Free Web NovelChapter 127: Chapter 106: Can Still Get a BUFF
Lin Mo didn’t act rashly. He backed out of the small wooden hut and hid behind it to think things over carefully.
Including the buff from his Profession, his Strength Attribute was currently 23. The Wolf Bone Sword provided another point, bringing the total to 24.
On top of that, his Level 4 [Invisibility] gave him a 24% physical damage boost.
Combining all of this with a fully stacked [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash], it might just be possible to instantly kill the strongest Mutated Goblin.
Even if he couldn’t kill it, he could at least grievously wound it. As long as he could neutralize the enemy’s strongest combatant, the ensuing battle would be much easier.
Conversely, if he played it safe and only took out an ordinary Adult Mutated Goblin, he would have to face the big one head-on later. Even if he could win, he would be tied up for a long time. His teammates would probably struggle to handle the remaining horde of Goblins on their own.
’Let’s do this!’
Lin Mo made up his mind. He activated [Invisibility] again and entered the largest wooden hut in the center.
This time, he observed it more closely. Besides being taller and stronger, this Mutated Goblin also seemed to have some grayish-blue markings on its body.
Lin Mo had seen such markings before... on the Goblin Caster that attacked Falling Leaves Village.
Without a doubt, the Goblin before him had surpassed the scope of a typical Mutated Goblin. It was on the same level as that Goblin Caster.
The only difference was that one was a Warlock and the other a Warrior. And this one was clearly much stronger.
’Time to make my move.’
With the Wolf Bone Sword in hand, Lin Mo entered a charging state. Qi and Blood continuously poured into the blade as Energy built up...
The Goblin before him suddenly opened its eyes. Its sharp gaze swept forward, but it saw nothing, and a look of confusion crossed its face.
’Could my intuition be wrong?’
Just as it was about to close its eyes and go back to sleep, it caught something in its peripheral vision—
The branches covering the wooden hut couldn’t completely block out the sun. The midday sun shone straight down, casting mottled shadows on the ground. Amidst the interwoven shadows, one patch seemed to be obscured by something, completely blocking any specks of light.
’Something’s wrong!’
It quickly raised its arm, its other hand reaching for the blade beside it. At the same time, Lin Mo finished charging.
Six streams of Sword Qi suddenly materialized out of thin air, heading straight for its vital points.
"SHHIIICK—!"
The first stream of Sword Qi sank into its raised arm. With a sound like tearing cloth, blood gushed out, leaving a gash so deep the bone was visible.
The second and third streams of Sword Qi followed close behind, striking its forearm at almost the exact same angle.
With a crisp "CRACK," the Goblin’s forearm was sent flying.
The remaining three streams of Sword Qi were now unobstructed, aimed straight for its face!
"ARGH—!"
The Goblin let out a wretched scream. Its entire jaw was sliced off, and its throat was nearly severed. It was drenched in blood.
’What a pity.’
Lin Mo frowned slightly. At the last moment, the creature seemed to have noticed something and raised its arm to block.
’Otherwise, it would have been a clean one-shot kill.’
’Or if the angle of my swing had been just a little better... ’
’I guess Warrior Class Skills just aren’t that suitable for assassinations. They have enough power, but they lack clean precision.’
’Only after I learn powerful assassination Skills will I truly become a proper Assassin.’
But that was a thought for later. Right now, the enraged Goblin was swinging a massive blade weighing several hundred pounds at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo had no desire to test how much [Resilience] Skill Level he could gain at a time like this. He immediately retreated, dodging the attack and backing straight out of the hut.
With a loud CRASH, the front of the wooden hut was smashed to pieces by the strike. The Goblins in the settlement, who had been drowsy just moments before, were now wide awake. They all grabbed their nearby weapons and charged at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo glanced around. This was no time for a prolonged fight; it was better to retreat first.
If he wanted to leave, no Goblin could stop him. With a flicker of movement, he vanished on the spot, leaving the surrounding Goblins completely bewildered.
By the time they came to their senses, Lin Mo had already broken through their encirclement. He even managed to land a [Stabbing] attack along the way, skewering two Goblins at once.
"ROAR—"
The badly injured Goblin roared, ordering its subordinates to continue the pursuit. Lin Mo wasn’t flustered in the slightest. His movements were crisp and decisive. With his sword in his right hand and flames blazing in his left, he threw out a [Fireball Technique].
’To one-shot a Goblin with the [Ice Cone Skill], I’d have to aim for a vital spot, and there’s no time for that right now.’
At the same time, the rest of the team behind him stopped waiting and jumped into action.
Solan drew his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired, piercing through two Goblins in a single shot.
Rick, holding his Large Shield, charged directly toward Lin Mo, sending several Goblins in his path flying.
Ali’s movements were sharp and her figure nimble and swift. With a few leaps, she was at Lin Mo’s side, lopping off the heads of several Goblins with her sword.
Alton was more composed. He didn’t rush in, but instead stayed back to protect the two in the rear.
Although Feney was a Priest and no one in the party was injured yet, she didn’t just stand by and watch. She raised her staff, and a golden Light Element flared, then turned into motes of light that entered everyone’s bodies.
Lin Mo felt his spirits lift, and some of the Physical Strength he had just expended seemed to recover.
’She knows more than just [Healing Technique]? She has a Skill like this, too?’
’As expected of a rich family’s daughter. Not only is she talented, but she also has access to so many Skills... ’
Feney didn’t stop. Another Holy Light shone, enveloping Lin Mo.
Lin Mo immediately felt a change and pulled up his panel to check.
Beside his Strength, Constitution, and Agility, an extra "+1" had appeared.
’Holy crap, a Divine Skill! It boosts three Attributes at once!’
’It’s great to have a BUFF when fighting from now on... ’
Lin Mo’s confidence surged. He ignored the Ordinary Goblins and made a beeline for the few Mutated Goblins.
Feney cast "Enhancement Technique" again, this time on Ali. The continuous casting made her a little dizzy, and she felt a slight tightness in her temples.
"Don’t push yourself too hard, Miss Feney. Conserve some energy. We might need your Healing Technique later," Alton said as he cut down a Goblin that had rushed him.
"Okay."
Feney nodded, looking nervously at the battlefield ahead.
This was her first time truly participating in a battle. The Demons they had encountered on the road before were mostly taken care of by Lin Mo alone.
Suddenly facing such a large-scale battle, as a newcomer, Feney couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.
[Sword Storing and Continuous Slash]!
Lin Mo, with [Invisibility] active, charged in front of a Sub-adult Mutated Goblin. Without needing to charge, he unleashed the basic version of [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash]. The three streams of Sword Qi were enough to kill it instantly.
[Invisibility] Skill Level +3
[Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] Skill Level +3
’It’s a bit of a discount, but getting any Skill Level is better than nothing.’
He then repeated the process, taking down another one.
Seeing its subordinates being killed, the injured leader grew anxious. It ignored its still-bleeding wounds and charged at Lin Mo again.
Lin Mo wasn’t intimidated at all. He raised his Wolf Bone Sword, activated [Tenacity] and [Invisibility], and engaged it head-on.
[Sword Storing and Continuous Slash]!
Thanks to [Quick Charge], Lin Mo had already built up an extra stream of Sword Qi before the clash. Four streams of Sword Qi flew out together, colliding with the massive blade in the Goblin’s hand.
"BZZZT—"
The blade struck the first stream of Sword Qi, easily dissipating it. However, it couldn’t handle the second and third streams that followed.
When the fourth stream of Sword Qi hit, the several-hundred-pound blade was knocked from its grasp. The residual edge of the Sword Qi slashed its arm, leaving a long, bloody gash.
The strength of this Mutated Goblin was indeed formidable, much higher than the Level 1.5 estimated in the mission briefing. Its Threat Level was at least 1.8, or even 1.9, infinitely close to Level 2.
If it hadn’t been injured, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Lin Mo to take it down in a direct confrontation. He would have won eventually, but it certainly would have taken a lot of time.
And if he, the team’s strongest Combat Power, was tied up for too long, Alton and the others would have had a very hard time dealing with the remaining 2 Adult Mutated Goblins, 4 Sub-adult Mutated Goblins, and nearly 200 Ordinary Goblins.
While their safety probably wouldn’t have been an issue, the mission itself would likely have ended in failure.
But now, having been grievously wounded by Lin Mo’s sneak attack, its condition was severely compromised. The wound was still bleeding profusely, making it weaker and weaker. If it wasn’t treated soon, it would bleed to death without Lin Mo even needing to lift a finger.
But obviously, the sudden outbreak of battle gave the enemy no chance to rest.
Lin Mo snorted coldly and pressed his advantage.
’I was originally planning to deal with the other Mutated Goblins first, but since this one came looking for me, I might as well make an example of it.’
He swung his sword again. The Goblin hastily picked up its large blade from the ground and barely managed to block the attack.
The next moment, however, Lin Mo suddenly twisted his wrist. The edge of his sword pushed sideways, deflecting the blade, and then he thrust forward with a [Stabbing] attack, right into its heart!
The blow pierced its heart, letting it know there was no chance of survival. With a furious roar, it prepared to launch a final, desperate counterattack.
But Lin Mo had already withdrawn, slipping into the crowd of Goblins. He then used [Invisibility] to hide and watch the show from the sidelines.
The Goblin pursued, swinging its blade wildly in a chaotic frenzy. But it was all just futile fury. Aside from accidentally injuring many of its own kind, it accomplished nothing.
Only after its final burst of energy faded and it was completely exhausted did Lin Mo suddenly appear behind it and deliver a perfect kill with [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash].
[Invisibility] Skill Level +14
[Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] Skill Level +14
Lin Mo’s eyes lit up. That was a huge amount, nearly double what an ordinary Adult Mutated Goblin gave, which also indirectly proved how strong his opponent had been.
From that one kill alone, his [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] was almost at Level 3.
’Once it reaches Level 4, it’ll increase my Attributes again.’
Lin Mo didn’t pause, continuing his charge toward the remaining Mutated Goblins.
