Chapter 95: Chapter 95

The backup plan left before the battle hadn't worked, and instead Lin Mo had instantly killed two of his companions. Ferk had completely lost his composure by this point, his mind solely focused on killing Lin Mo.

Yet the more desperate he became, the more he fell into Lin Mo's rhythm, being toyed with as Lin Mo leveraged his speed advantage.

Ferk grew increasingly frantic in his attacks, and the more frantic he became, the more disadvantages he suffered. His armor was already tattered, and all thoughts of defense had vanished from his mind.

The timing was about right...

After dodging another attack, Lin Mo deliberately revealed an opening, slowing his movements by a beat and pretending to panic as he hurriedly raised his sword to block.

Ferk took the bait exactly as expected. His eyes lit up as he mustered all his strength, using a skill to attack Lin Mo.

Lin Mo's constant dodging and hit-and-run tactics had made the fight incredibly frustrating for him, giving him the feeling of having power but being unable to use it properly. Now that he'd finally caught an opportunity, he naturally wouldn't let it go.

Yet in the next moment, a cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Mo's lips. He activated [Resilience], drew a dagger from his waist with his left hand, and blocked the incoming attack.

The solid impact transmitted through his hand instantly sobered Ferk, reminding him that Lin Mo's strength was nothing to scoff at.

This time, the two sword edges landed squarely on his unprotected face, cleaving his head into several pieces without any suspense.

On the other side, Ellie knew she couldn't interfere with Lin Mo's battle, so after that ranger was dealt with by Lin Mo, she began assisting Alden from the flank.

The warrior they were facing was about equal in strength to Alden, and they had been fighting evenly. But with Ellie's considerable combat power joining the fray, the situation quickly turned one-sided.

Almost at the same time Lin Mo finished off his enemy, they successfully eliminated their opponent as well.

Alden let out a heavy breath, clearly having expended significant stamina.

After all, his opponent was a professional of the same level as him. Even with Ellie assisting, killing him wasn't an easy task.

"Just where did these people come from..."

Most importantly, even after the battle ended, he still hadn't figured out the situation, completely unaware why these suddenly appearing professionals were targeting them.

Lin Mo was equally puzzled, but based on what their leader had said earlier, he could make some guesses.

Did something we shouldn't have... offended someone we shouldn't have offended?

Lin Mo thought it over carefully. Since his transmigration, only two things could possibly relate to that statement.

One was the spell scroll currently still tucked in his chest, and the other was when they eliminated those Bloodsea Gang members together with Bern and the others back then.

But at that time, they shouldn't have left any clues behind...

And if it was revenge, why wait this long to come?

Could it really be related to the spell scroll?

"Lin Mo, are you hurt?"

Ellie came running over, asking with concern.

Lin Mo shook his head, "I'm fine, just minor injuries."

Although he could rely on his speed to toy with his opponent, that man was genuinely strong—stronger than any professional Lin Mo had encountered before, especially in terms of raw power, which surpassed Lin Mo's.

When he blocked that final attack with his dagger, even with [Resilience] activated, his arm still suffered considerable pressure and minor bruising.

Whether out of worry that he was toughing it out or intentionally, Ellie didn't hesitate at all. She came close and started sniffing him all over.

Lin Mo somewhat awkwardly held her shoulders, preventing her from pressing directly against him.

Compared to humans, half-orcs were less subtle and more direct in their behavior. Lin Mo had heard about this before, and now he could see it was no exaggeration at all...

If not for considering Lin Mo's feelings, she might have been even more extreme.

"Lin Mo, about the village chief's commission..."

Alden had sustained some injuries in the recent battle and his stamina was severely depleted. Going over immediately probably wouldn't work.

"Let's rest for a while."

Lin Mo naturally understood what he meant. In fact, his own stamina was heavily depleted and needed time to recover.

Even though delaying longer meant greater danger for those girls, they had to wait a bit more.

Otherwise, they might not only fail to rescue anyone but end up getting themselves killed instead.

"I'll start a fire, we can eat something while we're at it."

Ellie said as she selected a tree to chop for firewood.

Soon, a campfire was lit, and Ellie took bread and meat slices from her backpack.

Her mood was clearly quite good as she swayed her tail and hummed softly.

"Lin Mo, I want to eat what you made for me the other night..."

Ellie looked up at Lin Mo, her words cutting off abruptly as the bread in her hand fell to the ground.

—A crystalline blue ice spike had pierced through his chest from behind, cleanly impaling Lin Mo.

Crimson blood gushed out, and the expression on Lin Mo's face froze solid.

A light laugh sounded nearby as a golden-haired young man walked over from the distance, wearing a pristine white-gold plate armor that glittered brilliantly in the sunlight.

"I knew these trash might not be reliable, good thing I came to check personally..."

Jim put away the magic crystal in his hand, looking at the severely wounded Lin Mo: "I have to say, your strength is truly unexpected. Being able to kill that waste Ferk, you're probably approaching level 2 professional standard. And practicing dual class skills with both strength and speed—you really count as a genius."

"But you can guard against hidden arrows, guard against daggers, but can you guard against magic?"

"Tsk tsk, looks like you can't..."

He felt increasingly deeply Yunis's intelligence and greatness. If she hadn't given him a magic crystal before departure as precaution, he wouldn't have had absolute confidence in capturing this black-haired youth.

Lin Mo coughed with difficulty, enduring the intense pain as he took a Health Potion from his waist pouch, pulled out the ice spike, then drank most of the potion and poured the remainder on the chest wound.

The gushing blood quickly stopped at a visible rate, but the penetrating wound measuring three to four centimeters in diameter wouldn't heal that fast.

He stood up using his sword for support, his vision swimming with dizziness.

This was only possible because of his strong constitution. If it were an ordinary warrior or assassin professional's physique, under the magic's heavy damage and ice element erosion, they wouldn't even have the strength to drink a potion, let alone stand.

Alden also stood up, but the hand holding his sword trembled slightly.

He could feel that this young man before them was very strong!

Just that set of plate armor alone spoke volumes.

An ordinary set of plate armor cost at least 70 gold coins, while the obviously superior armor he wore might well be worth over 200 gold coins!

Being able to move freely in heavy plate armor, even possessing extremely expensive magical items like magic crystals...

Clearly, this was no ordinary person.

But why would such a "noble" target them for no reason?

This was what puzzled Alden most.

Was it because of Lin Mo?

Alden didn't ponder further—this wasn't the time for that. What mattered now was finding a way to survive...

But looking at the fully armed Jim, no matter how he thought about it, he only felt deep powerlessness.

If Lin Mo weren't injured, they might still have had a chance to struggle. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the N()velFire.net

But now Lin Mo was severely wounded by the magic stored in the crystal, and although not in immediate mortal danger, his combat power was greatly affected.

With just him and Ellie, probably...

Jim had observed for quite some time and clearly understood their strength. Knowing victory was assured, he laughed arrogantly: "A genius like you, if allowed to grow, might become transcendent... or even higher-level professional. But unfortunately, today you'll die here."

"This feeling of killing a genius is truly exhilarating!"

He took a deep breath, as if to slowly savor this pleasure, leisurely drawing the longsword from his waist and walking toward them.

Lin Mo clutched his chest wound, feeling his continuously draining stamina, finding it hard to maintain calm.

He still didn't even know who the other party was, or why they would send such an impressive lineup determined to kill him?

Jim raised his sword to slash at Lin Mo. Lin Mo gritted his teeth, activated [Resilience] on himself, and forced his body to release [Cross Slash].

Jim raised his eyebrows in surprise, but his hand movements didn't pause as he delivered a fully-powered slash. The two sword energies dissipated upon contact, blades meeting. Lin Mo's expression changed as his chest injury was agitated, blood seeping out again. He staggered back several steps, his sword-hand trembling constantly.

His condition was too poor, and his skill power was somewhat affected.

His opponent was indeed strong, probably a level 2 professional. If not for his severe injuries, it might not have been so difficult, but now...

"Quite tenacious, but that's about it."

Jim said as he continued attacking Lin Mo.

However, at that moment, a longsword suddenly approached from behind.

No angry roar, no hysterical madness, but the bone-chilling coldness shocked even Jim.

He quickly turned and blocked the attack, watching frost spread across the blade, his face darkening.

He kicked out, and Ellie's body flew away like discarded stuffing, her sword-arm broken and twisted at an unnatural angle.

She stared ahead with intense unwillingness, her good hand clenched tightly into a fist, nails digging into her palm.

"Lin... Mo... run..."

Jim was angered, provoked by Ellie's attack. He lost interest in playing around but didn't rush to deal with Ellie, instead remembering his mission and turning back to find Lin Mo.

However, Lin Mo had suddenly vanished from his sight.

Jim's eyes showed confusion as he recalled the earlier battle scene, his pupils suddenly contracting.

The next moment, a dagger suddenly appeared before his eyes, less than ten centimeters away. Even though Jim reacted, it was too late to dodge. The dagger sank deep into his eye socket, blood splattering out.

Jim roared in fury, angrily swinging his sword.

Lin Mo timely blocked with his sword, but under the powerful force was knocked back several meters, only stabilizing his stance by plunging his sword into the ground.

Jim was thoroughly enraged, his remaining eye wide open as he charged at Lin Mo.

Direct confrontation was clearly not an option. Lin Mo prepared to activate [Vanish] to avoid the assault and wait for an opportunity to counterattack, just like when he first transmigrated and faced that mutated goblin.

A cold voice suddenly rang through the forest.

The next moment, a fiery red barrier appeared before Lin Mo. Jim's sword struck the barrier, creating ripples, but the barrier remained completely unmoved and undamaged.

"Using a magic crystal to interfere with my mana mark... it seems Yunis has slightly more brains than her incompetent husband..."

Flora walked out from the forest, panting heavily, glaring angrily at Jim.

Because of that magic crystal's interference, she had temporarily lost track of him. Even with her powerful mana, the mark wasn't completely blocked, but she could only vaguely sense a general direction.

"But her lackey is utterly stupid."

Only after Jim used the magic stored in the crystal, depleting its mana, could Flora finally pinpoint his exact location and rush over.

"Did your master not tell you that you shouldn't casually use the magic stored in magic crystals?"

Jim looked at the newcomer, breaking out in a cold sweat.

The Blazing Witch—Flora!

Before departure, Lady Yunis had indeed warned him not to use the skills in the magic crystal, but he was charging at the time and didn't hear clearly. Later, he only thought she meant to conserve it. For completing the mission, using it once shouldn't matter, right?

He never imagined the crystal had another purpose.

Flora walked up to him and spoke slowly as Jim trembled in fear: "Now, tell me, what did Yunis send you here for? Why attack these adventurers?"

Jim smiled ingratiatingly: "Lady Flora, this is just a misunderstanding... These adventers previously offended the Lawrence family, so Lady Yunis sent me to eliminate them."

Jim knew perfectly well that fighting Flora was impossible—he could only try to maneuver.

He deliberately mentioned the Lawrence family, hoping it might make her hesitate.

"Besides, these adventurers have nothing to do with you, right?"

"Don't use Lawrence to pressure me!"

Flora naturally understood his implication, her tone growing even colder: "I told Yunis the same thing—even if Caroline were here, she'd have to explain things clearly to me."

Jim frowned deeply, his eyes darting around before he suddenly bolted sideways.

Flora smiled contemptuously, not even bothering to move, merely raising her hand lightly while chanting. Her staff glowed red, and a wall of flame suddenly erupted, blocking his path.

She slowly walked toward Jim, flames rising from her body with each step. By the time she reached him, she looked like a witch emerging from hell: "Are these adventurers related to my missing... or rather, murdered student?"

Jim trembled all over: "I don't know, I really don't know... I'm just following orders, Lady Flora..."

As he spoke, he suddenly grabbed the sword hilt lying nearby, sprang up, and stabbed at the mage before him.

Mages might be powerful, capable of both offense and defense, but without preparation, their bodies were generally fragile—even more so than rangers. If the sneak attack succeeded, he might still...

The ripples on the fiery red magical shield shattered Jim's unrealistic fantasy.

Flora looked down on him with contempt, the flames surrounding her surging toward Jim, coalescing into a massive fireball that enveloped him completely.

Amid Jim's screams, the intense flames actually melted the plate armor on his body.

"No, you can't kill me, I'm—"

Jim's words were cut off as Flora no longer wanted to hear his voice. The flames suddenly erupted, completely consuming him.

Over ten seconds later, Flora waved her hand, and the flames dissipated, leaving only a puddle of molten metal and some ashes behind.

This was the power of a mage!

Witnessing all this firsthand, Lin Mo's desire for magical power once again peaked.

Seeing Flora approach him, Lin Mo leaned against a tree to rest, forcing out a difficult smile.

Flora raised her eyebrows in surprise. She remembered this youth—she'd seen him when she first arrived at Roland Town and went to the Adventurers' Association to post a mission. He seemed to have sneakily glanced at her chest back then.

Lin Mo certainly hadn't forgotten this "voluptuous" mage either. He even clearly remembered every word she said when she entered the association.

And the most important information among them was her origin.

Saint Antonian Magic Academy!

And her reason for tracking that golden-haired unfortunate seemed to be investigating the academy apprentice's death...

Flora slowly approached Lin Mo, coming so close that her "ample" bosom nearly pressed against his face. Then, warm breath whispered in his ear.

"Well then, little one, tell me, where did you get that scroll?"

Her tone was gentle, her movements almost intimate, but her words carried a hint of interrogation that instantly reminded Lin Mo of the fear of being dominated by his homeroom teacher.

Slender jade fingers lightly touched his chest. Lin Mo looked down and realized that where he'd been magically pierced earlier, the scroll hidden in his chest was now partially exposed.

But he didn't panic, instead calmly taking out the scroll.

If it were before, with everything unknown, he might have worried she wouldn't listen to explanations and just blast him with magic.

But now, with noble lackeys hunting him, the situation was quite clear.

That's why Flora killed Jim directly—she had already noticed the scroll in Lin Mo's chest and knew she could get the answers she wanted from him.

"I think I probably understand what's going on now..."

Lin Mo spread open the scroll, which clearly bore the words "Saint Antonius Academy" and "Archmage Elvith," making Flora's expression darken.

"But, Miss Mage, you can't expect an injured person to explain all this, can you?"

Flora didn't speak, instead taking out a red potion from her pocket.

Lin Mo immediately noticed this potion was clearly different from the basic health potions he'd purchased before—even the bottle containing the liquid was different. Clearly, this was a higher-grade item.

Flora uncorked the bottle and poured the potion directly onto Lin Mo's chest.

The next moment, accompanied by an itching sensation, the wound on Lin Mo's chest healed at a visible rate, disappearing completely within seconds without even leaving a scar!

The weakness from being injured also vanished, his body regaining strength, and even his stamina fully restored.

Lin Mo looked at the potion in astonishment.

This definitely wasn't any intermediate health potion—it had to be advanced grade at minimum!

Lin Mo had once asked Lady Yulian about the price of advanced health potions and received an astronomical figure that shocked him.

Just moments ago, 100 gold coins worth had been poured onto his chest.

But Flora seemed completely unconcerned. After seeing Lin Mo's wound heal, she corked the bottle and casually tossed it to Alden nearby.

Alden fumbled to catch the potion, terrified of dropping it accidentally.

Even though the potion bottle was quite sturdy, something so precious made him extremely cautious.

He uncorked it and drank just a tiny bit—really just a tiny amount, less than one-twentieth.

His originally pale complexion immediately became ruddy, the several wounds on his body instantly healed, and he felt filled with energy.

Alden stared at the potion in his hand in shock, then hurried to Ellie's side, pouring a little on her broken arm. He quickly reset her arm, then applied more potion.

In less than half a minute, Ellie's arm was as if it had never been injured, without even a hint of stiffness—she could fight immediately without issue.

Lin Mo expressed sincere gratitude and, without waiting for prompting, began recounting what had happened back then.

"You're saying that as an ordinary commoner, during your first time entering the forest after being forcibly conscripted, you awakened a skill during battle and killed a mutated goblin?"

It wasn't surprising that Flora found this detail strange—it sounded utterly unreasonable, like complete nonsense.

"From that incident until now, it's only been over half a month. I think my current strength should prove I'm not lying."

Flora recalled that when she saw him at the association, he really had been a complete rookie. But now—

Although she arrived late and didn't witness the earlier battle, it wasn't hard to see Lin Mo was already a professional.

And he had killed many of the Lawrence family's lackeys, forcing that golden-haired guy to use the skill in the magic crystal...

Flora examined Lin Mo with great interest. This rate of improvement in strength far surpassed even her own—herself, hailed as the kingdom's magical genius of the century, taken as a disciple by Teacher Elvith.

"I found this scroll in that mutated goblin's nest..."

Lin Mo recalled the scene at that time: "Besides this scroll, I also saw some bones, torn clothes, and various miscellaneous items. Thinking back now... although it seemed quite logical, wasn't it a bit too organized for goblins?"

"The appearance of a mutated goblin in that area was strange in itself. But precisely because of this illogical element, it made some things that shouldn't have happened seem at least possible..."

And this was exactly their purpose!

In other words, that goblin nest was likely completely man-made.

Lin Mo and his teammates at the time, being complete novices who knew nothing, unfortunately stumbled into that area. Then Lin Mo killed that mutated goblin and obtained this scroll...