Chapter 26: Elemental Sensitivity

In the center of the Lin family’s temporary camp.

Lin Mo lay half-reclined on a soft bed, two plump latex pillows propped behind him.

“Young Master, the chilled purple crystal grapes just air-freighted in—I’ve peeled them all for you, try some~”

Beside him, a lace-clad maid knelt on the bed’s edge, pinching a glistening, translucent grape and gently offering it to Lin Mo’s lips.

Lin Mo opened his mouth and took the grape.

“Mmm~ Good, sweet—deserves a reward!”

Saying this, Lin Mo casually pulled out several hundred-yuan bills from his pocket.

The maid’s eyes flickered with delight.

“Thank you, Young Master! You’re so kind—I’ll peel grapes for you every day from now on~”

Lin Mo felt the soft pressure against his arm and couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

Decadence…

So damn decadent—this cursed capitalist stench of luxury… so delicious!

[Earth Shield] trembled violently: Master, I still think this is too dangerous—it’s a monster tide after all! Why don’t we just go home?

Before Lin Mo could respond, the fiery temper erupted.

[Fireball] spat angrily: Go home? Are you kidding? There’s food, drink, beautiful girls, and monsters to kill—this is heaven! Why go home?

[Earth Shield]: But…

“Enough, little Earth.”

Before [Earth Shield] could speak, Lin Mo soothed: “Relax—everyone here is mine. A mere monster tide? Nothing to worry about.”

At that moment,

Ye Hongyu strode over, followed by Shi Tou and Ah Hu.

Seeing Lin Mo leisurely eating grapes, the three said nothing.

After all, in their eyes, Lin Mo’s talent was unprecedented.

In this world, strength meant everything.

True experts, their talent and power granting them calmness and confidence.

The Young Master’s current relaxed, indulgent posture, to them, was not the laziness of a spoiled heir—but confidence born of absolute talent.

“Young Master.”

Ye Hongyu bowed slightly, reporting with serious expression: “The reconnaissance unit just sent back new intelligence.”

As she spoke, Ye Hongyu opened the electronic map in her hand.

“Young Master, according to detection, monsters within a several-hundred-kilometer radius are converging here—levels range from Lv.10 to Lv.40, with great variety.”

“The first to arrive will be low-level monsters from nearby areas, levels from 1 to 10.”

“Later, some bigger ones will come—like Lv.25 ‘Raging Giant Bear,’ Lv.30 ‘Venomous Flying Snake’…”

Here, Ye Hongyu paused and drew a circle on the map:

“We’ve confirmed the last to arrive will be this area—Lv.35 to Lv.40 ‘Thunderstorm Wind Eagles.’”

“These are high-level flying beasts from the northern Thundercloud Peak—extremely fast, with lightning-based ranged attacks, and relatively hard to handle.”

“Once they appear, the Boss should spawn soon after.”

At his side, Shi Tou stepped forward and added:

“Young Master, killing monsters more than ten levels above you causes experience gain to decay.”

Shi Tou counted on his fingers:

“Meaning, once those Lv.25 monsters come—especially the Lv.40 Storm Eagles…”

“Even if you kill them, the experience you gain will be negligible—terrible value.”

“And…”

Shi Tou hesitated, then gently added:

“And given the level gap, it’ll be hard for you to land effective damage on them.”

At this, Ye Hongyu took over:

“Young Master, for the early waves—monsters below Lv.35—we’ll weaken them and send them to you for harvesting, helping you level up fast.”

“But when the high-level flying monsters arrive, our top priority is to kill them outright—to ensure your absolute safety!”

Lin Mo listened, then nodded thoughtfully.

True.

The final flying beasts were too high in level—forcing feed would be dangerous.

The level gap was too wide—even if they were down to a sliver of HP, he might not even break their defense to finish them.

“Alright, I trust you—safety first.”

Lin Mo had no objections.

Ye Hongyu paused, then spoke again:

“Young Master, besides the monster tide, the most critical thing is the Boss that will definitely spawn!”

“According to HQ’s calculations, this Boss’s level should be between 25 and 40.”

“Even with experience decay, if you alone claim the entire Boss’s experience, it’s still a massive amount.”

“If we can find and secure it before the Zhao family does, your level could reach 16—or even 17…”

Hearing this, Lin Mo’s eyes lit up.

In past exams, most careerists were around Lv.10; only a few reached Lv.13 to 15.

If he reached Lv.16…

He could dominate the exam arena.

“So how do we find this Boss?”

Lin Mo asked curiously.

Ye Hongyu explained: “Usually, it’s pure luck—or waiting for a grid search.”

“But… it also depends on the Boss’s element.”

“If it’s an Earth-type Boss, Shi Tou, as an S-rank Earth-affinity mage, can sense and lock its position immediately.”

“Similarly, if it’s Fire-type, Zhao Yu from the Zhao family can sense it too.”

“So it’s not just about strength—it’s also about luck.”

Lin Mo suddenly understood.

So it’s about elemental sensitivity.

Then… as a “blank” mage, wasn’t he just blind?

Not quite…

Lin Mo instinctively glanced at his skill bar.

That little Fireball—though prickly—its sensing ability… seemed sharper than a dog’s nose.

And that cowardly little Earth Shield—desperate to survive, its environmental awareness was downright pathological.

If it came down to sensing…

He wasn’t as helpless as he thought.

At that moment,

An aide sprinted over, saluted, and reported:

“Report, Captain Ye! The first monster wave has reached three kilometers ahead—mostly Steppe Wolves and Fang Rabbits!”

Ye Hongyu’s expression hardened instantly, shifting into combat mode.

She turned to Ah Hu and Shi Tou and ordered:

“Execute original plan—Shi Tou, take a squad to the east; Ah Hu, take a squad to the west; I’ll stay here to protect the Young Master.”

“If you spot the Boss, signal immediately!”

“Yes! Mission guaranteed!”

The group shouted in unison, then hurried off.

The once-crowded camp now held only Lin Mo, a few personal maids, and Ye Hongyu.

Ye Hongyu said nothing—she drew her short knife and took position at the camp entrance, waiting for her troops to deliver the wounded monsters.

[Fireball] could no longer contain itself, roaring with excitement: Finally! So awesome! Last night we slaughtered our fill—today more monsters line up to die! And a feast awaits! This is real life!

[Fireball] felt it was the happiest skill in the world! Becoming a Forbidden Spell was just around the corner! This time, I picked the right master!

[Earth Shield] trembled nearby: Madman… a real madman. So many monsters—what if they break through?

[Fireball] sneered: You don’t understand! Killing is the ladder of evolution!

“Little Fire, since you’re so happy, how about calling me Dad again?”

Lin Mo once again felt the urge to tease Fireball.

[Fireball] froze instantly.

[Fireball] struggled internally: …That’s too much! Didn’t I already call you that last night? I have dignity too!

“Oh? You have dignity?”

Lin Mo thought for a moment and said: “How about stir-fried shredded potatoes tonight? Haven’t had any in a long time.”

[Earth Shield] rejoiced: Yes! I love potatoes!

[Fireball]: …

Two seconds later.

A voice filled with humiliation rang out.

【『Fireball Spell』: ...Dad... Daddy.】