novelraw Chapter 193: How Could This Be Fake?
Chapter 193: How Could This Be Fake?
Chapter 193: How Could This Be Fake?"Could it be a Lord-level goblin has appeared?"
At the same time, at the rear of the frontline, Bishop Fletcher also noticed the sudden change in the battle.
Lord-level goblins are a very special, highly ranked existence among the goblin hordes;
their presence acts like a banner for ordinary goblins, immensely boosting morale.
The sudden ferocity of the goblins on the battlefield very likely stemmed from that.
If so, they had to be on guard...
The destruction a Lord-level goblin could inflict was terrifying.
Especially that one whose threat level exceeded level ten and reached Elite—according to Chairman Vic, that one was a goblin spellcaster!
An Elite-tier mage let loose on the battlefield could wreak havoc;
not only ordinary soldiers, but even officers, Landon, and adventurers as powerful as Lin Mo could face annihilation.
Chairman Vic stood atop the tower, watching the battlefield with grave expression.
If that creature appeared, he had to do everything to hold it down;
otherwise, if it were allowed to act freely, the main front could be breached and a gap would open.After all, Silverstream City’s situation was far from optimistic now;
they were barely holding the defensive lines.
So before that creature revealed itself, he couldn't act recklessly—he needed to be ready to intercept immediately.
That also meant the other two Silver-level goblins, who were below Elite, would have to be dealt with by others...
On the battlefield, Lin Mo likewise realized what had excited the goblins and recalled what Chairman Vic had said earlier.
Three Silver-level goblins—one above level 10, exact level unknown—but since it could suppress Chairman Vic the Elite-level adventurer with some ease, it likely wasn't level 11 but perhaps level 12!
An opponent of that caliber was impossible for him, even with Sherfilia helping, to handle in a straight fight.
But as a core figure among the goblins, Lin Mo believed it wouldn't recklessly show itself.
As for the other two Silver-level goblins, one was level 7 and the other level 9.
Lin Mo glanced at his current status panel.
Level 6 mage, level 4 warrior and assassin, level 3 knight...
Honestly, in a head-on clash against a level 7 goblin, Lin Mo might not have the advantage.
Before a certain level, a mage is still mainly a damage dealer and not particularly strong in direct confrontation.
However, his balanced attributes meant that even facing stronger foes he could usually find an advantage. And now that his mage had reached level 6 and entered the Veteran threshold, he didn't need to worry too much about lack of output. ṛå𝐍ꝋΒÈŜ
So challenging an opponent one level higher wasn't necessarily that hard...
As for that level 9 guy—
Lin Mo looked back;
a familiar figure had already slipped deep into the battlefield and was heading toward him.
Because it was a battlefield, Sherfilia had discarded formalities;
she bowed slightly and came up close to Lin Mo.
"If the opponent is a level 9 Lord-level goblin, are you confident?" she asked quietly.
Until now, I still didn't fully understand Silverstream City's total strength, she thought.
Sherfilia paused only a second or two, then answered: "Victory would be difficult, but assassination has a chance."
It sounded contradictory, but for an assassin that was normal.
In direct confrontation, an assassin often loses to most classes.
Their advantages lie in ambush and burst damage;
losing a straight fight doesn't mean they can't kill.
Sherfilia's reply made her capabilities clear.
If she could assassinate a level 9 Lord-level goblin, she was at least approaching level 9 strength herself.
"Good."
Lin Mo nodded. With that, he didn't need to worry too much.
But since the enemy hid while they were exposed, the coming fighting still required extra caution.
Lin Mo activated Shadow Split again. This time he didn't choose an aggressive charge;
he had the clone fall back toward the rear of the battlefield while his real body continued the earlier work—seeking out the goblins' "hard nuts" to kill.
Accumulated Sword Combo!
As his main mage class needed to conserve mana for handling the Silver-level goblins, Lin Mo returned to an old combo: Vanish + Accumulated Sword Combo.
Because Lin Mo had received many class buff attributes and numerous status and equipment bonuses, even though his warrior level was only 4, a fully charged Accumulated Sword Combo would instantly kill level 4 Bronze goblins or Giant goblins.
Against level 5, it was a bit more troublesome—just required a few more moves.
Anyway, Lin Mo's qi and stamina were still quite abundant;
he could keep fighting for a long time...
Accumulated Sword Combo proficiency +25
Accumulated Sword Combo proficiency +2
Accumulated Sword Combo proficiency +30
Accumulated Sword Combo proficiency +1
Not only did he focus on high-level goblins, but when he had reserves he would spread out a few energy blades to fly off in other directions and slice other goblins nearby.
Although hitting ordinary goblins with an Exceptional-grade skill led to serious diminishing returns, bit by bit the practice still raised proficiency.
Sometimes he'd even strike mutated goblins or quasi-Bronze goblins. For a time, Lin Mo's Accumulated Sword Combo proficiency was soaring at an astonishing pace.
(47/300)
(89/300)
(179/300)!
If he kept fighting like this, the skill would probably level up soon.
As he killed more high-level goblins, Lin Mo pushed deeper into the battlefield;
by now there were no other adventurers or guards around him.
Even officers and powerful adventurers had been left far behind.
This is about right...
Lin Mo killed with joy but remained cautious, not letting his guard down.
Here it comes!
Just as he swung another energy blade at a Bronze goblin, Lin Mo suddenly turned and a flash of silver streaked across his peripheral vision.
He focused and noticed its missing arm.
It was the level 7 Silver goblin—Lin Mo remembered clearly that Chairman Vic had ripped off one of its arms earlier.
This one was an assassin-type goblin.
A sharp blade looked like it was about to pierce his body, but Lin Mo remained perfectly calm and confident, which made the Silver goblin hesitate.
After all, it had just suffered a big loss not long ago.
But Lin Mo made no move and appeared completely defenseless, so the goblin approached and thrust its short blade into Lin Mo's throat.
However—
Boom!
The next instant a roaring explosion sounded. The Silver goblin leaped out from the smoke, charred over a large area and looking fierce.
Its intact arm was shredded by the blast, and blood dripped from its body.
This is the problem most adventurers and ordinary monsters have: their attributes are often skewed. So even though this goblin was level 7, its constitution wasn't very high. If not for the Lord-level goblin's special "talent" protection, it likely would have been blown to bits just now.
"You damned humans!"
It actually spoke the continent's common tongue fluently, glaring around in anger—but Lin Mo was nowhere to be seen.
Shadow Split's position-swap function was incredibly powerful.
Although its mechanism differed from Flash, sometimes this skill was even more useful than Flash.
The moment Lin Mo realized he was being ambushed, he had already swapped places with his clone, which is why he could calmly study the Silver goblin.
After the swap, as long as he didn't act, there were almost no signs—the skill was pure deception.
The Silver goblin, enraged at being tricked, was even more furious, but Lin Mo had already moved to a safe spot and used Charged Sword Slash to split his seven sword energies and slaughter surrounding goblins, happily farming proficiency.
Whether ordinary goblins, Goblin Guards, or mutated goblins, they were like ants beneath the sword energies—no resistance, instant death on contact.
Charged Sword Slash proficiency +1
Charged Sword Slash proficiency +3
...
But the overall situation remained grim.
There were simply too many goblins. By now Silverstream City's losses were heavy. Although the goblins' casualty ratio compared to them was at least 50:1, the death of 50,000 goblins didn’t hurt the goblin species much;
but losing 1,000 guards and adventurers was a major blow to Silverstream City.
They still had to figure out a way to kill the Silver-level goblin quickly.
Lin Mo first confirmed the Silver goblin’s appearance to the rear, then stopped wasting time on trash mobs and dashed toward the forward battlefield.
Of course, as before, he constantly used Shadow Split;
whenever a clone’s duration neared its end, he’d stop, guard the surroundings, and be ready to vanish.
Only after the next clone was in position far from his body would he continue.
Meanwhile, he dealt with passing Goblin Guards or mutated goblins casually—mostly using Bone-Piercing Heavy Stab. As an evolved Backstab skill, this move consumed very little health;
as long as he didn't use it excessively, it wouldn't affect his condition much.
Lin Mo kept penetrating the goblin horde, cutting down the core forces as before.
These goblins, besides being strong, often carried out some command tasks like human officers, so Lin Mo's decapitation strikes not only removed threats but plunged local goblin units into chaos.
In a goblin army of this scale, any small turmoil was severe.
Thus goblins often ran around like headless flies, even colliding and trampling each other.
The Silver goblins couldn't ignore that...
So Lin Mo believed he was probably being watched now.
But because of the earlier events, that level 7 assassin-type Silver goblin didn't dare attack rashly.
It was likely hiding somewhere and watching him...
If it didn't show itself, Lin Mo naturally wouldn't rush. As long as the enemy stayed hidden, he could continue killing without restraint. The main front, though difficult now, probably wasn't something he needed to worry about too much.
Sure enough, a dazzling Holy Light rose again, just like before, forming a massive light curtain that enveloped a large front-area.
Bishop Fletcher had acted again.
The light curtain gave the nearly collapsing defense a chance to breathe.
Lin Mo immediately became extremely alert and fully focused.
After the curtain reappeared, that Silver goblin finally lost patience and struck again.
This time, however, it learned from its previous mistake: it didn't close in but hurled a short knife from afar.
Lin Mo didn't hastily swap positions with his clone. He kept one eye on the clone's situation and watched the clone’s remaining duration.
Meanwhile his real body had already put on Swiftness, Fortitude, and Frost Guard, and with a Flash he easily dodged the incoming knife.
A level 7 Silver goblin assassin had far greater speed than Lin Mo.
If it chose to stealth and strike up close it might have been troublesome, as before—risky and dramatic.
That was thanks to his decent Agility and quick reactions, plus his strong Spirit and insight;
otherwise he might not have noticed its approach.
If the goblin refused to close and only attacked from range, it gave him more reaction and dodge time. Add Flash—a space magic that behaved like a bug—and the goblin could barely touch him.
The Silver goblin realized this too and, after several attempts, gritted its teeth and charged straight at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo stood there almost "stunned," motionless, exactly as before.
But just as the blade in the Silver goblin's hand was about to hit, its body suddenly froze;
the blade stopped about three or four meters in front of Lin Mo, and a smug grin spread across its face.
The next instant, a blood-red sword energy slammed into it, leaving its expression stunned.
How could this be...
Lin Mo sneered: "Trying to trick me into swapping, huh?"
Silver goblins aren't stupid, so Lin Mo didn't treat them as such. The loss it suffered earlier likely made it suspect his skill, so it wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
This goblin's plan was simple: force Lin Mo into a swap through attack, then pull back in time to avoid another explosion.
But it didn't expect Lin Mo to foresee that plan, so this time he didn't swap at all.
In fact, when the blade approached earlier, Lin Mo had been acting the part and was actually very nervous, almost flashing away.
Luckily the already-tricked Silver goblin couldn't hold back and stopped—exposing a flaw that confirmed Lin Mo's hypothesis.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Mo's clone performed its role.
After the assassin-type Silver goblin charged, "Lin Mo" began to act.
The previously blank-eyed clone suddenly seemed alert, then with a terrified look fled in panic.
Just as Lin Mo had predicted, a silver figure leapt from the goblin ranks and brought a sword down at "Lin Mo."
"Lin Mo" turned at the last moment with a terrified expression.
Everything looked perfectly reasonable.
Then—
Boom!
An explosion roared, dust billowed, and a look of very human-like confusion flashed across the Silver goblin's face.
How could this be fake?
The next moment, a nearly imperceptible breeze brushed by and a throwing knife slid precisely into its chest!
This level of precise control came from Lin Mo’s strong Spirit attribute and his constant study and practice. Those efforts paid off now, making the two Silver goblins who thought they were clever run circles.
Now it was time for each to duel.
Lin Mo looked at the Silver goblin that had just been struck in the chest by a blood-red energy blade and frowned slightly.
This move didn't produce as dramatic an effect as expected.
Logically, although the opponent was a level 7 monster whose constitution shouldn't be high, Lin Mo's Strength exceeded level 4 or even level 5 standards. Blood Qi Blade was a skill with decent killing power and should have had a chance to cleave it in two.
But just as the earlier explosion hadn't mortally wounded it, the blood-red blade only pierced the chest, broke a few ribs, and failed to deliver a clean kill.
"Talent" protection?
Lin Mo recalled a trait of some Lord-level monsters.
In simple terms it's a bloodline power: some grant extra attribute boosts, some raise offense and defense, some improve elemental affinity or resistance.
That's one reason Lord-level monsters are hard to deal with.
Not all Lord-level monsters have such "bloodline talents," but those that do are troublesome.
Goblins are especially diverse...
This evolutionary path is bizarre, and upon reaching Lord-level they show great variability.
Some have bloodline talents and some don't;
some talents boost attack, some defense, some attributes. It all depends on their bloodline sources and is highly random and uncertain.
In short, it's a big chaotic mixing pot.
The current Silver goblin clearly had a bloodline talent that enhanced defense or constitution.
Otherwise it couldn't have survived an encounter with Elite-level Chairman Vic, losing only an arm.
If it had no hidden reserves, the Elite-level Vic might not have had time to save its life.
But those whose bloodline barely reaches the Silver threshold, with skin only silvery-gray rather than pure silver, are not that powerful even with talent.
Although Lin Mo's Blood Qi Blade hadn't instantly killed it, it still landed a heavy blow.
Combined with the missing arm, what chance did it have against Lin Mo now?
Lin Mo extended his palm;
blazing flames gathered quickly into a spear of fire that he launched at the Silver goblin at high speed.
Being an assassin, even wounded it moved quickly and retreated in time, brushing by and narrowly avoiding Lin Mo's Blazing Fire Spear.
But Lin Mo's assault had only just begun.
He followed with a Spiral Wind Vortex. Though its pull wasn't enough to fully control a Silver-level goblin, the continued draw slightly affected its movement.
Not over yet!
He used the saved mana for this moment;
Lin Mo gave the goblin no respite. Just as it broke free of the vortex, hail fell from the sky.
Blizzard!
The Blizzard's slow effect further reduced its speed, and the ongoing Spiral Wind Vortex continued to tug at it.
That tug kept it in the Blizzard's area long enough to trigger an additional evolution: Frost.
Seeing the Silver goblin frozen solid, Lin Mo was momentarily stunned.
After all, Frost had only a 20% chance to trigger—this was incredible luck.
He seized the opportunity and immediately charged his sword energy, filling it to maximum. With a Flash, at the moment the Silver goblin thawed, seven consecutive sword energies struck its body.
The seven sword energies converged on the wound made earlier by Blood Qi Blade.
Before all the sword energies could even reach full thrust, by the fifth blade passing the Silver goblin was already cleaved in two.
The upper torso collapsed to the ground, the goblin's ugly face twisted in disbelief and agony.
A Silver-level goblin had been slain by Lin Mo!