Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 44 Farewell (Two in One)

"Crack."

The dark green thorns curled and twitched as if they had a soul under the burning flames, and black scorch marks with sparks quickly spread across their surface.

Wood pulled out the dagger that was stuck in the enemy's chest with force, his expression cold and tired.

In front of him were several humanoid thorn monsters that were gradually being engulfed by flames.

It seemed to have some kind of corrosive effect on plants, and even the grass in a large area nearby turned into a strange dark green color.

"Crash."

The branches of the towering oak tree behind him swayed, and the half-elf holding a longbow landed lightly.

At this time, the two men had just experienced a fierce battle.

The enemies are five "dead needle monsters" disguised as bushes.

To be honest, the fighting ability of these monsters is not that strong, and is even worse than the rust monsters they encountered a few days ago.

But in the misty forest, which is full of thorns and long grass, they are particularly difficult to deal with as they have some ability to manipulate plants.

In the end, Wood used up his few remaining flame bombs to end the battle with difficulty.

And this is just one of the most common monsters after leaving the "outskirts" of the Misty Forest.

"Master, we should leave now."

Wood spoke breathlessly, his chest rising and falling visibly.

Even for a Wanderer who has obtained a professional level, it is not easy to stay in the depths of the Misty Forest for a long time, especially when he needs to be distracted to protect the half-elf.

Hai'an was also very clear about this.

In such a dangerous area, searching for a missing companion aimlessly like a headless fly would only drag both of them into danger.

It's time to give up.

A struggling expression flashed across his face. He nodded to Wood and said:

"Then let's retreat back to the periphery, and then..."

Squeak——

Before he could finish his words, there was a sudden noise not far away from him, and the birds and animals in the forest were startled and flew away.

And that seemed to be the place where Xia Nan's traces were last seen.

The two looked at each other tacitly, then took a step and ran towards the direction where the sound came from.

……

As the crystal clear dew drops melted into his body, Xia Nan felt a cool and gentle stream flowing from his palms throughout his body.

The whole person seemed to be floating among the clouds, so light that even the toes were off the ground.

The muscles that have been almost overloaded by high-intensity exercise are restored by the nourishment of the trickle and become tighter and tougher silently;
It seemed as if even the heart was beating more vigorously, and the hot blood was pumping and flowing driven by the trickle, which was a more vigorous vitality of life.

The petrified remains of the fingertips turned into scattered ash and were blown away by the wind, revealing the intact fingertips underneath;
The bones in the right forearm were corrected and restored under the action of the invisible force in the body, the stabbing pain in the chest ribs was gone, and even the small wound on the calf that had stopped bleeding and started to scab over seemed to be erased with an eraser, leaving only smooth skin.

At the same time, a long string of translucent characters flashed before Xia Nan's eyes:

"Constitution +3"

"Feature [Bronze Bones and Iron Bones] has been unlocked"

……

【Copper tendons and iron bones】

Category: Expertise

effect:

10% physical damage reduction
0.5% chance to be immune to physical damage

Introduction:

After absorbing the essence of plants from another world, your body has become tougher and has gained some blessings from rules.

Remarks:

"grandfather……"

……

Xia Nan stood in the woods, looking at his right arm which had recovered as before, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

At this moment, he was just like he had stayed up late to work overtime in his previous life and slept for twelve hours the next day.

I just felt extremely relaxed all over my body. All the previous fatigue and pain were swept away, and instead, I was filled with extremely abundant energy and physical strength.

It can almost be said that this is the peak physical condition since he came to this world.

"So, what the hell is that?"

He recalled the dewdrop that had just merged into his body and wondered in his heart.

It was clearly the same alien style, but unlike other things, the dew gave him an indescribable sense of reality.

It seems as if it is the origin of countless surrounding buildings coming into this world.

And as if to confirm his guess, after he absorbed the golden dew drops, the cave he was originally in disappeared like an illusion.

All that was left were the familiar trees and grass of the Misty Forest.

Subconsciously, he reached out and touched the wooden sword behind him, feeling the hard touch at his fingertips.

Xia Nan breathed a sigh of relief.

Although I was still confused, the ending was a happy one.

That drop of dew not only helped heal his injuries, provided an exaggerated 3 points of physical attribute, but also gave him a defensive specialty called "Copper Tendons and Iron Bones". Judging from the effect on the attribute panel, it was quite powerful.

He even pulled out a blue rare-quality equipment from the cave.

The harvest is not small.

Now the only thing he needed to consider was how to escape smoothly from the depths of the misty forest and return to River Valley Town.

"I don't know what's going on with Hai'an, but with Wood here, there shouldn't be any problems."

Xia Nan was wondering in his mind, looking around, trying to determine the direction.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the dense bushes beside me.

He instantly drew out his beheading sword and became alert.

But then, when he found out that the visitors were half-elf and Wood, he relaxed again.

"How are you guys, are you okay?"

Xia Nan looked at the two men whose bodies were covered in grass debris and who had faint traces of fighting, and asked after putting away his sword.

"We are fine. For some reason, the petrified lizard didn't chase us." Hai'an stared at Xia Nan in front of him with silver-gray eyes, with a look of concern and a little confusion, "But you..."

If you must say, compared to the two people who just finished the battle and looked embarrassed, Xia Nan doesn't look that good now.

The leather armor on his back was shattered, his pants were cut in several holes, his body was covered in mud, and even his hair was covered in dust. There were several blood-stained bandages and splints scattered on the ground around him.

Even if he said he was a seriously injured soldier who had just returned from the battlefield, there would be people who would believe it.

But right now, Xia Nan doesn't look weak or injured at all.

His pair of black eyes were bright and sharp, and he was obviously full of energy.

Therefore, with just one glance, the half-elf noticed the contrast.

After all, he saw with his own eyes that Xia Nan was hit on the back by a petrified lizard, and he had to rely on healing potions to stay alive and have the strength to escape.

There was some hesitation in his words.

"profound……"

Noticing the other party's gaze, Xia Nan's expression paused for a moment, and he had already realized the half-elf's discovery.

The incident happened suddenly. He had just escaped from the cave and had no time to cover up the changes in his body, nor could he think of a reasonable explanation.

Although Wood beside Hai'an did not speak, he could tell from the way he glanced at the wooden sword behind him and the intact skin under his torn clothes that he had discovered something. He thought for a moment and organized his words in his mind.

After Xia Nan concealed some details such as "dew drops" and "giant snake" that might cause trouble to the few people, he half-truthfully told the two people in front of him his entire experience.

Unexpectedly, after listening to his explanation, the half-elf and Wood did not show the surprised expression that he had imagined.

He was even very adventurous and didn't ask too much about the wooden sword he carried on his back.

"You may have entered a secret place."

Wood stroked his chin and spoke slowly.

"Secret realm?" Xia Nan expressed confusion about this unfamiliar term.

"Yeah." Wood nodded and explained.

"You should be a native of the Kingdom of Servia, right?"

"Yes."

"Then you should have heard the story of the 'Double Feathered Harp'."

"Shuangyuqin..." Xia Nan frowned slightly, flipping through the memories left by his previous life in his mind.

Then I finally remembered this story, which I had heard many times from the old man in the village when I was a child.

"Is he the bard who traveled all over the world and even to other realms in the legend?"

"That's right." The Wanderer nodded slightly.

"But what does this have to do with the so-called 'secret realm'?"

"Relationship... What if I say that the abyss hell and the astral heaven that Shuang Yuqin visited in the story are real?"

Wood suddenly raised his head and looked at Xia Nan in front of him.

"The material world we live in is just a space like a mezzanine. Surrounding it, there are a large number of realms of different sizes, large or small."

"Many spaces overlap and blend with each other, and the barriers between realms are not solid. Based on this premise, as long as certain conditions are met, the space will undergo a phenomenon similar to folding and contraction."

The wanderer's gaze swept across the mist that was floating around the few people.

"For example, an area with extremely dense magical energy."

Digesting the information in the other party's words, Xia Nan followed Wood's thoughts and said:

"You mean, the 'secret realm' I entered was created by the high concentration of magic within the Misty Forest."

"Yes." Wood glanced at the wooden sword behind Shanan again.

"These naturally formed secret realms, due to their special properties, are usually inhabited by powerful monsters, and may also contain some precious treasures."

"There are quite a few of these spaces on this continent. Even though they are not easy to find and are mostly found in the wild where monsters are densely populated, every year we hear rumors of some lucky adventurer who has accidentally discovered a secret place."

"Some powerful spellcasters even use their own abilities that can distort time and space to open up their own secret realms."

"The smaller one might be a warehouse, but if it's bigger..."

At this point, Wood suddenly glanced up at the sky covered by the tree canopy above his head and lowered his voice:

"You have to know that, to some extent, the 'Kingdom of God' is also a kind of secret realm."

Having said this, they all fell silent.

Xia Nan carefully compared the characteristics of the "secret space" mentioned by Wood with the cave he had just entered.

I couldn't help but frown.

"It feels... a little different." He said to himself.

Unexpectedly, Wood, who was discussing the world view with Xia Nan just now, now showed a look of entanglement and confusion.

"That's not right." Wood suddenly took two steps forward and came to where Xia Nan was standing.

He leaned over to examine his footprints carefully, then stomped on the ground hard.

"If it really is a secret place, then why couldn't the two of us get in just now? If it was already closed before we got here, you definitely wouldn't be able to get out, right?"

"What's more, the secret realm is, after all, just a folded space. In most cases, it does not have the ability to affect the surrounding terrain."

"The various buildings we saw along the way don't look like what a secret realm can bring."

Wood stood there, becoming more and more confused as he spoke.

Xia Nan seemed to be able to see the white smoke rising faintly above the other person's head.

And just as the wanderer said, he himself also felt that the disappeared cave might be similar to the "secret place" of this world in some aspects, but in essence it was a completely different thing.

At this moment, the half-elf, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked:
"Xianan, I hope I didn't offend you. After all, this should be a taboo among adventurers, but..."

There was hesitation in his words, but there was a hint of hope on his face, which was covered with grass debris.

"Aren't there any elven-style things in the cave?"

Hearing this, Xia Nan was stunned.

Then he began to recall in detail and comprehensively everything he had seen from the time he entered the cave to the time he was teleported out.

Then, he slowly shook his head and answered solemnly and seriously:
"No."

He was not too disappointed, as the half-elf had already prepared himself mentally.

He just clapped his hands towards the guards around him:
"It's time for us to go, Wood."

“It’s really not safe here.”

……

……

Compared to the twists and turns and thrills on the way here, the return journey for the three people seemed particularly peaceful.

Not only did they not encounter any dangerous monsters, but even those annoying snakes and scorpions were much less numerous and no longer concentrated in one area.

Xia Nan suspected that it was the result of him absorbing the dew droplets that caused the cave space to disappear.

Compared to the journey here, which required stopping from time to time to rest, search for targets or deal with battles, it took a full two days.

On their return journey, it only took them one day to reach the outer edge of the misty forest.

Looking at the twinkling lights of River Valley Town on the distant horizon and the several lighted bungalows nearby.

The half-elf was obviously relieved, stopped, turned around and said goodbye to Xia Nan beside him:

"Thanks to you this time, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to get that far."

"We won't be going back to Riverdale for now. Wood and I have a carriage stored at the post station. If you have the chance in the future, you are welcome to come to Newme."

"Regarding Larry and Doris..." Hai'an's expression suddenly paused. His face was covered by the shadows of the night, and his specific expression could not be seen clearly. "When I return to Neum, I will explain it to their parents in person."

Xia Nan had thought that the two would go back to Hegu Town with him to rest for a few days before leaving, so he was surprised to see them say goodbye so suddenly.

But after all, the other party had said so, so he didn't try to persuade her to stay.

He just spoke tentatively:

"If you need anything, just write me, I might be able to help."

The two of them saved him once when he was facing a petrified lizard. During this trip, he could vaguely hear that something difficult seemed to have happened in the half-elf's home.

Within his ability, Xia Nan doesn't mind lending a helping hand to the other party.

In response, Hai'an chuckled and declined, and took out a black card from his pocket.

"There are 70 gold in this crystal card, plus the 30 gold from before, which is your reward for this mission."

"Also, after I return to the city, I will start to help you find a suitable combat instructor, but it may take a while. I will contact you by letter for details."

As the night spread, the half-elf blinked his signature silver-gray eyes, smiled and waved at Xia Nan, and the shadow-like guard beside him also nodded slightly.

"May the stars light your way and the forest bless you."

"Goodbye my friend."

(End of this chapter)