Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 421 The End, Fireworks Bloom

A tremendous force surged forth as the muscles expanded, compressing and exploding the viscous air with a piercing wail.

Arms thicker than an adult's waist fell like a bluish-gray hammer, turning into a blurry afterimage.

"boom!!!"

A deafening explosion resounded through the vast cave!
The solid rock ground was blasted into fragments almost instantly, scattering countless tiny pieces.

It is no exaggeration to say that if 90% of the residents of Suyu Bay were hit head-on by this punch, they would instantly turn into mincemeat and explode like a blood mist.

Even the adventurers in the guild, unless they specialize in defense or have a high enough class level, would find it hard to say if they could withstand this punch.

Xia Nan is also out of the question.

His defensive capabilities have always been his weakness, which is to some extent why his armor is destroyed far more often than that of adventurers of the same level.

In high-intensity battles that match actual combat strength, the only way to compensate for this weakness is to use more expensive and sturdier armor to increase the margin for error.

With his rich combat experience, he would never use his weaknesses to directly confront the enemy's strengths.

As the two highest attributes among his current six attributes, they are being fully demonstrated at this moment.

With his 12-point perception, Xia Nan sensed the sudden, condensing killing intent even before the shark beast in front of him threw a punch, and made a precise prediction based on the subtle movements of the opponent's waist, abdomen, and arm bones and muscles.

His agility of 11 points allows him to react with lightning speed and dodge with tremendous force once he senses something.

The combined result of both was the Shark Beast's seemingly powerful and indeed heavy punch, which could only land on the ground empty.

And following closely behind, black and gray wolf fangs pierced out from the side.

"Shoot."

The enchanted straight sword, forged with exotic silver ingots as the main material and combined with high-quality auxiliary materials, costs as much as four figures in gold coins. Even without the Ember Spirit activated, its sharpness, combined with the force of the attack, is enough to allow the tip of the sword to pierce through that thick, tough skin in a relatively easy manner.

Blood gushed out, and the scarlet blood droplets seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, flying out of the wound like miniature satellites, circling the air around the sword.

hum-

The sword flashed.

The dark figure disappeared from the spot amidst the howling of wolves.

Only a thin, long wound remained on the shark's right arm, extending from its wrist to its shoulder.

For this monster with its exaggerated physical abilities, this could hardly be considered an injury.

However, by controlling the muscle contraction and compression, the bleeding can be stopped with just a few breaths, and the wound will heal and scab over in just a few minutes.

But what if there were five or even ten more wounds of this severity?

No matter how strong their body is or how extraordinary their recovery ability is, they still haven't reached the level of being "extraordinary".

As wounds accumulate, they eventually transform from quantitative to qualitative change, resulting in severe injuries that significantly impact an individual's actual combat capabilities.

From afar, in the dimly lit center of the spacious cave, a shark-like beast, covered in tiny wounds and bleeding profusely, stood roaring, like a prey about to be exhausted, putting up a last-ditch fight.

Meanwhile, the true hunter, a jet-black winter wolf with swaying mane, paced lightly in the shadows nearby, searching for an opportunity to bite off its prey's neck with its fangs.

He still had the remaining three uses of the gravity etching technique.

Xia Nan has a very clear understanding of the situation on the field.

The shark beast in front of them appeared to be covered in blood, but in reality, it only suffered minor injuries and had not accumulated to a sufficient degree.

He still needs to remain vigilant.

Otherwise, if they were to be struck by that fist, which is like a battering ram, the situation would immediately reverse.

My strategy choice was absolutely correct.

Faced with such a cumbersome and powerful enemy, utilizing one's own advantages in mobility and agility to maneuver and harass is arguably the wisest tactic.

On the other hand, Xia Nan also knew that if this continued, the battle would be prolonged.

He did have some concerns about this.

His dark eyes shifted slightly, his gaze sweeping over the tranquil pool behind the shark beast.

It's not like those dungeon bosses in my past life's games that would fight you to the very end once a group was formed.

The enemy in front of them, feeling their physical strength being constantly weakened and having no way to deal with Xia Nan, was fully capable of escaping.

The pool is right next to it, and considering the terrain of the seaside grotto, its depths are most likely connected to the outside sea.

What should I do if it runs away?
Chase?

How to chase?
Entering the water rashly is tantamount to suicide.

When facing this type of shark-like monster, one's greatest advantage in mobility is completely negligible in the water.

The opponent doesn't even need any complicated tactics. Just like Xia Nan is dealing with the shark beast by pulling it back to the surface, if this goes on for too long, the shark beast will faint from lack of oxygen.

In this situation, if the monster in front of him wanted to escape, he really had no way to stop it.

Given Xia Nan's personality, if he were to let an enemy who had clearly shown hostility towards him, and even with whom he had fought, escape...

He definitely won't be able to sleep tonight.

To cut the grass, you must remove the roots!

This is precisely why they deliberately kept the [gravity etching].

Xia Nan is searching for the key to breaking the deadlock in what appears to be a steady, attrition-based tactic.

Once he finds that fatal weakness in the other party... he won't hesitate.

boom boom—

The music continues.

In fact, Aldon the halfling and Shanan have not fought together in many battles.

After the Karanfor incident, Xia Nan learned [Fang Hunt] and [Gravity Control], gained a job level, and is now at level 3, without the other party participating at all.

More than a year has passed, and his fighting style and combat strength have undergone tremendous changes.

Unexpectedly, based on their shared assessment of the situation on the field and their quick understanding of each other's fighting styles, the two displayed an extraordinary level of tacit understanding without any communication.

The music echoing between the rock walls changed constantly, gradually shifting from its initial passionate tone to a more light and cheerful one.

As Xia Nan's burning fighting spirit subsided, his mind became clearer, and he became more agile in controlling the [Fang Hunt].

This was a shrewd adjustment Alton made after realizing that he did not intend to launch a direct attack, but rather to maneuver and distract the opponent. He then applied a boost to his own piano playing.

The melodious and cheerful piano music was the perfect background music for Xia Nan to assist in battle, but to the monsters, it was a noisy cacophony that made their minds even more chaotic.

A pair of lifeless fish eyes suddenly looked in the direction of the halfling, and with a roar, it charged straight toward Alton's location.

The howls of wolves rang out almost simultaneously.

Having been keeping a close eye on the monster's actions, how could Xia Nan possibly miss this opportunity?

The surface of the gray-black straight sword was condensed with ochre-red energy, striking first despite being delayed, aiming to inflict sufficient damage while blocking the opponent's attempt to cut into the back row.

The next second, the [Emberfall] straight sword slashed down with a perfect arc of light.

"Boom boom!"

The force field energy suddenly exploded, transforming into an ochre-red energy sword light under the enhancement of [Spinning Slash], slashing straight at the shark beast's back.

The rough, bluish-gray skin was instantly torn apart, revealing the solid muscles beneath.

In the middle of their journey, the shark beast had no chance to dodge and was struck squarely in the back by a sword.

In an instant, the bonuses from [Spinning Slash], [Gravity Etching], and [Heavy Tide] erupted simultaneously, along with the "+5% Cleave Damage" and "+10% Mind Damage" inherent in the [Emberfall] straight sword.

The monster's shark-like dorsal fin was instantly sliced ​​off by a third, and a deep, gruesome wound was torn open along its spine, exposing the bone.

It was undoubtedly a serious injury!

But it was precisely the intense pain from such a wound and the feeling of weakness from rapidly losing life force that fueled the ferocity of this monster.

Its eyes were reddish, and the fierce aura unique to wild beasts permeated the air.

It roared and its body suddenly swelled up a size, shaking Xia Nan, who was about to press his advantage, away.

At the same time, its speed increased again, and it charged wildly towards the smaller man. Alton's reaction was incredibly fast.

Besides being favored by a goddess, she is also a renowned bard, known for her versatility.

With a sudden burst of strength from his fingertips, he flicked the pincers.

thump——

As the strings vibrated, the two small leather boots seemed to be wrapped in a gentle breeze, and the short body was like a nimble squirrel leaping among the treetops. With a "whoosh," it slipped away and disappeared from the spot.

Before it could dissipate the force, the shark, propelled by inertia, slammed headfirst into the wall.

"Boom!"

The cave shook, and stone dust and fine ash fell from above.

At this moment, Xia Nan, who had been blasted away and forced back in the distance, had just landed on his feet, and the lingering notes of Alton's piano music, which he had managed to hide to the side, had not yet completely dissipated.

Nick, who was closest, seized the opportunity.

This middle-aged man, who had lost two teammates in a short period of time, had now shed his identity as the captain of the "Silver Claw Osprey" squad and joined the battle simply as an adventurer.

He wasn't thinking about revenge, but he also wasn't considering the future.

Like an instinct honed over years of adventure, after being knocked away by the monster, he didn't hesitate at all and immediately downed the entire bottle of healing potion he usually kept in his pouch.

He has now recovered 80% of his combat strength.

And he keenly seized the opportunity when the monster in front of him was stunned due to the violent impact.

He strode forward, his pair of short swords crossing as he swung, transforming into an "X"-shaped beam of light that whistled as it struck the monster, leaving a bloody, crisscrossing wound on its abdomen.

The howling of wolves came from afar.

As soon as Xia Nanfang landed, he was already rushing towards the shark beast's location, accompanied by the black wolf phantom.

But after taking only two steps, the sudden thick moisture in the air, coupled with an intense sense of danger emanating from within him, made him instinctively stop.

"careful!"

He instinctively pointed ahead in Nick's direction to warn him.

But just as Xia Nan's words were spreading through the air and reaching Nick's ears.

A torrent of water, like a flood pouring down, suddenly gushed out from the smoke and dust.

Standing right next to him, Nick had no time to dodge and was hit head-on.

The powerful impact seemed to detach his soul from his body, causing him to feel dizzy, his legs to leave the ground, and he was about to be blasted away by the water.

"laugh."

Its bluish-gray skin seemed to blend into the water, and five dark claws suddenly emerged, firmly gripping Nick's head.

Use all five fingers to tighten and gather.

boom--

Red and white slime splattered, and the fragile human skull burst open like a watermelon.

The corpse convulsed and rolled to the ground.

Thus, the "Silver Claw Osprey" squad was completely wiped out.

"Tsk."

Xia Nan pursed his lips, his dark eyes coldly fixed on the shark beast in front of him.

Clear, transparent water was still dripping from the mouth of the other party, which resembled a ferocious shark.

That powerful jet of water just now came from there.

Clearly, this beast was holding back its own trump card.

Moreover, it was visibly larger than before, and its upright height was nearly three meters.

The glistening liquid flowing from its mouth seemed to contain some special power, nourishing its rough, thick shark skin.

The thin, long wounds left by Xia Nan on his body surface healed rapidly. The last blow Nick dealt before his death, as well as the wounds on his back and shoulders left by Xia Nan's all-out effort, gradually stopped bleeding, and the muscles twitched, showing a faint trend of recovery.

"Xia Nan!"

In my ears, I could hear the shouts of the halfling Alton.

It can't be delayed any longer.

They must take advantage of the monster's wounds before they can heal and end this battle once and for all!

hold head high--

boom boom—

The wolf howl and the sound of the zither rang out almost at the same time.

The sharp straight sword transformed into a wolf's fang, stabbing diagonally towards the shark beast's neck, but it was blocked by the beast's left arm. The sharp blade pierced straight through the skin, flesh, and bones that blocked it, but after a slight delay, it directly pierced through the monster's forearm.

However, at the same time, the [Emberfall] straight sword was also stuck deep in the flesh and bones of the shark beast's arm.

"wrong!"

A sense of impending doom washed over Xia Nan, who decisively released his grip, leaving the straight sword on the opponent's forearm. He then kicked off the ground with both legs, preparing to use [Fang Hunt] to get away.

But at the same time, a fierce gust of wind surged from the other side.

At the cost of temporarily losing an arm, the shark beast gained the opportunity to throw a punch at Xia Nan.

"boom!"

A blue-gray iron fist, powerful enough to crush metal, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, landed on Xia Nan's side chest.

The [Purgatory Pulse] armor, which had already sustained damage in the previous battle with the Crystal Priest, was completely destroyed, turning into twisted and dented steel.

But it was still Barn's proud creation, forged primarily from hellfire metal. In the last second before it was completely destroyed, it ultimately helped Xia Nan absorb most of the damage from that punch.

Kara -

Muscles trembled, internal organs were compressed, and the chest and ribs were pressed down by the powerful force that pierced through the armor, and they looked like they were about to break.

"Buzz!"

From the [Tears of Spring] pendant on her chest, the fourth-circle healing spell "Spring Pulse Cleansing" transformed into a vibrant green light, gently engulfing all the pain Xia Nan had suffered.

Seeing this, the shark beast could not possibly stand still.

Just as the two thick, short legs were about to lift, a pair of sharp, curved blades fell from above, piercing through the insteps like nails and pinning the monster's two feet to the ground.

Before anyone knew it, Alton had already slipped up and gotten close.

The pain and feeling of constraint from its feet caused the monster to freeze instantly as it tried to move forward.

"It's now!"

【Tidal Shaping】 took effect silently, and Xia Nan, who should have been knocked away, fell to the ground like a feather as if she were in water.

Gravity pulled him out of his sheath, and he could easily grasp the hilt with a simple raise of his hand.

A force field of energy, resembling flowing runes, condenses on the surface of the sword.

Xia Nan suddenly took a step forward and thrust his sword upwards.

With unparalleled precision and speed, the sword was thrust into the eye of the shark beast.

It targets the brain nucleus directly.

Immediately afterwards, [Gravity Etching] erupted.

The ochre-red force field energy suddenly exploded from the surface of the sword.

It was like a firework blooming inside the shark's head.

A thick, red and white liquid, along with shattered and splattered skull fragments, splashed all over Xia Nan's body amidst a roar of energy.

(End of this chapter)