Chapter 90: Chapter 90
Lin Mo brandished the Wolf Bone Sword in his hand, moving like a ghost as he continuously weaved back and forth through the goblin army.
Each time he struck, he could take the lives of several goblins.
Unfortunately, to preserve his stamina as much as possible, he couldn't simultaneously grind the proficiency for Cross Slash.
Cross Slash still needed over one hundred proficiency points to level up, requiring dozens of activations. Such a massive consumption meant that even if it leveled up, Lin Mo wouldn't have the stamina to continue fighting.
Stealth was different. As a status-type skill, its stamina consumption was basically negligible for the current Lin Mo.
"Thirty-five, fifty..."
The slaughter continued. Those ordinary goblins had absolutely no chance to resist before Lin Mo, and the proficiency for the [Stealth] skill rose accordingly.
[Stealth] Proficiency +3!
"Skill [Stealth] Lv5 (180/180) upgraded!"
"Current skill [Stealth] Lv6 (Max)"
It finally leveled up!
A look of joy crossed Lin Mo's face as he retreated back into the darkness and looked at the subsequent prompt.
"Gained attribute point Agility +3!"
"Automatically evolved into new skill – Shadowmeld!"
Just like the previous [Fortitude], leveling [Stealth] to its maximum level also provided Lin Mo with 3 attribute points.
After adding these 3 Agility points, Lin Mo's base Agility reached 11 points. Additionally, there was a 3-point bonus from his profession attributes, totaling 14 points, fully reaching the standard of a professional-level assassin.
Of course, that wasn't all...
The leveling up of a green, Excellent-grade skill always comes with a full package.
"Promotion conditions met, obtained profession – Assassin (lv1)"
"Gained profession attribute bonuses: Strength +2, Constitution +1, Agility +3!"
"Gained profession skill – Assassin's Heart!"
This was a case of accumulating strength over time to achieve a sudden breakthrough. [Stealth], a skill Lin Mo obtained on the very day he transmigrated, had finally reached its maximum level after such a long period, simultaneously pushing Lin Mo's base Agility past ten points, meeting the standard for promoting to the Assassin profession.
So, what effect would Assassin's Heart have?
Lin Mo continued reading.
[Assassin's Heart]: A venomous snake hiding in the darkness always seeks a one-hit kill. An assassin needs no defense, only extreme offense to pierce through any solid fortress!
Skill Effect: Close-range attack damage increased by 10%!
If Knights represent defense, and Warriors represent balance, then Assassins and Rangers are undoubtedly the damage-dealing representatives among physical professions.
The effect of Assassin's Heart is concise and to the point: directly increasing all melee attack damage by 10%. Currently, the vast majority of Lin Mo's offensive methods are melee-based.
Besides this profession skill, there was an even more important skill.
That was the [Shadowmeld] skill that had just evolved from [Stealth]!
"Comprehended Exceptional-grade skill – Shadowmeld, gained attribute point Agility +3!"
As per convention, it first gifted 3 Agility points as a welcome present.
The specific effect of this skill was even more pleasantly surprising.
[Shadowmeld]: Accustomed to hiding in the shadows, you begin to comprehend the true essence of "shadow." Consume Qi and Blood to briefly vanish from sight, and grant your next attack a 20% bonus physical damage!
Note: While in Shadowmeld state, only visual presence is removed; scent and sound remain. Initiating an attack or receiving an attack will cancel the [Shadowmeld] state.
What a powerful skill!
The previous Stealth only reduced one's presence and required coordinating with obstacles to truly conceal one's tracks. But [Shadowmeld] was genuine invisibility!
Without a doubt, whether used for offense or escape, this was a god-tier skill.
With this skill, Lin Mo could proceed with his next actions without any more reservations. Even if he encountered something truly unexpected, he could simply escape.
The biggest weakness of [Shadowmeld] was that it would still leave a shadow, but at night, shadows are almost invisible.
Furthermore, just like [Resilience], Shadowmeld also had two optional enhancement paths.
Please choose evolution direction –
Evolution Path 1: Extreme Speed I: Movement speed increased by 10% while in Shadowmeld state!
Evolution Path 2: Persistence I: Shadowmeld duration extended by 20%
Which one should he choose?
Lin Mo thought for a moment but didn't rush to make a choice. Instead, he first tried to enter the [Shadowmeld] state.
The next moment, his entire person directly disappeared from sight.
Lin Mo tried to reach out his hand, but he couldn't see anything.
To be honest, it felt a bit unfamiliar.
However, as long as he shifted his perspective away from himself and looked elsewhere, it became much better.
The duration was approximately 5 seconds. A 20% increase meant one extra second...
In the end, Lin Mo still chose the second effect.
Although increasing movement speed was also a very powerful attribute, the duration of Shadowmeld was, after all, too short. Moreover, it would end prematurely once he attacked or was attacked. A 10% movement speed increase over just 5 seconds didn't have that great of a strategic significance.
In comparison, an extra second of Shadowmeld time might change many things.
After all, five seconds... sometimes it's really too short...
Having chosen the skill enhancement, it was time to set off.
The situation over at Falling Leaves Village was not optimistic. Everything was still waiting for him to save it!
At the very rear of the entire goblin force, a goblin with bluish-gray patterns on its body was positioned under the protection of several Mutated Goblins.
Its stature wasn't much taller than its ordinary kin, but the strong and robust goblins surrounding it all showed expressions of respect towards it.
If this world was one with supernatural powers, then magic was the supernatural among the supernatural.
Spellcasters are noble beings in any race, especially when they possess wisdom unmatched by their kin... The title of "royal family" among goblins for Goblin Spellcasters was quite fitting.
Zorn considered itself a cautious king.
It would not undertake any risky ventures. Even though the calls of its companions indicated that their side held an absolute advantage, it still would not easily dispatch these tall fellows by its side.
Mutated Goblins were like "generals" within the goblin ranks. Soldiers were plentiful, but generals were different. Although far less rare than spellcasters who were "kings," they still required "vessels" from other races to be born.
Such combat power should not be used unless necessary. If they were lost in a small place , it would be a rather regrettable loss for it. The rıghtful source is novel⸺fire.net
They should shine on a larger stage, for example... attacking towns.
Several tied-up young women were placed to the side, trembling in fear, their faces streaked with tears.
The stories they heard from adults since childhood made them clearly aware of what they were about to face: being violated by the goblins before them, reduced to becoming their breeding tools, until they died in endless agony...
The goblin, only a little over a meter tall, suddenly looked over, its gaze fixed on a girl with a sturdy and plump figure.
Goblins favored this type the most; they weren't as easy to break, and could endure more rounds of breeding.
Those who were as skinny as dry firewood often had their bones broken with just a few touches. Sometimes, they would die before even completing one round of breeding, forcing the goblins to cut out the underdeveloped goblin fetus, with survival depending entirely on luck.
The army had already reached a significant scale, and its command was no longer needed. It only needed to wait quietly for victory.
So, it was time to relax, to leave behind its noble seed. If it could nurture a new spellcaster offspring, it would become a powerful asset.
Of course, even at such a moment, Zorn did not completely let its guard down. It directed several Mutated Goblins to form a circle, protecting it within, and incidentally allowing them to take turns after it was finished.
The young women watched as the grinning goblin slowly approached. They wanted to cry for help, but their mouths were gagged, unable to speak, only emitting desperate "mmph" sounds.
Zorn reached its hand towards the snowy white flesh before it, its smile growing increasingly wanton, while its other hand began to pull down its shorts.
However, right at that moment, it suddenly felt a soul-shattering sensation, as if a sword of Damocles hung above its head. Its keen perception made it instinctively raise its hand, and an invisible force field enveloped it.
Accompanied by the sound of something shattering, two sword energies left terrifying bloody gashes on its body.
Fortunately, the force field protected it; otherwise, that single strike would have cut it into four pieces!
The injured Zorn let out a startled cry. The surrounding Mutated Goblins immediately shielded it behind them, their fierce gazes turning towards the figure that had suddenly appeared before them.
Lin Mo looked somewhat surprised at the creature hiding behind the several Mutated Goblins. So this was the Goblin Spellcaster that Halek mentioned...
His attack just now actually didn't kill it?
Lin Mo briefly recalled the sensation from moments ago. The instant he unleashed the [Cross Slash], he seemed to feel something invisible blocking the path in front of the target, greatly reducing the power of his strike.
A mage's protective measure?
Lin Mo frowned. If Knights represent defense, Warriors represent balance, and Assassins represent damage output... then a prepared Mage represents versatility!
On the offensive front, the power of spells is absolutely incomparable to physical skills of the same level. Defensively, through protective spells, originally fragile mages can obtain defensive capabilities not far inferior to those of Knights. Besides that, they possess large-area AOE skills, and those powerful mages even have various unpredictable and peculiar methods.
If such class balance were placed in a game, the game designers would have their ancestors sacrificed tens of thousands of times a day.
Moreover, due to the increase in mental attributes, mages also possess clearer minds and sharper perception. For example, just now, even though Lin Mo was attacking from stealth, the opponent still detected it at the last moment and activated a protective skill to block the damage.
This was Lin Mo's first time fighting a spellcaster. Indeed, there was a reason why this profession was held in such high esteem...