27: Chapter 27 Yi Xiaoyu and Lin Mo

"Good stuff!"

"Affixes can even be enchanted?!"

"I wonder what the effect is after enchanting?"

"A pity it requires 2,000 slaughter value..."

Lin Mo checked his remaining slaughter value; at 1,430, he was still a bit short.

Lin Mo put away the Affix Enchanter and checked the remaining items one by one.

The first was the Ferocious Beast Repeller.

Effect: Has a repelling effect on Rank 1 and below ferocious beasts; useless against Rank 2 and above, and may even attract their aggro.

"Doesn't seem like I'll need this..."

Lin Mo glanced at the effect description and put it directly into his backpack.

The second was the Perpetual Motion Canteen.

Effect: Automatically refills with fresh water every day at midnight. Usable, but there is a small hole at the bottom that leaks water slowly.

"Seems somewhat useful, but not much."

Lin Mo hadn't expected any surprises from White-grade items anyway.

The third was a 'Thank You for Participating'...

Lin Mo ignored it directly; it was purely there to humiliate people.

The fourth and fifth were both slaughter value, which was already reflected on his panel.

The sixth item was the great luck charm.

Effect: During your next major choice or event, your first instinct will be slightly influenced, guiding you toward the most correct choice.

Lin Mo's eyes lit up slightly; finally, something useful!

Even though it was only a Green-grade item, if this great luck charm worked as described, it might play a significant role.

The seventh item was a Technique Proficiency Scroll.

Effect: Can increase the proficiency of any technique by 100 points.

Lin Mo glanced at the effect and, without a second thought, used it directly on the Aurora Flowing Cloud Slash.

[Ding~ Aurora Flowing Cloud Slash proficiency +100, level increased to Lv4]

[Ding~ Aurora Flowing Cloud Slash level increased. Flowing Cloud Continuous Slash attack frequency coefficient +0.1, instant strike count increased to 8!]

The eighth item was a Berserk Potion.

Effect: Increases all attributes by 30% for three minutes after use. Enters a weakened state for a short period after it ends. Note: Within these three minutes, I shall be a true man!

Lin Mo's eyes brightened. This was good stuff; he had to keep it safe, as it would be extremely useful at a critical moment!

The ninth item was an S-rank Technique Fragment. Unfortunately, it required collecting all three parts—Upper, Middle, and Lower—to synthesize a complete technique. He couldn't use it yet, so he put it away for now!

After taking stock of his gains, Lin Mo stood up.

"Time to head back."

He put the remaining two pieces of Earth Core Marrow and the Dragon Egg into his backpack, collected some Earth Dragon scales and the Single horn, and turned to leave.

However, after walking just a few steps, he saw Yi Xiaoyu lying unconscious on the ground.

"Yi Xiaoyu? What happened to you?!"

Startled, he hurried over to her.

After a good while, Yi Xiaoyu slowly woke up.

Before her consciousness fully returned, her body felt it first—a warm, strong arm was cradling her neck.

She struggled to lift her eyelids.

It was Lin Mo.

He was holding her, looking down at her with a slight frown.

She suddenly didn't want to move.

So this was what it felt like to wake up in his arms.

"Hey, are you alright? Why did you suddenly faint?"

Lin Mo spoke.

"Lin Mo! You're okay... that's wonderful..."

Yi Xiaoyu recalled everything that had happened and practically threw herself into Lin Mo's embrace.

In an instant, Lin Mo froze in place as if struck by an electric shock.

The sensation of her in his arms was incredibly soft.

Her body was pressed tightly against his, separated only by a thin layer of fabric. Those soft curves pressed against his chest, and he could hear a rapid thumping heartbeat.

Lin Mo felt a bit hot.

It wasn't the kind of heat after a battle; it was a heat rising from deep in his lower abdomen, burning all the way to the tips of his ears.

She was still trembling slightly, burrowing further into his arms as if she wanted to melt her entire being into his chest.

"It's okay now," Lin Mo's voice was as raspy as if a fire were burning in his throat.

She didn't say anything, but instead held him even tighter.

Lin Mo slowly looked down.

From this angle, he could see the patch of skin where her collar was open; it was dazzlingly white.

And further down, there was the outline of an ambiguous curve being squeezed.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

His body was more honest than his mind; it seemed... he was having a reaction...

Lin Mo completely didn't dare to move.

She seemed to have noticed something as well; her sobbing stopped, and her breathing hitched for a moment.

Then, she buried her face deeper, the tips of her ears turning red.

Lin Mo didn't dare move a muscle, his heart beating as loud as a drum.

Well, actually... it felt pretty good!

...

"So, you fainted because of excessive mental exhaustion?"

"Yeah, it was already quite high before. Then when you went into the cave, the intensity of the attacks was too high, and my mental power was depleted all at once..."

"By the way, what exactly happened inside?"

"A... Rock-Armored Earth Dragon. It's a good thing you didn't come in!"

"A Rock-Armored Earth Dragon?!"

Yi Xiaoyu's voice suddenly spiked in volume.

"Yeah, but it was just a newly mutated Rock-Armored Earth Dragon, and it was injured. Its strength was much lower than a normal one, so I killed it!"

Lin Mo explained.

Soon, the two of them walked out of the cave.

Wu Feng and the others on the opposite bank were clearly getting anxious and were preparing to descend the cliff wall to search for Lin Mo and the others.

The Rock Armor Beasts at the bottom of the valley had mostly been cleared by Lin Mo, and with the Rock-Armored Earth Dragon having accidentally killed a few more earlier, there was no real danger.

"Captain Wu, we're coming over now!"

Lin Mo shouted to Wu Feng on the other side.

"You brat, what took you so long to come out!"

Wu Feng let out a long sigh of relief.

Earlier, when Lin Mo and Yi Xiaoyu had ignored his warnings and insisted on entering the cave, Wu Feng had almost gone crazy with worry.

His team had already suffered significant casualties; if anything happened to Lin Mo and Yi Xiaoyu as well, the loss would be devastating.

When Lin Mo leapt from the bottom of the cliff onto the ledge, he still carried the lingering scent of gunpowder and a faint smell of blood.

His combat suit had been stained a dark red, covered entirely in the blood of the Rock-Armored Earth Dragon. Several torn areas revealed wounds that were still seeping blood.

He just stood there, and though he did nothing, the air at the edge of the cliff seemed to solidify.

Wu Feng's pupils constricted.

He had seen many geniuses break through during battle, but someone like Lin Mo, who went down as Rank 1 and came up as Rank 2—breaking through an entire major realm—was a first...

This was no longer a genius; this was a monster.

Zhao Fansheng's face had turned from a pale white to a deathly gray.

When Lin Mo's gaze fell upon him, Zhao Fansheng felt his blood run cold.

What kind of eyes were those?

Calm, yet more terrifying than anger.

There was no killing intent, no hatred, only a kind of... indifference toward a dead object.

"Lin... Student Lin Mo..."

"It's... it's so good that you returned safely! We were scared to death just now, it was all my fault for being careless..."