Assassin at Range: The Sniper's Lethal Power-Chapter 72 - : Interesting

The rule of "if you can’t win, call reinforcements" is universal. And ExoGenesis is no exception.

Fire Demon Goblin knew full well it had no chance against that stealthy intruder. Even when its lair was packed with goblins, they couldn’t touch him—let alone now, when it was the last one standing.

But dying in such a pathetic way? Unacceptable.

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Gritting its teeth, Fire Demon Goblin made a desperate decision. It would pledge its soul to Deathbringer.

Sure, that meant giving up its afterlife. But in return, it would gain power beyond imagination!

As long as it could take down the enemy, it would be worth it.

Besides, Deathbringer had a reputation. He was fair—he never collected interest before the debtor was dead.

"Gain power, slay the intruder, then rally more goblins to rebuild the lair!"

Fire Demon Goblin’s mind was racing.

No—why stop there?

If it could turn the tables and kill the intruder, it wouldn’t just rebuild its lair. It could establish a full-fledged settlement!

"Deathbringer loves souls. If I start more wars and offer him even more, surely I’ll be rewarded!"

"Goblin King... yeah, that has a nice ring to it."

The more it thought about it, the more excited it became. All its fear of Deathbringer faded away, replaced by burning ambition.

The ground trembled. Thick black mist erupted from the summoning circle, carrying an eerie, bone-chilling aura.

"I smell death… Goblin, are you the one calling me?"

A deep, hollow voice echoed from the mist. Fire Demon Goblin shivered—but not from fear. It was thrilled.

"Yes! Honorable Deathbringer, I summoned you!"

The mist swirled but did not take a solid form. The only visible features were two emotionless eyes, staring down at Fire Demon Goblin.

"Offer me your soul, and I shall grant you power."

Fire Demon Goblin didn’t hesitate. It bit down on its finger, letting dark blood drip onto the summoning circle.

"Very well. Your soul is mine. Now, receive your gift."

The cold, disembodied eyes vanished.

With nothing to hold it back, the black mist surged into Fire Demon Goblin’s body, pouring in through its ears and mouth.

It shrieked in agony. Beneath its skin, something slithered like a nest of writhing serpents, converging at its forehead. A dark sigil burned itself into its flesh before fading away.

Its crimson skin darkened, turning a sinister, abyssal black.

Tristan stood by, watching, but made no move.

Deathbringer wasn’t someone to mess with. If he interfered with the contract now, he might suffer a backlash—not a fun scenario.

Better to wait until the ritual was over and Deathbringer left before making his move.

He knew Deathbringer was a busy entity. Once a contract was sealed, he never lingered.

He only returned when the contract holder died.

The black mist receded.

The goblin corpses that had littered the ground were nowhere to be seen. If not for the scattered loot, one might wonder if hundreds of goblins had ever been here at all.

As the mist fully dissipated, Fire Demon Goblin emerged anew.

The flames on its body had changed—from searing red to a ghostly black mist. Wisps of fire flickered around it, and spectral skulls drifted through the air.

[Undying Flame Goblin (Silver Grade)]

Level: 15

HP: 600,000 / 600,000

Attack: 2,500

Defense: 2,200

Skills: Chain Fireball, Death Impact, Soul-Devouring Flame, Death Aura

Description: A goblin that sacrificed its soul to Deathbringer in exchange for immense power. Beware its flames—they burn not only flesh but the soul itself.

Originally, Fire Demon Goblin had lost a third of its HP. But after the sacrifice ritual, not only was it fully restored—it had gained an additional 200,000 max HP!

Tristan barely blinked.

So what if it had more HP? That just meant he had to throw a few extra Shadow Daggers.

Sure, the goblin was now Silver Grade. But that only meant better loot.

And since Deathbringer had just been here, he wouldn’t return anytime soon.

That meant Tristan had plenty of time to clean up after taking down Undying Flame Goblin—unlike when he fought Gold Hook Jack and ended up empty-handed.

The key difference? Their grade.

A mere Silver Grade goblin wasn’t enough to hold Deathbringer’s attention.

The entity had far bigger concerns than micromanaging every contract he made.

"Intruder! Show yourself and face my newfound power!"

Undying Flame Goblin roared, feeling invincible.

Too bad it had no idea who it was up against.

Tristan casually flicked his wrist—Shadow Dagger.

-70,121! (Weak Spot Attack)

The moment Shadow Stealth had evolved into Gold Grade, Breaking Stealth Strike gained a massive damage boost.

Even with 600,000 HP, Undying Flame Goblin’s health bar took a sharp dip.

With Rend and Toxic Blood Plague adding sustained damage, the total exceeded 80,000.

The goblin flinched.

This wasn’t what it had signed up for.

Still, as a Silver Grade monster, its reflexes were faster than before.

Tristan’s attack had barely landed before Undying Flame Goblin retaliated, unleashing a rapid barrage of black fireballs. The ground erupted in explosions, leaving behind scorched, cratered earth.

And the flames didn’t die out. Instead, they spread—feeding off the very soil beneath them.

A tree caught fire and was reduced to ash in the blink of an eye.

Tristan had no intention of testing the flames’ effects on himself.

He simply activated Stealth and vanished.

Thanks to his new abilities, he easily distanced himself without even needing Blink.

With no pressure, the rest of the battle was a formality.

A well-placed Rain of Corruption struck all fifteen times, dealing 50,000 damage. Combined with Rend and Toxic Blood Plague, the total damage climbed past 60,000.

In just a few seconds, two skills had shaved off over 100,000 HP.

Undying Flame Goblin was starting to panic.

It had sold its soul for this?

It didn’t feel much stronger than before.

No—this was worse.

It had been scammed!

The thought of its soul being dragged into the abyss made the goblin want to cry.

But Tristan didn’t care how the goblin felt about its deal.

As soon as his cooldowns reset, he struck again.

Two minutes later, Undying Flame Goblin collapsed, its HP hitting zero.

Clink!

Five silver-glowing loot spheres rolled onto the ground.

Tristan quickly scanned them.

Five drops!

Earlier, three Black Iron Grade goblin bosses had only dropped eight items total.

But this single Silver Grade goblin had given five.

Was his luck good or bad?

Didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was grabbing the loot before Deathbringer returned.

He swiftly collected everything—

Then he felt it.

A familiar presence.

Deathbringer had returned.

Black mist coiled in the air, and Undying Flame Goblin’s soul was yanked from its body, vanishing into the void.

But this time, Deathbringer didn’t leave immediately.

He stared at Tristan for over ten seconds before finally fading away.

And as he left, he spoke.

"Shadow power...? Now that’s a rare sight… It’s been ages since I last encountered one. How… interesting."