Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 340: The End, The Finale

The garden was filled with blue and white fluorescent light, and a cold, emotionless voice, carrying the faint fragrance of fog lamp grass, drifted from ahead.

This startled the druid.

His purplish-blue face, with its distinct features, still retained the feigned composure and arrogance he had displayed when he had bewitched Xia Nan and bestowed upon her the mission.

Right now, however, it is as stiff and solidified as a sculpture, just like its lower limbs which are intertwined with the plant roots.

The sudden change in the black-haired youth's attitude clearly exceeded his expectations. For a moment, he didn't even react, thinking he had misheard, and subconsciously said:
What...what did you say?

His dark eyes were fixed on the evil druid ahead, his sharp gaze sweeping over the opponent's neck, heart, and other vital areas. As he quickly formulated a battle plan in his mind, Xia Nan slowly opened his mouth, his tone calm:

"The training method for 【Mist Concealment Steps】, the physical form of 【Green Grass Ring】, and the recipe for 【Mist Lamp Grass Concentrated Essence Potion】."

"Hand over all the things you just mentioned."

"I don't want to repeat myself a third time."

wow-

The branches and leaves trembled!

The druid suddenly looked up, his face showing disbelief and astonishment.

What is he talking about!?

The sudden change in tone and attitude, and the blatant threat in his words, made the druid feel somewhat absurd at that moment.

"You, how dare you..."

How dare a weak, inferior rookie professional, who probably wouldn't even dare to look him in the eye during his prime, say such a thing to him?
Do you really think that in your current state you are just a lamb to the slaughter, at the mercy of others?

The semi-vegetal body trembled violently, and the vines on its lower limbs twisted and intertwined due to its intense emotions, producing a rough, grating sound as the plant fibers rubbed together.

The mist that surrounded me drifted and spread, causing the blue and white fluorescence emitted by the surrounding fog lamp grass to flicker erratically.

Standing in front, Xia Nan could clearly feel the spiritual fluctuations emanating from the plant druid in the center of the garden, a mixture of shock, anger, and disbelief.

At the same time, Gundam 11's perception also made it aware of the unnatural slight vibration of the ground beneath its feet, as if something was moving rapidly through the depths of the mud.

Having dealt with the fog lamp monster before, I have a certain understanding of this type of attack method.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Nan suddenly exerted force with his calves, and his entire body transformed into a phantom and disappeared from the spot in an instant.

next second...

"boom!"

Debris and dirt burst forth from below.

The thick vines are like sharks in the deep sea, waving their barbed tentacles, tearing through the mud and making a terrifying sound in the air.

His head suddenly turned, his eyes, composed entirely of white and lacking pupils, stared intently at the fierce figure in front of him who had easily dodged his sudden attack.

As the druid's emotions fluctuated, he finally realized that the young adventurer with black hair in front of him seemed... quite different from what he had imagined.

That instantaneous speed and explosive power far exceeded what ordinary new professionals should possess.

It seems... I really do have the ability to turn against him.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind. The evolution ritual had failed, and his extremely poor condition had reduced his combat power to less than one-tenth. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to fight an enemy of this level of strength.

His expression changed drastically. He suppressed the anger and resentment that was about to spill from his face, as if he wanted to say a few nice words to the other party and turn the tide over this brief conflict.

But the next second, the sudden, chilling wolf howl that erupted on the field, along with the faint yet deadly sense of danger that accompanied it, choked the words that were about to spill from his throat.

hold head high--

A giant, jet-black wolf with swaying mane and long, slender limbs strode out.

It appears to move slowly, but its actual speed is like that of a shadow.

A sense of inexplicable threat crept into my heart.

Not daring to underestimate him, the druid, driven by his survival instinct, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Om!!"

An invisible wave, symbolizing the special effect of mind control, emanated from the Druid, spreading outwards with a sharp whistling sound that could not be produced by a human, like branches rubbing against each other at their limit.

Xia Nan, who used [Fang Hunt] to close the distance between the two as much as possible, almost collided head-on with this mental energy fluctuation.

The "Looking into the Abyss" effect triggers, the Perception bonus takes effect, and saving throws pass instantly.

At the same time, the countermeasures of expertise were triggered.

As for Xia Nan, he only felt a slight tightening between his brows, and the mental force that was trying to invade his brain was blocked from entering.
As for the druid on the other side, the mental energy he emitted seemed to have crashed head-on into an iron wall. Not only did it have no effect, but it also caused a sharp pain in his brain.

In other words, his semi-vegetative state of being unable to move for a long time made his willpower even stronger after years of torment; otherwise, he would have fallen into a state of "brief lapse in concentration" just from this moment.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

The approaching dark wolf and the growing sense of danger plunged the druid into a state of extreme struggle.

Since his failed evolution ritual left him trapped in this garden, he has once again felt the threat of death after all these years.

Already in such a poor state with greatly reduced combat power, the druid almost instinctively used all his means to deal with the powerful enemy in front of him.

hum-

The blue and white fluorescence of the fog lamp grass suddenly spread, transforming into an energy field composed purely of light, enveloping Xia Nan's entire body. In an instant, he felt his physical strength rapidly draining away under the brilliant light, and his body became weaker at a visible speed.

There is never any way to counter this kind of magical attack. The only way is to rely on one's "stats" and "template" which are far superior to those of adventurers of the same level, using 8 points of constitution and the rapid dash of [Fang Hunt] as means to tough it out.

boom--

On the druid's smooth skin, which resembled a plant's protective tissue, countless tender shoots of fog lamp grass suddenly sprouted, like some kind of missile launcher, drawing life force from its body and launching it out violently.

Tiny and dense, rain-like energy descended upon Xia Nan from nowhere, only to be blocked by a layer of ochre-red, semi-transparent oval energy shield a split second before it could touch his body—[Death Line Ring] - "Deflection Field".

scoff-

The druid used all his strength, and his lower body, which was almost integrated with the roots of the ground, suddenly exploded, stirring up mist and fluorescent light. Countless vines and thorns broke through the soil and entangled themselves as they roared towards Xia Nan.

However, the black wolf that charged straight at them showed no sign of trying to dodge.

The long, straight sword, entirely gray-black, was covered in ochre-red light. When swung, its energy field exploded like fireworks, greatly increasing its attack range and turning the vines in front of it into fragments and sap.

In just a few breaths, Xia Nan neutralized all the druid's tactics one by one using his own expertise, combat skills, and equipment effects.

The wolf howled, and the leather boots fell to the ground.

As Xia Nan stood firmly on the ground once more, the plant-like druid who had become one with the roots of the fog lamp grass had already entered his attack range.

"No...you can't..." Due to the excessive consumption of his life energy, the druid no longer had the strength to speak, only able to transmit his thoughts intermittently through weak mental energy. "The thing...is not with me, it requires a ritual...energy to retrieve...we can cooperate...I swear..."

He made a last-ditch effort, looking disheveled and terrified.

His dark eyes calmly gazed at the druid who was nearing the end of his life, his pupils reflecting the faint blue veins of the druid's skin that had unconsciously surfaced due to excessive exhaustion.

"You're still lying."

Xia Nan's voice was icy.

He could sense the fear and resentment hidden deep within the other person's mind. That chaotic and weak mental fluctuation, filled with negative emotions, exhausted even the last bit of patience in his heart.

He didn't want to feign friendship with such people, nor did he want to participate in their inhumane and evil deeds.

Making a deal with a desperate, lying madman is not a wise choice.

Those mediocre rewards weren't worth the risk he was taking.

"never mind."

There was no emotion in Xia Nan's voice.

"Too much trouble."

Seemingly sensing the chilling killing intent that was almost solidifying in the air, the druid's mental energy became chaotic and disordered, and he could only blindly plead and beg.

"No...please...don't...I promise..."

But all he encountered was the whistling sound of sharp blades tearing through the air.

The sleek, dark gray straight sword encountered no resistance; its sharp edge pierced the opponent's neck in an instant, the blade reflecting a faint light as it sliced ​​through the flesh and bone from the other side.

Having become one with the fog lamp grass, pale green blood, resembling plant sap, gushed from the severed neck, while the head above it spun up due to the inertia of the sword.

Because the sword was swung so fast, from an outside perspective it looked as if the head was being lifted up by a fountain of blood.

Spinning and tumbling.

The frozen face remained in the pleading expression before death, but the next second it could only fall slowly to the ground under the influence of gravity, crashing among the branches and leaves of the fog lamp grass.

The druid, who sacrificed innocent villagers in an attempt to break through the bottleneck of life and achieve individual evolution, ultimately could not escape the fate of death.

His head was chopped off, just like the goblins in the forest.

……

After the battle, Xia Nan delivered a very meticulous finishing blow.

He wasn't comfortable leaving this plant-based enemy without chopping it into smaller pieces.

He even planned to throw an oil bomb before leaving, turning the druid's remaining body and vines into charcoal, as if he couldn't be at peace until he personally scattered the other's ashes.

To be honest, this druid, who was once level 5, has been trapped in the garden for so many years after the ritual failed and he became a half-plant, which has greatly weakened his strength.

Lacking even basic mobility, its offensive capabilities are even more limited. Apart from mind control attacks, which are naturally countered by Xia Nan's [Looking into the Abyss] feat, it can only manipulate vines and thorns.

Overall, it didn't even seem as dangerous as the foglight monster outside that Xia Nan had already dismembered and extracted for its biological materials.

Of course, he had already sensed the druid's weak combat ability when he first arrived in the garden and noticed his weakened state through various details, so he was not particularly surprised.

On the contrary, he took the battle very seriously, showing no signs of underestimating his opponent. He used all his strength from the very beginning, unleashing [Fang Hunt], [Gravity Etching], and [Whirlwind Slash] in succession, demonstrating exceptional caution.

That is, the other party was in extremely poor physical condition, which is why he died so miserably at Xia Nan's hands.

Otherwise, if Xia Nan were in his prime, he would probably have to wait until the cooldown of [Ember Echoes] was over and the "second phase" was activated before making a direct comparison if he wanted to win.

The druid is completely dead, but that doesn't affect the garden made of fog lamp grass.

A hazy blue-white glow emanated from it, and a thin mist of light drifted gently.

For a moment, only the dull sound of sword blades chopping through flesh and vines filled the air.

The slight relief from the pressure after the battle, coupled with the mechanical movements of slashing, caused Xia Nan's thoughts to wander, and he began to review his actions.

"I feel like I was a little too reckless."

Perhaps we should observe more carefully from outside before entering the garden.

Otherwise, if he were to face a druid at his peak, the battle would not be as easy as it is now.

On the other hand, for adventurers, the so-called "caution" is actually only relative.

When you step into this industry, you're already cut off from safety.

There is absolutely no possibility of maintaining absolute security.

For most adventurers, being "bold yet careful" is enough.

Xia Nan doesn't demand too much of himself in this regard. Even if there are occasional oversights, he can accept them completely. After all, he has only been in the industry for less than two years. If it were someone else, they would probably still be fighting goblins in the forest. He is already satisfied with himself for growing to this stage at this speed.

It's normal to have shortcomings; we can improve them gradually in the future.

"You could try to improve your speaking skills a little."

At least I have 6 points in my charm attribute, so I'm not a complete blank.

There are corresponding bonuses when engaging in actions such as persuasion, deception, and threats.

If I had been a little better at speaking, I might have actually been able to extract some information from the druid.

It shouldn't be like this now, where not only is there no useful information left, but even the combat skills and equipment that the other side originally intended as a reward have been completely lost.

Xia Nan thoroughly searched the druid's corpse but found neither the enchanted trinkets, combat manuals, nor potion recipes that the druid had mentioned.

It's likely that it wasn't kept close to its body, but hidden in some other secluded location, possibly not even within the canyon.
Or perhaps the other party was simply deceiving me and had no intention of giving me those items in the first place.

Considering the details of the druid's demeanor and micro-expressions that he perceived at the time, he was more inclined to believe the latter possibility.

Of course, Xia Nan did not leave empty-handed from this short trip.

The loot materials from the Fog Lanterns, the gold coins he found in the hut, and the bounty quest for gathering Fog Lanterns were enough for him to pay off his debts at the Rock Hammer Blacksmith Shop, and he even had a considerable surplus.

More importantly, they obtained a clue as to the location of what appears to be the key to the [Dream Corridor].

Once we return to River Valley and put on the new armor we forged in Barn, we can start preparing to set off.

Oh, of course.

Before this, there was the story of Foglight Village, Fuyuki, Lillie, and Aspen, and the old village chief...

He still has some finishing touches to take care of.

(End of this chapter)