Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 295 Retreat, Sulfur and Boundless Darkness
The agonizing screams instantly put the two players on the field on high alert.

The specially crafted longsword gleamed under the sunlight overhead. Xia Nan stared in the direction from which the sound came, his dark, deep eyes seemingly able to pierce through the dense foliage and see the scenery behind it.

"There's more than one petrified lizard?"

Determining that the sound was coming from near the lizard's nest, and suspecting it was caused by another petrified lizard, he asked Adeline beside him.

"Impossible!" The woman, covered in grass clippings and mud and looking somewhat disheveled, answered with absolute certainty.

"This creature is a solitary animal, and except for a few breeding seasons, it rarely has long-term contact and activities with its own kind."

"Moreover, we staked out its nest for many days and found absolutely no other adult petrified lizards."

“The only possibility…” Adeline’s tone suddenly became hesitant, “is that there are still a few of its cubs in the cave.”

At this point, the previously confident expression on her face changed.

After observing it for so many days, they did find that this petrified lizard had an unusual appetite, often needed to go out hunting, and had relatively little time to hibernate.

I initially thought it was just a normal difference between individuals, but now that I think about it, it's quite possible that it's a petrified lizard in its juvenile stage.

Xia Nan remained noncommittal regarding Adeline's speculation.

After carefully considering and weighing the pros and cons, he nodded slightly and said:

"Be careful, let's go check it out."

The two were not far from the petrified lizard's lair.

There was no need to know the way; just follow the tracks left by the enormous creature on the ground, and in just a few minutes, by deliberately slowing down to be wary of the surroundings, they returned to the open space.

There was a dead silence in the air.

The only traces on the ground were the drag marks left by the lizard's bloated belly when it moved; there were no signs of battle whatsoever.

The enhanced perception attribute takes effect silently.

His limited knowledge might not have been enough for Xia Nan to analyze those suspicious clues and extract accurate and detailed intelligence.

But he can still judge the most basic and direct details.

"Someone has been here."

Holding a long sword, Xia Nan pointed to a broken trail of footsteps on the ground to the side, which stretched from the depths of the dense forest all the way into the cave.

“I’ll go first, you help me plan the attack,” Adeline said without hesitation.

She knew perfectly well that if she didn't bring it up, given their relationship, Xia Nan would never let her pave the way for him.

However, since we are in the middle of a mission and the opponent is far stronger than us, if we encounter danger, being at the forefront will provide Xia Nan with ample time to react.

Besides, she had just been saved by the other party, and if she were to hide at the back even when entering a cave... that was not in Adeline's character.

Xia Nan did not reply to this, but instead sheathed his two longswords and replaced them with a wooden sword that was more suitable for the confined space.

His gaze swept over the two one-handed hammers in Adeline's hands.

"You can go to the back."

Compared to Adeline, whose hands were completely covered and who had no extra defensive equipment.

He can wield his wooden sword with one hand, freeing up his left hand to fully control the [Netherscale Guardian].

From the perspective of maximizing efficiency, having superior physical fitness and reaction capabilities, as well as leading in all aspects of equipment and combat skills, makes one the most suitable person to lead the way.

Without arguing, Adeline paused, nodded emphatically, and followed behind him.

The two entered the cave.

Dead silence.

The only sounds in the air were the faint clatter of leather boots scraping against the muddy ground and the soft clanging of the armor plates and chains.

Xia Nan held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, cautiously moving forward.

Adeline followed closely behind, leaving enough space for her teammates in front to make their moves, while also diligently fulfilling her role as the rearguard, keeping watch for potential dangers from both the front and the rear.

The cave was much shallower than I had imagined.

Even at their snail-paced pace, driven by their vigilance against danger, they reached the bottom in just a few minutes.

The narrow passageway suddenly widened, transforming into a vast space filled with the stench of blood and decay.

Thanks to the shiny moss that grows on the surrounding stone walls, it's not completely dark and provides some light.

For Xia Nan, however, it was enough to see things clearly.

The first thing that catches the eye is the gray-white stones of various shapes that cover almost the entire cave floor.

They may look no different from those in Ashenvale, but upon closer inspection, one can clearly see that:
These stones, large or small, broken and fragmented, all possess unique shapes that distinguish them from natural creations.

Arms with sleeves, feet wearing shoes, half a face with wide-open eyes, and even a one-handed axe made entirely of stone...

Clearly, these were the unfortunate prey who couldn't withstand the "petrifying gaze."

The dead can no longer die.

I was thinking of observing carefully to see if I could discover anything.

Suddenly, a voice with an unexpected tone reached my ears.

"Morrison!?"

Adeline looked at a figure sitting quietly in the shadows against the wall, motionless, with a hint of surprise on her face.

He carefully stepped forward, and the figure came into full view.

A burly, middle-aged man with a shiny bald head.

Judging from his attire, he should also be an adventurer.

Although he was also dead, compared to the other man's body, which was completely petrified and smashed into pieces in the cave, this man's body was relatively well preserved and showed no signs of petrification.

The fatal wound... was on the left side of his chest, a wound that completely destroyed his heart, and a penetrating wound that could be vaguely seen through the stone wall behind him.

At the edge of the wound, faint scorch marks could be seen.

Besides the extremely strong stench of blood, there was also a faint, strange smell of burning sulfur mixed in with the surroundings of the corpse.

Xia Nan frowned unconsciously and asked Adeline beside her:
"Do you know this person?"

“He was my former teammate.” Adeline’s eyes were fixed on the corpse in front of her, her face showing no sadness, only a hint of tension.

"In order to complete the promotion mission, the association temporarily assigned me two senior adventurers who had also recently obtained their professional ranks, and he was one of them."

"The petrified lizard went berserk and attacked us. Another teammate should be dead. He and I split up and ran away."

"But the petrified lizard chose me as its target, so it should have already escaped."

"But here we are now..."

Halfway through her sentence, Adeline suddenly noticed several clusters of strange mushrooms growing in the corner of the stone wall behind the corpse. These mushrooms were grayish-white in color, like rocks, and covered with fish-scale-like grid patterns.

"Grey scale fungus?"

"It seems that this guy took advantage of the petrified lizard going out to chase me, and went on a long detour to pick the mushrooms that were the mission target."

"But it seems he encountered some other danger and eventually died in the cave."

Xia Nan pondered for a moment, then bent down to carefully examine the corpse before him.

The body surface still retains warmth, the muscles are relaxed and rigor mortis has not yet occurred, and even the blood has not completely coagulated, slowly seeping out from the wound.

Clearly, the bald, muscular man had only recently died.

"That makes sense, it corresponds to the screams we heard earlier." "But..."

His eyes were fixed on the huge wound on the burly man's left chest, and a sense of vigilance arose in his heart.

Although in my previous life I was just an office worker and had never learned anything about human anatomy or anything like that.

But having traveled through time and killed so many creatures, especially those goblins with humanoid shapes, hundreds and thousands of them, I've become quite skilled and have learned some basic knowledge about biological anatomy without a teacher.

The scorch marks around the wound should correspond to the sulfurous odor in the air, but the cut surface inside the wound is perfectly smooth, without even the most flexible tendons remaining.

The power of this attack... is extraordinary.

Judging from the sitting posture of the burly man's corpse, it was not a sneak attack, but a clean and decisive blow from the front.

This left the opponent, who had already been promoted to a professional, with no room for resistance, turning him into a corpse.

A sudden surge of intuition sent a whiff of danger through Xia Nan's mind.

Continue forward, along the wall, to the deepest part of the nest.

The two found several lizard eggs that were reduced to wreckage and completely destroyed.

Adeline guessed correctly; the petrified lizard was indeed in its infancy.

However, the few chicks that the other party was hatching were killed inside their eggs before they could even hatch, by an uninvited guest who had broken into the nest.

The smell of sulfur in the air grew stronger, and obvious scorch marks could be found on the broken eggshells and on the still-developing lizard embryos wrapped in mucus.

In addition, Xia Nan also keenly sensed the magical particles in the air that were gradually calming down from their agitation.

Corrosive and chaotic, filled with negative energy.

If you pay close attention, you can even feel a very slight, static-like tingling or itching sensation on the skin that comes into contact with it.

And then there's the smell of sulfur in the air...

The attackers' characteristics are already very clear.

It is highly likely that it is an evil creature from the bottomless abyss or the Nine Hells of Bato.

Without hesitation, Xia Nan turned around and whispered to Adeline, who was also helping to search the cave:
"It might be dangerous here, we should go."

Adeline paused slightly upon hearing this, but without asking why, she simply nodded in reply:

"clear."

At the same time, he pointed to the southwest side of the cave where the terrain had sunk.

Xia Nan looked in the direction the finger was pointing.

A dark, two-meter-high opening sat eerily among the gray rocks, seemingly leading deeper into the lair.

Like a vicious beast ready to devour its prey, it made his heart skip a beat, and a sense of danger rose within him.

"Never mind it, this place is a bit strange."

"Rushing in without preparation could easily lead to unnecessary danger."

Since both of them had already completed their missions, there was no need to create unnecessary trouble and put themselves in an extremely dangerous situation.

If he were to be attacked by something like a demon, I wouldn't be able to handle it with my current strength.

It’s better to leave quickly.

Of course, the arrival of such evil beings from outside the material world is often accompanied by conspiracies and disasters.

Having settled down in River Valley Town and living a peaceful life, Xia Nan felt it necessary to report his findings and speculations to the Adventurers' Guild after returning to the town.

Regardless of how much reward one can obtain, at least the higher-ups of the association's branch should be prepared.

Adeline has climbed her way up from the bottom to become a professional, so she naturally knows when to be greedy and when to back down.

Together with Xia Nan, they quickly searched the cave to make sure they hadn't missed any valuable loot. They then picked a few gray scaly fungi and left the petrified lizard's nest.

……

……

Meanwhile, below the nest, somewhere even narrower and deeper, it seemed to be a tunnel leading to the Earth's core.

Abby was panting heavily; her wildly beating heart had not yet completely calmed down.

"Lord Saloyan, is it really alright...? That's a true professional, no one would go along with that..."

"Don't worry." A deep, magnetic male voice echoed in the cranial cavity, "No one will know it was you who did it."

"Besides, he's just a newbie who recently obtained his professional rank, so who would care?"

Instead of worrying about this, we should savor the wonderful memories we just had.

“Look at... those professionals, they always act superior, as if they were born to be better than others.”

"But they are also afraid, and they also die."

"If you had their conditions, you would definitely perform even better."

"You're right... aren't you?"

The alluring voice, like clear water flowing from a crack in the rock, seeped into the deepest part of the young man's heart.

Yes... being a professional doesn't seem like such a big deal.

Abby used to think that all adventurers who obtained a job level were big shots like "Green Blood" and "Gray Sword".

But just now, Lord Saloyan had only lent him a tiny bit of his power, and the seemingly fierce and tyrannical professional, who appeared to be invincible, suddenly moved as slowly as a snail in his eyes.

He simply stretched his hand forward...

By the time Abby realized what was happening, the other person's heart had already been crushed.

It wasn't even as good as the wild pheasant he caught as a child, which took him a long time to catch and drain its blood.

Thinking of this, Abby's heart couldn't help but burn with excitement.

Lord Saloyan was right after all!

Whether it's the gold coins won at the casino or the bald adventurer who has become a corpse.

As long as you do as Lord Saloyan says, you will absolutely not go wrong!

Thinking of this, Abby felt a dryness in her lips, and a strange flame welled up from the depths of her heart.

"Sir, do you think... I'll have the opportunity to become a professional in the future?"

"Of course!"

The usually gentle male voice sounded resolute at this moment.

"Believe me, Abby, you're no worse than anyone else."

"If you do as I say, all your dreams... will come true."

Upon hearing this, Abby nodded vigorously.

Deep within his eyes flickered an unprecedented hope and determination, supported by illusory promises.

Ahead in the passageway, the fluorescent moss grew increasingly dense, the sound of flowing water came from afar, and an indistinct rustling echoed from the depths of the earth, leading to what seemed like an abyss of hell—

Boundless darkness.

(End of this chapter)