Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 301 [A Touch of Chill]

"Roar!!!"

A furious roar, filled with warning, suddenly erupted, its high-pitched and loud volume almost forming a blurred sound wave in the air, causing the surrounding bushes and leaves to rustle.

The massive body, nearly three meters tall, stood upright, its distorted shadow alone enough to engulf an adult human; it was like a mountain covered in fur, its thick, brown fur, covered in solidified resin and fallen leaves, stretched taut by the taut muscles and thick fat beneath, exuding a wild aura of earth, beasts, and pure power.

The acromion muscles bulged high, and one could clearly see the undulating swelling beneath them, accumulating muscles powerful enough to break steel, like a shoulder armor made of flesh and fur; the mouth and nose protruded forward, the nose was broad and moist, as black as leather, and the yellowed canine teeth reflected a deadly dark light in the roar that surged from deep in the throat.

This is an adult woodland brown bear!

After millions of years of natural evolution, its carnivorous structure, which serves only survival, has made it the apex predator among ordinary creatures in the forest.

In an ordinary world where there are no supernatural powers, it could even be said that this creature has no natural enemies. If it lives to adulthood, the only way to kill it for reasons other than old age is through rare natural disasters such as wildfires or floods, or accidents such as disease or falls.

All other creatures are on its "menu".

Even on the continent of Aifara, this large creature, which grows under the catalysis of magical particles in the air, possesses a challenge level as high as "1".

In its enraged state, even a goblin without a suitable weapon would be no match for it.

Normally, unless it's related to the mission objective, ordinary adventurers rarely provoke such troublesome creatures.

But right now, it's clear that its opponents are not the "ordinary" adventurer teams in the conventional sense.

"Roar!"

A warm, pungent stream of saliva, thick and foul-smelling, sprayed out from between the sharp teeth, and the thick, muscular forelimb, covered in a layer of fat, slammed down!
The scythe-like, jet-black claws, faintly visible within the rough, thick palm pads, exuded a dangerous aura, while the air howled mournfully under the powerful pressure.

Without a doubt, even a light graze from that slap would be enough to shatter the head of an adult human and leave a deep mark on the thick iron plate.

boom--

It was the dull thud of flesh colliding with metal.

The brown bear slammed its entire body weight into the ground with a powerful, all-out strike, which landed squarely on the target.

But instead of the sounds of bones breaking and flesh shattering that one would expect, there was none of them.

The metal shield, with its special emblem engraved on its surface, remained motionless, firmly holding off the brown bear's slap, which could topple a tree.

All his strength seemed to have vanished as if it had sunk into the sea. He could only vaguely see the few swaying braids hanging down to his chest, the ends of which were adorned with obsidian, and his short, thick legs, which were deeply embedded in the mud like rocks, beneath the round shield.

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness caused even brown bears, who had always relied on their own strength to hunt in the dense forest, to momentarily freeze in place.

And that's exactly what caught the dangerous creature's moment of distraction.

hum-

A sharp dagger, its surface shrouded in a faint black shadow energy, emerged from the shadows in the brown bear's blind spot and gently stabbed at the bear's vital neck like a bee's sting.

Instantly separate.

The next second, a bloody hole appeared in the brown bear's neck, which was covered in fat and flesh.

"Roar!"

The intense pain and the scent of death it caught in its nostrils drove the unfortunate brown bear almost mad, its two deep-set, agate-like dark brown eyes filled with a bloodthirsty crimson.

The enormous claw that landed on the iron shield slammed down, causing the dwarf's body to sink even further, while its massive, obese form displayed an exaggerated burst of power.

With a twist of its waist and abdomen, its mouth, gushing with a foul stench, opened wide and lunged at the dagger coming from its side.

Just then, the magical particles in the air were suddenly disturbed by the chanting of spells coming from deep within the bushes!
And they are arranged and combined in a rapid and complex manner from a microscopic perspective.

This caused a dark green, cold mist to suddenly appear in the originally invisible and colorless air.

Entangled, cohesive.

Construct a translucent, ghostly skeletal hand formed from pure mist.

Perhaps it is because the spellcaster's skills are not refined, and the quality and quantity of their spiritual power are relatively average.

This eerie green skeletal hand was extremely unstable. It was only slightly affected by the massive body of the brown bear as it pounced forward before it completely collapsed, turning into a dim stream of energy that rapidly dissolved in the air.

But even this brief contact, lasting less than half a second, was enough to activate the effect of this necromancy trick called "Touch of Chill".

The brown bear, which was furiously attacking its attacker, suddenly showed a hint of human-like pain on its furry, ferocious face, and its entire body stopped for a moment.

It was this brief moment of stiffness that caused the tall, thin figure, who had left a horrifying wound on his neck, to retreat once again into the safe depths of the shadows.

The agile figure, who had been lingering around the brown bear since the start of the battle, waiting for an opportunity, finally got his chance to deliver a fatal blow.

"boom!"

It was the dull thud of leather boots stomping on the ground, splashing mud everywhere.

His dark gold braids swung violently behind his head, and his handsome, wheat-colored face was filled with decisiveness and murderous intent.

The sharp blade, gleaming with cold light, pierced through the air. Under the influence of a combat technique called "Straight Thrust," all the body's strength was concentrated in one place and suddenly burst forth during the forward step.

"Shoot."

Without any obstruction, the sword tip pierced through the barrier of space and instantly penetrated the side of the upright brown bear.

With astonishing precision and keen insight, he pinpointed the location of the opponent's vital heart, buried deep within their muscles and diaphragm.

penetrate.

Sheath the sword.

Retreat.

The brown bear, its life now on a countdown, roared and flailing its paws in vain, hoping to take an enemy with it in its final moments.

Each attack was firmly blocked by the metal round shield.

The force gradually weakened, and the roar grew weaker.

Finally, with a barely audible sob, it collapsed to the ground.

Revealing the only one on the field who was still standing next to the brown bear at the last moment, having taken countless slaps, his body covered in leaf fragments and enemy blood.

"Pooh!"

He spat on the messy ground.

Soldin wiped the mixture of blood and sweat from his cheeks and struggled to pull his calf, which had been deeply embedded in the ground after enduring dozens of blows from the brown bear, out of the mud.

He was panting heavily and muttered:

"This beast has no brains, but it's incredibly strong. Most adventurers might not be able to withstand it."

"Isn't this what we recruited you for? And you're complaining?" The sarcastic voice came from beside me as usual.

The tall, wiry wanderer, Shajin, emerged silently from the shadows of the forest, a sharp, blood-stained dagger clutched in his hand. The cold, serious expression on his face was gone, replaced by a mocking, half-smiling look as he surveyed the dwarfs, who lay disheveled on the field.

Hearing him say this, even though he knew in his heart that the other party was deliberately provoking him and that he would often end up losing in terms of words, Soldin still felt a surge of resentment rising in his heart.

He unconsciously raised his voice and said:

"What's going on? How could you miss such a good opportunity?"

"I've already been tied up by that beast, and you can't kill him with one sword strike, so the captain has to come and finish him off?"

Seeing this, a triumphant glint flashed in Sha Jin's eyes. He wasn't particularly angry; he simply drew out his words slightly:
"I'd also like to finish this quickly."

"There are some people who don't know why, they learn combat skills but choose not to use them, thinking that they can attract all the enemy's attention on their own, without worrying at all that the enemy might turn around and bite someone else."

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the dwarf's face, which had been flushed with resentment, instantly twisted and stiffened, and his explanation grew increasingly soft:

"I wanted to conserve some energy, combat skills are so draining... and we still have many days' journey to our destination, so we need to save some strength..."

Although he could be unreasonable, Soldin did make a mistake in the battle just now. He tried to save his energy and did not use his special combat skill that could attract the enemy's aggro, which caused the brown bear to put down itself and turn to pounce on its teammate next to it after being attacked.

This caused a pang of guilt in the straightforward dwarf, and the anger he had felt at being mocked vanished without a trace.

Surprisingly, this was the perfect opportunity for him to refrain from further criticism or ridicule.

Wanderer Shajin suddenly changed the subject, no longer discussing the dwarves' earlier mistake, but instead complaining about how slow the mage's casting was, almost causing him to be bitten by a brown bear.

Having collaborated for many years and weathered countless life-or-death crises together, the two are intimately familiar with each other.

Shajin knew exactly what the dwarves' weaknesses and bottom lines were. He could easily get them excited with just a few words, but he would never actually cross that line. He knew when to "press his advantage" and when to shut up.
Soldin was well aware that those unpleasant words were simply a reflection of the other person's personality. They might be infuriating and embarrassing, but they weren't malicious. He simply enjoyed the thrill of gaining the upper hand in verbal exchanges and maintained the professionalism expected of a professional during the mission.

"Clap, clap."

Captain Margaret emerged from the bushes beside her, wiping her longsword.

Joshua, the only spellcaster in the group, followed closely behind.

Right now, this young mage, who has only recently joined the team and has an exceptionally youthful appearance, is noticeably more nervous than he was in River Valley Town.

While gripping the staff tightly with both hands, his pale, bloodless face swayed anxiously from side to side, as if worried that another monster might suddenly appear from somewhere.

Seeing this, and realizing that the pressure on the other party was at its maximum, Sha Jin couldn't help but stop complaining. He subconsciously frowned and looked at the captain in front of the mage.

Naturally understanding what the other party meant, Joshua stood behind her, so Margaret didn't say much, but simply gave the wanderer a barely perceptible nod, indicating that there was no need to worry.

He then clapped his hands again, looked at the brown bear carcass on the ground, and called out to the others:
"Don't waste time, quickly extract all the useful materials that are easy to carry and can be sold."

“We’re getting close to the heart of the forest, and the smell of blood here will probably cause trouble soon.”

"ten minutes."

"When the time comes, no matter how many are left, we must evacuate immediately."

Margaret, Shajin, and Soldin are all experienced adventurers with certain professional levels. They have been in River Valley Town for many years, and doing quests in Misty Forest is like coming home to them.

Having collaborated for many years, they work together seamlessly, understand each other's personalities and ways of handling things, and their relationship has long surpassed that of ordinary friends.

In contrast, the mage Joshua was a true newcomer who had only recently joined the team.

His professional skill level is also far below the team's average.

Joshua is a level 1 mage who has just finished his apprenticeship.

Under normal circumstances, for a class like a mage that develops its power in the later stages, at such a low level, unless they are unorthodox individuals who accidentally obtained meditation methods and possess the corresponding aptitude but lack resources, they would probably want to stay in the laboratory 24 hours a day before level 5 and would never dare to venture out for adventure.

Given Joshua's tense demeanor in the forest, he couldn't possibly be one of those wild mages who are more dangerous and desperate than other professionals of the same level.

The reason for this level is that I left home to take on quests as an adventurer and earn gold coins...

In fact, as long as you know two points, you can roughly fill in the blanks.

1. Born in Newme;

2. His family were impoverished nobles who had been stripped of their titles.

It's a very clichéd yet true story; anyone who has heard a few of the melodramatic tales told by bards can guess the classic plot that unfolds within it.

Yes, that's exactly what you think.

It was precisely because of this that the "Oathkeeper Blackwood" team, an ordinary adventurer group with no reputation, gained a rare and precious spellcaster teammate by chance in Newm City a while ago.

Although the class level is a bit low, he is still a proper level 1 mage who has mastered a number of tricks and support spells.

It can be very useful during a mission.

Speaking solely of the battle with the brown bear, although Shajin complained that Joshua's spellcasting animation was too slow and almost injured him.

But it was precisely that barely released [Touch of Chill] that caused the woodland brown bear to freeze briefly, creating an opportunity for Margaret, who was attacking from the side, to kill it with a single blow.

Alone, one might die even faster than an ordinary low-level adventurer;
With professional-level teammates to support them, their impact can be described as exaggerated.

Having just returned to town from Newme, he hadn't even spent many nights in the pub, nor had he taken the opportunity, as he usually did, to inquire about the latest gossip circulating in town.

The older members of the team thought of finding some investigation missions with less combat requirements, so they could practice their teamwork and find common ground during their adventures.

"Why don't you sit down and rest for a bit?" Seeing how nervous he was, Margaret patted Joshua on the shoulder and pointed to an open space with a fairly clear view.

“Yes, Ms. Margaret.”

The monk nodded obediently, his face pale, and staggered forward to sit on a fallen tree trunk.

Looking at his two teammates in front of him who were efficiently skinning the brown bear carcass for material (Shajin was on guard nearby), he felt that he couldn't help much and felt a little guilty.

He then took out a map from his pocket and carefully examined the route that had been planned in advance before setting off.

Their target was the nest of a dead, petrified lizard, located at the edge of the Misty Forest's outer and inner areas.

Ordinary adventurers in the town would naturally take a detour and try to avoid getting too close to the inner forest.

But as a professional-level team, they had been to the core area of ​​the Misty Forest countless times, so of course they didn't care about these things.

Just cross the road, avoiding the territories of a few dangerous monsters along the way; there's no need to worry about the "outer perimeter" or "core area."

As if he had seen something, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Joshua looked at the route on the map, and saw that his group was about to pass through a special terrain that was irregularly elliptical in shape.

Unusually, it has been marked with a name as a necessary path node:

—"A quagmire of rotten roots".

(End of this chapter)