Goblin Dependency-Chapter 222 - 125 Carnivore

Ding——

The bell rang sharply and urgently as the trap was triggered, startling several unknown birds and beasts, flapping their wings frantically as they flew up from the treetops.

Following closely were several agitated, short growls coming from the dense forest.

No longer hiding their figures or masking their sounds, the noise of branches breaking was accompanied by the sudden burst of rapid, dense footsteps.

"Prepare!"

Awakening from a nightmare and having not returned to sleep, Adeline shouted immediately.

Her hands were already gripping her two heavy iron hammers.

Beside her, Berg, who had been restless due to the corpse of "Iron Hand" George, seemed as if his suspended heart finally died, and the previously anxious expression faded away.

Holding a longbow and retreating swiftly while sharply scanning other directions of the camp for any ambushes.

Displaying the professional demeanor of a seasoned adventurer.

Abi was awakened from his stupor by Adeline’s shout, bleary-eyed, but seeing the stances of everyone on the field, he quickly reacted without needing much explanation.

Fortunately, being in the wild, he was required to wear his underclothes and armor while resting, saving him a lot of time.

Hastily, he threw off the blanket covering him, rubbed his eyes, snatched up the weapon by his feet, took two steps forward, and planted himself in front of a few people, shield raised.

As for Xia Nan, there’s no need to say more.

The focused perception and attention cultivated from practicing [Gravity Compression], made him the first in the group to notice the danger.

As Abi squinted his eyes, tidying his clothes while hastily stepping to his side.

Xia Nan had already gripped his Beheading Longsword, body taut, fully prepared for combat.

No one moved.

Within the "Green Blood" squad, except for Berg who took the initiative to retreat due to his long-range shooter role.

The others, including the one who voiced the alert, Adeline, stood in their positions and did not move again.

The enemy is hidden while they are exposed, and withdrawing rashly in the mist-covered forest at night would only disrupt their formation, placing the team at a disadvantage.

At the very least... they needed to discern the true identity of their foe, whether it was as they deduced from the traces on the corpses, before making any decisions.

"Sasha..."

Shadows covered the violently quivering underbrush, within which faint, fast-approaching figures could be seen.

Xia Nan’s heart pounded intensely, his dark eyes reflecting the firelight, maintaining a calm demeanor.

And just as the dense footsteps grew clearer, when the hair of the approaching shadows became visible.

The first to emerge from the bushes into everyone’s sight was a glint of cold light reflected by the campfire.

"Whizz!"

A sharp arrow tore through the mist, enveloping fragments of leaves and seeds, howling out.

It was incredibly fast!

Xia Nan only felt a sharp, painful wind surge before him, instinctively raising his Longsword to guard in front of him.

"Brace!!"

Sparks flew.

Metal scraping, the surface of the sword crackled with sparks.

In a split second, a sense of heaviness traveled through his Longsword, a gust slicing past his ear.

The next second, the arrow, originally aimed at his chest, was deflected by his Longsword, its trajectory altering, embedding into the trunk of an oak tree behind him with residual force.

"That accurate?"

Chilling dread rose at the back of his head, yet before he could think further, the enemy, exposed by the trap they preemptively set, charged straight out of the woods.

"Eega!"

Mixed with a strong smell of blood and filthy stench, sharp, eerie cries of excitement came from the air.

Yellow-brown viscous saliva dripped from the barbed tongue hanging from its mouth; the moist edges of its black turned-out nose snorted out scorching air as it breathed.

A grotesque skull resembling a hybrid of hyena and human, foreheads twisted and indented, swelling abruptly at the back; in the night, beast eyes reflecting a morbid green light, bloodshot and filled with brutality and savagery.

There were five lean, ferocious Gnolls!

Among them, at the forefront, one individual significantly larger than its peers, undoubtedly the dangerous demon from the Western Wilderness, who had strayed to the vicinity of Mist Forest, attacking multiple human villages, heavily bountied by the adventurer association—

Jackal Wolfman Meat Eater!

Xia Nan focused, the impending battle tightened his grip on the sword handle, turning his palms slightly pale with exertion.

Fixing his gaze on the few Gnolls, running with limbs like hyenas, their expressions frenzied.

Yet, he couldn’t help but find it a bit strange.

Firstly, the number of these Gnolls didn’t reach the "tribe" level mentioned on the association’s Task Board, incapable of attacking villages.

"Have some split to ambush from other directions of the camp, or have many already perished in battles with other adventurers?"

Secondly, these few Gnolls wore a few ill-fitting pieces of armor equipment—obviously scavenged from fallen adventurers, but at the same time, various wounds were evident on their bodies.

Cuts and stabs were only a small part; starkly visible were the burn marks as if from a great fire, blackened and scorched, covering their bodies.

Even the "Meat Eater" leading wasn’t exempt.

He couldn’t help recalling the shredded corpse of "Iron Hand" George.

"Were they responsible?"

Fragmented thoughts surfaced, yet the howling echoes in the air cleared them swiftly.

No battle had commenced yet, but as the leader of the "Green Blood" squad, Adeline, possessing the most adventurous experience among the few.

Decided decisively!

She reattached the iron hammer to her waist with her left hand, taking the Wooden Shield from Abi beside her.

Leaving a terse and straightforward command.

Rushing fiercely towards the "Jackal Wolfman Meat Eater" ahead.

"I’ll hold it off, Xia Nan, the rest are yours!"

Within seconds of the Gnolls appearing, she had already made her decision.

She would hold off the most formidable enemy, capable of inflicting significant damage on the team in a short time—a "Meat Eater."

Securing time for Xia Nan, the team member with the greatest mobility, to eliminate the other ordinary Gnolls.

Honestly, although they had completed many tasks together and performed beyond normal adventurers during the battle with "Huo Ya."

She wasn’t certain if Xia Nan could use the few short minutes before she could no longer hold on to eliminate the Gnolls, aside from the "Meat Eater," on the field.

But right now, facing such peril.

She could only place her hopes on this mysterious, young, yet reliable teammate.

Xia Nan was unaware of her thoughts at the moment.

As soon as her words ended, he charged out.

But his direction was slightly different from Adeline’s.

His dark eyes fixed on the edge of the camp, the dense bush from where the arrow was previously shot.

—In team battles, eliminate the backline first.

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