My inventory is full of monster materials.

Mark was deeply shocked.

It's important to know that the buffs provided by monster materials in the equipment inventory will almost always be completely lost when the equipment is unloaded.

This applies to both attributes and skills.

This is the first time I've ever seen something that can permanently increase attributes.

Unfortunately, the negative effect of "limb dysfunction" is too bad.

If Mark were to have this forearm replaced, his left hand would be crippled for 30 days, and he would also lose "+11% hand speed" and the talent "Double-handed".

Low returns, high risks.

Perhaps we should look for something better.

So Felix and Henry worked hard, while Mark slacked off, taking a knife and dismantling the corpses of goblin cubs.

[A deformed goblin cub's head (white)]

Completeness: 96%

[Effect]: Charm -3

[Special]: None

[A frail goblin cub's torso (white)]

Completeness: 73%

[Effect]: Constitution -1, Disease Resistance -30%

[Special]: None

...

"Found it."

After careful selection, Mark finally dissected a suitable piece of equipment.

[Lightweight goblin cub's right foot (white)]

Completeness: 80%

[Effect]: Constitution -2, permanent Agility growth +1 (0/30 days)

[Special]: None

In comparison, the equipment components in the original positions are:

[Swift Big Goblin's Right Foot (White)]

Completeness: 91%

[Effect]: Movement speed +10%

[Special]: None

Don't be fooled by the negative effect of the new part, "Constitution -2".

This is the best Mark could find right now.

Furthermore, the other equipment slots also provide a combined bonus of "Constitution +2".

Positive and negative factors cancel each other out, helping you regain your self-confidence.

【equipment】

As he silently chanted in his mind, Mark suddenly felt aches and pains in his back, as if he had been up all night.

Sigh, there's no way around it, it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality.

Mark's physical condition has now decreased by half.

It's no wonder I feel terrible.

However, there's no need to be too anxious.

You just need to rest for a while and gradually get used to it.

Suddenly Felix shouted.

"Here it is!"

Henry and Mark went together.

A filthy nest of hay was uncovered from the haystack between the two female goblins.

In the messy, filthy den, a dozen or so fleshy, grayish-green and pinkish-white lumps huddled together, gnawing on an unidentified piece of meat with bone attached.

It wasn't until he saw the goblin babies that Mark understood why Felix called them green rats.

Because they look so alike.

Faced with these defenseless and even somewhat cute little creatures, the three grown men certainly showed no pity—a dead goblin is a good goblin.

But how do we begin?

Should I just go up and kick him?

The thought of his tender, fleshy organs sticking to his animal hide boots made Mark feel nauseous.

Fortunately, Felix provided the standard answer.

"Henry, could you lend me some of your flaxseed oil?"

Here, take it.

Felix took a small, rough earthenware jar, uncorked it, and poured the contents directly onto the newborn goblin.

Then he took out a flint and struck a few sparks into the dry grass.

Bang!

The fuel ignited instantly upon contact with a spark.

The green rats squeaked and squealed as they were burned by the flames.

After a while.

The grass nest was silent.

The mice were all burned until they were charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

This reminded Mark of a famous southern dish.

"All done, let's go."

With a call from Felix, the three of them left the goblin nursery one after another.

Talia and Emily had been waiting outside for quite some time.

The five members of "White Eagle" reunited and used the same trick again, attacking the rotting shack on the left.

Once inside, it was found to be rather empty, containing only a few small animal corpses, rotting and worm-infested wild fruits, and two human corpses of varying degrees of decay, which could be vaguely identified as females based on their features.

This should be the goblin's food storage room.

There was nothing of value in the shack, so the five members of the "White Eagle" team did a quick search and left.

Finally, they arrived at the curtain at the entrance of the central yurt.

Under the tense gazes of everyone, Felix, holding his knight's sword, gently waved it, and the curtain fell to the ground, revealing the scene inside to everyone.

The dimly lit yurt had a skylight, allowing sunlight to stream into the dark room and illuminate a dark red altar the size of a human body.

The altar was covered with ancient and twisted runes, and its surface was covered with a layer of dried and solidified dark red blood scabs. Even the soil a square meter or two below the altar was stained black.

There were large piles of items on both sides of the altar. One side had various white skeletons, and the other side had all sorts of clothing, weapons, armor, flags, and so on.

Beyond the altar is a rugged throne constructed of wood and bones.

The yurt was now deserted, yet it exuded an eerie atmosphere.

The team members entered the room one after another.

But the moment Mark stepped in, he suddenly heard a soft murmur in his ear.

"⍀⟒⏁⊑⟒⎎⟟⍀⌇⏁⍾⎍⏃☍⟒..."

Mark listened intently, puzzled, only to find it was the howling of the cold wind outside.

Nevertheless, he remained vigilant.

The team members then explored freely.

Felix immediately spotted the most prominent altar in front of him.

He walked step by step to the altar, picked up a black obsidian ritual dagger with red runes, and examined it closely.

Talia ran to the skeletal throne and began to examine it.

Henry was very interested in the pile of junk and was picking through it, searching for something.

Emily knelt before the pile of bones, clasped her hands together, and prayed softly for the deceased.

Mark wandered around the room alone, trying to listen again to the faint murmurs he had just heard.

He had a feeling that something was off about this place.

But if you ask me what's wrong, I can't quite put my finger on it.

And so everyone went about their own business.

An eerie silence pervaded the room.

"⎎⍜⍀☌⟒⏁⋏⏁⍜⋏☌⎍⟒⌇⏃⋏..."

Suddenly, the whispers in Mark's ear grew louder and louder.

Footage from the "Eye of Surveillance" outside the camp shows a plume of black smoke rising from the camp.

He was startled.

What the hell?

They were in the camp, so where would the black smoke come from if they didn't light a fire?

Puzzled, Mark closed his eyes and focused intently on controlling the "Eye of Surveillance".

The source of the black smoke was none other than the yurt in the center of the camp!

Mark was so shocked by what he saw that cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his eyes quickly scanned every corner of the room.

"Something's not right, what's wrong with it?!"

Talia pried a bronze-plated treasure chest from a hidden compartment beneath the throne, Henry excitedly picked up a tattered set of metal plate armor, Emily was still burying the skull, and Felix was examining a dagger—

and many more.

Felix seems to have maintained the posture of holding the sacrificial dagger from the very beginning!

boom!boom!

Mark's heart suddenly started pounding.

"⏁⟟⍀⌇⏚⟒⏁⍙⟒⟒⋏⏁⊑⟒⍀⍜☊☍..."

As Mark approached the altar, the whispers around him grew increasingly noisy, to the point of disturbing his mind.

But Mark still managed to get behind Felix, who was still holding the dagger, head down, motionless.

Mark wanted to reach out and slap Felix awake.

But the hand was only halfway out when it stopped in mid-air.

He had a premonition that if he did this, it would lead to utter destruction.

What should I do?

Calling teammates?

Could this prematurely trigger a crisis?

Suddenly, Mark caught a glimpse of the altar out of the corner of his eye.

A notification light screen popped up in front of me.

[Whispers of the Abyss detected. Do you accept/disappear?]

【no】

【no】

Wait, could it be that...

A flash of inspiration struck Mark, and he came up with a solution.

He quietly withdrew and hurried to the pile of junk to search.

Henry was wearing his tattered metal plate armor and proudly showing it off to Mark.

"Little Ma, look, am I handsome?"

Mark ignored him, pulled a full-metal spiked club from the pile of junk, and carried the weapon straight to the altar.

"Hey, what are you doing?!"

Henry saw Mark's serious expression and immediately realized something was wrong, so he quickly followed him.

Mark bypassed Felix, raised his spiked club high, and slammed it down on the altar with all his might.

boom!

A deep crack appeared in the middle of the altar, and the congealed blood scab broke open, flowing out scarlet liquid.

"ah!!"

Felix suddenly awoke, his eyes as black as ink, and he roared like a wild beast as he grabbed the sacrificial dagger and prepared to stab Mark.

"Felix! What are you doing!"

Henry reacted quickly and grabbed Felix's arms from behind.

But Felix's strength far exceeded that of ordinary people, and he actually managed to break free from Henry's control.

Talia and Emily were both stunned by what happened.

They didn't know why Mark was smashing the altar, but they knew Felix was acting very strangely, as if he were possessed by a demon.

The two girls work together to help Henry control Felix.

boom!

Another heavy blow from the spiked club.

The surface of the altar was covered with cracks.

But Mark dared not relax and once again raised his spiked club and smashed it fiercely against the altar.

boom!

The altar finally succumbed to the pressure and shattered into pieces, from which a wisp of black smoke emerged, transforming into a skull and dissipating into the air.

At the same time, Felix rolled his eyes back and lost consciousness.