The fighting was surprisingly easy—so easy that it felt like the goblins had barely started fighting before they were all dead.

But the cleanup afterward on the battlefield was a real hassle.

There were so many goblins that each ear needed to be cut off one by one;

that alone was a huge task.

Everyone pitched in, and they all worked for quite a while.

They had indeed cleared them fast enough, and even so, they still had ample time to move on to the next mission.

The second mission was a bit more difficult.

Kill a Flame Cat Demon… and because cat demons are social creatures, there might be ordinary cat demons and rune-marked cat demons near the Flame Cat Demon.

These monsters were fairly familiar—Lin Mo had fought them long ago, and he’d bumped into them on missions now and then.

Compared to goblins, cat demons were much faster and more alert;

wiping them out entirely wasn’t easy.

Fortunately, the mission didn’t require total extermination. Cat demons weren’t as dangerous as goblins. As long as you didn’t enter the forest, they rarely attacked areas where humans lived. So they only needed to make sure they killed the main Flame Cat Demon.

On the overview map the two mission locations looked close, but in reality they were a fair distance apart.

After all, there’s usually a buffer zone between two different monster tribes.

“Northeast direction, about twenty kilometers… be careful. Even when sleeping, cat demons stay highly vigilant.”

Because the goblin cleanup had been so easy, the group decided not to rest and set off immediately.

Finnie had some stamina problems on the long trek, but everyone looked after her;

they didn’t move fast. With experience from previous adventures, Finnie had grown a bit and didn’t slow them down too much.

Having priests and mages, especially at low levels, with short legs was indeed a common headache for many adventurer parties.

But that was a fortunate kind of problem—having a priest and a mage was something others envied. Compared to that, these were minor issues.

The main group moved more slowly, and since they were going after cat demons, the assassin Sid and Lin Mo simply went ahead to scout.

As they approached the cat demon nest, Lin Mo indeed spotted patrolling cat demons.

But it was daytime, and cat demons tended to sleep deeply in the afternoon, so even the three patrollers looked listless, like they wanted to flop down and nap on the spot.

Lin Mo, who liked to help, couldn’t ignore that.

Vanish!

He activated Vanish and dashed toward the three cat demons.

They were still cat demons after all—there was some awareness. The leader, a rune-marked cat demon, lifted its head and glanced around, but the next moment Lin Mo’s Black Sword had an intimate encounter with its skull.

Shadow Strike!

The keen blade effortlessly decapitated the rune-marked cat demon.

Vanish proficiency +3!

Shadow Strike proficiency +5!

Sub-adult rune-marked cat demons granted the same proficiency gains as sub-adult mutated goblins.

So for the superior skill Vanish, there was a certain reduction.

When the rune-marked cat demon’s head hit the ground, the other two nearby cat demons were shocked and began to open their mouths, but Lin Mo’s sword was already upon them.

Consecutive Thrusts!

His right hand thrust the sword through one demon’s throat. As for the one on the left…

Rushing Punch!

Lin Mo’s left fist, wearing the mithril gloves, delivered a cartoonish punch that flattened its face.

Consecutive Thrusts proficiency +1

Rushing Punch proficiency +1

Ordinary cat demons weren’t much to write home about—only slightly stronger than goblins.

At the same time, Sid encountered similar enemies and quickly dealt with his patrollers.

The two of them proceeded from different angles. The main force followed, moving toward the cat demon hollow.

Rushing Punch!

Lin Mo used that skill a lot on the way.

First, the basic skill levels up quickly and shows results fast;

second, punching monsters with your fists was genuinely satisfying and oddly addictive.

After a short period of scouting, Rushing Punch’s proficiency reached Lv1 (7/10).

As Lin Mo took out three patrol squads in succession, the cat demon nest finally came into view.

Compared to the goblin settlement, the cat demon nest—call it a nest—was actually a large cave filled with cat demons.

Goblins, among low-grade monsters, were still impressively organized.

Although weaker in raw strength, their intelligence and organization, especially under a leader, made them capable and troublesome—reason enough they were considered “half intelligent beings.”

In contrast, cat demons were pure monsters. They had some social structure but far less organization than goblins.

After observing for a moment and waiting for the main force to catch up, Lin Mo and Sid returned to the group and briefly discussed tactics.

The large cave ahead had many exits.

“To safely deal with the Flame Cat Demon, it’s best to let the assassin act…”

After all, a Flame Cat Demon is threat level two or maybe 2.5. Its primary attribute is agility, so it moves very fast. If they charged straight in and it sensed danger, it would try to flee. Without knowledge of the cave’s layout, there was a real chance it could escape.

If this were the Azure Orchid Team taking the quest alone, Landon might worry.

Sid was a level 3 assassin, and while facing a cat demon of around 2.5 threat level had a good chance of success, it wasn’t guaranteed.

More importantly, if they failed and Sid got swarmed in the cave, the fragile-class assassin could be in danger.

But now…

Their team had someone utterly unreasonable.

A warrior who used assassin skills and ambushed with magic—tell me you’re not scared.

“Then this one’s on you.”

After Landon spoke, Lin Mo and Sid exchanged a glance, nodded, and headed into the cave.

At the same time, Landon carefully led the rest of the team closer, ready to support and begin the full-scale fight.

Lin Mo and Sid came to about ten meters from the cave entrance. Past that point there was no cover.

Cat demons’ keen senses would soon pick up on anything unusual, so it was time to act.

Lin Mo activated Vanish. Sid had his own methods. The two slipped into the cave, bypassed patrols along the way, and pushed deeper into the hollow.

Finding the Flame Cat Demon wasn’t simple.

The cave was larger inside than it first appeared, with complex winding paths and many forks.

Luckily, the complicated layout gave them places to hide, so when a stealth effect wore off they wouldn’t be instantly revealed.

Along the way, Lin Mo took stock of the nest.

There seemed to be more cat demons than he’d thought—just within sight he estimated over a hundred.

A cat demon tribe of that scale was rare…

There were also quite a few rune-marked cat demons, both sub-adult and adult. Lin Mo even spotted one with particularly deep rune markings—probably a higher-tier variety he vaguely remembered from the bestiary called a “Dark Rune Cat Demon”?

Its threat level was around 1.5 or a bit higher, under 2.

This made Lin Mo question the mission intel.

A tribe of this size didn’t look like it had only a single 2.5-level leader.

Either way, caution was best.

Lin Mo gave Sid a look;

Sid understood and nodded. The two activated stealth and hid again.

Pushing deeper, Lin Mo faintly sensed traces of fire element—so the Flame Cat Demon should be nearby.

Finally, on his fourth use of Vanish while searching inside the cave, he found one curled on a straw mat, sleeping soundly.

This cat demon was fire-red all over—noticeably different from its kin.

Lin Mo slowed his breathing and steadied himself, Black Sword already in hand.

For stronger monsters he used to use the veteran skill Accumulated Sword Combo, but after learning seven new skills at the City Lord’s Mansion, he had new options.

In fact, he hadn’t used one of them yet since learning it.

Lin Mo gripped the hilt and circulated his qi and blood quickly.

He noticed this skill’s qi and blood circulation was far faster than the same-level Charged Sword Slash, so fast he almost felt he couldn’t control it.

The qi and blood pulsed under his skin, making him flush. If his constitution weren’t so strong, some delicate vessels might have ruptured—no wonder this skill had a “self-damage” effect.

But at this degree, the impact was minor.

For an average warrior it was the “slight” self-damage described in the skill, but for Lin Mo…

His constitution and vessel strength made it practically zero damage.

So how powerful was this skill?

Lin Mo was eager and struck!

Blood Qi Blade!

A crimson sword energy arced out at extreme speed—faster than Accumulated Sword Combo—cutting across the sleeping cat demon’s body.

The demon barely sensed danger and hadn’t even opened its eyes before its body was sliced in two!

Nice…

Compared to Accumulated Sword Combo, this move seemed suited for breaking through defenses: while its total output might not match a fully charged Accumulated Sword Combo, concentrating force into a single, focused strike made a different kind of damage.

For single-target damage, Blood Qi Blade was clearly superior.

The Flame Cat Demon was severed but hadn’t died immediately. As it tried to scream, Lin Mo pierced its throat the next second.

He’d chosen the trunk rather than the neck for safety—but the result showed he had overestimated this Flame Cat Demon.

Vanish proficiency +18!

Blood Qi Blade proficiency +18!

Nice—18 points.

Blood Qi Blade leveled up right away.

“Skill Blood Qi Blade Lv1 (10/10) upgraded!”

“Current skill Blood Qi Blade Lv2 (8/20)”

The first few levels of each skill really were easy to raise;

the later stages were much harder.

That fit reality: getting started is easy, mastering it is hard.

Just as Lin Mo was about to close his panel, his expression froze.

Right after the upgrade message came another:

Please select an evolution path—

Evolution Path 1: Steady I: Blood Qi Blade’s self-damage reduced by 50%, power weakened to 95% of original

Evolution Path 2: Brutal I: Blood Qi Blade’s self-damage increased by 30%, power increased to 110% of original

Right—Blood Qi Blade was a superior skill, and when he initially learned it there had been no evolution option.

Maybe because he learned it directly rather than evolving into it?

But if level 2 unlocked the first evolution choice, the difference wasn’t huge.

The names and effects were concise.

Lin Mo barely hesitated and picked Path 2.

From a cost-effectiveness standpoint Path 1 was better, but cost-effectiveness isn’t always the top priority.

And in Lin Mo’s case, even a 30% increase in self-damage wouldn’t be much of an issue.

If anything went wrong, he had Healing Art. One cast and the problem’s solved…

After choosing the skill path, Lin Mo crouched to deal with the Flame Cat Demon’s corpse.

Killing this one meant the mission was basically done.

The remaining ordinary cat demons posed no real threat.

But as Lin Mo thought that, a scream rang out from the other side of the cave.

“Argh—!”

Lin Mo was startled.

He could tell that was Sid’s voice.

Had he run into monsters?

But Lin Mo had just taken out the strongest Flame Cat Demon. With Sid’s strength, the other cat demons shouldn’t have posed much threat.

Unless…

Lin Mo didn’t hesitate and sprinted toward the sound.

Because the location was specific, it took only seconds for him to arrive. He saw Sid lying in a pool of blood and a crimson-furred monster licking its paws.

A Flame Cat Demon!

There were two Flame Cat Demons in this cave!

From Sid’s position, he’d probably been discovered when his stealth ended and he rested briefly.

Lin Mo quickly tossed a Healing Art to stabilize him.

The Flame Cat Demon seized the opening and charged Lin Mo, shrieking, fur bristling like burning flames.

Lin Mo snorted—breathing hot, clawing, right?

He swung his sword and instantly used Accumulated Sword Combo. Three fierce sword energies forced the Flame Cat Demon back.

This one was cautious and left an escape margin, so it dodged in time when Lin Mo struck.

But—

When the demon had just avoided danger and relaxed, Lin Mo had already disappeared.

The cat demon panicked and scanned around.

As it turned, a blood-red sword energy suddenly appeared behind it. The Flame Cat Demon reacted and hurried to dodge, but Lin Mo took the same steady approach as before;

Blood Qi Blade severed its lower body. The top half thrashed and spat flames, but Lin Mo blocked its mouth with an Ice Spike.

Lin Mo followed with a finishing slash and decapitated it, then kicked the head aside.

Vanish proficiency +20

Blood Qi Blade proficiency +20

“Skill Blood Qi Blade Lv2 (20/20) upgraded!”

“Current skill Blood Qi Blade Lv3 (8/40)”

Lin Mo didn’t linger on the messages;

he rushed to check Sid’s condition.

Fortunately… although Sid was badly injured and had many burn marks near the wounds, nothing was fatal. After Lin Mo’s earlier Healing Art, Sid had already stabilized.

Lin Mo drew magic and cast Healing Art again.

Then he used Cleansing Flow to reduce the burn damage.

Sid’s wounds visibly healed, and the burns faded.

Even though Lin Mo’s proficiency in those two skills wasn’t great, his magic was high!

When you hit it hard, numbers are reality.

Healing Art proficiency +2

Cleansing Flow proficiency +4

Wow, that many points?

Lin Mo grinned and cast Healing Art plus Cleansing Flow again.

Healing Art proficiency +1

Cleansing Flow proficiency +3

There were still rewards to be had—keep going!

Cleansing Flow proficiency +2

…

Cleansing Flow proficiency +1

“You’re fine, you’re really fine… Lin Mo, watch your mana.”

Lin Mo only stopped after he’d bewildered Sid and there were no more easy gains to squeeze.

Thanks to Sid, his Cleansing Flow leveled up.

“Skill Cleansing Flow Lv1 (10/10) upgraded!”

“Current skill Cleansing Flow Lv2 (4/20).”

Sid rose, dusting off his chest armor and torn clothes, looking as if he’d scarcely been hurt, and scratched his head.

Normally, after being injured, healing by a priest or a life potion would get you to safety and that would be sufficient. Pushing healing further was often wasteful.

As for this guy—besides the surprising Healing Art from a non-priest—he was really enthusiastic…

If he didn’t have two girls nearby and an obvious romantic vibe, Sid might suspect Lin Mo had a special preference.

The earlier fight had made quite a commotion;

cat demons in the cave were beginning to encircle them.

Outside, Landon and the others had noticed the situation and began pressing the cave entrance.

“Let’s go, clear these cat demons!”

“Got it!”

Sid nodded. His wounds were basically healed and he was burning with pent-up energy—perfect time to take it out on those cat demons!

The two dashed out, weaving through the cave, and soon ran into a group of approaching cat demons.

Against a horde, a skill like Explosive Fireball would generally be ideal.

But in such narrow tunnels, using wide-area skills risked friendly fire, so they held back.

Lin Mo planned to practice some newly acquired low-level skills.

For example, Rushing Punch, and the Backstab and Shadow Strike he’d recently learned from Sherfilia.

He also remembered the ranger skill Lightness he’d gained earlier and turned it on;

from entrance to now it had accumulated four or five proficiency points.

Rushing Punch!

Backstab!

Rushing Punch!

There was something satisfying about solid, fist-to-flesh hits, and using them on low-grade cat demons wasn’t risky;

he didn’t worry about damaging his mithril gloves.

Facing stronger monsters, Lin Mo would be stingy with this move—any damage to the mithril gloves would be a big loss.

They fought through, ending most cat demons quickly, while Landon’s group closed in and slaughtered many from the front.

After some time, the two groups met and had killed most of the cave’s cat demons.

The remaining few who fled were left alone.

After all, cat demons usually didn’t cause major trouble.

“How are you guys doing?”

When Landon saw them, he asked with concern, watching their condition before relaxing.

“Captain, there are two Flame Cat Demons in this cave… and the other one was stronger. I was ambushed and Lin Mo saved me.”

“Two Flame Cat Demons?!”

Landon was stunned and noticed Sid’s torn breastplate.

It looked like a serious injury, yet it had already healed…

Sid’s basic life potion wouldn’t have such an effect.

Landon glanced at Lin Mo but didn’t pry.

Some things were better left unspoken—asking a teammate to explain every skill was impolite, especially between parties that were merely cooperating.

Collecting spoils took a long time. By the time everything was finished, night was falling and the day’s adventure came to an end.

Time to rest…