Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 211 The Beast Lurking in the Shadows

Biting and roaring.

Slaughter and bloodshed filled every second of the misty forest.

Today is no exception.

"Fuck."

Blood gushed out, and the head of a jackal, cleanly severed from its neck with a smooth cut, rolled to the ground.

It seemed the attack was too fierce, and it didn't have time to react. Its furry face even retained the fierce, snarling expression it had in its last moments before death.

The beast's slightly open and closed eyes, along with the crimson blood spurting from its throat, revealed the gruesome state of its head being separated from its body.

tick-

A tiny drop of blood, like morning dew, gently falls from the tip of a tender green leaf.

However, unlike the blood that had previously stained almost the entire forest red, it did not seep into the soil, but instead landed on a black, hairy paw.

It was only at this moment, with the sudden influence from the outside world, that a hint of disharmony appeared in the deep shadows that lingered on the sidelines and blended into the night.

This is a huge black leopard, nearly three meters long, crouching deep in the bushes.

Its jet-black fur was as smooth as silk, as if draped in a flowing shadow, making it difficult to detect; its golden eyes were like fireflies flickering in the night, concealing its murderous intent and lust for meat beneath every inch of its fur.

Silently pacing.

Its gait is extremely slow, but every step it takes is enough to make one's heart pound.

Its protruding shoulder blades swayed slightly with each step, and one could vaguely see the taut muscles undulating and contracting on its back; its feet lightly touched the decaying leaves, its thick pads greedily devouring any possible sounds, and only occasionally did its stark white claws flash through the gaps in the shadows, revealing the murderous intent hidden within.

Growing up in a misty forest teeming with danger, countless hunts have endowed this predator, a creature of nature, with an astonishing patience uncommon among wild beasts.

Even as the rich and delicious smell of blood filled its nostrils with each breath, it remained as it had at the beginning, crouching low, burying its body in the mist and darkness, slowly approaching.

Unlike before, he lurks in the shadows like an assassin, hunting alone.

An invisible attraction from its bloodline made it ignore the noisy beasts around it and focus all its attention on the few humans in the woods ahead.

The target had already been chosen.

Living year-round in an environment with a high concentration of magical particles, the black panther's intelligence far surpasses that of its counterparts elsewhere.

It could even understand the concept of an "adventure party" consisting of these four humans.

They may not be clear about the division of labor among the group, nor do they know the purpose of their entry into the forest.

But its rich hunting experience and decent intelligence made it almost instinctively choose that petite and slender figure under the protection of others as its prey.

As it crawled forward, it carefully stretched out its forelimbs. The smooth lines beneath its dark fur were vividly displayed against the backdrop of its muscles, and its tendons were taut like steel cables, ready to unleash their power.

Closer, closer...

It wasn't until the figure draped in a plain robe truly entered its attack range, between those conical canines resembling bone china daggers, that it let out its first roar since arriving at the edge of the arena.

The pent-up power suddenly erupted, and the massive body that had been lying low on the ground transformed into a deadly black shadow, pouncing on its prey with a speed far exceeding that of ordinary humans.

With skin as white and fragile as paper, it has no defense whatsoever against claws strong enough to tear through thick, tough tree bark; its slender neck doesn't even need to exert any force, its jaws close naturally, and it will break like a piece of dry wood falling from the forest.

In mid-air, Black Panther's countless past experiences allowed him to imagine the wonderful experience of swallowing chunks of meat mixed with warm, sweet blood.

But the next second, a loud wolf howl that suddenly rang in his ears brought him back to reality.

The beast's instinct for survival made it keenly aware of the terrifying danger it contained, and the feline's agile body allowed it to use its powerful core strength to try to twist its body and evade attacks even in mid-air.

However, the wolf howl was clearly faster.

scoff-

The iron-gray wolf fangs drew a perfect arc in the air, instantly slicing through the proud dark fur.

Mane, muscles, tendons, and bones—the sharp blade, propelled by powerful inertia, is pierced into flesh and blood with exquisite skill honed through countless trials.

The hesitant sound was fleeting.

The headless, entirely black body maintained its forward-charging posture, before collapsing powerlessly.

The black panther's head, with its narrowed eyes, sharp fangs, and still in a hunting posture, had already spun away from its body.

Enveloped in crimson blood, it rolled to the ground.

Like a billiard ball, it gently collided with the jackal's head at the beginning and came to a stop.

A grotesque wolf head, composed of grass clippings, thick fog, and bits of blood and flesh, floated vaguely in the air.

Without sheathing his sword, he didn't even have time to warn Mint, who was standing nearby, to be careful of a sneak attack.

Amidst the howling wind, they had already returned to their original positions within the squad formation.

"Ding!"

The sharp, venomous fangs, sizzling and steaming, were easily blocked by the serpent scale arm shield, which boasts "300% corrosion damage resistance," leaving not a single mark on its surface.

With a swift pull of his left hand, the sharp edge of the shield sliced ​​open the neck of the brightly colored poisonous lizard, sending it flying.

At the same time, his right arm suddenly exerted force, and the iron-gray sword light flashed by. With a [spinning slash], he cut another wolverine that was trying to take advantage of the chaos into two halves.

Xia Nan's chest heaved as he gasped for breath.

"Where did all these wild beasts come from? Are you never going to stop?"

At this moment, although there were no obvious wounds on his body, the surface of the sword blade, as well as the plate chainmail and leg armor, along with the lining underneath, were covered with blood and pieces of torn flesh.

Several tens of minutes have passed since they discovered the antlered deer that had wandered into the camp.

Meanwhile, the beast horde that they had sensed surrounding the camp had already launched an attack on the Seathorn Squad.

He didn't know what exactly was driving these frenzied beasts to ignore their fear of other wild animals and their instinct for caution, rushing towards the group like moths to a flame.

For some reason, even though the meadow was almost covered with corpses, these wild beasts showed no signs of retreating and continued to attack the team fearlessly.

But he knew in his heart that if things continued like this, the collapse of the Seathorn Squad was inevitable.

To some extent, the team is already on the verge of being completely disrupted and broken up.

Because both Cash and Veris are currently being besieged by wild beasts and have gradually drifted away from their original positions.

This allows more and more beasts to break into the gaps between the formations, flank and attack from the sides and rear, or directly raid the spellcaster Mint at the core of the team, just like before.

In other words, it was only through his quick reflexes and the extremely high mobility granted by the [Fang Hunt] that he was able to maintain a brief and fragile balance.

During the battle, Xia Nan couldn't help but glance around the battlefield, his mind racing with thoughts.

As expected, Cash and Veris were hiding their true strength, which was far greater than what they had shown in their battle against the Night Wolf.

The horde of beasts surging forth like a tide was forcing the two to use all their strength, unleashing combat techniques they had never displayed before in order to repel the beasts around them.

Cash gripped the stone spear tightly with both hands, his arm muscles bulging. With a loud "boom," the spearheads rained down like raindrops, swirling up mist and blood, leaving a crimson afterimage in the air. The jungle tiger, half a man's height, in front of him was instantly reduced to a corpse by the spear's thrust.

This power is undoubtedly a "combat skill".

As a wanderer, Veris continued to wield her two daggers coated with deadly poison, leaving fatal wounds on the beasts.

Within a few tens of minutes, many wild animals lay on the ground nearby, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

Moreover, it can be clearly seen that as Veris moved, a blurry double image appeared behind her, and her figure suddenly became much more agile and swift as she weaved through the beast horde.

It should also be some kind of combat technique that can improve agility.

"These two old foxes are usually quiet and unassuming, but they've kept a pretty good head down."

Xia Nan couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Of course, he didn't use his full strength either.

With the combat system that Xia Nan has built, his abundant stamina, high mobility and explosive power, if there are no other constraints, it will be difficult to inflict effective damage on enemies whose strength is far inferior to his simply by sheer numbers.

Just like the horde of beasts he is facing now, the reason he seems to be struggling is partly because he is not using his full strength, including his combat skills such as [Gravity Control] and [Gravity Etching].

On the other hand, it is also because it is necessary to maintain the formation, protect the flanks of other teammates, and occasionally even need to rush out to provide support.

This, to some extent, significantly limited Xia Nan's performance, forcing him to give up his advantage of high mobility.

If he were the only one on the field right now, not to mention killing all these beasts, breaking out of the encirclement and retreating safely would be extremely easy.

If Xia Nan were to formally form or join an adventurer's team someday, his role within the team would actually be more like that of Veris, a wanderer.

Roaming on the flanks to provide support for teammates.

It's just that it has higher defensive capabilities, stronger burst mobility, and a little bit of spellcasting ability.

"Buzz!"

The dagger, gleaming with a cold light and its edges shimmering with a greenish-purple luster, precisely pierced the back of a hyena's head and spine, retracting as swiftly as a bee sting, a clean and decisive kill.

His long, silvery-white hair, inherited from the drow elves, was stained crimson with blood, and his slightly dark skin was covered with a mixture of sweat and bits of flesh.

Even though his posture still maintained the agility and speed expected of a wanderer, his current bloodied and fleshy appearance made him look more like a berserker who had gone through a bloody battle.

"Kash!" Veris screamed. "These beasts are acting strange! Should we retreat?"

In the past, these two seasoned adventurers would probably have retreated the moment they realized they were surrounded by the beasts, let alone fought to this extent.

I will never put myself in a situation that is too dangerous.

However, the traces discovered after the raid on Qingmai Village have confirmed the identity of the target they have been chasing all along: the beastman from Xia Nan's investigation mission.

Their extensive experience as adventurers had led them to connect the strange occurrence of encountering so many wild beasts with the beastmen.

With the long-sought goal right in front of them, they were naturally unwilling to retreat.

but……

Cash gripped the stone spear tightly with both hands, his palms turning slightly white from the excessive force, pinning the leopard beneath him to the ground.

At the same time, he suddenly retreated, causing the claws that reached out from the side and aimed at his neck to miss, leaving only three deep claw marks on the surface of his scales.

The shouts of the drow half-elves from the other side of the field reached their ears.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over the group of men.

The prolonged and intense battle has caused Veris's speed to gradually slow down compared to the beginning.

Although they both knew there were still cards to be played, now was clearly not the time.

Mint is in the middle of the team and is in poor condition.

Even though the group tried their best to maintain formation, a few still managed to slip through the net.

She herself also needs to concentrate on casting spells to support her teammates, so it's inevitable that she will make some oversights.

He has already suffered some minor injuries, and his face is even paler due to excessive mental exertion.

Xia Nan's location was too far away, and the angle wasn't good, so I couldn't get a clear view.

But he knew that many of the wild beasts that slipped through his side were dealt with by the other side, which greatly increased their physical exertion.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that the other person was covered in blood and probably wouldn't last much longer.

make a prompt decision.

Cash gritted his teeth and roared:
"Condense formation and prepare to retreat!"

Having already devised a corresponding retreat plan, the members of the team remained calm upon hearing this.

It simply exerted a sudden burst of strength, clearing away the surrounding wild beasts, and then quickly gathered around Mint.

Cash swung the stone spear in his hand with all his might, not seeking to kill, but only to clear a small space in front of him as much as possible.

At the same time, he took out several oil bombs from his waist pouch and suddenly threw them into the dense forest ahead.

boom--

Grease and dust exploded suddenly with a spark, and the surging flames seemed to stir up the deep-seated fear in the wild beasts in a fleeting moment, causing them to howl and retreat.

"It's now!"

At Cash's command, the Seathorn Squad seized the opportunity and rushed through the gap cleared by the flames from the beast horde.

Even in such a situation, their professionalism as seasoned adventurers allowed them to maintain the most basic formation.

Cash was at the very front, Veris roamed around, Mint was in the middle, and Shana trailed behind.

Cash handled the decision to retreat temporarily, and the corresponding actions after making the decision, without any problems.

However, he overlooked a more crucial factor.

The Misty Forest is a well-known gathering place for monsters in the Kingdom of Servia.

With such a commotion, how could there only be ordinary wild animals on the field?

The one who suffered the most was Xia Nan, who was the first to notice the abnormality and the first to take a defensive stance.

In his hasty movement, he only had time to raise his left arm as a shield.

The next second, an immense force sent his entire body flying, landing in the nearby woods.

Under the firelight, although thick fog still lingered in the dark forest, visibility was significantly higher.

It was precisely because of this that, amidst the excruciating pain and dizziness, he caught a glimpse of that imposing figure with the head of an owl and the body of a giant bear.

(End of this chapter)