50: Chapter 50 The Second Waterway Exploration

This sewer expedition was far less suspenseful than the previous one. Although a Pirate King Goblin appeared midway, and Tuaner even ran onto the ship to search earnestly for treasure, the result was that it ended up stuffed with Goblin Slayer's chili powder bombs.

In the end, the Dwarf Taoist's [Stone Bullet] dealt with all the Goblins on the ship. They all became a meal for the belly of the giant white crocodile (Swamp Dragon)...

On the way away from the Swamp Dragon, Goblin Slayer shared his conclusion that "Goblins are good at learning." Mia just listened intently throughout the process without interrupting much. The Dwarf Taoist followed the lead and voiced his theory—someone had taught the Goblins how to use ships. He further deduced that the Goblins flooding the sewers were not naturally bred, but rather the result of someone's conspiracy. Tuaner, meanwhile, was crying earnestly; there was just too much chili powder.

"Is it also the Sword Maiden?" the Elf Archer asked in a low voice.

"Probably not. It's likely her enemy, right?" Mia gazed at the ripples of the waterway. "It looks like the handiwork of some evil god cult's sacrifice."

"At most, it can only be considered the Sword Maiden's negligence," she added.

By the time Tuaner finished off the last visible Goblin, Mia's milestone achievement [Goblin Slayer] had reached 500/1000 (kills by teammates also count toward the milestone).

Ahead lay a location not marked on the sewer map. It was hard to imagine such a magnificent and grand altar existing in the underworld of Water City. From a distance, it looked like several giant swords piercing the sky, entangled together. "Advance carefully, there's strange movement ahead." The Elf Girl suddenly dropped to the ground, pressing her ear to the floor to listen intently for a moment.

"Is it Goblins?" the Lizardman Monk asked, habitually flicking his tongue.

"Doesn't seem like it," the Elf Girl said, sounding a bit uncertain.

Approaching slowly to observe, they saw a large mirror-like object embedded in the altar of this building. Ripples shimmered on the mirror's surface, and occasionally, thin green figures would squeeze out from it. "Goblins!" the Elf Girl cried out in alarm, quickly covering her mouth.

"So, everyone's guesses have come true." A smug smile appeared on Tuaner's pure yet charming little face.

"Is that a portal?" Ryan scratched his head. "So Mia, you prepared so many..." Tuaner firmly covered Ryan's mouth; at first glance, it looked like she was trying to silence him permanently.

"Can you sell me some? The ones you used to kill the Goblin Hero before..." Before Goblin Slayer could finish his sentence, Mia stuffed two scrolls into his hands.

[B-Rank Sticky Bomb (Adapted for current dungeon setting, in scroll format): Explosion radius 10*10*10 meters, deals damage to both friend and foe, lethality—enough to demolish a five-story building. Producer: Firing Pin]

"Keep your money, but I can't give you too many. I need to save a few to blow up this mirror, and a few more to deal with the women who are eager to throw themselves at you. Oh, right, here's how to use them." Mia handed Goblin Slayer a small slip of paper with instructions for the explosive scrolls.

"Thank you!" Goblin Slayer welcomed any means that could kill Goblins.

The group ambushed a few Goblins that had just teleported outside the mysterious altar. When the timing was right, they rushed in quickly and arrived in front of the Demon Mirror.

"Mirror, mirror, who is the most beautiful succubus in the world?" Tuaner began to goof off in front of the Demon Mirror.

Mia pulled Tuaner, who hadn't received a reply, to the side. She extended a finger, channeled her pink Qi into it, and tapped the surface.

Instantly, the mirror surface rippled again. To their surprise, they saw a Goblin tribe where the males farmed and the males wove, and they were building ships—the same kind of ships they had destroyed earlier.

"It's coming! That eerie presence is heading our way," the Elf Girl warned everyone.

Mia stuck three B-Rank [Sticky Bomb] scrolls onto the top, middle, and bottom of the mirror, then retreated to the corner with the others.

Before long, the Beholder appeared. A massive eyeball was its main body, surrounded by many tentacles, which also had smaller eyeballs on them. At first glance, it almost looked cute, but it was the kind of thing that makes you lose your sanity.

"What is this? It looks so disgusting." Although Tuaner had mentally prepared for this, it seemed her defenses weren't up yet; she started getting goosebumps...

The [Dragon Tooth Soldier] and [Stone Bullet] were used to test the Beholder's attack strength and field of vision, and they found it very difficult to break through.

The Beholder had two skills: Disintegrate and Destroy. It was fully capable of acting as a defensive tower. Everyone looked at Goblin Slayer, then turned to look at Mia, waiting for what came next.

"Heh, it's nice not to have to use one's brain," the Dwarf Taoist said cheerfully, looking at Goblin Slayer and Mia. "Does anyone have a good idea?"

Goblin Slayer squeezed the scrolls he had just received and hadn't even warmed up yet, but remained silent.

Mia checked her current mana: [220/240]

"I will continuously cast [Radiance of Holy Light] on this monster. Ryan, put on your sunglasses. Bet everything on your [Silver Moon Wall Bastion], charge straight in, and stick an A-Rank [Cluster Bomb] on the Evil Eye. Taoist Uncle, please help first by using [Intoxication] to lower the Evil Eye's focus. Elf, you also need to help us draw the Beholder's fire."

"No problem, just let me know when you need me," the Dwarf Taoist promised, patting his chest.

"No problem on my end either," the Elf Archer nodded in agreement.

"The hard part is how to get back," Tuaner added, helping to strategize. "Eh? Mia, what are you doing? Faced with a low-level monster like a Beholder, we haven't reached the point where you need to sell your Charms."

Without a word, Mia took off her upgraded [Profane Sacred Raiment · phantom silk stockings] and twisted them into a rope-like object that emitted a spider-silk-like luster. "They've been upgraded, so they should be tougher," Mia said to herself. She wrapped one end of the stocking rope twice around her hand and tied the other end to Ryan's gauntlet.

"These stockings of mine are a high-grade item; their toughness and elasticity are quite good. In a moment, Mr. Goblin Slayer and Tuaner, help me pull him back together."

As a werewolf... well, the werewolf had to take the blame for this. Ryan secretly sniffed the gauntlet, then with a flushed face and a serious expression, prepared to charge.

"Does it smell good?" Tuaner's voice came drifting over, cold as ice, as if she wanted to butcher Ryan.

"Yeah, it's fragrant..." Ryan responded subconsciously, then suddenly snapped awake and turned his head. He saw Tuaner, who looked like she wanted his life, raising her small fists and landing two punches—bang, bang—right on his eye sockets.

"Stop fooling around..." Mia took Ryan's two-handed hammer and slung it onto her own back.

"Ready!" The Dwarf Taoist began chanting an incantation, exhaling a mist of wine to blur the Beholder's vision and lower its willpower; the Elf Archer took the lead and started running to draw the Beholder's fire.

Amidst the explosions and flashes, Ryan finally found his opportunity. He activated his skills [Blessing Aura] and [Holy Charge]. This time his luck was good, as he rolled the [Agility Aura], increasing agility by 5% and evasion rate by 3%.

[Holy Charge] hit the Beholder, which was floating not far above the ground. Ryan was reminded of the joy of playing with stickers as a child; then, thinking of how he was a prince back then, he became unhappy again.

With a sudden jerk, Ryan was pulled back like a projectile by the elastic whip made of Mia's silk stockings. Several people crashed into each other, all turning into rolling gourds.

Tuaner's small hands were frantically pressing on the matching detonation scroll, but Mia snatched it away and tore it up.

A red light flashed, and a roar of an explosion erupted, illuminating almost the entire sewer corridor...