Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 510 Venom Clone
The remaining two members of Iron Shield did not react as strongly to Howl's death as they had when Agu was cut in half.

As for the reason, one aspect is indeed as Xia Nan guessed: when the team recruited this orc warrior, they only intended to use him as a consumable.

Even though years of fighting side by side had led the other members to accept the orc as part of the team and regard him as a comrade.

But when the enemy dies in battle, it merely fulfills the expectations they had when they recruited them.

Perhaps there is sadness and emotion, but not to the point of being overly indignant.

On the other hand, it's also because Habike and Selby are currently preoccupied with their own problems.

When one's own life is under serious threat, one naturally has no time to care about the lives of others.

To be honest, under normal circumstances, the roles of these two are actually a pretty good match.

One is a defensive front-line warrior wielding a heavy shield, and the other is a ranged archer whose main weapon is a bow and arrow.

In a conventional battlefield, this configuration, combined with the special abilities of professional combat skills, would be sufficient to support a small-scale battle.

But the situation is different now.

Their enemies are a double-digit number of Tidebringer gang thugs and Sawa fishmen, among whom are many low-level professionals and elite individual fishmen.

At the start of the battle, Hapik was able to create space for Seri in the back row to deal damage through his taunting skills.

But as one fishman after another roared and surged forward, and one group of thugs brandished their weapons and surrounded them...

The drawbacks of such a team configuration are thus clearly exposed.

They lack a melee attacker to fill the gap between the front-line tanks and ranged damage dealers.

Previously, the orc Howl had been in charge of this kind of role in the party, which is why the two of them had called each other back to the party just now.
Occasionally, under special circumstances, the dwarf Agu, who is a wanderer, can also make a cameo appearance.

But now both of them have become warm corpses.

This puts the two remaining members of the team in a precarious situation.

It must be made clear that Habike and Selby's professional levels are not low.

They are the two highest-ranking players on the field besides "Rotten Vulture" Grylls.

One is level 4, and the other is level 3.

Habik's rank is higher than Xia Nan's.

However, the two of them clearly did not have the same opportunities and experience as Xia Nan. They had improved their professional levels by using some low-quality combat skills, and their actual combat strength was not outstanding.

This makes it particularly difficult for them to face the current siege of the enemy, especially those elite murlocs with a challenge level of at least "1".

"Die! Die!"

The dwarf Habak roared loudly, the bulging veins on his neck almost bursting through his skin.

His short, stocky body was rooted to the spot like a tree stump, his muscular left hand braced against the heavy tower shield in front of him, and a dense, rain-like pounding sound could be heard from the other side of the shield, accompanied by the trembling of his arm.

His right hand gripped his prism hammer tightly, swinging it to the side to scare away the vicious enemy who had passed his taunt skill check and circled around to the side and rear, attempting a flanking attack.

Even so, the area that one person can protect is ultimately limited. In just a few minutes, the dwarf had many wounds, large and small.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the ranger Selene, who should have used this opportunity to help Habik lighten his burden, was finding it difficult to maintain her original position.

Choosing the [Ranger] class means having weak defenses and a low margin for error, knowing that once surrounded by enemies, it's certain death.

Faced with the surging enemy, she had no choice but to use her combat skills to create a breeze beneath her feet and gracefully retreat.

While drawing his bow and firing, he dodged and weaved around the field, pulling and pulling the opponent.

The Iron Rock Shield team's previously stable spatial position was gradually broken up.

"Rotten Vulture" Gerry kept moving.

After killing the orc Howl, he immediately charged towards the ranger Selene's location.

It seems they've chosen this long-range shooter as their next target.

Even faster than his movements was the high-pitched howl of wolves that echoed once again in the night.

To be honest, Xia Nan didn't have a very good impression of the Iron Rock Shield team. He only joined them because they were temporary teammates.

But no matter what, at least for now, they are still teammates on the same side.

It's impossible for us to just watch these people get into danger when we have the resources to do so.

Because the execution of the murloc priest was necessary, and the timing overlapped somewhat with Gri's raid on the orc Howling, there was no time to stop him.

Seeing that the enemy wanted to continue attacking the rangers in the group, they were not going to let the pirate captain have his way.

But to his surprise, Gerry seemed to have anticipated Xia Nan's actions.

Halfway there, my whole body suddenly jolted.

Then a layer of purulent green mucus emerged from the pores of the skin, completely enveloping the other person's body.

He took two more steps forward, and the slime was easily broken free of him as if it were an empty shell, leaving behind a body clone made of pure venom.

Strangely enough, despite appearing to be just an empty shell, Gri's Venom clone possesses the ability to act independently.

However, after a brief pause, he charged straight toward the dwarf Harpy.

"Watch out from the side!"

Faced with a hasty choice between two options, Xia Nan didn't even think before making the decision, acting on her body's instincts.

He shouted a warning to the dwarf Habik, but his body, cloaked in the phantom of a black wolf, continued to rush toward Seri as planned.

The ranger's defensive capabilities are weak, and he is now struggling under the siege, with his movement speed gradually slowing down, clearly nearing his limit; the dwarf Habik appears to be covered in wounds, but in reality, his life force shows no signs of weakening, and his body is covered with a layer of metallic sheen for defense, so he should be able to hold on for quite some time.

Meanwhile, Sally had to deal with Gri's main body, while Hapik was only dealing with a clone.

All things considered, supporting the Ranger is Xia Nan's best choice.

"Ding!"

The gray-black straight sword and the curved blade clashed violently, sparks flying at the point of intersection.

The fierce wind surrounding him left trails of blood mist among the thugs and fishmen.

With a powerful swing of his arm, Xia Nan, whose strength was clearly superior, met Ge Li's slash head-on and sent him flying.

The [Heavy Tide] that came with the sword took effect at the same time. Although it was the second time it had been released, it still made Gri stagger. The [Spinning Slash] that followed left a deep scratch on the surface of his chest armor.

Behind them, with Xia Nan's support, Selly, who was nearing her limit under the pressure, was able to catch her breath and took the opportunity to widen the distance between herself and the enemy.

"Rotten Vulture" Gerry's offensive seemed to have been neutralized.

But at the same time, a piercing scream filled with pain suddenly came from the other side of the field.

Thanks to Xia Nan's timely reminder, the dwarf Habik had already noticed the other party long before the venomous clone that Gri had created got close.

His approach was simple yet effective.

It had been firmly planted on the ground, but suddenly its thick right leg rose, then slammed down. Boom—

Fine cracks appeared on the ground beneath his feet, and the shockwaves that followed caused the enemies who had been attacking him to sway, giving Hapik a brief window of opportunity to move.

He suddenly exerted force with his left arm, moving the shield that had been blocking his way.

Turn the shield directly towards the direction the Venom clone is charging towards.

After all, it is not a true clone with the ability to think. This empty shell, created by Gri using his own combat skills, can only move according to a predetermined route.

Facing the heavy tower shield directly in front of it, it did not dodge or go around it at all, but crashed straight into it.

On one side is a blurry humanoid figure made of pure liquid, and on the other side is a hard shield forged from metal.

The result of their collision is predictable.

Almost the instant Gri's venom clone touched the tower shield, it instantly shattered into a large, inhuman mass of greenish-purple slime.

Did Habak's defense succeed?

It was a success, but only half a success.

Although Xia Nan reminded him and he reacted in time, he blocked the Venom clone's impact with his tower shield.

But immediately afterward, the viscous venom that he had smashed through also bypassed the original shield's defense, and was swept into the air by the impact, before falling like rain.

The dark green slime, which possesses both toxic and corrosive properties, indiscriminately sprayed itself on the fishmen and gang thugs surrounding the dwarves.

Scales curl up, skin dissolves, and toxins spread.

The dwarf Harpy, who was closest to the poison, naturally absorbed the most of it.

"Sizzle..."

The metal armor they wore offered limited protection against the slime, and it was visibly softened and corroded, leaving behind numerous dents.

Compared to physical impact, the fluidity of the liquid itself allows it to seep into the interior through the gaps between the armor plates.

Soft shirts and leather pads offer no protection against corrosion and are quickly eroded through.

Armor, lining, and then, the skin.

With his armor providing cover, those outside couldn't determine the extent of Khabib's injuries.

What can be seen are his exposed hands and face, corroded by the splashed venom, leaving exaggerated wounds that resemble severe burns, and even the flowing blood is stained a horrifying purulent green.

The intense pain emanating from his entire body caused the hill dwarf to howl in agony.

As a level 4 Shield Guardian, he already possesses outstanding physical attributes, and his pure-blooded dwarf bloodline makes his body as solid as stone.

"Corrupted Vulture" Gri is, after all, only a level 5 professional. Even though he is skilled in using poison due to his profession, it would be wishful thinking to think that he could incapacitate a level 4 dwarf warrior with poison alone.

But... for now, that's enough.

The toxins that seeped into his body with the mucus greatly weakened the dwarf Harbik's strength and reflexes.

The intense pain that followed not only interrupted his taunting combat skills but also greatly affected his consciousness and wartime judgment.

Almost at the same time that Hapik cried out in pain, the murlocs and thugs who had been crowding in front of the shield because of his taunt skill immediately broke free from the taunt effect, stopped attacking the shield in vain, and circled around to the side and rear.

"boom!"

It's the crisp sound of a hammer smashing the skull of some unlucky scoundrel.

"Hey!"

The sounds rang out simultaneously, the thud of a harpoon piercing a dwarf's foot from above.

A rogue who had just gained a professional rank, lurking in the shadows beneath the crowd, seized the opportunity to plunge his dagger deep into the dwarf's thigh muscle.

Although his hands were smashed off by a falling hammer the next second, the two elite murlocs on the other side pierced the dwarf's left elbow and side waist with harpoons.

Every time Habak swings his hammer, he is simultaneously attacked by at least two enemies from other directions.

In just a few seconds, he was covered in blood.

The dwarf warriors, already struggling under siege, were now in dire straits.

The final straw that broke the camel's back was a nobody, a small-time hoodlum who didn't even deserve a name.

He came from a rural background and joined the Tide Retreat Gang purely because the gang paid a lot of money and he enjoyed the thrill of being above them.

The promise from the leader of the "Rotten Vultures" before his departure allowed him to briefly overcome his fear of adventurers and join the battle.

The roars and bloodshed that filled the field made his blood boil, and he wanted to rush forward.

However, because they couldn't squeeze past the surrounding thugs and fishmen, they fell behind.

When he finally managed to squeeze through the crowd, the blood-covered dwarf was standing less than two feet in front of him.

The massive tower shield had long since been lost somewhere. His injured left hand hung limply at his waist, while his right hand gripped a prism covered in blood and bits of flesh. He swung it up and down, smashing the head of a murloc in front of him.

Perhaps it's due to some kind of talent, or it could just be pure luck.

The thug keenly sensed that fleeting opportunity at that moment.

Stealthily moved forward, and the instant the dwarf swung his hammer, he suddenly lunged forward, disregarding accuracy, and thrust his short sword out with tremendous force.

"laugh."

You can feel a strange, stiff sensation coming from the handle in your hand.

Before he could even check whether he had made a proper stab, the metallic whistling sound that followed made the thug lose consciousness.

The headless corpse with its skull shattered fell to the ground.

This revealed Habik's exhausted body, already soaked in blood, and the short sword that had pierced his brain through his right eye socket.

No one knows what the dwarf was feeling at that moment, or what kind of pain he was going through.

After being stabbed in the eye socket by a short sword, his entire body instinctively retaliated, then froze in place as if frozen in time.

The hammer fell to the ground.

His blood-stained right hand slowly rose, as if trying to pull the short sword out of his eye socket.

But he only managed to raise it halfway before his right arm was cleaved in two by a curved blade swung down from the side by a professional warrior.

The harpoon that protruded from the side pierced straight through his neck, its sharp tip, stained with muscle and blood, protruding from the other side.

Two longswords, one after the other, pierced through his broad chest almost simultaneously, rubbing and crossing inside the dwarf's body, tearing his heart into pieces.

The roar abruptly stopped.

Fresh blood gushed out.

Habik, dead.

(End of this chapter)