Chapter 37

When Sain approached the attacker, the creature was still not dead.

In times of crisis, not only Sain but also the subterranean being before him reacted quickly.

However, the other party's luck was clearly not as good as Sain's. The corrosive acid released by the acid cane, though not directly piercing it, had created a large hole in the left chest and abdomen of the subterranean being.

For a creature as small as this, a wound of this size, which would be a serious injury for a strong being like a minotaur, was a fatal wound.

Sain was unsure if the corrosive acid had penetrated its heart. He watched as organs similar to intestines flowed out of the hole, along with some colorful substances.

Sain struggled to raise his left hand, and a secondary fireball spell appeared.

The subterranean being, in a state of weakness, revealed a look of pleading and a desire for life in its black eyes.

But Sain's cold, emotionless eyes showed no wavering. A slightly smaller secondary fireball, compared to the usual size, was launched from Sain's hand.

The head of the subterranean being, along with its black eyes that revealed a pleading look, exploded into pieces.

After thoroughly eliminating the threat, Sain staggered, picked up the short dagger and the dropped bag from the subterranean being, and slowly walked into the darkness.

Sain did not head directly toward Menzoberranzan, as his current physical condition was not sufficient to support him for another half day of travel.

Moreover, Sain doubted whether there would be other threats on this "safe road" less than a day's journey from Menzoberranzan.

He needed to find a suitable safe location first, treat his wounds, and then consider other matters.

After walking for about half an hour, on the verge of exhaustion, Sain finally found a small cave about half a person's height.

Bending over, he squeezed into the cave with difficulty and pushed a few pieces of broken rock in front of the entrance.

After doing this, Sain was finally able to examine and treat his injuries.

The subterranean being that attacked him was specifically called a gray dwarf.

There were many gray dwarves in the Underdark, and this race had many branches.

In the subterranean world, gray dwarves were synonymous with treachery and deceit.

This race had always been at the bottom of the subterranean food chain, and it was only through their large population base and outstanding reproductive ability that they managed to survive in the harsh environment of the subterranean world.

But every race has its outstanding members.

The gray dwarf that attacked Sain was likely as strong as a mid-level apprentice, and a particularly strong one at that.

If Sain had not had the acid cane and successfully hit the other party, he might have really been in trouble this time.

The gray dwarf was also quite treacherous. It must have noticed the changes in the Gray Valley and had been lying in wait on the way to ambush Sain.

Black magic apprentices were renowned in Menzoberranzan, and these subterranean beings did not dare to have any sinister thoughts.

But outside the city, without the intimidation of formal black mages and with the darkness providing cover, as long as they acted quickly and left no traces, no one would suspect them.

This was the true survival rule of the subterranean world—survival of the fittest.

The subterranean humans in the Gray Valley could only rely on Sain's charity and kindness to survive, forever at the bottom of the food chain.

"Fortunately, as I suspected, it was just coated with blue moss juice, with no other toxins." After examining the gray dwarf's dagger, Sain let out a sigh of relief.

The wound on his neck was not large, but the paralyzing toxin from the blue moss had gradually invaded his body.

The toxicity of blue moss itself was not strong, and sometimes subterranean creatures would apply it to wounds to slow bleeding and reduce tearing pain.

But this time, Sain's injury was on his neck.

Under the influence of the toxin, Sain gradually felt that the right side of his body had lost sensation.

This situation was enough to prove how critical it was.

Fortunately, Sain had brought potions from Boss.

With great difficulty, he took out a red and a blue potion from his pocket, bit off the caps, and swallowed them both.

A faint warmth and a special spiciness arose in Sain's abdomen. Before his spirit gradually weakened and he fell into a deep sleep, the only thought in his mind was, "This time, I really owe Melly a favor."

...

After an unknown amount of time, when Sain woke up from the darkness, he instinctively looked around.

The memories of the academy mission in the Gray Valley and the subsequent attack flooded Sain's mind, making him slowly realize his situation.

The hunger in his stomach did not make Sain feel depressed; instead, it made him feel a surge of energy.

Feeling hungry at least indicated that he still had sensation in his body.

Especially when he tried to control his body, Sain found that although his right side was still somewhat numb, he could勉强 lift his right hand.

The faint vision provided by the pale mask in the darkness allowed Sain to gently push a small piece of broken rock in front of him and observe the surroundings.

This should be a corner position in one of the interconnected rock passages of the subterranean world.

Finding such a hidden small cave was a sign that Sain was not meant to die.

Since he did not know how much time had passed, to avoid any complications, Sain should immediately replenish his strength.

Sain bit off the cap of the remaining low-level recovery potion and drank it in one gulp. The effect of the low-level recovery potion was not just to heal wounds; it also provided some energy.

It was just a bit extravagant.

The dry rations on his waist had disappeared at some point, along with some of his gains from the Gray Valley.

There was no way around it. In a life-threatening situation, Sain was lucky to have saved his life, let alone worry about material possessions.

Even the leg of the Green Jaw Feather King, which had hung from his waist, was long gone.

Sain had proactively discarded the leg before finding this cave.

He dared not guarantee that the faint aroma of roasted meat from the leg would not attract something while he was unconscious.

Even a common subterranean beast could have finished off Sain in that state.

Looking around, Sain found that he now had only four Green Jaw Feather eggs left.

He gently tapped one, creating a hole the size of a thumbnail.

Sain put his mouth to the hole and sucked.

A salty, fishy taste filled his mouth.

But at least in terms of satiety, this Green Jaw Feather egg was more effective than the small low-level recovery potion.

While sucking on the egg white, Sain thought that after this mission, he should learn from his senior, Faye, how to make nutritional potions.

Although the taste of nutritional potions was not good, it was definitely better than the raw egg he was holding.