Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 245 [The Blood-Seeking Veteran]

On the continent of Aifara, as a prerequisite for becoming a professional, the number of various "combat skills" has accumulated to an uncountable level after countless years of development.

Take the most common class of professionals, the Warrior, as an example. If you randomly pick a hundred people in the association, the overlap rate of their combat skills is probably no more than 5%.

This is still within the same region.

If you compare those adventurers active in the Underdark and the Southern Isles, the number would be even smaller.

Based on this premise, those nobles who possess their own territories and within the kingdoms...

With abundant wealth and the powerful influence required to become a nobleman, it is not a difficult thing to collect or even monopolize combat skills that can be trained to improve strength and meet the requirements for obtaining a professional level.

This has led to the formation of a complete and distinctive training system for many hereditary noble families.

Of course, there aren't many extraordinary individuals, and even reaching level 5 requires a certain amount of luck and talent.

However, for ordinary professionals at levels 1 and 2, given the large number of applicants selected each year, while it may not reach the level of "mass production," there is still a relatively high success rate in their training.

Lawson had served as a guard for the Morton family for a time, but compared to his colleagues who were raised by the family from a young age, grew up in Stickytree County, and were instilled with the concepts of family honor and loyalty from childhood, he could be considered a latecomer to the profession.

When he joined the Morton family, he was already quite old and even possessed a unique combat skill.

This laid the groundwork for his later decision to sever ties with his family and choose to start over rather than continue his lucrative guard job.

It was this experience with the Morton family that allowed him to recognize the young man in front of him at a glance, and to instantly reveal and then suddenly withdraw his special stance.

That special defensive and counter-attacking stance is something that every professional who grows up in the Morton family is proficient in.

Throughout the entire Panyun Province, and even extending to the Kingdom of Servia, Lawson had never seen anything like this during his many years of training abroad.

The Morton family is unique in this respect.

In this way, the other party's identity becomes clear.

Clearly, the young man in the crowd also realized his oversight.

Years of training had ingrained muscle memory, which made him instinctively adopt this defensive and counter-attacking posture during the battle. However, he realized in the next instant that this might expose his identity, so he awkwardly restrained himself and withdrew the action.

Those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the matter might not care.

But for Lawson, the other party's actions only confirmed his suspicions.

Level 4 [Warrior] + Level 2 [Bloodseeker Veteran], a total of "6" class levels, and physical enhancements brought by six mastery-level combat skills.

From a practical standpoint, his physical strength alone has already created an insurmountable gap between him and ordinary people.

The strong wind generated by his high-speed movement almost knocked over the gamblers watching from both sides.

The young man who effortlessly defeated the three thugs single-handedly was still in shock.

Then I felt a pair of large hands, as if made of steel, placed on my shoulders, and my body seemed to be bound by some invisible force.

The vast difference in strength made it difficult for him to even turn around and look directly at his opponent at this moment.

"Why would the Mortons have the leisure to patronize a small place like mine?"

A cold, gloomy voice came from beside his ear, and the immense, deadly pressure made the young man's face stiffen, and he couldn't breathe.

But the concept of loyalty instilled in him by his family since childhood still made him instinctively straighten his neck and stubbornly say:

"I do not know what you're talking about!"

"Let me go! Is this how you do business in a casino?"

"You're ganging up on customers? Who would dare gamble here after this?"

Having already made up his mind, he no longer cared about the other party's threats.

Lawson sneered, and with a light swipe of his right hand across the back of the man's neck, the young man completely lost the ability to resist and collapsed to the ground.

"You'll find out soon enough."

A cold, hoarse voice echoed in the air, which had become eerily silent.

Behind him, without him saying anything more, Rotten Toe had already signaled his men to step forward, lift the young man up, and take him to the inner room.

Xia Nan and his group sat at a nearby table.

The excellent visibility allowed them to witness almost the entire event.

It wasn't until the young man had passed out that he was finally able to retrieve his memories of him.

It seems that just two days ago, when he had a chance encounter with Lord Trewilliam of the Morton family at the Dragon's Nest Inn, one of his knights was...

Given the current situation...

Xia Nan had no idea whether the young knight's arrival at the Golden Roulette was a coincidence like his own or intentional; nor did he know what entanglement he, or Terry William behind him, had with the casino owner Rotten Toe, or the gloomy middle-aged man named "Lawson" whom he had just met at the hotel.

The only thing he was certain of was...

In just a moment, Lawson's speed and explosiveness far exceeded the range of ordinary professionals.

They may not reach the "extraordinary" level, but they are far superior to ordinary level 1 or 2 professionals.

We are currently on an escort mission and do not intend to cause any unforeseen complications.

His keen senses also allowed him to detect a subtle feeling of impending storm permeating the air of Molten Scale Town.

His brows were furrowed.

He whispered to his teammate beside him:

"We should go."

Luca, who was intently watching the commotion, was taken aback when he heard this. He opened his mouth as if to ask something.

But after seeing Xia Nan's expression, he swallowed the doubt that had been rising in his throat.

He nodded seriously.
"I'll go call Sawa."

……

Molten Scale Town, an inconspicuous house somewhere.

Terry William stood in the center of the living room, his finely crafted heavy armor already neatly worn.

In front of him, the knights he had brought back from the Sticky Tree Territory were also dressed in the standard equipment distributed by the family.

No more pretense.

According to information from his informant in the casino, the knight "Grove," whom he sent to spy on at the Golden Roulette, has been exposed.

Lawson even publicly revealed his identity as a Morton family knight.

In this way, there is naturally no need to pretend anymore.

Terry William was unsure whether Lawson had the treasure stolen from the dragon's nest; if not, what information Lawson knew.

The reason I didn't take action before was because I was worried that the other party would fight to the death, causing unnecessary losses to what should have been a sure thing.

Being in the shadows also makes it easier for them to plan accordingly against Lawson's actions.

Now that one of his men has been discovered by the other side...

Indeed, in recent days, we have only seen Lawson and his group making moves, but there has been no news about the treasure.

There's no point in lying low any longer.

"Are you all ready?"

Terry William looked serious, and the long scabbard hanging at his waist undulated slightly.

No response was needed; the pairs of eyes that stared at him amidst the scraping of metal armor, filled with fighting spirit, already spoke volumes about the knights' answer.

……

Snapped--

The whip tore through the air, whistling shrilly as it left a gruesome bloody gash on the man's body.

The air, thick with the stench of blood, was devoid of the expected cries of agony and pleas for mercy.

Only when you clench your teeth and exert excessive force to endure the pain can you hear a gurgling sound leaking from between your teeth.

This is a small, dark, and secluded room located behind the casino, nestled deep within a complex and narrow alleyway.

As for the purpose of the room... the presence of bloodstains, both dried and wet, scattered across the dark brown stone floor, along with the horrifying instruments of torture hanging on the walls, is enough to indicate its purpose.

Lawson sat a little further away in the room, legs crossed, gently swirling the wine glass in his hand.

Such a task would naturally not be done by him personally.

Standing before the blood-soaked, critically injured young man, nearly dead, was the casino owner, Rotten Toe, who was torturing him.

His bald head was covered in sweat, he held a leather whip in his hand, and he was panting heavily.

Even though he was the one who was inflicting the torture, he seemed to give up even faster than the young man covered in wounds.

"Boss, this kid is too stubborn. He hasn't said a word even after all his teeth have been pulled out."

"we……"

Lawson's face was half-covered in shadow, and the somber and gloomy aura surrounding him was almost visible to the naked eye.

From his perspective, the treasure he had planned for two years and paid a heavy price to finally steal from the dragon's nest was intercepted halfway by a mysterious third-party force.

I searched for several days but found nothing.

Just when he thought his plan was about to fall through, he discovered a professional from the Morton family in the casino on his territory, who seemed to be there specifically to keep an eye on him.

The treasure he stole from the red dragon's lair was the lost heirloom of Duke Morton.

Identity, motive, strength, time, place... all match.

This naturally led Lawson to focus his suspicions on them.

"Forget it if you don't tell me."

His tone was normal, but that very tone made his next words sound even colder.

"Given the Morton family's efficiency, if they've really succeeded, that old guy will probably be sleeping with his treasure in a couple of days."

"Kill him."

"Leave the body in the town square for two days. There are definitely still his accomplices in the town."

"Then cut off his head and send it to the sticky tree collar."

Lawson is only one person, and although he may be quite capable, it is almost impossible for him to defeat a behemoth like the Duke of Morton's family by himself.

It doesn't matter.

The feud has been formed.

He was able to spend two years planning and preparing to steal treasure from the dragon's lair.

It would also take longer to target the Morton family members.

It doesn't even have to be the Duke himself; his wife, his children, or even the old butler in the castle...

The number of extraordinary professionals is limited, and no matter how strong an individual is, it is impossible to protect every member of the Duke's family at all times; nor can they stay in the castle forever.

As long as you are careful, you can avoid the retaliation and pursuit of those professionals.

It doesn't need to be too frequent, just once every two or three years.

The Duke, high above all others, should be able to understand the feelings of a nobody like him.

"Clap, clap."

hurried and frantic footsteps came from outside the door.

The door to the interrogation room was suddenly pushed open.

What came into view was a young thug with bloodstains on his chest and a panicked expression.

Startled by the noise, Rotten Toe was about to curse when he heard it.

As he listened to the other person's panting and flustered words:

"Boss, they're here... Brothers, everyone..."

"Who's here? Explain yourself!" Holding a leather whip, and seemingly sensing danger from the other person's tone, Rotten Toe stepped forward quickly and demanded.

"Yes, it's a group..."

The thug's words were only halfway through when his blood-stained, panting face suddenly froze, as if solidified.

A flash of silver suddenly appeared on his chest.

A mercury-like liquid gushed from its body and spread rapidly.

The rotten toe didn't even have time to react.

next second.

laugh--

A sharp point suddenly pierced through the silvery liquid on the hood of the hoodlum's chest.

Like a meat skewer on the street, it pierced through the two people in an instant.

Blood spurts.

At the same time as the sound of the body hitting the ground came a flurry of footsteps from outside the door.

Behind him came the agonizing screams of the casino thugs. Clad in heavy armor, Terry William slowly walked into the room.

The longsword was already drawn, and the right hand holding the hilt turned into flowing silver, as if it had merged with the blade and the metal plate on the elbow.

His gaze swept over the severely injured, dying figure covered in blood in the room.

His expression remained unchanged as he gazed at the gloomy man in front of him, surrounded by an aura of gloom and bloodlust.

"That old bastard Morton is still the same as before. He's put up the commission, but he doesn't want to give out any reward."

A sarcastic voice came from the other side, and the Duke, who had sworn allegiance and was willing to give his life for the other, was insulted, causing Terry William's eyebrows to twitch.

Instead of refuting Lawson's line of thought, she sarcastically remarked:

"What right does a piece of trash who would betray a teammate he's known for years for the sake of spoils have to judge others?"

"Oh? You even know that? It seems you're not as upright as you appear."

Lawson slowly rose from his seat.

Ever since the lame man escaped with the treasure, he had been suppressing his gloomy emotions, which finally began to surface with the appearance of the "culprit".

"When did it start?" A chilling smile appeared on his face. "That Dragon-Slaying Dagger? Or that mission with the fire protection potion?"

“Even earlier.” Terry William’s face held an even stronger sarcasm.

"Okay, very good..."

boom--

……

……

Xia Nan suddenly turned his head and looked towards the end of the street.

As if sensing something, he frowned slightly.

"what happened?"

With the last piece of luggage slung over his shoulder, the half-elf Hai'an asked in confusion.

"It's alright." Xia Nan shook his head. "Let's go, don't linger in town."

The necessary supplies have already been prepared, and we are ready to leave the town at any time to continue the escort mission.

After the trip to the casino, Xia Nan sensed something was wrong and shared his premonition and guesses about what might happen with everyone.

Wood made a quick decision and changed the plan on the spot.

The departure time from tomorrow morning has been moved up to this afternoon.

The group of six had already packed their luggage and were ready to leave the resting dragon's nest.

(End of this chapter)