Chapter 674 Mycelium, Mutated Goblins, and Decisions

Hook horrors were ferocious monsters native to the Underdark.

They possessed no special abilities like a "fatal wail" or "petrifying gaze." Their formidable Challenge Rating of 3 was derived entirely from their sheer physical strength; they were pure "stat sticks."

Massive and covered in bone armor, they attacked by using their hooked claws—sharp enough to easily embed deep into solid rock—to tear enemies to shreds.

Although they were the same type of stat-based monster as the surface-dwelling owlbears, sharing the exact same Challenge Rating, the hook horrors' Underdark origins gave them a few non-fatal weaknesses that adventurers could exploit.

Living year-round in the dimly lit subterranean world had severely degraded their eyesight. Even with decent darkvision, they could not see nearly as clearly as normal surface creatures.

Much like a bat's echolocation, they relied primarily on hearing to perceive their surroundings. The echoes of their hooked claws striking rock could travel incredibly far through the deep underground tunnels, allowing adventurers to detect their presence early and prepare.

Given this, the strategy for hunting such a monster was straightforward.

A simple [Silence] spell was enough to bottom out the ferocious monster's outstanding Perception, forcing it to fight using only its poor eyesight.

Alternatively, a few spells that generated loud noises, such as [Thunderous Smite] or [Thunderwave], could drastically reduce the difficulty of the battle.

Notably, the highest tier among these spells was only the "2nd Circle," yet they could severely cripple a powerful monster that normally required a well-balanced, four-person adventurer squad averaging Level 3 to safely dispatch.

The value of a spellcaster during an adventure was obvious.

Often, they did not even need to provide explosive damage; a few low-circle utility spells were enough to turn an evenly matched battle into a one-sided slaughter, leaving nothing but garbage time.

Unfortunately, Xia Nan's current party lacked a spellcaster.

This left them with no choice but to slowly advance toward the Underdark's exit, minimizing their noise to avoid exposure while straining to hear any hooked claws striking rock deep within the tunnels.

Xia Nan had already pushed his sharp Perception to its absolute limit.

Unlike a noisy city, the cramped and narrow tunnels of the Underdark were certainly oppressive. But this highly confined environment also meant Xia Nan did not have to filter out an overload of useless information when extending his Perception, allowing him to focus his mental energy exactly where he wanted.

Having just been warned by the gnome Ronda, Zanfrey now kept his mouth firmly shut. He walked shoulder to shoulder with Winsor, practically tiptoeing to avoid making any sound.

The gnome rogue took point, with Xia Nan trailing half a step behind him. The winter wolf Fanny gently wagged her fluffy tail, bringing up the rear.

In the dead silence of the subterranean environment, they could hear each other's breathing.

Suddenly, as if sensing some strange movement, Xia Nan abruptly stopped. He gave a "possible danger" hand signal to the people behind him while pressing a hand onto Ronda's shoulder.

His Perception clearly inferior to Xia Nan's, the gnome rogue had no idea what was going on and looked completely bewildered when he turned his head.

Although Xia Nan's warning gesture prompted him to instinctively assume a combat stance, he clearly was not mentally prepared.

It was not until nearly ten seconds later—just as his doubts grew and he began to wonder if Xia Nan had misheard—that a series of rapid, dense footsteps echoed from the dark depths of the tunnel ahead, and Ronda finally realized what was happening.

Though they were a makeshift adventurer squad, the group had already prepared contingency plans for certain situations.

After all, no matter how quiet they were, they were still in the danger-filled Underdark. It was impossible to avoid all enemies simply by stepping lightly; they could run into anything.

Therefore, upon realizing that something was approaching, the group immediately executed their predetermined strategy.

"There's a lot of them. It should be a pack-hunting monster," Ronda said rapidly, keeping his voice low.

The buzzing echo of countless overlapping footsteps reverberated between the stone walls, leaving them no time to worry about any hook horrors active in the area.

"Let's retreat first. This way. I remember there's a small, hidden cavern about three hundred meters away. We can hide inside and wait for them to pass before coming out," the rogue suggested.

But Xia Nan remained rooted to the spot.

Amid those dense footsteps, he vaguely heard a highly familiar, sharp screech.

It was—

"Screech!!!"

Goblins!?

As if they had caught the scent of the living in the air, the already rapid footsteps abruptly accelerated. Mixed in were shrill, ear-piercing, and somewhat distorted screeches of extreme excitement.

A few seconds later, the goblins appeared before them.

It was very strange.

Xia Nan felt incredibly familiar with goblins, having seen plenty of elite variants and sub-species.

But this was his first time seeing goblins that looked like the ones before him.

First, and most obviously, the physiques of these goblins were significantly more robust than their surface-dwelling counterparts.

Their originally hunched and bony frames—skin seemingly pasted directly onto skeletons without the slightest bit of muscle or fat—had expanded outward as if inflated. As they moved, the shifting lines of the rippling muscles beneath their skin were clearly visible.

Next was their skin.

Overall, it was still a sickly, nauseating pus-green covered in scabs and sores.

But at the same time, dark purple veins that provoked an inexplicable sense of revulsion could be clearly seen lurking beneath the surface, resembling spreading mycelium.

They grew denser the closer they got to the head.

The highest concentration clustered around their terrifying eyes—eyes entirely devoid of reason, filled with a tyrannical desire for slaughter, and almost completely swallowed by a bizarre dark purple hue in the dim light of the cavern.

"Growl!"

Almost instantly detecting the strange aura radiating from the goblins, the winter wolf Fanny made a sudden, short leap to Xia Nan's side.

She pressed her front paws down slightly, lowering her body as she growled and bared her jagged, razor-sharp fangs.

Xia Nan's reaction was even faster.

Honestly, the moment he spotted the familiar fungal colonies spreading across these goblins' skin, he immediately considered simply turning the group around and running.

His outstanding Perception easily allowed him to connect the dark purple, colony-like veins on these goblins to the Swamp Druid that the barbarian Forgan was tracking.

Against such a powerful existence from another faction—one whose strength had already reached the Transcendent Tier and was nearing the Legendary rank—Xia Nan wanted absolutely nothing to do with them.

But on the one hand, their current main road was the mandatory route to the Underdark's exit. There was no option for a detour.

On the other hand, based on his understanding of goblins, this particular squad was not returning from a hunt; they had just stepped out and were actively searching for prey.

This meant their nest was right in the depths of the tunnel ahead.

As long as he still wanted to leave the Underdark through here, he had to pass by, or even enter, their nest!

"Are you certain there are no other paths leading toward the exit?" Xia Nan asked Ronda beside him.

"No, Mr. Xia Nan," the gnome rogue answered instinctively, though he did not know why the young black-haired adventurer was asking. "This is the only path."

Hearing this, Xia Nan hesitated no longer and made his decision.

They had only this one route to escape the Underdark. Since they were bound to encounter this goblin nest sooner or later, it was better to figure out exactly what had happened to this vanguard squad right now. That way, they would not be caught off guard when they stumbled into the nest later, allowing them to keep their guard up.

"Prepare for battle!" Xia Nan shouted.

Ironically, because the others were unaware of the Swamp Druid's existence, Xia Nan and the winter wolf Fanny were the ones taking this fight the most seriously.

The rest, including Zanfrey and Winsor, all breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the newcomers were just green-skinned goblins.

Only Xia Nan's serious demeanor kept them from dropping their guard completely.

In truth, the actual combat capabilities of these twenty-plus bizarre-looking goblins were far stronger than expected.

Their visibly robust bodies were not just for show; they genuinely granted the goblins physical attributes far surpassing their surface counterparts.

Based on Xia Nan's combat experience, he estimated their Challenge Rating had doubled from the original "1/4," reaching around "1/2."

Of course, this level of improvement offered little value against an enemy of his caliber.

It still only took one strike from a sword to sever their heads.

By comparison, the only difference was perhaps that their heavier weight made a louder thud when their corpses hit the ground.

The battle ended quickly.

Though goblins were usually his favorite little toys for venting his frustrations, the moment they were tainted with that mycelium, the violent urges building up inside Xia Nan were instantly suppressed. He had zero desire to vent and only wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible.

Xia Nan's performance during the battle was even a bit awkward.

Unsure if the mycelium could spread through blood, his posture was noticeably unnatural as he swung his sword. It looked as if he were dodging something; he would deliver a forceful slash and immediately shift his footwork to move his body out of the way.

Even the weapon in his hand was a spare dagger he had bought from Ronda.

From the very beginning, he also refused to let the teammates behind him come into contact with these goblins.

He killed a few from a distance using casually tossed rocks. Only after confirming through his Perception that the dark purple veins beneath their skin seemed to lose their vitality upon death did he feel slightly relieved.

"Slice."

Using the sharp dagger stained with pus and blood, he carefully peeled back the skin of a corpse, revealing the creeping dark purple mycelium beneath that seemed thoroughly entangled deep within the muscle fibers.

Xia Nan held his breath, observing from a safe distance.

Seeing him act this way, his teammates realized something was wrong.

"What is it, Mr. Xia Nan?" the gnome Ronda asked carefully. "Is there something strange about these goblins?"

"What do you think?" Xia Nan countered as he stood up.

"These goblins were very strong physically, and their combat abilities were greater than normal goblins, but their minds were clearly much more unhinged," the gnome rogue said, offering a serious hypothesis based on his own experience.

"As for the cause, I suspect it might be the influence of these fungal colonies on their skin."

"Hmm... perhaps they are monsters bred by a myconid tribe?"

When the words "mycelium" and "Underdark" were put together, anyone with a modicum of adventuring experience would naturally think of the Underdark's unique species: the myconids.

It was completely understandable for Ronda to make such a guess.

But Xia Nan merely shook his head.

The intense reaction from the winter wolf Fanny—who had originally come from the barbarian Forgan—at his feet already proved his judgment was not wrong. These goblins were indeed connected to that Swamp Druid.

"Your missing captain was right," Xia Nan told him.

Since it was not convenient to reveal matters related to the druid before making a full report to Forgan at Bloodcast Keep, Xia Nan did not explain further and simply offered a warning.

"Once this trip is over, find a safe place on the surface to rest up for a while. Don't come back down here anytime soon."

Understanding Xia Nan's meaning, Ronda nodded decisively.

Right now, all he wanted was to get out of the Underdark anyway. As for whether he would ever return—that would depend on his luck at the card tables.

Xia Nan had only offered the warning out of goodwill; it did not matter to him whether they actually listened.

Xia Nan pondered the situation.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered so far, the Swamp Druid in the Underdark had crossed paths with the goblins living here.

Perhaps it was forced enslavement and control, or perhaps they had struck a deal with certain elite goblins. Either way, it had caused these ordinary green-skinned goblins to undergo a bizarre mutation.

Xia Nan could vaguely sense a massive, looming storm cloud of conspiracy gathering over the borders of Bloodcast Keep.

He had to leave this place as quickly as possible and rush back to Bloodcast Keep to brief Forgan on the situation.

Xia Nan cemented the decision in his mind.

He did not waste any time, not even bothering to sweep the battlefield for loot. In truth, he was deeply repulsed by the dark purple fungal threads, and ordinary goblins rarely carried anything of value anyway. Instead, he simply led the group onward, continuing toward the exit.

But less than ten minutes into their trek, a sharp, crisp clang echoed from ahead, sounding exactly like a hard object violently smashing against the cavern rock.