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Chapter 79: 019: It’s you, right!
A few minutes later.
"Thud!"
The Giant Troll Apprentice fell to the ground with empty eyes, his neck twisted and broken, his face contorted as if he had endured an unimaginable torment.
The Giant Bloodline indeed excelled in physical defense, but in terms of spiritual defense, it left much to be desired. Lynch, with his mastery of [Hypnosis], easily pried open his mouth and obtained the information he wanted.
"An ambush..." Lynch furrowed his brow.
According to the Giant Troll Apprentice, they were sent by the Wizard Tower to support the Shadow Swamp Apprentices here. But judging by the timing of their deployment and the arrangement of their actions, it seemed more like they were deliberately sent to ambush them.
"Has the information been leaked?"
"No..."
"Perhaps this is a trap from the very beginning!"
Considering the entire sequence of events, it looked more like this Shadow Swamp group was used as bait to lure them. But what would be the purpose of such an elaborate scheme? Who would bother going to such lengths just for these few apprentices?
"The Ausen Giant Python..."
Originally, Lynch thought the large-scale military mobilization to hunt down the Shadow Swamp Apprentices was already excessive, but he didn’t expect these Black Wizards to be equally resolute in their actions.
A force consisting of an Ausen Giant Python equivalent to a High-level Apprentice, over ten Low-level and Mid-level Apprentices, and numerous followers.
This was the combined strength Lynch had just learned about from the other side. Such power... to put it bluntly, in the human world, it would be enough to annihilate a medium to large noble domain, or even a small nation lacking high-tier combat forces.
"As expected, I knew it..." Lynch chuckled bitterly, unsure whether to feel gratified by his accurate instincts or dismayed by the reality.
"Now’s not the time for emotion—think about how to deal with this..."
For a fleeting moment, Lynch wanted to leave this place quickly, to escape far away from the trouble here.
But upon further reflection, where could he escape to? This isolated island surrounded by seas offered no viable escape route for him alone. Even if he pressured the sailors to abandon the others and flee, what then?
Should he return to the Tower clad in disgrace, branded a coward, to await judgment? Or should he wander as a Grey Wizard for the rest of his days? And even if he returned to the Tower, could he ensure that he wouldn’t face similar situations at other posts after turning thirty?
As a Grey Wizard, would he truly be able to cultivate peacefully for the rest of his life without getting caught in any power struggle?
In the end, this wasn’t the human world where disputes at a late-night diner culminated in a mere exchange of curses anymore. This was a real, savage jungle.
Survival of the fittest—simply avoiding problems wouldn’t resolve them. It was time to face them head-on.
"Then bring it on!"
Perhaps he indeed had grown. Lynch didn’t exhibit the same level of panic as last time when confronted with danger. Having made his decision, he quickly scavenged a few of the fallen bodies for useful items and then wielded the Fearless Great Sword, heading swiftly toward the island’s center.
Along the way, Lynch analyzed the situation rapidly and pondered strategies.
The Ausen Giant Python was not an easy adversary to deal with. Lynch had never faced a magical creature of High-level Apprentice rank before—not surprising, given that he had only recently advanced to Mid-level Apprentice. Prior to this, the disparity in strength meant he wouldn’t deliberately seek out deadly trouble.
Although his power still lagged behind, he took comfort in the fact that the Ausen Giant Python wasn’t a sentient species. Along with his sufficient understanding of such creatures, Lynch believed he had a certain chance of winning in a real fight—perhaps even a favorable probability.
However, this depended on a one-on-one encounter. If he had to face the crowd of Middle and Low-level Apprentices and their followers as well... it would truly be a mismatch.
"I need to act quickly!"
Reflecting on Avery and the others’ likely precarious situation, Lynch quickened his pace. If they perished and left him alone... the problem would grow exponentially worse...
"Die for me!"
As he approached the island’s center, a suppressed roar echoed from the woods up ahead, accompanied by the sounds of combat.
"That voice... is it Lucas?"
Lynch’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly. Although he neither liked nor was fond of the noble brat, at least this proved Lucas was alive, sparing Lynch from battling hordes of Black Wizards alone.
Maneuvering deftly through the jungle, Lynch soon reached the source of the noise—a valley, where a few silhouettes were faintly visible engaged in fierce combat on a riverbank.
Lynch didn’t recklessly charge in. Instead, he leaped up into a nearby tree to observe the situation first.
On the riverbank, Lucas was in dire straits. His soldiers and knights lay dead in heaps, leaving him the only one still standing.
Surrounding him were one Mid-level Apprentice, two Low-level Apprentices, and over a dozen human followers.
The gap in power was monumental. Lucas was barely hanging on with the aid of a magic spell.
The spell seemed to belong to the Bloodline system, granting Lucas some kind of enhanced physical state. Lynch noticed Lucas’s physique had more than doubled in size; his upper garments were torn apart, revealing rugged, bulging muscles.
The gem-studded magic wand was nowhere to be seen, replaced by spiked metallic gauntlets adorned with gems identical to those previously on the wand—was this a transformation of the wand?
Like a miniature giant, every punch Lucas swung carried immense force, sending trees flying and shattering boulders. His gauntlets were clearly extraordinary; whenever he punched, the gems emitted glows, releasing Wind Blades.
Thanks to this formidable strength, Lucas surprisingly managed to hold his ground against the crowd, even showing subtle signs of breaking through and escaping.
"Hehehe, little mouse, what are you staring at?"
Intensely focused on Lucas’s fierce struggle, Lynch abruptly heard a sinister voice behind him. In the next instant, a sharp Elemental Fluctuation surged toward him—a swift Wind Blade!
Lynch tilted his head to the side, casually dodging the Wind Blade. However, this sudden movement also revealed his position to everyone.
"Oh my, luck seems to be on your side," sneered the Apprentice who cast the Wind Blade.
Lynch glanced at him—he appeared to be of Low-level Apprentice rank. Lynch couldn’t make out his facial features clearly but noticed a Crystal Ball in his hand, flickering faintly with light, likely a decent Magic Item.
"Lynch!"
Lucas exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?!"
Lynch leapt down from the tree.
Lucas was evidently furious, his tone aggressive: "Damn it, didn’t I tell you to stay on the ship? What the hell are you doing here?"
His anger was not unwarranted. If he were alone, there was still a slim chance he could fight his way out and regroup with Avery and the others. But dragging Lynch, a perceived liability, along reduced his odds to zero.
Should he abandon Lynch to save himself? Would he ever have the face to return to the Tower afterward?
Lucas had no answers to these questions.
But soon, he realized he wouldn’t need to think about it anymore—because his brain shut down entirely...
"Be quiet."
Fed up with Lucas’s ranting, Lynch curtly silenced him. Without indulging further conversation, he gripped the Great Sword tightly, leaping toward the enemy ahead.
His movement was astonishingly swift, like a forest predator, soaring high before spinning 360 degrees in mid-air to strike at a man below.
The man’s skin, seemingly enhanced through some cellular transplant, looked nearly as tough as stone under tension—he had previously taken a direct punch from Lucas without injury.
Yet, faced with Lynch’s descending blade, he had no time to react. With a resounding "crack," his body was bisected like a shattered stone, cut cleanly in half by Lynch.
"A Knight!"
Seeing the silver glow on Lynch’s blade, the Blood Origin Cult apprentice’s expression grew serious. Although Knights were merely mortal beings, they still posed a substantial threat among apprentices.
One of the Low-level apprentices quickly raised both hands, reaching across a distance to grab at Lynch. This apprentice specialized in the Plant system—his outstretched arms elongated into thorn-covered vines, whipping toward Lynch like barbed whips.
0-ring Low-level Spell: Poisonous Thorns.
Most Knights would struggle against such bizarre vines; hacking away would only cause an endless surge, and even a small nick in the skin could lead to poisoning and incapacitation.
But for someone well-versed in the transcendent world, especially a Transcendent like Lynch, this posed little challenge.
Faced with the invasive vines, Lynch calmly plunged his Great Sword into the ground. The blade served as both shield and weapon as flames erupted from it, engulfing the vines and burning them rapidly.
0-ring Low-level Spell: Flame Entanglement.
The apprentice’s face shifted dramatically as he hurried to retract his spell. The elemental dominance of Flame over Plant was too well-known, akin to natural enemies.
Before he could, however, Lynch had already closed the distance, thrusting his flaming sword toward him.
"Baze, watch out!"
The other Low-level apprentice tried to assist, unleashing a Wind Blade toward Lynch. But a sudden Clay Wall surged from the ground, intercepting the Wind Blade completely.
0-ring Low-level Spell: Clay Wall.
Before the second apprentice could react, another Wind Blade emerged from behind the wall and slashed across his body with a "pfft," leaving a massive wound. If not for his modified body cells, he might have been cleaved in half.
Meanwhile, the first apprentice had been split into two.
The Blood Origin Cult apprentices froze in disbelief.
Typically, apprentices at this level mastered one or two spells within a single branch—a remarkable feat in itself. Yet here was this unknown apprentice deploying Flame, Wind, and Clay spells in rapid succession, spanning three different systems!
What was this? A monster?!
That question would remain unanswered as the "monster" charged toward them.
A few minutes later...
Three Low-level apprentices, one Mid-level apprentice, and over a dozen modified human followers lay scattered lifeless on the ground.
Spiritual Power is the source of Wizard Power, but spells manifest its true strength.
Between an apprentice who mastered one or two spells versus one who mastered twenty or thirty, the gap in power was nothing short of divine retribution.
"Rustle!~"
Standing amidst the corpses, Lynch wiped the blood from his blade with an impassive expression, the night wind ruffling his dark hair.
Compared to the discomfort of his first kill years ago, he now faced death with equanimity, even indulging in a faint sense of release.
Could it be that I’m a psychopath? A latent murderer?
The thought struck Lynch unexpectedly.
"Lynch..."
A voice called out—it was Lucas, clearly shaken.
Taking a deep breath, Lucas asked in sheer astonishment, "That Shadow Sword!"
"It’s you, isn’t it!"
