Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 266 [The Old Coin That Has Faded (Incomplete)]

Xia Nan wasn't a good teacher, at least that's what he thought.

As an adventurer who has already obtained a professional level and has considerable combat ability, he may be a "big shot" in the tavern rumors that are popular among ordinary people in the village.

If we only consider his battle record and strength, and compare him to those half-baked adventurers who have just stepped into the threshold of adventure and can barely deal with even the lowest-level goblins, then perhaps we can say that.

But if you were to put him in the position of a "teacher" and ask him to systematically and completely summarize his combat logic and on-the-spot response strategies in a way that is easy for students to digest and learn, he really couldn't do it.

After so many battles, I have certainly accumulated a lot of experience, but the fighting instincts from my body and soul still play a dominant role.

In stark contrast to the academic school that emphasizes theory, it is a muscle-bound school that relies purely on practice.

This is the premise.

When Xia Nan received the task of helping a fifteen-year-old boy gain the courage to face multiple goblins head-on.

He naturally wouldn't waste his breath describing the habits and characteristics of this monster out of thin air, nor did he have any detailed plan.

The best way to overcome fear is to confront its root cause.

Don't run away.

Worried that the food I cook won't taste good, I'll cook it over and over again until I'm satisfied.

Fearing drowning, they throw themselves into a swimming pool and drink their fill until the fear of drowning is completely eliminated.

Afraid of goblins?

Once you kill one, you won't be afraid anymore.

One isn't enough? Then ten, a hundred, a thousand...

Kill until you're numb, kill until you're in a daze.

Once you've truly witnessed the ridiculous sight of those filthy, short, green-skinned goblins howling and weeping in despair as they face death, how could you possibly feel fear anymore?

With only a short stay in Gray Valley Village, Xia Nan decided to use the most direct method to conduct desensitization training for the young man, Leon.

This is to ensure that the fear of goblins can be completely eradicated and never recur within these few short days.

"Hiss!"

A sharp, mournful wail echoed eerily in the dimly lit nest.

The intense, almost overwhelming smell of blood seemed to solidify into a visible red hue in the air.

Fragments of internal organs, broken limbs like withered branches, bone fragments protruding from pus-green skin, a solidified skull half-shaved off...

The stench of blood stained the filthy mud on the ground an ominous reddish-brown, and an indescribable aura of death permeated the stone walls.

It was like a living hell.

Right in the very center of this cave stood two figures, one tall and one short.

"Don't be fooled by how many of these little creatures there are. You can't kill them all no matter how hard you try. They seem to have a very strong vitality."

"In reality, the body structure is very fragile. If you find the vital point, one sword strike will kill you instantly."

With the decapitation sword already sheathed, Xia Nan held only a small dagger, usually used for cutting up prey, and explained intently to Leon beside him.

His expression was natural, as if he were not in a hellish lair filled with blood and gore, but in a bright classroom in an academy.

Coupled with his serious expression, which resembled that of a "goblin research professor," and the matte black armor splattered with scarlet blood and bits of flesh hanging in some places, it seemed to have become the professor's academic uniform.

“Look here.” He crouched down, the tip of his knife gently poking the left chest of a goblin on the ground. “This is where their heart is, a vital spot, yes, but in actual combat it’s actually quite difficult to pinpoint, so…”

The cold, sharp tip of the knife gently grazed the thin, fragile, dark green skin, leaving a long, thin, bleeding red mark.

The goblin was clearly not completely dead; its body remained intact. However, due to some unseen force, it was suppressed and bound to the ground, unable to move.

Right now, it could only scream pitifully while trembling violently as the knife tip slashed at it.

“Anywhere from here.” The sharp, cold blade rested on the goblin’s slender neck, its tip slightly digging into the skin. “Although they are monsters, their skulls are not as hard as you imagine.”

“Even someone your age, with an iron sword in hand, could easily open a skull with a little force.”

"If you are facing an attack from multiple goblins at the same time, you can choose to take the initiative and let your armor absorb the first wave of damage while reducing their numbers."

"Furthermore..." The blade moved again, its tip pointing at the goblin's slender limbs amidst the twitching and trembling of the muscles.

“These joints are even more vulnerable than those of an 80 or 90-year-old. If you can’t attack their vital points immediately, disabling their mobility or ability to use weapons is also a good option.”

"Understand?"

Xia Nan sheathed the dagger at his waist, slowly stood up, and asked Leon beside him.

"Listen, I understand!"

The boy shuddered suddenly, stammering as if he had been provoked, and shouted loudly.

Good news: Lyon is no longer afraid of goblins;
Bad news: After this battle, his fear of goblins was transferred to Xia Nan.

"As long as you know."

With a look of relaxed pleasure after the carnage on his face, Xia Nan smiled and patted the boy's shoulder.

"Next, it'll be a good opportunity for you to put it into practice."

“Draw your sword.” He looked at the green goblin on the ground, bound by gravity and firmly attached to the ground like a magnet. “You have five seconds to prepare.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Leon's body stiffened for a moment, and he subconsciously swallowed.

Their faces, already drained of color from the horrific scene on the field, turned even paler.

After all, he was just a fifteen-year-old boy.

Bearing expectations and harboring the desire to protect his loved ones, he might be able to rely on his passion and, together with his familiar brothers and uncles, temporarily forget the threat of death and the fear of monsters to stand on the front line when faced with the goblin siege of the village.

But the current situation is completely different.

The environment, the enemy, and the fear that had been instilled in Leon since childhood by the countless warnings from adults left him feeling empty and adrift.

Fortunately, Xia Nan stood by his side in the end, and the hatred for his parents' death remained buried deep in his heart, slowly burning.

"bass!"

The old iron sword, covered in rust, was suddenly pulled out.

The sword tip pointed outwards, and his hands, gripping the hilt tightly, trembled violently, but the boy's eyes gradually hardened.

Xia Nan stood not far away, carefully observing Leon's actions and expressions.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but nod slightly.

"Be careful," he said.

Immediately afterwards, the [Gravity Control] was released from its restraint on the goblin.

"Hiss!"

"Aaaaaah!" The goblin's piercing howl mingled with the boy's furious roar, echoing back and forth between the stone walls.

Finally, the goblin howl abruptly ceased with the sound of a sharp object tearing through flesh.

Only the boy's heavy breathing remained on the field.

The battle ended quickly.

Having witnessed Xia Nan slaughter an entire goblin nest, and after receiving his guidance on goblin combat techniques, Leon's fear of goblins had gradually dissipated.

The green goblin, now freed from the gravitational pull, no longer possessed the morale boost from its previous "gang crime" tactics. Its howl was merely a show of bravado, revealing more panic and fear than anything else.

In this situation, even if Leon missed his target and the blade, which was aimed at the neck, ended up hitting the shoulder, the goblin couldn't even retaliate.

He was kicked to the ground by the boy, who pulled out an iron sword and pierced his chest and heart.

Seeing this, Xia Nan, who had been standing quietly to the side, ready to release [Gravity Control] again to avoid any unexpected situations, also calmed down his mental energy that had been concentrated.

"Well done."

He praised her at the opportune moment.

"Remember that feeling."

“When facing enemies like goblins, unless you are ambushed or have particularly bad luck, you have a high margin for error. Even if you miss with your first sword strike, you still have a chance to swing it a second time.”

"Don't panic, staying calm is the key to victory."

"Yes, I understand, Mr. Xia Nan." Leon nodded obediently, but his eyes seemed somewhat dazed as he stared at the goblin corpse in front of him, as if he couldn't believe that he had just killed a goblin.

"Alright, that's about it for today. You should go back and get some rest."

Xia Nan clapped his hands, bringing Lyon back to reality from his daze.

"Now, help me clean up the battlefield."

"There's no need to cut off the ears. There's no adventurers' guild around here, and there's nowhere to sell them if you cut them off."

"Let's take a look and see if there are any gold or silver coins or anything like that, so we can help improve your sister and brother-in-law's lives."

Goblins are all the same all over the world and don't change much, but the richness of the loot in their lairs varies significantly.

In places like the Misty Forest, the prey are usually adventurers who train and earn money in the forest, so their lairs naturally contain a lot of loot such as gold coins and equipment.
Similarly, the goblin colony near Ashvalley Village usually only attacks lone ordinary villagers. The greenskins mostly rely on wild animals in the forest for survival, and Xia Nan probably only finds a few bones or some copper coins in their nests, which are of little value.

Having Leon rummage through the pile of goblin corpses for a while should, to some extent, help reduce his fear of goblins.

As Xia Nan had expected, the search yielded only six silver and seven copper coins from the enormous goblin lair. The rest were just scraps of iron and rags that were practically worthless.

This amount of money would be gone after a few meals at the White Sparrow Tavern for Xia Nan, but it was a rare source of extra income for Lyon and his family. So he didn't think much of it and gave the money to them.

“And this, Mr. Xia Nan.” Just as he was about to lead Leon out of the cave and back to the village, the other party suddenly called out to him again.

In Leon's blood-stained hand, he was holding half a coin that was also bathed in blood.

"I just found this on a goblin. Can this damaged coin still be used?"

Xia Nan took it casually, glanced at it, and suddenly frowned.

Although only half of this coin remains, it is not a common gold, silver, or copper coin found in the Kingdom of Servia, judging from its size, density, and feel.

He took out a water pouch from his waist, rubbed it between his fingertips, and used clean water to wash away the bloodstains and mud from the surface of the coins.

As the patterns on the coin's surface gradually became clearer under the flow of water, Xia Nan's attention was unconsciously drawn to the fact that his eyes, which were squinting in the dim light to see objects clearly, were also drawn to the coin.

Then, unexpectedly, rows of familiar, semi-transparent characters appeared in the void above the coin:
……

[An old, damaged coin that has lost its luster]

Type: Coins

grade:/
Introduction:

A broken, old metal coin, a legacy of the Lansendon diocese, once passed through the hands of countless thirsty people—even though it couldn't even buy half a loaf of bread.

Remarks:

"Wealth without an owner".

— Graffiti in the secret passage of the Church of Zarit Ash
……

Xia Nan's dark eyes scanned carefully across the attribute panel floating in mid-air in front of him.

Without a doubt, his golden touch confirmed that this damaged coin had no special effects and didn't even have the most basic item level.

But for some reason, the words "Flare" and "Church of Ashes" on the panel, which he had never heard of before, along with the increasingly clear and unfamiliar appearance of the coin itself, made him feel strange.

"The Kingdom of Lansendon? Does such a country exist on the continent of Aifara?"

Xia Nan wondered to himself.

At the same time, he carefully examined the coin fragments in his palm.

The half-coin, about the size of a thumbnail, was unusually heavy, giving a weighty feeling when placed on the palm; its surface was covered with yellowish-brown patina and strange stone gray, with a dull lead-gray iron core exposed at the broken edge.

The patterns on the front have been almost worn away by time, and one can only vaguely judge that the pattern is a spiraling, rising flame through its blurry and incomplete outline.
The back side is also only partially clear, showing a half-circle sun hanging high in the sky, its shape eroded beyond recognition by black spots formed from oxidation.

A light flick of the fingertip to the broken coin, held to the ear, accompanied by the soft hum of metallic vibration, was a faint, almost auditory, sound of flames swirling around it.

Have you ever seen this type of coin before?

Xia Nan asked Lyon, who was standing in front of him.

If the artifacts originated from some ancient ruins near Grey Valley Village, the villagers, who have lived there for generations, should have been able to find them.

Lyon simply shook his head.

"never seen it."

“But…” He hesitated, as if worried about saying the wrong thing, because his words might have made the powerful adventurer in front of him come for nothing and anger him. “I might know its origin.”

"It's nothing, I was just asking casually. Feel free to speak your mind."

After hearing what Xia Nan said, Lyon no longer hesitated.

He half-turned his body and pointed to the corner of the cave, where there were several gray-white stones that the goblins had used to build campfires and primitive furniture.

Then his gaze fell on Xia Nan's hand, on the strange limestone that clung to the broken coin along with the patina.

Both have the same color.

"These stones must have been moved from Ashenvale."

"And the coin's surface also retains the same color as the stone."

His meaning is already clear.

"Ashen Valley?"

(End of this chapter)