Goblin Dependency
Chapter 147 - 98: Membrane Wings

Chapter 147: Chapter 98: Membrane Wings

Outside Kalanfor, wilderness.

"Huff... huff..."

Sparse weeds mixed with tiny pebbles swiftly retreated on both sides of the road.

Xia Nan panted heavily, swinging his arms back and forth.

The light plate armor rubbed against the chain armor beneath it, producing crisp metal clashing sounds; the backpack behind him violently bounced with his fast-paced movement, and a faint chaotic noise could be heard from within.

There were no unnecessary thoughts.

The strange fungi similar to those in the goblin nest, Frogon’s sudden change of attitude, the fleeting overwhelming presence, and the inexplicable move towards the town...

All hinted to Xia Nan, who had already speculated about the target the barbarian was tracking along the way, as soon as he heard the words to run in the opposite direction.

Without any hesitation, he sprinted wildly.

Very likely, that mysterious enemy who had caused a powerful barbarian of the Transcendent level to chase across half a continent, all the way from the distant Northern Territory to River Valley Town.

Is now hiding in Kalanfor, where he had already been once.

"Who is it?!"

Sweat slid down his cheeks, splashing crystal-clear droplets onto the ground.

"The Priest dressed like a judge in the Sun God Church, or that Grave Digger living alone in the outskirts?"

Or perhaps someone in the town he hadn’t seen before?

Chaotic thoughts tangled like a ball of yarn in his mind as circumstances suddenly changed.

However, his running pace unconsciously quickened.

A battle of this level, with his current strength, touching it means death.

Frogon gave him twenty minutes.

So he could only hope to use this short time to run as far as possible.

Not letting the aftermath of the battle...

"Boom!!!"

Dazzling white light suddenly burst forth from behind.

The wilderness, shrouded in night, was instantly lit up as if it were daytime.

Xia Nan could even see a rodent panicking and fleeing in the grass not far ahead.

Instinctively, he turned his head slightly for a glance back.

"Holy shit!"

On the distant and blurry horizon, silhouetted against the tiny outlines of Kalanfor town buildings,

was an enormous orb of splendid and intense light, akin to a miniature sun!

The radiant golden glow, emanating an explosive aura of order, almost illuminated over half of the night sky.

Even the incredibly distinct stars above the cosmos were reduced to mere scattered points of light.

And underneath the giant light orb, the originally orderly and densely packed buildings gradually melted away under the holy glow.

"No way, even a mushroom cloud appeared!?"

Xia Nan was shocked, burying his head lower, his feet moving even faster.

And it wasn’t until now that the hot air wave, laden with fiery breath and the haunting howls of wolves, belatedly assaulted his spine.

"Whoosh!"

His hair whipped violently, and the skin on the back of his neck felt slightly scorched.

The previously fresh air suddenly became turbid.

A dark purple mist, filled with a decaying aroma, pervaded every corner in view.

It was the fungal spores blown from afar.

Instinctively, Xia Nan wanted to hold his breath to prevent these clearly sinister tiny particles from entering his lungs.

But given his vigorous activity, how could he possibly maintain breath-holding for long?

In just two seconds, he subconsciously opened his mouth and gasped heavily.

At this point, there was no room for concern.

He could only try to run as far away as possible first.

Surviving the battle’s aftermath was more important than worrying about later problems.

Fortunately, the immense distance significantly weakened the spores’ corrosive ability.

Given Xia Nan’s current physical constitution, even inhaling a considerable amount would at most cause him to sneeze for two days before recovering.

"Plop!"

Stones on the ground were abruptly pressed into the mud by a hefty boot that fell from above.

Xia Nan exerted all his strength, striding with his legs.

The fading glow behind him, the increasingly loud and vicious wolf cries, and the ever-thickening purple mist in the air acted like some sort of death knell, propelling his survival instinct.

In response to the dangerous energy waves emerging from Kalanfor Town, the animals that habitually hid in the shadows also revealed themselves in their desperate flight.

Lopped-eared rabbits, guinea pigs, coyotes...

They seemed to temporarily forget the prey-predator relationship between them, squealing as they darted through the mud and grass.

Above, mingled with pained howls, came the weak flapping of wings.

Like a glider making an emergency landing.

A vague silhouette under the night sky swayed unsteadily, plunging along a skewed arc to a spot about ten meters ahead of Xia Nan.

"Thud!"

Dust scattered.

Sharp, high-frequency wails pierced the eardrums, and an acrid stench of sulfur abruptly filled the air.

It was a grim demon with wings on its back.

With a long, goat skull-like face, a pair of vertical pupils emitted a feral red glow in the darkness, roaring and spewing a brown-green sulfurous smoke from a maw brimming with jagged teeth.

Standing about four feet tall, its hunched slender form was shielded by a pair of enormous wings with thick, tough membranes;

Sharp barbed bone spurs ran from the top of its head down its back, shivering from the demon’s intense agitation as if they were about to detach and shoot out in an instant.

Thorn Demon,

a low-level demon from Hell, known to be one of the most common demons in the eyes of mortals.

It did not possess intellect far beyond that of ordinary intelligent beings, like those "dukes" and "great dukes" among the Nine Prisons Lords;

Nor was its power anywhere near that of higher demons like the "Desire Demon" or "Abyss Refining Demon."

Its combat level was just one step above the lowliest infernal creature in Hell’s food chain, the "inferior demon."

Thus, in the vast and highly perilous Purgatory Army, it typically appeared as an "orderly" or "reconnaissance scout."

Yet, if one were to underestimate it, those dozen or so sharp bone spurs capable of piercing steel on its back would teach a painful lesson.

Even though both are "low-level" demons, the danger posed by a Thorn Demon compared to a goblin is almost incomparable.

After all, the environment in which the former lives is said to be the legendary "Nine Layers of Hell," where even the air seems permeated with evil.

In most parts of it, an ordinary person wouldn’t survive more than two minutes, perishing due to the extremely harsh surroundings and various demons roaming the wasteland.

The fact that "Thorn Demon" could thrive to become one of the most numerous demon species in Hell signifies its strength.

In terms of the "Challenge Level" which reflects the average danger level of a race:

A common goblin’s challenge level is 0.25 (1/4).

Its subspecies, not yet having acquired a professional level or learned any special techniques like battle skills, the "Earth Goblins," is at 0.5 (1/2).

Among the goblin race, the most powerful, having torn through countless low-level adventurers, the Bear Goblins, ranks at precisely "1."

Whereas the Challenge Level of a Thorn Demon is—

2.