CHAPTER 180: LEVEL 5 MAGE, FLAME STAR

Sherfilia clearly agreed that cooking on-site was much healthier than eating the rations brought from the city, so she stepped forward to help.

Lin Mo, who knew full well how serious-faced the maid-assassin was about cooking, readily ceded the head cook position to her, but he did have his own ideas about what to prepare.

At first Sherfilia didn’t take Lin Mo’s suggestions seriously—she didn’t think he had any extraordinary culinary insight—but as she listened, she found herself paying attention.

Was there actually some method to what he was saying?

At the very least, his thoughts on pairing dishes and preparation techniques were well considered.

Having spent time together, Lin Mo had grown used to reading Sherfilia’s nearly expressionless face for subtle clues, and seeing her look surprised made him smile with quiet pride.

Although he didn’t cook often, his theoretical knowledge was extensive—those food videos he had watched before had not been wasted.

Sherfilia’s cooking skills were undeniably excellent;

she followed Lin Mo’s ideas almost exactly and produced several dishes beautifully: spicy stir-fried pork slices, simply stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a fish ball soup.

This world didn’t have the chili peppers Lin Mo knew, but there were substitute plants, though the locals used spicy seasonings far less often.

“Want to try?”

Lin Mo placed the plates on the makeshift table pulled out of his Spatial Ring and sat down without ceremony.

Ellie was next to sit, and Finnie quickly took a seat as well, curiously eyeing the dishes—especially the spicy pork.

“What’s this flavor? It’s kind of… strange…”

It stung a little, but it smelled fragrant and felt exciting on the tongue.

“Try it and you’ll know.”

Lin Mo didn’t waste words. He speared a piece of pork with a fork and dropped it into Finnie’s bowl.

There were no chopsticks in this world, which Lin Mo found inconvenient;

he planned to have a carpenter make some when they returned.

Finnie gingerly picked up the meat with her fork and put it in her mouth. The spicy bite mixed with the meat’s aroma and spread through her mouth.

“Mmm~”

Because she had seldom—or almost never—eaten anything spicy, the sharp sensation made the girl emit a soft sound.

“This feeling is odd… but not unpleasant.”

Saying that, Finnie speared another piece and ate it.

“Mmm~~”

The spicier it got, the more she ate—just as Lin Mo suspected, she was a little glutton.

Lin Mo shook his head helplessly. “If you like it, I can have—well, Sherfilia—make it for you often.”

Sherfilia had been standing like a guardian at the side, but after Finnie’s little lecture she obediently sat beside her. When they weren’t in the City Lord’s Mansion, Sherfilia sometimes relaxed the rules a bit—she could be reasoned with. ꞦÀ₦ÒBΕṦ

The smell of the food drifted next door and made the Azure Orchid Team envious.

Huck couldn’t resist and shamelessly came over to borrow a pot and utensils, taking some ingredients as well. Their cooking couldn’t match Sherfilia’s, but as adventurers they often cooked outdoors and could at least make something edible.

After the meal, it was time to rest. The surroundings were clear with a wide view—no need to worry about ambushes—so everyone allowed themselves a short nap.

Around two in the afternoon they packed up and got back on the carriage, heading for the mithril mine. Lin Mo had expected the afternoon to be as uneventful as the morning and had prepared to meditate, when suddenly a group of goblins appeared not far ahead.

They weren’t blocking the road and they weren’t very close, but goblins were the kind of creatures you couldn’t ignore once seen. To avoid delaying the journey, the carriage kept moving while Lin Mo leapt forward alone.

He was too lazy to use Vanish;

the skill was already max level and didn’t need practice. Striding boldly forward, he opened with an Explosive Fireball.

The goblins thought Lin Mo had come alone to die and made no move to flee. The huge fireball struck the center of the goblin cluster with perfect accuracy—those hit were burned to ash on the spot, and the blast wave incinerated many others. The blazing flames engulfed them;

the goblins screamed and rolled on the ground but couldn’t extinguish the fire.

[Explosive Fireball] proficiency +18

Just that one spell wiped out eighteen goblins.

It felt glorious. Lin Mo’s face brightened with a hearty smile;

the brooding fatigue of travel seemed to lift.

The Explosive Fireball already had a lot of accumulated proficiency and was close to leveling. With the eighteen points it smoothly advanced to level five.

“Skill [Explosive Fireball] Lv4 (100/100) upgraded!”

“Current skill [Explosive Fireball] Lv5 (8/180)”

Only one more level to go before this skill would evolve into an excellent-grade spell. Lin Mo’s highest elemental affinities were currently for ice and fire, so he planned to focus on both. He had already obtained Blizzard as an excellent-grade ice skill, so fire needed attention to catch up.

He still needed about 170 more proficiency points—maybe this mine trip could finish it off.

After that little episode, the journey continued smoothly. As expected, they arrived at the area around the mithril mine at about five in the evening. After showing the credentials provided by the City Lord’s Mansion, the mine’s staff led them to the camp outside the mine to rest and explained the details of the recent theft.

“So you mean the initial theft was actually carried out by Bloodsea Gang members… and the goblins came later, and during the ore theft the two sides clashed?”

Lin Mo fell into brief thought after hearing the account. The situation differed from his initial guess. From earlier events and investigations it was already certain that the Lawrence family had some connection with the goblins—very likely collusion. The Bloodsea Gang acted as Lawrence’s black gloves, so the two sides should logically be on the same team.

But now things might not be so straightforward. That didn’t mean Lawrence hadn’t colluded with goblins;

rather, it was likely that the goblin force had grown strong enough to develop its own agenda and break free from Lawrence’s control. The reason goblins wanted mithril ore was simple: some goblins were spellcasters, and mithril ore could amplify spells for them. They couldn’t forge the ore into crafted gear like humans could, but they could refine it, and the refined mithril—though inferior to crafted mithril wands or mithril gloves—still provided a noticeable boost to spellcasters.

This suggested Lawrence intended to control and use the goblins. Having Bloodsea Gang steal ore in the chaos without intending to share it with the goblins could explain why the goblins followed and clashed with the gang. For Silverstream City, tension between the goblins and Lawrence might actually be good news. If the goblins truly broke free and turned on Lawrence, the pressure on the city could ease. And who wouldn’t enjoy watching dogs bite dogs?

That said, this was little comfort to those defending the mine right now. Whether goblins or Bloodsea Gang members, both parties wanted the ore—and they would come back tonight. Mithril was rare;

even the ore from the mine yielded very little refined mithril. One ton of mithril ore could produce at most a fraction of a gram of mithril. Though some ore was stolen yesterday, it was nowhere near enough. So preparations could be made in advance.

The mine’s garrison was not weak overall: there were two to three hundred guards, even after some had been transferred because of heavy goblin raids. Yet most of those guards weren’t exceptionally powerful;

only a dozen or so captains were at Professional level, and the strongest among them was the Guard Commander, a level 3 warrior. Normally this force sufficed against petty thieves and the ore beasts near the mine;

if things escalated, Silverstream City would send reinforcements—just as happened this time. The large theft was a serious dereliction of duty, so the Guard Commander seemed eager to make amends tonight and give the thieves a harsh lesson.

This time the primary adversaries should be Bloodsea Gang members;

ordinary goblins didn’t seem a major threat—at least based on yesterday’s events. Of course, with yesterday’s clashes, the other side might increase their numbers today.

“It’s still early. Why don’t you all have a simple meal at camp?” the Guard Commander offered enthusiastically.

Lin Mo blinked. It was nearly dark—thieves could show up at any moment—yet they suggested sitting down to eat?

“No need. We all brought rations. A quick meal will do.”

“Is that so…” The Guard Commander’s expression shifted, then he put on a grateful look. “Then thank you for your kind assistance!” With that, he led them toward the mine entrance.

“Is this the mithril mine?”

They walked into the mine for hundreds of meters;

at first it looked no different from an ordinary cave. Only deeper inside did they find the mining area. Since it was night, the miners were off duty;

only neatly arranged tools—shovels, pickaxes—remained. On the stone walls, some faintly glowing rocks were visible—presumably the mithril ore. These surface exposures were small mining spots;

the main deposits lay deeper underground.

As they walked further, the path sloped downward—a deliberate design from excavation to ease movement instead of requiring ladders. The trail widened and branched into many tunnels, each leading to different mining zones.

“This is the mine’s layout. Aside from this main tunnel, there are four smaller entrances. Since you’re two small teams, could you each guard the western and eastern entrances?”

Lin Mo subtly frowned. He had thought their stronger team could guard the main tunnel while the larger guard force split to watch the other entrances. But the Guard Commander did the opposite, assigning them to the peripheral tunnels. As outsiders, they shouldn’t interfere with deployments, but this arrangement was plainly unreasonable—either foolish or malicious. Lin Mo frowned slightly and met Landon’s eyes, who had been placed on the opposite east side. Lin Mo understood with a small smile.

Night fell deep. Outside the mine, Lin Mo, Ellie, and Finnie hid behind a pile of rocks. The night around the mine was chilly and dim, giving the place a touch of a horror film atmosphere. Ellie, of course, showed no fear;

Lin Mo had a steady heart. Only Finnie seemed unsettled, gently clutching Lin Mo’s sleeve.

Soon they heard sounds from the mine entrance. The thieves had already entered. Lin Mo peered ahead and saw a dozen or so figures moving toward them. As they approached, the thieves’ muttering became audible.

“Be careful. Today’s not like yesterday—we were hit hard yesterday, there won’t just be a few patrolling guards today.”

“Don’t worry, boss. So what if the guards are prepared? We’re Bloodsea Gang!”

“Charge! We brought back so much yesterday but only refined a tiny amount. Tonight we have to grab more.”

The figures drew near. From appearances alone one could tell these weren’t regular adventurers or professionals—their sleazy aura couldn’t be faked. They were likely ordinary gang members.

Just as expected… Lin Mo gave Ellie a look, and the two of them sprang out simultaneously, flanking from left and right to charge the thieves.

“Boss, watch out—someone’s here!”

“So what if someone’s here? Only a few guards…” The man called boss waved his machete with confidence. His expression stiffened quickly when he realized the two approaching figures were not guards. Their gear was neat and splendid;

one even wore a mage robe Lin Mo rarely saw in the city.

“Ambush! Retreat!”

The group immediately fled. But could they escape Lin Mo’s magic? Wind-Binding Blade charged almost instantly and struck, severing bodies of several Bloodsea Gang members. Those who ran faster were pulled by the following whirlwinds;

the magic’s residual force alone was enough to shred them. A few others were dealt with by Ellie. Only the boss managed to get a good head start.

He couldn’t escape Lin Mo. In a few quick strides Lin Mo caught up, gripping the man’s neck like pinching a chick.

“I suggest you don’t act rashly.” Lin Mo looked at the machete the man had briefly lifted and smiled.

Feeling the crushing force threatening to snap his neck, the small-time leader dared not try anything and quickly dropped his blade. “Bro—no, big bro… don’t be impulsive. I was just following orders.”

Lin Mo shot him a warning glance but did not kill him. Instead he suddenly asked, “Was some of this roleplay too?”

The man froze, then glanced at his companions. “W-what roleplay? Boss, what are you talking about? I don’t understand…”

“Hah.” Lin Mo scoffed. “Don’t play dumb. What thief rehearses a speech before entering a theft site?”

“You don’t seem to have realized the situation. You really think if you came here you still have a chance to run away?” With that, Lin Mo stopped wasting words and fired a Flame Arrow to send him to his underlings.

Just as Lin Mo expected, a familiar screech sounded from the distance. He looked toward the noise and saw a vast wave of goblins sneaking forward under cover of darkness—far more numerous than the Guard Commander had implied. At this one entrance alone there were three to four hundred goblins, including some large Mutated Goblins.

No matter—more was better. Lin Mo raised his hand and gathered fire element energy. Explosive Fireball! His elemental affinity paid off: he cast with lightning speed, and the fireball rocketed into the densest goblin mass.

Boom— The explosion lit the darkness with a blast of fire.

[Explosive Fireball] proficiency +17

Even as he tossed one spell, Lin Mo was already gathering the next. Another Explosive Fireball flew out, turning the struck goblins into bloody shreds. At his current level 4 Mage power, fighting these ordinary goblins was far too easy. Even the Mutated Goblins were insta-killed if caught by the blast. In no time he had killed over a hundred goblins. That brought the skill to the required proficiency and it leveled up.

“Skill [Explosive Fireball] Lv5 (180/180) upgraded!”

“Current skill [Explosive Fireball] Lv6 (Max)”

“You gained attribute points: Mana +2, Spirit +1!”

“Automatically evolved into a new skill—Flame Chain Star!”

“Learned skill [Flame Chain Star]! Mana +3!”

[Flame Chain Star] Lv1 (0/10): Gather fire element into a sequence of fireballs that attack the target, dealing extinguishing-element damage and exploding;

enemies hit are afflicted with burn.

How to describe it… this is a pseudo-AOE skill, similar in positioning to Explosive Fireball. The fireballs can be guided, so if distributed well they function as an AOE. Conversely, for single-target fights you can direct all fireballs at one point or maneuver them to encircle the enemy—making the per-target damage still potent. In short, it’s a skill with high operational flexibility and wide applicability. The only drawback, like Accumulated Sword Combo, is somewhat less breaching power against opponents equal to or stronger than yourself.

Besides the new skill, Lin Mo’s mana rose another five points to 51.

“Promotion conditions met: Profession Mage (Lv4) promoted—Current Profession Mage (Lv5).”

“Gained profession attribute increases: Spirit +3, Mana +3!”

Now the Mage profession finally surpassed Warrior and became Lin Mo’s highest-level profession. This promotion granted a total of six attribute points, three of which were Spirit! With the base and promotion bonuses, Lin Mo’s Spirit reached 24. Not extremely high, but with his Calming Bracelet increasing Spirit recovery and reducing mental load, he no longer needed to worry about magic’s strain on his spirit.

With the new skill in hand, he wanted to test it. Flame Chain Star still had an unchosen evolution path, but Lin Mo planned to try the base effect first to make future choices easier. He cast a Flame Chain Star. Several fireballs launched in sequence, each resembling the previous Explosive Fireball. Under Lin Mo’s control the fireballs scattered among the goblin horde, and a rapid series of explosions rang out.

“Boom—! Boom—!”

[Flame Chain Star] proficiency +48

That strong? Lin Mo was stunned for a moment, but it made sense: he now had high mana as a true level 5 Mage, and his favorable fire affinity magnified the spell’s power. This Flame Chain Star, plus the earlier kills, wiped out over half of the attacking goblins and sent the rest scattering in retreat. Normally this would call for a pursuit, but Lin Mo had more important business to attend to.

“Sherfilia, Finnie and Ellie are in your care. If more goblins come, you handle them.”

Sherfilia frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but she glanced into the empty night, reconsidered, and nodded.

“All right.”

Lin Mo dashed toward the main tunnel entrance of the mine. If his guesses were correct, they should be moving the ore there now…