Ambush

Velint explained her hypothesis to Fran.

After listening, Fran spoke directly:

"Why do you think we are companions?"

Velint laughed and replied:

"Because the first hint stated that the Jade Stone lies with our companions."

"This was actually reflected in the acquisition of the second Jade Stone."

"Although the Gloom Lizard is highly adapted to the dark, its attack methods are not outstanding. During an ambush, it relies on its massive weight and body to entangle the target before biting them to death."

"But it is not like that when the target has a companion. The companion can attack the Gloom Lizard after it strikes; the Gloom Lizard lacks the intelligence to retreat when faced with two targets."

Velint continued:

"You must have encountered many people on the way here who attacked without saying a word, because those are illusions specifically created for this trial."

"They are illusions of those who have participated in this trial before, intended to create an atmosphere of mutual suspicion so that we Spirit Realm Travelers do not trust one another."

"Those who have participated in many trials know that this illusion mechanism is actually nothing unusual."

Fran pondered for a moment, not responding immediately.

She felt that the other party was right; everything she had experienced so far matched what Velint said. The only question might be the final Jade Stone.

She hadn't seen everything yet and didn't know if Velint was correct. What if sacrificing someone was the way to weaken the boss?

However, she didn't seem afraid of being deceived. Judging by the other party's movements, she seemed even weaker than Bella.

Fran was a bit confused about this Spirit Realm Guide. She felt that Richter coming here was also like a big fish in a small pond; could the reward for passing this trial be that significant?

Or perhaps the guide she used pointed to multiple trials, and she had ended up in a relatively simple one.

Fran took out two Jade Stones, signaling that she had already obtained two.

Velint knew this was their chance to establish trust, so she also took out two identical Jade Stones, signaling that she was not the type to ambush others to steal them.

"My name is Velint. Yours?"

"My name is... Lai."

Fran thought it best not to use her real name; she felt the other party hadn't used her real name either.

Velint had no such concerns. She believed that few people would hide their names in the Spirit Realm; it was meaningless.

If you want to hide, you must first cover your face. Giving a fake name is useless; everyone knows that when you meet someone in the Spirit Realm, you look at their face, not their name.

"Shall we go then?"

"Let's go."

Seeing the two of them walking over, the few Spirit Realm Travelers still waiting were surprised. How could someone actually believe her words and choose to cooperate?

Everyone assumed that Velint had just made up some content from the hints to lure them into walking with her, only to seize the opportunity to steal their Jade Stones.

All Spirit Realm Travelers are taught in the Spirit Realm never to trust others too much.

Not only do many trials directly require you to kill those around you, but there are even Spirit Realm creatures that specifically lure people into killing their companions.

Even though, in theory, you can enter the Spirit Realm with your friends, the aforementioned situations make it impossible.

Therefore, Spirit Realm Travelers usually go solo because you cannot trust the friends by your side.

They truly could not imagine anyone wanting to cooperate in a trial that clearly encouraged killing others.

"Are they really going to deal with that stone statue together?"

"It seems so."

Fran and Velint ignored the few Spirit Realm Travelers, walking right past them and heading straight toward the platform.

At this moment, one Spirit Realm Traveler knew his opportunity had arrived.

He had the confidence to kill one person, but not the confidence to pass through that dark area, so he had come here instead.

He had been doing this kind of thing in Spirit Realm trials for a long time. Although he had failed several times, the overall risk-to-reward ratio was too high.

As long as he made a move at the finish line, he could save a lot of time and avoid the risks of collecting items to obtain rewards.

Although his behavior was despised and he would be humiliated if caught, the profits were high!

After being robbed once himself, he had joined their ranks.

He knew the third Jade Stone was extremely difficult to obtain, so he could only take two and then find a safe place to exit the Spirit Realm.

He knew that knowing when to let go was the key to success in this line of work.

Besides, a spellcaster would surely struggle to deal with his ambush!

Because spellcasters at the Apprentice rank are essentially finished once someone gets close to them, very few spellcasters ever let melee professionals get this close.

Typical spellcasters stay on flat ground; if a melee professional tries to approach, they throw a few spells at you first to see if you can handle it.

In the blink of an eye, he had already covered half the distance, only to realize that the other party seemed to have discovered his ambush.

Too late! As a spellcaster, you shouldn't have gotten so close to me!

He had already imagined the look of fury on his opponent's face in the Material Realm once he killed her and snatched the jade.

But with a metallic clang, something struck his wrist, and the pain forced him to drop his dagger to the ground.

Immediately after, a short sword lunged toward his face. Instinctively, he grabbed the blade, relying on the Power Burst he had acquired in the Spirit Realm to hold back the lethal strike with all his might.

Blood flowed from his hands; his reactions were entirely subconscious, from grabbing the blade to activating his power.

"Ah!"

Only then did he realize: why was the person he identified as a spellcaster the one thrusting the sword at him?

Why did someone dressed like a spellcaster possess such immense strength?

Before he could make sense of it, Fran, surprised that the fellow could muster such force, was forced to augment her own strength with her Breathing Technique and Mental Power.

The sudden surge of power was more than he could resist. The short sword drove into his face with overwhelming force, and the sound of shattering bone rang in his ears.

The short sword then plunged into the dirt, leaving only a trace of blood on it, while a small pouch also fell to the ground nearby.

Velint was astonished; she had not expected this person who appeared to be a spellcaster to possess such formidable melee prowess.

She had turned around the moment she heard the commotion and saw the man charging, but in the blink of an eye, Fran had already pinned him down.

Her strength is even greater than mine. Velint found her own judgment hard to believe, but the facts were undeniable. She could not have executed the Skull Cracker with such ease, yet this Lai had done it.

At the same time, as this Spirit Realm Traveler launched his attack, several other Spirit Realm Travelers also unleashed their own assaults against their respective targets.