novelraw Chapter 228: Another Promotion, New Skill Meteor Strike
Chapter 228: Another Promotion, New Skill Meteor Strike
After dealing with that batch of goblins, the team members continued searching within Area 8.
The afternoon sun pierced through layers of leaves, casting dappled, swaying spots of light on the ground.
The team's assassin, Lin Mo, and Sherfilia naturally took on the primary scouting duties.
Sherfilia remained flitting among the treetops, observing the surroundings, while Lin Mo directly used his [Shadow Split] skill to create a clone to search the area.
During adventures, especially in high-risk areas, having team members disperse for searching is a major taboo.
Often, this can lead to personnel losses, causing irreparable damage.
But if all team members stay together, the field of view that can be scouted is relatively limited, and efficiency inevitably becomes lower.
Lin Mo's [Shadow Split] skill perfectly solved this problem.
It allowed for bold and confident scouting without worrying about potential losses, and the Shadow Split skill's functionality was very powerful;
the clone's combat ability wasn't low either, and it could swap positions with the main body at any time.
If there was any drawback, it was that there was only one clone.Recently, every time Lin Mo used the Shadow Split skill, he couldn't help but think: how awesome would it be if he could have one or even several more of such powerful and useful clones?
But according to the current trend, leveling up the [Shadow Split] skill only increased the proportion of main body attributes inherited by the clone;
even when reaching the corresponding level for evolution path selection, it couldn't increase the number of shadow clones.
Perhaps it needed to wait until this skill evolved again?
But that seemed too distant...
Besides Lin Mo and Sherfilia, the little wolf-girl Ellie was also doing what she could. Her senses were very sharp, constantly capturing scents around her, searching for that unique stench peculiar to goblins.
Compared to other adventurer teams, their team's search methods could be said to be quite diverse. Coupled with the fact that Area 8 was the goblins' territory, they soon made discoveries.
"Lin Mo" moved through the forest. Since the main body had the [Eagle Eye] skill constantly active, it also enhanced the clone's vision.
The clear, broad field of view was obstructed by the dense forest, unable to fully take effect. Even so, it could still discover many details normally hard to notice.
The patterns on leaves, the insect holes in tree bark were all clearly visible...
So, naturally, some traces of goblin activity couldn't escape "Lin Mo"'s eyes.
His figure suddenly stopped, crouched down, and picked up a pinch of soil with his fingers.
Ordinary goblins passing through the forest often don't leave traces, but Mutated Goblins and even Giant Goblins are different.
When these larger-sized goblins pass over relatively soft soil, their footsteps often compress the soil more firmly.
Continuing forward, he arrived at a patch of dense grassland, where there were obvious signs of being trampled.
Using the dense forest for cover, "Lin Mo" followed these traces and soon saw a group of marching goblins.
Unlike the previous batch of goblins, this group in front had significantly more numbers.
Almost double, with over two hundred, and their configuration was much higher as well.
"Lin Mo" carefully observed them.
Among this dense mass of green figures, only about half were ordinary goblins. Of the remaining half, there were over thirty tall Mutated Goblins, including some sub-adults and adult forms.
Additionally, there were over thirty Goblin Guards wearing crude leather armor and holding noticeably better weapons.
Besides these, "Lin Mo" also saw around ten Quasi-Bronze Level goblins, plus three Bronze-Level goblins.
The most eye-catching was naturally that exceptionally huge figure.
A Giant Goblin, standing a full half-body taller than even the Mutated Goblins, reaching over three meters high!
These goblins didn't seem to be carrying food, so they didn't look like a foraging team;
they were probably the patrol troops of the goblin tribe in this area.
You could say they were the "regular army" among goblins.
Interesting...
Lin Mo immediately informed everyone of the specific direction. At the same time, taking advantage of the fact that the [Shadow Split] skill's duration hadn't ended yet, he directly swapped positions with the clone.
Without any preparation or charging up, and not planning to directly take down that big guy—Lin Mo was afraid that if that Giant Goblin died, the remaining goblins might scatter and flee, making them hard to chase.
Lin Mo directly leaped down from the tree trunk, his figure shooting out like an arrow from a bowstring, heading straight for the most densely populated area of the goblin troop!
The howling wind caught the Giant Goblin's attention. It turned its head and saw Lin Mo's figure.
It immediately roared loudly to alert its kin.
But it was already too late.
Lin Mo's body was enveloped in blood-red Qi and Blood, like a crimson meteor, covering dozens of meters in an instant before crashing down.
[Furious Leap Cleave]
"Boom—!"
The moment he landed, a violent shockwave spread out from him as the center. The ground was directly smashed into a large crater, with countless cracks spreading like a spiderweb.
Those goblins nearby didn't even have time to scream before their bodies were shattered by the terrifying impact force, then launched like cannonballs, smashing into goblins further away and rupturing their internal organs.
Lin Mo had chosen the most densely populated area of goblins. The power of [Furious Leap Cleave] was much stronger than the previous Jumping Slash, so this single strike directly killed over thirty goblins on the spot.
[Furious Leap Cleave] proficiency +35!
So satisfying!
Lin Mo's eyes lit up. In terms of pure power, this skill wasn't actually that strong, but because of its characteristics—being spectacular and having a decent area of effect—it felt incredibly satisfying to use.
That feeling of leaping high, looking down from above, and smashing down fiercely was just too stress-relieving.
"Skill [Furious Leap Cleave] Lv1 (10/10) leveled up!"
.......
"Current skill [Furious Leap Cleave] Lv3 (5/40)"
"Gained attribute points: Strength+2!"
The 35 proficiency points gained from this wave directly leveled [Furious Leap Cleave] from level 1 to level 3.
And as an excellent-grade skill, level 3 was when attribute points were gained.
Another 2 Strength attributes acquired. Lin Mo felt more motivated. He immediately stood up, quickly stepped forward, and executed a whip kick, sweeping out—
The kick was fierce, cutting through the air, instantly kicking several goblins flying, splattering blood everywhere.
[Whip Kick] proficiency +8
8 proficiency points, almost exactly right.
"Skill [Whip Kick] Lv3 (40/40) leveled up!"
"Current skill [Whip Kick] Lv4 (1/100)"
"Roar——!"
Having lost thirty to forty subordinates in an instant, the Giant Goblin became frantic. It roared angrily and charged towards Lin Mo, swinging its giant Spiked Club.
However, its movements seemed like slow motion in Lin Mo's eyes, completely unable to touch even the hem of his clothes.
Lin Mo wasn't in a hurry to finish off this big guy either. After easily dodging its attack, he leaped high again, aiming for another densely populated goblin area.
[Furious Leap Cleave]!
In less than half a second, Lin Mo crashed down. Powerful blood energy scattered outwards, and the unlucky one directly under him was crushed into goblin paste.
With a "Boom——" sound, the shockwave followed, sending the surrounding goblins flying into the air.
[Furious Leap Cleave] proficiency +112
Holy crap, taking off!
Lin Mo immediately grinned widely.
This time, he hadn't targeted the ordinary goblins but the Goblin Guards.
These Goblin Guards, or in professional terms, "Type II Goblins," each had strength approximating that of an adult Mutated Goblin, meaning each was a genuine level 1 magical creature, granting 8 proficiency points per kill.
Lin Mo's previous Furious Leap Cleave had directly taken out 14 of them, nearly half.
So the proficiency points skyrocketed, instantly reaching triple digits.
The Furious Leap Cleave that had just reached level 3 instantly jumped to level 4, and wasn't far from level 5 either.
"Skill [Furious Leap Cleave] Lv3 (40/40) leveled up!"
"Current skill [Furious Leap Cleave] Lv4 (77/100)"
The Silent Forest was indeed a great place.
And these goblins, especially those grouped Goblin Guards, were simply his good brothers!
Good brothers, lend me some more proficiency points...
Lin Mo continued to effortlessly toy with the Giant Goblin, dodging its attacks by a hair's breadth, giving it the illusion that it was just a little bit away from hitting him, making it keep chasing.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo set his sights on the larger Mutated Goblins.
It was time for the [Consecutive Thrusts] skill to evolve.
His figure moved like a ghost, swiftly weaving among the numerous goblins. With each sword thrust, a Mutated Goblin fell.
[Consecutive Thrusts] proficiency +5
[Consecutive Thrusts] proficiency +8
Because among these Mutated Goblins, some were still sub-adults, granting only 5 proficiency points.
But it wasn't a big problem. Lin Mo's Consecutive Thrusts skill proficiency was still rising at an astonishing rate.
138/180
143/180
......
178/180
Just one more left!
Lin Mo's gaze sharpened. He thrust his sword again. The Frost Dragon Scale Sword slid into a Mutated Goblin's chest almost without resistance, then was pulled out sharply.
[Consecutive Thrusts] proficiency +8
"Skill [Consecutive Thrusts] Lv5 (180/180) leveled up!"
"Current skill [Consecutive Thrusts] Lv6 (Max)"
"Gained attribute points: Strength+3!"
"Automatically evolved into new skill — Meteor Thrust!"
"Learned skill [Meteor Thrust]! Gained attribute points: Strength+2, Agility+1!"
[Meteor Thrust]: Accumulates sword momentum with Qi and Blood, launching a thrust like a meteor.
Note: This skill can also be used with the index and middle fingers.
First, the attributes: the 3 points from [Consecutive Thrusts] at max level plus the 2 points from learning the new skill added another 5 Strength and 1 Agility. Lin Mo's base Strength attribute had now reached 78 points. He just needed one more attribute gain from his existing skills to level up again and become a level 8 Warrior.
Then there was this newly acquired skill...
The description alone was a bit unclear.
But as a blue Exceptional-Grade skill, it surely had its unique strengths.
Lin Mo immediately brought his index and middle fingers together and circulated his Qi and Blood.
[Meteor Thrust]!
The next instant, a burst of energy shot out, instantly piercing through several goblins in its path, followed by the trees along the way, all leaving behind large holes, only stopping fifty or sixty meters away.
Lin Mo looked down at his fingers.
Such a long range, such a cool skill.
Although using fingers to release it undoubtedly had lower power than using a sword, it was really cool!
Lin Mo became addicted for a moment, simply hanging his sword at his waist and taking turns releasing [Meteor Thrust] with both hands, one after the other. Each strike pierced all the goblins along the path completely through.
[Meteor Thrust] proficiency +17
[Meteor Thrust] proficiency +26
Fun, really fun.
After quite a while, Lin Mo finally had his fill of fun, and the goblins on the scene were mostly gone, almost entirely wiped out by him.
Apart from scattered twenty or thirty ordinary goblins, only that extremely disheveled Giant Goblin remained.
"Roar——!"
The creature's face was now full of humiliated fury. It had been chasing for so long but hadn't managed to hit Lin Mo even once. Every time it seemed like it could hit, every time it was just a little bit short...
Lin Mo looked at the panting Giant Goblin and crooked his finger at it.
The Giant Goblin immediately lost all reason. Regardless of whether it could win or not, it roared and charged at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo waited until it was right in front of him, less than a meter away, before suddenly raising his hand, Qi and Blood gathering at his fist—
[Swift Rushing Punch]!
"Thud!"
A dull sound.
This punch, launched later but arriving first, accurately struck the Giant Goblin's chest.
The Giant Goblin's body suddenly froze, its eyes bulging.
The next moment, its body disintegrated under this unbearable force.
[Swift Rushing Punch] proficiency +20
A Light Orb shot over, killing a goblin fleeing in panic.
Ellie's voice followed, shouting angrily as she swung her greatsword to behead a goblin.
Finnie and the others had finally arrived.
"You've already killed them all..."
After quickly dispatching the remaining goblins, Ellie looked at the messy battlefield, pouted, looking somewhat unsatisfied.
"Haha, I was afraid they'd run away."
Lin Mo laughed, then began clearing the battlefield and collecting loot.
While cutting off goblin ears, he checked the information that had flashed by earlier.
"Skill [Meteor Thrust] Lv1 (10/10) leveled up!"
"Skill [Meteor Thrust] Lv2 (20/20) leveled up!"
"Skill [Meteor Thrust] Lv3 (40/40) leveled up!"
......
"Current skill [Meteor Thrust] Lv4 (37/100)"
"Gained attribute points: Strength+3!"
Because he had used it many times earlier, the [Meteor Thrust] skill directly leveled from 1 to 4, smoothly gaining the attribute points.
Lin Mo's base Strength attribute thus reached 81 points, meeting the standard for a level 8 Warrior.
"Promotion conditions met. Profession Warrior (lv7) promoted — Current profession Warrior (lv8)"
"Gained profession attribute bonuses: Strength+5, Constitution+2, Agility+1!"
From level 7 to 8, the total bonus attributes were 8 points, with 2 more Strength bonus compared to level 6 to 7.
The loot was quickly collected. Lin Mo counted it briefly;
they were still short of some ordinary goblins and a few Bronze-Level goblins to complete the quest.
One more wave should be enough...
The time wasn't too late yet. After a short rest, everyone set off again.
After searching for a while, they finally encountered another wave of goblins searching for food, meeting the quest requirements.
By then, it was already getting late, unsuitable for staying in the magical creature territory any longer.
Lin Mo led everyone out of Area 8, deliberately moving further away before setting up tents in a clearing.
Although their strength was considerable now, they still didn't slack on necessary tasks like setting traps.
It had become a habit, and it was somewhat useful.
Dinner was easy to solve. The forest was full of magical creatures;
just catch one nearby and roast it.
Magical Creature Meat was something to eat more of. Although low-level magical creature meat increased attributes slowly, slow progress was still real improvement, better than not eating it at all.
Moreover, magical creature meat itself tasted better than ordinary poultry meat;
it was more tender and flavorful, with basically no gamey smell. Simple preparation could make it quite delicious.
Lin Mo sent his clone to hunt. Meanwhile, he opened his status panel to check the [Meteor Thrust] skill.
Earlier, it was rushed, and he didn't have time to choose an evolution route. The skill had directly reached level 4, perfectly allowing him to choose two at once.
Please choose evolution direction —
Evolution Route 1: Rapid Fire I: Meteor Thrust can become a double thrust (optional), each release's power is 80% of the original.
Evolution Route 2: Lengthen &
Widen I: Increases Meteor Thrust's attack range, length and width both increased by 50%.
One route increased range, the other was a more special "rapid fire," allowing the skill to be fired twice consecutively at the cost of reduced power. This looked strong but had drawbacks.
Reduced power meant it might not break through the defenses of slightly stronger opponents, and consecutive releases consumed additional Qi and Blood.
However, considering Meteor Thrust's attack range was relatively long and it already had some area damage effect, plus Evolution Route 2's range enhancement could make it even larger, so choosing that would be much more effective against groups of monsters or opponents not that strong.
Most of the time, Lin Mo faced magical creatures weaker than himself.
So conveniently with two evolution route selection opportunities, he simply chose both.
After a while, the clone brought back a level 3 Rock-Horned Sheep. They couldn't eat a whole sheep, so they took the best parts for roasting and also stewed a pot of mutton soup.
Roasted mutton with mutton soup, plus some high-quality bread brought from the city, made for a very satisfying meal.
During the short rest after dinner, they had to face a problem — night watch.
This was one of the biggest challenges for small adventurer teams.
Fortunately, everyone's levels were relatively high now, and their stamina was robust;
losing a little sleep wouldn't affect them much, though it inevitably reduced comfort during adventures.
After arranging the night watch schedule, everyone sat around the campfire chatting for a while before Lin Mo urged them to rest.
He was taking the first watch.
Ellie and Finnie obediently went to sleep, but Sherfilia was a bit restless. However, Lin Mo now had a way to deal with her. In such situations, talking nicely to her, expressing goodwill and concern, was useless. This little maid was stubborn;
once she decided something, it was hard to change.
But as long as he exerted the authority of being her Master and directly ordered her, she would obey obediently.
The night was as tranquil as water. Lin Mo leaned by the campfire, briefly spacing out.
Only during such quiet, deep nights did people have the leisure to think about certain things.
Having stayed in Silverstream City for a long time, suddenly coming to a new place, honestly, Lin Mo felt somewhat unaccustomed.
If he, who had only been there for about a month, felt like this, it was even more so for Finnie, who had never left home since childhood.
Although she never said it outright, Finnie must have missed home and missed Lady Behira these past two days.
He should also care for and look after Finnie a bit more...
"Lin Mo, it's your turn to rest."
Ellie rubbed her sleepy eyes, stretched her body, and then very naturally lay down on Lin Mo's lap.
She greedily inhaled Lin Mo's scent, rubbing her furry ears against his neck.
"What's wrong... what are you thinking about?"
Ellie seemed carefree, but actually, she was very sensitive to people's emotions.
"Nothing..."
Lin Mo instinctively shook his head, but Ellie cupped his face.
"Does Lin Mo want to hide things from Ellie?"
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment. Seeing her somewhat downcast expression, he suddenly smiled.
Indeed, between him and Ellie, what was there to hide?
So he openly shared his thoughts.
"Hmm..."
After listening, Ellie thoughtfully touched her chin.
"So, Lin Mo is worried that after leaving home, Finnie will feel lonely and unaccustomed?"
Lin Mo nodded. Ellie immediately rolled her eyes at him: "Then just let her feel the warmth of home, fill her emptiness, isn't that enough?"
After saying this, the little wolf-girl suddenly remembered something and covered her mouth.
Oh no, wasn't this helping her rival?
Lin Mo was shocked by her bold words, momentarily speechless.
But thinking carefully, setting aside the easily misinterpreted expression, what Ellie said actually made sense.
If he could make Finnie feel more "accompanied," perhaps she wouldn't feel so lonely.
In relationships, someone always has to take the first step. Ellie and Sherfilia's personalities were more direct, so they became the ones who approached him first. But for shy, reserved girls like Finnie and Lena, it seemed he should indeed take the initiative to close the distance.
"I understand. Thank you, Ellie."
The little wolf-girl wished she could slap herself.
She was too groggy just after waking up;
how could she have said something like that?
Sorry, Lena... I seem to be holding you back.
Lin Mo went to sleep, leaving Ellie tangled in thought instead.
She hadn't snapped out of it even when Sherfilia got up to take over her watch.
The night passed quickly.
When Lin Mo opened his eyes, a hint of dawn glow had already spread across the sky.
He got up and walked out of the tent. The last person on night watch happened to be Finnie.
The girl was sitting hugging her knees by the campfire, lost in thought, her back looking lonely.
Lin Mo slowly walked over and sat down beside her.
"Ah..."
Finnie was startled, but relaxed when she saw it was Lin Mo. Meeting his gaze, she slowly lowered her head.
Such behavior clearly indicated she had something on her mind.
"Are you getting used to it here in Fargard City?"
Lin Mo asked.
"It's... quite good..."
Finnie smiled in reply, not wanting him to worry.
"Then... do you miss Silverstream City?"
"......"
Finnie immediately fell silent, her eyes slightly reddening.
Lin Mo gently pulled her into his embrace. Finnie leaned on his shoulder, and that warm feeling finally made her tense emotions instantly crumble.
"I do, so much..."
"I miss Mother, everyone at the church, also Aunt Melissa, the snacks in the city, the maid sisters and guard uncles at home, and... and also Aunt Shachel..."
Wow, even missing Shachel? That meant she really missed it a lot.
So Shachel actually ranked after the maids and guards of the City Lord's Mansion?