Chapter 1294: Sulfur Dragon Breath

“Screech!”

A piercing scream filled with agony echoed through the forest.

The black arm shield’s surface reflected the cold light from the surrounding Frost Hill, while the five long, powerful fingers tightly gripped the slender, fragile neck of the goblin before him.

With keen perception, Xia Nan could clearly feel, on the surface of the thin skin at the goblin’s neck, the faintly electric sensation akin to a current, caused by the high-frequency vibrations of the vocal cords during the scream.

He could feel under his fingertips the swelling muscles of the neck that were writhing, and the lopsided cartilage deeper within.

With all four feet off the ground, it was dangling in mid-air, its neck clutched by a single hand.

The green-skinned goblin screamed and struggled, yet it was impossible to break free from the seemingly iron grip around its neck.

The familiar touch of it all—Xia Nan understood the goblin’s body structure better than a professional doctor, and had perfect control over his own muscular strength.

He was able to execute precise control of the force in his hand with exceptional finesse and accuracy.

Thus, the goblin whose vital point was locked in his palm remained in extreme pain but not quite to the point of passing out.

He reveled in the exquisite feeling of the goblin slowly dying amidst its howls.

In the past, Xia Nan wouldn’t have minded using this to relieve inner pressure.

Letting a green-skinned goblin, who should have died on the spot, live for an extra ten minutes in extreme pain was perfectly normal.

But at this moment…

“Mr. Xia Nan, how’s it going over there, do you need any help?”

Crack—

With the crisp sound of a bone snapping, the goblin’s painful cries came to an abrupt halt.

He casually tossed the goblin’s body with the broken neck to the ground like trash, crushing its skull with his foot to ensure it’s dead.

After traveling together with Frogon before, he once again forcefully suppressed the wildfire-like desire burning inside.

His chest heaved as he exhaled a long breath.

Xia Nan turned around, walking calmly in the direction of Bald Ranger Tal who had called out to him.

Upon seeing this, Winter Wolf Fenney, who had been quietly squatting beside several shredded goblin corpses and patiently waiting, wagged its tail and approached, affectionately and excitedly rubbing its furry, cold head against Xia Nan’s palm.

Now, it had been three days since he took the mission at the fortress’ military achievement hall.

And Xia Nan’s position moved from the original Blood Castle gathering area to Frost Hill on the eastern side of the fortress.

“Lone Wolf” type adventurers certainly have freedom, but many times, due to various factors, they also face constraints.

The Banshee hunting mission Xia Nan accepted required it to be undertaken by an adventurer team with at least four members.

By himself and Winter Wolf Fenney, they didn’t meet the task conditions.

Even with Ranger Tal, they were still not enough in number.

Thus, they had to collaborate with other adventurer teams to complete the task as a group.

“Whistle!”

The gentle and melodious sound of a flute undulated among the branches covered with ice crystals.

The flute seemed to carry some peculiar power, making allies feel relaxed and pleasant, but in the goblins’ ears in the forest, it was particularly harsh, dampening their fighting spirit and making them drowsy.

Whoosh—

A slender figure held a vertical flute in one hand and tightly clutched a fine sword in the other.

The cold gleam flickered as the goblins before him turned into lifeless corpses.

Uriah, the minstrel, an ordinary-looking human male in his early forties, dressed in relatively good light leather armor, was the temporary leader of his team.

Unlike Half-elf Alton, even though Uriah was also a minstrel, neither his sheet music nor his playing skills matched the former’s.

His auxiliary capabilities were limited and did not allow him the luxury of staying protected in the rear of the team.

Thus, in battle, he only occasionally played the role of a minstrel, to play instruments.

Most of the time, he acted in the capacity of a “swordsman,” engaging the enemy in close combat.

Shing—

A green-skinned goblin sneaking to launch a surprise attack suddenly stiffened.

A sharp dagger pierced through its chest center, the wrist twisting to turn the blade, shredding its organs into a mass of minced flesh.

It collapsed in convulsions, revealing a tall figure hidden deep in the shadows behind it.

Tree Creek, a Half Elf Wanderer, inherited the soft and delicate facial features of his elven lineage, with long, pale golden hair falling to cover his pointed long ears, and had a cold, unsmiling demeanor, equipped with two well-maintained, venom-coated short daggers.

“Ahhhh!!!”

At the forefront of the team, accompanied by high-pitched roars, a towering, muscular figure wielded a heavy hammer, smashing goblin after goblin before him like a bulldozer.

Pale green skin, beastly undeveloped ugly facial features, yellowing protruding tusks…

These distinct physical features clearly identified his racial identity.

Gangke, a Half Beastman Warrior, his character predictably brutish and reckless as if mass-produced with his kind on a factory line, bare-chested, with not even a piece of leather armor, flaunting the ferocious scars on his chest and abdomen.

A human minstrel, a Half Elf Wanderer, paired with a Half Beastman Warrior constituted the entire team.

Their strength was quite decent, with professional levels estimated to be around Level 3 or Level 4.