novelraw Chapter 291: Didn’t Sister Xie Feiliya say sneaking food was wrong?
Chapter 291: Didn’t Sister Xie Feiliya say sneaking food was wrong?
"Promotion conditions met. Profession: Assassin (lv9) promoted to current profession: Assassin (lv10)."
"Gained profession attribute enhancement: Strength +3, Constitution +2, Agility +7!"
"Promotion conditions met. Profession: Ranger (lv9) promoted to current profession: Ranger (lv10)."
"Gained profession attribute enhancement: Strength +2, Constitution +2, Agility +7, Spirit +1!"
The upgrades of the two professions brought a fairly decent improvement. However, Lin Mo checked the number of skills for his Assassin and Ranger professions; both were less than 10. This meant that to continue leveling up and promote these two professions to the Elite Level, he would need to learn a few more skills.
But he would consider these matters later.
Right now, the priority was to obtain the Paladin profession first.
The proficiency progress for the [Attribute Increase] skill had reached Lv5 (103/180). Only 77 more proficiency points remained until its evolution was complete.
Almost there.
Another day was about to end, and this Hunting Competition had already passed the halfway point. If the results from less than a day ago couldn't be taken as a complete reference, then now, with half the time elapsed, the situation on the scoreboard could very clearly indicate the level of these participating contestants.
Because he had been persistently chased and the point gap kept shrinking over the past few days, Lin Mo, who was ranked first, consequently faced a lot of skepticism. Many people speculated that he had gone all out at the very beginning of the competition, rapidly piling up points, which also led to severe exhaustion, resulting in a lack of stamina later.
To put it bluntly, this was seen as using a method of overdrawing one's own potential to gain a brief moment of glory at the start, viewed as a behavior of seeking attention through sensationalism.
The evaluation of him gradually declined from the initial awe, to the point where there were doubts about whether he could even make it into the top 5 by the end.
Many even believed that it wouldn't take until the final two-day sprint phase; by around the seventh day, people would start surpassing his score one after another, trampling him underfoot.
Not only did ordinary spectators and contestants think this way, but even the representatives sent by the academies of the major kingdoms shared this view.
Only Elvish, who knew Lin Mo's true capabilities inside out, scoffed at such talk and even felt a bit like laughing.
Although he wasn't clear why Lin Mo's point growth had slowed down, it was probably because he had something he wanted to do on his own.
But if he wanted to catch up, with his strength, he could do so anytime.
Of course, Elvish didn't voice these thoughts. There was no need; the final results would prove everything.
Right now, he was arguably in the best mood among all the academy representatives.
Students from the Doria Kingdom occupied the top two positions in the competition, an outcome no one had anticipated before the event.
The faces of the representatives from the other academies were somewhat grim.
Aside from joining the fun, their reason for participating in this Hunting Competition was more or less to step on the Doria Kingdom and even other principal kingdoms, proving the strength of the younger generation of their own kingdoms.
This method could also enhance their kingdom's influence and boost the confidence of people throughout their kingdom.
But the current results undoubtedly dealt them a harsh slap in the face.
Leaving aside that first-place attention-seeker who was supposedly overdrawing his potential, the points of the second-place Eve were genuinely growing steadily.
This famously renowned sword genius seemed to be much stronger than they had imagined.
With that level of strength, even in the Lonia Kingdom, she would have a chance to rank in the top seven!
Even if the top two from there came, it would probably be hard for them to win against her steadily.
The representative from the Lonia Kingdom deeply remembered this name; she was an opponent to be wary of in the upcoming Academy Grand Competition.
"According to the previous pattern, by tomorrow evening, Eve should be able to surpass that first place, right?"
Beside him, the representative from the Lisad Kingdom said with a smile.
Their kingdom's current results were a bit poor, so they could only find a sense of presence by poking fun at the first place whom everyone looked down upon, comforting themselves a little.
"Indeed, judging by the speed of the past few days, if nothing unexpected happens, probably tomorrow afternoon or evening, or at the very latest, the morning of the day after tomorrow, the first place position should change hands."
The representative from the Donis Kingdom, looking at his academy's contestant holding the third place, spoke in a tone that was hardly cheerful.
After all, the point gap between second and third place was also widening at a relatively noticeable pace.
They had specifically sent one of the top talents from within the kingdom, never expecting they couldn't even win this Hunting Competition...
"The happiest one right now should be Elvish... After all, even if first and second place swap, for him it's just shifting from his left hand to his right; they're both people from his academy."
The representative from the Lonia Kingdom was still the most relaxed. So what if Eve's strength far exceeded expectations?
Talents from small kingdoms, no matter how high their innate talent, the resources they could obtain were ultimately limited.
As a large kingdom, not to mention that the Lonia Kingdom's top talents were no worse than this Eve, there was a huge gap in the resources the kingdom could provide alone.
After a Professional's level reaches a certain point, if they want to improve further, it's impossible to rely solely on learning and practicing skills.
They inevitably have to use some other methods. For example, physical-type professions regularly consume expensive, high-level monster meat; magic-type professions meditate in magic arrays constructed with large amounts of magic crystals, where mana is extremely dense; and various natural treasures effective for both types of professions, and so on.
The Lonia Kingdom was vast in territory and rich in resources, financially affluent. In these aspects, it was something a small kingdom like the Doria Kingdom could never compare to.
He admitted that Eve indeed had high talent, but being born in the Doria Kingdom doomed her ceiling to be capped.
It was actually a bit of a pity... Later, he could find an opportunity to ask; perhaps he could get her to join the Lonia Kingdom.
"You... you all, look at the rankings!"
Just as he was thinking about these things, the representative from the Lisad Kingdom suddenly exclaimed loudly, his face full of shock.
"What? What is it?"
Several old men immediately turned their attention to the scoreboard, but for a moment, they didn't spot anything unusual.
"It seems the ranking on the board hasn't changed..."
The representative from the Donis Kingdom curled his lip. He had thought their kingdom's contestant had suddenly killed a high-level monster and overtaken second place. But upon looking, the ranking was still third; instead, the point gap had widened even further.
The representative from the Lonia Kingdom, after confirming his own kingdom's contestant's results, immediately looked at the second-place position, thinking Eve had successfully surpassed the original first place and claimed the top spot.
But that wasn't it either.
"It's not a ranking change... it's that Lin Mo, look at his points!"
Only then did everyone shift their gaze to the first place, to the point number behind it, and then they all revealed shocked expressions.
"That..."
"How could this be?"
"Ah?!"
For a moment, exclamations of surprise rose one after another.
Elvish looked at Lin Mo's sudden increase of nearly twenty thousand points and smiled, unsurprised.
He knew this kid would eventually bring him a surprise.
At this moment, the scores on the ranking board had become:
First Place: Lin Mo — 93488
Second Place: Eve — 75020
Third Place: ...
Not long ago, Lin Mo's points were only a little over seventy-six thousand, just a thousand or so points higher than Eve's. But now, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, he was nearly twenty thousand points ahead!
How long would it take to catch up to that?
The scene fell into a prolonged silence. The previous skeptical words about Lin Mo now seemed particularly laughable.
"So that's it. It's a strategy of focusing the vast majority of effort on high-level monsters?"
The one who remained relatively calm was the representative from the Lonia Kingdom.
"This increase in points looks like he should have killed a very powerful Level 10 monster... a truly astonishing performance."
The same thing, if it could only be done once and came at the cost of overdrawing one's future potential, would be called seeking attention through sensationalism. But if it could be done a second time, or even a third time, that was different.
That would become a strategy, a very distinct personality trait.
This was indispensable for a genius.
Every genius was somewhat different from ordinary people to some extent. It was precisely because they were different from ordinary people that they were called geniuses.
Eccentric personalities or peculiar hobbies were basically standard for those who were truly geniuses.
"Good, very good..."
Enjoying challenging oneself and challenging powerful enemies was a very commendable personality trait.
The representative from the Lonia Kingdom was quite satisfied with this. It seemed there was one more talent worth recruiting.
"Even so, it doesn't necessarily prove he has the ability to do it again... and don't forget, on the final two days of the competition, other contestants will also choose similar paths for a final sprint."
Although he said this, compared to before, the skepticism and sarcasm in the words of the Lisad Kingdom's representative had noticeably diminished.
Even if his score stopped here, it would probably be enough to easily enter the top ten. Killing a few more monsters later to break into the top five wouldn't be a problem at all.
Their kingdom's contestants might not even have scores as high as his. Thus, he naturally lost the footing to criticize the other.
Elvish still just smiled without speaking, maintaining an "expert" demeanor. This sense of showing off by saying nothing yet implying everything made the representatives from the other kingdoms very uncomfortable.
But they didn't know how to pick a fight, precisely because he really hadn't said anything. They all felt stifled and uncomfortable, soon parting unhappily to rest separately.
At this time, within the camp in the Silent Forest, Sherfilia was holding a "meeting," discussing the gains from the previous battle with Ellie and Finnie. Both the good and bad points were brought up, analyzed, and summarized, in a very professional manner.
Ellie was silently roasting meat to the side, giving off the vibe of a good student watching the teacher scold a poor student.
Sherfilia was very strict in this regard.
Back when she was helping Lin Mo train, she also always kept a stern face (although she seemed to be like that all the time anyway). Her serious gaze made one unconsciously become serious as well. Even though she had usually turned into a cold-on-the-outside, warm-on-the-inside, obedient little maid in daily life, only during training did she seem to revert to how she was before they knew each other, like an ice block.
Now it was finally Ellie and the others' turn to "enjoy" it.
Of course, Sherfilia indeed had the qualifications to serve as the temporary teacher within the team. Having received rigorous training since childhood, whether in basic skills or combat experience, she was undoubtedly stronger than the others in the team.
This summary meeting lasted a full half hour.
It wasn't until Lin Mo reminded them to eat that Sherfilia ended the meeting.
Ellie and Finnie didn't complain either. Ellie was eager to become stronger and naturally welcomed any advice that could make her stronger. As for Finnie... she had been accustomed to Sherfilia's various strict demands on her since childhood.
Although nominally Finnie was the mistress and Sherfilia the maid, in reality, their interactions often bore the shadow of sisters.
In many situations, Sherfilia was actually the strict, disciplining older sister.
Finnie's address for her had always been "Sister Sherfilia."
During the meal, Lin Mo took a moment to glance at the scoreboard. This leading margin looked much more pleasing now; there was no need to worry about being caught up in the short term.
......
The night remained quiet as ever.
Autumn nights didn't have as much noisy insect chirping, seeming much quieter than summer.
From time to time, a bird would skim across the horizon, bringing with it two or three sporadic calls.
Sherfilia leaned against the side of the tent, quietly watching the campfire before her.
For a period before, whenever they could stay in the carriage, they would choose to sleep in that luxurious carriage. But in the Silent Forest, such conditions obviously didn't exist; carriages were very inconvenient in the forest.
A rustling sound came from the tent beside her. Finnie quietly poked her head out and cautiously asked, "Sister Sherfilia, are we really going to do this?"
Sherfilia turned her head to look at her, her expression calm as she nodded, giving her an encouraging look.
"But... isn't this a bit wrong?"
Finnie was still somewhat hesitant. "Didn't Sister Sherfilia always tell me before that sneaking food is wrong?"
Sherfilia fell into silence, seemingly pondering how to argue against this.
Finally, she found a reason. "This isn't sneaking food."
"It isn't?"
"If the other party doesn't know, then it's sneaking food..."
It seemed like they were taking advantage of him being asleep...
But the reality?
Actually, everyone understood without saying it.
How could he really be sleeping that soundly?
Finnie blinked her eyes, finally grasping the meaning beyond those words, and her face immediately turned several shades redder.
It wasn't until Ellie walked out of the tent, pretending to be utterly nonchalant as she headed towards Lin Mo's tent... that Finnie suddenly grew anxious. She hurriedly rushed a step ahead of her and dove inside.
....
Ellie stared blankly at her disappearing back, then looked at Sherfilia beside her, somewhat dissatisfied as she pouted.
Great, now she'd have to wait in line for another day.
Shaking her head helplessly, she went back to sleep.
She still had to get up later to take her turn keeping watch...