Chapter 90: Tooth Hunt

The bone-white tooth necklace swayed slightly, refracting an orange-red luster under the glow of the campfire.

A burly figure draped in a wolf-skin cloak stood silently.

He made no attempt to conceal himself, even blocking the cave's only exit.

Yet, the Goblins, who had been extremely sensitive to the intruder who stormed their nest, did not notice his presence at all.

It was as if they subconsciously accepted that he belonged there, that he was a part of the cave itself.

Naturally, this was intentional.

【Barbarian】

【Frostbound Oathkeeper】

As a high-level professional who had completed his class advancement and stepped into the realm of the "Transcendent,"

Fugang knew clearly that if he did not restrain his presence and conceal his form,

even if he simply stood there doing nothing,

the chilling killing intent condensed from the lingering echoes of countless prey's dying wails

would be enough to make these cowardly, frail, degraded green-skins act like snow rabbits locked in a wolf's gaze—becoming dull, foolish creatures that wouldn't even know how to run.

Hailing from the Frostmoss Highlands, he belonged to a Barbarian tribe that had lived deep in the snowfields for generations.

He lacked the profound and deep knowledge of the old pedants at the Niumu City Academy, nor did he understand "teaching processes" or "instructional modes."

He only knew one thing.

Amidst the collision of roars and muscles, a person's character, their habitual combat style, their techniques, and even their future potential

were all like fresh red blood steaming on the ice.

Clearly visible.

The black-haired youth named "Xia Nan" before him, in terms of combat technique alone, might be considered decent to most laymen or average adventurers.

But among the highland tribesmen who grew up fighting giant bears and ice pythons, tempered by ice storms,

he was not particularly remarkable.

Even the slashing combat technique the other had used during the fight, which was clearly honed to the "Mastered" level, did not cause a ripple on his face.

It was merely the foundation before gaining a professional level; nothing worth mentioning.

But there was one second.

The most insignificant second in the entire battle.

When Fugang saw with his own eyes that Xia Nan had slipped on the moss and lost his center of gravity,

yet used the arm shield in his hand to strike the side wall, changing the direction and speed of his fall to evade the enemy's attack—

a glimmer of light flashed deep within his ice-blue eyes, which were like cold lakes.

"Interesting."

The wolf-tooth necklace overlapped, and the silver-white fine fur on the surface of his cloak swayed slightly in the breeze.

His suppressed aura and presence rose once more like a flame.

He took a step and walked toward the black-haired youth with sharp features on the field.

A thick, brownish leather boot stomped down, crushing a Goblin eyeball rolling on the ground and splashing viscous liquid.

【Green Pine】 was already sheathed.

Xia Nan panted slightly and stepped forward twice.

His right foot stepped on the corpse of the Goblin that had been pierced through the chest by the sword and was now completely dead.

Using both hands, he pulled the greatsword that was stuck diagonally in the damp mud with force.

*Squelch—*

The dry, twig-like limbs twitched, and blood still retaining warmth, mixed with mud, was brought up by the blade.

He swung it a few times to shake off the filthy blood staining the surface of the blade.

He sheathed it.

The battle had just ended; it was not the time for weapon maintenance.

He just casually wiped his face with a relatively clean part of his sleeve, removing the few drops of fresh blood splattered on his cheeks.

The air was silent.

Xia Nan turned around and looked at the scattered Goblin corpses on the cave floor.

A complex feeling of satisfaction, accompanied by a deep sense of accomplishment, arose in his heart.

It was like pus squeezed out of a pimple.

He was no longer troubled by the swelling pain it caused, yet he worried about the scar it left behind.

Thinking back to when he first arrived in this world, he was a pure rookie who would go blank and be at a loss when facing a surprise attack from two green-skins.

Now, he could clear out an entire Goblin nest alone.

Before transmigrating, he couldn't even bear to watch someone kill a chicken on a screen;

now, after slaughtering fifteen Goblins, his only negative emotion was feeling pained that the plate armor he had just spent money to repair had been scratched with a white mark during the fight.

He didn't know if it was this world filled with monsters and danger that had changed him,

or if this was his true nature all along, and the suddenly changed environment and survival method after transmigrating had simply catalyzed and exposed his inner essence.

*Click-clack. *

The light sound of the tooth necklace colliding came from his side.

A chilling, burly figure came into view.

Still with that silent, ice-rock-like demeanor, the Barbarian Fugang walked over slowly.

Xia Nan couldn't help but feel expectant.

If he wasn't mistaken, the previous battle should have been some kind of "placement test" conducted by the other to gauge his strength.

Now that the battle was over, the "results" were out.

There should also be a conclusion as to which combat technique he was suited for among those the other had previously mentioned.

"I've changed my mind."

The thick, heavy voice with a Northern accent came through the air.

"【Iron Wall Spin】, 【Frilan Spear Thrust】, 【Heavy Shield Bash】, 【Broken Blade Parry】."

"You, none of them will do."

Huh!?

Xia Nan couldn't help but show a look of surprise on his face.

He opened his mouth silently, unable to speak.

What did that mean?

Did he fail his test?

The Barbarian before him, as usual, did not offer much explanation, simply shifting his gaze from Xia Nan to the corpses in the blood on the ground.

In fact, what Fugang meant was not the "won't do," "can't learn," or "eliminated" that Xia Nan understood.

Rather, it was a semantic deviation caused by the colloquialization of the Common tongue in the Northern tribes.

In reality, the options the Barbarian provided were all 【Warrior】-oriented basic combat techniques suitable for close-quarters combat.

As long as one was a normal person, no matter how poor their talent, they could make up for the gap with time and effort.

They belonged to the simple types that the vast majority of adventurers in this world could learn.

Fugang had urgent business to attend to.

Coming to River Valley Town was just a brief rest; he would not stay for long.

For the combat techniques that needed to be taught, he naturally chose types that were easy to pick up and could be mastered quickly without outside guidance after the initial entry.

But now, after watching Xia Nan's entire performance in the battle,

he had changed his mind.

It wasn't "cherishing talent,"

nor was there any meaning of "appreciation."

Fugang and Xia Nan had only known each other for two days; they weren't even familiar with each other's names, so how could such redundant thoughts arise?

It was just that he owed an old friend a favor, which made him take on this commission...

Naturally, he had to complete it with all his heart.

He must be self-taught,

because in his view, Xia Nan's combat style lacked the "routines" found in ordinary adventurers.

Many times, his movements and reactions were purely based on his body's instincts.

He adapted to circumstances, even throwing his weapon as a projectile at times to buy time.

Under these circumstances, 【Iron Wall Spin】, which had certain casting requirements and needed fixed body movements and posture coordination, was excluded.

He was extremely aggressive,

and although he wore two layers of armor, he only carried a small arm shield.

Even when using the arm shield to block an enemy's attack, he thought about further suppressing the opponent, taking advantage of the shield's sharp edge to counterattack instead of slowing the pace to leave himself room to breathe and adjust.

Therefore, 【Heavy Shield Bash】, which focused on defensive counterattacks, was suitable for positional warfare, controlled the combat rhythm, and was best paired with a large shield, was excluded.

As for 【Frilan Spear Thrust】 and 【Broken Blade Parry】,

the former was clearly unsuited to Xia Nan's habit of slashing, and the latter did not fit his aggressive combat style, which often involved footwork and maneuvering.

In summary, "none of them will do."

However, it was not unsolvable.

With Fugang's personality, being able to say those words in front of Xia Nan after taking the commission from an old acquaintance

meant he already had the answer in his heart.

He saw him gently raise his hand and touch a certain bone-tooth pendant on his necklace.

Although the learning difficulty was higher and required a lot of energy, considering the other's performance in battle and the movements in those flashes of inspiration,

"Perhaps, there is another combat technique that is more suitable for you."

Hearing this, Xia Nan, who thought something had gone wrong, felt his previously tense heart suddenly relax.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

As long as there was a combat technique to learn, it was fine.

He had no channels and no money.

The combat technique books in the grocery store, which were half-true and half-false, had almost driven him crazy during this time.

As long as he could learn the real thing, anything was fine.

Xia Nan licked his somewhat dry lips with his tongue, just thinking about asking the other for further information related to it,

when suddenly, a dense sound of footsteps accompanied by shrill laughter and strange roars came from the tunnel at the cave exit.

He shifted his gaze toward it.

Coming into view was a burly Hobgoblin with rough, reddish-brown fur!

It seemed to have just returned from hunting in the forest; the surface of the nail-hammer it held in its thick palm was still stained with scarlet, eye-catching fresh blood.

Behind it, a black-skinned ox-beast with its head smashed in was being carried by more than twenty Goblins surrounding it.

Knowing there would be a big feast to enjoy tonight, the high-pitched, shrill laughter reached Xia Nan's ears.

He couldn't help but realize.

No wonder this cave was built so spaciously, nearly twice as large as the one he had encountered before.

It turned out to be a Goblin community that also had a Hobgoblin leader, but with nearly forty green-skins under its banner.

The cave's only exit was blocked by a large number of enemies.

The Hobgoblin's challenge rating of "1" was far beyond the scope of what he could handle with his current abilities.

Yet, Xia Nan was not particularly nervous.

After all, he wasn't the only one standing here.

With Fugang, who was suspected to be a high-level professional, present, he should be able to escape safely... right?

In an instant, the rumors about "Barbarians" he had heard from adventurers in the tavern these past few days made him feel a trace of insecurity.

Truth be told, although Xia Nan had used his full strength in the previous battle, it was generally still easy.

If the other mistook him for still holding back and wanted to use a higher-intensity battle to test his...

His chaotic thoughts were interrupted by the inexplicably surging cold in the air.

Fugang glanced at Xia Nan beside him.

He only left behind one sentence:

"Watch."

Then he turned and walked toward the cave entrance.

*Whoosh—*

Inside the previously stuffy and foul-smelling cave, a bone-chilling cold wind suddenly blew through.

The cold in the air seemed to truly seep into his muscles, blood, and bones through his skin pores.

Looking at the other's back, Xia Nan suddenly shivered.

As if imprisoned in the stone wall, the cold wind gradually intensified, even reaching the level of a "howl."

Vaguely, it seemed that some kind of wild beast's long, deep roar was brewing within it.

Tiny stone chips fell from the top, and the blood pools that were gradually losing their heat splashed with ripples.

The cave was trembling.

Xia Nan stood behind the Barbarian, unable to see the other's expression.

Apart from the wolf-skin cloak moving with the wind, there was only the light sound of the bone chain knocking and striking as it followed the other's footsteps.

The air, mixed with a thick bloody smell and driven out of the cave by the chill,

clearly made the Hobgoblin at the cave entrance realize something was wrong.

It let out a low roar, signaling the Goblins around it to be on alert.

The nail-hammer in its hand was raised in front of its chest, and its yellowish-brown eyes revealed a fierce and ferocious light.

But that was as far as it went.

Because in the next second, as that burly figure appeared in its line of sight,

all life and heat in the tunnel seemed to be swallowed clean by the chilling killing intent in an instant, turning into stiff, lifeless ice sculptures.

Then, Xia Nan finally heard clearly the beast roar that had been brewing in the cold wind.

A wolf howl.

*Awoooo—*

The stone wall cracked,

frost patterns spread across the tunnel floor, like countless crystalline ice snakes crawling and winding.

Ice mist seemed to surge with every breath.

In his field of vision, Fugang's figure disappeared from where he stood as if teleporting.

Immediately after, accompanied by the doubt rising in his heart, was an explosive roar.

"BANG!!!"

The massive force tempered by the ice storm caused the air where it passed to collapse and condense as if in a vacuum.

The Hobgoblin still maintained its previous posture; one could even see saliva dripping from the tip of its sharp fangs.

Yet, its thick, cowhide-like skin disintegrated first.

Scarlet blood burst out from its pores.

Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of its skin, and then it completely collapsed, revealing the scarlet flesh and pale white bones beneath.

The Goblins, those bottom-tier monsters with fragile and thin bodies,

—their light bodies were blown away by the air wave, like some kind of low-quality building block toy; their limbs scattered into fragmented parts in the air, and then were ground into powder amidst the continuous roar.

The howling cold wind made the bangs on his forehead sway violently.

Before his eyes,

Fugang walked slowly out of the tunnel, the scarlet dust mixed with blood spray and ice crystals in the air around him vaguely condensing into the shape of a Winter Wolf's head.

The obsidian hand-axe at his waist remained unused.

The Barbarian from the Frostmoss Highlands, with his cold personality,

had simply used his own body to crush a monster community that could have wiped out an entire adventurer squad.

"【Tooth Hunt】."

"Will you learn it?"

His eardrums ached, and the blurred words came from the air in front.

Blood mixed with crystals flowed on the ground, and a wolf howl seemed to still linger and echo above his skull.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and Xia Nan swallowed hard.

He nodded fiercely.

"I'll learn it!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 91 =====