F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

This thought, like a black lightning bolt, tore through Chen Yifan's mind.

Avoid that seemingly impregnable suspension bridge.

Avoid the line of sight of all goblins.

Infiltrate the BOSS's lair from beneath the rushing river of lava, a river powerful enough to melt steel.

This is exactly how a "thief" operates!

This is truly unpredictable and mysterious!

His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and then it began to pound violently.

But a cold, hard question lies before us.

That lava river.

The air was distorted by the scorching heat, and the rolling heat even made the distant rock walls appear an eerie dark red.

He is just a being of flesh and blood.

How do we get down?

Are you going to use your face to explore the way?

No.

Chen Yifan's gaze was once again fixed on that map.

calm.

There must be details that have been overlooked.

His fingertips traced the terrain structure of the third layer on the map, his brain racing, digitizing the goblin patrol's routes, camp layout, and watchtower locations.

He quickly spotted an anomaly.

On this side of the lava river, near the entrance to the mine he came from, there is an old mine tunnel marked as "abandoned".

The goblin camp is located far away from here.

They are deliberately avoiding this place.

Why?

If it were merely a barren place, goblins, those chaotic and filthy creatures, would never mind using it as a garbage dump or toilet.

But they didn't.

Just as the goblins in the first layer instinctively stayed away from the "shining moss," they exhibited a respectful distance from this area.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation!

Chen Yifan's intuition rang sharply; there was definitely something fishy about that abandoned old mine tunnel!

Shadow Step!

His figure instantly blended into the shadows, speeding off in that direction without making a sound.

The old mine tunnel is located in an extremely remote area. The entrance is covered by vines and gravel, and is so narrow that only one person can pass by bending over.

A strong, pungent smell, a mixture of dampness and decay, wafted out of the cave.

Chen Yifan pushed the passive effect of [Divine Speed] to its limit, making his five senses incredibly sharp. Darkness was like daylight to him, and he silently slipped into it.

The mine tunnel was very short, less than fifty meters long before it ended.

A rock wall, pockmarked and uneven from being chiseled by a pickaxe, blocked their path.

There was nothing there.

Chen Yifan's brows furrowed instantly.

He refused to believe it, so he reached out and slowly tapped and touched the cold rock wall with his knuckles, pressing his ear against the rock wall to listen for the faintest sounds coming from inside.

The sound was deep and heavy.

The back is solid.

Just as he was about to give up, his fingertips touched something unusually cold and rough.

Behind a patch of unremarkable fungi, there was a small bump, no bigger than a fingernail.

Its shape... is angular and has a certain artificial, sculpted regularity, and is definitely not naturally formed.

It's more like some kind of ancient rune whose edges have been smoothed out by the passage of time!

Chen Yifan's pupils suddenly contracted.

Instead of acting rashly, he placed his finger on it and played his biggest trump card.

[Secret Investigation]!

Damaged mechanism rune (inactive)

[Description: A masterpiece originating from an ancient goblin civilization, requiring pure psionic energy for calibration; it appears to be a key to a secret chamber.]

[List of items that can be stolen: None]

That's it!

Chen Yifan understood, and tried to mobilize a trace of spiritual energy, injecting it precisely like a needle into an embroidery.

Om-!

With a very soft hum, the ancient runes suddenly lit up with a gentle white light.

The next second, the entire rock wall shook violently!

"Rumble..."

With a dull, loud thud, the solid rock wall broke in the middle and slowly moved to both sides.

A dark staircase leading deep underground suddenly appeared before him!

found it!

Chen Yifan suppressed his wildly beating heart and walked down without hesitation.

At the end of the stairs was a small, secret room.

In the center of the secret chamber stood a stone statue about half the height of a person, carved with a small, pot-bellied creature wearing a crown.

In its hands, it holds a scepter high and a stone book.

At the foot of the stone statue, a dusty, nearly rotten wooden box sits quietly.

Treasure chest!

Hidden treasure chests in the hidden map!

This is a huge profit!

Chen Yifan stepped forward and yanked open the lid of the wooden box.

It wasn't as dazzling as I'd expected.

Inside the box was only a seemingly inconspicuous, complex part that resembled some kind of tool, and a diary.

He first picked up the diary, its cover rough, with a line of words written on it in crooked Common.

The Diary of Griggs Echoes, the Great Goblin Engineer

Goblin.

Chen Yifan's gaze sharpened; just as he suspected.

This discovery completely confirms the information obtained from the "surveillance".

Although goblins and gnomes are distant relatives, the former are known for their wisdom and creativity that far surpasses that of their kind, making them natural engineers and alchemists.

It seems that the original owners of this instance were indeed a group of goblins.

He opened his diary.

"Year 3521 of the Chaos Era, Sunny. We've finally found it! The legendary [Molten Core] ore vein! Its energy is enough to support us in completing that great creation!"

Chen Yifan's eyelids twitched; the [Heart of Molten Core] ore vein did indeed exist.

"In the year 3522 of the Chaos Era, it rained. Those foolish, greedy goblins discovered our secret. They swarmed in like locusts, and war began."

"In the year 3523 of the Chaos Era, it was cloudy. We failed. To protect the core secrets of the mine, the great King Griggs detonated the mine... And I, Griggs Echo, as the King's only remaining bloodline, led the last of my people to hide in this refuge."

Therefore, the complex terrain of the third layer was caused by the Goblin King's self-destruction.

"In the year 3524 of the Chaos Era, despair. Food is gone... We... are going to die. I have hidden the secret of the Molten Core mine here. It is both a shortcut to wealth and a trap to death. Those who come after, remember, goblins are the most despicable and untrustworthy creatures in the world..."

……

Chen Yifan closed the diary. A glorious goblin civilization had been destroyed by greedy goblins.

And he will become the... inheritor of this history.

His gaze fell on the stone statue of the goblin king.

The diary says that the secret is hidden in this secret room.

The key lies in this stone statue!

Chen Yifan stepped forward and soon discovered an inconspicuous groove at the top of the scepter held high by the stone statue.

The shape of the groove...

A flash of inspiration struck him!

He took out the ancient bronze key he had taken from the goblin captain from his backpack.

That wasn't a goblin's thing at all; it was a relic of the goblin civilization!

He slowly inserted the key.

"Click."

A crisp snapping sound.

Perfect fit!

"Boom—!"

The entire sealed room began to tremble violently once again.

The goblin king's statue slowly moved to one side, revealing a deep cave entrance radiating terrifying heat!

On the rock wall at the cave entrance, there are fist-sized, red crystals that look like burning charcoal, and the heat they emit makes the air distort violently.

Molten Core Ore Vein!

At the end of the mine tunnel was a vaguely visible open space.

It's on the other side of the river!

This secret passage is not just a new path; it can actually lead directly to the BOSS's lair.

However, at the same time that he found it incredible.

The entrance behind us, which we had come from, suddenly closed with a rumbling sound from the walls!

Chen Yifan had a bad feeling and hurriedly ran over to check.

No matter how much psionic energy he inputs.

The walls remained completely still.

He hurriedly activated his innate ability to steal information.

[Completely damaged mechanical rune (activated)]

[Description: A masterpiece originating from an ancient goblin civilization, requiring pure psionic energy for calibration; it appears to be a key to a secret chamber.]

[List of items that can be stolen: None]

broken!

The damage became complete.

If the mechanism cannot supply power, the door will naturally not open.

He was trapped here and died.