Chapter 89: Chapter 89

"What if it's a Goblin Spellcaster?"

These words instantly plunged the adventurers present into silence.

Goblin mutations weren't limited to a single direction. Besides the vast majority that mutated toward physical enhancement, within the mutated goblin population, there existed an extremely rare, more special variant.

That was the Goblin Spellcaster!

These creatures didn't possess the raw strength and agile bodies of ordinary mutated goblins, but they had mastered magical power. Some could unleash powerful offensive spells, others could inspire their kin, applying buffs to their own kind, and some even wielded the power of curses, capable of inflicting various debuffs.

Coincidentally, Goblin Spellcasters also possessed significantly higher intelligence than typical mutated goblins.

The possibility that a Goblin Spellcaster was hiding behind the scenes, capable of commanding such a large-scale horde, was indeed very high!

Everyone quickly realized the gravity of the situation. If this speculation was true, then the battle's circumstances would be far worse than they had imagined! The number of goblins in the horde could very likely reach four digits!

Parn's face was grim. "If it really is a Goblin Spellcaster, we must eliminate it first no matter what. Otherwise, this battle will never end!"

A Goblin Spellcaster's ability to rally goblins was far superior to that of a regular mutated goblin. Beyond the horde it had already gathered, as the commotion here grew, other nearby goblin groups would also be attracted.

And once they sensed the Spellcaster's presence, they would likely heed its commands and join the invasion army attacking Falling Leaves Village.

By then, forget defending the village; they'd probably have to find a way to break through and flee for their lives!

"But we only have Halek, one assassin, and besides..." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel{f}ire.net

Even if there was a second assassin, what good would it do?

Halek had gone and not returned; his fate was still unknown. Sending another would likely yield the same result.

As for other classes, aside from the fact that Falling Leaves Village still needed defense, without sufficient speed, it would be very difficult for them to bypass the current goblin army and reach the rear.

Forcing a breakthrough was even more impossible. Unless one was a Level 2 professional, no one could push forward through so many goblins.

Not to mention that in the rear, there might be more than just one mutated goblin...

Lin Mo surveyed the increasingly critical situation on the battlefield. While he normally disliked taking risks, if they didn't do something now, failing the mission would be the least of their worries. If they let the situation develop unchecked, the entire village would be destroyed, and even they would face significant danger.

Alden frowned upon hearing this, but before he could speak, Ellie, standing nearby, exclaimed, "No!"

"Even Halek, a professional assassin, has gone missing. How can you take such a risk under these circumstances?"

She spoke anxiously while swinging her sword to cut down goblins, the fur on her tail bristling.

Alden shook his head. "The main issue is that Halek is already missing. Rashly charging out carries too great a risk. If absolutely necessary, we can abandon this mission."

And also abandon this village...

This wasn't because Alden was cold-hearted, but as the team leader, he had to prioritize the safety of his team members first, even if Lin Mo's strength surpassed his own.

Lin Mo smiled. This feeling of being cared for was something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Lin Mo also knew they made valid points. In fact, if he hadn't recently advanced to the Knight profession, receiving a substantial increase in constitution, he wouldn't have even considered attempting this.

But now, with his constitution as high as 21 points, his margin for error was significant. He couldn't just stand by when there was a possibility to change everything, not even attempting it, and directly abandon so many villagers, could he?

That wouldn't be caution; that would make him an overly selfish scoundrel.

"Trust me, Captain, and Ellie... I'm just going to check it out. If there's real danger, I'll come back immediately."

Ellie met his gaze. Through those dark amber eyes, she saw confidence and responsibility.

A sense of helplessness welled up within her, and her fur drooped again.

She understood that she shouldn't, and couldn't, stop him.

Ellie wouldn't make an unreasonable fuss about going with him either. She only felt deep self-reproach, blaming her own weakness.

For the first time in her life, she had such a strong desire to become stronger.

If only she were stronger, if only she could resolve this crisis...

After a moment of silence, Alden also nodded with a grave expression. "Be extremely careful!"

"We're counting on you, brother."

Parn said solemnly, "I know you're very strong, but please don't push yourself too hard."

"Good luck, stay safe! Leave this place to us."

Marnlo's words were concise.

Birds of a feather flock together. As friends of Alden, these adventurers who had helped Lin Mo with training a few days ago, though often joking and frivolous in daily life, were absolutely reliable when it mattered.

Lin Mo nodded, disengaged from the front lines, entered a stealth state, and began infiltrating from the flank towards the rear of the goblin army.

For safety's sake, he chose a different direction than Halek had.

The night was deep, the screeches of goblins incessant in his ears. The sounds of clashing weapons grew distant as Lin Mo cautiously observed his surroundings, not overly pursuing speed, advancing carefully.

Unlike in the forest, the area around Falling Leaves Village was mostly plains, so there weren't many places to hide. While [Stealth] reduced his presence and the chance of being detected, it wasn't true invisibility, so Lin Mo moved with extra care.

In the distance, he could see scattered goblins heading towards the village. Just as they had guessed, other goblins from the vicinity were also starting to join the invasion army targeting Falling Leaves Village.

Lin Mo didn't stop but continued forward, finally reaching the forest edge where he saw sparse trees.

Lin Mo darted into the woods, using the cover to slowly approach the goblin army from the rear.

From this distance, the commotion from the village was no longer audible. The forest held only the rustling wind and sporadic insect chirps.

Lin Mo held his breath, focusing intently on observing his surroundings as he advanced slowly.

The distance closed gradually until he could see goblin figures. At the same time, Lin Mo seemed to faintly hear a suppressed, ragged breathing sound.

He changed direction, moving towards the source of the sound.

Halek clenched his teeth tightly, his breathing hoarse and heavy, like a leaky bellows.

He tried his best to suppress the sound of his panting, his hand trembling as he struggled to pull a red potion from his backpack and gulped it down in one go.

The next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted. He dropped the empty bottle, drew his dagger, and stabbed behind him.

The moment he saw the face, Lin Mo pulled back his strength and said softly, "It's me."

Halek finally relaxed, lowering his dagger and slumping weakly against a tree.

Lin Mo approached him, using the moonlight to look at this assassin professional who had been gone for so long.

On his body, stretching from his shoulder down to his waist, was a horrifying wound nearly half a meter long, deep enough to see bone!

Lin Mo crouched down with a grave expression. "Are you okay... What exactly happened?"

Halek shook his head. "Just drank a health potion. I won't die."

He paused before continuing, "It's a Goblin Spellcaster!"

Their guess was correct.

"I infiltrated the rear of the goblin army and saw three adult mutated goblins, and five sub-adults... Just as I was preparing to retreat, I was suddenly hit with a curse!"

Halek recalled the sensation. "At that moment, my body felt like it was filled with lead, becoming much slower. Those mutated goblins surrounded me, and only then did I notice the smaller goblin that was originally surrounded by them in the middle."

"If that slowing curse hadn't lasted for a relatively short time, I probably would have been done for there..."

Halek coughed a few times, breaking out in a cold sweat from the pain.

"I can't go back for now. Take this message back to the others..."

Halek froze mid-sentence.

He was also well aware: even if the message got back, what then?

Three adult mutated goblins, five sub-adults, plus a Goblin Spellcaster...

If all the adventurers present launched a full assault, they might be able to eliminate them, but right now, they couldn't even get close to these mutated goblins.

The endless tide of the goblin army alone was enough to keep them completely occupied.

"Understood. Be careful and rest well."

Lin Mo didn't say much more. After giving this advice, he stood up and walked forward.

In the darkness, Halek watched his receding back and suddenly had an almost absurd thought.

He's not planning to go there alone, is he?

He quickly shook his head, dismissing this unrealistic idea. He had just clearly explained the dangers there; surely no one would be that foolish.

As he walked, Lin Mo glanced at his proficiency panel.

With his current strength, even with his high constitution, it was impossible for him to deal with that many mutated goblins.

[Stealth] Lv5 (103/180)

During the previous battle, this skill's proficiency had increased significantly again. Only a little over seventy points remained until it could level up once more.

Previously, those seventy-plus proficiency points would have taken quite some time to grind, but right now, there was no shortage of monsters for him to farm proficiency from.

Lin Mo's footsteps quickened until he was running. Instead of heading directly for the goblin rear, he followed the path he came from, circling around to the flank of the goblin army.

Under the cover of night, Lin Mo gazed with cold eyes at the goblins rushing forward one after another before him.

Now, it's hunting time!