Goblin Dependency

"This is the life I never dared to imagine before."

Buck suddenly looked up.

The facial features that once showed human characteristics were now completely beastified, with rough and dense fur covering every last bit of skin.

Saliva dripped naturally, and the long, narrow mouthpiece faintly revealed the bone-white cold gleam of fangs.

"Even though there were some business problems, making the whole family bear debts that couldn't be repaid in decades of normal work, during those darkest days, I never gave up hope."

"Because I knew, even if life would be difficult for a while, at least Sarah, Kerry, and Little Daphne would still be by my side."

"And as long as I took a few more tasks and earned more money, even if the source wasn't clean, all the hardships would eventually pass."

"Ten years is fine, twenty or thirty years doesn't matter, someday I could return to that beautiful life."

"But..."

The pointed ears had long surpassed the height of the simple flats on both sides, his nearly bloated and burly body suddenly began to tremble violently, and deep within the beastly eyes lay a sinister blood-red terror that even the most experienced hunters would fear.

"That bastard, Ben, to survive, left me at the camp."

"Facing the attack, my first reaction was still to cover him, to buy time for the team."

"Thinking about it now, it's truly ridiculous."

"Then there's the Gray Badger Gang..."

His voice grew heavier, his words gradually turning vague, like a beast's low howl.

"That night, Sarah and the others should have gone back to their grandmother's place, the little ones had begged for a long time, at least a week before coming back."

"But there were a few Gray Badger Gang brats causing trouble in the tavern and injured the coachman I had hired."

"Two days, just delayed for two days..."

Buck leaned forward, crawling, with two large claws already covered in brown fur touching the ground, his face under the dense fur showing no expression.

"They... huh..."

"All deserve to die!!!"

Roar—

In the silent night, a fierce and vicious beast's roar suddenly exploded!

Fully absorbed, the silvery white moonlight, clinging to his entire body like water, shattered into starry fragments and dispersed into the air.

The bloody stream that once protected his beastification also dissolved into the formless under the air-distorting sound waves.

Like a small meat mountain, the hard brown fur surged over the shoulder peaks beyond the eaves, five parallel hooked claws exerted a slight force, leaving deep claw marks in the earthen ground;

The fat stacked around his neck undulated and trembled beneath the thick hide, eyes completely consumed by beastly instincts sunken deep within the skull, with viscous saliva slowly dripping from the sharp fangs.

This is a massive brown bear, its paws larger than an adult's head, size comparable to the rundown shacks on the outskirts!

Any remaining rationality had been swallowed by hatred, regret, and anger, and the brightest moonlight of the year during the "Moon Feast" became the best catalyst.

It led Buck's mind into complete ruin.

Having completed the final transformation into a beastman, he became a ferocious beast driven by instinctual desires.

Roaring, he charged toward the direction of the only living person on the field, Xia Nan.

The ground shook slightly due to the opponent's heavy footsteps, and the air carried the ear-piercing roar of a bear.

Black eyes reflected the towering figure charging forward like a small tank.

There was no obvious emotional fluctuation on Xia Nan's face, calm and composed.

He had naturally heard Buck's previous words, and thus understood the whole sequence of events.

Sympathy...could not be said to be completely absent.

But it was far from reaching the extent of affecting his expression or changing his action plan.

Adventurers, while enjoying substantial incomes and superior status, what is the price they need to pay...

Even someone like Xia Nan, who had been in the industry for less than a year, already understood.

As a senior adventurer, how could Buck possibly not know?

He was merely controlled by beastly instincts, unable to think clearly for a moment, or perhaps... he was merely avoiding the issue instinctually.

From a certain level, Buck, infected by beastification during his adventures and who killed his own family, is essentially no different from adventurers killed by goblins smashing their heads.

Even with his professional level, Xia Nan was just an adventurer on a mission at the moment.

Aww—

A long wolf howl accompanied by a knife-like, fierce wind suddenly arose on the field.

In the blink of an eye, Xia Nan's body was enveloped by the whirlwind and disappeared from his original spot.

In the nighttime, only a fierce, howling wolf's head could be vaguely seen, along with flecks of fleeting iron-gray cold light.

By drawing in Xia Nan from the sewer, Buck attempted to absorb the moonlight's power and ultimately complete his beastification in the moonlit night.

But in some regards, this did not narrow the gap in strength between him and Xia Nan, nor did it make his situation any safer.

Breaking away from the confined space, filled with brick walls and stone walls in the sewer, arriving at this open area.

Without the constraints of the environment, Xia Nan could freely release [Teeth Hunting] and [Vortex Slash], maximizing his mobility.

In terms of combat capability enhancement, Xia Nan far surpassed Buck, who hadn't yet become a professional.

"Crack!"

Iron-hard claws deeply embedded in the ground, raising fine fragments at the edges.

The suddenly disappeared target in sight caused the brown bear, who had completely lost human rationality, with only beast instincts left, to subconsciously slow its steps.

Clumsily twisting its head, attempting to locate the enemy.

Its response was a menacing wolf head, lunging and biting from the blind spot in its side rear.

"Rip!"

The iron-gray sword blade pierced into thick fur, as blood spurted, it showed no hesitation.

Just slightly feeling its texture, it abruptly withdraws.

And with the wolf's howl resounding once more, it disappeared from the original location.

Making the following drop, the massive bear paw able to easily crush steel, to only strike empty air.

"Growl!!!"

The dark eyes calmly stared at the front, the brown bear roaring in anger due to the intense pain from its spine.

Xia Nan casually flicked away the remaining blood droplets on the sword's surface.

A reasonably good combat talent, combined with combat experience far beyond other adventurers of the same age.

Even a simple probing once made the next battle plan gradually become clear to him.

Fully beastified Buck, without a doubt, had gained far superior defense abilities and physical strength.

—Thick and resilient skin covered with bristles, along with the thick fat layer and strong muscles beneath, are almost natural armor.

Simultaneously, Buck, losing his human physique, was greatly weakened in speed and agility.

In circumstances where their defense capabilities do not reach the level that prevents complete penetration.

This type of enemy is one Xia Nan excels at dealing with.

In just a few seconds, he had even considered his actions for the next few rounds.

First, use [Teeth Hunting] to gain mobility, feigning several attacks to exhaust their patience while probing further to ensure safety.

Then, seize the opportunity, utilizing [Gravity Control] to increase the enemy's gravity.

No need to maintain control for long.

Half a second, perhaps even less, and he could pierce the Beheading Longsword halfway into the opponent's back neck.

Then activate the sword's surface, with the ochre-red glow of [Gravity Etching], detonating the opponent's head.

Of course, throughout the process, caution was required to avoid injury, and the need to leave room to ensure that at any given moment, [Teeth Hunting] could be reactivated for a quick escape.

Contemplating this, his calves were already gathering strength once more, [Teeth Hunting] poised to strike.

And just at that moment.

Shockingly abrupt.

Amidst the chaotic beast roars and fierce wind howls, a faint yet eerily distinct sound of footsteps suddenly rang out on the edge of the scene.

Instinctively following the direction from where the sound originated.

Caught in his sight was a familiar, tall figure with staggering steps.

Under the night, the golden hair swaying on both sides of their cheeks and the slender white ears could be faintly seen.

"Elf?"