"Miss Yunice Lawrence?"

Hearing this name, many of the surrounding Adventurers immediately looked over.

Lawrence. Within the entire Lania City, this surname was undoubtedly famous. Almost everyone knew of this noble family name.

Because that was the name of the Lord of Lania City—Viscountess Caroline Lawrence.

Unlike those minorly wealthy merchants and nobles, she was a true member of the ruling class—a Viscount enfeoffed by the Kingdom!

And Yunice Lawrence was the Viscountess’s most beloved youngest daughter.

News and gossip about such important figures naturally became popular stories among commoners and Adventurers.

The most talked-about of these stories was the engagement between the Viscountess’s daughter and the Lord of their own Roland Town, Baron Lael.

"Miss Unis must be here to see the Lord, right?"

"Most likely... They’re supposed to be married in a while. Maybe she’s here to discuss wedding arrangements."

"The wedding between these two nobles will surely be unprecedentedly grand. On that day, even a beggar watching from the side might get a piece of black bread from the Baron..."

Lin Mo listened to the gossip with great interest. It was like a side dish to his meal, and it deepened his understanding of Roland Town and Lania City.

"Speaking of which, I heard Miss Unis is also an Alchemist!"

"Well, she is a noble, after all. Of course she wouldn’t take up an ordinary Profession like Warrior or Ranger. The status of an Alchemist is a good match for our Lord."

"I’m so jealous of the Lord. Born with a talent for Magic, backed by a wealthy family, and not long after officially taking his Profession, he received an audience with Viscountess Lawrence, became the lord of the town, and even got engaged to Miss Unis... Sigh, now that’s what I call a life!"

"Maybe I have the talent to become a Mage too... I just don’t have the money to study at a Magic Academy."

"What Goblin crawled out of the woodwork? Stop dreaming!"

"HAHAHA..." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Amid the laughter, Lin Mo finished his dinner and got up to leave the restaurant.

The gossip was amusing, but it was ultimately the business of high-society nobles and had nothing to do with a low-level Adventurer like him. He would listen for a bit, have a laugh, and move on.

’I’d better get back and rest. Tomorrow, I have to continue my search for Slimes.’

...

"Skill [Stealth] Level 2 (20/20) has been upgraded!"

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

"Gained attribute points: Agility +2!"

[Stealth] Level 3 (0/40): Having mastered the art of slacking off, you are beginning to learn how to reduce your presence under any circumstances. Staying out of the enemy’s line of sight for a period of time allows you to enter a stealth state. In this state, you will not be a primary target for enemies, reducing the risk of detection. Attacking from stealth will break the effect and grant your next attack a 7% physical damage bonus.

’Nice!’

Picking up the intact Slime Condensate from the ground, Lin Mo’s eyes lit up as he read the message that appeared before him, his spirits soaring.

’For a Green Excellent Level skill, the level-up that increases attributes is also Level 3, and it even gave me two points at once!’

This brought his Agility Attribute to 8 points, only 2 points shy of what Lin Mo guessed was the standard for a Professional.

The other condition for becoming a Professional—fully mastering a skill—he had already accomplished when he first crossed over. As long as he raised his Agility by another 2 points, he should be able to officially take up the Assassin Profession.

’And after raising Slashing to the Full Level of 5 and getting my Strength Attribute to 10 points, I could also take up the Warrior Profession...’

The rapid skill progression brought by the Skill Proficiency System gave him the capital to surpass nearly every genius on this Continent and develop not just two, but multiple Professions simultaneously!

The more he thought about it, the more motivated he became. Lin Mo took a deep breath, his gaze hardening with resolve, and set off again on his search for Slimes.

After his Agility increased by two points, Lin Mo’s speed saw another leap in improvement, and his efficiency in finding Slimes was much higher than the day before.

Over the course of the day, he managed to kill 19 Slimes and obtain 18 Slime Condensates!

At the same time, his [Slashing] Skill Level reached 28/40.

If all went well, Slashing would reach Level 4 tomorrow.

Returning to town, he deposited the quest items and went to the same shop as yesterday, this time ordering steak and corn chowder. After eating, he returned to the inn and ran into Uncle Bain and Evan at his door with a young man dressed in Strong Leather Armor.

"This is..."

Lin Mo asked curiously.

"This is Cody, the new member of our party."

Evan finished, then turned to introduce Cody, "This is Lin Mo. He’s worked with our party once before. He’s really strong!"

"Hello."

Lin Mo smiled, nodded, and offered a greeting.

Cody just glanced at him, grunted "Hmph," and walked straight into his own room.

Bain looked a little embarrassed and quickly explained, "Our new member has a rather cold personality, but he’s not a bad guy. His skills are very reliable. He once helped complete a Bronze Level quest. It’s just that his former party leader wanted to move to Lania City to develop, and he didn’t want to go, so he left the team."

"It’s fine."

Lin Mo waved his hand, naturally not bothered by such a small thing.

"By the way, did you just get back from a quest?"

Bain asked curiously, looking at the slightly dirty Leather Armor Lin Mo was wearing.

"Yeah, a small quest. I should be able to finish it tomorrow."

"That’s perfect... Actually, while I was at the Association recruiting today, I also looked at the available quests. There’s one that seems like a good fit, and the pay is decent. Want to consider it?"

"What kind of quest?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment. ’Venturing into the forest alone is indeed inconvenient in many ways. If the quest is truly suitable, it’s worth considering.’

"It’s a material gathering quest. We need to collect the claws of Cursed Cat Demons. Because the Cat Demons are located in the deeper parts of the Loran Forest’s outer region, we might have to stay in the forest for a few days."

Lin Mo stroked his chin. "A One-Star quest?"

"Yes, and the reward is pretty good. 12 Gold Coins."

’For a One-Star quest, that’s pretty much the highest possible reward.’

"There’s also another, simpler One-Star quest to collect 30 Ordinary Cat Demon claws for a reward of 10 Gold Coins. If you don’t join us, we’ll just take that one."

"I’ll consider it. Do quests completed with a party also count toward my quest history?"

"They do."

"Then, as for the pay..."

"How about a 70-30 split?"

Bain scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Our party has a new member, so we have to consider his feelings too."

"That’s fine."

’A 70-30 split is a reasonable distribution. With two quests combined, my share won’t be small. At the very least, it’s more than I’d make questing alone.’

’Most importantly, I can get credit for two Black Iron Level quests at once, accelerating my progress toward becoming a Bronze Level Adventurer.’

’Once I become a Bronze Level Adventurer, I won’t have to stay in outside inns anymore. I’ll have access to the VIP rooms on the third floor of the Association.’