Adventure: My Skills Evolve Infinitely

Chapter 160: Chapter 129: Promotion, Mage Professional

’You have to admit, it feels great having a capable leader!’

In no time, they reached their destination. The sky hadn’t completely darkened, but the Goblin attack had already begun.

Being so close to the front line, they could already faintly hear the distant Goblin Army on the move.

"That’s insane. To think we can hear them all the way from here... Just how many Goblins are there?"

"According to rough estimates, the number of Goblins attacking Silver Moon Town this time alone is in the tens of thousands!"

"Hsss—!"

"Which damned Lord is it that doesn’t bother clearing out the Goblins, letting them get this out of hand?"

"Who else could it be? The Lawrence Clan from Lania City..."

It seemed Lawrence’s ill repute was known to all, even here.

"Everyone, get ready. The Goblins could attack at any moment."

Landon reminded them.

The crowd immediately fell silent and quickly formed up, dividing themselves into front and back rows.

As the Priest, Feney was naturally protected in the very center; two Professional-level Warriors were even assigned specifically to guard her.

One of them was Huck, one of Landon’s own teammates.

"Don’t be nervous, Miss Feney. I’ll protect you!"

Huck said with a hearty laugh.

"Mm."

Feney nodded distractedly, her gaze fixed on Lin Mo’s back.

Huck scratched his head, a little helpless. ’Oh well, it looks like the pretty Priest has already lost her heart to someone else.’

Time trickled by.

They lay in wait beside the downward slope, traps set and Assassins posted to scout. But more than an hour passed with no sign of movement.

"Did we guess wrong? Maybe the Goblins aren’t putting that much thought into it."

"That seems likely... Even a Goblin Caster can’t be smarter than a person."

Landon frowned as well, beginning to doubt his own judgment.

"Let’s wait a little longer. Just in case."

Easier said than done. Hearing the sounds of battle from the distant front line, many of the Adventurers were getting restless.

Another half-hour passed, and impatience spread further through the crowd.

"Why don’t we go back? Or we could just go help on the front line. Anything’s better than just sitting here waiting."

"True. If the Goblins really aren’t coming, we can’t just wait here all night..."

Having answered the Rescue Order, they were naturally eager to help—not to mention earn some money and maybe even an extra reward from the Lord.

If they just waited here, those tempting rewards would be completely out of reach.

Just then, a Scout rushed over with a message: "Goblins have reappeared at the pass they raided yesterday!"

His words caused an uproar. The group’s patience evaporated, and they burst into discussion.

"See? I knew Goblins weren’t that clever."

"If we head back now, we can still make it! Let’s go!"

"If we’re too late, the forces left in town might not be enough to hold them."

Whether motivated by goodwill or self-interest, the urge to return had become too strong to ignore.

Even their leader, Landon, was wavering and on the verge of ordering a retreat.

Lin Mo felt much the same. Unlike the other Adventurers, who were just after rewards, he also needed to grind his Skill Level. Waiting around with no way to do so was agonizing.

But...

’Could it really be that simple?’

Lin Mo felt the timing of the Goblins’ sudden attack on the pass was a little too deliberate.

’Generally, a raid like this should happen after the main battle is well underway and has reached a stalemate.’

’That’s when they’re most effective.’

’Last night’s Goblin raid didn’t happen until two or three in the morning.’

’And right now, it isn’t even eleven P.M.’

"Young man, what do you think?"

Landon walked over. He was growing impatient, but he still maintained a degree of composure. Before making a final decision, he decided to consult Lin Mo, who had identified this dangerous area at the same time he had.

Lin Mo frowned in thought for a moment, his gaze lost in the deep night. He turned to the Scout. "When you left, what was the situation over there? Did anyone get a count of the raiding Goblins?"

The Scout faltered for a moment before shaking his head. "I’m not sure. As soon as the Goblin raid was spotted, I was sent to deliver the message."

Lin Mo nodded and said, "I think we’ve fallen into a mental trap..."

"What do you mean?"

"The Goblins won’t necessarily attack only one location."

Landon froze for a second, a new possibility dawning on him. "You mean...?"

"Lure the tiger from the mountain."

Lin Mo immediately explained the phrase: "They’re attacking the pass so early to deliberately draw our attention. If we actually fall for it and turn back, they’ll be free to send the forces they’ve already gathered to storm our position!"

Landon understood at once, but then added, "But that’s still just a guess, right? What if they aren’t thinking that far ahead and really are concentrating their forces on the pass?"

"So, it’s a gamble..."

Of course, the reality could be the exact opposite.

But that pass required a long detour, making it much harder to concentrate a large number of Goblins there, so the probability that it was a diversion was higher.

Lin Mo shrugged helplessly. "At the end of the day, they’re the ones calling the shots."