The Sound of the Wind

Near dawn, it was Lin Mo's turn to take watch.

Evan, who had taken the previous watch, rubbed his sleepy eyes and went back to sleep. Using the firelight, Lin Mo surveyed the surroundings and checked the traps once more before sitting against a tree beside the camp.

The night had been fairly peaceful. No monsters seemed to have attacked, and thanks to the Insect Repellent, everyone had slept reasonably well—at least they had gotten enough rest.

The wound on his chest still throbbed faintly. With their current limited conditions, all he could do was stop the bleeding, disinfect it, and apply some ointment. It would probably take several more days before the wound fully healed.

Fortunately, it did not affect his movements much. After all, an even harsher battle awaited them today.

His gaze drifted briefly, and in the next moment, the familiar panel appeared before his eyes.

Name: Lin Mo

Profession: None

Attributes:

Strength: 5

Agility: 6

Constitution: 4

Spirit: 5

Mana: 0

Skills:

Stealth Lv1 (6/10)

Slash Lv2 (4/20)

He still needed 4 proficiency points before Stealth could level up.

Lin Mo recalled when Slash had leveled up before. The improvement between Level 1 and Level 2 had been quite noticeable.

And Stealth was an evolved, "Excellent"-quality skill. If he could raise it to Lv2, it should be of some help in the battles ahead.

More importantly, it was his only possible means of improvement right now.

Slash was still a long way from Level 3. With a clear destination in mind, it was unlikely he could grind it to full proficiency in a single day.

Hopefully, everything goes smoothly today...

As dawn approached, the light on the horizon awakened the sleeping forest, and even the grim air of unknown danger hanging over the area gradually faded.

Bern was the first to rise. There was little fatigue visible on the face of the adventurer who had kept watch the longest. For a seasoned adventurer like him, he had long grown accustomed to brief rest while spending nights outdoors.

"I'll wake the others. We'll eat something, then set out right away."

The longer they delayed, the more likely something could go wrong. As long as they were in good condition, Bern wished he could fly straight to that group's camp and fight them to the death.

Even if he was not particularly confident of victory, they were even less able to bear the consequences of the information reaching higher-ups.

The gang would not reason with them. When that time came, it would not just be them—their families, including Evan's parents, might also be implicated.

The two young men emerged from the tent, rubbing their sleepy eyes and yawning. Miriam turned to begin packing, while Evan stood blankly for nearly a minute before starting to wash up.

About ten minutes later, the meat slices Bern was grilling were sizzling. He took out chunks of cheese and placed them atop the meat as he had the night before, watching them slowly melt...

Bern was surprisingly particular about food. He enjoyed studying different ways to prepare it and never begrudged the time he spent on it.

As he put it, "In this line of work, no adventurer knows whether there'll be another meal. So every meal has to be the best it can be under the circumstances."

That was especially true of today's breakfast, so he ate with exceptional care, savoring every bite.

The other three, by comparison, merely went through the motions. None of them had the heart to properly enjoy their food, and they only ate enough to get by.

After swallowing his last bite of bread, Bern stood, stamped out the campfire, took out the map he had found on that warrior yesterday, confirmed their route and direction, and led the way forward.

"Captain, I finished drawing them."

The captain, a burly man with knotted muscles all over his body, took the few portraits from the other man's hands. The veins in his arm bulged as he flung them straight into the man's face.

"This is what you came up with after drawing all night?"

The man covered his face, looking aggrieved. "Captain, you know I can't even read. I really did my best to draw them like this... But I remember what those people looked like. If I see them again, I'll definitely recognize them!"

The captain rolled his eyes. "Save that explanation for the higher-ups tomorrow."

The man gave an awkward smile and did not dare say another word.

"Come to think of it, Captain, that bastard Noss seemed to have a map showing the camp's location on him. What if they follow the map here?"

A subordinate dressed like an Assassin spoke up from the side.

"You're overthinking it, Pat."

The words had barely left his mouth when someone refuted him. "Noss may have been a little stupid, but he was pretty loyal. He wouldn't spill anything he wasn't supposed to, so those people probably don't know who we are. At most, they'll think it's a treasure map."

"Besides, they were injured. They probably won't keep adventuring, and should already be back in town by now."

Pat thought about it and found it reasonable. He shook his head helplessly. "What a pity. If possible, I still want to avenge Master Taine myself."

He had come from humble origins. If Taine had not noticed his talent and taught him skills, he would probably still be one of the lowest-ranking gang members, doing odd jobs. Though he had never formally become Taine's disciple, Taine was his teacher in every sense that mattered.

"That man was really no ordinary opponent..."

The Rapier Warrior beside him, red marks still visible on his face, recalled yesterday's scene. "It wasn't just Taine. Xili died by his hand too."

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. If the other side had not been injured, he probably would not have escaped either.

"Look at you trembling, Melo. Didn't I tell you? They've probably already gone back. If they really dare come here, they're just walking into their deaths."

"That's true. After all, we have the captain..."

Melo nodded. Their captain was a Quasi-Professional Warrior who had fully mastered his Professional Skills and was only one step away from becoming a true professional!

No matter how capable that brat was, he could not stir up any trouble before the captain.

"You guys keep talking. I'm going out to take a piss."

"Be careful. Don't let someone sneak up and slit your throat..."

Remembering how the man had mocked him earlier, Melo laughed and cursed at him.

"I'm not a coward like you, Melo. Save your breath if you think you can scare me."

The man sneered, waved his hand, and walked out of the tent.

That was what he said, but he was actually quite cautious. He deliberately picked a spot far from the bushes and close to the traps. Even if someone was lying in wait, they would have no chance to catch him off guard.

After looking around and confirming that no one was there, he untied his pants and began to relieve himself.

"Phew~"

And so, that short, satisfied exhale became his final sound...

The traps were about three meters diagonally ahead of the target and twenty-one meters to his right.

Lin Mo crouched halfway down on a tree branch, recalling the information Bern had just given him.

No one was following behind him either. The wind direction—

"Rustle."

The instant the wind swept through, Lin Mo shot out like a sharp sword. Concealed by the sound of the wind, his movements made almost no noise.

It was not until a shadow entered the corner of his eye that the man realized something was wrong.

But it was already too late. At the very instant he inhaled, preparing to shout and counterattack, a short blade pierced his throat with flawless precision.