Goblin Dependency

The four slender legs moved at such a speed they almost became a blur, the pitch-black mane swaying in the strong wind caused by its rapid motion.

Xia Nan almost pushed the speed of this wolf form to its maximum.

At the same time, he split a part of his attention back to the real world, constantly monitoring the small figure on the shore, wrapped in blue light and floating in mid-air.

The area of the Secret Realm itself has been significantly reduced under the action of retracting boundaries.

Just now, Xia Nan, who was positioned at the edge, reached his destination sensed within no time at full speed.

After two light spots overlapped, the third one also approached.

The wolf paws paused slightly, with keen wolf eyes scanning the field.

Unexpectedly, the imagined scene of two heavily evolved demons fiercely battling did not occur.

Instead, it was a forest ground full of chaos and debris.

Broken branches and grass stems could be seen everywhere, with yellow sand that seemed to appear out of nowhere scattered on mud and meadows.

It looked like the aftermath of a battle, yet this open space bore no real signs of demon combat.

In the human reality, Alton's body still floated in the air.

"What's going on?"

Xia Nan frowned slightly, obviously perceiving that those two light spots had long overlapped, so they had evidently met already, yet it seemed like nothing had happened.

"Could there be some ritual mechanism I haven't discovered?"

Searching the battlefield for clues, he pondered in his mind.

Not long after, Lorin and others caught up at the scene.

After Xia Nan explained the situation, the Vengeance Blade Squad members also fell into contemplation.

Sasha suggested that perhaps the demon possessing Alton had spatial abilities, hiding within a dimensional plane, and when "Algae Scale" Dodd came, he pulled the other inside, restricting his movement.

Therefore, even though the light spots of themselves and others had overlapped, they could not see the two figures.

Considering the varied demon branches shown on the attribute panel during his evolution, it wasn't entirely impossible.

However, Xia Nan thought that perhaps the reality wasn't so complex.

After carefully inspecting the surrounding environment, as the captain of Vengeance Blade, the experienced Lorin offered her theory.

The Thorn Demon she possessed first spread its wings, circling the sky above the open space to confirm there were no discoveries.

Only then did she land back, stamping the ground covered with yellow sand underneath.

"I think they might be right below us."

"You mean…" Sasha chimed in, "Alton and Dodd are underground?"

Lorin nodded slightly.

"If so, it explains the overlapping light spots with no signs of combat."

Combining intuition with the information sensed from the current environment, Xia Nan believed Lorin's theory came closer to the truth.

However, even if Alton and Dodd were right beneath them, the four on the field, including Xia Nan himself, didn't have the ability to dig quickly and act underground.

Thinking of supporting Alton, yet uncertain whether the two would emerge from underground, and if so, when.

After a brief discussion, Xia Nan and others decided to keep constant attention on the changes in light spot positions in their perception, while searching the surrounding area to find any cave passages leading underground.

...

Of course, Dodd was unaware of Xia Nan and the others' actions.

At that moment, he was thrilled about soon finding the lone adventurer hiding deep underground and was digging furiously.

Upon breaking into the Dragon Nest, he was directly intimidated by Dragon's Might, used his trump card, and fled towards the surface with all his might.

Only when he re-emerged on the surface, seeing no sign of pursuit from the Red Dragon below, did he breathe a sigh of relief and re-sense the positions of the adventurers within the Secret Realm.

In Dodd's opinion, Xia Nan and the others, who stuck together, seemed slightly stronger than he initially thought, which allowed them to survive this final phase after the perception privilege was activated for the past two days.

But evidently, no matter how highly he regarded the opposing side, he didn't think any of these four adventurers had an evolution phase surpassing his own.

Compared to him, who had already undergone four evolutions and was nearly stepping on the threshold of a fifth, Dodd believed this small group of adventurers left in the Secret Realm, even the strongest among them, was at most at the level of a third evolution.

After all, having a numerical advantage also means allocating gains within the team.

Even with some bias during the actual allocation, it's impossible to invest everything in one person.

Otherwise, it would become a high-evolution phase adventurer leading three useless burdens, making the so-called "team" and numerical advantage meaningless.

This was his opportunity!

Just one step away from a fifth evolution, Dodd needed to complete a qualitative change through evolution to contend with that adventurer who was currently in the Dragon Nest.

"Just kill one, even if they haven't evolved!"

"Just a bit, just that final bit of life energy…"

Not as translucent, the muddy shine revealing distinct scale outlines on the six short, thick legs moving continuously across the ground.

The trees blocking the path were snapped at the waist by its solid and massive body, grasses and shrubs were crushed underfoot, leaving a winding trail on the ground.

Despite expending some stamina using his trump card, Dodd's speed was still considerable.

He could see that in his perception, the distance between him and those four light spots was decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

What he didn't notice was that facing his fierce, predator-like demeanor, the four adventurers who were meant to be "prey" didn't seem to choose to flee, but rather stayed in place as if waiting for him to come.

Of course, even if Dodd had noticed, given his current predicament, he didn't have any other choices.

A few minutes vanished in a flash.

Soon, "Algae Scale" Dodd saw the true form of this small group of four.

Thorn Demon, Black Bear, and… a Sparrow?

He could see the earth-yellow face covered in scales reveal a flash of wild joy upon seeing the four on the field!

Indeed!

Just as he suspected, this team of four survived purely by numerical advantage, even the one that seemed strongest, the mutated Thorn Demon, was at most at a second evolution stage.

Trying to take shortcuts with teamwork? Then they deserve to be his stepping stones!

But regardless, having the rich experience of a senior adventurer, despite being on the verge of completing a fifth evolution for a qualitative change, stepping into "Transcendent" was right in front.

Amid his elation, a faint sliver of doubt quietly arose from the depths of Dodd's heart, driven by his adventurer's instincts.

If the strongest member of this four-man team was truly just a Thorn Demon with no more than a second evolution, how did they last through the attacks from other adventurers during these final two days in the Secret Realm?

Could it have been luck?

Or was it…

Wait!

A four-man team?

The sudden halt in ecstatic thoughts froze the expression on Dodd's face instantly.

His gaze instinctively swept across the field again.

Thorn Demon, Black Bear, Sparrow…

Where's the last one?

For some reason, despite his absolute confidence in his own strength at that moment, as if the "Transcendent" was already within his grasp.

Yet an inexplicable chill seeped through his scales into his entire being from the air.

The massive lizard body froze instantly in place.

Unlike the Dragon's Might, which originated from the innate suppression of a superior predator, an unfamiliar, icy aura, condensed purely from killing intent, silently enveloped him.

Like a rusty machine, Dodd awkwardly and rigidly turned his head, as if he had just acquired this body, to look to his side.

What met his eyes was a blackness even deeper than the abyss itself.

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