Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 312 Contract Signing
A burst of dazzling lightning flashed by, illuminating the dim underground nest for a moment like daylight.

The bright blue light shone on the sweat-drenched faces of the Oath-Keeping Blackwood Squad, making them appear even paler.

Time was short, and the group did not have a chance to communicate or exchange the information they had perceived.

But after all, they are seasoned professionals who have been adventuring for many years and have considerable insight.

The combination of the devil's "Fear Spell + Stinking Cloud Spell" was so powerful that even Margaret, the squad leader, could only barely resist it. The entire team's formation was instantly shattered, and the members had to fight individually, struggling to escape the continuous onslaught of mind control and acid mist corrosion.

But at the same time, on the other side of the field...

The black-haired youth, whom they initially thought was a fellow devil but later discovered was not one of them, appeared to defend against the two spells with significantly more ease.

Not only was he the first to pass the saving throw for the spell "Fear," but he also easily resisted the encroaching poison mist thanks to some special effect that seemed to be a special combat skill or equipment enchantment.

In comparison, it would be hasty and one-sided to say that the opponent's actual combat ability is necessarily higher than that of all the members of their team.

But without a doubt, his overall qualities as an adventurer are certainly not bad.

They are senior professionals at the elite level.

Even in light of each other's actions in attacking the devil, the group shared a brief common goal, making them temporary teammates.

In this situation, the black-haired youth was struck by the exaggerated beam of lightning, his fate unknown, and he was presumably forced to leave the scene with serious injuries.

Even for the Kuroki squad, this was a very heavy blow to their morale.

"Captain, should we retreat?"

The short dagger, wreathed in shadowy power, slashed through the air, scattering the last wisp of viscous acid mist. Shajin's face was grim as he asked Margaret beside him.

"retreat?"

Gripping her longsword tightly in both hands and panting heavily, this valiant woman, who held immense prestige within the group, also looked rather unwell.

He glanced back at the narrow, long passageway he had come through, his gaze sweeping over Joshua, whose wails were gradually subsiding after the dwarf Soldin had forcibly administered a healing potion.

"To retreat now is to commit suicide!"

"We can't leave anymore."

Margaret considered it very carefully.

If they retreat now, their only way out, since they are unfamiliar with the environment inside the nest, is through the complicated, narrow, and long passageway they came from.

The terrain is too narrow. If the demon wants to pursue them after the contract is signed, they don't even need to get close. They can just use a few damaging spells like [Fireball] and they won't have anywhere to hide.

They practically pinned the entire squad's lives on the hope that the devil wouldn't pursue them.

This is something that is absolutely unacceptable to her, given her personality.

With her mind racing, Margaret quickly assessed the situation on the field and made a decision in a very short time.

"You still have some healing potions on you, right?"

The tone wasn't one of inquiry; before even waiting for Sand Gold's reply, he continued:
"Go and check on Xia Nan's condition, see if there's any hope."

"If we give it to him within the range that the healing potion can restore... we need allies."

Of course, being able to discern the situation on the field might not give one a good initial impression of the opponent, but Sha Jin is, after all, a professional and experienced adventurer with considerable professionalism.

As soon as he finished speaking, without the slightest hesitation, he nodded and stepped on his shadow, rushing towards the direction where Xia Nanfei had landed.

Meanwhile, the dwarf Soldin, who had just finished treating Joshua's injuries, caught up once again.

Time is of the essence, no further explanation needed.

Margaret didn't even turn her head, uttering only one word in the briefest and most resolute tone:

"on!"

The reliable, sturdy man beside her didn't stop, walking straight past her, holding an iron shield and wielding a prism hammer, charging towards the devil.

Margaret followed closely behind, her longsword poised to strike as she charged forward, a faint glint of sharp light emanating from its blade.

……

The process of signing a contract with Hell is both simple and complex.

It's simple because, from the signatory's perspective, all they need to do is write their name at the end of the contract or press their fingerprint to complete the signing.

It is considered complex from the perspective of the policymakers.

The vast majority of the terms are written in Purgatory, but the contract itself has many different styles.

Some contracts, like those signed by merchants in the material world, are a roll of specially flexible parchment; others use some kind of familiar or other exotic creature as witnesses to verbally explain the terms; and some even go beyond the traditional definition of a "contract" to some extent, completing the contract by exchanging tokens.

It's not just a difference in form; these bizarre ways of signing contracts represent different degrees of power exchange, the balance of power between the contracting parties, the amount of power consumed in the process, and the devil's personal preferences...

Saloyan has gone through this process countless times.

In terms of terms, there are already separate templates for various situations.

There's no need to make something up on the spot; just apply the existing contracts directly.

He had his own reasons for choosing this type of contract.

This contractual form, which uses a pitiful creature that breaks the contract as the contract itself, will, after the ritual is completed, transform this humanoid being, which still retains its life characteristics, into a strange being that can survive without air, food, and water, and even has near-immunity to most types of damage.

However, if this humanoid creature is killed in some way, the contract terms engraved on its back will also become invalid.

This means that, despite the extremely harsh conditions, even the naturally cautious devils would only use this form of contract under certain appropriate circumstances.

Right now, it meets the requirements.

All Saloyan needed was to simply borrow Abby's body, control his flesh and soul, and provide a channel for the transition of his infernal power.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a consumable.

Once this battle is over and his own power is withdrawn, his body, riddled with holes from being blasted apart by evil energy, will essentially be on the verge of death.

It doesn't matter whether the contract is broken or not.

"Go forward, yes, right there, write your name or press your fingerprint."

Keeping the outside world at bay, Saloyan multitasked, keeping the adventurers outside occupied while gently and kindly guiding Abi forward into the blood-red magic circle.

After days of being bewitched, the pent-up emotions in my heart surged like a torrent, overwhelming the last shred of reason in my mind.

Abby completely lost the ability to think. Like a puppet on a string, the moment the magic circle took shape with the gradually spreading infernal dark fire, she rushed in with bloodshot eyes.

Ignoring the densely packed terms on the back of the "contract," he raised his hand, bit the skin off his thumb, and rubbed it haphazardly against his face, letting the blood stain his entire finger.

We must press the button on the contract.

Just then, a high-pitched and long wolf howl suddenly burst forth from his side, growing louder as it approached.

……

Xia Nan reacted very quickly. His physical abilities, far exceeding those of other professionals of the same level, allowed him to stop and dodge to the side before the lightning could erupt.

This meant that even with the exaggerated speed of the lightning bolt, it failed to hit him head-on.

It just brushed against the chest and half of the upper arm, gliding along the side.

Plate and chainmail armor may offer some resistance to ordinary physical attacks due to its thick material, but it does not possess any magic resistance.

Faced with the blazing and violent lightning strike, it had no ability to defend itself, and the hardest plate armor on its chest was instantly melted and destroyed.

The special ability from the Giant Serpent Realm, "Copper Bones and Iron Bones," granted Xia Nan a 10% reduction in physical damage, which has been quietly working to help him get to where he is today.

【Looking into the Abyss】 provides it with rare resistance to mind control spells, and can even have a counter-effect on enemies.

However, given the short time since the transmigration, the accumulation of experience is far less, and like the plate and chain composite armor, it lacks resistance bonuses against magic damage.

This caused Xia Nan to take the full damage.

First came a wave of intense tingling and numbness that spread throughout the body.

It felt as if countless ants were crawling all over his skin, muscles, and even his bones, and his consciousness was thrown into chaos for a moment.

Although he lived in a technologically advanced modern society filled with electrical appliances in his previous life, he had never actually experienced electric shock. He only occasionally got a static shock in the autumn and winter, which made him wary of metal railings or cashmere clothes.

But now I have a complete experience.

Immediately afterward, under the surge of electric current, his whole body and mind went numb for a brief period of time.

When Xia Nan regained consciousness, his body had already been carried into the air by the powerful impact and arrived at the highest point of the nest—he could touch the rock wall above with just a slight reach.

whereabouts.

By forcibly mustering his energy and concentrating his attention, he used [Gravity Control] to reduce the effects of gravity on his body.

In addition, there is the special effect of [Tidal Shaping] which "halves fall damage (constant/regular)".

This greatly reduced the secondary damage Xia Nan suffered when falling from the sky, allowing him to drift and fall to the ground like a leaf.

Then came the intense burning pain from my chest and side shoulder.

The chest was covered with molten plate chain composite armor, obscuring the details. The solid material on the sides of the shoulders had turned to ashes, revealing the charred, carbon-black skin underneath.

Through long-term rigorous training, he has gained an unparalleled mastery over his body.

Despite the pain, Xia Nan only slightly moved the injured area and was able to clearly assess his current condition.

—Seriously injured.

The enemy is right in front of us, and we haven't even had a direct confrontation with them yet. To suffer such injuries is unacceptable; we absolutely cannot tough it out.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Nan decisively revealed yet another of his trump cards.

【Tears of Spring Breath】—Triggered by “Spring Pulse Cleansing”.

The core effect of this rare blue-quality necklace is even better than the Lightning Bolt spell that severely injures you; this fourth-circle healing spell with a seven-day cooldown takes effect instantly.

"Om..."

Accompanied by a high-frequency, sharp sound of surging energy, a vibrant green light, brimming with life, rushed rapidly from the teardrop-shaped pendant hidden in Xia Nan's shirt below her collarbone to all parts of her body.

Without any guidance, these life energies seemed to be able to sense Xia Nan's injured areas.

Four-fifths of it were directly separated and surged over his most severely injured chest and shoulder.

The remaining one-fifth transformed into a thin emerald light that spread throughout the body, healing and restoring the minor injuries hidden in the shadows, the fatigue between the muscles, and replenishing physical strength.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that the shoulder, which had been scorched black by lightning, was now bathed in green light. The intense pain transformed into a deep, bone-chilling numbness and itch, and a strange heat flowed back and forth over the wound, like a hot spring.

In just a few breaths, the charred dead skin peeled off on its own, revealing smooth, flawless new skin underneath.

Finally regaining his mobility from the intense pain and numbness following the impact, and ignoring the scorching temperature that made the air faintly steam, Xia Nan reached out and tore off the half-molten iron plate from his chest, then threw it aside.

The skin underneath, which had also fully recovered under the influence of life energy, was now exposed.

"grass!"

The battle hadn't even officially begun, and Xia Nan had already lost a trump card before he could even touch the enemy's clothes, which made him feel troubled.

He cursed under his breath and stood up from the ground.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he glanced into the shadows beside him.

They found a thin figure standing there, panting, holding a bottle of healing potion that had just been uncorked.

Knowing that the wanderer wanted to help him, Xia Nan nodded slightly to express his gratitude, but did not exchange any more words. Instead, he directly used [Fang Hunt] and rushed towards Abi, who had already stepped into the magic circle.

……

After all, it was just a projection of consciousness, and releasing three consecutive third-circle spells was almost Saloyan's limit.

Normally, given the strength level of these adventurers, it would be impossible for them to withstand such an attack.

But their tenacity far exceeded the expectations of this devilish baron from purgatory.

There is no turning back now.

In his perception, the possessed Abby, covered in blood, was falling from the sky and imprinting itself on the thumb of the contract.
It was the hurried footsteps and shouts of the dwarves and female swordsmen, the metal round shields reflecting the flames, and the sharp longswords gleaming with cold light.

It was a long, high-pitched howl of a winter wolf, its black mane swaying and its cold, sharp eyes filled with murderous intent.

Saroyan made a decision in his heart.

"Kacha."

A crisp cracking sound rang out from Abby's chest.

The object possessed by the demon's consciousness—the precious lens that could have carried its projection from purgatory to the material world—shattered instantly.

Magic surged forth.

The shattered lens was used as a special casting material, negating the original requirements for mental strength and spell slots, allowing Saloyan to cast the last spell within his current capabilities.

——3rd Ring · Alteration · Slowing Technique
In an instant, ripples spread out from the center of the magic array.

The raised prism, the horizontal slash of the longsword, and the falling wolf fangs all suddenly slowed down, as if in slow motion.

Only the blood-stained thumb continued its downward movement at the same speed.

Before all of this came...

He gently pressed his hand onto the contract.

"boom!!!"

(End of this chapter)