BXBX NOVEL Chapter 252: Hot Spring
Shadow Valley, hidden training ground.
In a dense forest, a stiffly moving training dummy kept walking.
These training dummies were products of alchemy and were used to imitate a real person’s movements.
A green radiance flickered on their bodies.
If they noticed an enemy approaching, the green radiance would turn red.
This meant the mission failed.
A black cloud slowly floated over in the green sky.
In a shrub, a small silhouette followed that floating black cloud and quietly began her actions.
A few minutes later, the black cloud finished passing over the forest.
And Isabelle’s silhouette could gradually be seen, exiting the forest.
A military instructor was waiting for her at the exit.
He silently calculated the time and even with great effort, he still couldn’t hide the shock on his face.
Sixteen low-level training dummies were all dispatched in seven minutes, and no alarm was triggered!
This strength is not what a 1st rank little girl is supposed to have?!
Then again, he had overseen countless Assassins taking this test before, so even though Isabelle’s display was shocking, it wasn’t unprecedented.
But what the military instructor didn’t know was that the little girl hadn’t used the Hammons’ unique abilities because of Marvin’s words.
She instead relied on her own Assassin talents to accomplish the training.
If she used the Hammon abilities to get rid of these training dummies, she wouldn’t even need half a minute!
This was what made her most frightening.
"First training, passed. If I had to give you a mark, it would [Excellent]," the military instructor said in a heavy voice.
Isabelle looked up. "Why not [Perfect]?"
The military instructor’s mouth twitched. "Because in the previous training camp, you injured too many promising trainees. Some of them even began to have a shadow in their heart. They might never have the confidence to be an Assassin again."
"That isn’t my fault," Isabelle contended calmly, "They slandered Lord Marvin. They said he died. I should have killed them."
The military instructor frowned. The little girl’s tone was dull, but it gave a strong pressure.
If not for the extremely strict orders from the higher ups, he would properly teach a lesson to this little girl who didn’t know how high the skies were.
Unfortunately, he could only imagine doing so.
The little girl’s background was pretty huge. It was said that she was closely related to the mighty Viscount Marvin.
"Well. Let’s call it a day."
"In any case, you are all from the same batch of Apprentice Assassins, so you need to help each other."
"Go look for Lamar, he has something to give you. It’s something given to you by Viscount Marvin."
Isabelle’s eyes suddenly brightened. "A gift from Lord Marvin?"
...
Marvin was cautiously progressing through a gloomy cave.
After the initial excitement dulled, Marvin began to stabilize his state of mind.
He knew he had to stay patient.
He was someone that liked taking risks. For many, darkness meant fear. But for Marvin, darkness meant endless possibilities.
He had repeatedly adventured to the cities of the Underdark in the past, usually alone.
He liked that feeling of solitude.
And the danger of the Underdark would excite him even more.
This was a place full of dangers.
You had to be cautious, or else you wouldn’t be able be able to leave the Underdark... Alive.
Marvin kept going forward. In less than half a day, he had already avoided a Carnivorous Plant, a Trapper and a Myconids tribe!
This was completely due to the Night Walker’s innate skill.
Darksight made him like a fish in water in the Underdark. This was more reliable than the Drows’ Infrared Sight.
Myconids tribes couldn’t be underestimated. A fight with those Fungus-men would never end. Their fighting strength was average, but they would easily attract the other monsters in the vicinity.
As for the Trapper and the Carnivorous Plant, they were very frightening lifeforms.
Trappers loved to pretend to be a flat part of the road, but if you accidentally stepped on them, you would find yourself standing in a devilish mouth!
It was similar with the Underdark’s Carnivorous Plant.
These lifeforms were extremely frightening and Marvin wouldn’t take the initiative to provoke them. He didn’t come to the Underdark for an adventure, but to reach his destination, Rocky Mountain.
If he went through the Saint Desert, even if he had a first rate guide, it would still take about a month to arrive to Rocky Mountain.
Marvin chose this path because it would greatly cut down the time.
Naturally, the dangers would also greatly increase.
In the Underdark, the strong preyed on the weak.
But the good news was that even if the path he chose was part of the Underdark, it was quite far from the true Underdark.
That underground river in fact directly crossed the Saint Desert.
In short, it was still safe as long as he stayed vigilant.
...
Following the small path of the Dark Hole, Marvin walked for approximately six hours before finally hearing the sound of water.
He followed the path he remembered and cut through a small cave.
In this process, he inadvertently disturbed a Poison Lizard’s hunt and had to draw his daggers and fight.
A bit later, Marvin got rid of the Poison Lizard with his exquisite Blade Skills, not a single drop of poison falling on his body.
This was the benefit of fighting experience.
Naturally it was also due to his high Dexterity and his Demon Hunter Steps.
After killing the Poison Lizard, Marvin safely arrived at that underground river.
The river was actually very narrow, it was more of a rapids than a river.
This was also the reason it was safe.
If it was really a large underground river, there might have been terrifying [Aboleths] or other big underwater Aberrations.
These monsters weren’t something Marvin wanted to come across at the moment. They were usually very troublesome because they were natural stalking predators. Even the early warning abilities of the Ranger and Night Walker classes might not be enough if they launched a sneak attack.
Marvin smoothly reached the river bank.
This small river would keep him company for a week. This would be a very boring period.
But it was a lot better than trudging through the desert.
He took a small golden bull from the Void Conch and then silently chanted an incantation.
In a flash, the golden bull became bigger and was more or less the shape of a small boat.
This was one of the golden bulls Marvin obtained from the Hidden Granary. He had asked the nameless alchemist to add a shrinking and enlarging ability to it. He hadn’t been too hopeful about the result, but that guy unexpectedly succeeded.
Moreover, it was an enchantment that could repeatedly be used.
The food in this golden bull’s belly had already been emptied so Marvin used it as a means of transportation. It would be very handy on the river at the very least.
He softly put the golden bull on the river and then hopped on!
Under the acceleration of the river rapids, the golden bull boat hurriedly drifted forward, and in a blink, it was already far in the distance!
...
The golden bull proceeded down the underground river while Marvin maintained his vigilance.
When tired, he would use the Wishful Rope to tie it to a rock and find a hidden place to rest and take a nap.
When hungry and thirsty, he would eat rations and drink water.
Marvin hadn’t experienced days like that for a long time.
He cherished the memories of these solitary adventuring days. Even if it was dull, it made him more clear-headed.
Although there weren’t huge monsters around the underground river, there were still many smaller monsters roaming about.
Fortunately the river was quite fast and Marvin whistled past them before they could react.
The only trouble Marvin met was a Behir drinking on the river bank.
(T/N: Great serpentine monster with twelve legs and an electrical breath, often mistaken with a wingless blue dragon.)
That guy was directly blocking Marvin’s path.
Marvin originally thought there would be a hard fought battle, but he hadn’t thought that the guy would hesitate and let him off.
It spoke a few words in Undercommon, which Marvin didn’t understand, and then cleared out of Marvin’s path.
Marvin surmised that this guy let him off mostly because of his Dragon Slayer title.
It was common knowledge that Behirs abhorred all Draconic lifeforms, and Marvin’s body appeared to have the aura of a dead Dragon.
Perhaps because it felt that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," it didn’t make things too complicated for Marvin.
Of course, Marvin still thought that the main reason was still those three Lizards’ bodies on the ground.
Rashly starting a battle against an enemy of unknown strength was clearly not wise.
Marvin luckily averted a battle once again.
Behirs were very troublesome lifeforms. Their skin was sturdy and unless Marvin turned into an Asuran Bear, he probably wouldn’t be able to harm it.
And in the Underdark, the Asuran Bear’s fighting strength would be limited.
...
After about a week of travel, Marvin left the river, put away the golden bull, and then followed a path on foot.
Rocky Mountain was already very close, but even if it was only the outskirts of the Underdark, there were still monsters roaming about so he still had to be cautious.
And the hot spring Marvin had planned to visit was also in the vicinity.
This hot spring had mystical effects, and could substantially improve his Constitution. Marvin knew that what gave this hot spring its effects was that fragment of [Earth Crystal] at the bottom of the water.
From Marvin’s previous experience, after a human soaked in the hot spring for some time, he could raise his Constitution by one or two points.
Such a benefit was hard to come by.
It was a pity that this hot spring wasn’t easy to access.
There was a Hook Horror family occupying the surroundings. Their leader was an elite variant female Hook Horror.
Marvin previously had a battle of wits with her and it took him a long time to take care of her.
But he came prepared this time, so it should be a lot easier.
He silently checked the path, having activated his Listen skill for a long time.
At that moment, Marvin heard an ear-piercing sound!