Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 308 Encounter and Doubt

These past few days have been the most disorienting days of Abby's life.

He had heard of the dangers of the Underdark.

Even among seasoned adventure teams composed entirely of professionals, there are frequent rumors of them being wiped out.

High-level, ferocious monsters, extremely harsh environments, and even subterranean intelligent creatures filled with malice towards humanity...

This is definitely not a place that a low-level adventurer like myself, who is far from even obtaining a professional level, could set foot in.

But he did walk in like that, and even managed to survive to this day.

This was naturally thanks to Lord Saloyan's generous help.

This powerful and kind-hearted figure not only guided him through a complex and treacherous environment, but also offered assistance when he encountered dangers he couldn't handle alone, helping him overcome difficulties.

Abby increasingly felt that the other party was a saintly angel sent down to earth by God to save her.

"This should be the road."

"Be careful, keep going."

The gentle male voice echoing in the skull seemed mild, but it was actually like an instruction input to a machine, making Abby unable to feel any resistance or opposition, and he obeyed as if it were an instinct.

For days, the young man had been subjected to relentless, silent hints and temptations from the devils of purgatory, and he was already standing on the edge of depravity.

Just push him forward a little more, and his soul will be sent to hell.

The time has come.

The experience accumulated over countless years and through countless souls made Saloyan absolutely certain that, unlike before, given the current level of the other party's depravity, he only needed to find a suitable opportunity.

Even if the opportunity itself is unreasonable, or even absurd to ordinary people.

But if even the slightest emotion of this young adventurer can be stirred and manipulated, he will willingly sign a contract with him, surrendering his soul and body together.

Such an opportunity is not hard to find; even now, Saloyan has a thousand ways to create it himself.

But for now, he doesn't intend to waste his precious time on such a paltry "sweet treat" that barely fills his stomach.

The real main course has been placed close at hand.

After countless attempts over the past few days, he finally found the underground tunnel leading to the core of the goblin lair mentioned in the intelligence.

Ironically, the road was actually hidden near the lair of the Goblin, but the entrance was too narrow to accommodate the large number of goblins that were carving the road at the same time, which is why he overlooked it.

It wasn't until the armored monster, severely wounded and driven back by Saroyan, forced its way through the piles of rubble near the cave entrances during its escape, revealing the spacious interior of the passageway, that he finally discovered the hidden area.

It also had countless branching paths, but after leaving the Underdark, without the interference of chaotic inert magical particles in the air, Saloyan easily found the correct path by sensing the traces left by the large number of goblins that had passed through.

All the way up.

Then, at the end of the deep passageway, there was a small point of light that symbolized the exit.

"The exit! It's the exit, Lord Saloyan!"

After wandering around the dark and oppressive environment for many days, even the faintest light from a burning flame was enough to excite Abby.

Subconsciously, even my already exhausted and sluggish steps quickened a bit.

But just as he rushed toward the light, about to emerge from the tunnel...

The voice in my head rang out again.

"Stop! Right here, don't move!"

Unlike his usual warm and friendly demeanor, Saloyan's tone took on a serious tone.

Having finally reached his destination, he didn't want to ruin everything due to some unnecessary oversight.

The reminder echoing in his mind brought Abby back to his senses, and his concentration returned somewhat.

Immediately, he also felt a slight tremor in the ground and heard a familiar hissing sound coming from outside the cave.

"Is it a Jiafu monster?"

Having just repelled the opponent with Lord Saloyan's help, Abi was no stranger to the monster's cries.

However, judging from the current situation, it seems to be fighting with some other creature?
With Lord Saloyan's permission, Abi cautiously moved his feet, pressed himself against the wall, and shrank into the shadows as he quietly approached the cave entrance.

To avoid attracting attention, he moved slowly, so that by the time he reached the vicinity of the tunnel exit and could see the situation outside, the battle was already coming to an end.

Amidst a high-frequency shriek of energy, a perfect ochre-red arc of light vanished in an instant in the air.

The sword tip pierced the gap in the neck's carapace, and with a swing of the sword, the armored monster's head was severed.

Abby's pupils contracted sharply, and he covered his mouth with one hand to try to keep from making a sound.

He recognized the man who had beheaded the armored monster!

"Mr. Xia Nan, what...why is he here?"

They stood there, stunned.

What surprised Abby even more was the effortless ease with which the opponent killed the armored monster.

How can it be! ?
Through the male voice in his mind, he learned that the Armored Monster was a monster with a challenge level of "4". Even though it had been severely injured by Lord Saloyan's flames, it was still not something that ordinary adventurers could handle.

And Mr. Xia Nan... he couldn't possibly be mistaken!
Mingming had just completed her promotion and become a professional during last year's Hunting Day.

I was busy dealing with the promotion tasks on the second floor of the association a while ago.

Now, several months have passed, and even with the best luck and the highest talent, one's professional level is probably only around 2 or 3. How could one possibly be a match for such a dangerous monster?

But right now...

The image of the crimson blade tearing through the air in his mind, the howling of the black wolf's shadow fading, and the head of the armored monster rolling off flashed through his mind again and again.

It happened right before my eyes, forcing Abby to believe it.

And just as his mind was reeling and his thoughts were in disarray, the male voice in his head rang out once again.

In contrast, the tone, besides becoming increasingly serious, also carried a strong sense of command:

"Don't move! Don't make a sound!"

How could it be him! ?

Of course, Saloyan remembered the cold and sharp-looking black-haired youth on the field ahead.

Just a few days earlier, when Abby was still indulging in the casinos of River Valley and trying to lure the other person into depravity with money, she had met this man once.

According to Abby, he was his former teammate, nicknamed "Gray Sword" among the adventurers in town, and his name was... Xia Nan?
As a devilish baron from purgatory, Saloyan naturally wouldn't care about these insignificant figures among the lower-level adventurers.

However, the other party's soul exhibited a troublesome quality, as if it were a mixture of countless pigments, capable of getting a little bit of everything, which made him consciously remotely control Abby to stay away and try his best not to get involved with the other party.

Unexpectedly, so many days have passed since that fleeting glimpse, and he has found himself here again—at the final destination where he projected his consciousness into the material world—and has seen this man once more.

Could it be... that they came specifically for me?
Saloyan couldn't believe such a coincidence could happen; his doubts were growing.

After all, even among those belonging to the second level of hell, "Dis," there are countless intricate relationships between devils and nobles.

Even though he was worldly-wise and tactful, and always considered things carefully in his daily life, he still had a few enemies over the years.

If they discover their plans, it's not impossible for them to send their men to stop them.

But who leaked the information?
Suddenly recalling his encounters along the way, the hidden petrified lizards and the vague location of the Underdark... Saloyan became increasingly convinced that there was something wrong with the person in charge of the intelligence network he had built in the material world.

Could that kid have taken a kickback from someone and leaked the information?

He made up his mind that once his consciousness returned to purgatory, he would immediately send that damned, despicable, and conscienceless traitor to the "bloodbath," so that his soul would be devoured by the lowest worms in the abyss.

With their destination in sight, no matter how cautious Saloyan was, he couldn't possibly abandon all his previous efforts just because of an ordinary adventurer who had only recently advanced in rank.

Clinging to a sliver of hope that "it's all just a coincidence," he ordered Abby to stop and remain silent.

As an adventurer, if he wasn't there for himself, the black-haired youth's target was most likely the green-skinned goblins already reduced to mangled pieces. Now that the mission was complete, the youth shouldn't linger in the cave.

He could wait until the black-haired youth left before remotely controlling Abby to come out; he had the patience for that.

Silently, magical particles subtly fluctuated, shrouding Abby's body, which was obeying orders and hiding deep in the shadows, in a blurry veil, greatly reducing her overall presence.

It was Saloyan's doing, of course.

For intelligent beings, the methods of concealing the scent of monsters in the Underdark are no longer effective. But he is still a great demon from the Ninth Hell. Even a small projection of his consciousness is enough to drive magical particles to conceal the aura of the possessed one.

Normally, given the perception abilities of an ordinary adventurer, it would be absolutely impossible...

Saloyan's thoughts came to a standstill.

Because at the very moment he manipulated his mental power and condensed magical particles.

On the field ahead, the black-haired youth who had been carefully examining the corpse of the armored monster seemed to sense something.

Suddenly I turned around!

A lingering killing intent lingered in his eyes, and his cold, sharp gaze, like the gleam of the longsword in his hand, stared directly in their direction.

Saloyan himself was fine, but he was surprised by the other party's keen perception.

Abby, on the other hand, was a novice adventurer who had only just mastered one move of combat skills. He was only glanced at, but he shuddered as if he had been electrocuted.

Instinctively raising his empty hands, free of weapons, he stepped out of the shadows of the passageway, shouting loudly:

"Mr. Xia Nan, it's me! Don't do anything!"

Damn idiot!
Saloyan cursed inwardly.

Now that things have come to this, contact with this black-haired youth named Xia Nan is no longer unavoidable.

He had no choice but to restrain his thoughts and wait in silence, just as he had done when they first met, until the situation changed before making any plans.

Xia Nan frowned slightly, looking ahead at the familiar figure who was raising his hands and walking towards him in a somewhat flustered manner.

"Abby?"

He was surprised, but his expression remained unchanged, and he still held the longsword stained with the blood of the demon tightly in his hand.

"What are you doing here, Adeline?"

Signaling the other party to stop and not get too close, Xia Nan raised his voice slightly and asked.

Deep underground in the heart of the Misty Forest, any danger could lurk. Based on the rumors he had heard in the tavern, he had to consider the possibility that Abi was some kind of shapeshifting monster in disguise.

A little verbal probing is needed.

“Boss Adeline?” Upon hearing this, Abby scratched his head in confusion. “Didn’t I leave the ‘Green Blood’ team a long time ago? Have you forgotten?”

Hearing his answer, Xia Nan felt somewhat relieved, at least confirming that the person in front of him was Abi in person.

He didn't respond, but continued to ask:
"This is already the core area of ​​the forest, how did you get here?"

At the same time, he stared intently at Abby in front of him, carefully observing the expression on his face.

Xia Nan's exceptional perception allowed him to clearly see that the moment his words fell, Abby's face stiffened for a split second, her eyes instinctively darting around as if she were organizing her thoughts, before she explained in a tone of delighted surprise at suddenly seeing an acquaintance after her ordeal:
"What? We've already reached the core area?"

"I...I don't know, Mr. Xia Nan."

“A few days ago I was clearing out goblins on the outskirts of the forest. I was thinking of going into their nests to see if there were any spoils, but I unexpectedly discovered a cave entrance leading to a deeper part of the forest.”

"I thought it was some kind of storage room, so I went in to take a look, and then..."

"We got lost."

"Fortunately, I prepared a lot of supplies in advance and did not encounter any monsters on the way. It was not easy to make it to meet you today."

Well, he was a little hesitant at first, but he got more and more fluent as he spoke. Judging from his expression, he was probably half telling the truth and half lying.

Xia Nan secretly speculated, carefully scrutinizing the other person before asking:

"What about your teammates? You couldn't have come alone, could you?"

"Uh... there were more goblins than expected, and our team suffered more losses, so I thought I'd go to the lair to loot more spoils."

So you've been alone these past few days?

"Yes, Mr. Xia Nan."

It's impossible to believe.

No matter how reasonable the other party's explanation may be, Xia Nan cannot let his guard down under the current circumstances.

Not to mention that the other party's answer was full of loopholes.

He could clearly see the bloodstains and scorch marks remaining on Abby's armor, trousers, and even boots, but he himself was unharmed, only looking very tired.

Clearly, he was hiding something about what he had experienced along the way.

Right now, in the goblin lair deep underground in the core area of ​​the Misty Forest, a lone adventurer suddenly appears from a nearby passageway.

Let alone Abby, even if the person in front of him were Adeline or Wood, he would still have to observe them carefully.

However, Xia Nan did not press further on the flaws in Abi's answer, nor did he say anything more.

Instead, they clearly stated their purpose and their plans for the future.

"I plan to harvest some materials from this monster and then leave."

"If you want to come back to River Valley with me, that's fine, but we need to agree on some details."

"If there's anything else you want to do, feel free to stay here; it's none of my business."

"I will leave in twenty minutes."

it is good!
Saloyan secretly breathed a long sigh of relief.

Let's go, let's go quickly!
Abby wasn't stupid; after hearing Xia Nan say that, she naturally knew that the other party suspected her.

He stopped explaining, simply nodded emphatically, took two steps back, and gestured for the other party to act on their own.

Both sides had very clear objectives, but their goals differed, and they each had their own concerns.

If things continue to develop this way, it might actually be resolved this way.

Xia Nan left the lair with the spoils and materials, while Abi and Saloyan stayed behind to examine the remaining traces of goblin technology items.

However, for adventurers, the actual situation often differs significantly from their expectations.

Xia Nan hadn't even had a chance to pluck the lobster monster's eyeballs from its skull.

Then came another burst of even more frequent and rapid footsteps from the cave in the rock wall.

　[Book Recommendation Today]: The Covenant of Heavenly Principles

　　-

　　Aihara, who suffers from visual impairment, inherited the Feng Shui Hall left by his second uncle. He uses fortune telling to help his customers overcome difficulties and get on the right path in life.

　　Years later, he became a renowned master of fortune telling, but the sudden barrage of criticism from the media enraged him.

　　"I've run this shop for so many years and I've never seen any monster. You're just spouting nonsense! Open your eyes and look at this beautiful young lady next to me. Is she a monster? She's such a delicate and lovely girl, so pitiful to behold. She's in the prime of her youth. How could she possibly be a monster?"

　　Faced with unfounded accusations from the world, Aihara stood with the beautiful girl beside him: "You can slander me, but you can't tarnish my profession, and you certainly can't insult my customers!"

　　The crowd trembled as they looked up at the colossal dragon with the bronze mask coiled around him. None of them had ever seen such an ancient and ferocious creature, like ants looking up at a god.

　　"Dude, are you blind? We didn't see any little girl, we only saw a giant dragon! This is a dragon, for crying out loud, it has absolutely nothing to do with being delicate and cute!"

　　[Urban Fantasy] [Genius Stories] [Hot-Blooded] [Decisive and Ruthless]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)