My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Inside the city lord's mansion, Shi Qin and Shi Xuan heard increasingly exaggerated rumors.

The brother and sister looked at each other, shocked and with strange expressions.

"Mr. Lin... he's actually been rumored to be... a god?"

Shi Qin murmured, her feelings complex and hard to describe.

She had witnessed Lin Mo's ruthless and decisive nature firsthand.

This Lin Mo is far removed from the image of a "compassionate and merciful guardian who vanquishes evil with his sword" that is circulated in the city.

Shi Xuan scratched his head and quickly accepted the premise, even feeling a little proud of it.

"Hey, if you ask me, not much of the rumor is wrong! Mr. Lin's strength is unfathomable, isn't that true? He helped our village, that's true too, isn't it? Now he's gone into the mountains to clear out the monsters, which is genuinely helping the people of Mingbei City, isn't it? What's wrong with calling him the guardian deity of this area?"

Shi Qin opened her mouth, but couldn't refute it.

Judging from the results, this seems to be the case.

She just felt a little awkward.

"Shi Qin, come quick! I improved some details of the alchemy technique last night. Give it a try."

Liu Yishou, however, was not interested in this matter; after all, he was a man of great experience and knowledge.

It doesn't matter how the rumors spread; he cares more about alchemy than that.

This is at the city gate of Mingbei City.

Wang Meng, who was originally stationed in Shiyi Village, also appeared here.

He was followed by dozens of women, children and elderly people with fearful expressions.

These are all family members of soldiers who stayed behind in Shiyi Village.

Wang Meng made a special trip to the city to pick them up and bring them back to Shiyi Village to stay temporarily.

After all, Lin Mo's terrifying orders left Wang Meng feeling terrified.

To avoid affecting his family members, he decided to bring them to Shiyi Village to reunite with the soldiers first, and then make further plans once things settled down in the city.

When he first entered the city yesterday, he heard about Lin Mo's bloody killing of Qian Wanguan in the street.

This weighed heavily on his mind, making him even more certain that Lin Mo and Liu Sanguan were of the same kind.

They are all ruthless characters who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Taking over Mingbei City is probably just a way to more easily seize resources.

However, just one night later, the topic of "the black-clad swordsman, clearing away monsters, and saving the village" being discussed by the caravans at the city gate made his brow twitch.

It's obvious without even thinking that the black-clad swordsman is Lin Mo.

How did he become a god?

Thinking this, Wang Meng suddenly turned around and looked at Mingbei City.

At this time, the people of Mingbei City still lived in peace and contentment.

Caravans can transport goods more safely.

The only ones who suffered were the nobles.

Perhaps... my previous judgment was too one-sided?

Would someone like Liu Sanguan do such a thing?

"Perhaps... it's the right thing for him to become the city lord."

Wang Meng muttered to himself, the confusion in his eyes gradually replaced by a sense of complexity.

At least, this new city lord did not harm the common people.

……

Deep in the Greystone Mountains.

Lin Mo was naturally unaware of the various legends surrounding Mingbei City because of him.

At this moment, he is standing at the foot of a sheltered cliff, taking a short rest.

Three consecutive days of intense tracking and combat left a trace of weariness on his face.

As for his clothes, the black robe he wore when he arrived was now covered in dried, blackened bloodstains.

"Hey! Three days without sleep again! Do you want to work yourself to death?!"

Blood flew out from his collar. He put his hands on his hips and angrily pointed his fingertips at Lin Mo's forehead.

His blood-red eyes were full of annoyance.

Lin Mo raised his hand and used his sleeve to wipe the splattered dirt off his face.

Her voice was slightly hoarse from thirst, but remained calm: "It's okay, I'm not tired."

"You're not tired, but I am!"

Yin Xue rolled her eyes and flapped her little wings irritably a few times.

"I'm telling you, you're practically the ruler of Beicheng now! Any normal person who gets that position would be itching to jump into the city lord's mansion and wreak havoc. But you, you didn't even stay a day long before turning around and throwing yourself into this godforsaken ravine! I was still thinking about that gold-trimmed bed in the city lord's mansion! And what happened? I'm sleeping on rocks with you every day!"

Lin Mo ignored her complaints; those things had never even crossed his mind.

With a slight thought, he brought up his attribute panel, and a pale blue light screen clearly appeared in his consciousness:

Name: Lin Mo

[Level: 29]

【Body: 9926】

[Agility: 9926]

【Spirit: 9926】

Free attribute points: 1450

[Skills: Mirror Image, Double Strike, Steel Sword]

In just three days, I went from level 25 to level 29, and all my attributes increased by nearly 4,000 points!

I've also accumulated over a thousand free attribute points.

This efficiency is terrifying, an improvement that countless adventurers could not achieve in years or even decades.

This is also thanks to the Black Sword's Soul Absorption and the passive enhancement of [Sword Steel].

His combat power, far exceeding that of others of the same level, allowed him to frequently kill opponents of higher levels.

His gaze lingered on the level column for a moment.

Level 29.

We're not far from reaching level 30.

Thinking this, he silently closed the panel and looked into the cave halfway up the hill in front of him.

The last beast king in the territory of Mingbei City is entrenched there.

Level 39 Fierce Claw Lion.

He stood up and patted the dust off his bottom.

"Break over, time to continue."

He gripped the black sword at his waist and strode towards the mountain.

Along the way, there were scattered fragments of various monster corpses.

These are all the work of clones and ghosts.

Lin Mo quickly arrived at the cave.

Standing at the entrance of the cave and looking inside, all you can see is a pitch-black void.

The opening is extremely large.

The cave walls were dark red, and the surrounding temperature was noticeably higher.

The air was filled with the stench of sulfur and the distinctive odor of wild animal dens.

Just as Lin Mo stepped into the scene of alternating light and shadow—

roar--!!!

A deep, violent lion's roar exploded overhead without warning!

At the same time, a sharp, crimson claw, as red as a branding iron, swooped down from the shadows of the cave wall with a terrifying speed far exceeding that of an ordinary level 39 monster, aiming straight for Lin Mo's back!

Sneak attack!

Moreover, the timing and angle were extremely cunning and ruthless!

This fierce lion with its claws possesses such patience and fighting wisdom!

Lurking in blind spots, waiting for prey to enter the best attack position!

The crimson claws arrived in an instant, wreathed in scorching and violent fire element, enough to easily tear through the armor and body of a powerhouse of the same level!

however--

bass! ! !

A piercing metallic scraping sound, accompanied by dazzling sparks, exploded in the dim cave!

The anticipated scene of carnage and bloodshed did not materialize.

Lin Mo didn't even turn around or dodge.

The powerful claws, capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, gripped firmly onto the cloak and clothes on his back.

The black cloak was torn with a large hole, but that was all.

Lin Mo's back, where he was attacked, didn't even have a white mark left.

His body didn't even sway.

【Sword Steel】has accumulated terrifying defensive power to date, combined with his physical attributes of nearly 10,000.

This made the level 39 Beastmaster's charged sneak attack a joke.

For the first time, a human-like look of astonishment and disbelief appeared in the fierce lion's eyes.

Its "fierce claws," which it was so proud of and had torn apart countless prey and enemies, actually... didn't even scratch the skin?

Lin Mo then slowly turned around and looked up at the giant lion hanging on the rock wall.

His gaze beneath the hood was calm and unwavering, as if he hadn't just been attacked.

He slowly raised his right hand and grasped the hilt of the black sword.

"Next,"

He spoke softly, his voice echoing in the empty cave.

"It's my turn."