"Skill [Great Shield Charge] Lv3 (40/40) upgraded!"

"Current skill [Great Shield Charge] Lv4 (31/100)"

[Consecutive Thrusts] proficiency +5

[Accumulated Sword Combo] proficiency +9

"Skill [Consecutive Thrusts] Lv3 (40/40) upgraded!"

"Current skill [Consecutive Thrusts] Lv4 (0/100)"

Putting these floating messages aside for now, Lin Mo kept moving, pressing the attack against the mutated goblins ahead.

[Accumulated Sword Combo]!

Against these relatively tougher monsters, the wide-area, high-power Accumulated Sword Combo was naturally the best option, and killing them also boosted the excellence-level skill's proficiency effectively.

Lin Mo unleashed two instant [Accumulated Sword Combo] attacks in succession. Six sword energies flew toward different targets;

whether subadult or adult, even those strengthened by the Goblin Shaman's buffs couldn't withstand a single blade from Lin Mo and were wiped out one after another.

[Accumulated Sword Combo] proficiency +3!

[Accumulated Sword Combo] proficiency +8!

Subadult mutated goblins below level 1 gave reduced proficiency, only 3 points, but the adult ones provided a generous 8 points.

The skill's proficiency shot up in an instant.

But after prolonged fighting, aside from his dwindling mana and mentally strained state, Lin Mo's stamina had been heavily consumed.

Excellent-level skills couldn't be squandered recklessly anymore;

he needed to conserve some physical strength and qi and blood.

Anyway, his recent performance in the fight should have been spectacular enough...

Sure enough, it wasn't long before Lin Mo spotted a Bronze-rank goblin in his sight, moving in his direction.

Naturally, it was also buffed by the Goblin Shaman.

The green glow shrouding that Bronze Goblin was noticeably stronger, which meant its enhancement effects were higher.

And this one was clearly not level 3;

it was the stronger level 4 Bronze Goblin he'd seen earlier!

That presented a significant challenge for Lin Mo.

When he encountered that level 4 Goblin before, Sherfilia had helped and instantly killed it, but Sherfilia couldn't intervene this time;

he had to handle it himself.

A single level 4 Bronze Goblin warrior alone wasn't something Lin Mo couldn't handle.

But meeting a strengthened level 4 Bronze Goblin while his stamina was low was a completely different situation.

Still, he had to win—or at least seize the advantage—so the hidden Goblin Shaman would be forced to act.

Lin Mo drew a deep breath, eyes narrowing, then launched an attack the next moment and lunged at it.

The green-glowing goblin warrior showed no fear;

it swung its spiked club toward him.

Just before they clashed, Lin Mo's figure suddenly vanished, then came to an abrupt stop, evading the goblin's attack range. The spiked club swung through empty air, leaving the goblin momentarily dazed.

It was a level 4 warrior after all;

Lin Mo wouldn't try to meet it head-on—there was little to gain from that.

With a speed advantage, of course he would use it.

Two or three seconds later, Lin Mo reappeared at its flank. Qi and blood condensed on the Black Sword as seven sword energies were suddenly unleashed.

Counting the Black Sword's +2 boost, Lin Mo's strength attribute had reached 42 points. Add the 26% physical damage increase from Vanish, the Black Sword's 10% slashing-skill damage bonus, and the Assassin's Heart's 10% close-range physical damage increase.

Lin Mo's [Charged Sword Slash] now unquestionably matched or even exceeded that of a typical level 4 warrior professional!

But the goblin wasn't ordinary either. It roared, muscles bulging on its thick arms, and slammed the heavy spiked club down with full force.

That blow shattered six of the sword energies.

The remaining blade struck its chest, leaving a deep wound, but considering this goblin warrior's vitality, it wasn't a serious injury.

That was brutal.

After being strengthened by the Goblin Shaman, this opponent hadn't grown much in raw strength, but its speed and constitution had clearly improved compared to the one Lin Mo had fought earlier.

It had patched up some of its weaknesses and become much more well-rounded.

That made it difficult to fight.

Vanish plus Accumulated Sword Combo was already Lin Mo's strongest combo, but even a sneak attack hadn't produced a decisive effect...

That meant Lin Mo could hardly defeat this opponent quickly.

The goblin warrior swung its spiked club and charged. Lin Mo quickly retreated to avoid, but a reckless mutated goblin attacked from the flank.

Lin Mo snorted coldly and stabbed with a single sword.

To conserve energy he didn't even use [Consecutive Thrusts];

a simple thrust was enough to instantly kill it.

The gap between these mutated goblins and Lin Mo was still too large to pose any real threat.

The goblin warrior understood that, so it let out a low, dull roar. The surrounding mutated goblins immediately backed off, leaving an open area.

Was it going to fight him one-on-one?

Lin Mo loosened his limbs a little;

fierce intent shone in his eyes.

Fine—he'd play along.

The next moment, Lin Mo struck again, charging straight at it.

This goblin, after having suffered once, no longer rushed to block but observed cautiously;

when Lin Mo closed in, it finally swung its spiked club to meet him.

"Clang—!"

A crisp sound rang out. Because the goblin had rushed to intercept without full force, the clash ended in a stalemate.

Feeling the vibration through his arm, Lin Mo judged the opponent's strength roughly.

With [Fortitude] already active, he wouldn't lose too much.

So he launched attack after attack and moved into close-quarters grappling—catching the goblin off guard.

It had expected Lin Mo to keep dodging and ambushing as before, and had prepared accordingly, but Lin Mo suddenly changed tactics, which overloaded its limited brain capacity.

Although it still had some strength advantage, in speed the enhancement from the Shaman couldn't keep up—Lin Mo led by a large margin. Coupled with its bulky body and clumsy weapon, Lin Mo could strike ten times while it managed six or seven swings;

the remaining hits landed mercilessly on it. Though each hit wasn't very damaging, they left bleeding tracks and made it look very battered.

Amid this rare high-frequency clash, Lin Mo's [Fortitude] was fully effective.

Thanks to the damage reduction and damage reflection of that skill, Lin Mo had nearly neutralized the raw strength gap.

As the fight dragged on, the goblin warrior began to panic.

Although it wasn't in immediate mortal danger, the continuous wounds were wearing it down like a dull blade cutting meat.

If it continued, it would be worn to death.

Under Lin Mo's dense, net-like offensive, it was exhausted, unable to find an opening to counterattack. All that power was trapped and not usable—very frustrating.

Finally it roared, ignoring Lin Mo's strikes and dropping into an all-out swing. Holding the heavy club with both hands, its eyes flashing ferocity, it smashed the club down with massive force.

That blow clearly used a skill—similar to the one that smashed apart the [Charged Sword Slash] earlier.

Lin Mo's pupils constricted but a smile played at his lips.

[Accumulated Sword Combo]!

Because he had been on the offensive, dodging in time was difficult;

he followed through with a quick, sequential Charged Sword Slash. Three sword energies were released but were shattered by the spiked club, and the heavy weapon then crashed onto the Black Sword.

Lin Mo felt a massive force compress him, his arm went numb, his internal organs churned.

But the next instant, a solid flash of electric light spilled from between his left-hand fingers and struck the goblin's eye with precision!

He had deliberately saved mana for moments like this.

Although his mana wasn't huge, it was better than that of a typical level 1 professional. Targeting the most vulnerable part—the eye—caught the goblin off guard. It screamed;

one eye was instantly blinded by [Lightning Strike], blood and gore everywhere.

The blow sent Lin Mo flying, which actually helped him avoid the goblin's follow-up counter.

"Huff—huff—"

After landing, Lin Mo clutched his trembling right hand;

his breathing was disordered.

This opponent was truly strong, and for the first time in a while, he had felt real pressure.

But he ultimately prevailed because...

Less than a second after Lin Mo landed, a pitch-black magic orb suddenly flew from the rear side.

Lin Mo, who had been on guard, immediately formed an [Earthen Shield].

The orb hit the [Earthen Shield] and paused for a moment, then easily shattered the earth barrier.

But that momentary pause was enough.

Lin Mo avoided the critical blow;

however, his arm and shoulder were struck by the orb, flesh instantly corroded away, revealing bare white bone.

"Sss—!"

This was the first time Lin Mo had suffered such a grievous injury;

he sucked in a sharp breath and hurriedly took a red potion from his waist, gulping down a third of it.

This was not a basic life potion—it was the high-grade life potion Flora had given earlier, worth 500 gold coins!

At the time, less than a quarter had been used, and Flora hadn't taken it back, so Lin Mo had kept it on him.

This potion was one of Lin Mo's key reserves.

A basic life potion facing such corrosive dark magic would at best slow the corruption.

A high-grade life potion was different;

swallowing that one gulp—worth over a hundred gold—was solidly effective.

The dark attribute magic was instantly driven back by the potion's powerful restorative effect;

the wound visibly began to heal.

At the same time, Sherfilia, who had been hidden and watching for some time, immediately pinpointed where the orb came from.

She concealed her posture and finally found the target.

A staff shot up from beneath the ground and then quickly withdrew.

This guy had been hiding under the battlefield—no wonder he was so hard to find!

Sherfilia quickly threw a shuriken. The strong qi and blood surrounding it drove the sharp blade into the ground with almost no resistance.

Underground, a short, pained scream rang out. The Goblin Shaman hiding in the tunnel watched the shuriken protruding from its chest with horror.

At the same time, Sherfilia had already arrived. She stomped hard, denting the soil above the tunnel. Then with another stomp, she plunged down and landed right in front of the Goblin Shaman.

The shaman panicked. Several Bronze Goblins rushed over to cover its escape.

Because they were inside a narrow tunnel, Sherfilia couldn't easily pass them, so she reacted at lightning speed: taking more shuriken from her waist with the left hand—one between each finger—she threw them all at once.

The shuriken, wrapped in powerful qi and blood, and accompanied by Sherfilia's sharp shout, "Void Piercer!"

Four shuriken hit four Bronze Goblins with surgical precision. Amid a series of shrieks, two level 3 and two level 4 Bronze Goblins—four in total—were instantly killed!

Sherfilia then continued to press the attack.

The Goblin Shaman could only wave its staff and form a pitch-black barrier.

The next moment, Sherfilia's strike hit the barrier, immediately leaving a crisscross of fine cracks.

One blow had nearly shattered its "turtle shell"!

As Sherfilia struck, Lin Mo looked over as well. He abandoned the goblin warrior he had been chasing and ran at full speed, faster even than when he had raced over earlier to finish off a Goblin Shaman. He arrived before Sherfilia could finish.

The goblin warrior, frantic, could not catch up as it watched its shaman leader burst forth from the ground—only to be impaled through the chest and abdomen by a suddenly appearing black long sword.

The Goblin Shaman let out continuous wails, and several Bronze Goblins swarmed in response.

Two goblin knights and one goblin ranger—the same ranger who had ambushed Lin Mo earlier—each of them level 4!

Adding the ones already killed and the ones that had been chasing, plus the two Sherfilia had just instantly slain, this goblin army now had seven level 4 Bronze Goblins!

Sherfilia followed closely out of the tunnel and reached Lin Mo immediately, using her shuriken to deflect an arrow from the goblin ranger.

The two knight goblins trying to protect their leader were blocked by Sherfilia as well.

Seizing the moment, Lin Mo's eyes flashed with killing intent;

giving the Goblin Shaman no chance to react, he didn't even draw the Black Sword free—he slid it along the wound and bisected the shaman at the waist!

[Charged Sword Slash]!

Three consecutive sword energies sliced through the Goblin Shaman's body, cleaving its corpse into pieces.

Although strong, the Goblin Shaman was still a magic-user and physically fragile. Having just had its barrier shattered by Sherfilia and with no time to cast again, it was taken by surprise by Lin Mo's sudden close-range attack and died without uttering any more spells.

[Charged Sword Slash] proficiency +30 (+15)

Huh?

Lin Mo showed a slightly surprised expression.

The +30 proficiency for [Charged Sword Slash] made sense, but what did the +15 in parentheses mean?

He glanced at the proficiency panel: [Charged Sword Slash] had actually increased by 45 points, not just 30—so the 15 was an extra bonus.

He quickly understood why.

Judging by the proficiency increase, this Goblin Shaman was undoubtedly level 5.

Lin Mo's highest profession level was only 3—he'd killed a monster two levels higher.

That probably triggered the extra bonus. He'd often killed monsters one level higher before, but this was his first time overkilling by two levels.

It seemed the proficiency panel still had hidden features he hadn't discovered.

The extra proficiency was a pleasant surprise, but the battle wasn't over yet.

Sherfilia had already beaten two of the knight goblins to near death and was about to finish them off.

Lin Mo steeled his gaze and used his last reserves of strength to dash, arriving even faster than when he had come to kill the Goblin Shaman. He stabbed one goblin through before Sherfilia could act.

[Consecutive Thrusts] proficiency +25!

One more!

Lin Mo fired lightning from both flanks—one [Lightning Strike]—and the beam of electricity tore the other knight goblin's head clean off.

[Lightning Strike] proficiency +25!

Ah, much better!

Lin Mo exhaled in relief, feeling exhilarated.

That 25 proficiency also upgraded his Lightning Strike.

"Skill [Lightning Strike] Lv3 (40/40) upgraded!"

"Current skill [Lightning Strike] Lv4 (2/100)"

Because it started as an excellent-grade skill and had fast casting, it was very useful. This skill was currently his fastest-progressing magic. After two more levels, it would evolve into Lin Mo's first excellence-grade spell!

The remaining goblin warrior that had been pursuing them and the ranger hiding farther away saw their leader and several comrades killed and immediately turned and fled without hesitation.

Sherfilia reacted quickly and chased down the ranger who had repeatedly ambushed them, finally eliminating it.

As for the goblin warrior...

Lin Mo was almost entirely out of stamina and mana and couldn't pursue.

By the time Sherfilia finished off the ranger, the goblin warrior had put some distance between itself and them.

A forced chase might catch it, but it wasn't necessary.

Sherfilia needed to prioritize Lin Mo's safety and lead him to retreat.

When she returned, the tension in the room relaxed. The life potion's effect waned, and fatigue and weakness overcame Lin Mo;

he collapsed heavily to the ground.

Sherfilia glanced at him and moved a couple steps so he wouldn't hit his head on the floor.

Lin Mo felt the soft weight against him and a faint smile tugged his mouth.

This maid appeared cold but was actually considerate.

Sherfilia looked at Lin Mo slumped like a lump of mud with his eyes closed and sighed helplessly, then carried him off the battlefield.

Throughout the fight, she had seen Lin Mo's performance and visible progress.

Miss Finnie had not chosen poorly—this guy was not only a freakishly talented genius but also reliable;

he never dropped the ball when it mattered.

But...

Sherfilia glanced at the arm draped over her, naturally dropping.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

"What?"

"Ow~~"

An elbow jabbed into Lin Mo's lower abdomen, and he grimaced in pain.

"I'm the wounded one, you know..."

"Hmph."

Sherfilia snorted lightly, the corner of her mouth curling faintly. "Serves you right."

...

When Sherfilia brought Lin Mo to Ellie, the little wolf-girl was frantically anxious and rushed over to check him. Seeing the shoulder wound hadn't fully healed, she frowned with worry.

"Don't worry, he should just be exhausted and asleep. The injury isn't too severe..."

Sherfilia said, then turned and ran back to the battlefield.

With the Goblin Shaman dead, many of the Bronze Goblins assisting in command were either dead or fleeing;

the goblin forces quickly descended into chaos and became a scrambled mess.

Some still pushed forward en masse, while others regained their senses and began to flee.

That said, Silvermoon Town's forces no longer had the strength to keep pursuing;

being able to retreat safely was already good.

Without their Goblin Shaman, the goblins wouldn't mount any large-scale attacks for a while, and Silvermoon Town would enjoy a period of peace.

Of course, everyday goblin harassment would continue;

they'd still need to go out and try to reduce goblin numbers where possible.

The Lord of Silvermoon Town and the local Adventurers' Association chapter chief took care of the aftermath. Plenty of follow-up work awaited them.

But none of that concerned Lin Mo, a supporting adventurer.

Exhaustion forced him to sleep a whole day. From the early hours when Ellie and Sherfilia had brought him back, he slept until the next morning.

"Ugh..."

He slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his swollen temples;

his mind was a little foggy.

Sleeping so long eased his body fatigue, but his mental load still needed time to recover.

The stronger the spirit and higher the mana, the slower natural recovery after depletion—so late-stage mages burned a lot of resources on restoring mana and calming the spirit.

Fortunately, there was no need to fight right now;

Lin Mo had plenty of time to recover.

He tried to get up and noticed someone still at the bedside.

A closer look revealed Ellie.

The little wolf-girl was lying on the edge of the bed, face tired from having probably stayed up watching over him.

Lin Mo gently ruffled her hair. Ellie, groggy, opened her eyes and brightened when she saw him. "Lin Mo, you're awake!"

Lin Mo rubbed her soft ears. "Thanks for your hard work. Go rest some more."

Ellie shook her head. "I didn't do much..."

Creak—

The door opened. Sherfilia entered wearing a new maid outfit, carrying a tray laden with a hearty breakfast.

"How's Miss Finnie?"

Lin Mo asked immediately.

"Miss Finnie just woke up. She asked me to come check on you and bring breakfast..."

Sherfilia's gaze lingered on Lin Mo for a moment. "Looks like you're recovering well."

"My stomach still hurts a bit."

Lin Mo rubbed the area that had been elbowed earlier.

Sherfilia rolled her eyes;

she wasn't buying his lie.

She knew her own strength well—she wouldn't have hurt him that way.

Stomach pain?

Ellie looked puzzled. "Lin Mo, is your stomach injured? Lift your clothes so I can check..."

Although she had already looked more than once while he slept and had seen nothing, since Lin Mo said his stomach hurt she insisted on another look.

The little wolf-girl never held back and immediately flung back the covers and clothing to start feeling the wound.

Sherfilia snorted and turned away.

"Miss Finnie is waiting for you to go to the Association... don't waste too much time."

With that she turned and left.