Goblin Dependency

The moonlight was intense.

Deep within the slums, an abandoned area.

Still as deathly silent as before.

The ripples in space quietly subsided, and the stagnant silhouette with black hair vanished from where it stood, along with the smoothed-out folds.

"Drip, drip."

Crimson blood gushed uncontrollably from the throat wound, almost pooling into a small puddle on the ground.

The golden-haired Elf, however, seemed to feel no pain, maintaining that bizarre twisted stance, with a face as cold and stiff as a corpse.

She slightly raised her head.

Her unfocused, vacant eyes reflected the perfect Silver Moon in the middle of the sky.

Gazing at the field's canopy, in the soft swaying of gossamer-like white moonlight.

There was no exchange.

Perhaps it was imperceptible to ordinary people.

Much like a fleeting gentle breeze.

When the Elf withdrew her gaze, that soft moonlight, like silk and mist, gradually dissolved into the depths of the night.

Thud—

The light sound of a step being moved.

With the same swaying, staggering gait as when she arrived, the golden-haired Elf turned as if she intended to leave.

But just as she took a single step, her two slender legs shattered into broken bones and flesh, completely collapsing.

Like a malfunctioning robot, the Elf's body fell rigidly to the ground.

The kind of language, thick as if from another world, like a command, was not something a Transcendent adventurer who didn't primarily rely on physical prowess could withstand.

The golden-haired Elf lay paralyzed on the ground, the skin rapidly showing blood-like luminous fissures.

It didn't take long, merely a few seconds later, for this completely exhausted, near-collapsing corpse to dissolve into an unrecognizable pool of bloody mud.

He just lay there silently.

Face upwards, eyes dim and void of spirit, without the slightest motion.

But in the next moment.

In another area of the field, the dismembered flesh from the Beastification patient Buck, by some invisible force.

Was silently lifted, converging into a stream of blood, meandering through the air.

Surrounding and merging into the Elf's body.

The fissures on the skin's surface quickly faded, disintegrated legs slowly restored, and the neck, burst open to reveal the vertebrae, also recovered...

Indifferent to the "Beastification" curse, and unconcerned by the faint moonlight entering the body along with the blood and shredded flesh.

Always maintaining that expression without any emotional fluctuation.

Blood-soaked strands of golden hair clinging to her cheeks, the Elf rose awkwardly, as if nothing had happened.

Walking towards the shadow of the dilapidated shanties beside her.

Swaying, and disappearing into the night.

Cold night winds howled past.

On the field, only a few claw marks from the battle, a couple of strands of brown fur stuck in stone crevices, remained,

along with a set of pale bear bones.

...

...

It's hard to describe Xia Nan's feelings at this moment.

Normally, whether it's the so-called "transmigration," or "time travel" in various past works, there is always some kind of change process.

It could be the star trails rapidly retreating behind, or sudden dizziness, loss of consciousness.

Even as for himself, before crossing into this world, he at least heard some horn honks and tire friction against the road surface.

But right now, what happened to him.

Was like waking from a dream, in a physical sense of an "eye blink," a sudden change of surroundings.

The eerily powerful golden-haired Elf, the pure and gentle moonlight, the brown bear's fur and bones, even the blurred outlines of the broken houses in the distance...

Disappeared all at once, in an instant.

Replaced by a suddenly bright, spacious environment, well-arranged shelves leaning against wooden walls, even the faint stench in the air was replaced by some familiar incense.

The sudden spatial shift made Xia Nan instinctively take a step back.

"Creak."

Thick leather boots landed on the wooden floor, making a crisp sound.

Realizing that he regained control over his body.

Xia Nan suddenly bent over, resting his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

The veins on his neck bulged, his forehead unknowingly drenched in sweat.

The terrifying pressure he endured in the past hurried few minutes erupted all at once.

"What... was that ghostly thing!?"

The exaggerated and bizarre display shown by the other party was completely unlike anything he knew an ordinary adventurer, not yet reaching the "Transcendent" level, should possess.

Recalling the image of the Elf seemingly unaccustomed to her own body, even finding walking extremely awkward.

Xia Nan even doubted whether the one who stood in front of him just now was the same Elf he met in the Association a few dozen days ago.

But anyway, what was certain was.

Everything that happened in this brief half night was highly linked to that [Sheep Deer Statue].

The Elf's sudden appearance, his own frozen body, the forcibly recited system remark, and the so-called "His true name"...

"When did it start?"

"Was it the day I went to Neum, the encounter at Jeff's house, or..."

Thoughts suddenly paused.

Xia Nan was shocked.

His eyes stared straight ahead, at that row of seemingly familiar, empty shelves.

Instinctively turned around, his gaze swept over the surroundings.

This was not a particularly spacious room, but because of the simple interior and clever layout, it seemed especially bright and clean.

And the wooden cabinet placed by the wall, along with the small front desk near the inner room, also revealed in some sense the function of this house: