Goblin Dependency

Thinking of this, Flynn couldn’t help but shiver.

As he moved his steps, he was already one step ahead of Sasha and Ellison, racing towards the direction of Stodd Island’s dock.

...

...

"Thousand Pile Island" - South Shore of Stodd.

Xia Nan held the [Ash Fall] straight sword.

Behind him was the Half-Elf Alton, holding a lute;

In front of him was the shark beast monster that had just been heavily struck, blood gushing from the back of its neck, howling in pain;

And further on the side, were the "Wind Forger" team, who had been attracted by the commotion of the battle, pausing in place upon discovering the scene, observing from a distance.

The convergence of three forces has pushed the situation on the field into a rather delicate state.

There’s no need to mention the shark beast side; to it, any living creature is its prey, and now, the intense pain caused by the enemy is swiftly turning into wild rage.

For Xia Nan, the situation seemed more complicated.

Frankly speaking, the timing of the Wind Forger’s arrival on the field was indeed awkward.

If they had arrived a bit earlier, before the tattooed adventurer was attacked, the group "confronting" the shark beast would have undoubtedly been the Wind Forger team, and he could have refrained from getting involved, either observing the battle to decide what to do or simply walking away, he could handle it easily.

If they had come a bit later, giving Xia Nan three or four more rounds to completely kill the shark beast monster and retrieve the resonating stone from its belly, even if the Wind Forger saw him then, they’d likely refrain from acting since the battle would be over.

But as it stood, the opposing side arrived just as the battle was about to reach its climax.

Withdrawing now would mean all efforts would simply be paving the way for the Wind Forger, leaving them the gravely injured shark beast monster and the resonating stone inside.

Continuing the fight, who knows what the nearby Wind Forger team might do?

A senior adventurer team led by a professional with levels approaching Level 6 and Level 7.

Even with Xia Nan’s current combat ability, handling it seamlessly without entering the Second Stage isn’t assured.

Meanwhile, the Wind Forger team was also uncertain of the situation.

The tall, slender pure-blood Elf, captain of the "Wind Forger," Sefeng, slightly raised his hand, signaling his team members to halt.

Casually tucking the silver-white hair falling down his cheek behind his pointed ear, he cast his gaze toward the field.

He could gather information.

Three adventurers from his own team had already become broken corpses.

Judging from the wounds, the cause of death was this peculiar humanoid shark monster he had never seen before.

And currently battling the monster was "Haiya" Xia Nan, whom he had met briefly at the "Glass Oar" Tavern.

Sefeng was unsure of what role Xia Nan played in his three team members’ deaths.

This didn’t really matter.

Because the years of experience in adventuring had made this pure-blood Elf detect an opportunity on the ground.

Just like what Xia Nan considered.

If "Haiya" chose to retreat, the severely injured unknown monster would become the Wind Forger’s spoil;

If "Haiya" continued to fight against it, with their numerical superiority, choosing the right moment to intervene, they might even be able to swallow "Haiya" as well.

"Tch."

Aware of the hidden hostility coming from the Wind Forger side, Xia Nan pursed his lips.

His gaze swept across, silently observing the Wind Forger team’s personnel configuration.

He pondered how to take down the opposing side as steadily and with as little consumption of trump cards as possible.

"Roar!!!"

The shark beast certainly lacked the complexity of human thoughts.

The intense pain from the back of its neck, with its rapidly draining life force as blood gushed, had driven it into rage.

Paying no attention to the side Wind Forger team, it roared mightily, pouncing like a bomb at Xia Nan’s direction.

Then humm—

A melodious lute sound arose timely.

Howling wolf cries carried sharp qi sweeping by the shore, the black wolf tiptoed lightly dodging the monster’s assault once again.

The gray-black sword blade that slightly distorted the surrounding air took advantage, drawing upon the inertia of the shark beast’s own forward lunge, leaving a deep wound on its side abdomen almost revealing its writhing innards.

Thanks to the little strength attribute provided by the Level 3 [Heavy Tide], Xia Nan’s damage far exceeded usual even with only a half-strength sword with [Vortex Slash] and [Heavy Tide] attached.

Pacing to reposition, again coming behind the shark beast.

An ochre red light condensed on the sword’s surface.

How to deal with the current situation on the field?

Xia Nan’s solution was to resolve the shark beast in front of him with the quickest speed before the Wind Forger could react.

By then, the original chaotic three-way brawl would reset to the simplest "1v1" standoff.

However, after all, the shark beast wasn’t a low-infernal demon without any combat insight, having been summoned by Sha Hua Fishmen through rituals, they might be brutal and aggressive but capable of picking up certain combat experience.

Having suffered severely from an overcharged rush earlier, the shark beast’s sprinting speed clearly reduced this time.

Making Xia Nan’s evasion easier, allowing the shark beast to swiftly adjust to inertia, completing a turn with a slow forward charge posture.

"Hrumbling..."

Its gaping maw aimed at the advancing Xia Nan.

Inside those densely packed sharp teeth and deep within the fleshy cavity, thick mist abruptly intensified, dense neck suddenly bulging.

A keen perception aroused Xia Nan’s alertness in mind.

The form of the black wolf still lunging forward abruptly paused on the beach, the force field energy condensed on the wolf fangs dissipated before landing.

With a burst of propulsion, the jet-black Winter Wolf with exceptional agility made a small horizontal leap.

The next second, an intensely compressed stream like a high-pressure water jet erupted fiercely from the shark beast’s mouth.

Hitting the sandy ground, blasting a large crater.

Such force, should it hit an ordinary person, would likely tear them apart into minced flesh instantly due to compressed water current.

Yet Xia Nan possessed [Teeth Hunting], able to execute abrupt stops and dodges with an exaggeratively superior agility than typical adventurers.

Otherwise, there was a real chance of injury.

Standing somewhat further aside, Sefeng, who had been watching on, witnessed the clash between Xia Nan and the shark beast in this round.

Experience honed from combat prompted him to instantly know Xia Nan was trying to end the battle quickly.

Sweeping his gaze over the shark beast’s neck and side wounds, he felt the timing was right, and delay was no longer an option.

Swiftly waving a hand, ready to command his team members to launch an attack on the shark beast along with Xia Nan and Alton.

And just then, from the direction opposite along the shore.

A deeply familiar yet loathsome dull voice, accompanied by a flurry of footsteps, wafted over with the sea wind.

"Damn, what the hell is this thing? Did it come with those Fishmen?"

"Xia Nan, why are you here too?"

A short, stocky figure of 1.65 meters, his beard intertwined complexly and featuring tattoos from the Barbarian Tribe, the newcomer was none other than the Furious Tide Battle Gang’s captain, Iron Grid!

The Furious Tide Battle Gang seemed to have just gone through a fight, including the massive iron hammer hoisted on Iron Grid’s shoulder, and the clothes of his team members bore stains of fluorescent blue blood.

Similarly drawn by the monstrous roar, upon noticing Xia Nan in combat with the shark beast, Iron Grid’s fleshy face paused, clearly not expecting to find him here.

With the connection of collector Aurie, he was thinking to beckon his team forward to help.

Yet just the next moment, he noticed at the other side of the battlefield, the Wind Forger team, poised similarly for battle.

Actions hesitated momentarily.