Chapter 105: A New Mission

Because he hadn’t chosen a mission in advance yesterday, the first thing they had to do today was pick this trip’s assignments.

Unlike before, the Raging Bull Team had undergone a transformation.

First was Lin Mo’s power boost. His abilities were now almost indistinguishable from a Level 2 professional—and possibly stronger than an ordinary Level 2. His magic wasn’t reliably powerful yet, but sometimes it could still produce surprising effects.

Beyond that, Ellie had just been promoted. Now a full professional, her strength was considerable. Even Alden, who’d been a professional for years, was no longer her match. The Ice Wolf Clan bloodline was truly formidable: though Ellie was a warrior, her attacks carried magical traits that both amplified damage and could partially impede an enemy’s actions. Her innate great strength and physique gave her attributes exceeding a typical newly promoted professional—she was at least on par with a 1.3-level professional.

Then there was the newest member who’d joined only yesterday: Finnie.

Finnie’s arrival was another major reason the team’s strength had risen.

She was a professional-level priest!

When Lin Mo had been in Roland Town earlier, he’d received treatment from non-professional priests; the stacked healing had been decent, but those had been rookies who’d only recently learned healing. A professional priest like Finnie was leagues stronger.

Not an exaggeration—having Finnie meant that, so long as she still had mana, it was like carrying unlimited basic healing potions—automatically applied in battle without having to drink them.

That’s the true power of the priest class. Sometimes a strong priest is even more vital than a mage.

But powerful priests are rarer than mages.

Both classes require innate mana talent, but unlike the mana-hungry mage, priests are less expensive to maintain and often have the church as a safety net. Many people with mana talent but no money choose to become priests, so there are plenty of low-tier priests—even in Roland Town.

However, those priests’ healing spells are limited, their mana pools small, and their bodies extremely fragile—unsuitable for field adventuring—so they usually remain stationed at churches, choosing a stable life.

Advancing on the priest path, though, is very difficult.

You need strong affinity with the healing elements—light or water—plus exceptional mana talent and a righteous, pure temperament. Healing magic is harder to train than offensive or defensive spells and advances more slowly; without a devout, kind, and pure heart, progress is inefficient.

Thus, professional-level priests above that rank are several times rarer than mages.

Teams with a professional priest are among the elite squads in nearby cities—such teams usually have at least one senior professional and several members above Level 3.

Those teams take far more dangerous, unpredictable missions. That’s why Finnie’s mother chose to let her join the more ordinary, safer, and more trustworthy Raging Bull Team.

“This way, this way—”

Solan was in a good mood today. Lin Mo and Ellie had just stepped into the guild when he waved at them from afar.

“Why so cheerful today?”

Lin Mo teased as he and Ellie approached.

“Heh heh…”

Solan didn’t say much—just scratched his head and gave a goofy chuckle.

Alden snorted, looking somewhat reluctant.

“That kid went on his first date with Bella yesterday.”

Rick spilled the beans, prompting a burst of laughter.

Finnie sat quietly to one side, wearing a gentle smile, still a bit out of place in the team.

“All right, everyone’s here. Let’s look at the missions…”

Alden put a stack of mission briefs in front of Lin Mo. “We arrived early and glanced through them. These are candidates worth considering.”

Lin Mo picked up a few and saw they were indeed suitable for their team. Alden, seasoned from years of adventuring, still had rich experience in evaluating missions.

“This one seems doable.”

Lin Mo put one mission sheet in the center of the table.

【Clear Goblin Settlement】

Mission No.: E4566

Type: Cleanup

Client: Adventurers' Association

Reward: 18 gold + 3 silver per goblin, additional 1 gold per mutated goblin

Mission Summary:

A small-to-medium goblin settlement (#69) was discovered in Roland Forest. Adventurers are needed to clear it.

Note: Suspected mutated goblins of threat level 1.5+ detected. Accept with caution.

Lin Mo had done a similar mission before—mission No. 63—only a few days ago, and now it was up to No. 69. The goblin problem around Silverstream City was clearly severe.

Compared to the “small” settlement he’d dealt with earlier, this “small-to-medium” settlement had higher difficulty and better rewards, and the mission note warned of the risk.

Alden glanced at it and nodded. “I think this one’s good. Let’s lock it in.”

He took the remaining mission sheets from Lin Mo and picked two more. “These two are not far from that settlement; we could take them together.”

One was a simple E-rank gathering task: collect Hemostatic Herb, an ingredient for basic life potions. Several possible spawn locations were listed; the reward was 1 gold per clump, depending on how many they found.

The other was…

【Hunt the Crimson Flame Tiger】

Mission No.: E2283

Type: Hunt/Material Collection

Client: Lady Shacher

Reward: 60–90 gold

Mission Summary:

Go to the deep woods of Roland Forest and hunt a subadult Crimson Flame Tiger. Collect the tiger’s fangs, claws, and pelt—try to keep the pelt’s torso intact!

Tip: Threat level 2+!

“That one’s a bit high in difficulty…”

Rick frowned deeply.

“Indeed.”

Alden nodded, but didn’t decide, instead looking at Lin Mo.

Clearly, although Alden was the team leader, Lin Mo had become the squad’s core.

Lin Mo fell into thought.

Threat level 2+ meant even a subadult Crimson Flame Tiger had strength above Level 2!

That matched the description in the field guide he’d bought yesterday, The Common Monsters of Roland Forest—Crimson Flame Tigers in the deep woods were near-kingly, with adult tigers almost unmatched in the deep forest.

Before Finnie joined, he wouldn’t have considered such a mission, no matter the payout.

But with Finnie on the team, first, the mission rewards were effectively doubled—potentially 120–180 gold; second, if something went wrong, Finnie had hidden protection backing her up.

If everything went normally, even a Level 2 or slightly stronger—say Level 2.5—Crimson Flame Tiger was something Lin Mo believed he could contend with.

Because on this adventure he was certain he would officially ascend to Level 2 Warrior.

If he still chickened out now, what kind of adventurer would he be?

“Take it!”

He made up his mind and accepted the mission.

“All right.”

Seeing his decision, Alden nodded without hesitation.

Lin Mo took the three mission sheets to Lena at the counter to officially accept them.

The catgirl at the counter saw the last mission and looked worried, asking if he’d taken the wrong one; her frown was cute.

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen.”

Lin Mo tousled her beret and reassured her.

“Sir, you can’t bother our staff during work hours, you know?”

A coworker nearby, misunderstanding, thought Lena was being bothered by a troublesome adventurer and stepped in to help.

“No, no, Sharan sister, we know each other…”

After Lena explained, the receptionist’s expression changed to understanding, but her gaze toward Lin Mo grew oddly curious.

Human tastes really are free.

After saying goodbye to Lena, the group left the Association and formally set out on their adventure.

They hadn’t yet entered Roland Forest, but the team practiced their formation beforehand.

Their strongest member, Lin Mo, took the front; Carson scouted; Rick and Ellie took left and right; veteran Alden covered the rear to guard against danger from behind.

Ranger Solan and priest Finnie stood in the center as the protected members.

They joked and laughed on the road, teasing Solan about Bella, which left Solan both proud and embarrassed. Alden nearly turned red listening.

The easygoing mood helped Finnie, who was new to adventuring, relax considerably.

This relaxation held until they reached the edge of Roland Forest.

The moment they stepped into Roland Forest, the joking ceased and the squad turned serious. The solemn atmosphere made Finnie a bit uneasy at first.

She quickly gripped her staff and became earnest.

Finnie hadn’t decided to become an adventurer on a whim—she wasn’t an inexperienced noble trying some thrill. She’d studied many resources, read adventurers’ biographies, and knew well the hardships and dangers on the road.

She was prepared.

“Priority-wise, the goblin settlement mission should be handled first… and it’s the closest.”

Lin Mo checked the mission sheet, which had a simple location marked.

Compared to the goblin settlement he’d cleared a few days ago, this No. 69 settlement was in the deep woods and much farther away—unreachable by this morning.

Fortunately, the journey wouldn’t be boring; besides poisonous insects and snakes commonly found in the forest, low-level monsters kept appearing.

Lin Mo greeted a few teammates and used the weak monsters as magic practice.

A goblin clutched its chest, blood gushing out as it wailed in despair; then an ice spike pierced its throat.

【Ice Spike】 proficiency +1!

That was number six.

Lin Mo glanced at his proficiency panel—six points were enough to raise Ice Spike to Level 2.

“Skill [Ice Spike] Lv1 (10/10) — Level Up!”

“Current skill [Ice Spike] Lv2 (0/20)”

Would Level 2 Ice Spike be enough to one-shot a goblin? Previously his Level 2 Fireball couldn’t, but Fireball’s Level 3 would add one mana point, which might change things.

Not long after, Lin Mo got a chance to test it.

Another goblin patrol appeared. As usual, Lin Mo charged forward—this time without a dagger—launching an Ice Spike straight at a goblin’s eye.

Whoosh—!

With a streak through the air, the spike pierced the goblin’s eyeball and into its brain.

It collapsed, twitched twice, then stopped moving.

He’d done it!

Lin Mo’s eyes brightened. Hitting such a fragile spot meant one-hit kills, making further practice much easier.

He repeated the method, firing more Ice Spikes until his proficiency reached 6/20. His mana depleted, leaving only one goblin in front of him.

Even a lone goblin shouldn’t be wasted. Lin Mo drew the Wolf Bone Sword and with a casual thrust finished it off.

The teammates behind exchanged looks, feeling left out.

Normally, teams with a mage never let the mage waste mana on trivial low-level monsters. Everyone knew a mage’s mana was precious and should be conserved for crucial moments.

But their mage insisted on blasting goblins to hone his spells. The reasoning was sound, but who deliberately uses goblins for practice?

If these goblins died to magic, at least they went out with some dignity.

Among the team, only Finnie had some understanding of magic. She clearly saw Lin Mo’s progress, marveled at how quickly he was improving, and felt even more determined.

Indeed, hard practice and real experience were the only ways to achieve greater advancement.

“Let’s rest a bit. We can use the afternoon to strike the goblin settlement.”

After covering more ground, with about a tenth of the journey left, Alden checked the sky and made a call.

They checked their surroundings, confirmed no insects or snakes nearby, sprinkled insect repellent, and sat down to eat.

Finnie watched the group closely and mimicked their actions.

Books and reality still differed somewhat—although she’d learned these things before, doing them for the first time meant she didn’t get everything perfect.

Lin Mo glanced over, remembered Flora’s advice, set down his pack, and walked over.

“You don’t need so much—just a little… spread it evenly, like this…”

He took the insect powder from her hand and demonstrated simply.

He hadn’t known this stuff at first either; he’d picked it up bit by bit while adventuring.

“Try again.”

“Okay.”

Finnie nodded and, a bit nervous, took the pouch and copied his motion, sprinkling the powder little by little.

Noticing her attempt, Lin Mo smiled. “Not bad—just like that. You’ll get used to it.”

“Thanks!”

Finnie brightened and added, “Thank you.”

She studied the slightly delicate-looking youth before her. After she’d joined the team yesterday, she nervously asked Sister Flora about it.

Flora had said little about the others, but she’d spoken at length about Lin Mo—his outstanding talent, kind nature, and the things that sometimes annoyed her.

She’d never heard Flora describe anyone so many ways before.

Ellie hugged her knees and rested her chin on them, staring straight at Lin Mo. She didn’t say anything but blinked and kept watching him.

Lin Mo grew self-conscious under her gaze and, helplessly, smiled. He sat beside her, used Fireball to light the fire, and made his special small burgers.

Ellie loved these and always asked him to make them during rests.

Finnie took a red wooden box out of her pack. Inside were delicate pastries from home. She nibbled while curiously watching Lin Mo.

His food looked simple and not very healthy; her mother would never have allowed such food before, so she was curious to try it.

But she hesitated and didn’t ask.

Ellie munched his burger and hummed a little tune, catching Finnie’s eye and flashing a triumphant look.

Finnie tilted her head in confusion and continued eating pastries with small, graceful bites.

The short break ended quickly; they had to reach the destination by afternoon.

The remaining route was traversed carefully. Though this was a time prone to letting one’s guard down, settlement-forming goblins behaved differently from wandering ones—there could be designated lookouts.

Sure enough, two or three kilometers from the settlement they ran into a goblin patrol.

Only three or four goblins; Lin Mo and Carson exchanged a glance and struck in perfect coordination.

The goblins walked idly through the trees—assigned to patrol but evidently too dim to comprehend the task—so their execution was perfunctory.

Carson burst from the shadows and easily slit one goblin’s throat with a dagger.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo cut off two heads with one swing, then sent an Ice Spike through the last goblin’s throat.

Not a single sound from them.

The team pressed on slowly under the canopy.

Soon a far more developed settlement appeared.

Compared to the one he’d cleared days before, this settlement had built a proper “wall” about a meter high. Inside were many wooden huts of varying sizes; some of the better ones even had plant decorations.

In the settlement’s center stood racks hung with animal meat and even some human limbs.

These bastards were making jerky…

At the end of mealtime, a dozen ordinary goblins queued around an almost-empty cauldron, scooping leftover scraps into their mouths.

Most of the others lounged lazily; several mutated goblins lived in the huts, lying on straw piles covered with tattered clothes.

The three largest huts were too far to see clearly.

Lin Mo counted. Judging by the number of huts, if those three largest huts each housed a mutated goblin, there were already seven mutated goblins—possibly adults—and the three in the largest huts were likely mature, possibly exceeding the mission’s noted threat level of 1.5.

“Direct assault doesn’t seem wise…”

Rick frowned. Seven mutated goblins plus nearly two hundred regular goblins—despite the Raging Bull Team being much stronger now, a frontal confrontation might be beyond them.

Alden also felt troubled. As leader, safety was his priority. This settlement’s scale was larger than expected—approaching a medium-sized settlement—and frankly slightly beyond their team’s safe capabilities.

“I’ll go scout.”

Lin Mo also felt the situation was unexpectedly large. The settlement’s strength was far beyond the one he’d handled earlier; the three strongest mutated goblins were unknowns, so they needed confirmation.

“Be extremely careful!”

Alden warned.

Lin Mo nodded and used the tree cover to approach the settlement’s rear.

He circled to the back, leapt over the wall, and on landing activated Vanish.

A slight noise drew a mutated goblin’s attention, but it saw nothing and dismissed it as the wind.

Six seconds of stealth was enough for Lin Mo to reach the largest hut.

Peering in, he saw an unusually tall mutated goblin stretching its jaw and dozing.

Judging by its size, it was much stronger than a normal adult mutated goblin, though exactly how strong was unknown until they fought.

Lin Mo retreated behind the hut. Vanish ended, but the wood structure concealed him so exposure wasn’t a problem.

A few seconds later he activated Vanish again to check the next hut.

Inside that hut was a more ordinary mutated goblin—no different from the adult ones he’d seen before.

Should he act now?

Wolf Bone Sword in hand, Lin Mo stared at the snoring mutated goblin, hesitating.

A sneak attack opportunity only came once. If he chose the one in front of him, he’d get a guaranteed instant kill—but it might not shift the overall situation much. If he targeted the largest, unknown-strength mutated goblin, the outcome was uncertain…