Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 300 Mission Selection and the Underdark

Exploration, investigation, and reward.

The three tasks are different in type, but Xia Nan has carefully analyzed them and believes they are the most suitable choices for his current situation.

He urgently needs funds to cover the losses from reforging the longsword, and his combat strength has decreased due to the replacement of his preferred weapon. Therefore, it is best for him to avoid fighting enemies that are too strong, or simply kill some weak monsters.

In addition, having just returned from a long adventure, he didn't want to travel far for a while, at least not until the longsword was reforged, and only planned to wander around the area around River Valley Town.

In conclusion, he selected these three commissions.

As for which one to choose...

To some extent, Xia Nan could actually have "it all".

As a legitimate professional who has reached the second floor of the association, the association will not limit the number of missions he can take on at the same time.

The association would even prefer that its adventurers complete five or six tasks at a time, since this would be a performance record for the Adventurers' Association itself, earning them fees and increasing their reputation.

In reality, even if people know they can do this, from newbies who have just obtained their job level at level 1 to legendary figures at level 20 and above, anyone who has any understanding of this profession will rarely accept two or more commissions at the same time (long-term missions are another matter).

Often, even if two tasks are of similar difficulty and both are within the recipient's ability to handle, completing them in one go is far more difficult than doing them separately. The result of "1+1" is not 2, but may reach "3" or even "4".

The extended mission duration will significantly increase the likelihood of unexpected situations during the adventure. Furthermore, being in the wilderness for extended periods without proper rest in human towns will cause the adventurer's physical and mental condition to decline drastically in the later stages of the mission, thereby affecting combat capabilities and leading to unnecessary dangers.

Xia Nan is indeed short of money right now, but not to the point where he needs to sacrifice necessary safety to desperately exchange for gold coins.

On the other hand, for an adventurer like him who doesn't have any storage space equipment and has to carry all supplies with him, the consumption of resources is also a factor that must be considered.

Taking on multiple missions at the same time, what if some unexpected situation arises and he runs out of supplies in the forest... Xia Nan doesn't want to play wilderness survival in this monster-infested area.

Therefore, completing tasks one by one in a specific order is the wisest choice for safety.

His gaze swept over the task manual that Jasmine had prepared for him, and he carefully weighed the advantages and disadvantages of the three tasks, intending to make a choice among them.

The first to be ruled out is the investigation mission with mission number "E-10257".

The "Rotten Roots Swamp" is located in the heart of the Misty Forest. Normally, adventurer teams that dare to venture this deep are mostly professional-level.

As a result, at least six teams were attacked and went missing, and the danger involved can be imagined.

In fact, considering the harm it had already caused, even for a commission that was only an "investigation," Xia Nan felt that the reward given by the association was relatively small.

In addition, the most important reason that led him to abandon the mission was the uncertainty regarding potential sources of danger in the mission information provided by the association.

He had no idea what he was about to face until he actually confronted the mission objective head-on.

It could be a young owl bear that has just reached adulthood and whose challenge level is barely "3", or it could be an adult black dragon with a challenge level as high as "14" that has its eye on this mud pit and intends to bring it into its territory.

If he's unlucky and encounters enemies who can restrict his freedom of movement, rendering his high mobility useless and preventing him from escaping, then things will really be bad.

Therefore, out of caution, Xia Nan first abandoned this investigation task.

Then, the second one he crossed off the list of commissions was the exploration mission numbered "D-7693".

Although it offers the highest reward among the three commissions Xia Nan is considering, it is also the most complex.

I may meet the requirements mentioned in the mission, such as "familiarity with wilderness survival" and "good sense of direction".

He had absolutely no experience with "cartography" and was completely clueless about it.

In this situation, if you painstakingly draw a map, but the task reward is greatly reduced due to the poor quality of the map, resulting in only the lowest level reward or even being judged as a failure, then it is no different from a complete waste of time.

On the other hand, in Xia Nan's understanding, drawing a map is by no means a task that can be completed in a day or two. If he takes the job, putting aside the safety issues, he might have to travel back and forth between the basin and the town to replenish supplies, which would consume too much time and energy and reduce his earning efficiency.

After considering all this, he was left with only one option.

The bounty mission is numbered "E-9368".

The target is a goblin community located in the heart of the forest, led by a large goblin.

The main challenge is the relatively complex environment of the goblin's lair.

To be honest, when Xia Nan first saw this commission, she already had a preference in mind.

After all, for him now, slaughtering those filthy and ugly green goblins is less of a task and more of an enjoyment.

When "work" and "hobby" are combined, and the interest in the latter is not diminished by coercive requirements, work itself becomes a pleasant and "wonderful" thing.

Of course, Xia Nan still needs to confirm some specific information before making a final decision.

"In the mission briefing, what exactly was the size of this once-extinct giant goblin settlement? Is there any additional information that can be provided, such as how it was destroyed or the number of elite goblin individuals within it?"

"And is there any real connection between this goblin tribe, which is the target of the mission, and the former owner of the lair it occupied?"

When faced with Xia Nan's questions, Jasmine, who had become his personal receptionist after being promoted to a professional, answered them all and behaved very professionally.

A clear look of apology appeared on his face as he bowed and said:

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Xia Nan."

"Regarding the large goblin settlement you mentioned earlier that has already been wiped out, I actually did some research within the association when I was selecting missions for you, but..."

"Insufficient authority."

“Normally, information related to goblins wouldn’t be subject to such a high level of restrictions. This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this.”

"Therefore, I do not know more about the relevant situation than you do."

"But regarding your later question, is the goblin now occupying the lair related to the goblin settlement that was previously cleared out?"

My answer is that there is most likely no direct relationship.

Hearing the other party's answer, Xia Nan frowned slightly. After sitting in the chair and pondering for a moment, he finally made a decision.

"Okay, let's go with this one."

Xia Nan pointed to the mission manual in front of him and said to the receptionist, Jasmine, who was waiting quietly beside him. "Okay, Mr. Xia Nan." Closing the manual, the girl nodded and replied softly, "I'll go and process your paperwork right away."

……

……

Meanwhile, deep within the misty forest.

underground.

After spending the happiest three days of his life in River Valley, Abby faced the darkest period of his life, both in terms of his mental state and his circumstances.

I thought I would soon reach my destination under Lord Saloyan's guidance, receive his blessing, and become a powerful professional.

But what I didn't expect was that once I entered the petrified lizard's lair, the dark and narrow passage seemed to lead straight to the earth's core, and all the way down, there was only darkness ahead.

The strange noises coming from an unknown place added a touch of terror to the deathly silence.

If it weren't for Mr. Saloyan's constant reassurances, he probably would have completely lost the courage to move forward in this environment.

The familiar environment, with only stone walls and glowing moss in sight, caused Abby to completely lose her sense of time after a sleep filled with exhaustion, making it impossible for her to accurately estimate what time period it was.

Until recently, the seemingly endless downward tunnel finally changed.

It was an experience that could almost be described as "a sudden enlightenment".

First, a bright spot of light, extremely bright in the dim environment, appeared at the end of the passageway, which was invigorating.

Even knowing that they were underground and there was no way to find an exit, Abby still quickened her pace unconsciously.

Immediately afterwards, as Abby drew closer to the point of light, she finally stepped out of the passageway.

What comes into view is an extremely spacious and enormous cave that is breathtaking.

The gray-black rocks resemble a stone dome hanging overhead, while stalactites cascade down like a forest; the eerie green phosphorescence and the pale blue glow of luminescent bacteria become the primary light sources in this space.

It wasn't particularly bright, but it was enough to illuminate most of the objects in the grotto.

The air was subtly moving, damp and with a musty smell; when inhaled, one could feel an indescribable chill spreading from the throat throughout the body.

The surrounding environment remained shrouded in silence, which made the sound of flowing water from an unknown place in the distance, the whistling of the cold wind seeping through the cracks, and the strange howl from the depths of darkness sound particularly jarring, causing his body to tense up subconsciously, alert to possible danger.

Abi had a vague idea about where he was, but he was too afraid to believe it because of the terrifying rumors he had heard in the tavern. He deliberately tried not to think about it, like burying his head in the sand.

This continued until just now, when a small swarm of bloodthirsty and ferocious giant bats flapped their membranous wings and descended from above, only to be driven away by Abi himself, who had received a temporary boost from demonic power. It was then that he confirmed the name of this place from the powerful and learned Lord Saloyan:

—The Dark Region.

It is not a name for a specific area like "River Valley Town" or "Kingdom of Servia". "Underground" is a general term for the vast, complex and multi-layered underground ecological environment of the continent of Elfala.

It is extremely dangerous, a nightmare for any adventurer whose strength is insufficient to survive its deadly poisonous miasma, dangerous monsters, and bizarre environment.

Even those who have already obtained professional ranks and completed promotions need to proceed with extreme caution and maintain the highest level of vigilance at all times to avoid having their throats torn apart by a sharp claw emerging from the depths of darkness, or falling off a towering, precipitous underground cliff.

Abby had heard of the renowned environment of this kind, but never imagined that he would one day set foot on this mysterious land deep underground, especially when he had not even mastered a single combat skill and was far from obtaining a professional level.

Now, however, they have suddenly barged into this territory in a way that caught everyone off guard.

"Lord Saloyan, we...we'll be alright, won't we?"

Panting heavily, and still shaken, Abby stared at the giant bat carcass he had killed with his longsword on the ground ahead. His face was filled with tension and unease.

"Of course!" A hoarse male voice, which gave people an unconscious sense of security, echoed in the skull cavity. "It's just the Dark Region, no different from the Misty Forest. Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen."

"You might even find some rare materials, which you can use to forge enchanted equipment for professionals when you get back."

Using optimistic expectations for the future to mask enormous immediate risks is a tactic that this devilish noble from hell is adept at employing.

Under the influence of manipulative rhetoric and subtle mind-control spells, this newcomer, who had been in the business for less than two years, had already been subtly transformed into a puppet in the devil's hands.

Just a few words of comfort and she immediately felt much better.

It was as if, simply by relying on the small mirror he carried, which was imbued with the projection of the thoughts of hellish demons, he could travel freely in the dark realms.

In fact, even Saloyan himself was surprised that the passageway could lead all the way to such a place.

His intelligence network in the material world only provided a few hidden paths leading directly from the outskirts of the Misty Forest to the goblin lair. As for the possible encounters along the way, including the petrified lizards and the current Darklands, he only learned about them for the first time by guiding Abby deeper and deeper.

Fortunately, this should only be the outermost boundary of the Underdark. With the support of its own power, this naive and foolish young adventurer should not encounter any trouble. Don't linger, just hurry along the road.

I couldn't help but feel excited.

The massive goblin colony mentioned in the intelligence report is indeed extraordinary.

Although they had been wiped out by that high-level adventurer team, before being exterminated, they still dug out such a complex network of tunnels leading to various areas underground, like ants, even reaching the Underdark.

It far exceeds the abilities that ordinary goblins should possess in the eyes of the world.

In his mind, the credibility of the information about this goblin tribe possessing technological creations of unknown origin, bestowed by their chief god, grew increasingly stronger.

Just like Abby's fantasy of becoming a professional after the mission ends, thanks to his power.

Saloyan couldn't help but fantasize about finding any trace of that item and eventually getting his hands on it to present to Grand Duke Dis.

Who knows, he might be able to get promoted from his current "baron" title, which is at the very bottom of the Nine Hells' aristocratic class.

A strange emotion welled up inside him, and he urged Abby:

"Don't stop, keep going."

"Soon... we'll be there soon."

(End of this chapter)