novelraw Chapter 293: Lin Mo, the Target
Chapter 293: Lin Mo, the Target
"The smell of decay?"
Lin Mo was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what Ellie was referring to.
"You mean... undead creatures?"
Ellie nodded, a sheen of cold sweat on her forehead. "The smell is getting clearer... and there seem to be a lot of them..."
Undead creatures were actually present in the Silent Forest?
Lin Mo furrowed his brow tightly. First, there were monsters that shouldn't have appeared, and now undead creatures were added to the mix. The situation seemed to be growing increasingly complex.
Earlier, Ellie said there were many undead creatures. This meant it was most likely not a mere coincidence but a deliberate act by a necromancer.
A necromancer was currently active within this forest!
As for the opponent's goal... it wasn't hard to guess.
Clearly, they were targeting this Hunting Competition, or rather, targeting the participants of the Hunting Competition. They intended to drive the undead creatures to attack the participants, turning these geniuses into undead under their command!
If successful, given the talent and quality of these geniuses, what they would undoubtedly obtain was a formidable army of elite undead with strong growth potential!
He needed to get this message out immediately.
Thinking this, Lin Mo immediately mobilized his Qi and Blood and pressed the hidden button on his wristband, calling for the nearby supervisors.
However... there was no response at all.
What was going on?
Lin Mo frowned and tried pressing the button again using his Qi and Blood, but it still didn't work.
This bizarre situation only heightened the unease in his heart. No longer dwelling on it, Lin Mo grabbed Ellie and the others, wanting to quickly distance themselves from this area.
It was also at this moment that a layer of black mist appeared on the distant horizon, obscuring the cloud layer and spreading towards them at an extremely fast pace. It looked like an ordinary cloudy day... but as the black clouds drew closer, that nauseating aura assaulted their senses.
Perhaps this was the reason the wristband couldn't transmit information.
A magic array?
Lin Mo thought of this possibility. It was very likely a magic array prepared in advance by some necromancer, blocking the mana signal emitted by the wristbands.
People who approached or entered the range couldn't send messages out, while those far away couldn't sense the aura of undead creatures, only thinking it was a cloudy, rainy day here...
The Silent Forest was too vast. With messages unable to be transmitted, it would be difficult for the academy higher-ups to learn of the situation in a short time.
This gave the opponent ample time.
Clearly, this necromancer was very well-prepared.
The black mist on the dome continued to expand, devouring the surrounding areas.
Lin Mo gritted his teeth, his expression grave.
Such a large-scale magic array was most likely the work of a Transcendent Level expert, and it was probably set up long ago.
He didn't know if they could leave smoothly...
They didn't stop running. Lin Mo held one person with each hand, with the petite Sherfilia clinging to his back, moving away at the fastest speed possible.
But his speed still couldn't match the spread of the black mist. Soon, the sky above their heads darkened.
That eerie aura lowered the surrounding temperature by several degrees.
Lin Mo continued running. After about twenty minutes, he stopped.
Good news: the "black mist" seemed to have stopped spreading.
Bad news: there was an invisible barrier at the edge of the "black mist," blocking the path forward.
Lin Mo circulated his mana and Qi and Blood, directly unleashing a move: [Blazing Moon Sky Charge]. The powerful flaming sword energy struck the invisible barrier, causing ripples to spread across it.
Sure enough, he couldn't break through the magic array before him.
After all, this was most likely the handiwork of a Transcendent Level expert, intending to trap them in this way.
Given Lin Mo's strength, even if he exhausted all his mana and Qi and Blood, he probably couldn't even crack a seam in this barrier.
But...
Lin Mo's gaze sharpened, mana surging within his body.
[Flash]!
The next moment, he appeared on the other side of the barrier with everyone.
Sorry, space magic wasn't restricted.
Lin Mo didn't pause, seizing the time to leave this place.
After putting more than ten kilometers between themselves and that black mist, and no longer sensing that chilling aura, Lin Mo pressed the button on his wristband again.
Confirming that the distant black mist showed no signs of spreading over, he waited in place for a moment. Suddenly, a figure appeared before him. "What's the matter... Huh? It's you?"
Lin Mo looked at the newcomer and was also taken aback. The visitor was a mentor from the Royal National Academy's Warrior Academy, one of the people he had had a "friendly exchange" with some time ago.
Lin Mo quickly informed him about the matters concerning the "black mist" and "undead creatures." The mentor's face immediately showed horror, clearly realizing the severity of the situation.
"I understand the situation. With this state of affairs, the competition can no longer proceed normally... I'll relay the message to the City Lord's side now. You come with me and leave."
He quickly sent the message and, after confirming it was received on the other end, let out a sigh of relief. "This way, the City Lord of Fargard City and Vice President Elvish should soon come to support. With so many Transcendent Level experts present, those undead creatures won't be able to cause much trouble."
"Mm."
Lin Mo nodded. If it were only Elvish and the City Lord of Fargard City facing this situation, one might worry about whether they could resolve it well. But now, besides them, there were also representatives from several other kingdoms. These were also Transcendent Level experts, with very formidable strength.
Did the necromancer hiding behind the scenes not know this, or did he simply not think anyone could escape from the barrier he set up and pass the message along?
Regardless, it was best to leave this dangerous place, the Silent Forest, first.
However, not long after we set off on the road, that familiar aura, clinging like maggots to bone, caught up with us again.
A figure clad in a black robe, wearing a black hat on his head, suddenly appeared before us.
He adjusted the hat on his head. His arm, as dry and withered as a corpse, looked extremely pale. "We meet again... or rather, for you, this might be our first meeting."
From under the brim of his hat, his sharp gaze fixed directly on Lin Mo before him.
"A necromancer?"
The mentor beside him immediately recognized the other's identity. "Filthy creature, you shouldn't be here!"
"I apologize for such a sudden intrusion... but please understand, no artist would pass up the opportunity to create a perfect work of art."
He bent at the waist, bowing in salute. "Then, allow me to sincerely and wholeheartedly invite Mr. Lin Mo to join us. You possess the qualifications to become a 'Lord.' Join us, become the masterpiece of my great teacher—Richi the Sixteenth—a pinnacle work capable of overturning this world!"
Lin Mo narrowed his eyes. It seemed there was some discrepancy from what he had guessed. The other's true target wasn't the geniuses of the kingdoms, but him? Or rather, the primary target was him.
To some extent, one had to praise their discernment.
Richi the Sixteenth?
That name sounded somewhat familiar.
Lin Mo quickly remembered when he was still in Silverstream City, the first time he encountered undead creatures.
After returning to the city, the bishop of the Holy Light Church—Grandfather Fletcher—had once mentioned that undead cataclysm that had nearly overturned the entire continent.
And the necromancer who triggered that disaster was named "Rod Rich."
Was this so-called Richi the Sixteenth perhaps his descendant?
Lin Mo's expression remained calm. He looked at the emaciated necromancer opposite him and inquired, "Who are you?"
"Me?"
Cress smiled. "My name is Cress. As I just said, someone who has seen you many times already."
"I see... So the undead outbreak in Silverstream City back then was also your doing, right?"
Lin Mo remembered clearly. At that time, their main focus was on dealing with the goblin army and the Lawrence Family, with no spare time to search for the necromancer hiding in the shadows.
Now it seemed the mastermind had actively jumped out to show his face.
"Brilliant analysis."
Cress did not deny it. "It was precisely during that incident that I recognized your potential... and recommended you to my teacher. If you have no objections, please come with me to receive that supreme honor!"
His words were forceful and resounding, as if he truly believed this was a glorious matter.
"To be honest, I can understand your feelings..."
Lin Mo said with a light laugh. "After all, having turned into this half-human, half-ghost appearance, you are indeed cut off from experiencing the beautiful aspects of this world. Just like maggots in a sewer naturally think feces are the most wonderful food in the world, so you also consider becoming this ugly appearance as something lofty."
"However, I'm sorry. I don't have that strange pica."
The moment his words fell, a sword energy instantly took shape, swiftly slashing towards the necromancer before him.
Cress's expression stiffened for an instant. The next moment, he raised his hand. A wall forged from white bone rose from the ground, appearing before him.
The scorching sword energy landed on the bone wall. The searing temperature, carrying powerful Qi and Blood, left cracks on the white bone.
The severed bone seemed to still be alive, emitting hair-raising wails of agony.
"What a pity... I had thought a genius like you could understand our noble cause."
As his words fell, several undead creatures clad in armor and holding swords suddenly emerged from the soil around them.
"These are my senior brother's works. Let them keep you company for now. Well then, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave here... I look forward to the next time we meet, when you can understand my well-intentioned efforts."
After saying this, Cress pressed down on his hat brim, and his figure slowly "sank" into the ground, disappearing.
Meanwhile, those several undead creatures swung their swords and attacked.
The Warrior Academy mentor beside him raised his hand to block a sword strike, his expression immediately changing. "So strong!"
The strength of these armored ones was almost not inferior to his own!
Lin Mo's pupils contracted, also somewhat surprised.
The academy mentors were very strong. Purely in terms of the Strength attribute, he currently wasn't stronger than this mentor either.
The strength of these skeletons had reached Level 15 or above, perhaps even higher...
After all, this mentor's level was Level 16!
Against one such monster, he could handle it. With two, he could manage with the mentor's help. But right now, there were a full six of them...
A direct confrontation would probably be troublesome.
Lin Mo used one [Flash] to dodge the pincer attack of several, then quickly formed his fingers into a sword gesture, unleashing a [Furious Thunder Piercing Kill] on one of the skeleton monsters.
However, this was a hasty move without time to build power. Coupled with the level difference, even though the magic sword skill was powerful, it only pierced through the hard armor, leaving a pitch-black hole in its chest, failing to completely penetrate it.
This level of damage was clearly not enough to be fatal for an undead creature, and moreover...
At a visible pace, the hole in that monster's chest was slowly repairing itself.
They also had rapid recovery abilities?
Although its aura had clearly weakened somewhat, this still meant killing such monsters wasn't that easy.
Ellie and the others behind him were also helping, but if even Lin Mo found it difficult to damage them, let alone them.
The academy mentor, fighting one-on-one, helped Lin Mo hold off one, already locked in battle. Although he held the advantage, it was clearly difficult to achieve victory in a short time.
Several more pressed the attack. Their Agility attribute wasn't low either. Although Lin Mo still held some advantage, fighting multiple opponents, this slight speed advantage only kept him from being too disgraced.
He still had to rely on the support of the [Flash] skill to avoid being hit.
Even if Lin Mo's strength far exceeded his actual level of 12, enough to match or even kill Level 15 monsters, and he could even fight Level 16 monsters, if there were only one such monster before him, Lin Mo could likely kill it without much difficulty.
But right now, he was being besieged by five Level 16 monsters. Lin Mo also found it hard to handle.
The incessant attacks left him scrambling to dodge, making it difficult to organize an effective offense.
Continuing to fight like this was clearly disadvantageous for him.
After all, he had been fighting in the forest for the past few days. Although the consumption wasn't huge, his condition had somewhat declined.
He could only retreat for now and seek revenge later...
Lin Mo thought calmly.
He noticed that the monsters' target was very obvious—him alone. Even when attacked by Ellie and the others, they wouldn't switch targets.
The one held off by the academy mentor also kept trying to join the encirclement against him.
Therefore, he immediately spoke up. "Mentor Siriduo, take them and leave first! I have a way to escape."
Siriduo was stunned for a moment, using his sword to block an attack. "Are you sure? If we hold on a little longer, maybe support will..."
"Hurry up."
Lin Mo didn't answer, just continued urging.
"Alright!"
Siriduo gritted his teeth and quickly withdrew. The monster indeed didn't pursue him but came for Lin Mo instead.
Lin Mo's pressure suddenly increased drastically, forcing him to frequently use [Flash] to dodge.
"Mr. Lin Mo..."
Finnie bit her lip, her face full of worry as she looked at him.
"Don't worry, it's fine."
Lin Mo said in a relaxed tone.
Sherfilia was the most decisive at times like this. Without any fuss, she directly pulled Finnie and Ellie away.
After confirming they were far away, Lin Mo finally let out a sigh of relief. The continuous spellcasting had drained his mana very quickly.
In such high-intensity combat, there was no room for the slightest mistake!
He flashed again to dodge a monster's attack, then activated [Vanish], entering a stealth state.
The monsters fell into confusion, though it was brief. Soon, they locked onto Lin Mo's position again.
After all, these creatures themselves had no eyes and didn't rely on sight to detect enemies.
But, that was already enough...
The sunlight shone down from above. Lin Mo looked at his vanished shadow and smiled slightly.
The moment he activated [Vanish] just now, he had simultaneously used the [Shadow Split] skill, summoning a shadow clone. Because of the [Vanish] skill, the shadow clone also entered stealth with him.
Most importantly... a shadow wouldn't have an aura.
Several minutes later, the instant before the [Shadow Split] skill was about to end, Lin Mo used the swap function.
The next moment, the shadow that appeared in the original location directly exploded with a bang.
And Lin Mo appeared at the location where the shadow clone had just been.
But this was only a temporary escape from danger.
Those guys seemed to have already locked onto his aura... That's why, after he left the range of the magic array, Cress quickly came to find him. This clearly indicated they knew his location.
If that was truly the case, they would catch up sooner or later.
This was also why Lin Mo had Mentor Siriduo take Ellie and the others away first.
So, how should he resolve this trouble?
The exit of the Silent Forest was too far from here. Leaving would take too long; he couldn't maintain such high-speed movement for that duration... Moreover, he couldn't ensure he wouldn't encounter other dangers along the way.
That necromancer likely had other means prepared...
Also, although Mentor Siriduo said he had relayed the message back, Lin Mo felt that things wouldn't be that simple.
The necromancer had made so many preparations in the Silent Forest, the venue of the Hunting Competition. As the organizer of the competition, wouldn't the City Lord of Fargard City have noticed anything at all?
Shouldn't surveying the situation in the Silent Forest area be part of his duties?
Especially during autumn, the most unstable period...
Worst-case scenario, Elvish and the others probably still didn't know about the situation here.
In any case, before those Transcendent Level reinforcements arrived, he needed to find a place to hide for a while...