Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 476 Desperate Situation
"boom!"

The shark-like iron fist, carrying a viscous liquid mixed with seawater and blood, almost covering the entire chest of an adult human, slammed into the chest of the barbarian Arken with a terrifying force that seemed capable of piercing through rock and steel.

boo——

The first thing to burst forth was the intense red light that covered the surface of the skin, fueled by the rage in the heart. This was the outward manifestation of the Barbarian class's core "Power of Wrath" taking effect.

But now, it has been shattered by a single punch from the shark beast.

At the same time, this seemingly fragile and shapeless layer of angry red light also weakened the power of the punch to some extent, slightly relieving some of the pressure that Arken's body had to endure.

Then comes the skin, muscles, and bones.

Barbarians are not unable to wear equipment; in fact, there is even a branch of power that specializes in using heavy "spike armor" as an attack method to strike enemies through close-quarters combat.

But clearly, Arken doesn't have that fighting style.

Armed primarily with a giant axe, Xia Nan had never seen this barbarian from a remote island wear an upper garment since the day he met him. Instead, he displayed his flamboyant and dense tattoos with a wild and primitive demeanor.

Now, when the Shark Beast's fist is pressed right in the center of its chest, there will be no extra protection from the armor; instead, its flesh and blood will bear the brunt of it all.

The relatively soft skin caved inward under the immense force from the fist, and the underlying muscle tissue acted like a water-absorbing sponge, squeezing and crushing blood vessels, causing the bursting blood to stain the skin above it a dark blue.

When the skin and muscles are squeezed to their limit, the bones that support the entire body also break, snapping amidst a series of cracking sounds.

The force from the fist continued downwards, and the next target was the vulnerable internal organs located deep within the chest cavity.

At that very moment, the barbarian's skin, which had been dented to the extreme and was almost about to burst open from the impact of the iron fist, suddenly emanated a layer of blurry red spiritual light.

The shark beast, already in a berserk state, was certainly not going to hold back. Moreover, it possessed considerable strength and physique among monsters, as evidenced by its enormous size.

Under normal circumstances, if someone like Arken were to be hit solidly in the body at close range, even a more experienced adventurer with a higher professional level would probably die on the spot unless they were skilled in defense.

But now... the actual situation has changed.

Why is the image of the Barbarian class in people's minds that of someone who doesn't even wear light armor, often wrapped in a wild animal skin, wielding a primitive weapon, and roaring as they charge towards the enemy?

On one hand, there is the influence of "the power of rage," which is the core source of professional power, on fighting style;
On the other hand, it is also due to the special expertise of this profession itself.

It may have different names in many different professions, and may even have other special effects, but the essential characteristic of this specialty can be called "unarmored defense".

In layman's terms, when a barbarian is not wearing armor, his physical defense is boosted by the "Agility" and "Constitution" attributes.

This is also the fundamental reason why many high-level barbarians, despite wearing no equipment, can stand at the front of the team and are more durable than low-level warriors wearing heavy armor.

Although Arken's class level isn't very high, his agility and constitution attributes are still far from the transformative level of a high-level barbarian.

However, their actual physical defense is far less fragile than it appears.

Of course, this is far from enough to survive the moment the Shark Beast's iron fist smashes into its chest.

What truly took effect at that moment, protecting Arken's chance of survival, was the red glow that suddenly reappeared on the surface of his skin.

— "Path," like the Druid's "Association," is a branch of the Barbarian class in terms of combat style, and a special expression of different rages.

When a barbarian raises their class level to lv3, they will have the opportunity to choose their own path.

The Storm Vanguard, who manipulates fire, lightning, and ice, wielding elemental magic with an exceptional physical body; the Beast Path, who draws power from beast spirits, transforming into a raging beast like a druid; and the Ancestral Guardian, who inherits the power of their ancestors and summons the spirits of their tribe to fight…

These different paths each possess their own unique and distinctive abilities, expanding the power domain of the Barbarian class.

As a level 4 barbarian, Arken had naturally already chosen his own path.

——【An Unyielding Spirit】.

One of the traditions passed down from the tribe he came from.

Only those tribal elites who have faced life and death, been knocked down countless times and risen again, and possess the strongest will to survive, can embark on this indomitable path.

Aside from providing some boosts to physique and strength under normal circumstances, it doesn't offer any special features. It can neither control magical particles nor transform into a beast to fight.

But when a barbarian on the path of the Unyielding Soul suffers a life-threatening blow, the furious power from the depths of his bloodline, guided by his iron will, transforms into extraordinary defensive and healing abilities, giving him a glimmer of hope in dire straits.

"Omlong..."

Suddenly, a clear and resonant shout rang out from somewhere in the air.

The flamboyant tattoos covering Arken's bare upper body suddenly came to life in an instant, nourished by the red glow on his skin. The waves and sea monsters seemed to come alive at that moment.

If we could observe this from a microscopic perspective within the body of this barbarian, we would see that the moment the roar was heard, the fragile internal organs inside his chest cavity were enveloped by an extremely dense layer of red light.

The organs that should have been smashed by the Shark Beast's punch were given a final layer of protection after the skin, muscles, and bones were successively breached.

next second...

"boom!!!"

Arken's muscular body flew backward like a cannonball. The immense force from the Shark Beast's iron fist caused his body to almost form a "bow" shape in the air, with his head and feet pointing outward and his waist and abdomen pointing inward.

"puff!"

His mouth opened uncontrollably due to the intense pain, and bright red blood gushed out.

After landing, its body rolled on the ground more than a dozen times until it finally crashed into the fragments of an alien building next to it, barely coming to a stop.

His chest caved in, and he vomited two more mouthfuls of blood.

You can see Arken padding his arms on the ground, trying to support himself and stand up again.

Even though the power from the [Unyielding Soul] path preserved a sliver of hope for him, after such a severe blow, he would have no chance of getting up to fight again in the short term.

After struggling for a moment, her eyes rolled back and she fainted completely.

Damn it!

He could hear Captain Lorraine's muttered curses.

Xia Nan landed gently on her feet under the effect of [Tidal Shaping], and at the same time, she loosened her arms and put the half-human Alton, whom she had been carrying, back to the ground.

His dark eyes were fixed on the enormous creature on the field in front of him. His face was expressionless, but his heart was growing increasingly heavy.

Clearly, the shark beast, which was struggling more and more under the siege of the crowd, had entered a second stage where its combat power was greatly enhanced.

The ground in the canyon looked as if an earthquake had just occurred, covered with dense cracks. The already damp soil was further soaked by the strange-colored water that had previously gushed from underground, making it muddy and leaving behind puddles of varying sizes.

The shark beast stood in the very center of the venue.

Compared to before, the wounds on the opponent's body surface that were difficult to heal due to the burning effect of the [Scale Fire Curved Blade] are now covered with a layer of translucent, viscous-like liquid, and the intertwined flesh buds can be vaguely seen within.

His already enormous body suddenly swelled several times larger, and judging by his height, he was probably over four meters tall.

It may not seem that tall, but when such a muscular monster, taller than a single-story building, stands in front of you, covered in blood, staring at you with its dark, lifeless shark eyes, the suffocating sense of oppression it brings will be unprecedented.

In other words, Xia Nan had a strong will, and his extremely rich experiences after transmigrating had allowed him to see some big scenes.

Otherwise, if it were any other low-level adventurers who had only been in the profession for less than two years, they probably wouldn't even be able to stand up against an enemy of this strength.

"careful!"

Lorraine's warning voice rang in my ears once again.

The shark beast, already in a state of rage, naturally wouldn't give the players on the field a chance to catch their breath.

Almost as soon as Xia Nan landed after being hit by the water, the shark beast that had been standing there disappeared.

Instead, there was the slurring sound of air compression as an object moves at high speed, and a terrifying black and red shadow hurtling towards them. Xia Nan's agility, second only to his perception attribute, gave him considerable reaction speed. Even before Lorraine's warning, a deep, high-pitched howl of a winter wolf rang out.

The dissipated energy transformed into swaying mane, and the black wolf phantom, carrying mud and water from the ground, shot out in an instant, dodging the opponent's impact with exceptional agility.

"Hey!"

Sparks exploded.

The scimitar, enveloped in orange flames, drew a blazing arc through the air, leaving a charred wound on the shark beast's back.

The fluffy figure nimbly circled to the side, thrusting with a short sword; the diminutive figure of the halfling appeared not far away, and the stirring music of the harp echoed once more at the edge of the arena; the short-tailed albatross, which had been circling high in the sky, also took the opportunity to fly towards the direction where the barbarian had fallen, clutching a loosely corked healing potion in its claws, and accurately smashed it onto its opponent.

All of them were adventurers with rich combat experience. The sudden loss of members did not shake the will of the people on the field. Even though they were worried about the safety of their teammates, they maintained their focus and concentrated on the battle.

However, it is undeniable that the situation on the field changed after Aken suffered a serious injury and left the game.

The scales of victory, which had been tipping towards the adventurers with a six-to-one advantage and under the combined attack of the group, have once again regained their balance and even show a slight tendency to tip to the other side.

Their attack strategy was to constantly distract the monster by attacking from all sides, preventing it from focusing on attacking a specific target.

For example, the shark was angered by the wounds Alton had left on its legs and wanted to crush the little mouse with its fists first, regardless of everything else.

But just as it bent down to look for Alton, the sharp wolf fangs, carrying a dark aura, fell toward the back of its head, forcing the shark beast to abandon its attack and turn around to block.

At the same time, Lorraine's scimitar seized the opportunity to slash it twice more on the side of its abdomen.

But now, it's like a domino effect that's been toppled.

After Arken, who was originally one of the main members of the siege, lost its fighting ability, the pressure it faced under the attack of the others inevitably decreased sharply.

With its enhanced body, this combination of addition and subtraction allowed the shark beast to handle the attack from several people with ease, no longer appearing as pathetic as before.

"This can't go on any longer!"

At this moment, Lorraine and Xia Nan reached the same conclusion.

The original strategy of slowly wearing down the monster by surrounding it has now failed.

The sudden loss of personnel forced them to adopt more aggressive strategies in order to reverse the tide of victory.

"Sasha!"

She suddenly yelled at the spotted cat-man.

Regardless of whether the other party understood his meaning, he swung his scimitar and charged directly towards the shark beast.

【Whirling Blade Cage Dance】!
The orange-red flames transformed into a dazzling cage of fire, enveloping Lorraine's body.

She attempted to replicate her previous strategy of inflicting actual damage on the shark beast, once again drawing the enemy's attention to create space for her teammates to attack.

With perfect teamwork, the moment the flames rose, Sasha, the spotted cat-man, understood what the other meant. She crouched low and took the opportunity to quietly circle around behind the shark beast.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan, who was using [Fang Hunt] to roam the surrounding area, was also preparing a backup plan.

But... suddenly!
As if sensing something, Xia Nan's dark eyes narrowed involuntarily.

"and many more!"

The situation on the field changed rapidly. Even after hearing the warning from behind, Sasha had already leaped towards the shark beast that seemed to have attracted attention.

However, what he was facing was not the unprotected nape of the shark beast's neck that he had imagined.

Instead, it was a large hand that suddenly reached out behind you without you ever turning around or seeing anything!
The terrifying monster before us, summoned by the fishmen through rituals, possesses an astonishing learning ability.

Having only glanced at it once, he mimicked Lorraine's combat technique using a jet of water, thus dodging the barbarian's falling axe blade.

It may seem like we've been tricked again, but it was actually done on purpose.

Pretending to be distracted and not noticing the spotted cat-man who had circled into his blind spot, he actually gained the opportunity to inflict another heavy blow on the Oath of Vengeance squad at the cost of having numerous wounds on his front from Lorraine's high-frequency swings of her scimitar.

"Buzz!"

The hand covered in rough fish skin suddenly clenched, the force so strong it seemed to crush the air itself.

Sasha reacted quickly, using her professional-level core strength to twist her waist and abdomen the instant she noticed the opponent's movement, attempting to dodge the attack.

But after all, it was in the middle of the leap, in mid-air.

Even though Xia Nan from behind was using her [Gravity Control] as much as possible, following the direction of the opponent's force, she tried to help Sasha dodge.

But when those large hands finally closed, they still managed to grab the fluffy long tail of the spotted cat-man who had fallen behind.

"Roar!"

The shark-like creature let out an excited roar, as if it had finally caught the little bug that had been bothering its ear for so long.

As he punched Lorraine away with his free right hand, his left hand, which was gripping the spotted cat-man's tail, suddenly rose high!

His feet sank into the mud, the force traveling up his thick, short legs through his waist and abdomen, causing his arm muscles to swell violently.

Predictably, when the shark beast grabbed the spotted cat-man's tail with such force and slammed him hard onto the ground...

Given Sasha's weak physique and lack of defensive capabilities, he would probably be smashed into a pile of minced meat on the spot.

And it was at this critical moment that Lorraine's pupils constricted.

Enveloped in ochre-red light, the massive, anchor-shaped axe blade tore through the air and spun toward the shark beast.

Having been trained to the mastery level, one can now achieve [Gravity Etching] by attaching it to other objects and launching it from one's hand for remote attacks.

The weapon that Xia Nan had attached to the barbarian on the ground dropped during the third charge was released towards the shark beast.

Having already suffered two severe blows, I am acutely aware of just how dangerous this ochre-red energy is.

No matter how excited it was, the shark beast did not choose to withstand this heavy blow.

He simply twisted his body in an instinctive attempt to dodge.

The left arm, which had already gathered its strength and was preparing to strike downwards, had no choice but to change direction.

Grasp the spotted cat-man's long tail and hurl it like a hammer.

"Boom!"

"boom!"

The anchor-shaped giant axe, carrying force field energy, brushed past the shark beast that was trying to dodge, and landed directly on the ground behind it.

Force field energy burst forth, and ochre-red fireworks exploded on the ground.

The spotted cat-man was flung away with great force, like a rag doll in a naughty child's hand, and crashed into the rock wall beside him, falling down in a sorry state.

His left arm was twisted, with pale bone fragments protruding from his skin; his right thigh was smashed so hard that it turned 180 degrees, with his toes pointing inward.

The intense pain that erupted in an instant, and the violent collision with the hard cliff wall, caused the spotted cat-man to faint completely before he could even scream.

At this point, two of the six people were gone, leaving only two melee fighters and two ranged fighters.

The [Gravity Etching] technique, which can cause substantial damage to the Shark Beast, only has two more charges left.

(End of this chapter)