Chapter 546: Chapter 260: Level 6 Shadow Splitting, Powerful Crystal Cluster Guard

[Shadow Splitting] Proficiency +50

[Shadow Splitting] Proficiency +60

...

"Skill [Shadow Splitting] Level 4 (200/200) Leveled Up!"

"Current Skill: [Shadow Splitting] Level 5 (81/360)"

’It reached Level 5.’

However, the higher the Skill Level, the more proficiency it required, and the required amount was really climbing.

Based on his previous experience, the level cap for Blue Excellent Level Skills was Level 7. That meant the cap for Epic Skills had to be at least Level 8, maybe even Level 9!

Maxing out an Epic Skill was undoubtedly going to be incredibly difficult.

Getting from Level 5 to Level 6 required 360 proficiency points. From Level 6 to Level 7, following the previous pattern, it should be double the amount for an Excellence Level Skill—meaning 600 proficiency points. Beyond that, from Level 7 to Level 8, he had no idea how much it would take.

Lin Mo guessed it might be around 1,000 points, and going from Level 8 to Level 9 would require even more...

But that was to be expected. After all, above Epic Skills were Legendary Skills!

The highest level of all Skills.

At least, as far as Lin Mo knew, there were no Skills more powerful than Legendary.

Naturally, Skills of that caliber weren’t easy to come by.

Never mind those of the Extraordinary Level; even the Heroic Level powerhouses who stood at the pinnacle of the Empire—or perhaps the entire Continent—weren’t guaranteed to have mastered a Legendary Skill.

Perhaps only a Legendary Level expert like Lorrence Valania, who had disappeared years ago, was known for certain to possess more than one Legendary Skill.

As it was, Lin Mo was already quite content with having mastered so many Epic Skills.

By now, they had been in the lower levels of the Giant Stone Mine for about half a day. A good while had passed since they’d driven off the Deep Rock Giant.

During that time, only two or three Demons had wandered over, and they were all converted into proficiency points for Lin Mo.

One of those Demons was a plump, white worm, about three or four meters long and a meter in diameter.

And then...

And then Deke went to work.

"This stuff is actually pretty good."

He held out a skewer of golden-brown roasted worm meat to Lin Mo, his expression completely serious.

The corner of Lin Mo’s eye twitched as his body recoiled instinctively.

"I’m not kidding..."

Deke scratched his head. "I wouldn’t lie to you. It’s highly nutritious, packed with rich Energy. It’s..."

"Six times that of a Demon-Horned Bull."

Luke immediately chimed in, his mouth already glistening with grease from eating.

The Demon-Horned Bull was considered a fairly common, prized ingredient for powerful Adventurers.

As an Elite Demon, its meat was delectable, it was hardy and adaptable, not particularly aggressive, and reproduced well. This made it an almost perfect Demon for consumption, to the point that it was even being farmed in some regions.

Of course, it was still very expensive. The average Adventurer couldn’t afford to eat it.

Even Silver Level Adventurers would only splurge occasionally to enjoy a feast of Demon Horn Beef.

Lin Mo watched the group, including the students, eating with gusto, their eyes practically glowing. His curiosity piqued, he picked up a prepared skewer of meat and placed it over the fire.

He didn’t add any seasoning, just grilled it simply. The SIZZLE reached his ears, and the aroma of roasting fat wafted over him.

’It seems... this might actually be good?’

Lin Mo examined the cooked meat, leaning in for a sniff.

The aroma was incredible. The meat itself was still snow-white and looked incredibly tender, not at all tough or dry.

Lin Mo took a tentative bite, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

It was crunchy and... chi— uh, no, it didn’t taste like chicken.

It was actually a bit like lobster. The texture was excellent, and it was delicious even without any seasoning.

Lin Mo sprinkled some sea salt on it before taking another bite.

A burst of rich juices exploded in his mouth. If he could just forget he was eating a worm, it was an absolute delicacy—definitely tastier than Demon-Horned Bull.

"See? Told you I wasn’t lying!"

Deke draped an arm over his shoulder and grinned, a rare, relaxed expression on his face for once during a mission.

A moment later, however, he turned to glance toward the cave entrance, checking on the situation outside.

Once he’d overcome his mental block, Lin Mo grilled several more skewers. Even Feney ate two or three; her expression showed she was still a bit repulsed, but the incredible taste kept her from stopping.

As for Ali... she couldn’t care less and was already eating with wild abandon.

A few members of the student team, however, had no appetite. For one, they couldn’t stomach the idea of eating a worm. For another, they were acutely aware that they were still in a perilous situation.

The narrow confines of the cavern only amplified their feelings of claustrophobia and dread.

Being stuck in this environment for so long was taking its toll on the students.

Even though they were second-year students at the Kingdom National Academy and often went on training expeditions, there was still a world of difference between those trips and a real adventure.

The difficulty levels were chosen differently, and the required mindset was on another plane entirely. To put it bluntly, most of the students simply lacked the resolve to fight a Demon to the death.

"Reinforcements from the Academy should arrive in about a day."

"If they’re fast, maybe they’ll be here in half a day!"

They spoke in fits and starts, a single sentence followed by a long silence. It was obvious their minds were already elsewhere—fantasizing about returning to the Academy, collapsing into their soft, comfortable beds, enjoying gourmet food delivered to their rooms, and being looked after by their personal attendants.

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