Chapter 109: Chapter 109

Without much hesitation, Lin Mo abandoned the Swiftwind Fox corpse, activated [Vanish], and withdrew from the scene first.

Returning to the original spot, Alden and the others had clearly heard the previous sound and were now waiting with anxious expressions.

"I want to go check..."

Ellie was the first one who couldn't sit still, speaking as she prepared to move, but was stopped by Alden.

"Calm down, Ellie, have you forgotten what Lin Mo said earlier? If he encounters special circumstances, he'll withdraw directly."

Alden had great confidence in Lin Mo's strength. Even if he encountered the Crimson Flame Tiger, escaping wouldn't be a problem. Acting rashly at this time might instead cause trouble.

Lin Mo emerged from the forest, and everyone immediately gathered around him.

"Mr. Lin Mo, are you injured?"

Finnie gripped her staff, ready to cast healing magic at any moment.

Ellie unceremoniously moved closer, sniffed for a while, then relaxed and quietly stood by his side.

Compared to her eyes, she was more skilled at using her nose to assess situations.

Lin Mo shook his head, but had some doubts in his heart: "Captain, you said before that sub-adult Crimson Flame Tigers are generally about three to four meters tall, right?"

"That's correct." Alden nodded: "Individual specimens might be slightly larger, but generally won't exceed four and a half meters."

That seemed right; the monster bestiary described it the same way.

"But the one I just saw was over five meters tall."

Lin Mo's words immediately made everyone tense.

"An adult Crimson Flame Tiger?"

Carson's whole body stiffened, seemingly ready to withdraw at any moment.

Solan and Rick also showed frightened expressions—that thing was no joke.

Alden deeply furrowed his brows: "If that's the case, then we probably need to find a new target, or even abandon this mission."

As adventurers, maintaining caution is never wrong. The appearance of an adult Crimson Flame Tiger in this area was definitely an abnormal phenomenon. Since there's abnormality, it's best not to stay long.

"Won't it chase after us?"

Solan asked with some worry.

"That probably won't happen..."

Lin Mo, still in a contemplative state, provided key information: "It seems to be injured."

Although that Crimson Flame Tiger had a robust build and looked intimidating, it didn't show strong aggressiveness. That roar seemed more like a threatening warning to drive others away.

Before leaving, Lin Mo also noticed obvious bloodstains on the ground along its path.

Rick was somewhat surprised, "What could injure an adult Crimson Flame Tiger?"

Adult Crimson Flame Tigers were practically king-like existences in this forest. Except for the very few monsters in the Core Area, Crimson Flame Tigers were basically at the top of the food chain.

Lin Mo shook his head, "But this might be why it left its original territory and chose to migrate outward."

Alden immediately understood his implied meaning.

"It looks quite weak; there might be an opportunity!"

Lin Mo narrowed his eyes. Of course, such an attempt involved risks, but it also meant extremely high rewards.

The price of an adult Crimson Flame Tiger wasn't on the same level as a sub-adult one.

If they succeeded in this deal, plus the doubled reward...

Moreover, he had considerable confidence in this matter.

There were differences even among adult Crimson Flame Tigers. The one Lin Mo just encountered was only slightly over five meters, with a threat level of just 3...

And he was now already a level 2 warrior.

Lin Mo looked at his panel. The situation was urgent earlier, so he didn't have time to examine it carefully.

[Vanish] proficiency +8 ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI(F)ire.net

[Thrust] proficiency +8

"Skill [Thrust] Lv2 (20/20) leveled up!"

"Current skill [Thrust] Lv3 (7/40)"

Gained attribute point Strength +1!

With this 1 point increase in Strength, Lin Mo's base Strength attribute officially reached 20 points.

Continuing to look down, another line of translucent small text appeared.

"Promotion conditions met, profession Warrior (lv1) promoted—current profession Warrior (lv2)"

"Gained profession attribute bonuses: Strength+1, Constitution+1, Agility+1!"

After promoting to level 2 warrior, the attribute bonuses from the Warrior profession also increased accordingly. Strength, Constitution, and Agility increased by 1 point again. Including the original 2 points, it now totaled 3 points.

Lin Mo opened his panel.

[Profession]: Warrior Level 2, Knight Level 1, Assassin Level 1

Constitution: 16 (24)

Fire Element Affinity: 13%

26 points of Strength, 25 points of Agility, and 24 points of Constitution. If including the Wolf Bone Sword and Finnie's skills, it could increase further. With such stats facing a level 3 Crimson Flame Tiger, it might still be difficult to confront head-on, but he could definitely manage hit-and-run tactics and retreat safely.

Not to mention it was injured.

Even if they encountered unexpected situations, there was still someone secretly backing them up.

The person specifically sent by Finnie's mother to protect them wouldn't be an ordinary person—most likely a veteran-level professional, meaning level 5 or above.

Hearing Lin Mo's words, Alden fell into deep thought.

He certainly understood Lin Mo's meaning—they couldn't get involved in this matter; only he could attempt it himself.

"At least seventy percent. If it doesn't work out, I can still retreat safely."

Alden nodded, "Don't force it; be careful above all."

The group moved toward the previous direction. Before long, they saw the corpse of that Swiftwind Fox.

Looking at the intact corpse, Lin Mo became more certain that the Crimson Flame Tiger's condition was very poor.

Without being sure if he had completely left, it didn't even dare to touch this Swiftwind Fox corpse, indicating it currently lacked confidence.

Continuing forward, they indeed saw bloodstains left by the Crimson Flame Tiger on the ground, and many of them.

The bloodstains continued, not heading deeper into the forest, but moving parallel.

Alden said succinctly. The team followed the bloodstain trail forward, running for nearly a kilometer.

"It should be nearby. This is its resting area; the scent is very strong..."

Ellie sniffed the air and made the judgment.

Everyone continued searching along the intermittent bloodstains and soon discovered a cave.

On the open ground in front of the cave, many dried bloodstains could be seen.

"Finnie, please give me an enhancement."

"It's 'Light's Assistance'... Mr. Lin Mo, please be very careful!"

While speaking, Finnie raised her staff, and a Holy Light shone on Lin Mo.

His figure then disappeared on the spot, a shadow moving toward the cave direction.

Lin Mo quickly approached. When nearing the cave entrance, he heard very heavy panting sounds.

Looking up, inside the pitch-black cave, that Crimson Flame Tiger was carefully licking its wounds.

Beside it was a nearly completely gnawed skeleton—the same Swiftwind Fox from earlier.

Lin Mo controlled his pace, slowly approaching bit by bit under the cover of the Crimson Flame Tiger's panting sounds.

Ten meters, five meters...

At such close distance, even in the darkness, he could clearly feel the oppressive presence brought by its massive body. The foul stench from the Crimson Flame Tiger's breath assaulted his face.

If it were a newcomer who hadn't been in the business long, just this scene would be enough to scare them into collapsing on the ground, losing control of their bladder and bowels.

However, although Lin Mo was still considered a newcomer in terms of time in the business, his experience had long surpassed that of ordinary adventurers.

He wasn't nervous at all; instead, he felt somewhat excited.

Lin Mo carefully controlled his breathing, tightly gripping the Wolf Bone Sword in his hand.

[Vanish] had less than 3 seconds remaining—just enough time for him to charge up.

First layer, second layer, third layer...

A cold glint flashed in Lin Mo's eyes as the Wolf Bone Sword suddenly slashed out. Six consecutive sword energies flew out, directly targeting the head and neck vital points of the Crimson Flame Tiger before him!

The Crimson Flame Tiger realized something was wrong and quickly stood up, but the first sword energy had already solidly struck its face. The angle of the sword energy was perfectly tricky, directly cutting open one of its eyes.

The second sword energy followed immediately but missed the other eye due to the Crimson Flame Tiger's movement.

The next four sword energies—some struck its snout, some landed on its shoulders and neck—all leaving bloody wounds.

Lin Mo clicked his tongue. With continuous use and development of [Charged Sword Slash], he discovered that this skill's sword energies could be precisely controlled.

They could fly in the same direction, or by controlling his Qi and Blood, he could make the remaining five sword energies slightly deviate.

This was his first attempt at this technique in actual combat. Unfortunately, because the Crimson Flame Tiger reacted too quickly, he still failed to achieve his goal, leaving it with one eye.

The injured Crimson Flame Tiger roared furiously, its massive tiger paw swiping toward Lin Mo.

Lin Mo was prepared, withdrawing and retreating, relatively easily dodging this attack.

Indeed, in terms of speed, he had a slight advantage over the injured Crimson Flame Tiger.

The Crimson Flame Tiger, failing its first attack, attacked again but then stumbled and fell to the ground.

Using the faint light coming from outside the cave, Lin Mo saw its injured areas—its abdomen and one front paw.

This would indeed greatly affect the Crimson Flame Tiger's combat power, no wonder it had been so cautious earlier.

Moreover, although the previous [Charged Sword Slash] wasn't enough to cause fatal damage, it couldn't be ignored either. The continuously bleeding wounds soaked the fur on the Crimson Flame Tiger's chest, making it look particularly terrifying.

Excessive blood loss made it dizzy, and the injured front paw made it difficult to launch continuous effective attacks against the enemy before it.

So it opened its bloodthirsty maw, gathering scorching energy in its mouth.

Lin Mo's pupils immediately contracted—this was the move that instantly killed a Swiftwind Fox earlier.

He quickly withdrew and retreated. The next moment, accompanied by the Crimson Flame Tiger's roar, a mass of blazing flames spewed out, almost completely covering the entire cave entrance.