Free Web NovelChapter 134: Chapter 110: Kill, Bountiful Harvest
Outside the cave, the group, waiting anxiously, grew tense at the sight of the surging flames.
"Lin Mo will be okay, right?"
Feney’s brow furrowed deeply, her face etched with worry.
Ali gripped her weapon tightly, ready to charge forward at a moment’s notice.
Alton was just as worried, but he trusted Lin Mo’s strength and judgment. He reassured everyone, "It’s fine. Have faith in Lin Mo."
WHOOSH—!
The flames died down. Standing outside the cave, Lin Mo glanced at his slightly burned left arm and let out a long breath.
’All I can say is, it’s a good thing I was prepared for that move and retreated fast enough. Otherwise, I would’ve been in a world of hurt...’
Magic wasn’t like a physical attack. While Constitution still had an effect, it was diminished.
He had learned from Flora that, according to specialized research by the Imperial Mage Association, the defensive capabilities provided by Constitution were only about 66.7% effective against Magic.
This was one of the reasons Magic was so powerful.
Except against the few creatures with corresponding Elemental Resistance, Magic of the same power level often inflicted more damage than Physical System Skills.
That was why Lin Mo, with only 3 points of Magic Power and a low-level Ordinary Level magic spell, could instantly kill a bottom-tier Demon like a Goblin.
’But it shouldn’t be able to use that move too many times.’
Lin Mo watched the Crimson Flame Tiger inside the cave, growing weaker and not daring to pursue him. Confidence swelled in his heart.
After all...
A ray of Holy Light came from behind him, and the burns on Lin Mo’s left arm healed at a visible rate. In just two or three seconds, it was as if he had never been injured at all, completely recovered.
’After all, I’m fighting with a Wet Nurse on my side.’
His injuries fully healed, Lin Mo charged again, rushing toward the Crimson Flame Tiger before him.
A flicker of fear was evident in the Crimson Flame Tiger’s single remaining eye. It roared and swiped with its forepaw, attempting to force Lin Mo back.
Lin Mo dodged the attack with a flash of movement, then instantly unleashed a [Sword Charge Strike]. Three streams of Sword Qi shot toward its eye.
The Crimson Flame Tiger could only retract its paw to block. The three consecutive streams of Sword Qi tore through its flesh, leaving a gash on its uninjured forepaw that was deep enough to reveal bone.
With both forepaws injured, the Crimson Flame Tiger grew more agitated. But just as it prepared to counterattack despite its wounds, Lin Mo’s figure vanished from its sight.
The next moment, three more streams of Sword Qi struck from behind. They came from the exact same angle, stacking their damage on a single spot, nearly severing the Crimson Flame Tiger’s spine.
The Crimson Flame Tiger struggled to turn its head, Fire Element gathering in its mouth. But Lin Mo, having learned his lesson, was one step ahead. He moved in front of it and leaped directly onto its back.
BOOM—
The flames erupting from the Crimson Flame Tiger’s mouth could only scorch the cave’s stone walls.
It struggled, trying to throw Lin Mo off. At its peak, this would not have been difficult, but the Crimson Flame Tiger was now a spent force, weakened to its absolute limit. It couldn’t even muster half of its original strength and was completely helpless against Lin Mo.
A fierce glint flashed in Lin Mo’s eyes as he brought his sword down hard on the Crimson Flame Tiger’s fractured spine.
With a sharp cracking sound, the Crimson Flame Tiger’s struggles ceased. Its massive body collapsed powerlessly to the ground. After a brief spasm, it breathed its last, unwilling to accept its fate.
Lin Mo panted heavily. Although the fight hadn’t been long, battling a Demon of this caliber was a completely different concept from hacking at Goblins.
The continuous use of Skills, combined with the strategic struggle against the Crimson Flame Tiger, had consumed nearly half of his Physical Strength.
’All I can say is, if this Crimson Flame Tiger hadn’t been injured, I would have had a very hard time defeating a Threat Level 3 Demon. At most, I could have held it at a stalemate for a while before finding a chance to escape.’
But while the process was difficult, the rewards for finally killing this Crimson Flame Tiger were substantial.
[Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] Skill Level +23
A single Demon had provided 23 points of Skill Level, directly raising Lin Mo’s Sword Storing and Continuous Slash to Level 4.
"Skill [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] Lv3 (40/40) has leveled up!"
"Current Skill: [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] Lv4 (23/100)"
Gained Attribute Points: Strength +3!
Not long after becoming a Level 2 Warrior, Lin Mo’s Strength Attribute had increased by another 3 points.
Beyond that, the most important thing was the profit this Crimson Flame Tiger would bring...
Lin Mo walked out of the cave and waved to the others. Alton led the group over and they began to process the carcass.
It took several of them working together to drag the Crimson Flame Tiger out of the cave. Staring at its massive body, Solan clicked his tongue in amazement. "This big? That’s just ridiculous..."
’What’s even more ridiculous is Lin Mo, who managed to kill a monster like this, right?’
Alton looked at Lin Mo, recalling the scene when he had first joined the squad.
Back then, he could barely hold his own against him. Now, he could hardly even help.
’How many days has it even been?’
This rate of growth was simply unbelievable.
He was certain that not even the most talented Nobility of the Empire, with the best resources poured into them, could possibly improve as quickly as Lin Mo.
He had a feeling that their Bull Run Squad might become famous across the Continent in the future, as supporting characters in a Minstrel’s tale!
After bustling about for a good while, they finally managed to butcher the Crimson Flame Tiger’s corpse.
The huge tiger pelt alone was too big to fit in their bags; they could only roll it up and carry it on their shoulders.
"How much do you think a pelt this big is worth?"
Solan couldn’t help but ask.
"The quest we took was for a sub-adult Crimson Flame Tiger, which was already priced at 60-90 Gold Coins. This adult one should be worth at least 150 Gold Coins or more."
After speaking, Alton added, "But this has nothing to do with you. Lin Mo hunted this Crimson Flame Tiger by himself."
’150 Gold Coins, plus double that...’
Lin Mo felt that the 800 Gold Coin Mithril Gloves no longer seemed so out of reach.
’This is what adventuring is all about. Fortune favors the bold. If I hadn’t dared to try, I wouldn’t have been able to get this huge sum of 300 Gold Coins.’
Of course, he couldn’t take all the money for himself. Although he had practically soloed it, Feney had helped out, and the other squad members had helped him carry and butcher the carcass. He had to give them something for their trouble.
"For the money from this Crimson Flame Tiger, I’ll take eighty percent. Feney gets ten percent, and the rest is for everyone else."
Alton didn’t respond immediately. "Let’s talk about this once we’re back in the city. We shouldn’t linger here. We need to leave as soon as possible."
As they spoke, Feney was staring at the tiger pelt before them, her brow slightly furrowed.
She sensed a bad aura from the pelt.
’I hope it’s just my imagination...’
With all their tasks completed, the group set off quickly, returning laden with the spoils of their trip.
However, they couldn’t make it back within the day, so they had to spend another night in the forest.
Unlike the previous night, everyone was clearly more relaxed today. After carefully setting up traps and confirming there was no danger nearby, the atmosphere in the camp became festive.
A large bonfire was lit in the center of the camp, with large chunks of roasted meat skewered on thick branches.
This was all meat from the Crimson Flame Tiger; they had brought back as many of the good cuts as they could.
"Eat up while it’s fresh. High Level Magical Beasts have abundant Qi and Blood in their bodies. Eating this meat is good for you. If you eat it consistently, it might even boost your physical Attributes."
’There’s such a thing?’
This was the first time Lin Mo had heard of it. "So, how much do you have to eat to increase your Attributes?"
"You mean the Crimson Flame Tiger?"
Alton smiled. "If it’s just a Magical Beast of this level, you’d have to eat it long-term for any effect. If you ate about eleven pounds a day, you’d probably see a noticeable effect in a few months."
"..."
Lin Mo’s mouth twitched. "That’s way too slow."
"After all, while the Crimson Flame Tiger is incredibly powerful to us, in the grand scheme of the Continent, it’s just a relatively Low Level Demon."
"If it were the flesh of a Lord Level, or even an Epic Level Demon, the effect would be much better."
"I know about that... In the Minstrels’ stories, after Legendary Level experts defeat Legendary Demons, they eat the Demon’s flesh and gain an immediate boost!"
Solan chimed in, joining the conversation.
"The effects from an Epic Level Demon are already very good. A Lord Level is a bit worse, but if you eat it consistently for about a week, you’ll see a direct boost. The more you eat, the less effective it becomes..."
But all of this was too far out of reach for them.
Potions crafted by Heroic Level and Legendary Level Alchemists could also raise Attributes, but what was the point?
For 99.999% of the people on the Continent, such things were completely unattainable in a lifetime. Even for the Royal Family of a Kingdom, they were extremely precious items.
Lin Mo listened to all this information while eating his roasted meat.
’It might be useful to me in the future.’
He had to admit, this Crimson Flame Tiger meat was quite delicious... After being roasted, the meat was firm yet springy and full of juice. Eating it left a warm, comfortable feeling inside his body.
Setting aside any talk of Attributes, it was definitely beneficial for the body. An ordinary person who ate it could probably avoid many minor aches and pains.
The group chatted idly, and as they talked, the conversation drifted toward gossip.
Rick teased, "Captain, when are you and your Bena going to have a wedding banquet and treat us to a celebratory drink?"
"Get lost, get lost, stop bringing that up..."
Alton rolled his eyes. Adopting a "better you than me" attitude, he turned the tables and aimed the teasing at Lin Mo.
"What about you, Lin Mo... How are things between you and Ali lately?"
"Me?"
Lin Mo pointed to himself with an innocent expression. "I told you it was a misunderstanding. Do you believe me?"
"Nope."
Who the hell would believe that? Ali wasn’t even pretending anymore. The way she was looking at Lin Mo right now was so intense it was practically drawing threads. You call that a misunderstanding? Who would believe it?
The unanimous reply made Lin Mo roll his eyes in exasperation.
’To be fair, I really am innocent.’
’But at this point, he couldn’t be bothered to explain. He might as well just go along with it. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing...’
