Power Increase

**Skill Slash Lv2 (20/20) leveled up!**

**Current Skill: Slash Lv3 (0/40)**

**Received Stat Points: Strength +1!**

Just as expected!

Lin Mo's eyes lit up. Just as he had guessed, once Slash reached Lv3, it counted as having mastered the skill, and he received a Stat Point reward as well.

With this 1 point of Strength, Lin Mo's base Strength had now reached 6. Factoring in the 1 point of Strength boost provided by the Wolfbone Sword when using Slash, his attack could unleash power equivalent to 7 points of Strength!

He crouched down and picked up the Slime Essence that had fallen to the ground. He had been careful with that strike, deliberately avoiding the Slime's core, so the essence remained intact.

Onward, onward!

Putting the essence into his pack, Lin Mo grew even more energized and continued on his search for Slimes.

Before he knew it, the sun was gradually sinking westward. Lin Mo bent down and picked up the Slime Essence before him.

"This makes the eleventh."

He had spent the entire day continuously searching for Slimes. Overall, his luck had been neither good nor bad. Including this one, he had dealt with thirteen Slimes in total. Two of them had their core essence destroyed because his sword had been off by just a little, making them impossible to collect.

This was a problem that was difficult to completely avoid when hunting Slimes. A Slime's core did not stay still, and if one was not careful enough or simply unlucky, the core could be destroyed, causing the essence to disperse.

Still, collecting eleven essences in a single day was already quite good progress.

At this pace, completing the mission within seven days would be more than enough.

Besides the Slimes, Lin Mo had also happened upon a small Goblin squad. There had been five Goblins in total, and he had taken care of them along the way.

A total of eighteen monsters had raised his Slash proficiency by 13 points and his Stealth proficiency by 9 points.

Unlike the status-type skill Stealth, using Slash required extra stamina.

Lin Mo's Constitution was only 4, after all, so he did not have much stamina. It had been fine at first, but after using it seven or eight times, he could no longer keep using Slash without restraint if he wanted to preserve as much combat strength as possible for any unexpected situation that might arise.

He had missed out on a few points of proficiency because of that, but such caution was absolutely necessary when walking alone through the forest.

He checked his current skill proficiency:

Slash Lv3 (13/40)

After reaching Lv3, Slash required 40 proficiency points to advance to Lv4. That was still quite far away.

His other skill, Stealth, was now only 1 point away.

Stealth Lv2 (19/20)

Unlike Slash, Stealth was a green, excellent-quality skill. He wondered whether the level that granted additional attributes would be the same as for a white, ordinary-quality skill.

To be honest, Lin Mo wanted to try it right away, but looking at the sky, it would be dark soon if he did not head back now.

So he decisively gave up on lingering any longer and set off for home.

If he encountered monsters on the way, he would take them out. If not, he could wait until tomorrow.

Reality was not a game. The benefits gained from a momentary greed were completely disproportionate to the risks. Lin Mo still vividly remembered the miserable deaths of Larry, Raine, and the others, so he always maintained a sense of awe toward this forest.

After returning to the familiar town, Lin Mo did not head straight back to the inn. Instead, he first made a detour to the Adventurer's Guild and deposited the Slime Essence he had collected today.

After developing for so long, the Association had continuously refined both its operating methods and various details. For example, this service for storing mission items in advance was extremely considerate.

There was nowhere safer to store things than at the Adventurer's Guild.

He did not have to worry about them being stolen from the inn, accidentally damaged while carried on his person, or lost...

Even if something extreme happened and someone broke into the Association to steal them, the Association would compensate for the loss.

"Your deposited mission items have been registered. We look forward to your next visit, meow~"

The catgirl named Laina no longer deliberately hid her habitual sentence ending in front of Lin Mo. Her long experience as a receptionist, along with a Half-beastman's keen instincts, told her that the adventurer before her did not dislike it.

Perhaps she was being conceited, but she even felt that he liked it a little.

A faint smile curved Lin Mo's lips as he waved to her. "See you tomorrow."

As he walked out of the Association, he took out the Roland Town Map Strategy Guide. This book recorded every aspect of Roland Town, not merely matters relevant to adventurers, but everyday life as well.

For instance, it listed highly regarded local restaurants and taverns.

Lin Mo took out the Charcoal Pen he carried with him and made a mark in it as though planning a trip.

The first restaurant—Hot Stove Roast Meat.

The name was simple, and the decor was plain as well. The more unassuming a place like this was, the more honest its food tended to be.

The owner was a simple middle-aged woman with a smile always on her face. She seemed to know every customer who entered the shop and could always exchange a few pleasantries with them. The adventurers were also happy to greet the proprietress.

"You look unfamiliar, sir. Is this your first time here?"

When she saw Lin Mo, the proprietress proactively handed him a yellowed old sheet of paper with a simple menu written on it in somewhat messy handwriting.

"If it's your first time, our steak and roast chicken are both highly recommended. This fish steak we recently added has also been getting quite a good response..."

It was a comfortable sort of sales pitch, more like chatting with a neighbor.

Since he had already eaten steak several times, Lin Mo ordered a grilled pork chop, a grilled fish steak, and a serving of fried potato strips.

The flavor was exactly as he had imagined. It was not particularly amazing, but it was satisfyingly good, and the value for money was excellent. It was cheaper than any of the places he had visited before.

That was precisely why the restaurant was so popular. Especially at this hour, when adventurers were returning, the place was packed with noisy chatter and full of life.

A Dwarf clad in full armor, with a great axe strapped to his back, jumped onto a stool, raised his mug, and drained it in one gulp.

"Ha—!"

He let out a satisfied sigh, then used one of his muscular arms to tear off a chicken leg. He stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, clenched down hard, and tossed the thoroughly cleaned chicken bone aside.

As he wolfed down the meat, he began talking about gossip.

"Have you heard? It seems Miss Eunice is coming to Roland Town soon..."

"Miss Eunice Lawrence?"

The moment he said that, the surrounding crowd reacted. Many adventurers immediately turned to look his way.