Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 368 [Fearless Protection] and [Double Slash]

The air remained cold even late at night.

But the darkness and shadows from the depths of the night were completely dispelled by the radiance emanating from the church.

It is not holy light.

That sweet, eerie pink glow, which makes people dizzy and disoriented at first glance, seems to have nothing to do with the word "sacred".

Even the gentle eulogies that flowed from it carried an indescribable and enigmatic meaning.

"We praise you, Santia, Mother of Abundance, Nurturer of Life!"

The stained glass windows that occupied an entire wall were bathed in a huge pink light, turning into a strange background light that reflected on the altar behind the statue of the goddess.

"Your fingertips glide across the earth, and the wheat fields surge like gold;"

Your breath transforms into the summer breeze, and the branches bear abundant fruit;

"Your gaze is like the rising sun, bringing forth blooming flowers and overflowing granaries!"

A hazy pink glow filled the air, and devout chants lingered in the atmosphere.

The strange atmosphere inside the church, along with the pink light surrounding it, seemed to have no effect on its sacredness.

The kind lady, holding a rosebud in one hand and a handful of plump wheat grains in the other, looked down upon the world with the same tranquility and gentleness as always.

"In the name of Chantia, our great and merciful Mother, the Creator of all things..."

May the land be fertile;

May life never end.

As the eulogy seemed to draw to a close, the sounds of praise that filled the air quietly rose higher.

An elderly priest, dressed in a brown-green ceremonial robe, knelt at the feet of the goddess, his body trembling slightly from the surging emotions within him, causing the holy emblem at his waist to sway gently.

Behind him were more than twenty equally devout figures.

They might be the town's butcher, the farmer working in the fields, or the sheriff protecting the town's residents.

But at this moment, they have only one identity:
—A follower of the goddess.

"Damn it, what the hell is that?!"

This was the first thing the dwarf Soldin said after he pushed open the church door and saw the scene inside.

With extensive adventure experience and a long career, he has traveled to countless places and, naturally, visited many churches dedicated to gods for various reasons.

To be honest, the Church of the Goddess of Agriculture in Giethoorn is not large at all; in comparison, it could even be described as "small." However, the sight of more than twenty people worshipping at the same time seems particularly shabby compared to those cathedrals that have hundreds or thousands of people.

From any perspective, the scene before us seems unsurprising.

But he knew perfectly well that this church was the source of the beam of light that enveloped the entire town like a birdcage.

They knew that the pastor in the church, who enjoyed a high reputation in the town, had most likely fallen; they knew that the minds of these so-called devout believers had been rewritten, and their minds had fallen into chaos.

In this situation, when Soldin saw the "sacred and solemn" scene reflected in the sweet pink light, he felt a chill run down his spine. The inexplicable sense of unease made him raise his vigilance to the highest level in an instant.

"careful!"

The reminder from his teammate behind him brought the dwarf back to his senses.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the exceptionally strong black-haired youth in the group seemed to be looking at something, and he followed the direction the other was looking.

The next second, his short body stiffened.

The pink light shining in the air was so bright that he didn't notice it for a moment.

Now, thanks to Xia Nan's reminder, Soldin finally noticed the unnatural pink emanating from the bodies of those believers.

They were tiny pink crystalline particles that covered almost every inch of the believers' exposed skin outside their clothes.

The impact was more severe than on the blacksmith, with even the fingertips covered in pink crystals.

And right in the center of his chest, a bright and alluring pink glow could be seen, shimmering beneath his clothing.

call--

The cold night wind howled into the hall from outside the church doors.

The air fell silent for a moment.

The elderly priest seemed oblivious, continuing to pray devoutly to his goddess as before.

The twenty-odd crystalline figures behind him simultaneously stiffened and twisted their bodies, showing no emotional fluctuations. Their chilling gazes fell on the three people at the church entrance at the same time.

"retreat!"

A sense of deadly danger welled up within her, and Margaret, without hesitation, shouted at the two people beside her, no longer caring about the volume of her voice.

At the same time, he pushed off with his feet and bounced towards the plaza behind him as if he were on a spring.

Xia Nan reacted faster than her opponent.

Almost the instant Margaret shouted for retreat, the howling of wolves followed.

Enveloped by the phantom of a giant wolf, his jet-black hair swayed violently as he vanished from the spot.

The entire squad consisted of only the dwarf Soldin. Due to his race and profession, his perception attribute was inferior to that of ordinary professionals. Furthermore, because of his role as a front-line tank, he was always at the very front of the team during missions. In addition, his agility attribute was only average, so he simply didn't have time to react.

This meant that when Xia Nan and Margaret quickly retreated and, thanks to the explosive force, had already escaped from the church and even created some distance between themselves, their opponent was still standing in the same spot.

However, unexpectedly, Soldin retreated back to the square faster than the two of them.

The next second, accompanied by a loud crash of hard objects colliding, the sturdy body, gleaming with a metallic sheen, was blasted out of the church like a cannonball.

In other words, he was thick-skinned and had taken precautions beforehand, thanks to Xia Nan and Margaret's reminders, so he didn't suffer too much injury from the fierce attack.

He rolled on the ground more than a dozen times. When he got up, covered in dust, only his clothes were torn on his left forearm and his skin was slightly scratched.

Without the slightest hesitation, his short legs moved swiftly across the ground, and he once again stood at the forefront of the group, shield in hand.

"be careful!"

"Each of these items should be far superior to what the blacksmith just did!"

The deep voice, like the beating of a drum, was the dwarf's way of alerting his two teammates behind him, based on the power he had sensed in that instant.

And just as he finished speaking, figures shimmering with pink light filed out of the church doors.

【Emberfall】The straight sword's dark gray blade reflected pink light from the sky, drawing an arc in the air.

Xia Nan stared intently at the more than twenty ferocious figures rushing towards them, his mind racing.

Location: The central square of Goat Horn Town - with a wide field of vision and spacious area, it allows him to freely unleash both [Fang Hunt] and [Whirlwind Slash], making it the type of combat environment he is most suited to;

Enemies: Over twenty townspeople deeply infected by pastel gems—considering the previous battle with the blacksmith, these enemies, whose skin is completely covered in gem particles, should possess extremely strong physical defense, and their strength and explosive power should be further enhanced. Of course, this still needs to be tested in actual combat. Hmm… the old priest named "Moen" hasn't come out yet; he should still be in the church. We need to be wary of a surprise attack during the battle.

Teammates: Margaret is a swordsman who is more focused on melee burst damage, while Soldin is a shield warrior who focuses on defense and drawing enemy aggro. The two have been working together for a long time, while I am only a temporary addition and my level of understanding is limited. Joining them rashly in this intensity of battle may actually have a negative effect.

They should make the most of their mobility to maneuver and create opportunities for their teammates, while also inflicting damage.

In the short span of a breath, countless thoughts flashed through Xia Nan's mind, and he had already prepared a complete battle plan for the current situation.

He believed his considerations were accurate and comprehensive, and Margaret's subsequent command proved this to be true:

"Ready to fight!"

"Soldierding, use Taunt! Delay as much as possible, and leave the rest to me!"

"Xia Nan, assess the situation yourself and be careful!"

Ding-bang—

It was the sharp sound of a prism striking a round shield.

As an important front-line member of the team, it is Soldin's responsibility to draw enemy aggro and create space for his teammates to deal damage. This straightforward dwarf, whose every word and action perfectly conforms to the world's stereotypes about his race, did not hesitate at all after hearing the captain's command.

He unleashed his taunt skill directly at the church door, even adjusting the skill's range to include the first few townspeople who came out.

"Om..."

In an instant, the crystalling beings that had been rushing towards Xia Nan and his two companions suddenly regrouped.

Shift your focus and attack the dwarf.

With this single act, Soldin attracted the hatred of fifteen enemies.

While the danger he faced increased significantly, it also greatly reduced the pressure on his two teammates.

Having such a fearless front-line tank in the team speaks volumes about their importance.

"what!!!"

A furious roar, fueled by a surge of blood and qi, suddenly exploded across the square.

Soldin, who had drawn the attention of a double-digit number of enemies, showed no intention of retreating. He knew he was not good at agility and that roaming and kiting were not his strengths.

He took a deep breath and then unleashed his power with a roar!
The dwarf's bulging muscles and metallic skin made him appear as if he were truly cast from steel. The bluestone slabs on the plaza beneath his feet cracked instantly, and a faint light quietly appeared on the surface of the round shield on his left arm.

A pale white light spun out, instantly covering the entire circular shield, and did not stop there, but continued to spread and expand into the surrounding air.

Ultimately, with the round shield itself at its core, a huge light shield resembling a wall was formed.

——【Fearless Guardian】!
The [Shield Warrior] class automatically gains a class combat skill when it is upgraded to level 3.

Soldin has now trained him to the point of "mastery".

The combat skills themselves are not complicated, but there are certain conditions for their execution.

As a class skill of the Shield Warrior, Fearless Guard only works on enemies that have been taunted.

Once the light shield is fully deployed, enemies affected by the taunt must make a Perception save, which is relatively difficult. If the save fails, the taunted enemy is forced to attack the light shield itself instead of bypassing the dwarf behind the defensive shield.

As for a successful check... in fact, when an enemy is already completely in a state of taunting, the difficulty of passing this almost targeted perception check is raised several levels.

At least for the dozen or so dazed crystallized beings in front of them, it was almost an impossible task.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

Pink crystal fragments flew off the knuckles that were violently striking the light shield.

Fifteen Crystallings rushed forward, almost engulfing the entire light shield.

These individuals, who were originally just ordinary townspeople, are now monstrous beings whose minds have been completely controlled. They have no combat skills whatsoever and simply rely on their own power enhanced by the pink gems to randomly strike and pound the shield.

One might be alright, but when the number reaches double digits, even Soldin, who has extremely high physical attributes, turns pale and his lips tremble.

He could feel his strength waning at a visible rate.

How long can it last?
One minute? Two minutes?

Soldin didn't know.

But he believed in his teammates.

"Hey!"

The silver-white sword light tore through the air and landed on the enemy in front of him, but instead of striking, it rang out with a crisp "ding".

The silvery-white light emanating from the blade's surface struggled to break through the defense of the crystalline particles, leaving a deep wound on the waist and abdomen of the enemy before him.

Without the slightest hesitation, her long, powerful arms instantly unleashed their strength, and Margaret gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, pulling the longsword out of the enemy's flesh.

There was no need to recharge; the blade had barely left the wound before it fell again, striking with extreme precision the wound that had just been breached with such difficulty.

It was even more swift than the first sword strike, which had been prepared with some force.

—【Second Round Slash】.

One of the basic combat skills for some melee classes, and also a required condition for becoming a Swordsman.

Margaret had already "mastered" the skill when she was fifteen, and now she has been "proficient" for many years, perfectly integrating this combat technique into actual combat.

Against an enemy with extremely strong physical defense, a single sword strike may not be enough to inflict effective damage. However, as long as the defense of the crystalline particles on the enemy's body surface can be breached, the second sword strike, which is even more powerful under the effect of the [Secondary Wheel Slash], can further aggravate the injury by taking advantage of the wounds caused previously.

This is an attack strategy that Margaret developed temporarily based on the enemy's characteristics and her own technical abilities.

And the results were exactly as she had expected.

"laugh!"

It was the dull sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh.

The blade, slashing diagonally downwards along the side of the chest and abdomen, smoothly cut down along the previous wound until it touched the crystalline particles on the skin's surface on the other side, where it was stopped.

Margaret used her legs to push off, suddenly retreating to dodge the attack from the side while simultaneously pulling the blade out of the flesh.

The crystalline figure in front of her was cleaved in two diagonally by the [Second Round Slash].

Only the outermost layer of skin covered with gemstone particles remained connecting the upper body. The entire body resembled a banana that had been forcibly broken in two, barely connected only by the outer skin.

Meanwhile, a little further away on the other side of the square, a wide, wall-like shield of light and the sharp, silvery-white light of swords were reflected.

It's the long, slender wolf paws that gracefully descend as the mane sways, the silhouette of a dark sword blending into the night...

Along with spraying blood, several round skulls spun and fell.

(End of this chapter)