Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 326 Fuyuki and Aspen
"boom!"

Blinding lightning flashed across the cloud-covered sky, and large raindrops poured down, stirring up the thin mist that filled the air.

The rain was extremely heavy!

Even with the dense canopy overhead providing some shelter, the cold rain continued to fall incessantly on Xia Nan's body, making a crisp sound as it struck the metal armor.

Xia Nan's once dry, tousled hair was soaked again. She looked up, her gaze passing through the gaps in the branches and leaves, her dark eyes reflecting the churning, gray-black clouds above.

I felt it was troublesome.

He has already set off from River Valley Town and is currently on his mission.

Foglight grass is an important ingredient for making various potions, including night vision potions and climbing potions. Lady Edwina of the "Green Grass Crucible" has a considerable demand for it every year and regularly commissions adventurers to collect it.

The route is clear, the location is precise, and even the travel time for the ten-day round trip is very accurate.

After visiting the "Grass Cauldron," obtaining a detailed route map from Ms. Edwina, and inquiring about relevant points to note, Xia Nan left River Valley Town with his prepared luggage.

The journey was relatively easy, with no major dangers encountered.

After all, "F" level missions are the lowest level among the association's official commissions. If it weren't for the fact that the Fog Lamp Grass is a plant with a certain seasonality and needs to be processed as quickly as possible after being picked to prevent it from rotting and spoiling, only professional-level adventurers could move at such a speed in the forest.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be a bad idea to entrust it to lower-level adventurers who haven't yet obtained a professional rank.

It has been about three days since Xia Nan set off, and they are now on the edge of the Misty Forest, a place where even the mist in the air is barely visible.

He walked very fast, completing the task almost half a day ahead of schedule.

But this was exactly what Xia Nan was planning.

In order to maximize his profits, he specifically accepted two goblin extermination missions located near his route before setting off.

This extra half-day was perfect for him to relax in his lair.

Unfortunately, this heavy rain came at an inopportune time.

While the rain dispelled the summer heat, it also washed away all traces left by the goblins in the woods.

Even with the vague location provided by the association, finding the target goblin's lair by following the clues without delaying the main mission is not an easy task.

Of course, Xia Nan has always been lucky in this regard.

As he stood in the rain, looking around and pondering whether to temporarily abandon the goblin extermination commission and go to collect the fog lamp grass first, and then search carefully on the way back after the rain stopped.

Suddenly, a sharp shout came from deep within the forest.

Heart can not help but move.

Concealing their presence, they stealthily made their way over.

……

"Hiss!"

The sharp, excited whistling sound was like the door being knocked on by death. The extreme tension made the mind go blank, thoughts were hard to form, and the body's movements were controlled by instinct.

Fuyuki gripped his well-maintained but clearly used one-handed sword, its surface marked with mottled traces, tightly in both hands.

His body trembled, sweat mixed with rainwater rolled down his forehead, and his face was pale and tense.

It's no wonder he acted that way.

After all, what was surrounding him and gradually approaching him was not some ordinary wild beast like a coyote.

Instead, there were nearly thirty green-skinned goblins!
With such a large number, let alone a young man like him, even the so-called seasoned veterans in River Valley Town might not be able to hold their weapons firmly.

Not to mention that Fuyuki himself was not an adventurer at all; he was just a young hunter who came from the village to hunt.

But who could have imagined that a fawn that accidentally escaped from a trap, a reasonable impulse, and a sudden downpour would lead him into such a dangerous situation?

Fortunately, Fuyuki was not alone in his despair. Surrounded by goblins, he was leaning against a middle-aged man who was obviously older and more muscular.

"Brother Aspen, what should we do? Is there any way we can escape? I... I don't want to die..."

The stench of decay emanating from the filthy goblins, the excitedly waving wooden club, and the gaunt muscles beneath the pus-green skin made Fuyuki's voice sound particularly panicked as he asked, trembling.

In response, the veteran hunter known as "Aspen" remained much calmer.

Although his left hand, which was gripping the longbow tightly, had knuckles that were slightly white from the force, and blood was flowing uncontrollably from the wound on his calf, he still maintained a basic level of composure on his face.

"Don't panic, you must not panic!"

"Never let those green swarms find out you're afraid of them!"

Aspen had been hunting outside the village for many years, so he naturally had some understanding of goblins, those disgusting creatures that were like cockroaches and could be found in almost every corner of the forest.

Knowing how to deal with these ugly little things in order to achieve the best results.

However, this was the first time he had ever been surrounded by nearly thirty goblins like this.

I couldn't help but feel a little uncertain.

It's impossible for me to give up.

His brain was racing, and waves of pain surged through his calves, his back soaked with sweat and rain.

"There are too many goblins. If we continue to be surrounded like this, we will both die here."

We must find a way to break through!

"You'll be following my instructions later..."

Speaking at top speed and with the most concise language, Aspen explained his plan to his companions behind him.

Fuyuki looked extremely nervous, but he still maintained the most basic professionalism of a hunter.

Even though my heart was practically pounding out of my chest, I still remembered every word that came to my ears.

"Prepare……"

A shout, almost a growl, exploded from behind.

"Three, two, one!"

Buzz--

That was the trembling sound of a fully drawn bowstring snapping back, and the sharp whistling of an arrow tearing through the air—sounds I had heard countless times before.

"Hiss!"

A fleeting shadow passed through the air.

The whirling arrows left empty trails in the rain and mist.

With remarkable precision, the wooden arrow pierced the skull of the goblin closest to Aspen's side.

It seemed to be a full-force attack, the powerful force pinning the thin, green-skinned goblin directly to the ground, and also knocking down several goblins around it.

At the same moment the bowstring twanged, following the plan explained by the other party, Fuyuki suddenly turned around and ran wildly in the direction where the arrow had fallen.

He gritted his teeth and didn't aim for any vital points, but just swung his sword wildly, driving back the goblins that tried to surround him from both sides.

At the same time, Aspen, who had just fired the arrow, also quickly retreated.

The two walked one after the other, and the distance between them quickly increased.

This caused the twenty-odd goblins that had surrounded them to break apart like a split raindrop, turning into two stuck-together halves and losing their original round and stable formation.

The plan seems to be more than halfway to success.

Just as Fuyuki was about to turn around and continue to disrupt the goblin formation as planned, creating space for his teammates who were still surrounded by a large number of goblins to break through.

The second arrow, however, still landed on the goblin beside him.

As if suddenly realizing something, the boy's pupils contracted sharply, and he looked abruptly at the disheveled figure struggling to draw his bow amidst the goblin encirclement.

"Go!"

A resolute roar instantly filled Dongshu's skull.

Yes, that was Aspen's plan. He used himself as bait to create an opportunity for the young man traveling with him to escape.

He never thought he possessed any particularly noble character.

Even if there is only a sliver of hope, Aspen will do everything in his power to fight for it.

But right now, the number of enemies, nearly thirty goblins, is beyond his ability to handle.

The gruesome wound on his right leg further hampered his mobility, making it impossible for him to generate the explosive power needed to break through the encirclement.

Thus, the situation becomes clear.

Staying behind to fight might allow them to take a dozen goblins with them, but both of them will die here.

They tried to escape separately, but with his leg injury, he couldn't run fast at all, and Fuyuki obviously didn't have experience dealing with such a dangerous situation, so he would most likely still not be able to escape and would die together.

For Aspen, who was almost certainly doomed, sacrificing himself to save his teammates was the best outcome he could imagine.

"Don't worry about me, run towards the village."

"Don't look back!!"

Roaring in an almost commanding tone, Aspen was oblivious to the green-skinned goblins waving clubs and drooling as they pounced on him.

As they stumbled backward, arrows continued to rain down on the goblins surrounding their teammates further away, helping to extricate them from their predicament.

My mind is a complete mess.

Memories of his time with this older brother flashed before his eyes, and a strong urge suddenly surged within Dongshu, making him want to turn back and rush into the goblin encirclement again to help him.

But the next second, the calm that inexplicably arose in his heart at the most critical moment, as if his thoughts had been frozen and reconnected, led him to make the most correct decision of his life.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes piercing through the void, staring intently at Aspen's face in the distance, as if trying to memorize it.

He turned around instantly, wielding his longsword to force back the goblins in front of him, while simultaneously charging forward in a direction away from his teammates.

He must not let his brother Aspen down!

At this moment, on the very edge of the Misty Forest, facing the goblin attack, both hunters made the best decision for the current situation.

If the situation on the field continues to develop, the final outcome will likely be as they expect: the sacrifice of one hunter will save the life of another teammate.

However, when faced with enormous danger, people often overlook small mistakes that should have been avoided.

It was a fist-sized, ordinary rock.

It may have come from a great battle hundreds of years ago; or it may have been accidentally unearthed by an adventurer who was passing through the area last year while setting up camp.

Its origin is unimportant, and even its appearance is not worth noting. Even the dumbest goblin wouldn't care about such an inconspicuous stone that can be found everywhere.

It just lay there quietly.

Embedded in the mud, the exposed half of it was covered by fallen leaves.

Then it bumped against the hastily raised leather boot.

It completely extinguished the fugitives' hope of survival.

"Ho..."

Toes off the ground.

The sudden resistance from beneath his feet, coupled with the explosive force of his legs stomping on the ground as he ran, caused Dongshu, who had completely lost his center of gravity, to seem to fly up due to inertia.

In that instant, he could even imagine the despair in Aspen's eyes behind him.

"boom!"

It tumbled and landed awkwardly.

The intense pain from his lower body lessened amidst the surging of boiling blood, and he instinctively turned his body around.

Before he could even get up, he had only raised the sword halfway.

Surrounded by several menacing goblins, who had initially hesitated to approach due to the sharpness of the blades, the goblins pounced like jackals that had smelled blood.

The one that reacted the fastest was already leaping high into the air.

Two slender arms, as thin as withered branches, gripped the wooden stick tightly, dirt and dust splattering between their dark brown toenails.

Intense lightning burst forth from the gloomy sky.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Fuyuki could even see a ruptured, pus-filled sore in the center of the goblin's chest, its tongue sticking out between its jagged, rotten teeth, dripping with saliva, and even the outline of the muscles writhing beneath its paper-thin skin.

He instinctively tried to raise his longsword to block the downward blow.

However, it was discovered that the body's physical reactions were far less active than the mind's.

It’s too late!
Even if he raised the sword at his fastest speed, by the time the blade reached the right position, the wooden stick had already struck his head.

Despair surged up.

The world around us seemed to have been muted.

The roar of Brother Aspen from afar, the patter of raindrops hitting the leaves and the ground, the excited shrieks of the goblins... all vanished in an instant.

All that remained was his own breath and heartbeat.

The goblin leaped from the ground to its highest point, then fell back down under the influence of gravity, the iron nails embedded in the wooden stick gleaming coldly in the rain.

Dongshu sat half-upright on the ground, as if he could already feel the phantom pain of the wooden stick hitting his forehead.

And that's when.

"laugh."

It was a sound that was extremely faint, yet exceptionally clear in this moment, as if the world had fallen into a deathly silence.

It's like the paper window he accidentally poked open out of curiosity when he was a child, or the rabbit skin he accidentally cut a few days ago.

The goblin's face still wore that excited expression, but something seemed to be about to emerge from his neck.

The fragile skin was stretched to its limit by the sharp object inside, and finally, with a soft "plop" and a few drops of blood, it was pierced open like paper.

It revealed the extremely sharp, dark gray tip of the sword.

Keep going.

The momentum finally stopped when the sword had extended halfway out of the goblin's neck.

hum-

The inexplicably slow flow of time returned to normal in an instant.

With a flick of the wrist, the blade spun.

It doesn't deliberately pursue angles, but simply relies on the unparalleled sharpness of the blade and the goblin's momentum as it falls from the sky.

Hold the hilt of the sword and pull it upwards gently.

"Shoot."

From neck to top of skull, half of the goblin's head was sliced ​​off by the sword blade, its red and white mucus contrasting against the surface.

Boom——

The long-awaited thunder roared through the air.

Dongshu, lying awkwardly on the ground, instinctively looked upwards.

Through the narrow gap where the goblin's flesh had split open, what met his gaze were a pair of sharp, cold, and dark eyes.

The next second, icy rain mixed with warm, dirty blood poured down on my face.

(End of this chapter)