I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

A teammate who is level 40.

To be honest, from a utilitarian point of view, this is not a good thing.

Eileen's presence would slow him down, increase the risk of exposure, and she might not be of much help when a real fight was needed.

But Lynn has already made her choice.

Now that we've saved her, there's no way we can abandon her.

"Eileen." He turned around. "Tell me honestly, how good are you at fighting?"

"I... my swordsmanship is indeed very strong." Eileen's tone carried a hint of uncertainty. "In the family, no one my age can match me. But that's all on the training ground..."

"You can't bring yourself to do it in actual combat?"

Eileen bit her lip and nodded.

"What if they wanted to kill you?" Lynn pressed. "When that hunter was chasing you just now, did you ever think about fighting back?"

“I’ve thought about it…” Eileen’s voice trailed off, “but my hands… my hands tremble, and I can’t bring myself to swing the sword…”

Linn was silent.

This is entirely a psychological issue, and it's very difficult to change.

……

Over the next few hours, Lynn led Eileen on a brief exploration of the area near the stream.

He needs more information.

How big is this rainforest? Where are its boundaries? What do the symbols carved on the tree trunks signify?

These are problems that he can hardly figure out all by himself in a short period of time.

But with Eileen, at least there's one more pair of eyes.

"Lynn, look at this."

Eileen squatted in front of a tree and pointed to a shallow carving on the trunk.

Lynn walked over and examined it carefully.

It was a symbol that looked like an arrow, pointing southwest.

The same symbols he had seen before.

“I’ve seen them before,” Lynn said, frowning. “I’ve seen these markings intermittently since I entered this rainforest, and they all point in the same direction.”

"Could it be a trap?" Eileen asked warily.

“Possibly,” Lynn nodded, “but it could also be some kind of guidance for the trial.”

"You mean... these symbols might point to something beneficial?"

“Or perhaps it’s some necessary destination.” Lynn stood up and looked southwest. “If the purpose of this trial isn’t just to kill each other, but rather there are other tests involved…”

He didn't finish speaking.

Because a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

Those golden eyes.

The mysterious being that instilled the illusion into his consciousness.

What if that's also part of the trial?

Letting him see Eileen's past and making him choose to "save her"... isn't that itself a test?

Is he worthy of the title "Fool"?

Pure, kind, and free.

Vigo said that this is what fools represent.

If the trial tests not only combat prowess, but also the successor's "true nature"...

So, those who are eager to fight and bloodthirsty have already lost their right from the very beginning?

Lynn's heart started racing.

If this conjecture is true, then the logic of the entire trial will be completely different.

But he didn't dare to gamble.

If he guesses wrong, if it turns out to be a simple murder game, then his "kindness" will become a fatal weakness.

"Lynn?" Eileen called out cautiously when she saw him remain silent.

"It's nothing." Lynn came to her senses. "Let's go, it's getting dark, let's go back to the place we were staying."

"Ah."

The two returned to their hiding place by the stream, following the same path they had taken.

Lynn told Eileen to rest first, while he leaned against a tree root and kept watch.

Night fell once again over the rainforest, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness.

In the distance, the occasional roar of an unknown beast could be heard, but there was no sound of fighting.

Tonight seems quieter than last night.

Lynn, wrapped in an invisibility cloak, scanned his surroundings warily.

Eileen curled up less than a meter away from him, her breathing gradually becoming even.

Lynn glanced down at her.

When she was asleep, she looked even smaller, curled up in a ball, like an injured kitten.

kitten.

Suddenly, another figure popped into Lynn's mind.

What is Cat Bai Bai doing right now?

They should be busy preparing for the trade fair in the capital.

Although that guy seems carefree, he's more serious about business than anyone else.

Lynn's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly suppressed her smile.

You can't get distracted.

He was in a place where he couldn't afford to be distracted for even a moment.

Lynn closed his eyes and entered a state of light meditation.

Consciousness maintains awareness of the surrounding environment while allowing the body to get a minimum amount of rest.

And so, the second night passed.

……

Its daybreak.

Lynn opened his eyes and found that Eileen was already awake.

She sat beside him, clumsily trying with her left hand to untie the bandage on her right arm to check the wound.

"I'll do it." Lynn leaned over and helped her untie the strips of cloth.

The wound has stopped bleeding, but the edges are red and swollen, showing signs of infection.

“It needs to be dealt with.” Lynn frowned. “Do you have any healing skills?”

Eileen shook her head.

"I am a pure warrior... I have not learned any healing spells."

Lynn thought for a moment.

In the end, the Moonlit Blessing was used on Eileen.

After the treatment, Lynn handed her the water bag. "Drink some water, eat something, and then we'll get ready to leave."

"Where?"

Lynn looked southwest. "Let's go see what those symbols are pointing to."

Eileen did not object.

After quickly tidying up, the two headed southwest along the stream.

Lynn walked ahead, her invisible cloak draped over her shoulders, ready to be unfolded at any moment.

After walking for about twenty minutes, Lynn found a new symbol on a tree.

This time it's not an arrow.

It is a circle with a vertical line in the middle.

“This symbol is different.” Eileen leaned closer to look. “The previous ones were all arrows, but this one…”

"We're probably almost there," Lynn said in a low voice. "From here on, keep quiet."

Eileen immediately shut her mouth and even deliberately slowed her footsteps.

The two walked forward for about five more minutes.

Then, Lynn stopped.

The trees ahead suddenly became sparse, and there were fewer decaying leaves on the ground, revealing a smooth stone pavement.

The stone slab was covered with moss, but traces of human carving could still be faintly seen.

There used to be buildings here.

Lynn gestured for Eileen to crouch down, while he used a large tree as cover to peek out and observe the situation ahead.

At the end of the stone slab ground was a half-collapsed stone building.

It looks like the ruins of some kind of temple or altar. The walls are covered with vines, the roof has completely collapsed, and only a few broken stone pillars are still standing stubbornly.

In the very center of the ruins, there is a black stone tablet suspended in mid-air.

The stone tablet is about two meters tall, and its entire body is as black as ink, with dark red patterns flowing on its surface, like some kind of living blood vessels.

It hovered about one meter above the ground, slowly rotating, emanating an aura that made people instinctively uneasy.

Around the stone tablet, a huge magic circle was carved on the ground.

The patterns on the magic circle were exactly the same as the symbols on the tree trunk.

"What is that..." Eileen lay down next to Lynn, her voice very low.

“I don’t know,” Lynn shook his head, “but those symbols definitely point here.”

He observed carefully for a while and found at least two different sets of footprints on the stone slab, each in a different direction; some were heading towards the stone tablet, while others were leaving.

Some people have already arrived.

“Let’s not go over there yet,” Lynn decided. “Let’s observe here for a while.”

Eileen nodded.

The two of them lay behind the tree, quietly observing the ruins.

Time passed by, second by second.

About fifteen minutes later, just as Lynn was about to change his perspective, footsteps suddenly came from the other side of the ruins.

Someone is coming.

Lynn immediately unfolded the invisibility cloak, covering herself and Eileen. The two held their breath and remained motionless.

A person emerged from the dense forest on the east side of the ruins.

He was the young man among the successors, dressed in a magnificent robe.

He walked straight toward the black stone tablet.

He stopped about three meters away from the stone tablet, looked up at the floating black stone, and seemed to be thinking about something.

A moment later, he reached out and touched the surface of the stone tablet directly.

The dark red patterns lit up instantly, and a dazzling red light shot out from the stone tablet, enveloping the young man in the magic robe.