Free Web NovelChapter 151: Chapter 121: New Skill: Continuous Thrust
"Mr. Lin Mo... Mr. Lin Mo..."
Dawn was breaking.
Feney, who had taken the last watch, woke Lin Mo up. He sat up quickly, rubbing his throbbing temples.
Perhaps he had grown too used to resting comfortably recently; now that his sleep was shorter, he wasn’t quite accustomed to it.
Of course, it was merely a matter of being unaccustomed. After all, he was a bona fide Knight Professional with a high Constitution. At most, he was only a little mentally fatigued, but the effect was negligible.
Feney and Ali didn’t look to be in the best shape either, but after washing up, eating something, and shaking off their drowsiness, they were back to normal.
Lin Mo roused himself and looked at the map in his hand.
Today’s target was the Minotaur Settlement!
This was a relatively challenging mission. Unlike the Goblin Settlement, the Minotaur Settlement might not have as many monsters, but even so, its difficulty far surpassed the former.
The reason was simple: the difference in basic Combat Power between the two types of Demons was too great.
Ordinary Goblins were cannon fodder, one of the lowest-ranking Demons. Aside from bullying Slimes, they were basically at the bottom of the food chain.
But an Ordinary Minotaur was a Professional Level existence, with strength comparable to an adult Mutated Goblin.
Back when Lin Mo had just advanced to a Warrior Professional, dealing with a Minotaur hadn’t been easy.
And within the Minotaur Settlement, besides these Ordinary Minotaurs, there were also the more troublesome Bull Head Vanguards and the most powerful of them all, the Bull Chief.
If he hadn’t known Feney had someone protecting her, Lin Mo would never have accepted this mission.
Because while he himself might be able to handle these monsters and retreat if necessary, it would be difficult to guarantee Feney’s safety with one hundred percent certainty.
Therefore, along the way, he repeatedly reminded them, "In a moment, you must remember to keep your distance. It’s best if you don’t let those Demons discover your presence. Ali, you be careful too. If you can’t win, retreat first. Don’t worry about me."
"Okay."
Feney nodded very seriously, and Ali also agreed.
The Minotaur Settlement wasn’t particularly far from where they had rested last night, only about a two or three-hour journey.
Perhaps because this area was demarcated as Minotaur territory, they rarely encountered any Goblins on the way. They only met a few other types of Low Level Demons, all of which became proficiency fodder for Lin Mo’s Fireball Technique.
About 5 kilometers from their destination, the Silver Radiance Squad’s movements became more cautious. They slowed their pace slightly, continuing forward under the cover of the tall grass.
At this distance, it was already possible to run into a Minotaur.
Sure enough, after they had walked less than a kilometer, a sturdy, axe-wielding Minotaur appeared before them.
Lin Mo gestured for the two of them to stay put, then activated [Invisibility] and snuck up directly behind the Minotaur.
[Stabbing]!
He didn’t choose to use [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash], instead finishing off the Demon directly with [Stabbing].
On one hand, he was saving some Physical Strength for the big battle ahead. On the other, while [Sword Storing and Continuous Slash] had reached Level 4, it was still a long way from being maxed out and evolving. In contrast, after his recent efforts, [Stabbing] was close to reaching Level 5, the Full Level for an Ordinary Level Skill.
At a time like this, it was natural to prioritize the Skill that could be upgraded sooner.
Besides, with Lin Mo’s current strength, even an Ordinary Skill like [Stabbing] was enough to easily one-shot a Minotaur.
[Invisibility] proficiency +8
[Stabbing] proficiency +8
’Just as I remembered. A Minotaur gives the same amount of proficiency as an adult Mutated Goblin—8 points.’
Lin Mo checked his proficiency panel. He was still 53 points away from getting [Stabbing] to Level 5.
During the rest of their journey, they encountered four more Minotaurs, all of which Lin Mo dispatched in the same manner. The proficiency for [Stabbing] went directly to (79/100).
And the target of their mission, the Minotaur Settlement, had now appeared before their eyes.
Lin Mo looked ahead. Several hundred meters away, he could clearly see a large area enclosed by a crooked wooden fence.
Many tall Minotaurs were moving about inside. He estimated there were more than ten of them!
However, he didn’t see any wooden huts like the ones in the Goblin Settlement. Perhaps it was because Minotaurs were larger, or maybe they just weren’t smart enough.
Compared to other Demons, Goblins were actually a rather special existence.
They were extremely communal. Although ordinary individuals had low intelligence, the intellect of a few mutated individuals could be highly developed—in no way inferior to humans. Furthermore, ordinary Goblins were extremely obedient to these special individuals. This was precisely what made Goblins so fearsome.
If one had to make a comparison, their ecological niche was somewhat similar to Beastmen. They just lacked the innate, immense strength of Beastmen, but in return, their numbers were far greater.
In comparison, although Minotaurs were also somewhat communal, their collective intelligence and organizational skills were truly no match for Goblins.
Otherwise, Lin Mo might not have chosen to take this mission in the first place.
According to the mission description, a Bull Chief with a Threat Level of 2.5 existed within this Minotaur Settlement. Trying to assassinate a Demon of this Level with a sneak attack would likely be difficult; at best, he could only severely injure it...
’But based on the current situation, even if the Bull Chief were severely injured, a head-on confrontation would still be highly disadvantageous for us.’
Lin Mo thought about the Minotaurs he had killed on the road earlier.
Although these Minotaurs formed a settlement, they didn’t cooperate and divide labor under the command of a High Tier individual like Goblins did. Each one remained relatively independent.
The Minotaurs from before weren’t patrolling; they were simply out foraging for food.
’So, perhaps we can wait a little longer.’
Lin Mo shared his idea with Feney and Ali. And so, the three of them hunkered down in the grass like hunters lying in wait for their prey, quietly biding their time.
Sure enough, before long, a Minotaur started to leave the group, though not in their direction.
Without a word, Feney and Ali stayed put in tacit understanding while Lin Mo trailed behind it. After the Minotaur had gone some distance from its tribe and moved deep into the forest, he vanished and pierced its throat from behind with his sword.
The Minotaur only managed a muffled whimper before it collapsed and died, unaware of what had happened.
Lin Mo quickly returned to his original spot and saw two or three more Minotaurs heading out.
Using the same tactic, Lin Mo picked them off one by one.
After this wave, his [Invisibility] skill’s proficiency went directly to Lv5 (79/180)!
And, just as he’d hoped, his [Stabbing] skill also reached Full Level.
"Skill [Stabbing] Lv4 (100/100) has leveled up!"
"Current Skill: [Stabbing] Lv5 (Max)"
"Gained attribute points: Strength +2!"
"Automatically evolved into New Skill—Continuous Thrust!"
"Skill Comprehension: [Continuous Thrust]! Strength +2!"
’Man, earning proficiency is so satisfying.’
Lin Mo grinned as he looked at the New Skill he had acquired.
[Continuous Thrust] Lv1 (0/10): After mastering [Stabbing], you have gained a new insight into the action of "thrusting." When releasing [Stabbing], you can add an additional [Stabbing], causing a slight interruption effect on the enemy!
The advanced skill for [Stabbing] was quite similar to [Slashing]; both involved activating the skill twice in a row, but the descriptions were slightly different.
[Continuous Thrust] was an optional follow-up stab. In other words, Lin Mo could first use [Stabbing], and then, when the enemy was completely unprepared, suddenly add another [Stabbing] to form [Continuous Thrust] and catch them off guard.
Moreover, this skill had an additional effect: a slight interruption.
Lin Mo wasn’t sure how useful a "slight interruption" would actually be, but it was a special effect nonetheless. Better to have it than not.
All in all, Lin Mo was quite satisfied with the [Continuous Thrust] skill.
Furthermore, with the dual Attribute increase from maxing out [Stabbing] and learning [Continuous Thrust], his Basic Strength had already reached 27 points. With the Profession bonus, that was a total of 33 points!
If he included the two Strength points from the Black Sword and the one point from Feney’s [Light Aid], that was 36 Strength—undoubtedly reaching, or even surpassing, the level of a Level 3 Warrior!
’A Bull Chief, is it?’
Lin Mo sneered. ’Now, I’m confident I can take it down directly.’
Just then, the remaining Minotaurs in the settlement began to realize something was wrong.
Logically, the first few tribe members who went out to hunt should have been back by now. Why were they so slow today?
The Bull Chief sitting in the center of the settlement also stood up, apparently preparing to go check on the situation.
Lin Mo and Feney’s eyes met. The young woman understood instantly. With a flash of Holy Light, she cast [Light Aid] on him.
Lin Mo immediately used [Invisibility] and headed straight for the Bull Chief.
Compared to an ordinary Minotaur, this Bull Chief was clearly taller and more robust. Its skin was a darker shade than a typical Minotaur’s, and its face was painted with strange patterns in the blood of its prey. It looked like a fierce character not to be trifled with.
And indeed, its great strength made the Bull Chief extremely confident. It walked toward the dense forest with almost no guard.
It clearly didn’t think anything nearby would dare attack its settlement, nor did it imagine that its tribe members had met with some accident. It simply thought they were being too slow and wasting time.
From its posture, it seemed intent on going to scold them.
However, just as it was about to step into the dense forest—
An extremely faint whisper of wind brushed past its ear. The Bull Chief didn’t even have time to register that something was wrong before its vision suddenly began to "tumble."
A huge bull’s head hit the ground and rolled a few times. In their final moment, its wide-open eyes happened to see its own uncontrolled body collapse with a great thud amidst a fountain of blood...
