In the forest, Alton walked at the very front, leaving plenty of space for the two behind him.

But this was an adventure, after all, so there wasn’t much they could do. Ali tentatively took Lin Mo’s hand, and when he didn’t pull away, she broke into a happy, goofy grin.

"Yesterday, there were still two adult Mutated Goblins and two sub-adult ones. Other than that, there should be a large number of Ordinary Goblins..."

Lin Mo assessed the information. If that was all, he’d have no trouble dealing with them. The biggest problem wasn’t how to rescue the girls, but how to safely evacuate them while holding off the Goblin Army.

If it were just Lin Mo, he wouldn’t care even if he had to swim through a sea of Goblins. But those girls were all fragile, ordinary people; they couldn’t possibly fight their way out with him.

"Anyway, let’s find the Goblin nest first."

Alton was also thinking. "If worse comes to worst, we’ll have to take them out one by one."

’In and out seven times?’

’That’s one way to do it.’

Protecting fifty people at once was completely impossible. But if it was just one at a time, Lin Mo was confident he could keep them safe.

"It should be in this direction. There’s a very strong stench from the Goblins over here..."

Ali was also an indispensable part of this mission.

Although they knew the general direction of the Goblin Army’s retreat, the specific location of the nest was not so easy to find.

But with Ali around, they could determine the correct route through her keen sense of smell.

This wasn’t an advantage all Half-Beastmen possessed. While most Half-Beastmen had a better sense of smell than humans, few races were as keen as Ali’s.

"It shouldn’t be far now..."

This time, without needing Ali’s reminder, Alton could already spot traces of Goblin activity, and could even see the droppings they left behind.

Everything was going smoothly. Soon, they would find the Goblin nest...

But Lin Mo’s brows were deeply furrowed. That bad feeling was growing more and more intense.

Lin Mo wouldn’t dismiss it as just his imagination. On an adventure, the only way to survive longer was to expect the worst.

He held his breath and focused his senses on his hearing.

The early morning forest was serene, free from the clamorous chirping of nocturnal insects. An occasional bird call echoed from near to far. The whistle of the wind, the rustle of leaves... footsteps...

’Footsteps?!’

Lin Mo suddenly drew his Sword and slashed sharply behind him.

CLANG—!

A sharp clang shattered the tranquility of their journey.

Alton reacted quickly, drawing his Sword, turning, and Stabbing, all in one smooth motion.

The attacker was forced back, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at the trio before him.

’They’ve got some skill...’

When the higher-ups passed down this mission, Fuke had been very excited.

Ever since his subordinates were killed in Loran Forest not long ago by a mysterious person of unknown origin, his position in the gang had been called into question.

He sent many people to investigate and even went once himself, but the search yielded no results.

His men were killed, the investigation went nowhere, and as news spread, the Blood Sea Gang was utterly disgraced.

To make matters worse, the fifth-in-command had a breakthrough right then, causing Fuke to be demoted to fifth, while the other man took his place as fourth-in-command.

If things continued like this, the reputation and power he had spent years building within the gang would all be for naught.

So after the order came from above, he stepped forward without hesitation and took this mission.

As long as he completed this mission and earned the recognition of *that* person, everything he had lost before would be irrelevant!

What Fuke hadn’t expected, however, was the target’s strength. He had thought the hardest part would be just finding him. But now it seemed this newcomer—who, according to the intel, had only been an Adventurer for a little over half a month—was unexpectedly powerful.

And his teammates... The Half-Beastman was nothing to worry about, but the other Warrior also seemed to be a Professional.

’Two Professionals?’

Fortunately, to ensure this mission went without a hitch, he had also made ample preparations.

A sharp Arrow whistled through the air, aimed straight for Lin Mo’s chest.

The shot was professional. Knowing Lin Mo was skilled, the archer hadn’t aimed for the fatal head or heart. Instead, they prioritized a guaranteed hit, targeting the larger torso.

The speed and power of this Arrow were greater than any Lin Mo had ever seen from a Ranger.

’A Professional Level Ranger.’

Lin Mo didn’t dare be careless. Activating [Resilience], he unleashed a [Slashing] attack. His Sword’s edge struck the Arrowhead with precision, forcefully splitting the Arrow in two!

"What the hell?!"

Lin Mo glanced in the direction the Arrow had come from. Following the astonished cry, a man in tight-fitting black attire jumped down from a tree branch.

From behind, another similarly dressed Warrior slowly approached.

"Boss, something’s not right with this guy!"

The Ranger was still reeling from the shock of what had just happened.

It was the first time he had seen someone split his arrow in two head-on.

’What kind of precise angle and timing would that take?’

"I know..."

He didn’t need to say it. Fuke had been utterly shocked from the moment his blade clashed with Lin Mo’s.

After all, he was a Warrior nearing Level 2. Even though he hadn’t used any Skills, this kid had actually fought him to a standstill?

This was not something an Ordinary Professional could do.

"Who are you?"

Lin Mo asked with a frown.

He had just thought it was a Demon sneak attack, but he didn’t expect it to be humans.

"Who we are is none of your business."

Fuke raised his Sword again, his expression turning serious. "You just need to know you did something you shouldn’t have and provoked someone you shouldn’t have... Just be more careful in your next life." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The moment the words left his mouth, he attacked again, charging at Lin Mo.

This time, he used a Skill, and his aura was clearly different from before.

Watching his opponent’s move, Lin Mo took a deep breath. He gripped his Sword with both hands, appearing to prepare for a head-on confrontation.

However, just as Fuke thought the same, Lin Mo’s figure suddenly blurred. He dodged the Technique with incredible speed, then two sharp streams of Sword Qi shot toward Fuke from the side.

Fuke couldn’t react in time. His sword slashed through empty air, and his body froze for a moment. The two streams of Sword Qi struck him precisely, leaving deep gashes on his fine Iron Armor.

Lin Mo frowned. Ordinary Iron Armor couldn’t have blocked his [Cross Slash]. The armor his opponent was wearing was most likely an Excellent Level piece of Green Armor.

Fuke broke out in a cold sweat. Coming to his senses, he looked at the sword marks on his Iron Armor, and was Still Frightened.

’That was close...’

If his equipment hadn’t been good enough, he would have been cut into four pieces in that instant.

’What the hell is with this guy?’

From his attire to his Techniques, he looked like a Warrior, no doubt. But why did he have such terrifying speed?

He was faster than any Professional from the Assassin Profession he had ever seen!

Meanwhile, Alton had engaged their other Warrior Professional.

As for Ali, she was doing her best to stall the Ranger Professional, all while maintaining a safe distance.

There was a significant power gap between them, so she didn’t dare to be reckless.

The situation wasn’t in their favor. Lin Mo gave up on trying to talk and took the offensive.

His speed far surpassed his opponent’s, so he capitalized on that advantage. He avoided direct clashes, constantly dodging and weaving, always finding an opening to land a slash or two. It made Fuke’s life utterly miserable.

He had never encountered such an opponent before.

Normally, a fight between Warriors was an unspoken contest of Strength and skill. And Warriors had a natural advantage against Assassins; as long as a Warrior in Iron Armor protected their vital areas, an Assassin could hardly pose a threat.

But who ever heard of someone this fast who wasn’t weak? This was just unfair!

But Fuke still suppressed his annoyance and fought Lin Mo as calmly as possible.

But because Fuke’s own Strength was considerable, Lin Mo could only gain minor advantages for the time being and couldn’t secure a quick victory.

"Ha!"

Fuke attacked again, forcing Lin Mo to dodge to his right. A triumphant, conspiratorial gleam appeared in Fuke’s eyes.

The next moment, a Swift figure shot out from a nearby tree trunk, lunging at Lin Mo.

That’s right, they had hidden an Assassin!

As he saw his comrade close in on Lin Mo, Fuke angled his blade, coordinating his own attack.

However, at this very moment, Lin Mo’s figure suddenly disappeared on the spot.

Fuke and the Assassin were both stunned for a moment, and their attacks unconsciously paused.

The next moment, a familiar Sword Qi flew out, heading straight for the Assassin’s face.

SHLICK—!

The sound of a blade sinking into flesh rang out. Empowered by [Invisibility], Lin Mo’s all-out sword strike easily disemboweled the opponent.

The Assassin’s body fell limply to the ground, his eyes filled with confusion even in death.

[Invisibility] Skill Level +8

[Cross Slash] Skill Level +8

"Assassin Skills!"

Watching from the side, Fuke’s brows furrowed. He finally understood why Lin Mo was so fast.

He was actually a dual-Professional!

While Fuke was still processing this, Lin Mo’s figure vanished again, using the cover of the shadows to strike at the distant Ranger.

Fuke realized something and exclaimed: "Watch out!"

But it was too late. A sharp dagger appeared abruptly before the Ranger. The instant Lin Mo’s form became visible, the blade was already plunging into the Ranger’s heart.

[Invisibility] Skill Level +8

Another notification appeared. Lin Mo pulled out the dagger, flicked off the blood, and looked back at Fuke. "Now, can you tell me who you are?"

Fuke’s face was ferocious. He hadn’t thought that what he believed was an easy mission would result in the loss of two of his Professional subordinates in a row, even with full preparations!

Even if the Blood Sea Gang was large and powerful, the number of Professionals was still quite limited. He had operated in the gang for many years and had only recruited three such Professionals to his side, and now two of them were dead in an instant.

He had no way out. He had to complete the mission and earn that great person’s favor. Otherwise, when he returned to the gang, his power would be completely gone...

Fuke had no choice. He roared and continued to attack Lin Mo.

"Hmph..."

High on a tree branch, a blond youth in white and Gold Plate Armor watched from a distance, letting out a cold, displeased snort.