Chapter 143: Tidal Shaping

Under normal circumstances, the combat ability of an adult Goblin is not considered strong.

It doesn't even require those soldiers who have undergone training for years, or any fully armed village guards.

A sturdy farm woman, plus an old, rusty pitchfork, could easily handle one.

But when the number of these bottom-tier monsters, which are like cockroaches, rises to several dozen, or even triple digits.

Driven by elite individuals among them, they possess the strength and courage to attack small human settlements.

"Screech!"

Cold light flashed.

The single-handed sword, stained with the foul blood of Goblins, thrust fiercely into the chest of the Goblin before him.

The blade was sharp; although one could tell from the slight marks on the hilt and sword body that it had been used for a long time and was not a new product fresh from the blacksmith shop.

But under its owner's careful maintenance, it still maintained a very good condition.

The sharp sword tip, almost the moment its user exerted force, pierced through the Goblin's rough, fragile, green skin, which felt like sandpaper.

Fat, muscle, cartilage.

Then, amidst the sound of metal rubbing against flesh, it slowly stalled.

It didn't pierce through the body from front to back, and there was even a lack of accuracy, failing to kill the enemy in one strike.

This naturally had nothing to do with the sharpness of the weapon.

The palm tightly gripping the hilt, trembling violently from excessive exertion, had already given the reason.

Abi held his single-handed sword in a reverse grip with his right hand, his left palm pressed against the end of the hilt.

His body leaned forward and crouched, almost pressing his entire weight onto the blade.

"AH!!!"

He roared loudly, suddenly exerting force.

The blade, which had gradually slowed after piercing the enemy's body, finally broke through the last layer of resistance amidst the "hissing" sound of the Goblin beneath him coming to an abrupt halt.

"Huff... huff..."

Panting heavily, he didn't care about the filth mixed with rain, blood, and Goblin saliva on his face.

Rather laboriously, he stepped on the Goblin's corpse and pulled the single-handed sword out.

Because of excessive force, and his own physical strength being pushed to the limit.

The moment the blade was freed, he failed to control his body's center of gravity and almost fell backward from exhaustion.

He staggered a few steps before stabilizing his figure.

As a newcomer who hadn't been in the business for long, Abi hadn't mastered any so-called "combat techniques."

To a certain extent, the only difference between him and the villagers of Cui Xi Village was this outfit he had saved up many gold coins for, the slight experience of fighting Goblins, and the gradually sturdier body he had gained from filling his stomach every day thanks to generous earnings.

He naturally knew that, at times, he was a burden to the squad.

Especially when the enemies the squad encountered were no longer Goblins wielding wooden sticks.

Therefore, even though the others in the squad had never expressed any complaints about this, he still did whatever he could whenever conditions allowed.

Right now, it was the same.

Even at the beginning of the battle, before that Bugbear entered the fray, when the few of them were standing on the front line with the villagers, resisting the Goblin charge.

He had actually felt a long-lost, wonderful sensation of fighting side-by-side with his teammates.

But when Hong Zong, wreathed in red light, shattered the entire defensive line single-handedly.

He returned to reality.

Knowing his limited strength, Abi consciously retreated when his three teammates needed to concentrate on dealing with the Bugbear, so as not to cause trouble for them.

He just helped the villagers who were being attacked by Goblins while silently paying attention to the situation on the battlefield.

And it was precisely because of this that he witnessed Adeline's heavy injury, Xia Nan's difficult maneuvering, and Berg's tragic death.

Teammates he spent every morning and evening with became cold corpses, and the captain who had taken care of him since he first entered the business was heavily injured, life or death unknown.

The Green Blood Squad, which had just finished a mission and returned fully loaded, was on the verge of collapse in just a few minutes.

The huge shock left Abi unable to feel any sorrow.

Only numbness.

But under the influence of the last shred of reason remaining in his brain, he suppressed the foolish act of rushing up to die.

Taking advantage of the gap when Hong Zong was entangled by Xia Nan and couldn't get away, he hurriedly came to the edge of the battlefield and helped Adeline feed the Healing Potion she was carrying.

And he guarded her side until she regained her ability to move.

Then he left the battlefield at the fastest speed and threw himself into the battle against other Goblins.

Until now.

"Bang."

His body, covered in mud and blood, slowly leaned back against the wall by the road.

In his ears were the shrieks of Goblins coming from all directions.

His gaze looked far toward the other side, the direction of Xia Nan and the others' battlefield.

His vision was blocked by the wooden houses in the village, and he couldn't see the specific scene.

But the Bugbear's roar, which had echoed in the air and made the Goblins more excited and frenzied with every sound, hadn't sounded for a while now.

"Is the battle... over?"

Abi murmured.

Who won?

Adeline and Xia Nan, or... that Bugbear?

He already had the answer in his heart.

He wasn't stupid.

When Abi watched with his own eyes as Berg, a veteran adventurer in the squad, was easily grabbed and had his head crushed by the opponent; watched as Adeline, the captain who could single-handedly clear out an entire Goblin lair, was heavily injured in one strike and lost consciousness.

Even Xia Nan, who had newly joined the squad and had been ruthless when facing "Huo Ya" Bennett, cutting off his head with a clean sword strike, could only barely hold out under the Bugbear's offensive.

Abi had already realized the strength gap between the squad members and the opponent.

Deep in his heart, for the first time since the battle began, a desire to retreat emerged.

He didn't doubt why it was only now, when he had never been particularly brave, that he felt the urge to retreat.

He just harbored some unrealistic expectations and, as if escaping, ran toward the direction of the nearest villager's scream, away from the core battlefield.

But after all, he was only a newcomer adventurer who hadn't undergone long-term training, and his physical fitness was very average.

Right now, after high-intensity combat, his stamina was already exhausted.

The short rest of a few breaths wouldn't provide any relief.

Instead, it made the soreness and pain in his muscles even clearer, and exhaustion swallowed him like a tide.

Just as he moved his back away from the wall and took two steps forward.

He suddenly stumbled, swaying, and fell to the ground.

He was still holding his single-handed sword.

But he couldn't get up no matter what.

It was as if even the strength to stand up had been completely consumed.

And it was precisely at this most embarrassing moment for Abi that, seemingly influenced by the rich smell of blood around him.

Three Goblins, shuttling between the wooden houses in the village in search of prey, discovered his body lying on the ground.

"Screech!"

The excited, sharp cry suddenly sounded in the air.

Abi struggled to get up, but his brain at this moment seemed to have lost control over his body.

He could only futilely lift his neck, watching in despair as those few pairs of feet wrapped in mud approached him rapidly.

Flashing through his brain were the few memories worth cherishing in his short life.

Abi closed his eyes, quietly waiting for death to arrive.

At the moment of death, his heart, which had originally been filled with all kinds of chaotic emotions and thoughts, became completely clear.

He even had the energy to crack a small joke to himself:

"May the Goddess bless these Goblins not to be too hungry; at least let me be freed first, then dine."

Abi's prayer didn't take effect.

Because the sound of Goblins' tiny footsteps coming from his ear canals became slow and heavy before they truly approached him, and in the end, they stopped moving altogether.

Puzzled, Abi slowly opened his eyes.

What met his eyes were three pairs of thin feet standing on the spot like withered branches, motionless.

As if bearing some huge pressure far exceeding their body's capacity, the Goblins' lower legs trembled violently, and one could faintly see the thin, weak muscles stretching and expanding to their limit beneath their thin skin.

"Bang!"

The immense pressure made these three Goblins unable to bear it any longer.

Almost at the same time, they knelt and collapsed.

Their movements were exactly the same as Abi's earlier.

Supporting themselves with all four limbs, faces down, wailing and struggling.

They had clearly used all their strength, yet they couldn't even manage the most basic act of getting up.

These bottom-tier monsters with low intelligence still didn't understand, even now, why their bodies had become so heavy in just a few seconds.

As if there were a huge magnet beneath the surface of the earth, sticking them firmly to the ground, making it difficult to break free.

Of course, for this puzzle, at least for these three Goblins right now, they likely wouldn't have the chance to figure it out in this lifetime.

Because the next second, a flash of iron-gray sword light fell from above like an executioner's guillotine.

Against the backdrop of spraying blood,

It sliced off their heads.

Xia Nan held the decapitation longsword in his right hand and leaned over to pull Abi up from the ground.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to the other.

But seeing his dazed eyes, blurred consciousness, and face covered in mud and blood, he knew the other likely wouldn't be able to hear a word he said.

So he just patted Abi on the shoulder and gestured toward the direction he had come from:

"I've already cleared everything over there; it's very safe."

"Adeline and some other villagers are there."

"Leave the rest to me."

He repeated it twice more until Abi nodded woodenly, then turned around and rushed toward the interior of the village.

The Bugbear was dead, so only some green-skinned Goblins remained on the field.

Even if he hadn't advanced, they posed no threat to Xia Nan in the slightest.

Not to mention that he had now become a proper professional, and his overall strength had soared by several grades.

Dealing with them was even easier and cleaner than before.

From outside to inside, half the village was cleared in less than ten minutes.

This even included the time spent settling the villagers.

His speed was very fast.

Even without casting 【Tooth Hunt】, to an outsider, they would only see a blurred phantom flashing through the air.

And if one were to observe closely, one would find that despite wearing heavy iron armor and leaping a long distance with every step—clearly requiring significant explosive power from his leg muscles—

The footprints he left in the muddy ground were very shallow.

Roughly equivalent to the level of an average adult male walking at a steady pace.

And this was naturally one of Xia Nan's preliminary developments of the 【Gravity Control】 he had just mastered.

—By flexibly adjusting "gravity," he could increase or decrease the gravity acting on an object in a short period.

It was the first usage that popped into Xia Nan's mind after obtaining this skill.

Simple, but effective.

For enemies, like the three Goblins earlier, just pulling up the gravity acting on them a notch was enough to instantly cause them to lose the ability to act.

Like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, they lay on the ground, unable to move, stretching their necks for him to harvest.

And for Xia Nan himself, reduced gravity meant a smaller physical burden and faster speed at the same level of exertion.

Not only in daily actions, but even his other two combat techniques, 【Spinning Slash】 and 【Tooth Hunt】, would be enhanced by a large margin under the effect of gravity.

And if, as the proficiency level of 【Gravity Control】 gradually rose, he could use it stably for a long time.

Xia Nan could even avoid considering the weight of armor when buying equipment, choosing the heavy ones with good defensive performance without affecting his flexibility; even if he stacked a hundred layers inside (an exaggeration), as long as 【Gravity Control】 could suppress it, the burden on his body would be equivalent to a light, thin short-sleeved shirt.

Further on, when he could completely offset the influence of "Earth's gravity" on himself...

He didn't even dare to think about it.

And all of the above were just usages he had thought of in the short few dozen minutes since becoming a professional, while clearing out Goblins; he hadn't even had time to think deeply.

"Gravity," as one of the four fundamental forces of the material world, covered too wide a range.

It was definitely not something he could fully grasp in a short time.

For now, clear out these Goblins in the village first; it wouldn't be too late to study it slowly after returning to River Valley Town.

Pondering in his heart, a ruin of a house covered in scorch marks ahead was rapidly pulled closer in his vision.

Sounds of angry roars mixed with panic and exhaustion came from within.

A man wearing simple hemp clothes was tightly gripping a hoe still stained with mud, waving it to force back a few Goblins before him.

Leaning against the wall behind him was a middle-aged woman tightly hugging her child, also clutching a short meat-cutting knife in her hand.

Her eyes were firm, as if she had already prepared to fight to the death with the Goblins before her.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Nan exerted force with both legs!

Mud splashed!

As if springs were installed under his feet, his body, incomparably light after gravity reduction, instantly catapulted into mid-air.

He leaped over the collapsed wall blocking his path.

Suddenly falling,

Yet, the moment he landed, he pulled back the increased gravity, making the momentum of his fall look as if it could stomp a deep pit into the ground, while in reality, he left only two shallow footprints.

"Screech."

The sword blade whirled, and an iron-gray arc flashed.

The headless corpses of several Goblins fell to the ground.

Descending from the sky,

He pointed the way for the villagers in the house, whose expressions were also somewhat dazed.

Xia Nan didn't waste time and leaped again.

In the blink of an eye, he had landed on the dilapidated roof.

Smoked and scorched, and influenced by the Bugbear's collision, the house itself was already tottering.

The surface of the roof was uneven and covered in cracks.

But Xia Nan, who was on top of it, searching for targets from the high vantage point, stood exceptionally stably, as if on flat ground.

【Tidal Shaping】

Category: Specialty

Effect:

1. Falling damage halved (Constant/Rule);

2. When standing on an unstable plane, your balance ability gains a bonus;

3. Any push/pull effect launched against you can be enhanced or weakened depending on the specific situation (Active/Passive)

Introduction:

Under gravity, no one can shake you.

Note:

"Three thousand meters... a piece of cake!"

—Adventure King · Legendary Cliff Jumper · Survivor of Great Disaster · Banyan

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 144 =====