Cody's Pride

Lin Mo hadn't slept well all night.

The Spell Scroll that had once filled him with endless hope now felt like a hot potato against his chest, leaving him restless and uneasy.

But if he simply threw it away, he couldn't bear to do it.

After all, if he missed this chance, who knew when he would get his hands on another Spell Scroll this precious?

People always had a gambler's mindset. He'd been carrying the scroll when they met last night, and she hadn't seemed to react at all, had she?

He spent the entire night half-awake, thinking about it, so when he got up the next day, he looked completely drained.

By comparison, the team members, who had rested for several days, were brimming with ambition.

Bern and Evan now wore vambraces on their wrists, while Miriam had put on a decent-quality suit of Leather Armor. They hadn't spent the past few days simply having fun; after discussing it, they had used the money from their previous mission to buy equipment.

Compared to before, they now looked much more like a professional adventurer party.

As for the team's new member... the Assassin named Cody still stood silently to one side, cold and stern, just as he had when they first met two days ago.

Perhaps due to the habits of their profession, which required them to stay quiet, most Assassins had this sort of personality and disliked talking.

When Lin Mo came out through the door, Cody glanced at him and frowned slightly.

Though he was new, he was still a member of the party. Naturally, he knew the targets of their two missions and knew that they had agreed to split the reward with Lin Mo seventy-thirty.

He found that hard to understand. He had been in quite a few adventurer parties and met all kinds of adventurers, from professionals to newcomers. He considered himself fairly good at judging people.

In his eyes, this Lin Mo was clearly a newcomer who had only recently entered the profession. He truly couldn't understand why the party leader valued him so highly, even giving up thirty percent of the profits.

Still, he was the new member of the team. According to the rules of the adventuring trade, such matters were for the captain to decide, so it wasn't his place to say anything. Yet he still harbored considerable doubt and prejudice toward Lin Mo, this so-called partner.

Lin Mo's drowsy state at the moment only deepened Cody's dissatisfaction.

"Brother Lin Mo, you didn't go to Flower Street yesterday, did you?"

Evan was startled by the dark circles beneath Lin Mo's eyes. "We're heading out on a mission today."

"I just didn't sleep very well..."

Lin Mo curled his lip and glanced at Miriam behind him. "Come to think of it, how do you know about Flower Street? Did you sneak over there before?"

"Of course I..."

The corners of Evan's mouth rose as he prepared to recount his glorious past exploits. Then he suddenly sensed an icy gaze behind him and shuddered. "Of course not... I heard about it from Uncle Bern! He used to go there all the time..."

"You really are a filial nephew."

Bern unceremoniously smacked the back of Evan's head. Miriam continued to look at him suspiciously, leaving Evan scrambling to explain himself over and over.

Little brat, think you can't be handled?

Lin Mo watched the show with a grin, and his heavy mood eased considerably.

Going out on an adventure would be good. It would help clear his head, and he could lie low for a while.

If possible, he should avoid having anything more to do with that Mage from Saint Antonia Academy of Magic. Better yet, he should never even see her again!

"Everyone, check your supplies. We'll be out for at least three or four days this time, so don't let anything go wrong."

Bern reminded them.

Only then did Lin Mo remember that he hadn't prepared any supplies.

He had planned to shop last night, but after that incident, he had forgotten all about it.

"I need to make a trip to Harvest Street. It shouldn't take too long."

"Alright, no problem."

Bern nodded. He knew Lin Mo had only just completed a mission yesterday, so it was normal that he hadn't had time to prepare.

"Hmph."

Cody, standing nearby, couldn't help snorting coldly. He found this inexplicable "well-connected hire" even more unpleasant.

Yes, although he didn't know why they hadn't simply let Lin Mo join the party, Cody believed there could only be one reason why his experienced captain valued the other man so highly.

This guy was most likely a useless well-connected hire.

The things Lin Mo needed to buy were no different from the last time he went out, but remembering how poorly he had slept the previous night, he specifically bought a portable sleeping bag.

This type of sleeping bag was designed specifically for adventurers. It was slightly less comfortable, but it allowed its user to get up quickly when danger struck, greatly improving safety.

On the way to Lorraine Forest, Lin Mo took out the "Monster Compendium of Lorraine Forest Outer Area" and reviewed the information on Cat Demons once more.

Cat Demons were monsters that lived deeper in the forest. Their habitat was roughly at the boundary between the outer and inner areas of Lorraine Forest, and they could be found on both sides.

Unlike low-level monsters such as Goblins and Slimes, Cat Demons occupied a higher ecological niche than the two monsters people encountered most often. They were also stronger, which was why the mission rewards were so generous.

The Monster Bestiary provided detailed information on Cat Demons, including their preferred hiding places, common methods of attack, and, most importantly, their weaknesses...

He had bought this entire set of books for only thirty Copper Coins. What an absolute steal!

Cody, walking at the back of the group, looked at the book in Lin Mo's hands with contempt. As an experienced adventurer, he had long since memorized such basic knowledge.

This only further confirmed his belief that Lin Mo was an inexperienced newcomer.

The journey went fairly smoothly. They only encountered two groups of Goblins. These damn creatures loved throwing their weight around in front of civilians, but before an entire adventurer party, they were utterly powerless.

Lin Mo barely even had time to make a move before the Goblins were dealt with.

What puzzled him was that after killing two Goblins, the Assassin named Cody didn't go cut off their ears. Instead, he looked toward Lin Mo with an almost tsundere expression, chin raised high, leaving Lin Mo completely baffled.

In Lin Mo's opinion, this man's skills didn't even seem as good as those two Blood Sea Gang Assassins he had killed before.

Was killing two Goblins really something to be proud of?

Yet, contrary to Lin Mo's thoughts, his "blank" expression looked to Cody as though he had been stunned by Cody's performance.

For a novice like him, even fighting a Goblin one-on-one would probably mean getting dragged into a bitter struggle for quite some time, right?

Naturally, he would be shocked to see Cody effortlessly kill two Goblins in a row.

With that thought in mind, Cody's inner pride swelled even further. He raised his chin a little higher and even began striking poses, deliberately taking out a handkerchief and slowly wiping the blood from his short blade.

Lin Mo's mouth twitched. For the sake of the team's harmonious atmosphere, he temporarily suppressed the urge to walk over and slap him.

"Let's rest here for a while."

Bern, who was walking at the front, suddenly stopped. Holding a map in his hand, he carefully compared it with the surroundings. "The Cat Demons' habitat is just ahead. Everyone recover some stamina before we continue."

Traveling through the forest was never easy. Even though they hadn't encountered many monsters, the terrain was complicated enough, with shrubs everywhere and grass taller than a person's waist. Combined with the need to remain alert to danger at all times, everyone had become somewhat tired after half a day.

Entering a dangerous area or facing monsters in that state was not the sort of mistake mature adventurers should make.