I Leveled Up Alone

Lin Mo reached out his hand, and Yin Xue carefully placed the dark red energy in his palm.

The energy wasn't scorching; instead, it had a chilling, cold feel to it.

It seemed to wriggle, stretch, and coalesce in his hands as if it were alive.

Ultimately, it took the form of a long sword that was entirely black.

The sword was dull and lifeless, as if it could absorb all the light around it.

There are no ornate decorations, only a minimalist and brutally beautiful aesthetic.

The hilt was cool to the touch, yet it fit perfectly in my hand.

"Here it is."

Yin Xue flapped his wings and explained from the side, his tone tinged with uncertainty.

"Well... this thing... it's said to be a magical weapon created by the previous... no, wait, the one before that... anyway, a long time ago by a somewhat deranged demon king, modeled after the Holy Armor of Light. But apart from the hero, no one else can use it, so nobody knows exactly what its effects are."

She spread her hands, "Perfect, let me show you how it goes. How is it? Is it easy to handle?"

Just as Lin Mo gripped the hilt of the sword, a peculiar suction force, which only he could perceive, emanated from the blade.

The suction force wasn't directed at any physical objects, but rather at the bodies of the recently deceased priests and Father Lind on the ground.

More precisely, it's aimed at their fading souls!

One after another, pale blue phantoms, invisible to ordinary people, were forcibly pulled from the corpses, filled with terror and bewilderment.

As if drawn into a vortex, it plunged into the pitch-black blade and vanished.

At the same time, Lin Mo sensed something and immediately silently ordered the panel to be opened.

Name: Lin Mo

[Level: 4]

[Physical body: 40→70] (+30)

[Agility: 40→70] (+30)

[Spirit: 40→70] (+30)

Free attribute points: 40

[Skills: None]

For each soul he absorbs, all his attributes increase by 2 points!

The 15 people who just died directly pushed his three basic attributes from 40 to 70!

A sense of power far more pronounced than during the previous upgrade surged through his entire body.

The fatigue was largely dispelled, and even my senses seemed to become more acute.

"Hey! What are you spacing out for?"

Yin Xue floated in front of him, waved her small hand, and interrupted his shock, "What's this thing like? Does it feel special?"

Lin Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

This weapon's ability to absorb souls and strengthen itself is too bizarre and powerful to be easily exposed.

This little devil in front of us is unpredictable; we must keep a backup plan.

He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and kept a straight face.

He simply swung the black longsword casually.

The sword's edge sliced ​​through the air, emitting a low, mournful sound.

"Hmm, not bad, it's quite easy to use."

He responded in a flat tone, as if he had only received a fairly useful ordinary weapon.

Yin Xue looked him and Black Sword suspiciously for a few moments, but couldn't see anything special, so he lost interest and started giving orders.

"Stop standing there! Quickly search these guys for anything valuable! This Demon King has just been resurrected and needs to replenish his energy. You also need to eat and stay in a hotel, right?"

Lin Mo remained silent and began to search the bodies one by one.

The process was uncomfortable, but he forced himself to ignore it.

In the end, he scavenged a dozen or so coins that gleamed with a dull gold light from Father Lind and the other priests.

"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect these poor priests to be quite rich."

Yin Xue looked at the gold coins in Lin Mo's palm with some surprise.

Then, realizing that Lin Mo might not understand the value, he explained it based on the memories he had read.

"The purchasing power of one gold coin here is roughly equivalent to one hundred RMB in your world. These dozen or so are enough for us to find a decent hotel, get a good night's sleep, and have a few good meals."

She flew over Father Linde's frozen, astonished corpse and kicked his robe: "It seems they really went all out for this summoning. They were probably hoping to get a large subsidy by introducing you to the city lord. Too bad, they lost more than they gained."

Lin Mo carefully put the gold coins away; the cold metallic touch reassured him somewhat.

At least, we have the initial funding.

He carried his black longsword and looked around the church, which reeked of blood and resembled a hellish place.

Outside the window, the sky seemed to be getting dark; was it already evening?

"Let's go."

Lin Mo said to Yin Xue in a low voice, "Find a place to stay."

He must adapt to this world as quickly as possible, and then... begin his path to leveling up.

For that extravagant hope of just one glimpse, for that brief possibility of returning.

Yin Xue chuckled, transformed into a streak of red light, and slipped into Lin Mo's collar, leaving only a small head peeking out.

"Turn right after you leave, find a tavern first. This demon king has just been resurrected and needs a good night's sleep."

Lin Mo took one last look at the corpse and pool of blood on the ground, and took a deep breath.

Push open that heavy church door.

The streets of Saint Wood City were particularly deserted at dusk.

Most of the houses on both sides of the stone-paved road had their windows closed, with only a few shops letting out a dim, yellowish light.

Occasionally, a person wearing leather armor would hurry by, casting a wary glance before quickly disappearing into the alleyway.

Following the instructions of the blood hidden in his collar, where only a small head was visible.

Lin Mo turned a few corners and came to a tavern with a wooden sign.

The sign features an abstract swan, and below it, in the common mainland language, is written "Velvet Tavern".

Pushing open the door, a pungent smell of beer, sweat, and barbecue hit you, a stark contrast to the deserted street outside.

The tavern was dimly lit and noisy.

A dozen or so burly men and women, dressed in various armors and bearing scars, sat around a wooden table, talking loudly and drinking heavily.

Some were already flushed from drinking, snoring loudly on the table, while others simply passed out on the floor, ignored by everyone.

"See that?"

Yin Xue's soft voice rang in his ears, tinged with smugness.

"These are all adventurers; they make a living by taking on commissions and hunting monsters outside the city."

Lin Mo frowned: "If we already have these adventurers, why summon a hero?"

Yin Xue's voice was somewhat languid this time: "Because heroes gain more experience points from killing monsters, the cost of training an adventurer is far higher than directly summoning a hero. Unless an adventurer has extremely high talent, they have no chance of catching up with a hero."

Lin Mo nodded silently and noted down the information.

It seems that in this world, it's not only the brave who can become strong.

This gave him a rougher understanding of the power system in this world.

He didn't linger in the noisy lobby, but went straight to the bar.

The tavern owner was a bald, burly man wearing a greasy apron and wiping glasses.

When he saw Lin Mo, his hand movements visibly paused.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

No wonder Lin Mo looked so terrifying: his clothes were covered in large patches of dark red blood that hadn't completely dried, and he was holding an incongruous, jet-black longsword.

"A single room, one night, and please provide me with a change of clothes."

Lin Mo ignored the boss's gaze and placed the two gold coins directly on the bar counter in a hoarse voice.

The boss looked at the gold coins, then at Lin Mo.

Without any further ado, he pulled out a brass key from behind his back and pushed it over: "Second floor, the innermost room."

Lin Mo picked up the keys, ignoring the probing gazes behind him, and quickly went upstairs.

The room was very simple, with just a hard bed, a wooden table, and a chair.

But at least it's clean, and the soundproofing seems pretty good; the noise downstairs has become indistinct.

At this moment, Yin Xue flew out from his collar and stretched: "I'm exhausted! I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Seemingly remembering something, she said to Lin Mo, "Tomorrow morning, we'll head out from the west of the city. That area is near the outskirts of the Dark Forest, where there are quite a few low-level monsters. With me, the Demon King, leading you, you'll level up at least three levels tomorrow!"

She was busy planning her name, then yawned, turned into a red light, and crawled directly into the only pillow on the bed.

Lin Mo leaned the black sword against the bedside and casually washed the bloodstains off his body.

After everything was done, Yin Xue was already fast asleep.

But Lin Mo had no desire to sleep at all.

He subconsciously touched the inside pocket of his coat, his fingertips brushing against the familiar edge of a piece of paper.

He suddenly pulled out the neatly folded sheets of paper.

Clinical Diagnosis: Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

The bold font was still glaringly bright even in the dim light.

He could practically recite those cold, hard data and metrics from memory.

My heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand; my mom was waiting.

Every second we delay here increases the danger to Mom.

Sleep? How could I possibly sleep!

Soon the boss brought over a change of clothes; it was a set of linen clothes that looked very simple.

Lin Mo didn't complain and changed into the clothes directly.

Then, glancing at the already sleeping Yin Xue, he quietly opened the door and went out.

The pub downstairs remained noisy, and no one noticed the strange guest's return.

Lin Mo avoided the crowd and walked briskly towards the west of the city, following the direction Yin Xue had mentioned in his memory.