Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 470 Battle Recap and Further In-Depth Analysis

Although the two human settlements encountered along the way, the fishing village on Hare Island and the rocky settlement in Twin Valleys, were both deserted.

The good news is that the crew of the Blade of Vengeance did not suffer any losses.

Neither the previous storm at sea nor the recent attack by the Shahua fishmen caused any substantial casualties.

The two crew members who were most seriously injured were a lookout who had slipped and fallen while running on the deck and had his arm pierced by the sharp fins of the fishman's corpse; and a lookout who had fallen from the mast a few days earlier and broken his thigh.

In some respects, the damage to the Blade of Vengeance was more severe than that to the crew members.

Fortunately, Xia Nan and Hein returned in time to help, preventing the fishmen from causing further damage to the bottom of the ship and allowing the Blade of Vengeance to remain intact enough to continue sailing.

Otherwise, the people on their ship would probably have had to start a survival mission on a desert island.

The battle has just ended.

Without time to rest, Ryan and Gordon were already working diligently to arrange for people to thoroughly inspect the specific damage to the ship and devise a temporary repair plan.

Xia Nan and Hai Yin, along with several sailors, cleaned up the battlefield.

Actually, there wasn't anything valuable on them. The Shahua murlocs themselves only had a challenge level of 0.5, so they didn't have any high-value materials on them. In addition, among the murlocs that attacked the ship earlier, there were no spellcasters or priests, not even elite individuals at the four-armed level. They were just ordinary grunts, so naturally they wouldn't be carrying any precious special equipment.

They're all junk; you can pick and choose, but there aren't many that are in good condition and can fetch a good price.

With a keen eye, Xia Nan casually pulled a nearly new half-body merman armor from a corpse washed ashore by the waves. He handed the item to the young sailor following behind him, but his attention wandered slightly as he mentally reviewed the battle that had just taken place.

The gains were considerable. Among them, the fact that the proficiency of [Tide Reset] increased by two points after the battle was an unexpected bonus. Most importantly, Xia Nan gained a clear understanding of his own state when fighting in the water.

While its actual combat capabilities have indeed been weakened, the underwater environment extends the battlefield from a two-dimensional plane to a three-dimensional space, and the greatly enhanced mobility and flexibility of the [Fang Hunt] have compensated for this to some extent.

To be honest, when Xia Nan was riding the wolf head and rampaging through the sea, he felt a sense of unbridled freedom, and vaguely felt as if he had captured the complete form of the [Meteor Blade Hunter] class.

Unfortunately, I am still far from being able to fight in outer space, so I can only simulate it slightly with the water environment.

If Xia Nan were to expand the hunting grounds of [Fang Hunt] beyond the atmosphere one day, he would likely truly grasp the essence of the [Meteor Blade Hunter] profession.

If that's the case...

Xia Nan suddenly realized that it was no wonder that [Gravity Control] was required as a prerequisite for advancement. It seemed that [Meteor Blade Hunter] was indeed an advanced profession created to adapt to combat in zero-gravity environments.

Under normal circumstances, this is definitely not a job that a novice adventurer who has just met the three combat skill requirements could take.

Looking back now, it does seem rather absurd that I was able to acquire this profession by such a twist of fate.

Of course, he also suffered the consequences for it.

The excessively high starting point and the ridiculously solid foundation, while granting him combat abilities far exceeding those of other professionals of the same level, also greatly slowed down Xia Nan's advancement speed.

If I had been in the most common and ordinary [Warrior] class back then, with my exceptional talent combining my soul and body, and the help of my attribute panel, I might have already surpassed level 5 and was heading towards "Transcendent".

Instead of the current situation where they painstakingly hone their skills bit by bit in [Gravity Control], and then cherish every opportunity to improve in [Heavy Tide], which is slightly faster, as if they've struck gold and want to practice it for twenty hours every day.

Of course, if he were really allowed to go back a year and make the choice again... even if he chose a hundred times, he would still be [Meteor Blade Hunter].

After all, the leveling speed of ordinary professions in a short period of time is much more attractive to Xia Nan than the upper limit that advanced professions can reach in the future.

In addition, although the battle with these Shahua fishmen was short, Xia Nan clearly felt the difference between fighting underwater and fighting on land, and he had a few more things to pay attention to.

First and foremost, of course, is oxygen.

Although his professional-level physical abilities are excellent, he cannot maintain his breath for long periods of time in combat and needs to surface to breathe.

I briefly surfaced to catch my breath during the battle, thanks to the dash effect of [Fang Hunt], and I can't fight underwater continuously for long periods of time.

Then comes physical strength.

Xia Nan's physical attributes were not low. His experience in the Snake Cave Secret Realm even made it the most outstanding aspect of his physical qualities at one time. However, he never encountered a suitable opportunity afterward, which caused it to gradually decline.

Currently, it has been surpassed by "Strength", "Agility" and "Perception", and is only higher than "Charisma" and "Intelligence".

He hadn't really felt it before, but now that he's in the underwater environment where physical exertion is greatly increased, he's starting to feel a bit out of sync with the frequency of his combat skills. He thinks that if he encounters a similar situation in the future, he should try to avoid prolonged, high-intensity underwater combat, and at least pay extra attention to the rhythm of the battle.

Regardless, this battle confirmed to Xia Nan that he still possessed considerable combat capabilities even underwater, and his original fighting style was able to continue.

Of course, he cannot become arrogant.

The current environment is shallow sea near the port, and the number of enemies is certain. If it were the deep ocean... he would be quite wary of those unfathomable abysses.

After all, he was now in a genuine fantasy world where extraordinary powers existed, and those sea monsters with bodies comparable to islands were definitely real, so he had to be vigilant.

In his past life, he had heard a proverb that said, "Those who drown are all good swimmers." Although it may not be entirely true, the principle it conveyed was sound: one should not ignore the dangers of a situation just because of a little confidence.

While reviewing the battle, they also tidied up the debris on the battlefield.

From the corridor leading to the cave in the rock wall, came a series of hurried footsteps.

Lorraine and the others arrived late, only returning to the dock after the battle was over.

Seeing that Xia Nan and the others had already begun cleaning up the battlefield, and that the deck was bustling with activity, he breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to inquire:
"how is the situation?"

Xia Nan casually handed another relatively intact harpoon to the sailor next to him and replied.

"It's alright, there were no casualties."

"They are just ordinary Shahua fishmen, without any elite individuals."

He spoke in a normal tone, simply giving a normal account of the battle, without exaggerating or being overly modest.

Lorraine nodded slightly in response, but her reddish-brown eyes subconsciously glanced at the scattered remains of heads and flesh bobbing with the waves on the sea surface.

The unique terrain of Twin Valleys allowed them to keep an eye on the battlefield below while traversing the hollows in the rock walls. They naturally saw the shadow swirling beneath the water's surface and understood the role Xia Nan played in the entire battle.

"That's too ruthless, The Hague..."

The barbarian Arken spoke his mind, carrying his anchor-shaped giant axe, marveling at the fishman corpses washed ashore.

Even Sasha, the usually slow-to-warm-up spotted cat, changed her gaze towards Xia Nan, her long, fluffy tail swaying gently behind her.

As a newly joined temporary member of the crew, Xia Nan's performance on this mission has completely earned the trust of these veteran members. There's no need for further explanation; when the time comes, they will naturally take him to the Moonlit Feast.

Captain Lorraine patted him on the shoulder and nodded slightly, her gaze turning to Ryan, who had disembarked to greet them and report back upon their return.

"Where did these fishmen come from? Is there anything else unusual about them?"

Clearly, he had already prepared his speech, and Renn explained the details of the battle to them.

The available information is limited, but the only clear and worthwhile point to explore is this:

There are no elite individuals among these merfolk.

This is undoubtedly abnormal given the racial habits of the Shahua fish people.

A group of dozens of ordinary fishmen can never be without a leader.

But that's actually the case. There aren't even any elite guards with two pairs of arms, let alone merman priests.

what does this mean?
Lorraine frowned, thought for a moment, and then asked:

"During the battle, did these merfolk show any signs of fighting amongst themselves?"

Upon hearing this, Renn appeared quite puzzled and denied it.

Xia Nan, who had discovered the strange situation of the islanders' living area inside the rock wall with Lorraine and the others, naturally knew why the other party asked that question.

Having had close encounters with the fish-men underwater, and having also failed to witness their fighting, he shook his head in response.

Silence fell over the field.

"Captain, what should we do next?"

Arken bent down, picked up a fish-man's head, examined it for a moment, then threw it into the sea and asked Lorraine a question.

Lorraine, of course, would not retreat at this point.

The reason they interrupted their vacation and made a special trip from Harpie Bay to Twin Valleys was partly because her discovery on the black market was somewhat intriguing, and partly because they had taken on an investigation mission for the Adventurers' Guild's ancient ruins along the way.

Regarding the former, the buildings and structures discovered in the islanders' living area, although they looked somewhat similar, upon closer inspection revealed significant differences from what she was looking for, clearly indicating they were not the same type. This was considered a conclusion.

But the association's commission regarding the latter has only just begun.

What they have found so far is far from enough to meet the minimum requirements for this investigation.

Regardless, the Blade of Vengeance is, after all, an adventurer's fleet, and the seemingly powerful professionals are, in essence, adventurers who value money above all else.

With the existence of ancient ruins almost certain, it is impossible to back down because of such a small, yet-to-be-realized potential danger.

After a moment's thought, Lorraine waved to Hein, who had just descended the gangway and was walking towards them, and instructed Renn:

"You two brothers, just like before, lead the crew to keep a close watch on the Blade of Vengeance, and send a signal if anything happens."

"I'll take some men deeper into the canyon to see if we can find anything."

No objection.

A team of seasoned adventurers who have worked together for many years will generally not have any second voices interfering with their decisions during a mission, unless the leader's decision is too outrageous. This is especially true in a situation where there is a high probability that ancient ruins will appear.

If Lorraine chooses to retreat at this point, Akensassa and the others might actually become dissatisfied.

As for Xia Nan...

With the secret realm right before him, he certainly had no reason to leave.

……

After a brief inspection of the ship, it was confirmed that there was no serious damage to the planks.

The group of six changed direction, no longer exploring the caves where the islanders lived in the rock walls, but instead following the drag marks left on the ground where corpses had been dragged deep into the canyon.

As they traveled further and further, the number of relics and artifacts that were already quite numerous in the caves of the rock walls increased even more frequently.

The muddy path at the bottom of the canyon, worn down by generations of islanders, has marble bricks protruding from the ground every few steps.

Like jigsaw puzzle pieces scattered on the ground, these stone bricks are arranged in a completely irregular way, some in the east and some in the west, some in the middle, and some even have a few local wild grasses embedded in them in a very strange way.

The building, resembling a balcony, is close to the ground, but behind it is a bare rock wall. The intricate and delicate carvings of flowers and shell patterns on the surface of its railings are clearly visible.

You can even see a similarly exquisite little flowerpot in the corner of the balcony, but it's empty and devoid of any plants.

The ornate dome arched by ribs blends into the tree canopy; a broken staircase connects to the ground at one end, but leads to a tree trunk at the other; park benches with their legs embedded in the mud; leather sofas stuck upside down in the bushes...

The unfamiliar environment made everyone walk slowly.

And it was precisely because of this that they became increasingly aware of the anomalies occurring in the canyon.

This is especially true for Xia Nan.

His past experiences made him clearly aware that the increasingly dense array of exotic buildings meant that they were getting closer to the center of this secret realm.

Just as the group remained vigilant and gradually ventured deeper into the area...

They discovered something unusual once again.

Those are the corpses of the Shahua fishmen.

The number is not large, and the frequency of their occurrence is not high.

But the harpoons piercing each other's bodies and the webbed footprints with lingering fluorescent blue blood on the ground clearly showed that these fish-men had killed each other.

Before everyone could examine it carefully, the exotic buildings that had been so densely packed that they were almost everywhere suddenly disappeared, leaving a large open space.

Xia Nan's heart skipped a beat, and he signaled everyone to be on their guard.

No one understood better than him what the inexplicably cleared open space in the complex and chaotic environment meant.

—The BOSS battle is here!
(End of this chapter)