Chapter 32: The Venom Glands (4k)

Fwoosh!

The sharp, fierce wind whipped up by high-speed movement caused the black fringe of hair on Xia Nan’s forehead to sway violently.

A phantom flashed across his line of sight, and Wood’s figure, holding twin daggers, was already close at hand.

“Young master, are you alright?”

His anxious and concerned gaze swept meticulously up and down the half-elf’s body a few times. Seeing that there were no external injuries, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

In truth, Wood was merely letting his concern cloud his judgment. With no obstacles blocking his view, everything that had just transpired had been fully taken in during his rush over. He naturally knew that the Rust Monster had been decapitated before it could even touch Haian.

Nevertheless, the urgency caused by his failure in duty and the lingering fear of what could have happened still made him unable to stop blaming himself.

Thank goodness, thank goodness. Wood thought to himself with relief.

Then, turning his head, he looked with utmost seriousness toward Xia Nan, who was standing beside them, gripping his longsword and preparing to continue forward to support the others. He gave a sincere and earnest nod.

The battle situation was urgent, and Wood wasn’t a character who was particularly skilled with words. But at this moment, he had truly accepted this young lad into the squad—someone he had once suspected, but who had now proven through practical action that he was worthy of trust.

Whoosh.

Like a shifting wraith, the figure clad in black leather armor vanished once more.

Only now did the half-elf Haian, who had just experienced a crisis of life and death, finally snap out of it.

“Pant… pant…”

He breathed heavily, his originally fair face completely drenched in sweat.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… and thank you!” Haian apologized incoherently to Xia Nan beside him.

To this, Xia Nan didn’t even offer a response before his entire person charged out from the half-elf’s side.

On one hand, in his view, even if Haian and the others had been total strangers to him just a few days ago, now that he had joined the squad and become a member of the team, he should fulfill his responsibilities within his capability—if only for the sake of those one hundred gold coins.

On the other hand, it was also because one of the remaining two Rust Monsters on the field had taken advantage of this node to crawl right in front of them.

“Hiss!!!”

The sharp, piercing screech threatened to rupture their eardrums.

The long, fin-like tail covered in a wavy, yellow-brown carapace whipped through the air, kicking up countless blades of grass with every strike.

Unlike the green-skinned goblins whose combat capability was determined by numbers, Rust Monsters, which rarely congregated in large groups to begin with, did not feel fear or anger due to the death of their kin. These massive insects, which usually roamed deep subterranean caverns, seemed to have been stimulated by something, displaying an exceptionally fierce aggressiveness.

Even though the metal weapons corroded by their fluid lay right at their feet, ready to be consumed, they showed absolutely no interest, blindly and frantically attacking the living beings before them.

With his iron-grey Beheading Longsword held horizontally across his chest, Xia Nan was in no hurry to attack. Instead, he kept his sword ready and circled around the Rust Monster’s flank, his brain working at high speed.

Everything that had occurred since the start of the battle flashed through his mind.

First, the greatest threat to him was naturally the corrosive fluid spat from the Rust Monster’s mouth. Whether it splashed onto his body or accidentally stained his blade, he would find it incredibly painful to accept. He had to be extra guarded against it!

Second, the Rust Monster was encased in a thick, solid carapace. Judging by the strike Larry had delivered with his one-handed hammer, Xia Nan couldn’t be certain whether a single slash from his sword could penetrate its armor. If he failed to cut through the insect’s defenses in an instant, the lack of flesh to absorb the force of the blade would cause the ensuing recoil to lock him into a rigid state. The margin for error was extremely low!

Therefore, just as Wood had done, seeking an opening along the seams between the Rust Monster’s carapaces was undoubtedly the best approach for dealing with this type of insectoid monster.

But…

A trace of hesitation flashed through Xia Nan’s black eyes.

A few seconds ago, he had indeed used [Sweeping Slash] to lop off a Rust Monster’s head. However, at that time, he hadn’t thought all that much about it; he had simply seen his teammate in danger and instinctively cut down, mirroring Wood’s technique. He hadn’t even aimed particularly carefully before the blade wedged into the insect’s carapace.

Thinking back on it now, was it a fluke, or some sort of combat talent? He didn’t really understand, but he wouldn’t let this highly uncertain illusion interfere with the current battle that concerned his own life.

Bang!

The powerful fin-like tail slammed into the ground like a whip, splashing up countless flecks of mud.

Xia Nan barely managed to dodge it. Guiding his longsword along with the momentum, he tapped against the yellow-brown carapace, striking up a series of stray sparks.

“Tsk, what a pity. Just a bit short.”

These weren’t stationary toys on a table. Through countless years of reproduction and survival, the Rust Monsters naturally knew the structural weaknesses of their bodies. The carapaces of varying thicknesses, rising and falling like waves, made the seams between them exceptionally narrow and difficult to penetrate.

Coupled with its constantly shifting body and the fin-like long tail whistling behind it like an iron whip, one needed to be a “professional” who had obtained class levels like Wood, possessing superb skills that far exceeded ordinary people. Otherwise, it would be highly difficult to catch a flaw in the insect during a fierce battle.

Unless…

Fwoosh!

A sharp sound of breaking air suddenly rang out from behind him.

Xia Nan’s body couldn’t help but stall, but he reacted immediately right after, leaping violently backward. Whether it was to build up power or to temporarily retreat, he left ample space.

Directly following that, a wooden arrow tipped with white tail feathers swept through the mist, flying past his side with a sharp buzz.

Having recovered his focus after the ambush, the half-elf Haian immediately provided his teammate with an assist.

Unlike those rapid, straight shots from before, the velocity of this arrow in Xia Nan’s line of sight was noticeably slower. However, it was as if the half-elf had utilized some unique technique, causing the tail feathers to vibrate violently while simultaneously making the entire arrow spin at high speed.

Like the wake left by an airplane traversing the heavens, the wooden arrow shot through, leaving a clear path through the permeating thin mist.

Pfft!

It was incredibly precise.

With unbelievable accuracy, the metal arrowhead spun and drove straight into the Rust Monster’s minuscule eye, which was obscured by its carapace. The powerful force carried by the arrow itself even caused half of the monster’s face to shatter and contort.

Hiss—

The screeching echoed!

The agonizing pain caused the Rust Monster to instinctively rear its body up, shaking its head wildly as if trying to fling off the arrow that had driven deep into its skull.

“Now’s the time!”

Xia Nan did not hesitate in the slightest. His legs, which had already completed their preparations to exert force, lunged forward violently.

His position, which was slightly at a disadvantage, made it unfeasible to use [Sweeping Slash] at this moment. Instead, he instinctively thrust his iron-grey longsword diagonally upward.

Pfft!

Insect blood splattered!

Driven by the full force of his body, the blade pierced through the Rust Monster’s relatively fragile lower jaw almost instantly. Neck, spine… all the way up!

Thud—

Borne by the momentum of Xia Nan’s thrust, the Rust Monster’s heavy, rearing body toppled backward onto the ground, emitting a dull thud. The insect’s head, trailing the arrow, rolled onto the meadow, its pedipalps twitching unconsciously.

Xia Nan didn’t dare slacken in the least. The very next second after confirming the Rust Monster’s death, he burst forth with strength that seemed even more violent than before. Stepping on the insect’s abdomen, he forcefully pulled out the Beheading Longsword that had wedged into its carapace!

Then, he meticulously inspected the blade!

Don’t be stained, please don’t let it be stained… he prayed with utmost piety in his heart.

The opportunity had been rare; he hadn’t been able to care about any fluid just now and had simply driven the sword home when the chance arose. Though it wasn’t a matter of regret now, he couldn’t help but worry that his edge might be ruined by the insect’s saliva.

Fortunately, although the blade had gained a few more noticeable scratches and the surface of the edge was covered in deep green insect blood, it had ultimately avoided the Rust Monster’s fluid—the ultimate nemesis of metallic equipment.

Moving, stalling, and thrusting. A truly fierce battle was often decided within a matter of seconds.

By the time Xia Nan, panting for breath, pulled his longsword from the insect beast, Wood at the other end of the camp had also dealt with the last Rust Monster on the field.

The battle was over.

…

The ambush by the Rust Monsters had come abruptly. If this had been an ordinary, bottom-tier adventurer squad facing the onslaught of these four disgusting insect beasts, even if they avoided a total party wipe, the entire team would likely have suffered heavy casualties.

Fortunately, there was an experienced professional within Xia Nan’s squad. Not only had he given everyone a heads-up about the ambush by setting up traps around the camp beforehand, but he had also immediately and clearly pointed out the danger of the Rust Monsters, even taking the lead to cleanly dispatch one of them and showcase its weakness.

Coupled with the cooperation of Xia Nan and Haian, only Larry had suffered a minor injury from accidentally getting touched by the Rust Monster’s saliva while fleeing; the remaining four were completely unscathed.

Sizzle—

With a look of disgust, Larry shook the fluid clinging to his one-handed hammer off onto the nearby meadow.

“This thing should still be usable, right…” he muttered under his breath, staring at the metallic face of the hammer before him. Under the corrosion of the Rust Monster’s saliva, it looked as though it had been gnawed on by a rat, severely deformed. A thick layer of bandages was already wrapped tightly around his arm.

“Larry, what are you doing over there? Hurry up and help!” behind him, Doris called out in a hushed tone while packing up their luggage.

“Coming!”

The commotion generated during the battle, as well as the stench brought by the insect blood, meant that this location was no longer safe. Before the sky turned completely dark, they needed to quickly move and find another spot to set up camp.

On the other side, Xia Nan stood before the carcass of a Rust Monster, the Beheading Longsword on his back already wiped clean. At this moment, he was frowning, meticulously flipping through the [Adventurer’s Handbook] in his hands.

“Rust Monster… Rust Monster…”

“How is it not in here?”

Having finally finished the battle, he naturally didn’t want to just give up on the spoils before him. With Xia Nan’s relatively shallow adventurer knowledge, a creature this massive—just the incredible defensive properties of its chitinous carapace alone—ought to fetch a good amount of money.

But given their current circumstances, these carapaces were far too heavy; they clearly couldn’t carry them back on their backs. Even if he found a place to bury them and left a mark, by the time they returned at the end of the mission, they would highly likely have been dug up and eaten by the sensitive-nosed creatures of the Mist Forest.

Therefore, he was wondering if there was anything on the Rust Monster that was convenient to carry and held value in the market that he could take this opportunity to collect. However, the Adventurer’s Handbook in his hands contained no records concerning this type of magical beast.

This is a bit tricky. He lamented internally.

Right at that moment, as if sensing Xia Nan’s thoughts, Wood, clad in his black leather armor, silently walked up to him. Unlike his wariness and silence throughout the journey before, he actively initiated the conversation, his tone peaceful:

“The most valuable thing on a Rust Monster is the venom gland located on the upper left side of its abdominal cavity.”

“It’s dark purple, about the size of a thumb, and very obvious. You’ll find it after rummaging around a bit—the outer skin is quite tough and won’t break easily. You can just throw it into any cloth bag, but take care not to place it together with metallic items, as they might get corroded.”

“I suggest forgetting about the carapace. First, it’s inconvenient to carry, and second, because of the environment of the Mist Forest, this kind of thing will quickly rot once the host dies unless you brought preservation materials.”

“If you ever have the chance to visit towns near dwarven settlements and encounter these insects again, you can also bring their antennae.”

“Just like cutting off a goblin’s left ear, the dwarves there will give you an additional bounty for them.”

This was the first time Xia Nan had heard Wood speak such a long paragraph. Recognizing that the other party was helping him, he couldn’t help but offer his thanks:

“Alright, thank you very much.”

Pulling out a dagger from his waist, he was just about to make haste and harvest the venom gland when the half-elf Haian walked over.

“Here, I’ve already dug out the venom glands from the other three insects for you. Added together, it should amount to a bit of pocket change.”

His fair hands were covered in deep green insect blood, and within his palm lay three dark-purple, oval-shaped organs.

Hearing this, Xia Nan couldn’t help but daze for an instant.

“You…”

“Just look at it as compensation for this mission,” the half-elf said with a smile, packing the venom glands into a cloth pouch and stuffing it into Xia Nan’s hand. “After all, we agreed beforehand that this was only the outer fringes of the Mist Forest and there wouldn’t be any risks.”

“Now that we’ve encountered a magical beast of the Rust Monster’s caliber, it wouldn’t be very realistic for me to force you to act as if nothing happened.”

“What’s more, you just saved me earlier… Regarding that, once this mission is over and we return to Newm…”

“We’ll talk about it then,” Xia Nan waved his hand, cutting off the other party’s words.

He wasn’t a character who leveraged favors for rewards to begin with, and his action during the battle earlier had merely been following the flow. They were teammates, and his own situation at the time hadn’t been particularly terrible; he couldn’t very well just watch the guy die. Therefore, he didn’t really care much about any so-called “life-saving debt.”

On the contrary, the three venom glands in the other party’s hand were much more appealing to him.

I wonder how much these can sell for once I get back, Xia Nan, whose savings prior to the journey sat at a mere 24 gold, 2 silver, and 7 copper, pondered in his heart.

Meanwhile, Wood, who stood beside the two of them looking at the carcasses of the Rust Monsters on the grass, appeared even more solemn despite the battle having concluded.

“This type of insect usually dwells within the caverns of the Underdark.”

“Why did so many of them suddenly pop out inside the Mist Forest?”

“Who drove these Rust Monsters out of their habitat? Or is there something here that attracted them over?”

(End of Chapter)