Several green-skinned goblins clung to the neck of a wild deer, biting down frantically.
The deer thrashed its head wildly and even slammed into a tree, but it could not stop the goblins' movements.
A commotion broke out in the forest behind them as several species of birds Chen Xu had never seen before took flight from the treetops.
Then, dozens of goblins rushed out, joining their companions in pinning the deer to the ground.
Before long, the deer stopped moving.
The goblins then dispersed, and a few of them, wearing tattered leather vests, pulled stone flakes from their clothing.
They began to butcher the deer.
"They aren't eating it immediately but are butchering the prey instead. That means this is a goblin tribe with a social structure."
Chen Xu observed the goblin pack's hunting process from the edge of the pool and reached this conclusion.
Creatures like goblins generally lacked intelligence and were driven entirely by instinct and desire.
Hunger allowed goblins to feel less pain while hunting, and lust drove them to mate frantically once they were full to produce offspring.
Because of this, if goblins had an abundant food source, their numbers would explode.
Fortunately, since they were governed only by desire, when they reproduced to a certain point and food became scarce, goblins would turn to cannibalism, eating their own kind. Thus, goblin settlements usually didn't grow too large.
Unless a specific goblin within the settlement evolved, transforming from a regular goblin into a hobgoblin.
A hobgoblin held absolute authority over ordinary goblins and could force them to hunt, just as Chen Xu had just witnessed.
Beyond hobgoblins, there were other variants, such as goblin mages, goblin archers, and goblin spearthrowers.
Rumor had it that there was even a final form, the goblin king, who stood at the top of the goblin evolution chain as a legendary creature.
"Heh-hah!"
A goblin spotted Chen Xu by the pool, along with Bone Guard One and the skeleton soldiers.
The other goblins also turned their gaze toward the water.
Before the goblins could make another move, Bone Guard One stepped directly in front of Chen Xu and slammed his shield into the ground. The massive impact instantly knocked the goblins off their feet.
"Gebu! Gebu!"
After scrambling back up and sensing the overwhelming gap in power, the goblins shrieked and fled into the forest on all fours.
Only the few goblins wearing leather vests endured their fear, trembling as they dragged the butchered deer with them before vanishing into the trees.
【Dungeon Mission Obtained: First Encounter with Goblins】
【First Encounter with Goblins: Goblins are disgusting, filthy, and evil monsters. Aside from a few evil gods with unique tastes, no one wants these creatures in their territory. Eliminate all goblins you encounter to advance the dungeon progress.】
"Bone Guard One, you've become so strong!"
Chen Xu was also quite surprised.
After his ascension, Bone Guard One's size had reached five meters. With the bonus from Headhunter's Glory, his size doubled, making him a ten-meter-tall giant skeleton.
"I don't know how large this dungeon world is. I should transform the hero unit provided by the level 20 skill first. More hands make light work."
As for the dungeon mission, Chen Xu didn't pay it much mind for now. Goblins had to be eliminated regardless. Daxia had categorized this as a conquest-type dungeon, so Chen Xu's only task was to eliminate every threatening creature within it.
Regarding the description in the dungeon mission, according to the academy's records, the world consciousness held strong malice toward all non-native creatures. Even if the inhabitants of a dungeon world were humans, the world consciousness would describe them as evil people or sinners.
This subjective description had led humans to default to a conquest mode when clearing many dungeons, resulting in a sharp decline in human numbers.
It wasn't until several class holders explored a synchronization path in a dungeon that they discovered not every dungeon required the total annihilation of its inhabitants.
Chen Xu randomly selected a skeleton soldier from the necrotic space and used his skeleton hero transformation slot.
【Skeleton hero transformation successful. Obtained skeleton hero, type: spear thrower. Please provide a name.】
"Bone Guard Two."
He then summoned Bone Guard Two from the necrotic space.
"My Lord!" Bone Guard Two held a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right. He crossed the spear and shield over his chest and bowed to Chen Xu.
Unlike Bone Guard One, who was four meters tall at level 1, the Bone Guard Two before him was only two meters tall, looking no different from a normal skeleton soldier.
The shield in his hand wasn't as large or thick as Bone Guard One's either; it was a very exquisite small buckler.
The most striking feature was the spear, which was a full four meters long. The shaft and the head were perfectly uniform in color, a shade of absolute black.
【Skeleton Hero: Bone Guard Two (Level 1)】
【Skills: Soul Hunt, Soul-Sealing Spear, Soul-Piercing Throw】
【Soul Hunt (Level 1): The skeleton hero can sense the souls of the living over a wide area and lock onto them. A locked soul cannot evade the skeleton hero's attacks.】
【Soul-Sealing Spear (Level 1): The spear briefly seals the target's mental energy upon dealing damage. If the spear pierces the enemy's body, the sealing effect increases.】
【Soul-Piercing Throw (Level 1): A secret technique from ancient necromancy. Throws a spear that cannot be blocked by physical matter. If the target's mental energy is lower than the skeleton hero's upon impact, they will be devoured by the spear.】
If Bone Guard One was a versatile commanding general, then Bone Guard Two was a hunter specializing in mechanical damage.
"Guaranteed hits plus a silence effect, and those with low mental energy get instantly killed. What kind of broken mechanics are these? Oh, he's my subordinate? Then it's fine!"
"Bone Guard One, take the skeleton soldiers and clear a safe zone in the forest ahead. Since there are still so many ordinary animals, there shouldn't be any powerful entities in this part of the forest."
Bone Guard One nodded. Chen Xu then summoned the ten thousand soldiers under Bone Guard One's command and sent them to clear the forest.
"Bone Guard Two, scout the surrounding area. It's best to map out the distribution of creatures nearby. If you encounter something you can't beat, head back and find Bone Guard One."
"Yes, My Lord."
After speaking, Chen Xu connected his mental energy to the necrotic space. In the next instant, he entered the necrotic space himself.
"Hmm, I can enter the necrotic space normally even inside a dungeon."
Chen Xu then used his mental energy to sense the outside world. He found he could perceive the location where he had been before entering the space, as well as the positions of Bone Guard One and Bone Guard Two.
With a single thought, Chen Xu reappeared next to the pool, though not in the exact spot where he had entered the space.
"So it's true. Any place I can perceive with my mental energy can serve as an exit point from the necrotic space."
Chen Xu moved in and out of the necrotic space several times to test this ability.
After merging with the spatial fragment, the necrotic space skill had also changed.
【Necrotic Space (Unique) (Fused: Ancient Battlefield, Blood-Soaked Swamp): An innate space belonging to the necromancer. Having merged with spatial fragments, the growth of the necrotic space is no longer limited by the necromancer's own power. It can support life and transport living beings.】
【Ancient Battlefield: A site of an extinction-level war, leaving behind countless remains. Periodically generates war spirits, which are consumable items that slightly increase mental energy. Usable by those below transcendent rank. The remains in the Ancient Battlefield can be used for summons or replenished from the outside. Current remains: 300,000.】
【Blood-Soaked Swamp: A swamp saturated with blood, a favorite habitat for certain undead creatures. It can also be used to grow certain undead plants.】
The current necrotic space was no longer limited to undead creatures; ordinary living beings could also enter as long as they had Chen Xu's permission. Even Chen Xu himself could now enter the space.
The Ancient Battlefield and the Blood-Soaked Swamp were two regions generated after the expansion of the necrotic space. Originally, the space could only hold about 200,000 skeleton soldiers. Now, the Ancient Battlefield alone could hold tens of millions, and the Blood-Soaked Swamp was just as large.
Even more valuable was the fact that the Ancient Battlefield periodically produced war spirits, items that could increase mental energy. According to information found on the smart terminal, items that increased base attributes were always in high demand.
As for the Blood-Soaked Swamp, although Chen Xu wasn't sure which undead plants the panel referred to, he could seek advice from the military academy or researchers provided by the Dragon Seed Program once he passed the evaluation.
【Killed ordinary goblin, gained 2 experience points.】
【Killed ordinary goblin, gained 2 experience points.】
...
Monitoring the notifications inside the necrotic space, Chen Xu felt as if he were playing an idle game.
Ordinary goblins provided very little experience. Those two points were already the result of the bonus from his destiny points.
Currently at level 5, Chen Xu needed 5,000 experience points to level up, which meant killing 2,500 ordinary goblins.
While leveling up seemed easy, that was only true for a cheater like Chen Xu.
Ordinary class holders cleared such dungeons in combat groups, and the experience from kills was distributed evenly. A combat group could have as few as fifty or sixty people or as many as hundreds or thousands.
Therefore, the primary sources of experience for most class holders were dungeon completion rewards and experience-granting items.
Suddenly, his mental energy sensed a scorching aura appearing near Bone Guard Two.
"A goblin mage!"
Then, a cold aura appeared in his perception as well.
"There's more than one goblin mage. The scale of the goblins here might be quite large."
Chen Xu pressed two fingers to his forehead.
"Teleport!"
Chen Xu appeared beside Bone Guard Two.
"My Lord! It is dangerous here. I may not be able to protect you."
"It's fine. Watch me use my art of summoning an army from thin air!"
While the surrounding goblins and goblin mages were still wondering what this unknown creature was that had suddenly appeared, a massive swarm of skeleton soldiers materialized out of nowhere in the next instant. They filled the goblin camp to the brim, looking like a crowded subway line during rush hour.
Rate on N.U.
