Goblin Dependency

Xia Nan’s plan was very simple.

Since he was acutely aware of his current "high attack, low defense" combat traits, he aimed to leverage his advantages against wild animals to the fullest.

Seize the initiative, strike with one deadly blow.

And indeed, the facts proved his idea was feasible.

The Wolf Cub’s small body moved with a natural stealth effect in the night, and its light weight could easily be supported by even the ends of the tree branches.

Though the wild boar seemed to charge with unstoppable ferocity, its movements were actually relatively slow and clumsy between transitions.

Finding the right opportunity, during the wild boar’s deceleration stiffening after a sharp brake, he unleashed Teeth Hunting, falling swiftly.

The opponent didn’t even have time to notice the source of the commotion, let alone evade.

A slight wolf howl sounded above, and amidst the rushing force, the back of the neck was suddenly hit with a furry, flesh-like touch.

The next second, Gravity Etching exploded.

The reddish-brown Force Field Energy burst open fiercely.

Pain hadn’t yet transformed into tangible struggle or screams before death had already descended.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan, with Gravity Etching attached under the wolf paw, was at the epicenter of the explosion.

His small body also fell into the wound amidst the shattered flesh, his fur soaked with blood and bits of meat.

It sounded a bit messy, but for some reason, perhaps due to his current coyote body, Xia Nan didn’t feel repulsed; instead, the splashed blood and flesh evoked a peculiar sense of hunger.

Knowing it wasn’t the time to feed.

Even with the short-term use, the weakened version of Teeth Hunting still consumed a lot of his Stamina, making his vision slightly black.

He managed to crawl out of the wild boar’s wound, which had fallen to the ground, only to spot a wild boar piglet in the nearby bushes, staring blankly at him.

While the piglet’s companions squealed in fear and fled.

Xia Nan didn’t initially give it much thought.

After all, the Fear effect endowed by Night Mother’s Gaze specialty, though intimidating to enemies, doesn’t guarantee effectiveness.

When used in daily scenarios, it’s common for individuals to pass checks and resist.

But soon, he realized something was amiss.

The light in the opponent’s eyes sparkled with the rational brilliance only intelligent beings possess, rather than the instinct-driven clarity or murkiness typical of wild animals.

The body of the wild boar piglet... the strangely wise gaze...

Xia Nan immediately realized that this piglet was likely the manifestation of an adventurer.

But as this thought arose, the nearby adult coyote also caught sight of the piglet hiding in the bushes.

It was impossible to prevent.

As Xia Nan whined like a young beast while rolling and crawling with his round, furry body to approach.

The piglet’s neck was already torn apart by the coyote over it.

Truth be told, Xia Nan felt a bit tense.

He hadn’t yet figured out whether death in such a Secret Realm would impact the adventurers’ physical bodies in reality.

If the ritual included a "soul death" mechanism, he’d need to be extraordinarily cautious when combating animals suspected to be adventurer-possessed.

Not merely for his own safety, but to be sure the opponent wasn’t an ally.

After all, from his observations, Half-Elf Alton and the previously benevolent Furious Tide Battle Gang Captain Iron Grid floated in blue light, likely drawn into the ritual as well.

And if only Elite professionals were qualified to enter the Secret Realm, then surely the Sword of Vengeance ship would also have teammates drawn in.

Xia Nan didn’t wish for carelessness to inadvertently cause ally casualties.

However, the suspected adventurer-piglet was already dead, removing the possibility of confirming its identity... wait, something’s off!

A strange look flashed in Xia Nan’s eyes.

At the same moment the piglet in front completely ceased breathing.

In the real world, within his suspended human perspective.

Among the two opposing groups of adventurers on the coast, from the Furious Tide Battle Gang’s side, a similarly glowing and floating Dwarf.

His body’s blue light rapidly dimmed and then dissipated.

The originally floating body leisurely descended in a slow manner, finally landing on the ground.

Yet he couldn’t resume free movement, remaining immobilized like those companions beside him who hadn’t entered the Secret Realm.

Neither dead on the spot, but suddenly enfeebled, like recovering from a severe ailment, his face pale, entering a weakened state.

Xia Nan, observing intently, felt a sense of relief.

Though not entirely certain, it seemed likely that the piglet killed by the coyote was embodied by the Dwarf from Furious Tide Battle Gang.

With his relationship with their Captain Iron Grid, it somewhat constituted friendly fire, but since the bond wasn’t that close, it was acceptable.

More critically, the display indicated—

Death within the Ritual Secret Realm doesn’t result in the adventurer’s real-world demise, but leads to a weakened state.

This significantly alleviated Xia Nan’s psychological pressure.

With this realization, his previously tense nerves slightly relaxed.