Chapter 93: Chapter 89: Time to Hunt
"What if it’s a Goblin Caster?"
His words plunged the Adventurers into a sudden silence.
The Goblins’ mutations were not one-dimensional. While the vast majority evolved physically, a small, even more exceptional group existed among the Mutated Goblins.
They were the Goblin Casters!
These creatures lacked the immense Strength and agile bodies of a typical Mutated Goblin. Instead, they wielded Magic Power. Some could unleash powerful Attack Magic, others could rally their kin with buffs, and still others commanded the power of Curses, inflicting all manner of debilitating effects.
As it happened, the intelligence of a Goblin Caster was also far superior to that of an ordinary Mutated Goblin.
The ability to command a horde of this size meant the probability of a Goblin Caster orchestrating things from the rear was indeed very high!
"This is bad!"
Everyone realized something was terribly wrong. If the theory was true, the battle was about to become far worse than they had imagined. The size of the Goblin horde could very well be in the thousands!
"Someone has to go confirm the situation..."
Pain’s face was grim. "If it really is a Goblin Caster, we have to eliminate it first, no matter what. Otherwise, this fight will never end!"
A Goblin Caster’s ability to rally Goblins far surpassed that of a typical Mutated Goblin. Beyond the Goblins it had already gathered, the growing commotion here would attract other nearby Goblin groups.
Once they sensed the Caster’s presence, they would likely obey its commands and join the army invading Falling Leaves Village.
At that point, defending the village would be out of the question; they’d be lucky to break through the siege and escape with their lives!
"But Harlek is our only Assassin, and besides..."
’Even if there was a second Assassin, so what?’
’Harlek had vanished without a trace. No one even knew if he was dead or alive. Sending another would likely just lead to the same outcome.’
’As for the other Professionals, not only were they needed to defend Falling Leaves Village, but they also lacked the speed to bypass the Goblin Army and reach the rear.’
’Forcing a breakthrough was even more out of the question. Unless you were a Level 2 Professional, there was no way to push through that many Goblins.’
’To say nothing of the fact that there might be more than one Mutated Goblin waiting in the rear...’
"I’ll go give it a try."
Lin Mo glanced at the increasingly desperate battle around them. He didn’t like taking risks, but if he did nothing, failing the mission would be the least of their worries. If things continued like this, the entire village would be annihilated, and they themselves would face a grave crisis.
Hearing this, Alton frowned. Before he could even speak, Ali cried out from the side, "No!"
"Even Harlek, an Assassin, is missing. How can you risk going out in a situation like this?"
She said anxiously, her sword flashing as she cut down Goblins. The fur on her tail bristled.
"I agree..."
Alton shook his head. "It’s mainly because Harlek is already missing. The risk of rushing out is too great. If worse comes to worst, we can abandon the mission."
’And abandon this village...’
This wasn’t Alton being cold-blooded; as their captain, he had to prioritize the safety of his team members, even if Lin Mo was stronger than him.
Lin Mo smiled. ’It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this cared for.’
Lin Mo knew they had a point. ’In fact, if I hadn’t just advanced to the Knight Profession and received a massive boost to my Constitution, I wouldn’t have even considered trying.’
’But now I have a Constitution of 21, which gives me a high margin for error. Could I really just stand by and not even try when there’s a chance to change everything? Just abandon all these villagers?’
’That wouldn’t be caution; it would make him a selfish coward.’
"Trust me, Captain, and Ali... I’m just going to take a look. If there’s real danger, I’ll come back immediately."
Ali met his gaze, and in his black, amber-like eyes, she saw confidence and a sense of responsibility.
A wave of helplessness washed over her, and her fur drooped once more.
’She understood she shouldn’t, and couldn’t, stop him anymore.’
’Ali wouldn’t make an unreasonable demand to go with him. She could only blame herself, her own weakness.’
’For the first time in her life, she had such a strong desire to become stronger.’
’If only she were a little stronger, if only she could resolve this crisis...’
After a moment of silence, Alton nodded with a solemn expression, "Be extremely careful!"
"We’re counting on you, brother."
Pain said earnestly, "I know you’re strong, but don’t push yourself too hard."
"Good luck, and be safe! You can count on us to hold the line here."
Marlow’s words were concise and to the point.
Birds of a feather flock together. As Alton’s friends, these Adventurers who had helped Lin Mo with his training a few days prior might have been jokesters on a normal day, but they were completely serious when it mattered.
Lin Mo nodded, then pulled back from the front lines. He entered Stealth and began sneaking along the flank toward the rear of the Goblin Army.
To be on the safe side, he chose a different direction from the one Harlek had taken.
The night was deep, and the unending shrieks of the Goblins filled the air. As the sounds of battle faded behind him, Lin Mo cautiously observed his surroundings. He didn’t push for speed, advancing with extreme care.
Unlike the forest, the area around Falling Leaves Village was a plain, offering little cover. The Stealth skill only reduced his presence and the likelihood of being spotted—it wasn’t true invisibility—so Lin Mo moved with exceptional caution.
In the distance, he could see scattered Goblins making their way toward the village. Just as they had suspected, other Goblins from the surrounding area were beginning to join the army invading Falling Leaves Village.
Lin Mo didn’t stop. He pressed onward until he finally reached the edge of the forest and its sparse trees.
Lin Mo darted into the woods, using the cover to slowly approach the Goblin Army from behind.
At this distance, the sounds from the village were gone, replaced by the rustle of the wind and the intermittent chirping of insects in the woods.
Lin Mo held his breath, his full attention on his surroundings as he advanced.
He drew closer and closer, until the shapes of Goblins became visible. At the same time, Lin Mo thought he heard the faint sound of suppressed panting.
He changed direction, moving closer to where the sound was coming from.
Harlek was clenching his jaw, his breath coming in hoarse, heavy wheezes.
He did his best to stifle his gasps, his trembling hand struggling to pull a red Potion from his pack. He downed it all in one gulp.
The next moment, his pupils contracted. He dropped the bottle, drew his dagger, and stabbed behind him.
"DING—!"
The instant he saw the man’s face, Lin Mo pulled back his strength and said softly, "It’s me."
Only then did Harlek breathe a sigh of relief, lower his dagger, and slump weakly against a tree.
Lin Mo moved to stand in front of him, studying the long-lost Assassin by the light of the moon.
A horrifying wound, nearly half a meter long, ran from his shoulder to his abdomen—so deep the bone was visible!
Lin Mo squatted down with a grave expression. "Are you okay... what on earth happened?"
Harlek shook his head. "Just drank a Life Potion, I won’t die."
He paused, then continued, "It’s a Goblin Caster!"
’So their suspicions were correct.’
"I snuck into the rear of the Goblin Army just now and saw three adult Mutated Goblins, and five sub-adults... Just as I was preparing to retreat, I was suddenly hit by a Curse!"
Harlek recalled the sensation. "My body suddenly felt like it was filled with lead, my movements became sluggish. The Mutated Goblins closed in, and that’s when I noticed the small Goblin they’d been surrounding."
"If that Slow Curse hadn’t been so short, I would’ve been a goner..."
Harlek coughed a few times, a cold sweat breaking out from the pain.
"I can’t go back for now. You tell everyone this news..."
Harlek trailed off, his expression freezing.
’He knew all too well—what good would passing on the message do?’
’Three adult Mutated Goblins, five sub-adults, plus a Goblin Caster...’
’If every Adventurer present charged in, they might be able to take them out. But as things stood, they couldn’t even get close to the Mutated Goblins.’
’The endless Goblin Army alone was more than enough to overwhelm them.’
"I understand. You be careful, get some rest."
Lin Mo didn’t say anything more. With a final word of caution, he stood up and started walking forward.
In the darkness, Harlek watched Lin Mo’s receding figure and was struck by a preposterous thought.
’He’s not planning to go by himself, is he?’
’He quickly shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic idea. He’d just finished explaining how dangerous it was; no one would be that foolish.’
As Lin Mo walked, he glanced at his Skill Level panel.
’With his current strength, even with a high Constitution, it was impossible to deal with so many Mutated Goblins.’
’But...’
[Stealth] Level 5 (103/180)
’This skill’s Skill Level had risen significantly during the recent battle. He only needed a little over seventy more points to level it up again.’
’Before, grinding out seventy-odd points of Skill Level would have taken a long time. But right now, there was no shortage of Demons for him to grind on.’
Lin Mo’s pace quickened until he broke into a run. He didn’t head directly for the Goblins’ rear. Instead, he retraced his steps and circled around to the flank of the Goblin Army.
Under the cover of darkness, Lin Mo fixed an icy gaze on the Goblins surging forward, one wave after another.
’Now, it’s time to hunt!’
