Rebuttal

After successfully hunting the Alpha Ape, Ye Chen informed the villagers about the mountain patrol's complete annihilation, then led them to search for the remains. He didn't stay long afterward. Once he had said goodbye to the villagers, he and Heiqi set off for home.

The setting sun sank behind the mountains, and the dusky red sunset fell across Ye Chen's face, adding a trace of melancholy to his expression.

Old Ma said nothing as he carried the boy across the vast, boundless snowfield.

The boy was silent, too. His mind kept returning to the villagers of Snow Wind Village and the expressions of grief and heartbreak they could barely conceal after learning that Lloyd's entire team had perished. He also remembered the little girl, who had gone from cheerful excitement to stunned silence, then had finally shed tears for her father.

Though Ye Chen had met the villagers only once, for some reason, seeing their tears and feeling their sorrow made his own heart tighten.

Now, he was no longer a hunter who mercilessly pursued his prey, but a boy who felt sorrow for strangers.

On the way home, Ye Chen couldn't help reflecting on the strategies and decisions he had made while hunting the Alpha Ape. Were there any details he could have improved to save Lloyd and the others?

Yet even though he imagined dozens of different hunting plans, imagination was still only imagination, and reality was still reality. Time couldn't be turned back, and the people who had died could never be saved.

Before the unfathomable Abyss, ordinary people like Lloyd were no more than reeds, easily shattered and utterly destroyed.

Only Sensors like Ye Chen, who had connected with the Auling Labyrinth through Nightmare and gained control of the Auling Power, had the strength to fight the Abyss. Otherwise, Ye Chen's fate would have been little better than Lloyd and his team's.

"Phew."

Sitting atop the speeding Old Ma, Ye Chen watched the church on the mountainside grow clearer, let out a long breath, then rubbed his tired eyes.

In the morning, he had hunted a fugitive driven mad by Nightmare. In the afternoon, he had hunted a giant ape tainted by the Abyss. The strain of using Spirit Art twice in succession, along with the several times Abyss Matter had assaulted his mind, had placed a heavy burden on Ye Chen's spirit, leaving him drowsy and foggy-headed.

Old Ma carried the weary Ye Chen up Snow Mountain and arrived at the entrance to the Old Church. Ye Chen gently stroked his side in thanks, then entered the Prayer Hall and walked toward the figure seated on the front bench.

"Teacher, I've completed the hunt."

Ye Chen forced his heavy eyelids open and gave his report in a low voice.

But Lyle didn't respond.

"..."

Seeing that Lyle didn't speak, Ye Chen remained silent as well, standing motionless where he was.

The two of them fell into a long silence.

Gradually, Ye Chen felt the air in the hall grow increasingly stifling and oppressive. The source of all the tension was Lyle's back.

The boy understood. His teacher was angry again.

Lyle had seen everything Ye Chen did in the Pine Forest and the village that day. He naturally knew how much unnecessary emotion Ye Chen had shown during the hunt. The increasingly tense atmosphere made Lyle's opinion clear: he was deeply dissatisfied.

"I've told you twice already not to let your compassion become your downfall, yet you did so many unnecessary things again and wasted so much effort on them."

After a long while, Lyle finally broke the dead silence, speaking in an icy tone.

But this time, Ye Chen didn't stay silent. He answered firmly.

"I wasn't hindered by any misfortune during the hunt."

"On the contrary, I think the information they provided helped me a great deal and saved me quite a bit of time and effort."

"So I don't think I did anything wrong on this mission."

Ye Chen's voice was calm and clear, echoing through the spacious Prayer Hall.

It was the first time in his life that he had talked back to his teacher and stood by his own opinion.

Yet even though this was his first time talking back to Lyle, Ye Chen's expression didn't waver. He looked completely resolute, his tone leaving no room for retreat.

On the one hand, he believed his actions had been unquestionably right.

On the other, he sensed that Lyle seemed to regard the villagers of Cold Wind Village as utterly insignificant. This stirred a faint indignation within him, making him clench both fists.

"..."

Faced with his apprentice talking back to him for the first time, Lyle fell silent once again.

But this time, the air around him no longer felt oppressive. Instead, it was calm and tranquil, like a riverbank after a great flood had receded.

"Alas... is this simply in your nature?"

After a long while, the middle-aged man shook his head and sighed.

"Ye Chen, if I could, I'd truly want you to become cold and heartless. Even shameless and despicable would be fine."

As Lyle spoke, he didn't turn to look at Ye Chen. Instead, he gazed at the broken Statue of God before him, as if recalling everything that had happened in the past.

"Because in the world of hunters, the kinder someone is, the more easily their resolve will waver. In the end, they're more likely to be consumed and destroyed by the Abyss—or by the Labyrinth itself."

"Of all the colleagues I've known, the sentimental ones never live long. And the reason I've lasted this long is those four words: selfish and self-serving."

"Ye Chen, I hope you can keep playing the role of a hunter and never become prey."

Lyle's words reached Ye Chen's ears, full of mysteries and sorrow. Ye Chen didn't respond. He didn't know what to say.

"Never mind. I can't force you to do something like that. Think it over in your own time."

After another long sigh, Lyle moved on to a different subject.

"Now, there's something else I want to ask. When your body came into direct contact with the Abyss, did you feel anything unusual in your mind?"

Lyle's sudden question made Ye Chen's expression freeze. He instinctively remembered the moment the bloodied mud from the Alpha Ape splashed onto his face.

"I only heard a strange voice echoing in my head. Other than that, I didn't feel anything."

Ye Chen answered haltingly.

"What did the voice sound like? What did it say?"

Lyle asked calmly.

"It was a very eerie, strange voice. It said it wasn't my enemy and wanted me to join them, to devour everything in the world together."

As he recalled it, Ye Chen repeated the bizarre words, his expression unconsciously growing tense.

"Mm, I understand. If that's all it did, you don't need to worry at all. It's simply a common way for the Abyss to tempt people."

Lyle saw the unease on Ye Chen's face and immediately reassured him in a casual tone, then waved him away.

"All right, that's enough for today. You can go rest. We'll discuss the final trial once you've fully recovered."

Ye Chen nodded and left.

The two hunts that day had left him barely able to stand. All he wanted now was to wash up and eat, then wrap himself in a blanket and sleep.

Lyle remained alone in the Prayer Hall, facing the broken Statue of God. A trace of worry flickered in his calm eyes.