"SHHHIIII—"
A crisp sound dissolved on the heels of the wind.
The man's mouth was wide open, but no words came out. Air scraped through his pierced throat, making a faint, gurgling sound: "Hhh... hhh..."
Lin Mo gently supported the man's body, letting him lean against his chest as if they were lovers, before slowly laying him on the ground.
[Stealth] Skill Level +1
"Skill [Stealth] Level 1 (10/10) has leveled up!"
"Current Skill: [Stealth] Level 2 (0/20)"
That's right. Lin Mo's luck had been pretty good; he had happened to run into three Goblins on the way.
Using a warm-up as an excuse, he'd had his party members leave the Goblins to him, grinding 3 points of Skill Level for two of his Skills.
Including the one he had just finished off, his Stealth Skill had just reached Level 2.
[Stealth] Level 2 (0/20): Having mastered the art of Slacking Off, you are now learning to reduce your presence under any circumstances. You can enter a state of Stealth after remaining out of the enemy's line of sight for a period of time. In the Stealth state, you will not be treated as a primary target, reducing the risk of being discovered. Attacking from Stealth will break the state and grant your next attack a 6% physical damage bonus.
Compared to Level 1 Stealth, the Level 2 version of the Skill only increased the damage bonus by 1%.
It didn't seem like much, but anyone who has played games knows that damage bonuses and multipliers are calculated multiplicatively.
A percentage-based increase, when paired with Skills like [Slashing], could often produce much greater effects.
Moreover, it wasn't just the numbers. The effectiveness of Stealth itself seemed to have improved to a certain degree. This meant a lower chance of being discovered by enemies, which was the most important aspect of a utility Skill like [Stealth].
In the distance, the three people watching Lin Mo's fluid movements felt their scalps tingle.
Even a battle-hardened Adventurer like Bain couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
He put himself in the other man's shoes; if Lin Mo had been ambushing him just now, he probably wouldn't have been able to react in time either.
This was the very essence of the Assassin Profession: trading weak frontal combat ability for insidious, snake-like ambushes. One strike, one kill!
The problem was, didn't this kid look like a Warrior yesterday?
Bain thought he was starting to understand why the kid had asked if it was possible to have two Professions.
In any case, the strategy they had agreed upon on the way here had worked. It was a good start.
One down, five to go.
"Prepare for battle!"
He tightened his grip on his Sword and Shield and gave the quiet reminder.
Evan held his Sword with both hands, ready to strike at any moment. Millian nocked an arrow, prepared to draw her bowstring taut.
...
「Meanwhile, inside the captain's encampment.」
"It's been over a minute, right? Does he really need that long to take a piss?"
"Who knows? Maybe he likes to take his time?"
"He's not some broad. No matter how much you dawdle, it shouldn't take this long."
Pat frowned slightly, a faint sense of foreboding creeping over him.
He stood up and walked toward the tent's entrance.
One step, two steps, three...
The moment he reached the tent flap, the faint scent of blood reached his keen nose. In the next instant, his pupils contracted as he raised the dagger in his hand.
"TING—!"
With a crisp clang, he parried a Feathered Arrow, which plunged into the mud at his feet.
"Ambush!"
At that, everyone snapped to their senses, grabbed their weapons, and rushed out of the tent.
The very instant they burst out, Millian had already drawn her bowstring again, loosing an arrow straight into their midst.
"Hah. A petty trick."
The man standing in the center of the group was their captain. He gave a cold smirk and didn't even bother to draw his Sword, simply reaching out and catching the Arrow bare-handed. With a squeeze, he snapped it in two.
"You're courting death!"
As if provoked by a Taunt, the Ranger standing behind the captain quickly drew an Arrow from his Quiver and returned fire.
Bain stepped in front of Millian, blocking the arrow with his shield. His expression was grim as he stared at the burly man in the center.
He could feel an immense pressure coming from this man.
Even if he wasn't a Professional, he was probably close.
"You two, be extremely careful."
The implication was that he probably wouldn't have the spare energy to look after them.
"It's them!"
At the same time, Merlot, the Warrior with the Rapier, recognized them. He pointed and exclaimed, "They're the ones who took down North and the others!"
"I didn't think they'd actually dare to show up."
Pat tossed the dagger in his hand, catching it in a reverse grip. He glanced at his companion's corpse nearby. "So, where's the one who killed Master Tai'en?"
Merlot looked left and right. "He doesn't seem to be here... No, wait, he's hiding!"
"Interesting..."
Pat smiled faintly. "Captain, leave the hidden one to me. Any problem with that?"
"Suit yourself."
The captain glanced at him, clearly not intending to stop him.
While Tai'en had indeed been Pat's master and the enemy had killed him, Tai'en was old, after all. His physical abilities had declined, no match for his younger self. Pat, on the other hand, had progressed with lightning speed as he grew older. He had surpassed his master about half a year ago and was, of course, even stronger now.
And he, too, had found his own target.
"That guy who looks like a Knight seems to have some skill. I'll go test him out."
With that said, he charged straight forward.
"He actually made the captain get serious. Looks like the other side has some tricks up their sleeves."
The Ranger stroked his chin, speaking with great interest.
"It's only those two, though. The other two look pretty weak."
"That's right."
Merlot chimed in, "Those two aren't very strong. You could even call them newbies."
"How boring..."
The Ranger shook his head. "Let's end this quickly."
As they spoke, the captain was already clashing head-on with Bain.
The moment their Sword and Shield met, the color drained from Bain's face, and he was forced to stumble back two steps.
His opponent's strength was even greater than he had anticipated!
If Bain were to boast that he was a Level 0.8 Professional, then the "captain" before him was undoubtedly a cut above—a Level 0.9, even closer to being a true Professional.
'This is bad...'
Evan and Millian were still too young, especially Millian, who was practically a novice. If they were forced into a one-on-one or two-on-two fight, they likely wouldn't last long.
And while he himself wouldn't lose in the short term, he couldn't see any hope of winning either.
'It's all up to Lin Mo now!'
Trusting him was their only choice.
He gritted his teeth, cast aside these distracting thoughts, and focused all his strength on the opponent before him.
Meanwhile, Pat was scanning his surroundings, his eyes constantly searching every corner.
'Just where are you hiding?'
He half-closed his eyes, his entire body tense, ready to face an attack at any moment.
He wasn't some Warrior with low Agility. As a fellow Assassin, he was completely confident that he could react in time, neutralize the ambush, and even counterattack...
However, just as his excitement mounted and he prepared for a big fight...
"Ah!"
A short, startled cry suddenly came from behind him.