Starting Unlimited Evolution from Grinding

Chapter 271: Level 9 Assassin and Ranger Arrive at the Academy

Eve was still immersed in a prolonged state of daze.

The opponent she had fought with all her might yet couldn't defeat was handled by Lin Mo as easily as swatting a fly on the roadside, finished off with a single casual punch.

Even though she knew Lin Mo's strength was formidable and she was far from his level, such a massive disparity still left her momentarily disoriented.

So much so that she completely overlooked her current situation: being held in the young man's arms, her waist encircled by his arm.

It wasn't until her companions behind her spoke up that she suddenly snapped back to reality: "Eve, are you okay? Uh..."

The young men and women who had come over worriedly to check on her saw the scene before them, their previously anxious expressions instantly turning subtle.

"I'm fine."

Only after saying this did Eve realize her current predicament. Her face immediately flushed red, and she hurriedly steadied herself.

"S-sorry..."

She took two flustered steps back, giving Lin Mo a slight bow. "In the end, I still had to trouble you for help."Recalling how she had previously refused his assistance, stubbornly insisting on fighting the opponent alone, the embarrassment she had just calmed down was replaced by shame.

These complex emotions left the young girl momentarily at a loss. After all, in her past life, no peer had ever made her feel this way.

"It's fine, you did very well."

To Eve, Lin Mo's praise sounded more like consolation. She wore a bitter, helpless smile. "I made a fool of myself."

Lin Mo scratched his head, momentarily unsure of what to say.

He recalled the confidence on this girl's face during their first meeting, which was almost a complete contrast to her current state.

Yet the reason for all this was probably himself. As the instigator, no matter what he said, it seemed difficult to truly comfort her emotions.

So he could only remain silent, turning instead to think about his own matters.

Besides the Level 11 Gale Tiger King he had just killed, Lin Mo had also slain another Gale Tiger King and three or four Gale Tigers earlier.

These monsters, of course, had also provided him with some proficiency points.

Since those monsters weren't particularly strong, Lin Mo didn't use his Spellsword skills, opting instead for the Knight class skills that currently needed more improvement.

[Multiple Returning Arrow] proficiency +25

[Multiple Returning Arrow] proficiency +30

.......

The few Gale Tigers combined provided nearly 100 proficiency points for the [Multiple Spiral] skill, though it was still slightly short of leveling up.

For that Gale Tiger King, Lin Mo used another skill.

[Charging Shield] proficiency +80

A Level 10 monster provided quite a lot of proficiency, allowing the [Charging Shield] skill to smoothly reach Level 5.

"Skill [Charging Shield] Lv4 (100/100) leveled up!"

"Current skill [Charging Shield] Lv5 (72/180)"

[Charging Shield] was a green excellent-grade skill. One more level up and it would be maxed out.

After tallying his gains, Lin Mo also briefly reviewed the recent battle. Although for him, it hardly counted as a proper fight—more like a one-sided slaughter—the new skill combinations he tried were still quite valuable.

Though it was a spur-of-the-moment attempt, the final result was surprisingly good.

The fierce, powerful nature of the Lightning Element paired unexpectedly well with a skill like [Void-Shaking Fist], which also emphasized raw power.

Following the same logic, the passionate and volatile Fire Element should also pair well with this skill.

Even combining the Fire Element with the Earth Element to form magma, then combining that with [Void-Shaking Fist], would likely result in even greater power...

In short, after unlocking the Spellsword class and techniques like multiple spellcasting, the number of combat options available to Lin Mo now was truly vast.

Clearing the battlefield was primarily handled by these students.

Although they were students of the Royal National Academy, they had been on numerous field expeditions—likely even more than Lin Mo, who had only been an adventurer for a few months. Thus, they were quite proficient at these routine cleanup tasks.

During this process, Lin Mo also engaged in some simple conversation with them. After learning the whole story, he couldn't help but remark, "You guys really have the worst luck, running into this kind of trouble every time you go out..."

"Tell me about it?"

A male student complained: "If this continues and we're this unlucky during the Hunting Competition, it'll be hard to achieve a decent ranking."

"Don't be so pessimistic."

Another male student nearby retorted: "Maybe we're just using up all our bad luck now. When it really counts, like during the Hunting Competition, our luck will turn good."

"That's true!"

Hearing this, everyone's mood lifted from sorrow to joy, amused by his words.

What he said wasn't necessarily correct, but luck itself was elusive and intangible; no one could say for sure. Given that, it was better to think positively.

What if their luck really did turn good then?

As Flora had mentioned earlier, these students weren't particularly concerned about the spoils from completing the task.

Especially those two Gale Tiger Kings—without Lin Mo, they would have had no chance of defeating them, so they had even less reason to lay claim.

Lin Mo's task was essentially completed as well. Coincidentally, they were heading the same way back to the Royal Capital, so they traveled together.

On the road, the students continued to chatter away, seemingly in high spirits.

"Big Sis Eve has reached Level 10, just like Teacher Flora did before. No one should be stronger than her in this year's Hunting Competition, right?"

"Definitely. Besides Big Sis Eve, the most powerful person in the academy is probably that guy... He's only Level 8 now, already two levels behind Big Sis Eve."

"In terms of pure strength, that's true. But that bastard doesn't believe in fair competition. Who knows what underhanded tricks he'll pull..."

Without needing to ask, Lin Mo could guess who they were talking about.

Most likely the son of Duke Sted Morin.

"What do you mean 'in terms of pure strength'?"

Milun, however, said somewhat puzzled: "That might be the situation within the academy, but outside, there might be experts we don't know about."

"Really?"

A girl nearby shook her head: "Milun, you're not talking about those adventurers, are you? Can their strength really compare to us who study in the academy?"

"Exactly... The Hunting Competition is limited to participants under 25. If we're talking about older adventurers, there are plenty of experts. But among adventurers under 25, there really aren't any powerful ones, are there?"

Ultimately, the fact that a young person couldn't gain admission to the Royal National Academy already spoke volumes.

If someone truly had talent and strength, how could they fail to enter the Royal National Academy?

Someone who couldn't even meet the academy's entry threshold, no matter how hard they worked or how many battles they experienced, could never catch up to them, who received guidance from numerous renowned teachers and cultivation from the Kingdom's resources.

"What about Mr. Lin Mo?"

However, a sentence suddenly spoken by Milun plunged the atmosphere into an instant silence.

The students who had just been boasting enthusiastically froze, their expressions then stiffening as they turned with some difficulty to look at Lin Mo, who sat calmly on the carriage seat next to them.

They seemed to have subconsciously overlooked this powerful young man.

After all, he was simply too strong, his power even comparable to many of the academy's instructors. This subconsciously led them not to see him as a peer, but rather as an elder-like figure.

Yet in reality, he was younger than them.

Eve, who had been resting with her eyes closed and not participating in the conversation, also opened her eyes and looked at Lin Mo.

"Will Mr. Lin Mo participate in the Hunting Competition?"

The girl who had been boasting earlier cautiously inquired.

Lin Mo turned his head and smiled slightly. "How could I miss something so interesting?"

Instantly, a chorus of lamentations arose from the student camp.

"Then it's over. This year's Hunting Competition just changed from fighting for first place to fighting for second."

"Truly. With Big Brother Lin Mo competing, who could possibly beat him?"

"Actually, we can think of it this way: since first place is basically inhuman, if we fight for second, it's equivalent to first place in previous years."

The corner of Lin Mo's mouth twitched. These brats, do they know how to talk? What does 'first place is basically inhuman' mean?

Milun also wore a helpless, bitter smile, casting an apologetic look towards Lin Mo.

Lin Mo waved his hand, naturally not taking it seriously with a group of students.

Although his age in this world was actually younger than these students.

Everyone seemed to take it in stride, except for Eve, who bit her lip unwillingly. For her, achieving the top spot in the Hunting Competition, like Teacher Flora had, was a goal she had set long ago.

This year, seeing the chance to realize it, she had been determined to seize it, putting in who knows how much effort. Her current mood was somewhat mixed and complicated.

Lin Mo noticed her expression but didn't say anything, merely smiling slightly and looking ahead.

He certainly understood this proud girl's desire to prove herself. But that's how the world was; nobody wanted to lose, himself included.

Although Lin Mo wasn't the type to care much about empty fame, he also couldn't just hand over a championship within easy reach.

When the time came, they would each rely on their own abilities.

....

The battle itself didn't take long. However, because they met these students and decided to return to the academy with them, Lin Mo's carriage couldn't travel at full speed. So, it wasn't until the evening of the second day that they finally arrived at the academy.

Naturally, they encountered some monsters along the way. But Lin Mo didn't want to stop and waste time, so he simply used them to practice Ranger class skills suitable for such situations.

A while ago, he had learned several Ranger class skills and even specially bought a bow. But after all that preparation, he had actually used them very little.

Mainly because his focus back then was on leveling up his Warrior and Mage classes. Thinking about it now, he needed to practice his Ranger class skills as well.

Because class advancement often had requirements regarding the number of class skills. If he didn't have enough Ranger skills, even if his basic Agility attribute met the standard later, he might not be able to advance to the Elite Level, and it might even affect his Class Advancement.

The journey yielded quite a few gains. Since the monsters encountered weren't low-level, the proficiency gained from shooting them was high.

Lin Mo directly leveled [Returning Arrow] to Level 3. [Spiral Arrow], which was already at Level 3 and served as his main skill, was leveled directly to max. Additionally, the state skill [Rapid Shot], though leveling slower, also reached Level 2, not far from Level 3.

"Skill [Returning Arrow] Lv1 (10/10) leveled up!"

.....

"Current skill [Returning Arrow] Lv3 (26/40)"

"Gained +2 basic attribute points in Agility!"

"Skill [Spiral Arrow] Lv3 (40/40) leveled up!"

......

"Current skill [Spiral Arrow] Lv5 (Max)"

"Gained +3 basic attribute points in Agility!"

"Automatically evolved into new skill – Twin Shadow Spiral!"

"Comprehended skill [Twin Shadow Spiral]! Gained +3 basic attribute points in Agility!"

[Twin Shadow Spiral] Lv1(0/10): Fires two consecutive Spiral Arrows, but one is concealed within the arrow's shadow. It can detach from the shadow at any time to strike the enemy.

This skill is quite interesting!

Lin Mo's eyes lit up.

Firing two Spiral Arrows, purely in terms of power, is equivalent to two excellent-grade skills, not exceptionally strong. But it has a rather interesting mechanic.

Hiding an arrow in a shadow—who would normally think of that?

Used at a critical moment, the visible Spiral Arrow on the surface can attract the enemy's attention. When they block it, the other arrow hidden in the shadow suddenly shoots out at close range, undoubtedly catching them off guard!

This batch of skill level-ups and evolutions provided Lin Mo with a total of 8 basic Agility attribute points, also raising both his Ranger and Assassin class levels to Level 9.

"Promotion conditions met. Class Assassin (lv8) promoted – Current class Assassin (lv9)"

"Gained class attribute enhancement: Strength +3, Agility +5, Constitution +2!"

"Promotion conditions met. Class Ranger (lv8) promoted – Current class Ranger (lv9)"

"Gained class attribute enhancement: Strength +3, Agility +6, Constitution +1!"

The attributes provided by the two classes still had slight differences, though overall they were roughly similar.

The sky gradually darkened, and the outline of the Royal Capital appeared ahead.

This wasn't Lin Mo's first time in the Royal Capital. Unlike last time, there was no need to find accommodation now. He could just go directly to the academy with Eve and the others.

On the way back, Eve had already communicated with the academy. So when they arrived at the Royal National Academy, Flora was already there, waiting. She waved at Lin Mo.

"We'll head off now, Teacher Flora."

Eve and the others waved goodbye to Flora. Having just returned from their expedition, they needed to go back to their respective dormitories to rest.

Flora then led Lin Mo to the faculty dormitory area.

"Since the enrollment procedures haven't been completed yet, you'll temporarily stay at my place for now."

Flora said, stopping in front of a rather luxurious standalone villa.

Wow, this thing is a dormitory?

Lin Mo looked at the villa, comparable to a noble's mansion, and was somewhat taken aback.

One could only say, truly befitting one of the Kingdom's top "civil servants," the treatment for a Royal National Academy instructor was truly excellent.

The entire faculty dormitory area was quite large. Everywhere he looked were villas similar to Flora's. Calling them dorms was an understatement; they were essentially free "houses" provided to academy instructors. Many instructors even moved their families in to live with them.

Besides the excellent living environment, meals were delivered specifically morning and evening.

Those responsible for delivering meals were mostly students from less affluent backgrounds within the academy, providing them with a chance to earn money.

The Royal National Academy valued talent above all. As long as one had sufficient talent, they could study there, even with reduced or completely waived tuition. But for many students, while their talent was good, it wasn't high enough to warrant a complete tuition waiver—they only received varying degrees of reduction. Thus, they needed various ways to earn their tuition.

Lower-year students typically took on jobs like meal delivery—the work itself wasn't heavy, and the academy paid quite well. Upper-year or more capable students would choose to become adventurers and take on tasks outside.

Of course, there were also those overachievers who did both.

"By the way, what's the environment like in the student dormitories?"

Lin Mo asked curiously.

"Also pretty good... though definitely not as good as the faculty side."

Flora's answer wasn't surprising. That was a given.

And if they all enrolled, they would likely be assigned to different dormitories based on their respective colleges.

Lin Mo stroked his chin. That would be quite inconvenient.

"Then... are there any vacant 'dorms' on the faculty side?"

Flora was momentarily taken aback, then understood his meaning and smiled. "Normally, it would be hard to arrange. But for you, if I mention it to Teacher Elvish, we should be able to get one approved."

As the saying goes, while the academy has its own rules, talent and strength can sometimes supersede them.

A genius like Flora, after revealing her talents and becoming Elvish's student, enjoyed various "privileges." That went doubly for Lin Mo.

This was a "big treasure" they had managed to lure back with great difficulty. Such a simple condition naturally had to be fulfilled to the best of their ability.

"Then thank you, Miss Flora."

Flora curled her lip: "Why be so formal with me? Besides... being able to receive such preferential treatment relies on your own capabilities."

Although they hadn't known each other long, in Flora's own view, her relationship with Lin Mo was already quite familiar.

Entering Flora's villa, she pointed to the first room on the second floor: "That's my room. Other than that, you can choose any room freely. Students come daily to clean, so the rooms should be spotless."

Lin Mo nodded. After discussing with everyone, they ultimately chose rooms on the third floor.

That's right, the villas the academy allocated to instructors had three full floors.

Besides the first floor having a huge living room, the second and third floors each had several rooms, enough to house over a dozen people without issue.

It's said some instructors' villas were indeed nearly full.

After all, Royal National Academy instructors held quite high social status, and some instructors were rather... amorous...

In short, as long as there weren't any strange relationships with students, the academy generally didn't interfere.

"Rest for the night first. Tomorrow, I'll take you to register for enrollment."

Flora glanced at the time. "I just had someone send over a late-night snack; it should arrive soon..."