Chapter 78: Chapter 74: The Fisherman’s Profit
"Interesting..."
Alton watched the scene unfold with great interest.
"Looks like our luck is pretty good."
Solan lowered his bow, having no intention of making a move.
In a situation like this, they had to wait for the two sides to fight it out first. They would only make their move when the battle was nearly decided.
Alton nodded, but his expression remained tense. He continued to seriously analyze the situation. "That Mutated Goblin looks like an adult, and the Large Slime is probably a mature one, too."
Two adult Elite Level Demons meant two powerful Combat Powers comparable to Professionals. In the past, even if they were just waiting to pick up the scraps, Alton would have had to carefully consider the risk of being discovered mid-battle.
But now, with Lin Mo in the squad, such worries were unnecessary.
With two Professionals and Ali, a Quasi-Professional, they could most likely make a clean getaway even if something unexpected happened.
"They’re fighting!"
Rick said softly.
As the Goblins’ taunts grew more aggressive, the Slimes were not about to give up their territory for nothing. The leading Large Slime was the first to act, leaping forward and crushing two Goblins to death.
The remaining Slimes followed suit, and the battle erupted in an instant.
The Mutated Goblin, holding a large axe, roared and charged the Large Slime. The two Elite Level Demons collided head-on, evenly matched for the moment.
While the leaders were evenly matched, the same couldn’t be said for their underlings. In a one-on-one fight between these two low-level Demons, Goblins already held a slight advantage. Combined with their clear superiority in numbers, the moment the two sides clashed, the battle became completely one-sided.
Alton frowned slightly, watching the show to gauge the strength of the two Elite Level Demons while calculating the perfect moment to strike.
If they acted too early, they might scare the Demons off, or worse, cause them to team up against the squad. But if they waited too long, with the Slimes at a clear disadvantage, the battle likely wouldn’t last much longer.
Once the Large Slime realized things weren’t going its way, it would probably choose to retreat.
Demons weren’t stupid; at the very least, they understood how to seek advantages and avoid harm. If the Slimes retreated and gave up their territory, the Goblins, having gotten what they wanted, wouldn’t pursue them. By then, the squad would have missed its chance.
’It’s a shame we don’t have a Professional Assassin on the team,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, we wouldn’t need to overthink this so much...’
While Alton was agonizing over this, Lin Mo was getting antsy.
For the other members of the Adventurer Squad, all that mattered was the result. As long as they got the materials and completed the quest, it didn’t matter how the Demons died.
But Lin Mo was different. He needed these monsters to grind his Skill Levels. Watching the Goblins and Slimes fall one by one in the chaotic battle, he felt his heart bleeding.
"How about I give it a try?"
Seeing the squad members hesitate, unable to decide on the right moment to act, he couldn’t help but speak up.
Alton looked at Lin Mo, his first instinct to refuse. After all, he was used to being the core of the team; in the past, if there was something he couldn’t do, no one else could either.
But Lin Mo was different...
Recalling his clearly superhuman speed, Alton finally nodded. "Alright. Be careful!"
Lin Mo nodded and, using the bushes for cover, crept toward the battlefield.
"Huh? Where’d he go?"
Rick blinked and suddenly found he couldn’t find any trace of Lin Mo.
Hearing this, Alton tore his attention away from the two Elite Level Demons and scanned the bushes, equally baffled.
The most shocked of all was the squad’s Assassin, Carson. He replayed the moment Lin Mo had set out. One second, he had a clear view of him crouching and moving stealthily through the bushes; the next, it was as if he had lost sight of him completely, unable to find him again.
He had only seen the same technique once before, when he was studying under a senior.
"It’s a Stealth Skill... and it’s probably close to a Professional’s level!"
"What?!"
Solan was stunned. "Isn’t he a Warrior? Why does he have an Assassin’s Skill?"
And a high-level one at that.
Alton finally understood why Lin Mo was so much faster than him.
’Not only did he become a Warrior Professional at eighteen or nineteen, but he also practiced an Assassin Class skill to near-mastery at the same time? This guy...’
"Look, over there! Lin Mo’s making his move!"
Ali, with her keen Perception, was the first to notice the change on the battlefield. At the exact moment the two Elite Level Demons collided, a figure suddenly shot out from the side at incredible speed.
The sword blade danced, flashing blindingly in the sunlight.
In that instant, the flash of steel became two gashes so deep they revealed bone on the body of the Mutated Goblin, which was completely unguarded and had no time to block or counterattack.
SHIIICK—!
Gushing blood splattered out. The 1 point of Strength from the Wolf Bone Sword and the 8% physical damage bonus from his Level 4 Stealth were brought to bear with devastating effect.
The Mutated Goblin let out a pained shriek. No longer able to withstand the frontal assault, it was sent flying by the Large Slime.
Lin Mo seized the opportunity, followed close behind, and unleashed another Cross Slash the instant it hit the ground.
[Stealth] Skill Level +8
[Cross Slash] Skill Level +8
’Sweet!’
As he pocketed the 8 points of Skill Level, Lin Mo rolled with the momentum, dodging an attack from behind.
The Large Slime was in no mood to thank him for helping it deal with its opponent. Its first reaction upon seeing the suddenly appeared human was to attack.
Lin Mo quickly got to his feet and slashed with his sword.
When the blade met the Slime’s body, it felt like sinking into a strange fluid; he couldn’t put any force into the blow.
Lin Mo’s attack was ineffective, yet a look of joy flashed in his eyes. This was because...
[Tenacity] Skill Level +1
Ever since he’d figured out how to increase his Tenacity Skill Level, Lin Mo had been thinking about it.
’For the Tenacity skill, do I have to take a direct hit to my body for it to work, or is simple collision enough?’
Now, it seemed it was the latter.
’If that’s the case, then [Tenacity] might not just be a damage-soaking skill, but also a semi-supportive one.’
’"Fortify your defenses, reducing the next two instances of physical damage taken by 10%." That physical damage doesn’t just mean direct damage taken, but also includes the reactive force from a collision, and maybe even the pressure from the opponent’s body and weapon weight...’
’It’s a bit of a luxurious way to use it, but activating [Tenacity] in a fight would definitely give him an edge in a head-on collision.’
’Most importantly, now that he knew this, the skill became much easier to train. He no longer needed to deliberately take hits; he could just use it normally in combat.’
Realizing this, Lin Mo grew excited. With one use of [Tenacity] remaining, he charged the Large Slime again.
(Please come back and read tomorrow’s Chapter, I’m begging you!)
