A Comprehensive Network: An Endless Adventure Begins as a Wanderer

Klam.

It was larger than any goblin Cheng Yi had ever seen, standing nearly two and a half meters tall, with broad shoulders and a thick neck topped with a head full of flesh. Its skin was dark brown, covered with scars and some kind of rough tattoo, and a rusty iron plate was embedded in the center of its chest—the position of that iron plate was exactly where Cheng Yi's throwing knife was aimed.

In his left hand, Kram gripped a shield pieced together from wooden planks and animal hides, a trembling willow-leaf throwing knife embedded in its surface. In his right hand, he carried a massive spiked hammer, its head studded with countless rusted iron nails that gleamed coldly in the darkness.

It glanced down at the throwing knife on the shield, then looked up, its cloudy, yellowish-brown eyes fixed on Cheng Yi.

Kram grinned.

Its mouth was full of sharp, yellow teeth, with some kind of dark red flesh stuck between them. When it laughed, the fleshy parts of its face trembled, making it look less like a laugh and more like it was making some kind of grotesque face.

"Thief," Kram said.

Its common language has a heavy accent, and every word sounds like it's being squeezed out from the depths of the throat, hoarse and low, like sandpaper rubbing against an iron plate.

"You killed my wolves, you killed your men, and now you want to kill me."

Kram pulled the throwing knife off his shield and tossed it to the ground with a crisp "clink".

"Who do you think you are?"

Cheng Yi did not answer.

His gaze swept quickly over Kram—a metal plate on his chest had deflected the throwing knife; it was a breastplate deliberately strapped there. His arms were thick and strong, and the veins on his right hand, which gripped a hammer, bulged.

[Kram/Level 4 Bear Goblin Barbarian/Wild Path/Crimson]

Savages of the Wild Way.

Memories of tabletop role-playing games flashed through Cheng Yi's mind—damage reduction in berserk state, intuitive evasion brought by danger perception, and those unpredictable wild magic effects.

"I'm not a thief," Cheng Yi finally spoke, his voice calmer than he had expected. "I'm here to investigate a case."

Kram tilted his head, as if digesting the meaning of those words.

Then it laughed again.

This time, the laughter was louder and harsher, like something breaking in his throat.

"Investigating a case?" Kram raised his mace, the hammerhead drawing an arc in the air and bringing with it a gust of bloody wind.

"Then use your life to investigate!"

It rushed over.

The hammer dragged behind him, its iron nails scraping the ground, sending sparks flying and a screeching sound through the air.

Its footsteps were heavy and powerful, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly, and the splashed dirt and pebbles hit the animal hides of the tent with a muffled "crackling" sound.

Cheng Yi did not stand still and wait for it.

He darted to the right, his entire body moving like a shadow swaying in the wind, sliding out along the cave wall. The allure of the shadows made his figure almost invisible in the darkness; his steps were as light as a cat's, and he even suppressed his breathing to a minimum.

But Kram didn't lose track of them; the bear goblin also had darkvision!

Its brownish-yellow eyes were fixed on the direction Cheng Yi was moving. Its body suddenly changed direction during the charge, and the spiked hammer swung up from below, whistling through the air as it smashed into Cheng Yi's waist.

This blow was both swift and ruthless.

Cheng Yi didn't have time to completely dodge, so he could only turn to the side and pull in his stomach, letting the hammer head graz the hem of his clothes. The nail caught on the hem of his coat, tearing off a strip of cloth with a ripping sound.

Using the momentum from turning to the side, Cheng Yi swayed and disappeared into the shadows of the cave wall.

The next moment, he emerged from the shadows three meters behind Kram.

Kram missed his hammer strike, his body leaning slightly forward, his center of gravity somewhat unsteady. Without hesitation, Cheng Yi flicked his right hand, sending a willow-leaf throwing knife flying through the air—not aimed at Kram's body, but at its right wrist holding the spiked hammer.

The moonlight flashed in the darkness.

The throwing knife pierced Kram's right wrist with pinpoint accuracy, the blade cutting into the tendon, blood trickling down the hilt. Kram groaned, his right hand instinctively releasing its grip, and the spiked hammer slammed to the ground with a clang, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Kram turned around, his brown eyes burning with rage.

"A thief," it said, its voice low and hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against a metal plate. "A thief who only knows how to hide in the shadows."

Cheng Yi did not answer.

His figure disappeared into the shadows again, emerging from Kram's left side. Another throwing knife was aimed at his left knee. Kram reacted quickly, dodging to the side. The knife grazed his leg and struck the cave wall behind him with a "thud."

But Cheng Yi didn't want the right destiny.

The instant the throwing knife was released, his true form had already appeared directly in front of Kram—

The shadows flowed beneath his feet, like a black carpet being laid out, leading him from the cave wall to Klamm.

The hundred-times-forged sword was drawn, its tip aimed at Kram's throat.

Kram's pupils contracted sharply.

It didn't have time to raise its shield, so it could only tilt its head back sharply. The tip of the sword grazed its chin, leaving a shallow bloodstain on its skin.

Cheng Yi did not sheath his sword. Instead, he twisted his wrist, drew the blade horizontally, and slashed it toward Kram's throat.

Kram raised his shield with his left hand, blocking the sword. The blade left a white mark on the wooden board, making a harsh scraping sound.

Cheng Yi disappeared again.

He emerged from Krum's right side, a throwing knife already in his hand, tip pointing downwards, aimed at Krum's exposed right knee outside the shield.

The blade of the throwing knife gleamed with a dark green light—the poison sac ring had been activated, and magical toxins adhered to the blade, shimmering eerily in the darkness.

A knife pierced through.

Kram's right leg suddenly buckled, his body lurched forward, and his shield involuntarily pressed down, exposing an opening in his chest.

Cheng Yi did not greedily strike. He drew his sword and retreated, his figure disappearing into the shadows before reappearing in the distance.

Kram glanced down at the wound on his knee, a glint of ferocity flashing in his brown eyes.

It reached out and pulled the throwing knife from its right wrist, tossed it to the ground, then bent down to pick up the nail-headed hammer, gripped the handle, and moved its injured right wrist.

Blood gushed from the wound, but Kram seemed completely oblivious to the pain. He merely frowned, then tore off a piece of his clothing with his left hand, wrapped it around his wrist, and gave it a simple bandage.

"Poison," Kram said, his voice devoid of emotion. "You can use poison too."

The bear goblins are far stronger than humans, not to mention that Kram is a professional with at least a dozen points of physical immunity. The fact that the toxin even works is already a bonus.

Cheng Yi didn't answer. His gaze quickly swept over Kram—his right wrist was bandaged, his left knee was intact, but his right knee was poisoned, and his movements were already somewhat sluggish. The shield was still protecting his chest and abdomen, but his left hand, which was holding the shield, was somewhat distracted due to his injured right knee, leaving a slight gap in the shield's protection.

Kram suddenly laughed.

His fleshy face looked particularly ferocious when he smiled, and his brownish eyes held no fear, only a rough, beastly excitement.

"You think you've won?" Kram said. "What do you think I, Kram, have relied on to get to where I am today?"

Its voice changed.

It was no longer the hoarse, low voice of before, but a deeper roar!