Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 473 [The Helmsman of the Oath of Flames]

"Omlong..."

The intense heat surged and rolled outwards, and the sudden rise in temperature made the air appear hazy with white mist.

Her fiery red, wavy hair swayed violently like silk as the heat surged, reflecting the shimmering flames surrounding her, and her brownish-red eyes seemed to be ignited by fire.

"The Blade of Vengeance" - Lorraine.

This is not only the name of the team she is proud of, which she has painstakingly built; it is also the nickname she has earned among other adventurers after years of wandering the Southern Islands, wielding a scimitar in one hand and a blazing flame in the other; it is also her own determination and pursuit.

Right now, the team is facing a terrifying monster that poses a great danger.

As the leader of the entire team and the one with the highest professional level, how could she possibly stand idly by?

She may not be good at perception, but her unwavering will and the ever-burning flame of revenge instilled in her by her profession allowed her to break free from control in less than five seconds after being subjected to a mental attack. She became the third member of the team to regain her senses, after Xia Nan and Hai Yin.

The flames are burning.

Unlike other adventurers who take on basic classes like [Warrior], [Ranger], or [Monk], which can directly advance from level 1 to the extraordinary level 10, this is different.

Lorraine's career path choice is similar to Xia Nan's.

—lv5【Curved Blade Master】+lv2【Oathflame Helmsman】.

Two relatively unpopular professions together make up her total profession level of lv7.

The "Curved Blade Master" is, as the name suggests, a profession that uses a "curved blade" as its main weapon.

To some extent, in terms of the number of people who hold this profession, it is not actually that unpopular. It is only because of its level 5 cap that it is listed outside of the common basic professions.

The origin of the "Curved Blade Swordsman" is too ancient to be known. Some say it comes from the natives of the Sand City in the endless desert of the northwest, while others say it originated from port cities on the vast coastline of the mainland.

But with the expansion of trade routes and the movement of adventurers, this profession, which originated on horseback and in alleyways, has spread throughout the entire continent of Aifara.

As a basic profession for beginners, the [Scimitar Slayer] does not have any exaggerated special powers, nor does it have the distinctive characteristics of the [Meteor Blade Hunter].

While belonging to the [Warrior] class, the [Scimitar Slayer] class emphasizes the flexibility of its members, excelling in combat in crowded environments or on mounts and vehicles, and providing corresponding agility bonuses and scimitar weapon specialization.

As an advanced class, the [Oathflame Helmsman] is undoubtedly much less common than the former, and even has certain restrictions that must be met to become a member.

The core elements are [Revenge], [Flame], and [Leader].

Only those leaders who have lost everything and refuse to sink into oblivion, who swear a blood oath amidst endless resentment and hatred, can embark on this career path paved with hatred and flames, and ultimately find their final resting place amidst the lamentations of their enemies' souls as they are burned.

At this moment, facing the ferocious beast rampaging across the field, the flames of hatred had completely ignited the captain's heart.

Swoosh—

A burst of crimson flames suddenly erupted!

The exaggerated physical attributes of a level seven melee professional, and the explosive power of that instant, made Lorraine so fast that she almost left a trail of flames in her wake.

However, his entire body had already transformed into a rapidly extending crimson line, shooting towards the shark beast amidst the sound of exploding fireworks.

Annoyed by Xia Nan's entanglement, the humanoid shark that was chasing after him suddenly felt a burning sensation on its back.

Just as it had a chance to turn around, the blue-quality blade, forged from dragon's breath flames and named the [Scale Fire Curved Blade], had already swept past its body, wreathed in blazing flames.

The curved blade, which had originally only sparked sparks in the surrounding air, was now completely ignited by orange-red flames, making the magnificent golden-red texture on its surface, which resembled waves, even more dazzling, and continuously transmitting heat to the wielder.

There was no blood.

The thick, fishy-smelling liquid didn't even have time to flow from the cut skin before it was evaporated by the scorching heat of the blade, hissing and turning into pungent smoke.

In the flickering firelight, a gruesome, charred wound was left in the center of the chest of the enormous creature, which was nearly four meters tall.

Even the exaggerated healing ability granted by the powerful physique unique to monsters is now suppressed by the burning effect of the [Scalefire Scimitar], making it difficult for the wound to heal quickly.

"Roar!!!"

The burning pain from the curved blade, which was passively amplified, made the shark beast feel extremely angry, and it roared madly.

Ignoring the persistent black wolf lurking behind him and taking the opportunity to leave a hideous wound on his back, he clenched his fist and punched the woman in front of him.

Boom—

Beneath the fist, imbued with terrifying power, even the air, which should have been invisible, seemed to be smashed out, condensed, and crushed.

It's not a development path that excels in defense. Even as a powerful level 7 professional, if hit by such a punch, one would likely die on the spot.

But Lorraine showed no sign of panic.

On that face, where the flames flickered, there was only composure and calmness brought about by rich combat experience and confidence in one's own strength.

Facing the enormous iron fist crashing down from above, she remained calm and composed. The flaming scimitar she held in her right hand, which had just left a deep wound on her enemy, was smoothly held horizontally in front of her with a flick of her wrist.

At the same time, inhale sharply, and puff out your cheeks.

Just like those fire-playing acrobats that Xia Nan saw on TV programs in his previous life.

Exhale.

"Whoosh!!"

Starting from where Lorraine was standing, there was a fan-shaped area in front of her, approximately five meters in diameter.

The blazing orange flames resembled some kind of miniature dragon breath, surging outwards with the breath exhaled from Lorraine's mouth, mediated by the scimitar.

In an instant, it swallowed up the entire massive body of the shark beast.

Lorraine herself was propelled away from her spot like a rocket by the recoil from the flames, causing her iron fist, which had been pounding down despite the pain of the burning flames, to fall into empty air.

"Flame Breath Against the Tide" - one of the key combat skills that enabled her to become the [Oath of Flame Helmsman], was already upgraded to the proficiency level many years ago.

Although it requires a fire source as a medium to use, its powerful effect, which is similar to a hypnotic spell, and the fact that it can be cast at close range without a long charging time, make this combat skill an invincible weapon for Lorraine.

After all, in close combat, who can react in time to a fire breath that is released almost face-to-face?

After she mastered "Flame Breath Reverse Tide", it gained the added benefit of short-range displacement.

Using the powerful thrust of her fiery breath, she was propelled backward, instantly creating distance between them.

Without a doubt, Lorraine's actual combat ability and on-the-spot decision-making in battle fully prove that her level 7 professional rank is a result of practical experience built up through countless battles.

If she were facing an ordinary monster, this single combo would have been enough to inflict severe burns. But this deformed shark beast, capable of shattering a "deflection field" with a single punch, was clearly not so easily dealt with.

The pointed leather boots, which had been briefly suspended in the air by the force of the flames, had just landed on the ground when they suddenly staggered back a few steps, their center of gravity not yet restored.

The flames that had raged on the shark's body died out at an unusually fast speed, and a viscous liquid could be vaguely seen seeping from the rough shark skin.

Apart from the huge wound on his chest from the knife strike, his entire body was only slightly charred.

No... perhaps not the "whole" body.

The human remains fused with the shark beast's body, lacking the protection of thick, tough shark skin, were scorched by the flames and were now emitting agonizing screams.

Unlike the strange sound that had previously controlled the mind, this time the other party released a completely sharp noise.

An invisible sound wave swept across, as if even the air itself was slightly distorted, revealing the outline of the sound wave.

The shrill noise almost pierced the heads of everyone in the stadium.

Just then, a melodious and soaring piano melody suddenly rang out from the rear of the battlefield, instantly drowning out all the noise and making everyone's minds feel lighter.

His gaze instinctively turned toward the source of the sound.

Suddenly, the halfling Alton broke free from the mind control and was now holding his small, exquisite lute, playing it intently.

It was a piece of music I had never heard before.

The three people fighting the monsters on the field had their anxieties—the unease of being ambushed by enemies during the mission, and the slight fluctuations in their emotions caused by the terrifying pressure brought by the powerful monsters—quietly soothed, allowing them to fully concentrate on the battle without being affected by unnecessary distractions.

For the barbarian Arken and the spotted cat Sasha, who were still struggling under the effects of mind control and unable to break free, the melodious music had a certain effect of strengthening their willpower.

You can see that the two people, who were originally trembling violently under mental control, suddenly calmed down, and even their tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

Then, almost at the same time, the last two members of the Blade of Vengeance team on the field finally regained their senses.

"what!!!"

This is Arken's roar.

Despite being at the very front of the team, they should be at the forefront when encountering enemies, creating tactical space for their teammates behind them.

Now, however, he has become a burden, and his teammates are the ones who need to buy him time.

This filled the barbarian, who came from a remote island tribe in the southern archipelago, with immense shame and indignation, and he fell into a state of complete rage almost the instant he awoke.

For ordinary adventurers, such turbulent emotions would undoubtedly affect their rationality and weaken their combat power.

However, for barbarians, whose core strength lies in anger and whose bodies are driven by rage, it is a huge boost to their combat abilities.

His muscular body, covered in various tattoos, seemed to be enveloped in a red glow, suddenly swelling several sizes larger.

He was like a tank made of flesh and blood, wielding a giant anchor-shaped axe in both hands, and charged towards the shark beast.

On the other side, Sasha, the spotted cat, was even faster than her opponent.

He gripped the short sword with both hands in reverse, leaned forward, and crouched low, like a leopard in hunting mode.

With a nimble and light movement, it drifted away like a ghost towards the enemy.

It was only then that Xia Nan truly realized the effectiveness of a well-coordinated and well-configured high-level adventurer team in dealing with such powerful single-target enemies.

"Hey!"

Enraged, the fearless barbarian Arken showed no fear or hesitation on his face. He raised his massive anchor-shaped axe, which was larger than an average person's torso, and leaped to strike.

A powerful strike, gathering all its strength, was so fierce that even the shark beast, with its robust physique, dared not take it head-on and instinctively retreated to avoid it.

hum-

The magical glow took effect subtly.

At some point, the ground behind it, which had once been a foothold, had completely turned into a sticky mud pit.

His short, stubby calves sank as he stepped in, causing his entire body to tilt backward, almost causing him to fall.

Lorraine and Sasha struck almost simultaneously, perfectly capturing the perfect moment when their opponent leaned back and could hardly exert force.

The sharp scimitar, wreathed in orange-red flames, burned the air, swept past a scorching afterimage, and fell diagonally toward the shark beast's neck.

The two short swords, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, pierced straight at the shark beast's soft lower ribs, aiming to maximize the chances of inflicting damage.

The four worked together seamlessly, with each person's movements linked together.

For a moment, Xia Nan, who was patiently searching for an opportunity while hovering on the edge of the battlefield, couldn't find a chance to make a move, fearing that his rash actions would disrupt the group's plans.

I thought that even if such a combo didn't kill the opponent on the spot, it would at least put the shark beast in a state of serious injury.

Unexpectedly, the pale human appendage on its body, resembling a corpse, seemed to sense the danger that its main body was about to face.

Suddenly I looked up!

His empty, lifeless eyes were wide open, as if his eyeballs were about to burst out, and two lines of bloody tears streamed down from the corners of his eyes.

The mouth is wide open, pointing upwards, with the corners of the mouth splitting outwards.

hum-

This time there was no sound; instead, there was a powerful shockwave that blurred the air itself.

Centered on the human body, amidst the surrounding mud and flames being squeezed and flung away, a semi-transparent shield can be vaguely seen rapidly expanding outwards.

The curved blade aimed at his neck, the short sword thrusting towards his ribs, and the giant axe just pulled from the mud were all instantly deflected.

Like a bomb exploding on the spot, the captain, the spotted catman, and the barbarian, who were originally standing in a triangle formation around the enemy, were blasted away before they could even react to the oncoming shockwave.

Xia Nan stood a little distance away, his body radiating a dark aura that coalesced into a wolf shape, like a winter wolf observing its prey.

Seeing this, a pair of cold, deep eyes quietly fell upon the human body inside the shark beast's body.

A murderous intent permeated the air.

(End of this chapter)