"Skill [Slashing] Level 2 (20/20) Leveled Up!"

"Current Skill: [Slashing] Level 3 (0/40)"

"Gained Attribute Point: Strength +1!"

’Just as I thought!’

Lin Mo’s eyes lit up. Just as he’d guessed, raising Slashing to Level 3 meant he had mastered the skill, and he even received an attribute point as a reward.

With this new point, Lin Mo’s Basic Strength was now 6. Factoring in the +1 Strength bonus from his Wolf Bone Sword when using Slashing, his skill could now unleash power equivalent to 7 Strength!

He crouched down and picked up the Slime Condensate from the ground. He had been very careful with his last strike, deliberately avoiding the Slime’s core, so the Condensate was perfectly intact.

’Keep going!’

After placing the Condensate in his bag, Lin Mo felt his spirits rise and resumed his search for Slimes.

...

Before he knew it, the sun had begun to set. Lin Mo bent over and picked up the Slime Condensate in front of him.

"This is the 11th one."

He had spent the entire day hunting Slimes. His luck had been neither good nor bad. Including the one he’d just collected, he had defeated a total of 13 Slimes, but he had accidentally destroyed the core of two of them because his sword strikes were slightly off, rendering the Condensate uncollectable.

This was an almost unavoidable problem when hunting Slimes. Their cores weren’t stationary, so a careless or unlucky strike could easily destroy the core and cause the Condensate to dissolve.

Still, collecting 11 Condensates in a single day was excellent progress.

At this rate, he’d have more than enough time to complete the quest within seven days.

Besides the Slimes, Lin Mo had also run into a small party of five Goblins, all of whom he dispatched with ease.

The 18 Demons in total had raised his Slashing proficiency by 13 points and his Stealth proficiency by 9 points.

Unlike Stealth, which was a Status Skill, using Slashing consumed extra Physical Strength.

After all, Lin Mo’s Constitution attribute was only 4, so his Physical Strength was limited. It was fine at first, but after using the skill seven or eight times, he had to be more conservative. In order to preserve his full Combat Power for unexpected situations, he could no longer use Slashing without a second thought.

He earned fewer proficiency points as a result, but such caution was absolutely necessary when traveling alone in the forest.

He checked his current Skill Proficiency:

[Slashing] Level 3 (13/40)

After reaching Level 3, Slashing required 40 proficiency points to get to Level 4—still a long way off.

His other skill, Stealth, however, was only one point away.

[Stealth] Level 2 (19/20)

’Unlike Slashing, Stealth is a green-quality, Excellent-grade skill. I wonder if it grants attribute points at the same levels as a white-quality, Ordinary skill?’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Honestly, Lin Mo was tempted to test it right then and there, but a glance at the sky told him it would be dark soon if he didn’t head back.

So, he decisively abandoned the thought of lingering any longer and started on the path home.

’If I run into a Demon on the way, I’ll take care of it,’ he thought. ’If not, it can wait until tomorrow.’

This wasn’t a game; the reward for a moment’s greed was in no way proportional to the risk. Lin Mo still clearly remembered the gruesome deaths of Larry and Rhein, so he always maintained a healthy fear of the forest.

Upon returning to the familiar town, Lin Mo didn’t go back to the inn right away. Instead, he took a detour to the Adventurer’s Association to deposit the Slime Condensate he’d collected that day.

The Association had been around for a long time, and its operating procedures and various services were constantly being optimized. For example, this service for depositing quest items was extremely convenient.

There was no place safer to store items than the Adventurer’s Association.

You didn’t have to worry about them being stolen from your inn, accidentally damaged while on your person, or getting lost...

Even in the extreme case that someone actually broke into the Association and stole them, the Association would compensate for the loss.

"Your deposited quest items have been registered. Please come again, nya~"

The cat lady, Lena, no longer made an effort to hide her habitual verbal tic in front of Lin Mo. Her ability to read people, honed by her long tenure as a receptionist, combined with a Half-Beastman’s keen intuition, told her that the Adventurer before her didn’t find it annoying.

Perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but she even had a feeling he kind of liked it.

A slight smile touched Lin Mo’s lips as he waved to her. "See you tomorrow."

As he walked out of the Association, he pulled out his copy of the Roland Town Map Guide. The book detailed every aspect of Roland Town, covering not only information relevant to Adventurers but also aspects of daily life.

For example, it listed the local restaurants and taverns with the best reputations.

Lin Mo took out a charcoal pencil he carried with him and marked the book, as if he were planning a tourist’s itinerary.

The first stop—Hot-Stove Barbecue.

The name was simple, and the shop’s decor was plain. Shops like this often served the most authentic food.

The owner was a humble, middle-aged woman with a perpetual smile. She seemed to recognize every customer who walked in, always ready to exchange a few pleasantries. The Adventurers were all happy to greet the proprietress.

"You look like a new face. First time here?"

Seeing Lin Mo, the proprietress proactively handed him a yellowed sheet of old paper with a simple menu scrawled across it.

"If it’s your first time, our steak and roast chicken are highly recommended. The new fish fillet we just added has also been very popular..."

It was a comfortable sales pitch, like a casual chat with a neighbor.

Since he had already eaten steak several times recently, Lin Mo ordered a grilled pork chop, a grilled fish fillet, and a side of fried potatoes.

It tasted exactly as he’d imagined—not amazing, but dependably delicious. It was also a great value, cheaper than the other places he had visited.

For this reason, the restaurant was extremely popular. Especially at this time of day, when Adventurers were returning, the place was abuzz with noise and chatter, full of life.

A Dwarf in full plate armor, a great axe slung across his back, hopped onto a stool, raised his mug, and downed its contents in one gulp.

"Hah—!"

He let out a long, satisfied sigh. With a single, sinewy arm, he tore off a chicken leg, stuffed the whole thing in his mouth, and with a powerful pull, stripped it clean, tossing the bare bone aside.

While devouring his meat, he started on the latest gossip.

"Have you heard? I hear Miss Unis is coming to Roland Town soon..."

"You mean Miss Yunice Lawrence?"