Goblin Dependency

Dodd secretly mocked the stupidity of the group’s leader. If he were in that position, he would have already killed those weak teammates for Life Energy replenishment, possibly enhancing his own progress.

In his heart, "Algae Scale" Dodd had already sentenced the small group on the opposite end of the map to death.

"Buzz..."

Not far behind, the invisible barrier symbolizing the boundary of the map was tinged with a dangerous crimson.

Dodd paused in surprise, his instincts stirring with urgency.

Understanding the mechanism of the ritual, he knew exactly what this meant.

The rapidly contracting Secret Realm’s boundary indicated that the ritual had entered its final stage.

According to the original plan, it was also time for him to speed up his harvesting process.

Reviewing his many days inside the Secret Realm, Dodd had enjoyed numerous conveniences, including using his bloodline for identity verification within the ritual, allowing him to perceive other adventurers’ locations.

Despite some hiccups—such as deviations in the evolution path farther from the expected giant dragon, or sleeping through the supply drops—the overall direction still followed his plan.

He was only one step away from completing the ritual and ascending to "Transcendent" status.

In a sense, this was precisely why "Algae Scale" Dodd dared to blatantly drag a hundred Elite adventurers into the Secret Realm during the Moon Tide Banquet as his stepping stones.

He knew that in the Secret Realm, dying only caused the physical body in the real world to enter a weakened state.

But it was also clear to him that Stodd Island was currently under assault by the Sha Hua Fishmen.

Although these Water Rats broke their promise by attacking the island’s adventurers prematurely, resulting in heavy losses for the vanguard,.

Based on Dodd’s understanding of the Sha Hua Fishmen, there must still be many Fishmen with adequate combat power lurking near the waters around Stodd Island.

When they launch a second wave of attacks on the island, they will be facing adventurers who have just returned from the ritual, their bodies weak and their combat abilities significantly reduced.

It’s evident sufficient damage can be dealt, effectively clearing away many newly forged enemies for Dodd.

He didn’t believe the Fishmen could completely annihilate the island’s adventurers, but undoubtedly after the brutal battle, the number of adventurers on the island would significantly decrease.

At that point, those few who manage to survive will naturally lose their ability to seek revenge against "Transcendent" Dodd.

Whether they live or die is entirely up to Dodd’s decision.

The preparation for the ritual, handling of adventurers, even the dealings with the Sha Hua Fishmen... Dodd was extremely thorough in his planning on major fronts.

Even if some unexpected situations arise, there is still considerable margin for error.

To truly become a Big Shot in the Southern Islands Sea Area, Dodd has poured everything into this grand ritual.

But the advancement ritual, at least within the foreseeable future with his resources, presents only this one opportunity.

Everything has pros and cons; should he succeed, there’s no need to elaborate—Dodd will completely transcend his current status and emerge as a sea-born aristocrat with the identity of a "Transcendent."

However, should he fail... though he doesn’t wish to dwell on this possibility.

If the worst happens, the weakened state caused by dying in the Ritual Secret Realm would be one aspect impacting his physical form in the real world.

On another hand, the backlash from the failed advancement would force him into a long recovery period, preventing him from opting for other, lower-quality paths to forcibly advance to Transcendent.

In the ever-changing environment of the ocean, especially after such a major disturbance, potential enemies hidden deep in the waters, eyeing him like predators, will not allow him time to rest and heal.

Thus, to ensure the ritual proceeds without a hitch.

Alongside his Perception Ability to sense other adventurers’ locations, familiarity with Secret Realm mechanisms, and relatively high initial racial status, Dodd has one final card to play.

—Now that the Secret Realm boundary has shrunk to such an extent, as the orchestrator of the ritual, Dodd can choose to activate a privilege that only he can select.

He can choose to allow all surviving adventurers in the Secret Realm to acquire the ability to perceive the exact positions of other participants, just like him.

In one sense, this undoubtedly means surrendering Dodd’s greatest advantage in the Secret Realm.

However, if he activates this privilege, every adventurer’s Life Energy upon death would become double its original amount.

This is the final safeguard Dodd has prepared, within what the ritual permits, to ensure his ultimate victory in the Secret Realm.

At first glance, doubling the residual energy of all adventurers and granting them the ability to perceive other participants seems like no advantage to Dodd.

But it actually requires consideration of the specific circumstances.

Currently, as the Secret Realm boundary is shrinking to an extremely small range, the frequency of adventurer encounters sharply increases, and the advantage of Perception Ability is not as significant as before, allowing for partial abandonment.

If everything proceeds smoothly, by this point, Dodd should already possess overwhelming superiority over other adventurers through utilizing several mechanisms within the Secret Realm.

The rest is straightforward; he naturally does not need to activate this privilege.

And if he had already fallen behind substantially, dropping to the second tier, third tier... although unlikely, should it happen, there would be no need to activate such mechanisms, as it would only put him further behind.

Frankly, if he finds himself in such dire straits despite wielding so many advantages, Dodd himself would accept it.

The genuine need to deploy this backup measure is precisely when he is in his current situation, where unexpected circumstances have hindered his progress compared to expectations, but he still holds a relative advantage over the adventurers in the Secret Realm, just not an overwhelming lead.

Under these circumstances, if the amount of Life Energy supplied by an adventurer becomes twice the original.

It would significantly accelerate the lead of superior adventurers within the Secret Realm.

Otherwise, given the current trend, although Dodd confidently believes he still leads all adventurers in the ritual, if truly faced with an onslaught of Second Evolution participants, handling it would be challenging.

However, upon activating the privilege, he can use this final stretch of time to vastly extend his lead advantage at a pace far exceeding before.

At that point, having completed four evolutions, or even five evolutions, he could face siege and still achieve final victory with a crushing stance.

Resolving in his heart, the tan lizard, covered in wounds, lay prone on the sand and took a deep breath.

Then he closed his eyes.

"Buzz..."

The ritual boundary radiating crimson light vibrated slightly, transmitting invisible energy across the entire Secret Realm.

An adventurer being the mole huddled deep within their burrow abruptly shivered, their eyes gleaming with clarity; Another, a large falcon adventurer, evidently having undergone evolution, suddenly changed direction in the sky and dove towards a location on the ground.

The ritual Secret Realm, having already entered the final stage, accelerated once again at this moment.

...

Expansive plain view.

Not far behind stood a Thorn Demon, a sparrow, and a Black Bear.

Among the Wolf Mouth lay the dispersing shadow of a Longsword, enveloped in ink-like Powerful Qi, a Gloomy Black Wolf stood still, before it the body of a striped giant tiger sliced in half, with a glowing blue orb hovering above.

Still not absorbed yet, an invisible ripple spread, causing those present to freeze, then exchange peculiar glances.

...

Deep underground, a cavern stacked with Gold Coins.

The Red Dragon Hatchling, noticeably bulkier, climbed to the top of a coin mound enthusiastically, riding a golden sled from who-knows-where, giggling as it slid down.

Failing to control its balance upon landing, it tumbled across the ground several times.

An invisible ripple wafted through, leaving the hatchling momentarily stunned, initially exploring out of curiosity for a while, but quickly losing interest upon guessing the significance of these bright dots perceived.

Turning instead to study its underdeveloped dragon wings, it tried taking off and gliding within the cavern.

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