"Found it!"
Lin Mo's eyes lit up. He pulled out his botanical guide to compare, confirming it was the Clear Fragrance Grass he was looking for on this mission!
Drawing his Sword, he scanned his surroundings, using the blade to part the tall grass and carefully check for any hidden venomous snakes. Once he confirmed it was safe, Lin Mo cautiously approached, plucked the stalk of Clear Fragrance Grass, and placed it in his bag.
One stalk of Clear Fragrance Grass was worth two Silver Coins, the same as the bounty for killing two Goblins. In normal times, it would have been worth as much as ten!
No dangerous combat, no need to endure a nauseating stench while cutting off Goblin ears—material gathering quests were truly the best fit for beginners. The payout wasn't high, but it was relatively stable and low-risk.
Besides, if your luck was good and you found enough herbs, you could make a decent amount of money.
And it seemed Lin Mo's luck was pretty good.
He had just picked one stalk of Clear Fragrance Grass when he spotted two more nearby.
'This is all money! It's like picking cash right off the ground!'
Lin Mo continued to adhere to his principle of caution, carefully picking the next two stalks of Clear Fragrance Grass.
Three stalks of Clear Fragrance Grass only amounted to 6 Silver Coins. Naturally, Lin Mo wouldn't stop there. The area for several thousand meters ahead was a dense patch of Clear Fragrance Grass.
He glanced at the sky. It was still early; he had at least two more hours to gather safely. 'I should find at least 100 stalks,' Lin Mo mused, 'enough to make 2 Gold Coins.'
...
A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, the air filled with a mix of chirping insects and birdsong. Amidst the dense thicket, Lin Mo spent a full hour and a half hunched over, panting with effort as he searched.
His constant caution meant it took some time between spotting a stalk of Clear Fragrance Grass and actually picking it, but his luck was truly excellent. In just over an hour, he had found a full 150 stalks, which amounted to an income of 3 gold coins.
This was already comparable to the income a standard Adventurer Squad would make from a single mission.
But after searching for herbs for so long, his back had inevitably grown sore. Lin Mo rubbed the small of his back and, for a moment, found himself feeling a little bored.
'Couldn't a couple of Goblins show up for me to slice through? I could grind some Skill Proficiency, too.'
Earning money for better gear could certainly increase his Combat Power, but for Lin Mo, the best way to grow stronger was undoubtedly by grinding monsters to build up Skill Proficiency. As long as his proficiency met the requirements, he would gain Attributes—that was true improvement.
The reason he didn't take on subjugation quests was mainly because they came with specific targets, and obviously, no one was idle enough to post a quest for Ordinary Goblins, the lowest-level type of Demon.
Therefore, most subjugation quests required venturing deep into the forest, were extremely dangerous, and had a difficulty Level of at least One-Star.
Frankly, he wasn't strong enough to take on those quests.
Still, not encountering a single Goblin while searching for herbs was something Lin Mo hadn't expected. He wasn't sure whether to call it good luck or bad.
'Oh well. It's getting late, I should head back. I'll deal with it tomorrow…'
Just as Lin Mo decided to stop searching for Clear Fragrance Grass and was about to head back...
Suddenly, a discordant sound echoed from the nearby forest.
"GAAH—!"
The familiar cry made Lin Mo's expression darken instantly.
He quickly stuffed everything into his backpack, grabbed his Sword, and ducked into the bushes, moving forward with caution.
After crawling forward for a short distance, he parted the grass to peer ahead. Just as he suspected, Goblins were on the hunt.
Their target was a rabbit. Six Goblins in total, split into pairs, had surrounded the creature from three sides.
Lin Mo scanned the surroundings for a long time but saw no sign of any other Goblins.
'Looks like it's just these six.'
'Then I can make my move!'
Trapped by the Goblins' encirclement, the rabbit was coincidentally forced toward the very bushes where Lin Mo was hiding.
Lin Mo tightened his grip on his hilt, held his breath, and entered his "Stealth" state, waiting for the Goblins to draw near.
20 meters... 10 meters... 5 meters...
'Close enough!'
The next moment, Lin Mo dug his feet into the ground and burst from the bushes, his Long Sword carving a beautiful arc through the air.
"Slashing!"
His speed was fierce and swift, his movements clean and decisive. The two unsuspecting Goblins didn't even have time to react before their heads were sent flying into the air.
Lin Mo felt the blade slice through air, an empty feeling that took him by surprise.
'A good weapon really makes a difference. Even though I've used Slashing to behead three Goblins in one go before, I had to use nearly all my strength back then. After I cut off the third Goblin's head, the momentum was completely gone, with nothing to spare.'
This time, however, it felt like he'd just sliced through a pair of cucumbers; he hadn't even used half his strength.
[Slashing] Skill Proficiency +2
[Stealth] Skill Proficiency +2
"Skill [Slashing] Level 1 (10/10) Leveled Up!"
"Current Skill: [Slashing] Level 2 (0/20)"
With that two-point increase in Skill Proficiency, Lin Mo's [Slashing] Skill leveled up.
This level-up didn't grant any attribute points, but Lin Mo still felt a distinct change.
It was a sensation that was difficult to describe in words, a profound and esoteric experience.
To put it simply, his understanding and mastery of the move had reached a new height.
"GAAH—!"
The other four Goblins were startled to see their companions killed. But when they realized Lin Mo was alone, the Goblins, holding the numerical advantage, let out a piercing shriek and charged him all at once.
Two fists are no match for four hands, as they say. Lin Mo had no intention of facing the four Goblins head-on. Even if he wouldn't necessarily lose, getting injured through a moment of carelessness would be a major setback.
'Why trade blows when you can just kite them?'
He took a step back to create distance, easily dodging the Goblins' attacks, then darted behind a tree trunk.
The Goblins gave chase, following him behind the tree, only to find no trace of Lin Mo.
The next moment, a gust of wind assailed them from above. By the time the Goblins felt a chill on their scalps, it was already too late.
Lin Mo dove down from a branch, delivering a diagonal slash with his Sword.
One Goblin's head was split clean in two. The one next to it didn't fare much better; the follow-through of the slash cut through its neck, sending its head flying.
Lin Mo felt the abundant power remaining in his swing and rejoiced inwardly.
'As expected, leveling up the Skill really did increase its power significantly.'
'There was no official notification, but based on the feel of it, the improvement was at least ten percent.'
This swift blow clearly terrified the last two Goblins. They let out a strange cry, their will to fight shattered, and fled in different directions.
Of course, Lin Mo wasn't about to pass up two free points of Skill Proficiency. He gave chase and quickly lopped off another Goblin's head.
He was about to chase down the final Goblin and had almost caught up after just a few steps when he suddenly froze.
"SWISH—!"
The sound of something slicing through the air came from the side as a Feathered Arrow accurately pierced the Goblin's skull.