88: Chapter 88 Misty City! The Masked Man?

In Mist City.

The moment Lin Mo opened his eyes, he discovered that he was surrounded by thick, impenetrable gray fog.

This did not seem like ordinary fog; inhaling it into his lungs brought with it a scent of decay mixed with a faint smell of disinfectant.

He could even faintly hear soft, fragmented murmurs in his ears.

Visibility of the surrounding scenery was extremely low, and Lin Mo could only vaguely determine that they seemed to be on a street.

His gaze soon landed on a dust-covered sign.

"Sakura Empire characters?"

Jiang Mengxi spoke up from the side, "Mist City was originally one of the cities of the Sakura Empire. It was not originally called by this name, but after it fell during the Abyss invasion, it was shrouded in fog year-round, and it was only later that it came to be called Mist City."

Seeing Jiang Mengxi take the initiative to explain things to the newcomers, her other teammates all cast surprised looks in her direction.

Jiang Mengxi continued, "The area we teleported into should be safe for now. Let's take this time to introduce ourselves, which will make it easier to coordinate later. Jiang Mengxi, Tier 2, Stage 9, SSS-rank Sword Immortal. You guys introduce yourselves; I... still cannot remember your names..."

Her teammates were clearly already used to Jiang Mengxi not being able to remember people's names.

The purple-haired girl who had been worried about the team selection earlier said with a giggle, "Luo Siyue, Tier 2, Stage 5, S-rank slacker Elf Summoner."

Another man with a full beard said, "Ma Qian, Tier 2, Stage 4, S-rank support class Spirit Thinker."

"My name is Shi Lei, Tier 2, Stage 5, S-rank tank class Armored Giant."

Upon hearing this class, Lin Mo could not help but take a few extra looks at him.

Shi Lei looked somewhat honest and simple, but his broad, thick build certainly made people feel a sense of security.

The last person was a loli who looked quite young.

Being watched by everyone, she seemed a bit embarrassed; her personality was actually somewhat similar to Su Youwei's.

"My name is Wang Sisi, Tier 2, Stage 7, SSS-rank class Elemental Holy Spirit."

Lin Mo, Gu Rongyu, and Song Cheng all looked at her in surprise.

An SSS-rank Elemental Holy Spirit—this was a legendary Magic God! It is said that upon reaching above Tier 9, one can advance to become an Elemental Goddess! They are beings capable of casually casting forbidden spells.

Unexpectedly, within Jiang Mengxi's team, there were actually two SSS-rank classes present at the same time.

Jiang Mengxi turned to look at Gu Rongyu and the other two, "You guys should introduce yourselves too; I only knew your combat styles earlier."

Song Cheng and Gu Rongyu introduced themselves one by one, and then everyone's gaze fell upon Lin Mo.

Lin Mo said calmly, "Lin Mo, Tier 1, Stage 8, SSS-rank class Desolate Ancient Emperor."

Upon hearing the class Desolate Ancient Emperor, Jiang Mengxi's eyes narrowed.

She could not help but take a few extra looks at Lin Mo.

This was a notoriously difficult-to-level, trash class, yet Lin Mo had already reached Tier 1, Stage 8.

No wonder he was someone who could trigger her talent's warning.

The purple-haired girl, Luo Siyue, seemed to have just realized it; she let out a cry of surprise and then said excitedly, "Whoa, does that not mean our team now has four SSS-rank classes? Isn't that too luxurious?!"

Jiang Mengxi nodded, "However, everyone should not let their guard down; give me your undivided attention."

"Especially you three," Jiang Mengxi's gaze turned to Lin Mo and the others, and she said sternly, "In this trial, the vast majority of monsters should be Tier 2 or higher."

"Without my permission, your priority should be self-preservation; you must not rashly enter dangerous areas, understand?"

Song Cheng said loudly with a fanatical tone, "Understood!"

Lin Mo and Gu Rongyu also nodded slightly.

"Then let us go; first, let us explore the surrounding situation and determine our location."

Shi Lei, the Armored Giant, led the team at the very front, with Jiang Mengxi behind him.

Luo Siyue was at the back. Everyone else gathered in the middle.

Soon, Lin Mo heard some unusual movements; it seemed like some creature was rapidly approaching.

Before Lin Mo could give a warning, Jiang Mengxi had already spoken up, "Careful, monsters are coming."

A thick, putrid stench rushed into Lin Mo's nostrils.

Then, eight figures ran out from the fog.

These monsters had very sturdy builds, standing nearly two meters tall. They had humanoid shapes.

But they were not running like humans; instead, they were moving rapidly on all fours. They looked like mindless beasts.

The skin on their bodies was rough, hard, and blood-red.

There were many cracks on it, like parched, split earth, revealing the bright red flesh inside.

What caught Lin Mo's attention even more was that on their faces, there were hideous ghost-face masks fused with their flesh.

There was nothing in their eye sockets, as if their eyeballs had been gouged out by someone. Their mouths were split to the roots of their ears, revealing two rows of yellow, saw-like teeth, and bits of rotting flesh could faintly be seen between the teeth.

Not only that, a rotting, blackened tongue extended from their mouths.

As they ran and swayed, putrid liquid dripped from the tongue, making a sizzling sound on the ground.

This was exactly the source of the smell Lin Mo had sensed earlier.

The moment he saw what these monsters looked like, Lin Mo's brows instantly furrowed tightly.

Did these monsters look a bit familiar?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck his mind.

Although these monsters were not exactly the same as the Ghost-Faced Men described in the God Slayer from his past life, they were somewhat similar.

Plus the fog surrounding them...

A flash of insight struck Lin Mo's mind.

Could these be the monsters from God Slayer in his past life?

Lin Mo cast Appraisal on the closest monster.

[Ghost-Faced Men]

[Combat Level: Tier 2, Stage 1]

[Strength: 200]

[Spirit: 100]

[Agility: 230]

[Stamina: 300]

[Talent: Aberration]

[Skills: Ghost-Face Bite, Claw Tear, Putrid Deterrence]

[Aberration: Damage taken reduced by 10%, attack speed increases by 10% for every 20% of HP lost.]

[Ghost-Face Bite: Active skill, Ghost-Faced Men launch a surprise attack, teleporting in front of the target and launching a bite, dealing massive damage; if the target dies, the Ghost-Faced Men recover 30% of their HP.]

[Claw Tear: Active skill, Ghost-Faced Men swing their claws to deal physical damage twice to the target in front; the second hit inflicts a tear effect, lasting five seconds, causing the loss of 1% HP per second.]

[Putrid Deterrence: Active skill, Ghost-Faced Men open their blood-stained mouths to release a putrid aura, inflicting a deterrence effect on the target, lasting ten seconds, reducing defense by 10%.]

Lin Mo's eyes narrowed; they were actually called Ghost-Faced Men?

But Lin Mo did not have time to overthink it; at this moment, these Ghost-Faced Men had already discovered their team. Their original direction of movement abruptly shifted as they charged toward them.

The expressions of Gu Rongyu, Song Cheng, and the others instantly became tense. Lin Mo was also preparing to make a move.

However, he saw Jiang Mengxi move; the pale green sword pattern on the back of her right hand, between her thumb and index finger, suddenly emerged from her body, turning into a pale green Flying Sword.

"Go!" As soon as Jiang Mengxi's voice fell, the Flying Sword shot straight toward the Ghost-Faced Men.

Along the trajectory where the Flying Sword passed, several phantom bamboo leaves flashed by.

Swish, swish, swish!

The Flying Sword turned into a pale green afterimage, instantly piercing through the bodies of these eight Ghost-Faced Men.

These Ghost-Faced Men's figures suddenly stiffened.

Then, their bodies, as if having lost all support, slammed heavily onto the ground.

One sword, and all were killed instantly!