Chapter 51: Chapter 47: Surrounded
"So, what’s inside these Secret Realms?"
Compared to the origin of the Secret Realms, this was the most crucial question.
"Anything is possible."
Bain continued, recalling the old tales he’d heard in taverns. "In the words of the Minstrels, what lies on the other side of a Secret Realm could be a treasure trove of dazzling jewels or an inescapable hell. No one can know for sure before they truly enter."
"Many of the Kingdom’s decorated nobles first made their fortunes with priceless treasures or powerful Scrolls they found in Secret Realms."
Cody added from the side, "I’ve heard similar stories. They say even the renowned swordsmanship genius, Miss Eve, stumbled into a Secret Realm once and obtained an Epic-grade Swordsmanship Scroll. That’s how she, a commoner, managed to rise so quickly and become the head of the Kingdom’s Swordsmanship Academy!"
"But that’s just a rumor, after all. Others say Eve is just an incredibly hardworking genius, and that rumor is just a malicious attempt to discredit her talent and effort. Both versions have plenty of believers. As for the real truth, I suppose only she knows..."
Bain glanced at Evan, who looked visibly tempted, and quickly put a stop to the topic. "But for every widely-circulated story of someone striking it rich in a Secret Realm, the vast majority of those who enter—whether by choice or by accident—are never heard from again."
Survivorship bias.
Lin Mo nodded in understanding. People tend to focus on the lucky few, ignoring all those who never made it out of the Secret Realms. They hope to be just as fortunate, only to end up as another cold statistic.
"The dangers within a Secret Realm punish anyone who underestimates them. Even someone as powerful as the Legendary Adventurer Lorrence Valania was never seen again after entering a Secret Realm twenty years ago."
To put it nicely, she went missing. But after twenty years, her bones have probably long since turned to dust.
"So, rein in your greed, Evan. We can’t bet our lives on such a slim chance."
The reason Bain brought up these things, including the disappearance of the Legendary Adventurer, was to warn the restless Evan and make him give up his unrealistic ideas.
"I know, Uncle Bain."
Evan nodded reluctantly. He’d been an Adventurer for almost two years, progressing from a complete rookie to his current position at the bottom of the ladder.
Without Skills, he could never advance. He’d be stuck wrestling with Goblins forever, a bottom-tier Adventurer.
Youthful and reckless, he was unwilling to accept a simple, ordinary life. He wanted to be like Uncle Bain, or even surpass him, to become a Professional and earn more money to buy a beautiful big house for himself and Millian...
A young person’s overabundant self-awareness and lack of experience often breed a baseless confidence.
’It can’t be that bad, right? Maybe I’m the chosen one? This time is different...’
Yet, it is precisely when one holds such thoughts that reality tends to deliver a blow heavy enough to be etched into one’s memory.
Fortunately, he wasn’t completely unreasonable or stubborn. He took Bain’s advice to heart, put aside his fantasies, and forced a smile.
Millian discreetly brushed the back of his hand with her fingers, offering him warm, comforting reassurance with her eyes.
Lin Mo had no intention of entering this Secret Realm either.
’There are too many unknown factors in an uncharted area like this. Just as Bain said, we can’t gamble on such a slim chance.’
Besides, with the Skill Proficiency System, he didn’t need to take such risks. As long as he completed quests and killed Demons step-by-step, his power would naturally continue to grow.
"Let’s go. Time to head out and find the Cat Demons."
Bain said as he took out his map, trying to pinpoint their current approximate location based on his memory of the path they had taken.
"By the way, are there Demons inside Secret Realms too?"
Lin Mo suddenly remembered something and asked Bain.
"Of course. According to the Great Mages, the Secret Realms we see are actually parts of other worlds. So, most Secret Realms have Demons in them. In fact, some of the Demons on the Continent today originally came from Secret Realms."
"So... the Secret Realms are two-way?"
Lin Mo suddenly frowned, a bad feeling creeping over him.
"That’s right..."
Bain finally confirmed their general position on the map. As he’d suspected, they had entered the Deep Forest Area of Loran Forest.
But since they had only just entered, it wasn’t much different from the outer edges.
He looked up, noticed Lin Mo’s solemn expression, and asked in confusion, "What’s wrong?"
Lin Mo glanced at the Cursed Cat Demon’s corpse on the ground. "When that Cat Demon tried to flee just now, it seemed to be running toward the entrance of the Secret Realm."
Bain immediately understood what he meant.
In other words, those two Cursed Cat Demons might have come out of the Secret Realm.
This didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but...
"Remember? We barely ran into any Demons on our way here."
Lin Mo’s voice was low. "At the time, I thought it was because this area was the territory of those two Cursed Cat Demons, so other Demons didn’t dare to enter. But if they really did come from the Secret Realm..."
"Then whose territory is this place, really?"
As his words fell, a chill ran down everyone’s spine.
The sun had been up for two hours, and the temperature was gradually rising. The forest was dead silent; not even the chirping of birds could be heard.
A grim, murderous atmosphere was quietly spreading.
"RUSTLE RUSTLE—"
Once everything fell quiet, a rustling sound finally reached their ears, not from just one direction, but from...
All around!
Hidden by the tall grass, the greasy green figures blended almost perfectly with their surroundings.
Goblins.
As an Adventurer Squad with two experienced members, plus a capable newcomer like Lin Mo, they shouldn’t have been afraid of such weak Demons. In fact, they should have been happy that they’d be earning a few more Silver Coins from this trip.
That is, if the number of these half-man-high, ugly demons hadn’t reached such an absurd level.
With just a glance, they could spot at least a dozen Goblins approaching. Seemingly sensing their vigilance, the Goblins stopped hiding and stepped out openly, their total number exceeding one hundred.
If that were all, they might still have had a chance to break through or even win.
After all, Goblins are very weak Demons... but Mutated Goblins are not.
Tall figures appeared in their line of sight, standing out starkly against their diminutive kin.
Three whole Mutated Goblins! They were closing in from different directions.
Lin Mo’s gaze fell on the Mutated Goblin directly in front of them.
He clearly remembered the appearance of the Mutated Goblin he had killed before. It was more than twice the height of a normal Goblin, about 1.9 to 2 meters tall.
But this one...
Even from a distance, by comparing it to the regular Goblins beside it, he could clearly tell that this one was a full two heads taller than the one he had seen before!
