Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 23 Footsteps (4k)

The Misty Forest is located in the heart of the continent of Ephraim. Due to the secret relics of ancient times and its own unique natural terrain, this place has a strong magic that is different from other regions.

What comes with it, of course, are the dangerous monsters that emerge from the light white mist.

Living in an environment with high concentration of magic for a long time, enjoying the nourishment of abundant magic, these monsters either have sturdy bodies far superior to ordinary creatures, or are born with the ability to manipulate the laws of nature.

They occupy the highest ecological niche in the entire forest.

But at the same time, the reason why it can sit firmly at the top of the pyramid is inseparable from the support of the huge base below.

In this forest filled with a thin mist all day long, there live a large number of ordinary creatures that are not included in the monster encyclopedia.

"Wow."

A light breeze blew by, and the leaves fluttered and fell.

The brown bark resembles several dried-up waterways, rough and covered with cracks and grooves.

From a distance, it looks like just an oak branch that is common in the forest.

But if you were more patient and observed more carefully.

You can gradually discover the scarlet snake's tongue flashing in the air and the slender outline vaguely protruding and extending from the surface of the tree trunk.

This is a Rosalind pit viper.

The light brown mottled patterns on its fine scales, along with the patience and slowness unique to cold-blooded animals, allow it to almost blend in with the environment.

The inverted triangular shape of its pointed head also naturally suggests the extremely toxic nature of this snake.

It waits quietly.

There is never a shortage of prey in the Misty Forest.

It has a unique body structure that can swallow creatures several times its own size, is nearly five feet long, and has two sharp fangs under its skull that can inject venom at any time.

Its prey list is not limited to frogs and lizards, but even includes some small and medium-sized mammals.

And if they encounter creatures that are too large, the survival instinct deep in their blood will make them stay away from these dangerous creatures that possess deadly toxins.

"squeak."

A long-eared mouse covered with fur was moving cautiously among the fallen leaves.

Those clear and stupid rat eyes seemed to have foreshadowed its fate.

Gradually approaching.

There was no emotion in the pit viper's cold vertical pupils, its neck was arched and its muscles were tense.

The explosive muscles under its scales allow it to inject its toxin into the opponent's body in just a few tenths of a second, and then it will wrap around its prey tightly and wait for its death.

The tiny brown scales trembled slightly as the muscles expanded.

This is a sign that it is about to attack.

immediately,

hum-

The sharp iron-gray light flashed fleetingly in the air.

Along with the fine wood chips flying from the tree trunks, long-eared mice fled in panic into the depths of the bushes.

The pit viper's body still maintains the tense and contracted state it was in just before hunting.

But its head had already been cut off by the cold and sharp sword blade.

"Fuck! You scared me!"

With a strong sense of fear, Xia Nan exerted a little force with his right hand and pulled out the beheading sword that was stuck in the tree trunk.

It was now the second day since he returned to the Misty Forest.

Unlike what was expected, the complex environment of the forest filled with fog and countless similar trees made it difficult to determine the direction even with a professional compass and a simple map bought from the grocery store shelf.

In addition, since he was alone, the slightest movement around him would make Xia Nan alert and he would walk slowly and cautiously.

As time went by, his progress was even slower than the previous scumbag team.

I didn't realize it at the time, but now I think it's probably because Maggie possesses some professional combat skills in the direction of exploration.

Fortunately, as far as I remembered, the location of the firefly garlic vines was not far from Hegu Town. After an afternoon and half a morning, I was almost there.

He dug a small hole in the ground, and with a look of disgust, Xia Nan picked up the snake's head and threw it in with the tip of his sword.

From some unknown source of trivia he had learned in his previous life, he knew that even if a snake's head was chopped off, it could still open and close its mouthparts and inject venom due to muscle memory.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, it is best to find a hole to bury its head to avoid being hit.

In Xia Nan's opinion, the most dangerous things in the Misty Forest are naturally those strange-looking monsters;
But if we talk about disgusting things, the various snakes and insects that can be seen everywhere on the road are undoubtedly the most disgusting.

Even if you carry antidotes and anthelmintics with you, it is no joke if you are accidentally bitten by this little thing.

Standing in place, he looked around carefully.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual, Xia Nan relaxed a little, took off the backpack behind him, and dug out a piece of gauze from it.

While taking a short break to recover his strength, he also carefully maintained the newly bought sword in his hand.

In fact, according to what Barn, the owner of the "Rock Hammer" shop said yesterday, unless he was experiencing a major war, his sword only needed to be maintained every three days.

But after all, he had just received it. Even though he knew that after a while, the sword would have many traces of use that would be difficult to remove, he still couldn't help but want to keep it in a "factory new" fresh state.

The soft gauze was wiped gently, and the few stains on the surface of the sword were removed.

Feeling the tough and slightly cool touch of the sword handle in his hand, Xia Nan's thoughts began to wander.

Speaking of which, as an adventurer who often has to face various battles, a suitable weapon is almost equivalent to his second life.

Therefore, when choosing a weapon, you must carefully confirm whether its center of gravity is consistent with your combat habits.

At that time, Xia Nan didn't think too much about it. He just bought the sword with the mentality of picking up a bargain.

Looking back now, although it cannot be said to be wrong, it should have been considered more carefully.

Fortunately, after a day and a half of running-in, Xia Nan could confirm that this beheading sword was very compatible with himself.

The weight was heavier than an ordinary two-handed sword, but still within the range that he could control with his current strength;
The four-foot-long sword body and double-edged blade allow [Spin Slash] to fully exert its power;
Even its low-key iron-gray blade suits his aesthetic.

Now, Xia Nan even wishes he could have a few more battles and kill a few goblins to prove the sharpness of his sword.

"Uh... forget about the bugbears."

He joked in his mind.

He stood up and put the slightly heavy bag on his back again.

Just as I was about to leave, I caught a glimpse of a snake corpse among the fallen leaves on the ground out of the corner of my eye.

As if he suddenly remembered something, he took out the wrinkled Adventurer's Handbook from his arms.

……

21. [Adventurers should have some blood on their hands]

Hey! What's there to be disgusted about? Those are all fragrant, shiny gold coins!
——21.3【About those crawlers】

...remember to pick their gallbladders, which usually sell for a good price at herbalists and alchemists (depending on their size and species).

Some special species, such as the single horn on the head of the ice snake and the snake skin of the tubular python, can be sold at a high price.

Of course, the above only applies to ordinary creatures. For monsters...

……

"Sure enough, I almost lost a few gold coins."

Xia Nan pulled out a dagger from his waist, and referring to the example picture in the manual, he cut open the scaly body of the viper with some clumsiness.

"Got it!" On the hand covered with mucus and blood was an inky black cystic organ.

"The gallbladder of a viper of this size in the Misty Forest can probably be sold for 3 silver coins?"

Thinking back to the price list he had seen when shopping in the pharmacy before, he guessed in his mind.

In his previous life, Xia Nan once heard someone ask a very interesting question.

With the same monthly income of 5000, why are the living experiences in the countryside and the city so different?

Of course there are differences in prices, but in his opinion, the temptation from the surrounding environment is also one of the important reasons.

If it were him who had just traveled to this world, with only simple memories of his previous life of 100 years accompanied by wheat ears in his mind, there seemed to be no difference between 10 gold and gold in his eyes (both were huge sums of money).

But when Xia Nan really took away more than a hundred gold coins of spoils, walked around the Valley Town, and saw 500 gold potions and four-digit armor.

His understanding of the world has changed significantly.

At least, that's what he did when he pressed down the wriggling and twitching snake's body and picked the snake gall from the mucus and blood.

Apart from the disgust in my heart, I was more filled with the joy of being able to sell a few more gold coins after returning to the city.

Especially when he only has 24 gold, 2 silver and 7 bronze items left on his body.

Yes,

Xia Nan, who once had a net worth of more than 130 gold coins, now has less than a fraction of that left.

A 35-gold vorpal sword and 10-gold leather armor are just part of the bill.

The culprit that caused his deposits to shrink so much is now quietly lying deep in his pocket, which is the safest and most convenient place to use.

50 gold.

A whole bottle, unopened, faintly fluorescent when shaken—

Healing potion.

Xia Nan couldn't help it after all.

After completing all the necessary preparations before going out, I used the little savings I had left to add another trump card to my adventure.

But he has no regrets.

Because he knew clearly what effect this bottle of healing potion could have.

The unique luster of metal flashed before his eyes, and the iron-gray surface of the sword was the reflection of Xia Nan.

As his eyes focused, translucent words appeared before his eyes:

……

【Name】：Xianan
【Attributes】:
Power: 6
Agility: 6
Constitution: 5
Intelligence: 5
Perception: 5
Charisma: 5
[Expertise]: Chopping Master
[Skill]: Spin Slash lv5 (Max)

[Equipment/Items]: Deadline, Solid Beheading Sword, Healing Potion*1...

……

This is Shanan's second adventure.

But there is no doubt that compared to himself when he just traveled to this world, he has undergone tremendous changes both mentally and physically.

Let him now return to the dark and bloody goblin cave.

Not to mention a complete victory, at least when he got rid of the four goblin minions, Gagu should not have completely lost his combat ability.

Xia Nan threw the still twitching snake corpse in his hand to the ground, his expression calm, and took out a compass and a map from his arms.

"Hmm... this direction."

As we got closer to our destination, the memories that seemed to be covered with a layer of mist like the air in the forest gradually became clearer.

The pace is getting faster and faster.

About two hours later, as Xia Nan used his hands to push away the dense bushes in front of him, an open area appeared before him.

To be honest, this open space is not that big. Even with the gradually lush grass and trees on the edges, it is only one-quarter the size of a basketball court.

But it looks particularly out of place in the misty forest filled with tall trees.

In the center of the clearing was a dark oak tree that was about the thickness of two people hugging it.

It is not tall, nor is it majestic and strong.

The only thing that can distinguish it from the trees surrounding the open space is its appearance.

There were only those clumps of pale white vines hanging from the branches.

Xia Nan's eyes lit up.

The memory of passing by a few days ago told him that these vines with strange colors would emit fluorescent lights like fireflies at night.

"Firefly Garlic Vine!"

He said with joy in his heart.

But he didn't rush to get closer.

A clearing suddenly appeared in the dense forest, strange plants emitting fluorescent light, and even the huge profits that may be brought...

In such a scenario, any adventurer with a little common sense would not rush forward.

This is especially true for Xia Nan, who is still a novice adventurer and is always alert to everything around him.

He was seen holding the beheading sword tightly in both hands, half squatting and leaning forward slightly, maintaining the most convenient posture for exerting force.

With minimal noise, it took a full ten minutes to circle the edge of the clearing.

Grass, tree crowns...

Only after checking everything and making sure there was no ambush did he turn his attention to the oak tree in the open space.

He looked a little hesitant.

Forests are filled with trees, which often block vision and prevent people from detecting possible dangers in time, but they can also be used as cover when necessary.

If there is a potential enemy, going to an open area means exposing your entire body to the enemy.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Nan finally made a decision.

There is no point in continuing this stalemate. I must take the initiative!
He gritted his teeth, took a step with his right foot, and rushed out.

Until it got close to the vines, it suddenly stopped.

The long sword was held horizontally, and an iron-gray cold light flashed across the surface of the blade.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

A light breeze blew, and the branches swayed, making a rustling sound.

Xia Nan confirmed that he had just been fighting a battle of wits and courage with the air, and decisively put away his sword - since no one else saw it, there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

Then he took out his dagger as quickly as possible and cut off the clumps of firefly garlic vines.

After all, he was the only one who knew the location of this place. Even though he had no idea how this vine plant grew, he still left some immature branches and leaves with the idea of recycling.

In just five minutes, 32...firefly garlic vines were carefully and quickly stuffed by Xia Nan into the backpack he had specially prepared.

"Perfect!"

He tightened the heavy bag behind him and was about to leave.

But I only heard two hurried footsteps coming from the woods on the right.

"Um!?"

(End of this chapter)