Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 266: Fini Got Something on Them

"What's wrong, can't sleep again?"

Lin Mo asked with concern.

Previously, Finnie had also come to find him like this once, back when they had just left Silverstream City not long ago.

"That..."

Finnie seemed to hesitate, unable to get the words out, so her little face flushed bright red, and she finally nodded.

"Come in then."

Lin Mo stepped aside, letting Finnie enter the room.

Finnie placed her pillow on the bed, looking at the two pillows side by side, her breathing became a bit erratic.

"Have you taken a bath?"

"Ah!"Finnie's reaction was unexpectedly large. She let out a small gasp, then nodded, speaking in a weak voice, "Yes, I have."

"Then rest early."

As Lin Mo spoke, he lay down on the bed.

Finnie also took off her shoes and socks and slipped under the covers.

The warm feeling made her body go soft and limp, unable to muster any strength.

The mana lamp was turned off, plunging the room into darkness. This darkness gradually calmed her nervous emotions. She turned on her side, looking at Lin Mo lying flat on his back.

She quietly moved closer... a little closer...

The scent that rushed towards her made her heart tremble uncontrollably.

It was like the smell of sunshine, warm and comforting.

Finnie, as she had done the previous few nights, mustered her courage and leaned against him. At this close distance, she could clearly hear his heartbeat.

Thump-thump...

Somewhat calm.

The young girl curled up her body, feeling her own chaotic heartbeat and breathing, and suddenly felt a bit lost.

Should she be braver, like Sister Sherfilia said, just directly...

But how could she possibly do something like that!

Looking at Lin Mo with his eyes closed, seemingly already asleep, Finnie ultimately didn't have the courage, yet she also felt somewhat unwilling.

So her little head peeked out from under the covers, looking at the face so close at hand, and slowly leaned in.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, she touched the handsome, well-defined face and retreated instantly.

This feeling of doing something naughty gave Finnie, who had been a good girl since childhood, a strange sense of thrill.

It was as if Pandora's box had been opened. Curiosity, excitement, shyness, guilt—all these mixed emotions made it harder and harder for her to control her actions.

So the young girl struck again, her cherry-pink lips quietly imprinting on the corner of his mouth.

That magical, electric-shock-like sensation instantly blanked her mind.

Her body also went limp involuntarily. The arm supporting her on the bed instantly lost strength, and she collapsed onto Lin Mo's body.

Finnie looked up in a fluster, seeing Lin Mo's eyes were still closed, and only then did she relax.

However, at that very moment, those eyes suddenly opened.

In the darkness, those black pupils met Finnie's light purple ones, carrying a somewhat playful gaze.

"What's this? In the middle of the night, a little greedy kitten is sneaking a taste?"

"Lin... Lin Mo, sir..."

Finnie instantly trembled lightly, at a loss, like a child caught doing something wrong, lowering her head, her entire body stiffening.

"Sorry... Mmm?!"

She instinctively wanted to apologize, but Lin Mo reached out, wrapped his arm around her slender neck, and gently pulled.

The breath so close at hand made Finnie completely freeze. An even stronger "electric shock" sensation than before stimulated her nerves.

Her breathing became erratic. After several minutes of being at a loss, her consciousness finally reconnected with her brain.

Then, as if deciding to throw caution to the wind, those feelings of shyness and nervousness seemed to vanish all at once.

Replacing them were scorching breaths, bold responses, and... taking the initiative.

Lin Mo looked at her with some surprise, for a moment it was as if he saw Ellie from back then.

However, she was ultimately not Ellie. She grasped the key information but didn't know how to take control.

This feeling of controlling the situation was something Lin Mo hadn't experienced in his previous two encounters.

And coincidentally, he now had sufficiently rich experience...

Finnie was, after all, still that Finnie.

Even if she suddenly seemed to have opened up her meridians, completely casting aside her shyness and timidity, she was ultimately still that soft-natured, golden little cake.

All those things Sister Sherfilia taught her, she couldn't remember a single one now.

Like a small boat in wind and waves, she could only drift with the current...

[Shared Cultivation] proficiency +4

It actually added 4 proficiency points directly?

Lin Mo was instantly startled.

This was probably similar to a first-clear reward when playing games, right?

Thus, the [Shared Cultivation] skill smoothly leveled up to 3.

"Skill [Shared Cultivation] Lv2 (20/20) upgraded!"

"Current skill [Shared Cultivation] Lv3 (0/40)"

"Gained basic attribute points Constitution +2!"

Speaking of which, this special skill [Shared Cultivation] also adds Constitution attribute.

Lin Mo glanced at his status panel. Not long ago, he had just reached Knight level 5. Now his base Constitution attribute had reached 57 points, almost ready to level up again.

Although he was interested in testing the effects of [Shared Cultivation] after reaching level 3, it would have to wait for another time.

Finnie was already asleep.

Or rather, after that special state similar to an adrenaline rush passed, she was so embarrassed she fainted.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo couldn't help but laugh.

What a lovely girl...

Early the next morning, when Lin Mo opened his eyes, what greeted him were Sherfilia's pair of still-calm golden eyes.

But compared to the beginning, Lin Mo was now very skilled at reading the other's current emotions from these seemingly emotionless eyes.

For example, right now, Sherfilia's mood was clearly the gratification of seeing a child she watched grow up finally achieve something.

"Morning."

Lin Mo waved, greeting her.

"Good morning, my Master."

The corner of Sherfilia's mouth actually had a slight curve of about 0.5 degrees. She seemed to be in a really good mood.

As for how she got in... because of the little maid's rather special status, Lin Mo had already registered her information in his room's facial recognition system.

For Sherfilia, he was still quite at ease. She probably wouldn't sneak a taste in the middle of the night like that big-tailed wolf... right?

Lin Mo used to think so.

But recalling a certain night in the Giant Stone Mine, staying in the carriage, he suddenly wasn't so sure anymore.

"Any plans for today?"

Sherfilia asked while tidying the room.

Although the Breeze Residence certainly provided room cleaning services, in Sherfilia's view, those people did it too roughly, so she directly refused and did everything herself.

Lin Mo nodded, sitting up from the bed. "I need to go out."

"Understood."

Sherfilia immediately understood, helping him change clothes.

Finnie needed to rest a while longer, and Ellie was probably still sleeping in. Lin Mo had a simple meal at the inn's dining area, then went out, heading straight for the direction of the Lion Adventuring Company.

Before heading to the Royal National Academy in the Royal Capital, he planned to rest for a few days.

But resting didn't mean doing nothing. Lin Mo had already made plans to spend these days finding sparring partners to level up the [Fortitude] skill to max.

He had done this before, back when this skill was still [Fortitude].

It's just that with his current strength, even the sparring effect Sherfilia could provide was quite limited now. He needed to find people with stronger strength.

That's why he was going to the Lion Adventuring Company.

Wasn't the most suitable person for this the captain of the Lion Adventuring Company, Leonard?

On the way, Lin Mo conveniently took out the two bottles of elemental reagents he bought yesterday from his spatial ring.

Last night after returning, he rested soon after, so he hadn't had time to drink the reagents yet.

A long time ago, the energy contained in these intermediate-level elemental reagents was still very powerful for Lin Mo at the time, requiring careful handling.

But today, with Lin Mo's current mana, this amount of energy was nothing noteworthy. He could easily digest it.

So while walking, he opened one bottle of elemental reagent and gulped it down in one go.

There wasn't any special taste. After drinking it, he felt a tingling, numb sensation in his body. It should be that intermediate Lightning Element reagent.

Sure enough, Lin Mo soon felt a surge of Lightning Element energy rushing through his body. However, unlike when he drank that intermediate Fire Element reagent a long time ago, where it was very difficult and even somewhat dangerous to digest the energy, Lin Mo didn't even stop walking. He just continued on his way while completely absorbing the medicinal power contained in the reagent into his body.

Next was the intermediate Ice Element reagent. It was also equally effortless. He just gulped it down directly, and in less than a minute, the absorption was complete.

Lin Mo opened his status panel to check his current attributes.

[Name]: Lin Mo

[Professions]: Warrior Lv11, Knight Lv5, Assassin Lv8, Mage Lv11, Priest Lv10, Ranger Lv8

[Attributes]: (Numbers in parentheses are bonus attributes and total attributes)

Strength: 134 (+127 = 261)

Agility: 82 (+123 = 205)

Constitution: 57 (+92 = 149)

Spirit: 35 (+61 = 96)

Mana: 129 (+124 = 253)

Fire Elemental Affinity: 26% + 26% = 45.24% (after decay)

Ice Elemental Affinity: 27% + 28% = 47.44% (after decay)

Lightning Elemental Affinity: 26%

Earth Elemental Affinity: 12.5%

Wind Elemental Affinity: 12.5%

Water Elemental Affinity: 12.5%

Light Elemental Affinity: 12.5%

Ice Elemental Affinity increased from the original 36.125% to 47.44%, an increase of about 11%.

Lightning Elemental Affinity increased from 12.5% to 26%. Since both were affinities brought by elemental reagents, they directly overwrote the previous values. There was no decay issue.

Overall, the improvement was quite good.

47.44% Ice Elemental Affinity, besides enhancing power, could also make Lin Mo's Ice Element magic casting speed nearly half as fast again. This was the most crucial point.

Moreover, increased control over the Ice Element would also allow Lin Mo to manipulate it more precisely, giving his Spellsword profession higher operability.

...

Since he was traveling on foot and not taking a carriage, it didn't take long before Lin Mo arrived at the entrance of the Lion Adventuring Company.

Coincidentally, the adventurers responsible for opening the door today were the same ones from the first time Lin Mo came. Compared to last time, these adventurers clearly recognized him now. Seeing Lin Mo approach, they proactively greeted him.

"Long time no see, brother. I heard you went on a mission with our team's Senior Dirk before? Are you here to find him this time?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "He should be on vacation right now, so I won't disturb him. I'm here to see your captain."

"I see... please come in."

No need for more words. Both the guards at the door and Lin Mo knew where Leonard would be at this time.

Arriving at the Lion Adventuring Company's training ground, sure enough, Leonard was inside practicing his swordsmanship, sweating profusely.

Hearing someone push the door open, Leonard stopped his movements and looked over. "Something up?"

Only after finishing his sentence did he see it was Lin Mo. He immediately scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. "It's you, little brother. What brings you to my place... anything you need help with?"

"Well, you could say that..."

Lin Mo smiled, not bothering with useless pleasantries. He directly took out an iron sword from his backpack and pointed to the practice ring nearby. "Spar a bit?"

That's right, not the Frost Dragon Scale Sword, but an ordinary iron sword.

With his current strength, using an Epic-level weapon would be somewhat too much of a bully.

"Alright!"

Leonard also didn't waste words, directly stepping onto the ring.

The two stood facing each other on opposite sides of the ring. Leonard looked at the sword in Lin Mo's hand and for a moment seemed to hesitate.

He had already learned about Lin Mo's current strength from Dirk, so he wasn't surprised that the other wasn't using his own weapon but only this ordinary iron sword.

But even so, recalling not long ago when Lin Mo first arrived in Fargard City and their sparring match, he still felt deeply moved.

Back then, it was him using a practice iron sword against Lin Mo's Epic-level weapon.

Now, after just this short time, their roles had already reversed...

However, Leonard wasn't the type to be overly sentimental. He quickly pushed these distracting thoughts aside, adjusted his breathing, and said, "Come on!"

As soon as the words fell, he took the initiative to attack, charging towards Lin Mo.

Half an hour later, a panting Leonard leaned against the edge of the ring, speaking intermittently. "So you want to find a sparring partner these next few days?"

Lin Mo nodded. "Of course, I'll provide corresponding compensation."

"No need, no need..."

Leonard waved his hand. "Talking about that makes it seem distant. With Dirk's matter, you've already put in so much effort for so long. For such a small thing, how could I possibly accept your money? Moreover, sparring with you, I gain quite a lot too."

Lin Mo wasn't one for excessive politeness either. Since the other said so, he didn't continue with false courtesy.

"Had enough rest?"

"Ah... ah?"

Leonard was stunned. They had just fought for half an hour, and he had rested for less than 10 minutes, right?

However, he was originally a brave and combative character. How could he say "no" at a time like this?

So he could only grit his teeth. "Yeah, almost. Let's continue!"

[Fortitude] proficiency +1

...

Unknowingly, half a day passed.

The first few times, Leonard's mouth was still quite tough. Later on, his mouth was still tough, but his hands were soft, completely unable to lift the sword.

Although somewhat embarrassing, it was still better than verbally admitting defeat.

Leonard thought he could finally rest for a while now, but then Lin Mo casually pulled out a "Stamina Reagent" and even cast several Priest class skills that could restore stamina, "Light's Inspiration," on him in one go.

The corner of Leonard's mouth twitched, but he could only stand up again and continue fighting Lin Mo.

Hearing about it from others was one thing. Actually fighting Lin Mo hands-on was another matter entirely...

Leonard truly experienced Lin Mo's current strength firsthand. Even though he was only using an ordinary iron sword, even though he could feel the other was clearly holding back, even passively defending most of the time, the pressure was still immense.

Just imagine, you use your strongest move, and the other person takes it without changing expression, then casually says, "Not bad. Got anything more exciting?"

Who understands this feeling?

The key was there was no rest. This guy was like a beast, seemingly not tired at all. Physically, it was okay since there were ways to recover. Mainly, mentally, constantly repeating this kind of practice, even someone like Leonard who loved training and fighting was starting to find it unbearable.

Now, he could somewhat understand Lin Mo's strength.

A person with outstanding talent, coupled with inhuman perseverance—how could his strength not be formidable?

And so they fought from morning till night, hardly stopping except for meals and occasional brief breaks.

Later on, Leonard had completely given up on being tough. Swinging the sword had become numb. Even when Lin Mo completely gave up attacking and just let him keep hacking away, Leonard already didn't want to move at all.

"I can't, I really can't. I'm begging you..."

Leonard clasped his hands together. "If this continues, someone's going to die."

Lin Mo was actually very tired too. Hearing this, he looked at the current sky and could only put down the iron sword in his hand, slowly letting out a long breath.

Leonard was finally liberated. He collapsed limply on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.

After quite a while, he finally caught his breath.

"Brother, please don't come find me tomorrow..."

Leonard said with a bitter smile.

"...Alright."

Although somewhat helpless, since the other said so, Lin Mo couldn't very well force the issue.

He was still thinking that continuing for another day tomorrow should be enough to level up.

Seeing Lin Mo's somewhat disappointed look, Leonard also felt a bit embarrassed, but asking him to take back his words now was absolutely impossible.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, as if he remembered something happy. His whole person suddenly perked up. "But I can recommend someone to you."

Lin Mo met his gaze. At this moment, the two seemed to be of one mind, speaking the name in unison: "Grim!"

That's right, it was the captain of the Falcon Adventuring Company, who had a good relationship with the Lion Adventuring Company.

The two hit it off immediately. Leonard looked eager. "I'll send him a communication later and tell him about this. You can go directly tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll definitely settle it for you!"

"Then thank you, Captain Leonard."

"Don't thank me..."

Leonard waved his hand. "Just use the same intensity as today tomorrow. Don't hold back at all."

"Don't worry, I've got it."

Lin Mo immediately understood. The two suddenly laughed together, laughing very evilly.