Chapter 518: Chapter 249: Shefilya Secretly Drinking Milk Tea (Part 2)

Lin Mo knew she was getting impatient, but Feney was different from Ali and Shefilya. A sudden, abrupt leap forward wouldn’t work with her.

Of course, no matter how slowly a stream flows, it still has to move forward...

So it wasn’t as if he hadn’t taken any action at all.

For instance, right now, Lin Mo’s hand was resting naturally on Feney, his arm draped around her shoulders. He gently caressed her arm, feeling the delicate, smooth skin against his palm.

And Feney had already grown accustomed to it. She snuggled in Lin Mo’s embrace, her face faintly flushed, but she no longer had that excessively shy reaction.

’With a girl like her, you have to raise her threshold slowly. Otherwise, if things progress too quickly, she might just faint from shyness.’

The night grew deeper.

The camp remained lit by the glow of Magic Energy Lamps at night. Torches hung on the surrounding walls, and the patrolling Guards diligently monitored their surroundings.

Shefilya stepped out of the carriage and sat on the driver’s seat.

The crisp, cold air of early morning washed over her skin. Shefilya gazed into the deep darkness of the night, her thoughts drifting back to yesterday at the Nolen Commerce Association.

’I can’t be mistaken... that feeling, like a thorn in my back...’

Nolen Commerce Association.

’Nolen!’

After the madam left the family, there hadn’t been much contact between the two sides. After all, they were considered a "purged" branch of the family.

It was only the madam’s younger sister—the current Patriarch—who would occasionally offer some support, but that was a private affair.

So they didn’t really know much about the family’s situation.

’At least, I don’t...’

’So, what is the family’s stance toward Miss Feney, toward her master, and toward what’s happening between them?’

’Do they not care? Do they offer their blessing? Or are they wary?’

’The Nolen Commerce Association is likely a test for Miss Nolen, a trial run of sorts.’

’She must have discovered our presence and learned a few things about us... Just how much does she know? What is her attitude? Will she try to interact with us...?’

The chaotic mess of her thoughts left Shefilya feeling unusually troubled.

She rubbed her temples and slowly let out a breath, finally turning to re-enter the carriage.

----------

When Lin Mo opened his eyes in the early morning, it was already past 7 a.m.

Since they were inside the mine, it was impossible to tell day from night; he could only rely on a clock to tell the time.

Lin Mo slowly sat up, stretched, and felt an inexplicable sense of fatigue.

He seemed to recall having a dream last night where Shefilya was drinking milk tea.

’That’s a bit strange. There’s obviously no such thing as milk tea in this world...’

He quickly got out of bed, changed into his gear, and ate breakfast. By the time he was done, it was already 8 a.m.

By then, Deke and the others were also ready to go.

Today, they were setting out on the second mission they had accepted: Task D68889, to clear out the Crystal-devouring Worms.

This mission was more difficult than the one they had completed yesterday. It was also located in Area 3 of the mine, which was much farther away. The journey alone would take several hours.

After that, they would likely head down to the middle levels of the Giant Stone Mine.

Because of this, it wasn’t practical to arrange for anyone to guide them today.

Furthermore, the camp had no precise information on the Crystal-devouring Worms’ exact location. They had only been given some additional intel to help narrow down the general search area.

Once everyone was ready, the carriage set out toward Area 3 of the Giant Stone Mine.

To get to Area 3, they had to pass through Areas 1 and 2 first, so it was highly likely they would encounter some Demons before reaching their destination.

Of course, Areas 1 and 2 were still relatively shallow and safe parts of the mine. A section being overrun by Shattered Rock Puppets, like the one from yesterday, was an exception.

Normally, while there would be Demons, they wouldn’t be so numerous, and their strength was generally lower.

Take the one that had just appeared before them, for example...

A giant beetle that lived in the mine.

It was over half a meter long—a truly terrifying sight for anyone afraid of insects.

Back on Blue Star, Lin Mo had actually been quite afraid of bugs. This was especially true in the summer; if some unidentifiable insect suddenly appeared in his room, he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he killed it.

But after coming to this world, experiencing so many adventures, and gaining immense power, bugs didn’t really faze him anymore.

Besides, a bug this large somehow lacked the peculiar sense of "pressure" that a finger-sized one might exude.

But Lin Mo still didn’t want to touch this creature with his Sword or his hands.

So with a lift of his hand, he circulated his Magic Power to resonate with the Earth Element. An Earth Spike shot up from the ground, impaling the beetle completely.

After acquiring the Ordinary Level Magic, [Earth Spike Technique], Lin Mo had actually ground out its Skill Level before. He’d done so in a single session, raising it directly to Level 4.

He had used it less since then, however, especially after realizing he needed to intentionally halt his Mage Level progression.

Now that his Warrior Profession’s Attributes were catching up, he needed to raise his Magic Attribute as well. A skill like this—easy to level up without granting too many Magic Attributes—was perfect for the job.

[Earth Spike Technique] Skill Level +3

Three points to his Skill Level. This meant the beetle’s Threat Level was not even close to Level 1.

’Makes sense. This is only Area 1, after all...’

The carriage continued onward. Along the rest of the way, they encountered several more Demons.

Fortunately, these Demons weren’t all insect-types, so Lin Mo was also able to grind some Skill Level for his [Whip Kick].

This skill was only one level away from Level 6, the Full Level for an Excellent Level skill. However, he hadn’t made much progress at its current level. Even after grinding on quite a few Demons, he had only reached Level 5 (49/180).

The carriage didn’t stop for lunch. Instead, it continued onward at a slightly slower pace while everyone ate a simple meal on board.

Not long after finishing their meal, they entered Area 3 of the Giant Stone Mine.

This was the deepest part of the upper levels of the Giant Stone Mine, a place considered relatively dangerous within the upper strata.

The Demon that appeared up ahead served as proof of this.

Lin Mo looked at the familiar figure, and his interest was immediately piqued.

’Isn’t that the same type of Demon we fought yesterday—a Shattered Rock Puppet?’

’This Demon’s power is decent. More importantly, it’s quite large, which makes it a perfect test subject for the New Skill I acquired.’

Because there was still some distance between it and the mine tunnel the carriage was traveling in, the Shattered Rock Puppet hadn’t noticed them, or perhaps it had, but had no intention of attacking first.

But Lin Mo wasn’t going to miss this good opportunity, so he immediately said to the others beside him, "You guys go on ahead. I’ll catch up later."

After all this time, everyone understood Lin Mo quite well. They knew his personality—that he loved to fight and enjoyed killing Demons—so they weren’t surprised.

Lin Mo got off the carriage and immediately rushed towards the Shattered Rock Puppet.

Halfway there, his pace slowed, and at the same time, he began to mobilize the Qi and Blood within his body.

Strictly speaking, while the skill [Demon Light Piercing Kill] was a rather "unconventional" type of Sword Qi, it could still benefit from the Frost Dragon Scale Sword’s bonus damage to Sword Qi Skills.

’But since the Skill description says it can be fired with the index and middle fingers, how could I not give it a try?’

’Besides, I don’t need that much power to deal with a Demon of this Level.’

And so, Lin Mo pressed his index and middle fingers together, raised his hand to his forehead, and a torrential amount of Qi and Blood converged at an astonishing speed.

’Demon Light Piercing Kill!’

The next moment, he thrust his hand forward, and a beam of Sword Qi shot out.

He hadn’t charged it, so there was no spiraling beam wrapped around the main beam as described in the Skill’s description.

Lin Mo wanted to test the effect of casting the Skill instantly.

The beam of Sword Qi reached the Shattered Rock Puppet in an instant. There was no great roar, only the soundless ease with which it pierced through the creature’s body. The Sword Qi’s momentum didn’t cease. It flew on for dozens of meters before striking the cavern wall. Like a red-hot steel ball hitting snow, it "melted" a path through the rock, leaving a long, narrow hole that continuously belched green smoke.

’Such focused power!’

’There was no flashy explosion, no dispersal. That meant almost no energy was wasted. Everything was focused on a single purpose: to concentrate all its power and pierce the enemy!’

’I can only imagine what would happen if I added the power boost from charging it up. This Technique could probably achieve a one-hit kill, even against an opponent stronger than me.’

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