Chapter 125: Have You Heard of the Rain of Pear Blossom Needles?

The next morning.

Lin Mo opened his eyes half-asleep.

He had slept particularly well.

Mainly because he'd dealt with that Ying Kingdom spy yesterday, and the anger inside him had finally been released.

Once that thought cleared, his sleep quality naturally soared.

"Phew…"

"Let's see if the little guys worked hard last night."

Lin Mo sat up on the bed and called up his panel.

Seeing it, he froze.

【Level: Lv. 6 (35%)】

"Huh? Level 26 already?"

One night, one level up?

This efficiency is way higher than the day before yesterday.

What's going on?

Puzzled, Lin Mo opened the 【Battle Log】.

【Your skill 'Fireball' in the wild 'Black Wind Ridge' area used 'Multiple Exploding Fireballs' to destroy a goblin camp, and left a note: Useless green-skinned dwarves.】

【Your skill 'Fireball' in the 'Wild Boar Forest' area used 'Flame Pillar' and 'Flame Storm' to clear hundreds of wild boars, and left a note: All useless, not one worth fighting.】

【Your skill 'Lightning Strike' in the 'Dark Marsh' area used 'Thunder Inferno' and 'Lightning Strike', killing one at a time, swiftly wiping out an entire nest of crocodiles.】

【Your skills 'Fireball' and 'Lightning Strike' met in the wild, exchanged glances, and decided to hold a friendly monster-hunting race. Wherever they passed, not a blade of grass remained.】

【Your skill 'Earth Shield' watched its elder brother and third brother go wild, and decided to come home and sleep.】

After reading the log, Lin Mo also froze.

Damn.

No wonder the leveling efficiency jumped—so Little Thunder and Little Earth finally got swept up in the hustle, huh?

Looks like yesterday's 'Elemental Avatar' pie I drew really worked wonders!

But why did Little Earth come back to sleep so soon?

Just then,

【'Earth Shield' voice sounded groggy from sleep: Master, good morning! Did you have a nice dream last night?】

"Looks like you slept well."

Lin Mo asked inwardly:

"What's going on?"

"Your elder brother and third brother went all-out last night, but you wandered less than an hour, stabbed one rabbit, and came back to sleep?"

"Don't you want your avatar anymore? Or are you no longer 'Mighty Second Brother'?"

Hearing Lin Mo's accusation,

'Earth Shield' instantly felt wronged.

【'Earth Shield' with a sob: Master! It's not fair! I want to hustle too! But… but I can't!】

"Why can't you?"

Lin Mo asked.

【'Earth Shield': Master, look—when it comes to clearing monsters, Elder Brother is a walking artillery platform; one toss and a sea of fire.】

【Third Brother's chain lightning is insane—ziiip, a whole group drops dead; even if they don't die, his Lightning Strike kills one by one, fast as hell.】

【What about me?】

【My 'Earth Spike' damage doesn't even match the basic Fireball or Lightning Strike of Elder Brother and Third Brother.】

【'Dead Thorn Rock Spear' is strong—one spear, one kid—but the cooldown is way too long!】

【The most useful is 'Earthquake', but… Master, didn't you teach us to be low-key? To stay under the radar?】

'Earth Shield' grew more and more aggrieved:

【'Earthquake' is way too noisy—it shakes like an earthquake! At this hour of night, I thought it'd be inappropriate.】

【I thought it over, and to avoid causing trouble for Master, I just came back to sleep…】

After hearing 'Earth Shield's tearful explanation,

Lin Mo finally understood.

It seemed…

There was some truth to it?

Little Earth's only attack skill with decent efficiency was 'Earthquake'.

But that move really shouldn't be used.

A midnight earthquake at Jingda? That'd be a bad look.

So ultimately, Little Earth still lacked a conventional area-of-effect attack.

Lin Mo fell into thought.

He was the boss—he had to solve his employees' problems, so they could work harder for him, right?

"Little Earth."

【'Earth Shield': Master, I'm here.】

"If you feel your skills are lacking, then use your brain."

"Who says earth-based attacks must shake the earth?"

"Can't you awaken a technique that's quiet, yet fast and devastating—something with area damage?"

【'Earth Shield': Huh? Quiet? Area damage? Fast and brutal? Master, you're making earth suffer…】

【Master, do you have any ideas? Teach me quick!】

"Uh…"

Lin Mo sat on the bed, thinking.

The form of 'Dead Thorn Rock Spear' flashed through his mind.

Suddenly,

a word surfaced in Lin Mo's mind.

His eyes lit up—he snapped his fingers:

"Got it!"

"Rain of Pear Blossom Needles!"

【'Earth Shield': What? Abalone what needles? Master, are you going to eat seafood?】

"Eat what? I said Rain of Pear Blossom Needles!"

Lin Mo corrected him irritably.

Then he explained:

"Think about it—if you can condense one Dead Thorn Rock Spear, why not condense thousands upon thousands?"

"Even if each is weaker, the sheer number makes up for it!"

"Imagine—wave your hand, and a sky full of rock spears! Covering everything! Wouldn't that wipe out whole groups at once?"

Listening to Lin Mo's description,

'Earth Shield' was struck with profound awe.

【'Earth Shield' murmured: Tens of thousands? Master… that's impossible. I'm already drained forming just one—how could I make so many at once? I'd have a stroke!】

Lin Mo shrugged:

"Then that's your problem to solve."

"I've shown you the method. Whether you can master it, whether you can catch up to your elder brother and third brother, whether you can get your elemental avatar soon…"

"It all depends on how hard you work."

"Alright, figure it out yourself—I'm going to freshen up."

【'Earth Shield' stood stunned for a moment, then erupted with unprecedented determination: No! I'll catch up to Elder Brother and Third Brother! I want my avatar too!】

【That abalone needle thing… I'm going to figure it out right now!】

【Your skill 'Earth Shield' has been stimulated and entered the Deduction State…】

Watching 'Earth Shield' reignite its drive, Lin Mo smiled in satisfaction.

Fortunately, his skills were easy to deceive.

Lin Mo whistled, flipped off the bed, and hummed a tune as he walked into the bathroom.

…

Inside the bathroom.

"Gurgle… pfft!"

Lin Mo looked at himself in the mirror—his hair was messy, but he was undeniably handsome.

Just then,

Ding-dong—

The villa's doorbell rang.

Lin Mo froze.

"Who is it so early in the morning?"

He casually tapped open a smart control panel and brought up the surveillance feed at the front gate.

Outside the villa's iron gate stood two boys.

One wore a perfectly tailored white casual suit, his hair combed immaculately, his face bearing the unmistakable confidence of a scion from a prominent family.

The other was a burly man, broad-shouldered and menacing, looking nothing like a student.

"Don't recognize them..."

Lin Mo frowned and pressed the intercom button.

"Who is it?"

The boy in the white suit straightened slightly and smiled elegantly at the camera.

"Hello, Lin Mo. I'm Ye Kong."

Ye Kong?

Lin Mo thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.

"Oh..."

"So you're the second one."

"..."

Outside, Ye Kong's smile froze instantly.

What the hell is "the second one"?

Sure, I'm ranked second, but can you not call me that... in such a weird way?

Ye Kong took a deep breath and forced himself to maintain his composure.

"Lin Mo, you're quite humorous."

"Would it be possible to open the gate? I'd like to speak with you about something."

"Sure, come in."

Lin Mo tapped to unlock.