Chapter 159: Chapter 159

"Everyone, fall back to formation immediately and prepare to fight!"

The increasingly fierce battle and Torren's shout snapped the adventurers back to their senses. They hurriedly rejoined the crowd and reformed a line similar to before.

At the same time, dense footsteps could be heard from the front.

A huge contingent of Goblin Guards was rushing over!

Lin Mo looked up. Just the Goblin Guards at the very front numbered probably more than two hundred!

Behind them were many equally powerful Mutated Goblins, Quasi-Bronze Goblins, and even Bronze Goblins.

Besides that, from what he had observed earlier, the enemy also had at least a level 4 Ranger, a level 4 Spellcaster, and a level 4 Warrior.

The strongest among them might not even be the Spellcaster; it could very well be that Warrior!

Lin Mo stared at the hulking body over three meters tall, all rippling with muscle. This had to be what they called a Giant Goblin, right? It certainly looked powerful.

But the enemy didn’t want to linger in a duel. After swinging its curved blade and pushing Torren back, it didn’t continue the chase; instead, it retreated to join the approaching goblin army.

The arrival of those powerful goblins also allowed some of the goblins that had been surrounded to slip away and pour into the main force.

This battle was going to be far from easy...

Lin Mo frowned inwardly. He didn’t believe these exposed enemies were the operation’s final boss. It was still possible, though unlikely, that someone weaker than these level 4 goblins was hiding in the shadows to direct things.

If the boss were level 5, there was a small chance he’d get nervous handling it.

For now, he’d clear the cannon fodder first!

The fight wasn’t over. Adventurers and the goblin guards in the rear were wrestling, while the Giant Goblin—covered by its comrades—charged again, its target fixed on Torren.

On the other side, Lute nocked an arrow and kept a careful vigil over the surroundings, not letting himself shoot rashly.

Suddenly a whoosh sounded. Lin Mo shifted slightly, and an arrow flew.

That arrow carried a faint Qi-and-Blood effect and spun along its shaft, colliding midair with another arrow and piercing it clean through!

Lute fired two more arrows in quick succession toward the direction the stray projectile had come from.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t catch the shooter’s trace and only managed to kill a few Goblin Guards.

The enemy was hidden while we were exposed—this situation favored Lin Mo...

But Lute’s pressure was far from what Landon faced.

The once-notorious level 4 mage from Silverstream City now had sweat beading on his brow as he warily scanned the area.

Mages, especially against powerful opponents, posed great danger; a single well-placed spell could wipe a cluster of monsters in an instant.

He knew that all too well, so he didn’t dare cast recklessly now.

Because the enemy had a goblin archer and was also level 4.

A level 4 spell hitting level 1 or 2 adventurers would be an instant kill. If it was an area spell, we could lose several—or even a dozen—adventurers in one blow!

That would be unbearable.

The goblins were many; they could afford losses. The adventurers were few and already had some casualties from earlier. If they suffered another heavy blow... one cast could turn the tide completely.

So Landon had to do his utmost to stop any magic from that level 4 Spellcaster as fast as possible—no delays allowed.

Landon stiffened, sensing an elemental fluctuation. His staff already condensed wind-element energy, and a Wind Blade shot out, dispelling a fireball before it hit its target.

The adventurer who was being targeted watched the fireball explode just meters away and broke out in a cold sweat.

Compared to the sweating but effective Landon and Lute, Torren’s situation was worse.

The Giant Goblin swung its massive curved blade. Torren hurriedly dodged sideways, but the blade then tracked him and kept coming.

Torren had no choice but to meet it head-on. He sidestepped twice—he blocked the blow, but his face went pale.

His strength lagged behind the Giant Goblin’s, though not by an enormous margin; he could still contend to a degree.

But the Giant Goblin’s constitution was extraordinary, which meant it barely suffered any recoil from impacts.

Torren, however, did. Because of the strength gap, every collision felt like being struck by a dragon—his insides felt as if they were shifting with each hit.

The battlefield situation looked grim. With the three level 4 professionals engaged, the remaining adventurers had to face the capable Goblin Guards and Mutated Goblins by themselves and were struggling.

A few level 3 adventurers had initially made a show, easing the pressure somewhat, but they were quickly singled out by powerful Bronze Goblins and held in place. They couldn’t help; some were already barely keeping themselves alive.

If the fight dragged on , defeat was inevitable.

Lin Mo activated Vanish and, like before, slipped behind the Goblin Guards to find those who were firing from the rear.

Compared to the earlier gate guards, these regular troops were far more numerous. There were easily forty to fifty Goblin Archers, and they coordinated—with one line shooting while another reloaded—so the arrow volleys were nearly constant.

Take these archers out first, and the knights on the frontline would breathe a lot easier.

Lin Mo repeated his previous tactic.

Countless fine ice crystals descended and struck the Goblin Archers. Anyone caught in the area was instantly frozen through...

After another upgrade, the spell’s range seemed to have increased.

A flood of notifications floated in front of Lin Mo’s eyes.

Ice Crystal Fall mastery +8

Ice Crystal Fall mastery +9

Having studied and used magic over a long period, Lin Mo had come to understand certain rules.

A skill’s power and range mostly depended on mana and skill level. Magic wasn’t fixed; you could adjust it by controlling mana output, similar to how physical professions regulate force and qi-and-blood.

That said, such adjustments generally expand rather than shrink effects—used to avoid waste or hold back.

To dramatically exceed limits and boost power via excess mana usually required something like the Mithril Gloves’ Mana Amplification skill.

Refocusing, Lin Mo condensed ice elements in his palm again to cast Ice Crystal Fall once more.

At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared to his side and rear and lunged fast at him.

Always maintaining high alert, Lin Mo wasn't surprised. Calmly he unleashed the formed spell, then quickly turned and slashed at the attacker with his Black Sword.

Accumulated Sword Combo!

Mana and qi-and-blood are separate systems, so Lin Mo’s movements flowed seamlessly and finished in an instant.

Three sword energies shot out quickly, startling the attacker, who abruptly halted and dodged away.

Lin Mo’s heart tightened. That had to be a level 4 assassin! And not just a fresh level 4—more like over 4.5!

Lin Mo’s current assassin rank was still only level 2. Though job amplifications gave him agility comparable to or even surpassing a level 3 assassin, he was still far off from a 4.5-level assassin.

In the scramble, he only glimpsed a bluish-gray hue on the attacker—probably a Bronze Goblin.

The assassin then melted back into the darkness and disappeared.

Lin Mo snorted, but didn’t stop his actions. He cast Rock Shield, forming a massive stone shield, and then charged toward the Goblin Archers holding the shield aloft.

He didn’t need to chase that lone assassin—killing its comrades would make it frantic enough.

He used the same earthy combo, barreling through, slaughtering any goblin in his path.

His charge not only wiped out numerous Goblin Archers, but more importantly it disrupted their formation. The remaining archers—even if alive—could no longer shoot with the same discipline.

Meanwhile, other assassins among the adventurers began their strikes, also focusing on the Goblin Archers.

Naturally, goblin assassins didn’t just defend.

A warrior quickly knocked a thrown dagger aside and stepped in front of a ranger.

"Everyone be alert—the goblin assassins are moving!"

There were quite a few goblin assassins; similar stabbing attempts sprung up everywhere.

Fortunately, thanks to relatively stable positions, the goblins couldn’t easily infiltrate. Many of their attacks were even countered and killed.

But not everyone was lucky. Adventurer strength varied, and casualties were unavoidable. Some warriors were targeted and stabbed by two or three goblins working together!

Torren was anxious. The opponents in this operation had far exceeded his expectations—well beyond what their adventurers could handle.

He slipped a bit in focus; the Giant Goblin seized the chance and brought its curved blade down hard from above.

Torren barely managed to block and was immediately hit; blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

He gritted his teeth and held on. He finally found a chance to slide out and countered with Iron Sword Slash.

The Giant Goblin was caught off guard and did take the hit, leaving a nearly half-meter-long wound across its body.

Long, but not deep—just a surface tear opening skin and a little flesh. The damage was limited.

Torren gripped his sword with trembling hands. Though things weren’t in his favor, there was no fear in his eyes.

In the next moment he surprisingly stepped forward and launched an attack.

Elsewhere, Landon and the Goblin Spellcaster continued their tactical battle.

The spellcaster was sly—hiding behind kin and shifting position after each spell, preventing Landon from locking down his location.

After repeated exchanges, though, Landon had roughly learned his pattern. With that intelligence, the pressure didn’t feel as heavy.

He even had spare opportunities to cast a Wind Blade and casually cut down several goblins, easing the pressure on his comrades.

But that was all he could do. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NoveIꜰire.net

He couldn’t unleash the destructive mobile artillery power mages could usually bring. Among the arriving adventurers, only four were mages—two of them level 2—so their contribution was limited.

The last mage, of course, was Lin Mo.

He was still weaving through the Goblin Archers, effortlessly reaping goblin lives.

That level 4 assassin had tried to press attacks several times, but Lin Mo usually reacted in time—not just because his agility wasn’t low, but because of experience.

After Sherfilia’s special training, that assassin before him seemed less threatening.

Speaking of which—where was Sherfilia?

Given how dire things were, she should have acted by now.

Just as Lin Mo thought this, a figure flashed in at high speed and cleanly drove a throat-stab into a Goblin Assassin.

In the next instant she sidestepped another goblin’s attack, kicked it away, and sent a razor-sharp throwing knife through its heart.

Lin Mo turned and their eyes met—those golden eyes.

She had to protect Finnie, so she couldn’t recklessly rush forward like Lin Mo; she stayed near the main force.

That was enough. With Sherfilia present, the front could be stabilized quickly, and Lin Mo no longer had to watch her—he could clear the goblins as he saw fit.

He raised his Rock Shield and made one last Great Shield Charge.

The remaining Goblin Archers were finally wiped out. Though other assassins had helped, together they’d only cleared less than half; Lin Mo alone finished most of them.

This earned him an enormous amount of skill mastery.

Earlier Ice Crystal Fall had just reached level 5; now his mastery progress read Lv5 (106/180).

Rock Shield also leveled up to 5 once more.

"Skill Rock Shield Lv4 (100/100) upgraded!"

"Current skill Rock Shield Lv5 (97/180)"

And Great Shield Charge, already level 5, immediately rose to level 6—the cap for this excellent-grade skill!

Finally, another skill maxed out.

"Skill Great Shield Charge Lv5 (180/180) upgraded!"

"Current skill Great Shield Charge Lv6 (Max)"

"Received attribute points: Constitution +2, Strength +1!"

"Automatically evolved into new skill—Earth-Rending Slam!"

"Learned skill Earth-Rending Slam! Constitution +3!"

The evolved form of Great Shield Charge was named Earth-Rending Slam.

It didn’t sound directly similar to Great Shield Charge.

Lin Mo took a moment to glance.

Earth-Rending Slam: Jump to a designated location while carrying a heavy shield, smash the ground to knock up enemies in the area and form a shockwave that damages nearby foes!

It seemed like an unusual area-damage skill for a knight.

As an excellent-grade skill, Earth-Rending Slam—like previous excellent skills—had branching enhancements.

Please select an evolution path—

Evolution Path 1: Concentration I: Enemies in the core area of Earth-Rending Slam take an additional 20% damage.

Evolution Path 2: Cracking I: The shockwave damage range is increased by 30%.

Lin Mo thought as he headed toward the main force.

The first path raised damage in a small core area; the second widened the shockwave radius.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Mo chose Evolution Path 2.

After all, this was a knight skill and the cast time looked lengthy—better suited to clearing trash than to assaulting fortifications. Expanding the shockwave seemed more practical and more comfortable to use.

Besides gaining a new skill, the five constitution points from leveling and evolution raised Lin Mo’s base constitution from 27 to 32, meeting the requirement to promote to a level 3 Knight.

"Promotion conditions met. Profession Knight (lv2) promoted to Current Profession Knight (lv3)"

"Received profession attribute boosts: Strength +1, Constitution +2, Agility +1!"

Like Warriors and Mages, Knights get a total of four attribute points when reaching level 3. This balanced his shortcomings somewhat.

Lin Mo didn’t have much time to linger on the screens. He glanced and then charged straight for the most conspicuous Giant Goblin on the battlefield.

Having cleared the archers and with Sherfilia handling the goblin assassins, pressure on the front eased considerably.

But the strain on the level 4 professionals hadn’t diminished at all.

The level 4 goblins fighting them would naturally be Lin Mo’s next targets.

Level 4 Goblin Rangers and Goblin Spellcasters were sneaky and didn’t expose themselves, so Lin Mo targeted the most obvious threat: the Giant Goblin.

He closed in quickly and activated Vanish; his figure disappeared.

The Giant Goblin was busy wrestling Torren and hadn’t noticed the approaching danger.

It swung and, again, sent already-injured Torren reeling. The power was so great Torren’s weapon even flew from his hand.

The Giant Goblin’s face wore a smug expression as it prepared to finish off the human. Suddenly a chill ran across its back.

By the time it realized, it was already too late: a blood-tinted Qi Blade sliced across its neck and severed its head in one blow!

Lin Mo’s base strength plus profession bonuses had reached 50, plus the Black Sword’s +2 Strength, and with damage boosts from Vanish and the Black Sword’s "Edge" attribute, and because Blood Qi Blade itself was a powerful single-target burst skill—Lin Mo had selected enhancements that increased its power.

All these factors stacked into a single strike of immense force.

In short, Lin Mo dealt damage comparable to a level 5 Warrior while being a level 3 Knight!

Although the Giant Goblin was a level 4 Warrior with above-average constitution, it wasn’t a Knight and couldn’t withstand the Blood Qi Blade. Unprepared, its head was cleanly removed—one-shot kill!

Blood Qi Blade mastery +30

Being a level 4 enemy, this Giant Goblin gave slightly more mastery than the two Sherfilia-cleared goblins earlier—30 points each.

Vanish was almost max level!

Lin Mo glanced at the progress of the first excellent-grade skill he had acquired.

Only a few dozen experience points remained before it would reach max level 7 and evolve—then Lin Mo would gain his first epic-level skill!

The Giant Goblin’s head thudded to the ground, leaving Torren, who had rolled to avoid its charge, in an awkward position.

After a short stunned pause, shock took over him in a way words couldn’t describe.

The opponent he’d barely managed to hold down was so casually killed?

No resistance—just one hit and it was over.

He watched Lin Mo’s back as he turned away and remained speechless for a long time.

Moments later he seemed to accept it and smiled in relief.

Then he picked up his fallen weapon and charged back into the fray.

With Torren joining again, the front’s pressure dropped significantly. As a level 4 Warrior he tore through level 2 goblins that would have taken other adventurers a long time—many were one-hit kills for him. Even the minority of Bronze Goblins at level 3 weren’t such a tough match for Torren—just a little more time.

It looked like the tide was tilting back toward the adventurers.

But... would it really be that simple?

Lin Mo had not forgotten: the goblins currently before them likely weren’t the leaders of this cavern.

Their biggest enemy still hadn’t shown up...

Lin Mo looked forward. Farther ahead was a wall of darkness—he couldn’t see anything.

Should they take the initiative?

He quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought.

If they kept fighting this way, the battlefield advantage would only grow for them. There was no need to risk a probing attack.

Moreover, Sherfilia’s top priority was protecting Finnie; she couldn’t go with him to scout alone. Lin Mo wasn’t confident taking that risk by himself.

It was better to meet force with force and react to the enemy.

Steady progress; wait for the opponent to make a move....