Chapter 1264 620: Mutation and Unexpected Discoveries (Part 2)

A scream filled with pain rang in my ears.

I saw a young man with blood on his face, propped up by his hands behind him, grimacing as he lay on the ground.

His left knee looked to be broken from a heavy blow.

In front of him was an excited goblin covered in sores.

"Jamie!"

The boy was filled with adrenaline.

Although lacking the combat ability of an adult due to his inexperience, when the blood rushed to his head, his courage never faltered.

On the battlefield, he appeared even braver than many seasoned soldiers, though the casualty rate always reached a staggering level.

Jamie, a country boy, was facing goblins for the first time.

Fear gripped his heart, as the terrifying tales of these demons, recounted by his parents and elders, had long warned him.

At this moment, however, he found himself left alone on the field instead of fleeing to the cellar with the others.

A surging emotion rose within him.

He had to protect his family!

Despite his knee injury preventing him from rising, forcing him to sit on the ground and endure the pain.

Confronted by the goblin's filthy club raised high, Jamie held his head high.

With eyes clear and filled with fiery resolve, he glared at the vile creature ahead.

"Hiss!"

There could be no mercy.

Aiming at the head, the goblin's arm flexed as muscles swelled beneath paper-thin skin, preparing to smash down its club.

And in this moment.

Like the shadow cast by death's scythe, an arm shield gleamed under the sun.

A hand emerged from the side accompanying the deep echoing howl of a wolf.

Its five fingers moving deceptively slowly, beyond the response of an ordinary person, clasped lightly over the goblin's head like a claw in a toy machine.

With a slight exertion.

"Crack."

The sound of a shell breaking echoed through the air.

The twitching corpse fell.

Wiping away the remnants of "shell" and "egg liquid."

Xia Nan glanced at the stunned country boy on the ground, turned and faced the remaining goblins in the field.

His expression unchanged, still cold and indifferent, yet his heartbeat had quickened under twisted emotions.

"Roar!"

Wolf howl erupted.

...

...

No need to elaborate on the swift battle.

To avoid frightening the villagers, Xia Nan maintained his usual brisk efficiency during the fight, relishing little.

The battle ended swiftly.

More than twenty goblins defeated in less than a minute.

He expended less stamina than during travel, with no injuries except for enemy blood staining his armor.

Thanks to Xia Nan's timely arrival, the villagers didn't suffer any casualties.

Among those who fought, Jamie's injuries were the most severe, as a goblin club had struck his knee.

Knowing the village lacked medical capabilities, Jamie was likely to limp for life.

Beyond himself, there were no adventurers nearby, only ordinary villagers who knew little of his battle style and profession, calling him a Holy Knight Priest posed no risk.

Xia Nan used the "Secondary Healing Technique" powered by the "Tear of Spring Breath" Necklace, thrice usable daily, to heal Jamie.

The clock's hands spun swiftly, aided by the healing acceleration of the "White Pot" pocket watch.

In seconds, Jamie's knee injury shifted from distorted damage to a minor sprain, healing in a few days.

Thus, helping villagers repel goblin attackers, displaying his prowess, and healing the village boy showcased his intentions.

Imagined scenes of forced respect mingled with concealed displeasure naturally didn't materialize.

The villagers warmly welcomed the foreign adventurer passing by.

Seeking directions, for Xia Nan, the goblin attack itself was a return, sparing poor villagers further expense.

Before arriving at the village, Xia Nan had already taken out the map from the "White Pot" pocket watch, inquiring from the village head about his location and receiving an accurate answer.

Glad not to have strayed far, estimating just half a day to return to his line drawn between Salt Rock Port and Blood Castle.

Planning to leave, he recalled the makeshift defenses seen during battle and casually asked more.

Unexpectedly, the village head sighed deeply, updating Xia Nan on recent happenings around the village.

As a small village in remote mountains on the border.

The advantage was avoiding discovery by passing evil adventurers, sparing them from being massacred for poor hospitality;

The disadvantage was isolation, with no merchants, requiring self-sufficiency and facing beasts and demons from the forest.

Especially goblins spreading like roaches worldwide.

Over years, successive village heads accumulated experience, equaling many senior adventurers in goblin knowledge.

Understanding they attacked livestock shelters first driven by desire.

Hence, the village surrounded shelters with traps, assigning villagers to guard shifts—shelters on the opposite side from where Xia Nan inspected.

Over years, simpler-minded goblins always attacked shelters as anticipated.

With ample preparations, the village survived multiple goblin attacks.

"But for reasons unknown, since the start of the year, not only have goblin numbers increased, their intelligence seems higher in recent months."

The village head looked puzzled.

"In the past, killing a few goblins in the first wave would scare off the rest."

"Now, their morale isn't dampened, becoming reckless and fearless, fiercer than human soldiers."

"Moreover…"

Suddenly remembering, the village head's face darkened, wrinkles gathering.

The goblins fought earlier, didn't follow decades of attacking livestock shelters first.

Given recent goblin mutations, he suspected these goblins bypassed trap-laden shelters, attacking from another side.

If true…

The village head shivered.

Xia Nan lacked solutions to this.

Goblins reappear like crops, harvested only to return, impossible to eradicate completely.

Unable to stay long at the village, if goblins attacked more boldly, the village head might only have the choice to lead villagers away.

"Indeed, it's strange these days."

"Besides intelligent goblins, adventurers like you, rarely encountered yearly, visited our village twice this month."

"Oh?" Xia Nan caught the keyword keenly, raised his brow.

"Just two days ago, a strongly built adventurer, accompanied by a white wolf, stayed with us overnight."

"Didn't take any food, even left a few silver coins on departure."

"Heading in a different direction from you, towards the northwest forest."