Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 214 What a coincidence, everyone's here.
"Buzz!"

The deep, rumbling calls of birds, like the roar of a bear, were mixed with heavy footsteps that made the ground tremble slightly, and the cracking sounds of tree branches snapping and breaking, all echoing behind me.

Cash gripped his bluish-gray stone spear tightly and began to run wildly.

On his bronze skin, tattoos depicting overlapping waves, gales, and snail shells twist and pulsate with the contraction and expansion of his muscles as he moves at high speed.

The densely wooded environment of the misty forest was not his comfort zone.

The thick, sturdy oak trees that filled every inch of his vision were like the annoying giant seaweed on the seabed, not only obstructing his view but also greatly slowing down his movement.

Even with extensive adventure experience, having been to all sorts of places, from the Underdark to icy plains and volcanoes.

But this middle-aged man, who grew up by the sea and works as a "Tide Hunter," can only unleash his full potential on the turbulent sea.

As long as there is a stream, he can easily shake off the pursuit of the owl bear by using his professional skills.

But now all I see are trees, so I can't use my professional skills at all, and it's hard to distance myself from the other side.

Cash knew that he hadn't been caught up by the owl-bears yet only because he had a slight advantage in speed; he wasn't necessarily much faster than the bear-bears with their powerful bursts of speed.

Once the opponent shows signs of weakness and slows down, their sharp claws, capable of tearing through steel, will mercilessly rip their body apart.

It can't go on like this!

Cash gritted his teeth, clutching the last few oil bombs in his palm as a backup plan.

He suddenly exerted force with his feet, leaped forward, and flew straight ahead.

At the same time, his professional-level physical control and core strength allowed him to twist his body in mid-air, facing the owl bear behind him.

Aim, throw!
"boom!"

The blazing flames were reflected in his pupils, and a wave of warm air rushed towards him.

This time, he did not choose to throw the incendiary bomb at Owl Bear.

The unique environment of the Misty Forest, combined with the opponent's robust and powerful physique, severely limits the effectiveness of fire damage, rendering it largely ineffective.

Instead, it will only enrage the owl-bear, causing it to relentlessly pursue the flames and worsen the situation.

Therefore, Cash aimed at the bear-like beast's feet.

"Shoot."

The grease and dust that splattered from the petrol bombs landed on the shrub meadow.

The raging flames seemed to rise from the ground, keeping the monsters at bay.

Having just been burned, with the burning pain still lingering on his body, the instinctive fear of fire deep in his blood, along with his remaining rationality, prevented Owl Bear from choosing to directly wade through the flames and charge forward.

Instead, it paused slightly, hesitating for a moment before the orange-red, surging flames.

Seize this hard-won opportunity.

Without giving it another glance, Cash landed and did a backflip, dissipating the force while twisting his body back to its original position.

He suddenly hurled the stone spear in his hand into the forest ahead.

hum-

The sharp, piercing sound made my eardrums ache, and in an instant, the bluish-gray spear disappeared into the depths of the mist.

He ran wildly, carefully sensing the connection between himself and the stone spear in his mind.

Kash activates his combat technique.

"boom!"

A tremendous suction force inexplicably appeared on his chest, his legs lifted off the ground, and his limbs shifted backward due to the inertia of the sudden start. He was like a magnet, being drawn towards the stone spear in the distance.

The barriers of space were overcome in an instant.

He landed suddenly, his legs instinctively lunging forward a few steps, and he picked up the stone spear that was stuck in the ground.

Ignoring the slight soreness in his abdominal muscles, Cash once again threw the stone spear in his hand.

In this way, taking advantage of the gaps when the owl-bear was blocked by the flames, it struck three times in a row.

When Cash stopped, panting heavily, the low, mournful cry that seemed like a death knell behind him was gone.

"Damn it, damn it all..."

He muttered to himself, sweat dripping uncontrollably from his chin.

He raised his head and looked around, trying to figure out his direction.

After the crisis, my tense heart relaxed slightly, and chaotic thoughts grew in my mind like weeds.

After being attacked by the beastman in Qingmai Village, the two confirmed the identity of their target: the same beastman that Xia Nan was investigating.

Unexpectedly, after entering the forest, they were besieged by a large number of wild beasts, and even attracted a monster of the level of the Owl Bear.

He suspected that this unusual situation was orchestrated by the beastman they were tracking. Although the beastman had never shown any such ability before, it wouldn't be surprising if it truly possessed the skill to control wild beasts.

Therefore, it seems that the recent wild beast uprising on the outskirts of the Misty Forest was also caused by it.

As his thoughts raced, a shadow crossed Cash's face.

Considering the worst-case scenario, it's possible that even Xia Nan, the "Gray Sword" in the team, is in cahoots with it.

It was just too much of a coincidence.

The target the two had been tracking for so long turned out to be the beastman in the other party's investigation mission.

It's a coincidence, something that doesn't seem like something that would normally happen.

How could an ordinary newly promoted professional possibly possess such courage and combat power, even daring to directly engage in close combat with that adult owl bear?

The reason they pretended to be newcomers and accepted my invitation to join the Seathorn Squad must have been for some other purpose.

However, he had previously investigated some information about Xia Nan when he was in Hegu Town.

He started to show his talent around last year, and his growth path was relatively clear. At that time, he had not yet made the decision to come to River Valley Town, so it was probably not a trap set in advance to confuse the two of them.

So... when did he meet that beast?
Or rather, who revealed their goal to him?

Could it be Vera?

No, this woman was in the same boat as me... No, no, no, if you consider what was on that beast, maybe...

Cash shook his head violently, clearing his increasingly chaotic thoughts.

There's no need to think so much. The most urgent thing right now is to reunite with that woman as soon as possible. Having companions will give us options for whether we temporarily retreat or continue deeper into the territory.

He looked up at the sky.

I gazed at the dim light filtering through the gaps in the tree canopy.

The misty forest at night is far more terrifying than many people imagine.

……

Cash and Veris weren't exactly close, but they had been teammates for many years. Some secret codes and a few unspoken rules established beforehand allowed them to communicate through eye contact and subtle gestures in the few seconds before their departure, even without a direct conversation.

Therefore, there is no truth to the claim that they got separated.

It had only been a dozen minutes since they escaped the pursuit of the owl bear.

Cash, alert to his surroundings, walked briskly through the dense forest when he heard that familiar female voice.

And the strong smell of blood permeated the air.

His expression suddenly changed.

Gripping the stone spear tightly, he lowered his body, maintaining a posture ready to exert force at any moment, and stepped over the bushes and tall grass ahead.

Then they saw Veris leaning against the tree trunk, one hand holding a poisoned dagger upside down, the blade facing outwards, gleaming coldly, while the other hand was tightly clutching her upper abdomen, with blood faintly visible seeping between her fingers.

This drow half-elf from the Underdark looked much worse than when he left the field.

Although not seriously injured, he had many small, bloody wounds.

She visibly relaxed when she saw that the visitor was Cash.

He leaned back against the tree trunk, and the dagger that had been held across his chest fell to the ground—of course, it wasn't sheathed and remained in his hand.

Seeing this, Cash frowned slightly, as if he wanted to ask something.

But before she could even open her mouth, Veris spoke up:

"It's it, it's that beast!"

A look of surprise suddenly flashed in Cash's eyes.

"It didn't escape? When did it attack you? Is it still nearby?"

Ignoring the other person's injuries, he asked repeatedly.

“That beast was lying in ambush at the edge of the field. I wasn’t paying attention when I retreated and got scratched by its claws.” Veris shook her head slightly, not answering the other person’s question directly. “Fortunately, the healing potion is still working. After bandaging the wound, the bleeding will stop quickly and it won’t affect the battle.”

Located in the Misty Forest, two adventurers, one injured and the other relatively healthy, are about to face their long-sought target, a target that could bring them great profits.

Even though they had known each other for many years, they were still subconsciously wary of each other at this time.

Or rather, it was precisely because they had known each other for many years and understood each other's character that Vera did not reveal all the information to the other party.

Seeing the drow half-elf's reaction, and realizing he had acted too hastily, Cash forced a smile onto his face:
"How are your injuries? Don't let yourself get infected with the beastification disease. Why don't we go back to River Valley Town first and purify the curse?"

Vera merely glanced at him and scoffed:
"Sure, let's ignore this beast we've been chasing for months and finally caught by the tail. Let it run for another ten days or so, and I'll wait until I've recovered from my injuries in town before we set off again, okay?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" She quickly treated the wound on her upper abdomen, wrapping the bandage around and around, her mouth spewing the most vulgar swear words from the Underdark. "Hurry up and catch that beast, get what it has, and you can lie in bed for the rest of your life."

Seeing her say that, Cash stopped pretending and immediately stopped smiling.

While the other was tending to their wounds, they exchanged information.

“I suspect that the rampage of the wild beasts in the forest, including the herd and that owl-bear just now, was all led by ‘it’.”

“That is indeed a possibility,” Veris replied without looking up.

Although her right hand was gripping the roll of bandage, her forearm muscles were taut, and with her speed, she could grab the dagger placed beside her in less than half a second.

"When it attacked me just now, it seemed like it had been lying in ambush for a long time, and it may have been premeditated."

"Yes, it's good that you understand." Cash's eyes kept glancing at the bushes on both sides, keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding movements.

"Furthermore, I suspect that Xia Nan may be involved in this incident."

“Him?” Veris raised an eyebrow, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. “Why?”

"Otherwise, it's all too much of a coincidence, don't you think?"

Without saying much, all of them were experienced adventurers. Cash only gave a slight hint, but Veris also noticed something strange about it.

"Damn, could it really be this kid causing trouble in there?"

She cursed.

The revelation of the beastmen's whereabouts and the appearance of the long-sought target had caused her to overlook this connection.

Now that Kash has said this, he can't help but start to doubt Xia Nan.

For a month and a half, ever since the Night Wolf mission, she had been secretly keeping a close eye on this black-haired youth who had joined the team halfway through.

Knowing that the other party's strength was far greater than the newcomer he had imagined, he often wondered if Xia Nan was lying to him.

However, during his adventures, he made many of the mistakes that only novices make, and he also showed a severe lack of information about professionals.

It doesn't look like acting.

Cash's speculation, in turn, shrouded Xia Nan's image in her mind in a fog, making it difficult to see clearly.

But now that things have come to this, it doesn't matter anymore.

Their target, the beastman, was nearby, and Xia Nan had already become separated from the group.

Such a large forest is hard to find again without prior planning.

Whether the other party lives or dies is none of our business.

Veris had many wounds, but most of them were just superficial and required proper treatment. The only one that needed to be treated was the cut on her abdomen from the beastman's claws.

It was completed in just a few minutes.

Under normal circumstances, if a proper adventurer party encounters a powerful enemy like the Owl Bear during a mission, resulting in the party being reduced to half its size and the remaining two members suffering injuries of varying degrees.

For them, there was only one option—to retreat directly.

But right now, neither Cash nor Veris hesitated for a moment about their decision to continue deeper into the forest to pursue their target.

Even the owl-bears that might continue their pursuit, and the ferocious beasts in the forest, were left behind.

The reason for this is that the two of them were not affected by some kind of mind control spell.

It means that the potential gains they expect are large enough that teammates who have known each other for many years will be wary of each other at the last moment, and large enough to cover up all the risks.

Just as Vera's wounds were being treated and the two were preparing to set off...

"Sasha..."

Suddenly, a clattering or scraping sound came from the bushes nearby.

Amidst two wary and vigilant gazes, the first thing that caught their eye was a flash of iron-gray sword light.

The thorny branches blocking the way were neatly cut off, carrying an extremely strong smell of blood. Against the backdrop of minced meat and grass clippings, a light gray to white leg armor slowly stepped out, and the thick leather boots, stained with blood and almost dyed scarlet, landed on the decaying leaves and mud.

Xia Nan stared at the two people in front of him, grinning to reveal his gleaming white teeth.

"What a coincidence, everyone's here."

(End of this chapter)