Chapter 1266 - 621: The Long-Awaited Encounter (Part 2)

Something strange.

According to the experience accumulated in the past, just a slight venture into the cave should be enough to easily hear the distinct "screeching" of goblins coming from deep within the nest.

Yet now, Xia Nan hears no sound at all, the silence is terrifying.

Meanwhile, he gradually picks up the unmistakable scent of blood mixed with the goblins’ body odor and the stench of rotting corpses.

His forehead furrows slightly as he realizes there’s likely a special situation in this goblin nest.

His feet hadn’t even paused yet, but his perception, far beyond that of ordinary adventurers, made him notice additional details.

For some reason, the air temperature inside the passage is noticeably lower than that of the goblin nests he has cleared before.

As if thinking of something, Xia Nan can’t help but touch the outline of the [Glimmer of Fate] dice on his chest through his clothes, letting his mind wander.

"No way..."

His pace suddenly quickens, his body unconsciously tenses, already prepared for unexpected battle scenarios.

Passing through a broader passage designed to accommodate Bear Goblins, the core of the underground nest remains spacious, like a crudely made small square.

However, the imagined scene of goblins dancing and cheering wildly around a bonfire is no longer.

Instead, there are overturned, dirty cauldrons spilling filth everywhere, dirt reeked carpets revealing rocky ground below, formed from piled and compressed filth, and...

Ice-cold corpses of green-skinned goblins that are completely dead.

Even their leader, the hefty Bear Goblin known as the "novice adventurer killer," lies motionless on the ground, its once fierce eyes now murky and lifeless.

Having anticipated this scene in the passage earlier, Xia Nan was not surprised by the scene before him.

Simultaneously, his heart, originally fluttering in anticipation of indulgence, was replaced by a more nuanced feeling of expectation.

Utilizing his perception ability, he surveyed the cave a few times, ensuring no residual danger remained.

He began to examine the goblin corpses meticulously.

Different from the execution method that might appear cruel to outsiders, the corpses within the nest, including the Bear Goblin at the far end, all died from instant fatal blows.

There are two main types of wounds: bite marks on the neck and claw slashes from beasts.

The force is incredibly strong.

Judging from the battle traces left on the scene, the Bear Goblin, leader of the tribe, hadn’t even swung its spiked iron hammer before half its neck was bit off cleanly, dying on the spot.

Ordinary goblins didn’t last even half a round, swiftly turned into corpses no longer eligible for resurrection by claws and sharp teeth.

Thus, prior to Xia Nan, an outdoor, powerful demon beast attacked this nest first?

The conclusion reached in his mind brought a touch of disappointment to Xia Nan’s heart.

Just as he was about to leave the cave, a flicker detected by the corner of his eye drew his attention.

He stepped closer for a detailed examination.

"Hmm?"

His body paused involuntarily; he picked up the reflective object from the ground, holding it in his palm.

It turned out to be a transparent and almost translucent, pure white fur, still emanating faint cold air under extraordinary power despite being detached from its body.

Honestly, though limited by the areas where he normally roams, he hardly encountered such special demon beasts in the real world.

Yet in the "Algae Scale" Dodd’s promotion ritual secret realm, he had spent a significant time in that form, so how could it be unfamiliar?

Just at the moment he saw the fur, Xia Nan clearly and confidently confirmed its origin in his heart:

——A Winter Wolf!

His mood, slightly sinking from disappointment, quietly rose.

Even just by its name and pure white appearance, one could guess that Winter Wolves generally dwell in frost plains and snow lands.

Yet currently, Xia Nan is in the heavily forested northeastern hills.

Even the nearest plateau snow land is quite a distance away.

Without a rare special situation, there’s no way a Winter Wolf would appear locally.

Meanwhile, Xia Nan is aware that the barbarian Fugang he’s tracking has a white-furred Winter Wolf by his side.

To be frank, Xia Nan initially saw it as a little wolf cub at the White Sparrow Tavern.

His heart stirred as he placed the wolf fur into his inner waist pouch.

Xia Nan focused his attention, carefully searching in the dim light of the spacious underground nest resembling a small square.

Practically plastering against the walls, inch by inch, he searched the entire cave.

Finally, at a spot he previously mistook for just a stone wall and thus paid little attention to, he discovered a hidden passage leading deeper inside, seemingly deliberately concealed by the goblins.

Having found clues likely pointing to the presence of Barbarian Fugang, Xia Nan couldn’t just ignore them.

After a brief preparation, ensuring all equipment was properly donned, with several trump cards ready to be revealed at any moment,

he tightly gripped the gray-black straight sword in his hand, adopting an extremely cautious stance, ever-ready for battle, and entered the corridor located in the goblin nest.

Thanks to his past experience in the "Teeth Hunting" Secret Realm within the Dream Weaving Corridor, although not to the level of a Professional Wanderer, he still possessed some stealth technique skills.

Plus, with the strengthening of his physical abilities came an enhancement of his dark vision as well.

Even though the corridor was extremely dimly lit, with only occasionally glowing fungi on the walls providing very faint light sources,

Xia Nan could still maintain a stealthy stance while keeping a reasonable pace of progress.

His attention was intensely focused, though his thoughts were somewhat scattered.

If, according to his suspicions, Barbarian Fugang was indeed up ahead,

then... what lay at the end of this corridor?

Was it the hiding place of the Wild Swamp Druid being hunted by them, or the den of a powerful demon?

Considering that it was connected to a goblin tribe led by a Bear Goblin leader, perhaps at the deepest part of the corridor lay an elite-level goblin variant?

There wasn’t time to think too much.

As Xia Nan ventured deeper, he unexpectedly discovered,

that this long tunnel deep inside the underground goblin nest didn’t lead further underground as he anticipated.

Instead, the terrain gradually rose, vaguely trending toward the surface.

While puzzled, suddenly, a tiny, bright spot formed by sunlight appeared strikingly at the end of the passage in the dark depths.

Knowing he was about to exit the tunnel, Xia Nan felt a chill in his heart.

He gripped the "Ash Fall" straight sword in his right hand, while his left arm shield was lifted in front of him.

Stealthily and quietly moving forward while restraining his steps as much as possible, he drew closer.

The ambush he anticipated in his mind did not occur.

As Xia Nan stepped out of the corridor in a combative stance, what appeared in his sight was the same dense forest and shrubs seen earlier during his journey.

Judging by the surrounding terrain, this place should be a valley.

But apart from that, there was nothing special.

"Could it really just be an emergency escape route in the goblin nest?"

Nonetheless, the winter wolf fur he found inside the nest was a fact.

Fugang, or the winter wolf that accompanied him, had definitely been here!

As for what came next...

As Xia Nan contemplated, he was thinking of taking the map out of the pocket watch to confirm his position.

Suddenly, his keen perception ability seemed to detect something.

He instinctively turned around, scanning his gaze towards the nearby shrubs.

"Rustle..."

As if it too felt his gaze, the shrub suddenly shook violently the moment their gazes met.

"Bang!"

A completely snow-white winter wolf, with fur rippling, suddenly leaped out from the depths of the bushes.

Landing on its slender paws, its wolf eyes fierce, a threatening low growl reverberating as it bared its sharp and jagged wolf teeth at Xia Nan.

Yet in just the next moment, as if it caught a familiar scent from Xia Nan,

its snout twitching,

the ferocity that filled its wolf eyes was replaced instantly by a kind of clear and unknowing innocence.

Its wolf teeth receded, and its pink tongue licked its nose.

"Woo..."

The winter wolf, noticeably smaller than an adult in size, tilted its head at Xia Nan, emitting a confused whimper from its throat.

Behind it, accompanied by steady, solid footsteps, was a robust figure gradually becoming clear in the forest’s dim light.