Three arrows suddenly tore through the air, striking the back of the battle puppet.

The damage was pitiful, but then, there came a strange sound.

**Clack—clack—clack.**
**Clack——!**

It sounded as though gears had jammed. The massive, boulder-sized fist halted right in front of Starry’s face, and the lightning vanished from its surface.

Starry stood frozen, her heart still pounding from the near-death shock.

“Hero!¹ Are you okay? We figured out the battle puppet’s secret!” Kanrel shouted.
“…”

***

“There’s no movement in there? It’s over already?” a gnome whispered, pressing his ear against the heap of rubble left by the explosion.

“Of course. Who could stand up to that thing? If it weren’t uncontrollable, do you think we’d still be hiding in this cramped Rock Maze?”

“True enough. Those goblins probably didn’t last long. Still… that human worries me.”

“What’s there to worry about? It’s all corpses inside by now. We’ll open a hole from above and take a look soon.”

“Alright, I’ll listen a little longe—” Before the gnome could finish, a violent explosion erupted from between the massive stones!

The gnome caught at the center of the explosion was blown apart instantly, his flesh and blood scattering across the cave. Another gnome nearby was left barely clinging to life, staring in disbelief as figures emerged from the haze—a human and goblins. Before he could even react, Starry finished him off with a single slash.

Starry glanced at the gnome’s corpse, which shimmered faintly with white light. She bent down and picked up the dropped loot.

A landmine, huh? That might actually come in handy during boss fights. In addition, the gnome had dropped twenty-five coins, what a fortune! Clearly, they had been plundering the area for quite some time.

“Chieftain! Hero! It’s done!” Kanrel shouted excitedly.
“Oh yeah? Then let’s activate it and see.”
“Got it!” A rumbling echoed through the cave soon after.

***

By the time Zane and the wolf pack reached the Rock Maze, the scene was a complete mess. Gnome corpses littered the ground, and explosion craters pockmarked the area.

“Holy… this place looks like it just got bombed,” Nangong muttered blankly.
“Pretty much,” Zane replied casually. “Starry’s already cleared out most of the threats here.”
“No wonder we didn’t see her, she soloed an entire grinding zone?!” Endless Sea exclaimed in shock.
“Starry’s amazing!” DumbCitrus added with a grin.

As they spoke, Starry appeared with the Snowfeather Goblins and a captured gnome in tow, followed by a massive figure looming behind them.

“A… robot?” Snowy asked, puzzled.
“No.” Starry shared the battle puppet’s stats in the party chat.
“Holy crap, what kind of busted stats are these?! A level 30 Unique-rank Special with skills like Thunder Fist and Reinforced Body? That thing’s insane!”
“Relax,” Starry said with a faint smile. “It’s no longer a threat.”

Just then, as the goblins drew near, YoyoPink felt her Pet Space tremble, Lordsey had come out on his own!

Yalu froze when he saw him, eyes wide. He slowly opened his palm and spoke after a long pause. “I remember you… you’re Lordsey, chieftain of the Greenrock Goblins!”
“Yaho…?” Lordsey’s eyes lit up, but then dimmed with realization. “No, you resemble him, but something feels… different.”
“My father… was killed. I’m his son, Yalu, the new chieftain of the Snowfeather Goblins.”

“Even the Snowfeathers have fallen victim… damn it!” Lordsey clenched his fists in fury.
“How fares the Greenrock tribe? And why are you with these humans…?”
Lordsey’s gaze darkened. “The Greenrock Goblins… are gone.”
“What!?” The exclamation came not only from Yalu but also from the goblins standing behind him.

Lordsey sighed heavily, the weight in his voice making him seem suddenly older. “We were used as pawns by the Dark Faction. Any sign of rebellion, and they wiped us out to the root. Perhaps… your Snowfeather clan chose the right path after all.”

“Damn the Dark Faction! I’ve had enough of their arrogance and tyranny!” Yalu growled. “This time, I’ll lead my people to rebuild our home on the Crimson Plains. As long as the humans’ front-line cities hold, we’ll be safe. Oh, right, Sir Lordsey, allow me to introduce our hero, the human who fought beside the Snowfeather Goblins!”

“Hmph, her? Yes, she’s strong enough to earn that title,” Lordsey said with a nod.

“You… know her?” Yalu asked, surprised.

“Know her? *More than just that.* She nearly beat me to death!” Lordsey recalled with a strained laugh.

“Cough, cough…” Starry scratched her cheek and coughed awkwardly.