Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 290 Steelbeard's Legacy: The Specially Crafted Longsword and the Petrified Lizard

The outskirts of the misty forest.

As dawn broke, the sky gradually brightened.

The sun had not yet fully risen, only a faint light appearing on the distant horizon behind the dense canopy of trees, giving the entire sky a gradual change of color.

From the brightness at the edge, to the colorful purple glow, and finally to the lingering blackness of the night.

"Crack."

An extremely faint popping sound.

The charred firewood, burned out and piled up horizontally, still retained some warmth, and the rising steam gently disturbed the thin mist in the air, but it had already lost all life.

A gentle breeze blew by, and a dark red huddle nestled deep within the charcoal was quietly awakened. It burst forth with its last embers of heat, transforming into a spark that shot up from the charcoal, leaving a brief but intense crimson trail in the cold air.

Strangely, the small ember that flew up was not quickly extinguished by the surrounding moisture as expected.

It seemed to be blessed by some kind of force, hovering and swaying in mid-air.

As it burned, the tiny amount of heat from the core of the embers was maximized, creating ripples of delicate heat in the surrounding mist.

This bizarre phenomenon, which defies the laws of nature, lasted for three seconds.

Finally, with the faintest of pops, it burned completely to ashes, turning into a snowflake-like gray ember.

It drifted down and landed on a black object as clear as glass.

Xia Nan raised his hand and blew away the dust from the surface of the snake scale shield.

A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Three days have passed since he accepted the mission to hunt the petrified lizard from the second floor of the association.

We set off long ago and have now arrived in the misty forest.

During the mission, to prevent unexpected attacks, the training intensity was reduced significantly compared to usual.

Fortunately, he had mastered both Spinning Slash and Fang Hunt, and since Gravity Etching had a limited number of uses, he devoted most of his energy to Gravity Control and the still unmastered Echo of Ember.

Regarding the latter, this inherited combat skill from a mysterious otherworld is clearly of exceptional quality.

On the one hand, the fact that Xia Nan, who has already become a level 2 professional, has not been able to master the basics despite practicing for so long demonstrates the value of the combat skills themselves.
On the other hand, it was also information about this combat technique that he gradually learned during his practice.

Previously, Xia Nan only thought that [Echoes of Ember] should be a status-based combat skill that comprehensively enhances the user's physical attributes.

Now, as his understanding deepens, he has developed some different perspectives.

The definition of "state class" may not be wrong, but it is too broad and cannot fully and accurately explain the role of this ability.

It was a power that erupted like a flame, from sparks and ash igniting kindling.

To put it more vividly, it might be similar to the "second phase" of those troublesome elite enemies in my previous game.

"I've become the 'boss'?"

Xia Nan thought to himself, jokingly.

Of course it's a good thing.

After all, [Echoes of the Ashes] is not only of extremely high quality, but its combat skill type also does not overlap with the other combat skills he currently possesses. Although it does not make up for those obvious shortcomings, it is still a complete enhancement.

Once you truly master the basics, it will undoubtedly elevate your overall strength to another level, giving you an extra powerful trump card capable of turning the tide of battle.

After so many days of hard training, he had vaguely grasped that invisible bottleneck.

At this rate, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he is confident that he will master the basics of [Echoes of Ember] within ten days.

Looking up at the sky, I saw that the night had almost completely faded away.

Xia Nan stood up and tied the two long swords behind his back.

One of them was naturally the wooden sword [Green Pine], while the other was a "two-handed longsword" that he bought at the Rockhammer Blacksmith Shop for temporary use when reforging the decapitation longsword.

Oh, if we follow Barn's wording, it should be called "Steelbeam Heritage Craft, Rock Hammer Special, Two-Handed Longsword".

It is said that it uses a special forging technique passed down through their dwarven clan, making it far more durable than weapons made of the same materials.

Although it is not custom-made but rather a template-based mass-produced type, the overall quality is very good, belonging to the best of the best.

Xia Nan checked the attributes panel and found that what the other party said was true; they weren't lying.

Compared to other ordinary weapons on the shelf, this "specially made longsword" has two additional attributes: "Durability +10%" and "Sharpness +3%".

It's definitely enough for a simple transition.

That's why he was willing to spend 75 gold to buy it.

As for the appearance, since it is a mass-produced piece of equipment, it is impossible to customize it according to the habits and body of each user, so a conventional design was adopted.

It was just a silver-white metal iron sword, slightly shorter and lighter than a decapitation sword.

Over three days, Xia Nan gradually became familiar with its feel through repeated practice, and it did not affect his combat strength.

In terms of durability alone, the Qingsong variety is actually superior.

Despite being a wooden sword, it is actually more sturdy than ordinary standard weapons, and its sharpness is also quite good.

However, considering that if it is accidentally damaged, there is a high probability that there is no wood in this world to match it, making it difficult to repair.

Therefore, unless encountering an enemy that can trigger its Yangyan damage bonus, Xia Nan is generally reluctant to use it.

The same is true now.

In the last few minutes before the sun fully rose, he packed up the campsite and made sure nothing was left behind.

He then decided to leave and continue his mission.

It's quite interesting, actually. The place Xia Nan chose to camp last night wasn't the usual open space in the forest that was slightly higher up.

It was a ruin.

A uniquely shaped ruin.

The blue bricks are eroded, and the white mortar between the gaps has completely fallen off, revealing the yellowish-brown clay inside; several dilapidated walls lean precariously, as if they would collapse with a gust of wind, yet they stubbornly hold on. In the swaying weeds at the corner of the wall, one can vaguely glimpse a few uniquely shaped broken black tiles.

Beyond that was a huge hall, now reduced to ruins. A massive, fallen beam lay across the bluestone slabs, half rotten, while the other half, as if by some kind of "bug," pierced through the gaps between the rubble and naturally merged into the trunk of an oak tree in the nearby forest, sprouting new life.

Most of the items in the ruins that were still intact had been moved away, but the exquisite and intricate patterns remaining on the edges of the window frames and the classically styled eaves at the corners of the roof still revealed a distinct Eastern aesthetic.

After their trip to the Serpent Cave Secret Realm, the buildings that had been randomly teleported to this world along with the Secret Realm's core didn't disappear; they remained in their original locations. Xia Nan later overheard many adventurers discussing this in the tavern, saying that these inexplicably appearing, uniquely styled, and uninhabited buildings were very popular with the locals.

Some well-preserved furniture and decorations unearthed from deep within the ruins sold for high prices on the market.

After the "Hunting Day," with the large-scale movement of adventurers, this trend spread to the surrounding areas centered around Riverdale Town, even affecting large cities like Newme, where many nobles flaunted the new gadgets they had bought at great expense during banquets.

However, the number of ruins is limited, and adventurers' sensitivity and agility are even more exaggerated when it comes to gold coins.

By the time similar topics were circulating in the tavern, most of the valuable items in the ruins had already been cleared away.

With no more production, those items on the market became unique pieces. Their inherent style and aesthetic appeal, combined with the hype from merchants and adventurers, caused their prices to skyrocket.

The night before Xia Nan left, he heard from others that at a high-end auction in Newme City some time ago, a half-panel screen that was relatively well-preserved and carved with exquisite openwork patterns was finally bought by a marquis lady for nearly eight hundred gold coins after rounds of fierce bidding.

This gave him some ideas.

"Nobody told me these things were worth so much!"

If only I had brought more loot home on the way back from the mission, and if I had kept it until now, I wouldn't have to worry about the cost of reforging the decapitation sword.

Of course, this is just hindsight.

At that time, I didn't even know many locals, and I was terrified of killing a few goblins, so I didn't have time to think about so many things.

After that, he trained with the barbarian Fugang in "Fang Hunting" and spent his days on hunting, focusing all his attention on improving his own strength. Even when he heard related rumors, he didn't think much of them.

but……

Xia Nan's thoughts suddenly paused.

I have entered three secret realms so far.

In addition to the original Serpent's Den, there is the mirror world of the Goat-Deer statues in Newm, and the church town in Ashenvale.

Needless to say, the former has no other artifacts besides statues in Neum.

And Ash Valley...

When he left, although the church had disappeared, the buildings in the town remained in place.

Considering Ashvalley Village's fear of Ashvalley, he is currently the only person in the world who knows about the remnants of this secret realm.

If he urgently needs money in a short period of time and can't find a way to make money... perhaps he can use these things to do some business and earn a little money?

Of course, he was unaware of the rules governing business in this world, and had no access to any related channels. The risks involved required careful consideration.

Therefore, we still need to take a long-term view.

Thinking to himself, Xia Nan packed his luggage, stepped over the threshold, and walked out of the dilapidated courtyard, his figure disappearing into the bushes and shade of the trees.

……

……

Xia Nan made ample preparations for this mission.

The two bottles were deliberately placed separately, one in the waist pocket and the other in the backpack. The [Petrification Resistance Potion] goes without saying.

Upon advancing to the second floor of the guild, the information database that was opened to him after he became a professional helped him to acquire a wealth of useful information about the "Petrified Lizard" creature, compiled by countless adventurers and hunters, even before the mission began.

From the initial tracking to the hunting, and finally to the processing of the spoils and materials... everything is covered.

They even have contingency plans in place for when and where to encounter this creature and how to deal with it to maximize the chances of success.

He is confident.

The association did not provide a specific location, but rather an area where petrified lizards are frequently active.

When Xia Nan saw that iconic, thick oak tree that had been snapped in half.

Without hesitation, he took out the [Petrification Resistance Potion] from his backpack and gulped it down—the bottle in his waist pouch was easier to retrieve, so he saved it for later use.

It is colorless and odorless, but it feels like drinking a whole bottle of ice-cold carbonated soda in one gulp. It stimulates the mouth and throat, while a cool sensation flows from the neck into the chest and quickly spreads throughout the body.

Xia Nan felt as if some invisible substance was spreading from deep within her pores, covering the surface of her skin with an invisible film from the inside out.

Knowing that the medicine had taken effect, they moved their bodies slightly and, seeing that it had no effect, continued forward into the dense forest.

Clever hunters never rely solely on sight when tracking monsters with extremely dangerous abilities, thus putting themselves in perilous situations.

Although he had gained petrification resistance through the potion, Xia Nan would still like to strike first and cut off the head of the bulky, clumsy eight-legged lizard before it could react, just to be on the safe side.

Therefore, the most important thing is to search for traces of the other party as covertly as possible.

First, through feces on the ground.

Unlike other monsters, the excrement of the petrified lizard contains a large amount of indigestible gravel and minerals, which is quite different from the excrement of ordinary carnivores, and can effectively confirm its existence and the time elapsed.

Secondly, it is a solitary monster with a strong sense of territory.

It will habitually leave claw marks on the rock walls and tree trunks near its territory, which will indicate its patrol route to Xia Nan.

If Xia Nan can discover the prey nearby that has been turned into stone sculptures due to the petrifying gaze.

He could also determine the frequency of lizard activity in a particular location by examining the smoothness of the stone statue's surface and the traces of wind erosion.

Finally, when Shanan got close enough to the petrified lizard...

No eye contact is required.

The slight tremor of the ground as its massive body moved, the noise of the bushes and grass being crushed, and the mixed smell of rocks, dust, and rotting flesh on its body were enough to indicate the location of this monster.

Xia Nan cautiously and calmly followed the plan established before the mission began, carefully searching for traces of the petrified lizard step by step.

Some surprises.

Perhaps it was just good luck, or perhaps it was because there were really no enemies on the outskirts of the forest that could threaten this kind of monster. The petrifying gaze was always effective, which made this lizard act recklessly in its daily life.

As Xia Nan had just made it to the first step, using [Gravity Control] to lighten her body and gracefully climb the tallest oak tree nearby, intending to see if there was any movement.

In the distance, the canopy of a forest suddenly shook violently, startling a large flock of birds and revealing signs of trees breaking and falling.

With a sudden thought, instead of returning to the ground, it moved quickly among the thick, intersecting branches of the trees.

The significantly reduced gravity, combined with the balancing bonus from [Tidal Shaping] on unstable terrain, meant that Xia Nan's speed was not much slower than when moving on the ground.

Approaching rapidly!
(End of this chapter)