Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 255 [The Mother's Gaze at Night]

"The dream is over."

"Returning..."

wow——

The frozen space and time were restored to their original state in an instant.

Along with the moist, bloody smell that filled my nostrils, the thunderous roar of the rainstorm echoed in my ears once again.

Xia Nan lay half-reclined on the ground, her body leaning against the tree trunk.

His dark eyes stared straight ahead, gazing into the void.

He looked somewhat dazed.

This is naturally due to the numerous memory images in the brain derived from the [Dream Corridor], a simulation of dreams.

From a realistic perspective, only a fraction of a second may have passed.

But Xia Nan himself seemed to have experienced the entire process of meeting, getting to know, and finally parting ways with the heterochromatic winter wolf "Kalosh" and the barbarian "Grom" in that instant.

Of course, memories of things like eating and sleeping, including the two years when Karoš disappeared, are as faint and blurry as recalling a dream after waking up.

But even just the remaining "essence," the "practical information" from hundreds of days flooding into his mind in less than a second, was enough to make him dizzy and lose his senses.

Throughout this entire process, he even forgot his own identity and briefly forgot the extremely dangerous situation he was in.

Grom, who truly became the exceptionally talented barbarian master, followed the black wolf Karosh on a hunt across the snow-swept Rifttooth Highlands. Finally, after a long and decisive battle, he mastered the combat technique called "Fang Hunt".

Xia Nan could clearly recall every single moment he spent with Carlos.

It lurks in the shadows, the way its power flows and accumulates; the muscular outlines writhing beneath its black mane as it pounces; even the rhythm that seems to contain some strange cadence as it paces...

And the final battle in memory, at the end of the story, fueled by the flames of revenge, the fallen centipede's corpse and the lightly landing figure of the black wolf.

Having found the soul of combat techniques, the [Fang Hunt] finally took shape.

From its initial conception to its eventual transformation into a combat technique, Xia Nan experienced a complete process.

He thus came to understand the full meaning of it.

Whether it's those whimsical ideas that were ultimately abandoned because they were impractical, or some clever ideas that should have been incorporated into combat techniques but were temporarily shelved because they were too difficult.

Success, failure, maturity, naivety...

His understanding of "Fang Hunt" is soaring at an alarming rate.

In the past, it took countless hours of practice to gradually transform skill into a visible improvement through the interplay of sweat and inspiration.

However, at this moment, due to the wonderful experience of "sudden enlightenment" in the [Dream Corridor], the experience is greatly enhanced.

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

"Proficiency +1"

"..."

The semi-transparent notification messages, visible only to him, had been refreshing continuously since he entered the dream.

And at the moment the dream ended, a massive explosion of data occurred, almost like a social media frenzy.

"Proficiency +48"

"【Fang Hunting】lv4 (100/100) → 【Fang Hunting】lv5 (MAX)"

"【Meteor Blade Hunter】lv1→【Meteor Blade Hunter】lv2"

Strength +1, Agility +2

"Special ability [Night Mother's Gaze] has been unlocked"

……

[The Mother's Gaze at the Night]

Category: Specialty

effect:

When you use [Fang Hunt], the enemy must make a Will check (Perception bias).
If the check fails, the user is in a state of "fear"; if the check succeeds, the user receives a brief exemption until the next [Fang Hunt] is released.

Introduction:

Ancient memories from the creators of combat techniques have subtly altered your [Fang Hunt].

Remarks:

"Kalosh, an ominous shadow, tears frozen in the night."

……

"Fuck!"

Crimson and silvery-white venom was forced out from the wound in the center of the chest, falling onto the meadow beside it with a corrosive sound.

A vibrant green light, brimming with life, flickered silently around her neck.

Granulation tissue wriggled and tangled, the wound healed rapidly as seen by the naked eye, the scab fell off, revealing smooth skin underneath without any scars.

Abundant power burst forth from an unknown part of my body, surging through my entire body like a spring.

Silently, the muscles became more resilient, and explosive power far exceeding that of the past accumulated and brewed within them;
The world before him seemed to slow down suddenly, allowing him to see the trajectory of every single raindrop as it fell.

That was the attribute point bonus from the upgraded combat skills, a whopping "8" points of strength and "10" points of agility, bringing a mysterious perspective that was completely different from before.

Hot blood surged and roared in his veins, an unprecedented surge of power coursed through his body.

The injury has fully recovered.

Xia Nan is currently in his peak condition since he transmigrated to this world.

With a slight bow of his head, the oval-shaped, silvery-white metal [Dream Corridor] had vanished.

Instead, on the right ring finger, right next to the index finger, is another smooth, flawless silver ring.

After successful activation, just like the "recognition ceremony" in the novel of his previous life, the [Dream Corridor] automatically transformed from its original slightly clumsy and difficult-to-carry oval sphere into the form of a "ring" accessory and was worn on his finger.

With his five fingers slightly clenched, the two silver rings on his index and ring fingers reflected a faint light under the rain.

"Ding!"

Not far ahead, the crisp sound of metal weapons clashing violently could be heard.

His dark eyes moved silently as he picked up the iron-gray longsword from the mud.

hold head high--

A soft wolf howl rang out, and the raindrops around him froze for a moment, then were carried by the airflow to form a wolf's head that gradually solidified.

But compared to its previous ferocious roar, this phantom now appears more restrained and composed, its wolf muzzle tightly closed, with only a pair of blurry wolf eyes flickering quietly in the glistening rain, as if it had concealed all its killing intent and aura.

"Om."

Extremely strange, a streak of pitch-black ink rippled out from the mane that was gradually taking shape in the wolf's head.

……

……

"Ding!"

The heavy longsword, its surface flowing with liquid silver, shattered the thin sword that tried to block its way, leaving a horrifying scratch on the surface of the metal armor.

The thick leather boots were raised high, and a sudden burst of force was exerted.

The wiry, middle-aged man in front of him was kicked away, rolling around in the muddy water in a rather disheveled state before struggling to his feet, panting.

Terry William looked at Lawson ahead, a smug smile on his face.

The half-elf Haian and his guard Wood had completely lost their ability to fight. The black-haired youth who looked like an adventurer was the first to be pierced by the spikes, and he was probably already dead from the corrosion of his own molten metal.

But Lawson, in his prime, might not have been his match.

But right now, he's been hit by a curse, his attributes have been weakened by 30%, and he's also cut off one of his own hands.

Their actual combat capability has been significantly weakened.

Even though the battle is not yet completely over, he has not yet obtained the Morton family's treasure.

But Terry William can already be confidently certain:

He is the ultimate winner in this game!

hum-

The heavy longsword swung violently through the air once again.

Accompanying the lingering silvery-white afterimage on the retina were three teardrop-shaped silvery-white iron beads emanating from the sword's blade. "Sizzle!"

The air was torn apart in an instant, and the silver-white iron ball whistled across the spatial barrier without encountering any resistance, mercilessly piercing through the body of the middle-aged man in front of it, who was slow to react due to serious injuries.

The left shoulder, chest, abdomen, and right leg were three gaping wounds, revealing the wasteland behind them.

Lawson still didn't fall.

The physical attributes of a level 6 professional, along with the tenacious will honed through years of adventure and hardship, stemming from their humble beginnings and gradual rise to their current position.

Even though his injuries had reached their limit and he was critically wounded and on the verge of death, he still managed to maintain his standing posture.

The face, weathered and wrinkled by time.

It wasn't the look of pain one might imagine.

There wasn't even any emotion like regret or anger.

All that remained was a hysterical frenzy, like that of a madman.

"Hahahaha!"

Bright red blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, as if the intense pain that was enough to devour the consciousness of an ordinary person did not exist.

Lawson laughed wildly, his last shred of reason fading away in the suffocating pain of impending death.

"The Mortons..."

"They all deserve to die!"

hum-

A sharp weapon sliced ​​through the rain, and the dagger hanging at the waist was drawn in an instant.

The scene of the other party crushing the signal crystal to summon the red dragon was still vivid in her mind. She was afraid that the man in front of her wanted to fight to the death and ruin such a good situation.

Terry William jerked back the instant he drew his dagger.

Strangely, Lawson did not swing the dagger in his hand at the Morton knight.

Instead, after being drawn from its sheath, it plunged straight into its own chest.

"laugh!"

The blade tip pierced through flesh and blood, protruding from his back.

Blood gushed out.

Lawson's momentum, which had already fallen to its lowest point, suddenly surged upwards at a speed visible to the naked eye!
That's a combat skill from the [Veteran of Bloodseekers], a skill that can only be used once in a lifetime, at the cost of life and the soul after death:

——【The Bloodstained Will of the Setting Sun】.

Skin and muscles atrophy instantly, resembling a mummified corpse in a tomb; gray and white hair falls off like fallen leaves, leaving only a shriveled and wrinkled scalp.

Their bodies and souls were squeezed to the limit in exchange for a brief period of combat ability.

boom--

The air surged, and Terry William's expression froze; he only had time to raise his longsword in front of him.

The next second, he was blasted away instantly.

The incredibly sturdy, thick armor protecting his entire chest was sliced ​​open diagonally by the rapier as if cutting tofu.

The skin and flesh offered no defense whatsoever, flowing smoothly to both sides beneath the blade tip, revealing the pale bones and the outline of the internal organs beneath the diaphragm.

With just one sword strike, Terry William was critically wounded.

But as the youngest knight commander in the Morton family, he might have wavered in his mentality due to a lack of experience. However, when he was truly engaged in a life-or-death battle, his fighting instincts, cultivated through rigorous training and countless resources since childhood, were also unleashed.

The longsword suddenly swung upwards, flowing silvery white light gathering at the tip, instantly extending its length.

Its fluid and supple nature made the knight seem to be wielding a silver-white iron whip, forcing back the withered figure in front of him, whose body was covered in blood.

At the same time, he took out a bottle of healing potion from his waist pouch, which emitted a faint glow as it swayed, and drank the whole bottle down.

The injury, which had spread severely due to strenuous exercise, immediately stabilized.

My brain is working at lightning speed.

Without a doubt, what Lawson is using is a state-based combat technique that trades life potential for combat ability.

It may allow it to reach its peak in terms of offensive capabilities, but at the cost of its defense and physical endurance.

Based on his experience, this state could never last.

If you just hold on for another minute, or even less, the other person will completely lose the ability to resist due to the side effects.

Although he had suffered a serious injury due to carelessness, the whole bottle of healing potion he had just drunk had helped stabilize his injuries, and his combat strength was still preserved.

At least in terms of defense, with my level 5 [Silver-plated Knight] class abilities, I won't lack too much.

As long as he can withstand Lawson's next offensive, he will—

My thoughts came to a standstill for a moment.

The thunderous roar of the rain hitting the ground, the furious shouts of the enemy, and even one's own panting all vanished at that moment.

The world fell into a deathly silence.

"what happened?"

He subconsciously asked himself this question.

There were no answers; even our thoughts were frozen.

After a brief pause, he was answered by a long, drawn-out wolf howl that grew from soft to loud, from indistinct to clear, carried by the gale through his ear canal into his skull, echoing continuously.

What did he see?
Not far ahead, Lawson's shrunken and withered body still stood in the same spot.

He could even see the bone fragments at the ends of his palms and the faintly writhing muscles inside the wounds that pierced his chest and abdomen.

But that head.

That head had eyes reddened by blood and skin sunken, resembling a dried corpse.

But it had already disappeared on her neck.

"Where have you gone?"

Terry William asked himself this question again.

Boom——

Lead-like clouds surged, and a burst of lightning illuminated the gloomy world shrouded in rain in an instant.

He saw it.

It was a huge wolf beast, entirely black with a swaying mane.

Somewhat like Winter Wolf?

No, its body was much larger, and its limbs were noticeably longer. Its wildly billowing black mane was definitely not the color a winter wolf should have.

Enveloped in shadow, with limbs moving lightly, the twisting and sharp figure strolled gently through the rain.

Blood dripped down.

Lawson's head, which had disappeared above his shoulder, was being held in the wolf's mouth.

"Why? Why would there be monsters of this level in the Molten Scale Mountains?"

"How could that red dragon possibly allow such a being to approach its territory?"

Boom——

There was another thunder.

Terry William's vision suddenly blurred.

At the edge of the horizon, the black wolf, deep within the rain, melted into the shadows.

Instead, a young man dressed in iron armor with a cold and stern demeanor appeared.

The iron-gray longsword, slightly tilted downwards and stained with blood and raindrops, was gently removed from the neck with exaggerated speed and superb skill. The withered head, its face frozen in time, slowly rolled off the blade.

It was set against the backdrop of a huge, twisted wolf head phantom.

Through the fine rain, those dark, calm eyes, like a deep pool in a dense forest, gazed over in the stillness.

hum-

tinnitus.

The suffocatingly high pressure, coupled with the unspeakable fear that seeps into your bones.

It burst forth from Terry William's heart.

(End of this chapter)