Chapter 117 - 025: 55 Open and 100 Percent

Chapter 117: 025: 55 Open and 100 Percent

The icy lake water instantly engulfed Avery’s entire body.

She instinctively wanted to swim upward to escape the cold water.

But before she could act, a tangle of water reeds emerged from the lakebed, wrapping around her and dragging her downward.

The lake water choked her, making it impossible to breathe, and her consciousness began to fade.

It seemed the end was near.

Just then, a few Wind Blades sliced through the icy lake surface and swiftly cut apart the reeds that had entangled her. Immediately after, before the reeds could coil around her again, a black chain wrapped around her and forcefully yanked her out of the lake.

“Cough! Cough!”

Avery collapsed onto the lakeshore, coughing violently as large amounts of lake water mixed with bits of shredded reeds spewed from her throat.

Lynch hurriedly asked, “Are you alright?”

Avery shook her head: “I’m fine.”

She then lifted her head abruptly, staring at the lake’s surface ahead.

Meanwhile, the lake water twisted and churned, piling up toward the center. Before long, it transformed into the shape of a young man.

Avery stood up, her eyes blazing with fury: “Luwa! So it really is you!”

She rebuked: “Do you even know what you’re doing? I’ve tolerated all of your past actions, but what you’re doing now is far from just a game!”

“A game?”

Luwa sneered: “Are you joking, my dear sister?”

He said coldly: “This has never been a game. It’s a life-and-death struggle!”

Avery declared: “I won’t let you go!”

Luwa unconcerned: “Say that again once you make it back to the border alive.”

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Lynch beside her, scrutinizing him from head to toe. “The report mentioned someone repeatedly messing up my plans, dragging out my game until now.”

Narrowing his eyes, his voice turned chilling: “Kid, you’re quite capable, aren’t you? Are you even aware of what you’re doing? Take my advice — stay out of matters that don’t concern you, or you won’t even know how you died!”

Lynch retorted defiantly: “You can try me.”

At this moment, he and Avery were already united in the same fight, and there was no choice about his allegiance.

Without further words, Lynch casually summoned a flurry of Wind Blades and slashed them toward the figure. The water-formed image instantly shattered into droplets.

“Good! Good, good!”

“I’ll remember you!”

Luwa shot Lynch one last venomous glare before crumbling into drops of water that fell back into the lake.

The forest resumed its earlier tranquility.

Lynch approached the lakeshore and inspected it carefully. It appeared to be a preset Magic Spell, one of a tracking nature, triggered upon meeting specific conditions. Judging by the situation, that specific condition was likely Avery herself.

He turned to Avery and asked, “Is that your brother?”

Avery nodded, her tone melancholy: “Luwa Tavendish. He and I share the same mother.”

Her eyes flickered with a trace of pain: “Until recently, he was my only true blood relative in this world. We weren’t supposed to be like this…”

Lynch frowned slightly: “Stay strong. Now’s not the time to wallow. Let’s deal with him once we get back.”

Avery remained silent.

Lynch raised his brow: “What’s the matter?”

Avery lifted her arm, revealing a distinct black mark on her wrist where Luwa had grabbed her moments ago.

Lynch was stunned: “A tracking mark?”

Avery replied: “Luwa must have guessed we would take the Ice Sealed Mountain Range route. But he also knows he can’t touch us in the Snow Mountains. So he’s concentrated his forces where we have to pass to return to the Dark Forest.”

“The area isn’t that large. He simply needs to assign patrols, and we’ll undoubtedly be spotted if we try heading back.”

“Now with this mark…”

Avery said bitterly: “Returning might be next to impossible…”

Lynch said: “If you’re going to be pessimistic, don’t bother talking. If you don’t want to die here, then pull yourself together.”

Avery froze.

She nodded firmly: “Understood.”

Lynch continued: “Alright, so what’s your plan?”

Avery furrowed her brows.

She thought: “Luwa is clever, but my team isn’t foolish either. I’m sure right now they must be searching for me all over. Luwa would also surely be a person of particular interest to them. If his side shows any unusual movement, it will definitely attract their attention.”

“We just need to hold out until my people find us. Once that happens, all problems will be resolved.”

Lynch said: “Got it. So, essentially, we fight.”

Avery nodded: “There’s no other option. Running away now would be too late.”

Lynch asked: “How many enemies?”

Avery answered: “At least one High-level Apprentice, around ten Mid-level Apprentices, and an unknown number of Low-level Apprentices and followers. Luwa is extremely cautious, especially about life-and-death matters. He’ll undoubtedly bring every last resource he has.”

Lynch clicked his tongue: “Are you trying to scare me?”

Avery sighed: “I’m not.”

Lynch frowned.

A single High-level Apprentice alone was already hard to handle. Add in such a large number of Middle and Low-level Apprentices, and… this… this…

Lynch asked: “Any specifics on the High-level Apprentice?”

Avery nodded: “His name is Rolf. He advanced to High-level Apprentice three years ago. He’s currently at seven Will Runes and specializes in Water Element Magic. That watery Phantom earlier was his creation.”

Lynch exhaled in relief.

Seven Will Runes — that’s essentially the gatekeeper stage of High-level Apprentice. While capable, it’s still within manageable bounds. If Parker, Frankenstein, and Lynch join forces, they might just stand a chance.

Of course, that doesn’t account for the overwhelming numbers of Middle and Low-level Apprentices, which would still leave victory highly uncertain.

Avery analyzed calmly: “We don’t need to defeat them. We just have to hold them off for a while. This forest is thick and perfect for hiding. If necessary, we can even retreat into the Forest of the Dead and maneuver around them, waiting for my reinforcements.”

Lynch shook his head: “That’s too risky. If we try to delay them, we’ll basically be fish caught in someone’s net, boxed in as the net tightens, until there’s no escape.”

Pinning everything on reinforcements whose arrival time is uncertain doesn’t align with Lynch’s approach. What if those reinforcements are delayed or lost? That would spell doom.

Avery asked: “Then what’s your suggestion?”

Lynch said: “Attack first. Fight them head-on!”

Avery was shocked.

She frowned: “Are you insane?”

Given the disparity in strength, “overwhelming” would be an understatement. She couldn’t imagine how this Mid-level Apprentice dared entertain such audacious thoughts unless he had lost his mind entirely.

“No.”

Lynch shook his head: “When it’s life or death, I’m always crystal clear. Trust me; an all-out fight is our only chance.”

Avery was silent: “How confident are you?”

Lynch opened a few Space Pockets, pulling out heaps of skeletons and piles of bones.

As he gazed at the mountain of materials before him, Lynch’s eyes finally landed on one particular Space Pocket, as if it held some secret weapon.

He said: “Maybe fifty-fifty, or perhaps…”

“A hundred percent!”

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