Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 304 Breaking the Claws, Continuing Into the Deeper Area

Boom!

The deep, cold wind from the dark underworld carried a strong, acrid smell of sulfur.

The scorching heat in the air had not yet dissipated, and the distinctive fishy smell of aquatic life surged up from the lingering waves of the churned mud.

A layer of broken, thick carapace floated on the surface of the mud, like a piece of shattered glass, with faint traces of charring at its edges.

The fluorescent moss on the cave wall was scorched over a large area, and the few rays of light it emitted illuminated a huge pincer that was stuck into the ground like a tombstone.

Abby stood motionless in place.

A lingering sense of bewilderment remained deep within his eyes.

Just like the surging power within his body receding like a tide, leaving only a few faint flames, the dark red flames from the Nine Hells quickly dissipated on the surface of his skin.

He subconsciously reached out and made a loose grasping motion in the air in front of him.

It's as if they're trying to hold onto these rapidly fading forces that don't belong to them.

It was all in vain.

The battle ended in just a few breaths.

He was a powerful figure who could "roam freely" in the dark regions, easily overpower professionals, and regard the dangers in the Misty Forest as nothing.

He reverted once again to being the lowest, most worthless adventurer, whose boasts went unheard in taverns and whose meager earnings at casinos were stolen.

Abby did not speak.

But an indescribable reluctance, hesitation, and yearning for power had already filled his heart to the brim with the swirling dark flames of purgatory time and time again.

Lord Saloyan called it the "Armored Monster," a dangerous monster whose appearance resembled a giant lobster pieced together, and he had already defeated it.

To be precise, he was repelled by Lord Saloyan, who had temporarily borrowed his body.

For Abby, it didn't really make much difference.

His consciousness did not dissipate during the battle.

It was precisely because of this that his senses, temporarily enhanced by the dark red flames, allowed him to clearly perceive every wisp of power that his originally barren and weak body was unleashing under Lord Saloyan's control.

The terrifying force capable of twisting even the most powerful adventurer you know into a pretzel, the raging flames that could burn even the mud to ashes...

For the first time, Abby realized that he could be this strong, and that he wasn't destined to spend his entire life like a bedbug, holed up in that shabby and filthy little room, a lowly adventurer just waiting to die.

He can do it.

He should do it too.

Those who have seen the light find it hardest to bear the darkness of the night.

After his power faded, he regained control of his body, but was accompanied by weakness. The stark contrast that followed drove Abby almost insane.

He dreamed of possessing all that power he had gained, even if the price was...

"Hula."

A cold wind suddenly blew from the depths of the cave, making him shiver as he stood there.

"No, no, I can't do this, it's not the right time yet, wait a little longer, wait a little longer..."

He tried to comfort himself in a somewhat incoherent way.

That final step, about to cross the line, was left hanging in mid-air.

at the same time.

With his mind projecting onto the broken mirror, Saloyan, who had placed it close to his chest, sensed the young adventurer's thoughts and sighed inwardly at the pity.

He was just a hair's breadth away from being able to return that soul to hell in the safest and most compliant way.

There is no rush.

Patience is one of the few admirable qualities of devils.

The train to hell has already started, and there is no turning back.

Those naive young people who have tasted power are like the most severely addicted addicts, with no possibility of turning back.

However, it's just a matter of pushing things forward one more time.

Of course, this quality, compared to that of an ordinary soul, can only be considered a bonus, not the reason why he projects his consciousness into the material world.

His primary target was the core of a massive goblin lair hidden deep within a side road in the dark region.

However, the journey seemed to have been rather tortuous.

Saloyan was not nearly as relaxed as he appeared in front of Abbi.

Even if the Nine Hells Demon Noble is just a baron, his strength is far beyond what the low-level adventurers in the Misty Forest who fight wits and courage against goblins can imagine.

If placed before his physical form in purgatory, it would be nothing more than a small armored monster. He wouldn't even need to lift a finger; his demons would easily tear it to shreds.

However, what is currently attached to Abby is merely a partial projection of Saloyan's will in the material world. Advanced techniques such as concealing one's aura and avoiding danger may be effective, but the actual power can be described as "less than one in ten".

Perhaps through its own magical abilities, it could extract a small amount from Purgatory's main body and temporarily strengthen it using Abby's body, but even that would be very limited.

For example, the armored monster with a challenge level of around "4" that we just encountered had already reached its limit.

The ability to severely injure the opponent and seemingly easily repel them was mainly due to the advantage of the Infernal Flames.

“Let’s turn back.” A deep, husky male voice, tinged with unconcealed weariness, said softly to Abby, “The wrong options have been mostly eliminated.”

"Since this path is blocked... let's try another one."

"Yes, Lord Saloyan."

Abi nodded repeatedly, obediently turning around like a puppet and walking towards the cave entrance.

Behind them, fragments of the armored monster's shell floated on the surface of the mud, while the broken, enormous pincers rested quietly against the stone wall.

……

……

A misty forest, the boundary between the outer and inner areas.

The entrance to what used to be the nest of the petrified lizards.

The "Oath-Keeping Blackwood" team carefully examined the surrounding traces, preparing to venture deeper into the cave later.

Compared to before, the whole team looked much more disheveled.

Traces of solidified mud can be seen on boots, armor, hair, and even cheeks.

Clearly, the strength of that "Armored Monster" was beyond their ability to handle.

Fortunately, just as the battle was about to reach its climax, the enemy suddenly retreated for reasons unknown, allowing the team to preserve its strength.

The only one injured was the dwarf Soldin, who was slammed into the depths of the mud after using a taunting combat skill.

The sturdy build characteristic of their race, combined with the soft, sticky mud beneath their feet, mitigated the damage they suffered to some extent.

After the battle, I drank half a bottle of healing potion, and my injuries were almost completely healed.

Its combat strength is about 90% of its peak.

Compared to its role as a front-line tank, its primary function of restraining enemies is sufficient.

The group then continued onward to carry out their mission.

Regarding the unexpected retreat of the armored monster, squad leader Margaret had some vague guesses in her mind. Having been an adventurer for many years, she had more or less some knowledge about the monsters that roamed this continent.

Although the number of Armored Monsters is small, even adventurers in taverns rarely discuss their existence.

But she did know some information about this kind of monster.

It is not a product of natural evolution of life on the continent of Aifara.

The birth of the Armored Monster originated in ancient times, in an ancient empire ruled by some kind of strange and evil creature.

And it was the most devout servant of those rulers, used to gather precious resources from the sea and the land.

After a period of unknown, blank history, this ancient empire was destroyed by the gods, and the master of the Armored Monster suffered a devastating blow.

However, the Armored Monster survived due to its exceptional adaptability designed during its creation, and gradually multiplied and spread across the continent as an ordinary creature.

It is highly intelligent, almost reaching the level of a sentient being.

Perhaps due to its physical structure, it cannot produce sounds that ordinary people can understand, but it can understand some languages, including Deep Language and Common Language.

Margaret was thankful that she was in a lush, boundless misty forest, rather than some ancient ruin hidden deep in the ocean.

Otherwise, the armored monsters that appeared near the latter would most likely be the guardians of this ruin, and would certainly not let them leave easily.

"Captain, the inspection is almost complete."

The reports from her teammates brought Margaret back to reality.

“It’s definitely the cave of the petrified lizard mentioned in the mission intelligence.” The dwarf Soldin emerged from the bushes beside him, his right shoulder wrapped in two layers of bandages, and said in a muffled voice.

"Following the tracks on the ground, I found the remains of a petrified lizard in the nearby woods. However, all the flesh on its body had been eaten by wild animals in the forest, and there were only a few bones left. It was all pitted and uneven, and it wouldn't fetch much money if I took it back."

As he spoke, a look of regret appeared on Soldin's rugged face.

I've only used half a bottle of healing potion to heal my wounds. If I can bring back a few petrified lizard bones, maybe I can recover some health.

But having been dead for several days, and in the rapidly decaying environment of the Misty Forest, coupled with those hungry little beasts, it's hard to say what useful materials they could possibly find.

Upon hearing this, Margaret nodded, indicating that she understood.

He then turned his head and looked at the wanderer, Shajin, who had also completed the inspection.

After exchanging glances and seeing him nod slightly, he finally spoke, waving to the crowd:
"Line up, prepare to enter."

"Don't be careless. Although the petrified lizard is dead, so many days have passed. Who knows if something else might have moved into the cave."

"Be careful, everyone!"

In fact, even without her reminder, the others in the team knew to be careful, and were even more vigilant than usual.

After all, they had just been attacked by the Armored Monster and almost suffered a total wipeout.

If it weren't for the fact that there were no other wounded members in the group besides the dwarves, and that the mission itself was only an investigation, the group would have already temporarily retreated back to Valley Town.

Those with slightly weaker mental fortitude, including the mage Joshua, who was positioned in the middle of the queue under the protection of the others, had already prepared defensive/escape spells.

Judging from his tense body and pale face, he would probably resort to magic at the slightest disturbance.

This meant that Margaret and Shajin, who were positioned at the back, had to be vigilant about danger while also keeping an eye on the kid's condition, lest he inexplicably get killed halfway through the journey before even encountering the monsters.

However, neither of them complained about it, and even the usually sharp-tongued Sha Jin didn't grumble too much.

After all, the group had already made the necessary preparations before recruiting the other party into the team.

Given their average class level and team composition, it would be virtually impossible for them to find reliable spellcaster teammates with extensive adventure experience unless they were already familiar with each other or had made prior arrangements.

Joshua is the highest-ranking mage they can find who is willing to join them.

While enjoying the convenience of magic in battle and daily life, this is also the consequence they must bear of having a level 1 mage in their team.

Fortunately, there were no ambushes in the passageway leading to the petrified lizard's lair.

The four of them moved slowly and successfully arrived at the mission location.

What comes into view is a huge nest with many traces of petrified lizards and broken statues scattered on the ground.

The group had a clear division of labor. They first conducted a general inspection to confirm that there were no dangerous monsters in the cave, and then they began a more detailed search.

Of course, although it was called a collective search, the person in charge of the main operation was the wanderer known as "Sand Gold".

He seems to possess some kind of keen perception-based combat skill.

With a sweep of his right hand, his eyes, already possessing the sharpness unique to a wanderer, suddenly gained a flickering, dark luster.

Like a special filter made of shadow particles, a quick glance across the nest revealed its strangeness.

"This is……"

Sha Jin suddenly took two steps forward and stopped at the deepest part of the cave, at the entrance of an inconspicuous passageway leading further down.

His nostrils twitched, as if he were sniffing some long-vanished, acrid sulfurous smell in the air, his gaze fixed on the dark, shadowless depths of the passageway.

He stared at it for a long time.

He nodded slightly as if to confirm, then turned to look at Margaret and the others who were quietly waiting for him behind him.

"There is indeed obvious residual negative energy. Judging from the characteristics, it is more likely to come from demons in hell, but I cannot be sure."

"The period of energy disturbance is about four to five days. Considering the instability of negative energy particles, there is a possibility of misjudgment, but a certain amount of time has definitely passed since this suspected demon entered the tunnel."

"It should be noted that the intensity of these residual negative energy is lower than we previously expected, and they are most likely not evil entities, but rather projections."

Sargin only stated his discovery without finishing his story.

Margaret naturally understood what the other party meant.

The association assigned them the task of "investigating".

However, this does not mean that the group only needs to walk around the petrified lizard's nest at the designated location to complete the mission.

That's far too simplistic.

They must definitively confirm the existence of that evil creature from the abyss/purgatory and remove the word "suspected" from the mission information to be considered successful.

As for just messing around...

Over the years, the association has seen its share of adventurers who try to outsmart others, but their outcomes are rarely good.

This was something that not only Margaret but everyone else in the group knew perfectly well.

Therefore, they would rather abandon the journey midway and return directly than lie about the situation and fraudulently obtain the reward money.

"So, Captain... shall we go in?"

Looking at the dark cave entrance ahead, Joshua subconsciously swallowed and asked cautiously.

Without replying, Margaret stared into the deep darkness before her. The fluorescent light from the fungal colonies on the walls illuminated only half of her face, leaving her shrouded in shadow.

While dangers certainly exist, sunk costs must also be considered.

Before anything else, the first thing to realize is that they are not employees of any corporation or guild, but rather people who truly live off the association's missions and live with death.

Adventurer.

Weigh the pros and cons.

After a long silence, Margaret's crisp and decisive voice echoed in the deadly air of the nest:
"Everyone be prepared."

"We...let's continue deeper."

(End of this chapter)