Chapter 329: Infiltrating the Goblin Lair

"This..." Zich was momentarily stunned.

Meanwhile, Slimy, which had just completed its transformation, seemed equally fascinated by its new appearance.

It first lowered its head and carefully examined its two hands before tentatively raising one leg.

Thud!

Unfortunately, because it had yet to adapt to this entirely new body structure, it lost its balance and toppled forward!

"Hey!"

Zich reacted quickly and grabbed it by the back of its neck, preventing it from falling face first into the pool of goblin blood on the ground.

And at that very moment a familiar system notification suddenly sounded in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Your summon, Slimy, has successfully triggered its racial talent, Devouring Adaptation!]

[Temporary Adaptation Form Obtained: Goblin!]

Upon seeing the system information appear before him, Zich froze slightly. Then afterward his eyes gradually lit up.

Devouring Adaptation!

This was precisely the special racial talent Slimy had obtained after undergoing the Myriad Beast Baptism!

When it had previously devoured poisonous mist, this ability had already demonstrated a unique adaptive effect.

However, the changes back then had mainly involved absorbing and adapting to toxins. They hadn’t caused such an obvious transformation in its physical appearance.

But this time.It had actually transformed directly into a goblin!

According to the information he had previously learned, although Devouring Adaptation allowed Slimy to obtain corresponding adaptive abilities by devouring different substances, the probability of triggering a special transformation wasn’t particularly high.

And something like this, where a mass of slime directly transformed into a complete humanoid creature, was something Zich had never witnessed before.

"So it can even do something like this..." Zich stared at the little green skinned monster before him.

The surprise on his face gradually turned into intense interest especially when his gaze swept over Slimy’s long pointed ears and green skin, which were almost indistinguishable from those of an ordinary goblin.

Suddenly, a bold idea emerged in his mind.

Wait a minute!

A goblin?

If Slimy could transform into a goblin...

Wouldn’t that mean...

"Bo!"

Just as Zich was thinking, the little goblin he was holding suddenly raised its head and let out a familiar cry.

Hearing that sound, the corners of Zich’s mouth twitched.

’Alright.’

Although its appearance had completely transformed into that of a goblin, this fellow was clearly still the same old Slimy.

Nadia, who had been watching from the side, was also completely dumbfounded.

She first looked at the little green skinned monster in Zich’s hand, then lowered her gaze toward the Goblin Shaman’s corpse on the ground.

Finally, she couldn’t help speaking.

"Your slime... can actually transform into something like this?"

"To tell you the truth, I didn’t expect it to turn directly into a goblin this time either."

Zich didn’t bother hiding his surprise.

After all, even he was seeing Devouring Adaptation trigger such a complete physical transformation for the first time.

As he spoke, he released his grip and allowed Slimy to stand on the ground again.

Although its appearance had completely changed, Zich could still clearly sense the familiar soul connection through their contract.

He could also perceive that the special adaptive energy sustaining this transformation was slowly being consumed as time passed.

Clearly, this goblin form couldn’t be maintained permanently.

However it should already be enough.

With that thought, Zich suddenly bent down and picked up a relatively intact animal skin cloak from beside one of the goblin corpses.

He then draped it directly over Slimy’s body then he picked up a short wooden stick and placed it in Slimy’s hand.

"Here, hold this."

Slimy lowered its head and looked at the wooden stick before raising its gaze toward Zich.

Its round eyes were filled with confusion.

"Bo?"

"I’m going to give you a mission."

Zich crouched down and pointed toward the branching passage from which the goblins had appeared earlier.

"Follow the direction they came from and help me find out what’s inside."

Slimy blinked.

"If you discover a place where goblins are gathered, come back and tell me immediately. Whatever you do, don’t fight them, and don’t stop just because you see something delicious."

At this point, Zich suddenly seemed to remember something and added another instruction.

"Most importantly, don’t open your mouth and speak."

"Bo!"

"..."

Zich fell silent for a moment.

"That includes saying ’Bo.’"

Hearing this, Slimy immediately raised both of its little hands and firmly covered its mouth before nodding with an extremely serious expression.

Seeing this, Zich finally felt a little more reassured.

He casually took out one of the low grade mana potions they had just looted and drank it, replenishing some of the mana he had consumed during the previous battle.

Then, he waved toward Slimy.

"Go on."

Upon receiving the command, Slimy immediately tightened its grip on the wooden stick and began walking forward on its two little green legs.

At first, its steps were rather uncoordinated, and it nearly tripped over its own feet.

However, after walking only a few steps, it gradually mastered this new way of moving, and its speed steadily increased.

Before long, the little figure wearing an animal skin cloak disappeared into the depths of the branching passage, following the bloodstains on the ground.

Nadia stood beside Zich and watched Slimy leave.

The corners of her mouth couldn’t help twitching slightly.

"Don’t tell me you actually think it can infiltrate a goblin lair?"

"Won’t we find out if we try?" Zich smiled. "Besides, it’s not like we have to take the risk ourselves."

After saying this, he bent down and began dragging the goblin corpses and scattered weapons behind the branching passage to prevent other passing goblins from discovering them.

Seeing this, Nadia temporarily recalled her Nether Eye White Tiger. Then, together with Zich, she hid in the shadows beside the stone wall.

Meanwhile...

Deep within the underground passage, not far from the two of them, a small goblin wearing an animal skin cloak was walking forward unsteadily with a wooden stick in its hand.

It was none other than Slimy!

After following the blood scented passage for some distance, the originally narrow tunnel suddenly opened up into a vast cavern! An enormous underground space immediately appeared before its eyes!

A broad underground river flowed slowly through the center of the cavern. On both banks stood densely packed rows of low stone houses, with numerous crude wooden sheds erected between them.

Several open areas were occupied by roaring bonfires, above which hung large pieces of magical beast meat being roasted over the flames. Farther away, several rows of rough wooden fences formed animal pens. Inside were several underground magical beasts with enormous fangs, occasionally letting out deep, threatening growls.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

From the depths of the cavern came faint sounds of metal being hammered.

Clearly, this place wasn’t merely a simple goblin lair. It was an underground settlement that had already developed on a considerable scale!

However, Slimy clearly didn’t realize any of this. At that moment, its attention had been completely captured by several piles of fragrant roasted meat near the entrance.

"..."

The little goblin stood motionless, staring at the roasted meat without blinking.

But just as it was about to continue forward, a thick green arm suddenly extended from the side and blocked its path.