Chapter 677 Severed

Xia Nan was not exactly intimately familiar with this "conjoined type" of monster, but he was certainly no stranger to it.

As mentioned before, he had encountered a similar fused Shark Beast monster earlier during his adventures in the Southern Archipelagos.

He knew the key to fighting them.

His primary target was naturally the green-skinned goblin half wrapped in mycelium and fused to the hook horror's shoulder.

Based on past experience, this seemingly withered goblin was highly likely the monster's main body, and it might even cast spell-like abilities during combat.

Under these circumstances, it was naturally best to eliminate it first.

Reality was not like the online games of his past life; he would not feel shortchanged just because he missed seeing a boss's ultimate trump cards.

If possible, Xia Nan did not even want to see the boss's so-called "Stage 2." He would skip it if he could.

It was enough for him alone to have such an ability; an enemy having it was never a good thing—

"Aroo!"

A wolf's howl, slightly deeper and far more intense than the roar of [Fang Hunt], echoed across the battlefield.

She shared a near-telepathic connection with Xia Nan, possessing an unusual, almost exaggerated synergy with him.

He did not even need to voice his explanation to Winter Wolf Fanny beside him. She acutely deduced his general plan through his eyes and movements, stepping in to provide the corresponding support at the right moment.

He had to admit, Fanny was truly intelligent.

Although her inability to speak was limited by her origins as a wolf spirit, her intellect was far higher than that of many ordinary adventurers.

Knowing full well that the mycelium-corrupted and enhanced hook horror possessed combat strength somewhat beyond what she could easily handle, she did not act brave like the gnome Ronda. Instead, she fully utilized her high Agility advantage, taking the initiative to charge forward and draw the enemy's attention for Xia Nan.

"Awooo!"

Short wolf howls mixed with low growls echoed continuously between the stone walls.

Beneath the ceaselessly crashing dark purple hooked claws, the agile, pure-white figure was like a tiny boat rocking amidst a raging storm. She looked as though she would be swallowed by the waves the very next second, yet time and time again, she dodged the enemy's attacks unscathed, without suffering even the slightest scratch.

Fanny's agile kiting completely drew the hook horror's attention, leaving it to do nothing but swing its sharp claws at the enemy before it in impotent rage.

This gave Xia Nan the exact opening he needed to close in and deal a devastating blow.

"Roar!"

An illusory pitch-black wolf phantom, wrapped in fierce winds, shot forward from the hook horror's blind spot.

Relying on his sharp Perception, he precisely seized that fleeting opportunity. Taking advantage of the split-second stiffness right after the hook horror attacked, he unleashed [Fang Hunt], [Heavy Tide], [Gravity Etching], and [Spinning Slash]. Refusing to waste the precious opening his companion had bought for him, Xia Nan went all out in this instant.

Four entire combat techniques. Any single one of them was enough to serve as a bottom-tier adventurer's fame-making ultimate trump card, yet all were now absurdly stacked onto a single sword strike.

The damage they could inflict was readily imaginable.

From Xia Nan's perspective, the half-goblin growing out of the hook horror's shoulder, barely clinging to life, did not even have a chance to react. The moment it raised its head, the sword slashed directly into its face.

"Boom!"

Bolstered by the combined effects of his combat techniques and physical attributes, a tremendous force far exceeding that of an adventurer of the same level erupted in an instant.

Against the backdrop of the distorted air, ochre-red forcefield energy exploded like a firework against the goblin's head, sending bone fragments and shredded flesh mixed with dark purple mycelium flying in all directions.

Under the stacked damage multipliers, the goblin could not manage even the slightest act of resistance before its entire head, along with a small chunk of its torso, was blown completely away.

Striking and retreating immediately, Xia Nan adhered to his combat principles and decisively pulled back after dealing the damage. Shrouded in the black wolf phantom, he merely pushed off slightly with his feet to put a vast distance between himself and the wounded monster.

Winter Wolf Fanny beside him was just as responsive, retreating on Xia Nan's heels. By the time he opened up the distance and planted his feet, she had arrived by his side.

"Screech!!!"

With the goblin on its shoulder pulverized by the forcefield energy, the hook horror fell into an expected state of frenzy. It shrieked and flailed its two razor-sharp hooked claws wildly, painting a picture of impotent rage.

But on the other side, Xia Nan, who had just dealt the heavy blow and was carefully observing the situation with his Perception wide open, could not help but frown slightly.

It was completely different from what he had imagined—that the main body would explode, leaving only the monster's remnant husk to wheeze its last breaths.

Instead of showing the slightest sign of weakening after the goblin half was blown to bits, the hook horror descended into a bizarre state of berserk rage, recklessly venting its inner brutality right where it stood.

Watching the scene unfold before him, a thoughtful look flashed across Xia Nan's face.

'Perhaps... this goblin didn't successfully fuse with it completely?'

Instead of holding a dominant, "brain"-like position controlling the body as he had imagined, was it more like a meaningless, deformed extra limb?

But if that were truly the case, what role did the mycelium wrapping around their bodies to fuse them play?

Was the fusion between a goblin and a hook horror always like this, or was the thing before him just a failed product of the process?

There was not enough time left for Xia Nan to overthink it. In the very next second, the hook horror, driven by intense pain and violent fury, was already shrieking and charging right at him.

Naturally, he was not going to meet it head-on. Xia Nan was not a meat-shield Warrior type to begin with. The class characteristics of [Meteor Blade Hunter] allowed him to push his Agility and mobility to their absolute limits.

With only a slight signaling look, two wolf howls rang out almost consecutively.

The pitch-black wolf phantom and the pure-white wolf beast blurred outward to the left and right, nimbly and swiftly dodging the monster's charge.

At the same time, Xia Nan called out a reminder to Fanny in Common, "Careful, don't get hurt!"

Under normal circumstances, given Xia Nan's aggressive combat style, he naturally would not fear getting injured in battle.

Setting aside the Healing Potions always kept in his belt pouch, he could not even use up the three daily charges of "Lesser Healing" from [Tears of Spring Breath]. He did not mind taking a little damage at all.

But this situation was different.

The hook horror in front of him seemed to have had its brain infiltrated by the mycelium of the Swamp Druid. Its entire body exuded a bizarre aura.

Under his sharp Perception, Xia Nan could even sense the dark purple spore powder drifting and scattering from its surface with its violent movements.

Although there was no definitive intelligence proving that these fungal colonies were contagious, Xia Nan was far too wary of that Swamp Druid. With his cautious nature, he had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

This was exactly why he went out of his way to remind Fanny.

There was no need to be overly aggressive; they just needed to fully utilize their Agility advantage and evade the opponent's attacks.

If possible, Xia Nan did not want a single member on their side to get injured while fighting the hook horror.

"Bang!"

The sharp hooked claws crashed down once more. Rather than dodging right away, Xia Nan deliberately brought the [Ember Fall] straight sword up against its claws as he shifted his feet.

Amidst the showering sparks, he felt the force transmitting through the hilt.

He confirmed that this hook horror's actual Strength was higher than his own. Trading blows head-on where the enemy excelled was ill-advised.

Off to the side, seeing Xia Nan engage in physical contact with the hook horror, Fanny circled into its blind spot and attempted a sneak attack from the rear. For some unknown reason, however, it was as if the monster had eyes in the back of its head. With a single swipe of its hooked claws, it forced the winter wolf back.

Xia Nan guessed that either the noise of Fanny's attack had drawn the attention of the keen-eared hook horror, or the mycelial mat on the ground was actively feeding the monster information, allowing it to pinpoint the stealthy movements in its rear blind spot.

Formidable Strength, decent Perception, and outstanding Constitution, with only its Agility lacking by a fair margin—after a few exchanges, Xia Nan already had a rough estimate of the hook horror's overall power level.

His dark eyes swept over its massive, mycelium-covered body, finally settling on its head.

Then, he took a deep breath.

"Huff... Huff..."

Panting heavily, Zanfrey and Winsor sprinted madly away from the battlefield together, using almost every ounce of their strength to pump their legs.

It was not until they rounded two more corners and found a small hollow hidden in a crevice in the rock wall that they frantically, yet carefully, hid inside.

It was not that the two of them did not want to keep running further away. The environment in the Underdark was simply far too complex. If they kept fleeing, setting aside whether they might run into other dangerous monsters, the risk of accidentally getting lost was too high. With their combat capabilities, they would likely never find their way out in this lifetime.

Their current distance was actually just right. They were still within the hook horror's territory, meaning there was a high probability that no other dangerous monsters were around.

They had also left markers along the way, so they could find the path back.

Once the battle was over, whether the two of them headed back or Xia Nan's group followed the markers to find them, they would be able to regroup.

However, what the two were currently worried about was none of this.

"Winsor, do you think... Mr. Xia Nan and the others will be able to handle those monsters?"

Huddling as deep into the hollow as possible, Zanfrey craned his neck to peek out through the crevice at the entrance, voicing his worries to the young fisherman beside him without turning his head.

Although he could be considered to have fought alongside Xia Nan before, they had not encountered any overwhelmingly powerful enemies back then.

In Zanfrey's eyes, Xia Nan might be much stronger than his Uncle Ake, but he did not have a clear grasp of the actual combat prowess of this exceedingly young, black-haired adventurer.

Now, seeing him take on over fifty enhanced goblins with nothing but his winter wolf companion—plus a hook horror that even veteran adventurers would not want to run into in the Underdark.

Truth be told, Zanfrey did not have much faith in Xia Nan.

Though he asked the question out loud and hoped for the situation to develop in a positive direction, he had to admit that he was also preparing for the worst-case scenario.

In contrast, Winsor's reaction was far more composed.

Perhaps because of the time Xia Nan had bailed this young fisherman out from the threat of gang thugs, Winsor did not actually believe Xia Nan would suffer heavy losses in this battle.

But given his personality, when Zanfrey actually brought the topic up, he was not going to offer any comfort. He simply replied in a flat and even somewhat pessimistic tone, "I looked back just now. Mr. Ronda... might be struggling."

Even though Winsor had not even acquired a Class Level yet, and his personality leaned toward the pessimistic side, he was still, after all, a human with normal observational skills and average, if not higher, cognitive abilities.

In just the few glances he took back while fleeing, he had personally watched that powerful gnome Rogue get practically swatted away by a single claw strike in an extremely pathetic fashion.

He tumbled across the ground several times before barely managing to regain his balance.

And at that point, the battle had only just begun.

Because of this, Winsor was highly skeptical of how much time the gnome could buy for Xia Nan, who was busy dealing with the trash mobs of goblins on the side.

Should the situation on the battlefield deteriorate and take a sudden turn for the worse, all that would be waiting for them might be a few corpses.

"Listen, it sounds like it's gotten quiet outside."

With fear and anxiety mixed with threads of hope, Zanfrey looked as if he wanted to step out but did not dare, discussing it with Winsor beside him. "Perhaps... we should go back and take a look?"

Having spent so much time together, Winsor was already well-acquainted with the noble youth's personality. He knew that by asking this, the other boy had actually already made up his mind.

So, he obliged him, nodding in agreement before taking the initiative to step forward and squeeze out through the crevice entrance of their hiding spot first.

The lighting inside the tunnel was dim.

Exactly as Zanfrey had said, the high-pitched shrieks of goblins that had been echoing between the stone walls had now vanished without a trace.

The damp, freezing air carried only the faint scent of blood drifting from afar, along with the hook horror's terrifying shrieks.

The battle had clearly reached its most critical juncture.

Zanfrey stood rooted in place and took several deep breaths. Then, as if mustering a tremendous amount of courage, he turned to his companion.

"It's almost over," he suggested to Winsor beside him. "I think we must go back immediately."

Winsor knew his personality too well; he guessed what Zanfrey was thinking without even having to try.

Zanfrey probably imagined the battlefield playing out like a bard's tale: a party of adventurers and a powerful monster battling to the bitter end, leaving both sides on the verge of death.

Then, at the most critical moment, a nameless nobody would step onto the stage, deal the monster the final blow, and earn the gratitude of those powerful adventurers—thus taking the first step on the Legendary path.

Winsor certainly did not expect Zanfrey's fantasy to become reality, but he did not argue. He simply nodded in silence and followed the other man.

One after the other, the two carefully retraced the marks they had left behind during their escape, groping through the darkness toward the sound of the clash.

As it turned out, the reality of the battlefield was exactly as Winsor had expected.

The two of them sneaking back were of absolutely no use.

When they finally crept back into the cavern, the scene that greeted them was the gnome Rogue caked in dirt and slumped wretchedly against the stone wall; shredded flesh and severed limbs paving almost the entire floor, so mangled they were barely recognizable; the corpse of the hook horror, missing half its head, slowly toppling to the ground; and—

That fierce figure standing atop the back of the hook horror's neck, wielding a Gray-Black Straight Sword, wreathed in the fading remnants of pitch-black force and ochre light.