Chapter 493 - 240: Skill Level +300
Chapter 493: Chapter 240: Skill Level +300
The Rotting Swamp Lurker actually possessed a self-healing ability, constantly and slowly mending the wounds Lin Mo inflicted.
But Lin Mo’s rate of attack was simply too high. The creature’s healing speed obviously couldn’t keep up with the rate at which he dealt damage.
SWISH—SWISH—!
The whistle of Sword Qi slicing through the air was incessant, and with every strike, the wound grew deeper and wider.
Finally, an exceptionally massive stream of Sword Qi shot forth. At the same instant, a sharp glint flashed in Lin Mo’s eyes as he charged in right behind it.
Every previous blast of Sword Qi that had landed would add extra power to this final one. Besides, against a Demon of this colossal size, Lin Mo couldn’t imagine how he could possibly miss.
The final blow, fully charged with power, plunged into the Rotting Swamp Lurker’s body with overwhelming force.
Lin Mo himself followed close behind, entering the Demon’s body!
’Almost there!’
Lin Mo estimated the distance. The moment the Sword Qi exhausted its energy, a brilliant light flared in his hand.
Abundant Magic Power surged into his palm, and the blinding light rendered the Rotting Swamp Lurker’s pitch-black body almost "transparent."
"Found it!"
Enhanced by [Eagle Eye], Lin Mo precisely locked onto the core’s location.
[Meteor Sting]!
The next moment, a swift thrust carrying immense Qi Force shot toward the core.
The Rotting Swamp Lurker sensed this and had no choice but to continue shifting its core away from the attack.
"Now!"
At the same time, the black-robed man, who had already positioned himself on that side, suddenly sprang into action. His body shot forward like a cannonball. Potent Qi and Blood enveloped his dagger, allowing him to slice through the Demon’s flesh as easily as tofu, burrowing deep inside.
"HAAAH!"
Meanwhile, Deke, who had also been Gathering Strength, leaped high into the air. He followed right behind the black-robed man, plunging into the gash he had created.
The moment the black-robed Assassin’s skill lost its momentum, Deke’s sword arrived, landing precisely on the faintly visible core.
Sword Qi ripped through the Rot Devourer’s body. At the same instant, another [Meteor Sting] from Lin Mo arrived.
SCHLICK—!
With that tearing sound, the Rot Devourer’s body was instantly sliced into several pieces.
The next moment, the Rotting Swamp Lurker’s massive body began to tremble violently...
Its black form writhed and twisted, as if being torn apart by some monstrous force.
Finally, with a thunderous BOOM— the massive body exploded, and a deluge of black mud rained down like a waterfall, covering everything.
Phew—!
A good ten seconds passed before Lin Mo finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Fortunately, his [Frost Guardian] had blocked the deluge, so none of the black mud touched him.
But the other two were not so lucky.
Deke struggled to pull himself out of the black muck, completely coated and looking utterly wretched.
The other black-robed Assassin hadn’t fared much better. He had tried to retreat at the first opportunity but failed to escape the downpour and was drenched from head to toe.
Lin Mo raised his hand and cast Clear Stream Technique twice, washing the black mud off them.
The scene before them was a complete mess. After the massive monster disintegrated, a huge volume of black mud had transformed the surrounding area into a "swamp" nearly deep enough to swallow a man.
A swamp of this depth was manageable, but its area had expanded significantly. Dealing with it would likely take a great deal of effort.
The carriages had been tossed about, but thankfully, the thick mud cushioned their fall. They were sturdily built, so while they sustained considerable damage, they hadn’t completely fallen apart.
The horses were even less of a concern. While they weren’t Gale Horses, they were a type of demonic beast, not ordinary steeds. A fall from that height was nothing to them.
It was just that getting everything back in order would probably take a very long time.
And right now, they were still in a very dangerous area, after all.
Lin Mo kept a wary eye on his surroundings while also watching the black-robed Assassin.
’The caravan’s secret is out. Transporting the young man hidden in the middle carriage to the Royal Capital is most likely the true objective of this mission.’
’I don’t know why he has to be kept hidden, but now that the cat’s out of the bag, I have to be wary of them trying something.’
’Besides, even if they don’t try anything and we reach the Royal Capital... it’s still trouble. And if I have to kill this Assassin, that’s also trouble.’
’Either way, the powers behind the Jade Commerce Association won’t let any of us go.’
Lin Mo shook his head with a sense of resignation. In the past, this would have been a major headache, but now, he was surprisingly used to it.
What was that old saying? ’When you have too many lice, you stop feeling the itch.’
’The Jade Commerce Association has deep ties to the Morin Clan. I’m already on bad terms with the Morin Clan, so what’s one more incident?’
’For now, I should just focus on the mission and get my reward...’
It took a full hour. With Lin Mo using his Magic and the other Adventurers lending their strength, they finally managed to drag all the horses and carriages out of the muck.
Lin Mo used Clear Stream Technique to clean the carriages, the Adventurers, and the caravan members. He gave everyone a rinse, farming a good amount of Skill Level in the process.
[Clear Stream Technique] Skill Level +1
[Clear Stream Technique] Skill Level +1
...
This was an Excellent Level skill, currently at Level 4 and not far from Level 5. However, it was still a long way from the Full Level of 6, so he didn’t have to worry about it leveling up and affecting his Magic Power.
A quick inventory check revealed that three carriages were destroyed, and some of the cargo had been lost.
Two of the draft horses had also suffocated, but overall, the impact wasn’t critical. They managed to redistribute the cargo among the remaining carriages—it was a tight fit, but it worked. Each carriage was originally pulled by two horses, but one was sufficient, though it would slow them down.
Once everything was in order, the group hastily set off again.
They needed to leave this area as soon as possible...
Lin Mo sat on a carriage, examining the black orb in his hand.
It wasn’t large, about half the size of his palm, and it had a semi-translucent quality.
This was the core of the Rotting Swamp Lurker—the very heart of it, which he had extracted from the Rot Devourer’s body.
The loot, in other words.
Now that his Spiritual Attribute had grown, Lin Mo’s Identification Ability could appraise materials like this, allowing him to see its information directly.
[Black Mud Radiance]: The Energy Core of the Rotting Swamp Lurker. It contains potent energy and can be used to create an Earth Element Magic Stone or as Alchemy Materials.
’An Earth Element Magic Stone... To be honest, I don’t really need one. At least for now, it’s not a cost-effective option for me.’
’Still, this thing should be worth a lot of money. I can sell it later for some extra income from the mission.’
He also had the Skill Level reward from killing that behemoth, which he hadn’t had a chance to check yet.
[Meteor Sting] Skill Level +120 (+180)
’Holy shit!’
Lin Mo was stunned.
Based on the Skill Level patterns he’d figured out, this giant monster was no simple beast. It had to have been Level 14.
That meant the base Skill Level reward was 120 points. And since he’d killed something 4 levels higher than himself, he received an additional 150% bonus.
That added up to a grand total of 300 Skill Level points!
As a result, his Meteor Sting skill leveled up again.
"Skill [Meteor Sting] Level 5 (180/180) has leveled up!"
"Current Skill: [Meteor Sting] Level 6 (166/300)"
’Less than half a level to go, and this Excellent Level skill would evolve!’
Despite being a newer skill, its progress was much faster than Blood Qi Blade.
After all, the skill was incredibly useful. It was fast, powerful, could be used without a sword, and most importantly, it looked cool.
Besides this one, some of his status and BUFF-type skills also saw a modest increase in their Skill Levels.
Lin Mo sat at the front of his carriage, keeping a constant eye on the rest of the caravan.
Since his cover was blown, the Assassin dropped the pretense. He now sat openly on the roof of a carriage, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
’We haven’t left the danger zone yet, so he probably won’t try anything.’
’But once we do... it’s anyone’s guess...’
Of course, an Elite Level Assassin was certainly a threat, but Lin Mo wasn’t the least bit afraid of him.
He had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, many that he had yet to reveal.
As if sensing his gaze, the black-robed Assassin turned his head. His eyes met Lin Mo’s for a moment before he quickly looked away.
In truth, the Assassin was also deeply conflicted.
He knew full well that his chances of success against Lin Mo were slim, but...