F-class thief? Sorry, I can steal anything.

Chapter 265 The Trial Begins! Goblin Series Beginner Dungeon?

The next morning, Chen Yifan and his three companions arrived at the dungeon teleportation hall at the East Gate on time.

This place is much quieter than the main campus. Most of the people coming and going are students with life skills or those who have taken on special missions and need to go to remote dungeons.

The recruitment point for the "Scavengers" community was set up in a corner of the hall, at a dilapidated table.

A senior student was sitting behind me, yawning. Business seemed terrible, a stark contrast to the bustling activity of the popular clubs nearby.

"Hello, we're here to participate in the company's recruitment assessment."

Xia Nan stepped forward and said politely.

The senior student raised her eyelids, glanced at them lazily, and then took out four black stones from the drawer.

"This is an 'Echo Stone,' a special item from the assessment instance. Your task is to enter the 'Goblin Abandoned Mine' and stay inside for three hours."

"The Echo Stone will automatically activate in three hours and teleport you back."

"If you find anything inside that you consider 'valuable' during this time, you can bring it back."

"The president will judge whether you pass the test based on what you bring back."

"Goblin Abandoned Mine?"

Wang Fugui curled his lip upon hearing the name.

Goblin Mine, Goblin Abandoned Mine, Goblin Lair...

These dungeons, especially those with "goblin" in their names, are basically beginner dungeons.

It was used to enlighten newly awakened professionals in various high schools.

"Isn't that the lowest-level tutorial dungeon? The goblins inside aren't even level 10, what good stuff could they possibly have?"

"Then it depends on your eyesight."

The senior student yawned and waved her hand impatiently.

"If you're going, hurry up and don't waste your time here."

Xia Nan shrugged at Chen Yifan and the other two, then led the way into the teleportation array next to them.

"Instance objective: Goblin Abandoned Mine. Teleportation in progress..."

With a slight feeling of weightlessness, the scene before my eyes instantly changed.

A damp, putrid smell, mixed with the stench of earth, filled my nostrils.

The four appeared in a dark, narrow mine shaft.

Unlike the Goblin Mine.

This place is even more dilapidated!

The walls were covered with slippery moss, and the ground was littered with puddles and the skeletons of unknown creatures.

"Holy crap, this place is so run-down!"

Wang Fugui pinched his nose, looking disgusted.

"It's even worse than the sewers in the suburbs of Jiangcheng."

"This is the Goblin Abandoned Mine."

Xia Nan adjusted her glasses and explained.

"The background of this instance is a large energy crystal mine."

"Later, due to over-exploitation, the vein was depleted and abandoned. Then, it was taken over by a group of goblins and became the lowest-level tutorial dungeon."

"However, ten years ago, a small-scale 'abnormality' occurred here, which caused an unstable increase in the difficulty of the dungeon."

"Since then, the school has rarely organized new students to come here."

"distortion?"

Chen Yifan's heart skipped a beat when he heard this word.

He recalled the goblin mine in Jiangcheng.

Monsters rioted.

The casualties were heavy.

He subtly activated his [Mind's Eye] and sensed his surroundings.

The psionic fluctuations in the mine were very weak and chaotic.

Most of them are low-level goblins, with the occasional elite monster, but none of them are more than level 15.

But deep inside the mine, Chen Yifan sensed an extremely subtle yet incredibly familiar aura.

Is it "the power of heretics"?

Although it was very faint, he would never admit his mistake!

Chen Yifan's expression instantly turned serious.

It seems that this assessment is not as simple as it appears.

Is it a coincidence that this "scavenger" community chose this location for their assessment?

What exactly are they looking for?

"Everyone be careful, the situation here might not be what we expect."

Chen Yifan reminded him.

"What's the difference? They're just a bunch of goblins! Watch me take them all down with one blow!"

Wang Fugui nonchalantly picked up his warhammer.

Just then.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

A piercing scream came from deep within the mine.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen or so short, green-skinned goblins, each wielding a rusty iron knife, rushed out of the darkness.

"Well done! Let's see how powerful you are, Fatty!"

Wang Fugui roared and charged forward, his S-grade lightning-attribute armor gleaming.

The warhammer in his hand crackled with electricity, and with one blow, he smashed a goblin into a bloody pulp.

However, a strange scene happened.

The goblin that was crushed to death did not turn into specks of light and disappear like a normal monster.

Instead, it quickly shrivels up, as if all the flesh and blood and vitality in its body had been drained away in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, a black mist emerged from the withered corpse and then entered the body of a goblin next to it.

The goblin that had been penetrated by the black mist shuddered violently.

His originally cloudy eyes instantly turned blood red.

His size also visibly increased, and he gained a size.

The aura emanating from his body was several times stronger than before.

"Holy crap! What's going on?!"

Wang Fugui was so startled by this bizarre scene that he took a step back.

"It's 'symbiotic infection'!"

Lin Xiaoyu's expression also turned serious.

"These goblins are infected by some kind of parasite! Kill one, and its power will transfer to another!"

"So, the more we kill, the stronger the remaining monsters become?"

Wang Fugui understood, and his expression immediately fell.

How can we fight like this?

In the end, wouldn't we be facing a super goblin that has absorbed the power of all its companions?

"That's not all."

Chen Yifan's gaze fell on the goblins.

"Look at them, their attacks are completely irrational, driven entirely by instinct. They have lost their minds and become mere puppets that only know how to kill."

"It is the influence of 'heretical forces'."

Chen Yifan made a judgment in his mind.

This power is different from what he learned.

It feels extremely evil.

This force corrupted the creatures here, turning them into these relentless monsters.

"What do we do then? Are we just going to waste three hours fighting them?"

Wang Fugui was somewhat worried.

"We can't afford to waste time." Chen Yifan shook his head. "This power will continue to erode our spirit over time. If we stay here too long, we'll be affected too."

He glanced at Xia Nan, and saw that although he was also somewhat surprised, there was no panic on his face. Instead, he had a thoughtful expression.

This guy definitely knows something.

"Xia Nan, do you know how to deal with these things?"

Chen Yifan asked directly.

Xia Nan adjusted her glasses and said:

"Ancient texts record that these creatures corrupted by the 'power of the abyss' all have a core, also known as the 'mother.' Once the mother is found and destroyed, these infected individuals will lose their source of power and perish on their own."

The power of the abyss?

It seems that this is what they call this evil "heretical power".

"Where is the mother?"

Chen Yifan pressed for an answer.

"I don't know." Xia Nan shook her head. "It could be anywhere in the mine. Besides, there are definitely more powerful monsters guarding the mother structure."

"Okay, I understand."

Chen Yifan nodded, then said to Wang Fugui and Lin Xiaoyu:

"Fatty, Xiaoyu, you two stay here and hold off these monsters. Remember, don't go all out. Try to keep them under control and prevent them from devouring each other."

"And what about me?"

Xia Nan asked.

"You?" Chen Yifan glanced at him. "You're coming with me to find that so-called 'mother body'."

He wanted to see what this young master Xia was really up to.

"it is good."

Xia Nan agreed without hesitation.

Chen Yifan stopped talking and his figure gradually became blurred in the dim mine, eventually blending completely into the shadows of the wall.

"Keep up."

A barely audible voice rang in Xia Nan's ears.

Xia Nan's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile.

He pushed up his glasses and started walking deeper into the mine.

His pace didn't seem fast.

But every step he took was perfectly timed, keeping pace with Chen Yifan's rhythm.

This seemingly frail scholar was actually also...

A master of stealth!