Outside the Emerald Island Great Forest, Lynn finally appeared.
He gasped heavily, greedily inhaling the fresh air from the outside world, half-kneeling on the ground. His body felt as if it had been twisted by an invisible force.
At this moment, his entire body was wracked with intense pain, but the physical torment was secondary.
What truly unsettled him was the chaos within his mental domain caused by the backlash.
His brain felt as if countless needles were piercing through it, waves of sharp pain making it nearly impossible to focus.
His vision blurred, and a deep dizziness overwhelmed him. If not for his heavy breathing, forcibly pulling his consciousness back from the brink, he might have already lost consciousness entirely.
"The desperation effect of Yfgríd… The backlash is still this terrifying…"
He muttered weakly, barely able to keep himself upright.
Still half-kneeling, he gritted his teeth and endured the pain. After a long while, he finally regained a bit of strength just enough to stand up unsteadily and stagger forward.
Fortunately, he had emerged in a secluded corner of the Emerald Island Great Forest, avoiding unwanted attention.
Dragging his heavy body, he moved step by step toward the Furnace.
Scenes from earlier kept flashing through his mind.
Before Aestry arrived, he had decisively left that space.
And before leaving, he had completely hidden Little Green and any traces that could expose his identity.
At most, Aestry would have seen a cloaked figure bathed in light hastily departing, nothing more.
"Someone in the valley saw me with Colin. That's not good… I should have dealt with them from the start…"
A cold glint flashed in Lynn's eyes.
Despite this thought crossing his mind, he knew eliminating all witnesses wouldn't be easy especially since he was merely a third-tier apprentice.
Environment shapes a person. When Lynn first arrived, he had always repaid grudges but never involved innocents.
But after being shaped by the Furnace and the black wizard's environment, he had grown ruthless. Now, he found himself considering eliminating all witnesses without hesitation.
Even though he had spent most of the past year reading and cultivating in the Furnace, the books he read were largely written by black wizards. It was only natural that he would be influenced.
As the saying goes, "Forethought leads to success, lack of it leads to failure."
Though his thoughts were still muddled from the backlash, he managed to work through a simple deduction: What would happen if he were discovered?
He realized that even if he confessed everything about the Life Seed and Little Green, it would be useless.
Because the Lord of the Furnace would almost certainly use Soul Search on him.
The matters surrounding the Emerald Island Great Forest were crucial to the Furnace Lord. The effort he had spent teleporting the Furnace here made that clear.
The Lord would undoubtedly want to know everything related to it, and Soul Search would be his first move.
Under such circumstances, it didn't matter that Lynn was just an apprentice even if he were a full-fledged wizard, the Furnace Lord wouldn't let him go.
If he were a native of this world, he might have been able to endure the Soul Search and seek revenge after growing stronger.
But Lynn wasn't a native he was a transmigrator!
He knew that if he were subjected to Soul Search, everything would be exposed: the fact that his soul came from another world, his mysterious abilities…
In the wizarding world, there have always been cases of wizards invading other worlds through magic.
But there had never been a case of an outsider's soul entering this world without causing any anomalies.
If the Furnace Lord discovered his secret, he would undoubtedly dissect and study him.
"No matter what, I can't let my identity be exposed…!"
Lynn took a deep breath, realizing the grave crisis he was facing.
If his identity were revealed, the entire Furnace would turn against him. Even his teacher, Rosalind, wouldn't be able to save him.
"But I still have time!"
His eyes gradually cleared as he recalled Aestry's investigative actions.
It would take time for those who escaped the third-level labyrinth to spread the news.
That was his window of opportunity.
Besides, those who saw him and Colin might not necessarily recognize him.
Riley had recognized him at a glance because of their deep enmity and familiarity.
But to others, he was just another apprentice clad in a loose hooded cloak, his face entirely concealed.
"Even if Aestry performs a Soul Search on them, they might not be able to describe my true appearance…"
Lynn pondered.
With these thoughts in mind, he soon reached the boundary between the Furnace and the war outpost.
On his wrist was a special bracelet that recorded and calculated the battle merits of apprentices.
His current task was to settle his mission. The exploration he had undertaken in the Emerald Island Great Forest had been a mandatory mission, and now, he only needed to return the bracelet.
Lining up in the long queue, he patiently waited his turn.
Before long, it was his turn.
Lynn removed his bracelet and handed it to the apprentice in charge of verification a bespectacled man who appeared to be quite senior.
The man took the bracelet and placed it on a special device, which immediately displayed Lynn's identity and accumulated battle merits.
"This should be a decent amount. I can exchange it for something useful to help recover my body…" Lynn thought.
Just then, whispers drifted from behind him.
"I heard that anyone who passes the third level gets a guaranteed 300 battle points! You could get whatever you want!"
"Damn, I'm jealous! But I bet only a handful of apprentices made it through the third level…"
Lynn's body stiffened.
Suddenly, he realized something terrifying his mind had been so clouded by the Life Seed's backlash that he had forgotten the most crucial detail.
He had passed the third level!
That kind of achievement was incredibly rare among the Furnace forces.
If his battle merits were reported, he would immediately stand out as one of the few who had cleared the third level.
At that point, the Furnace would focus all their attention on him there would be nowhere to run!
Cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his heart pounded wildly.
"Damn it! The backlash dulled my mind so much that I completely forgot!"
He had unwittingly walked right into a trap!
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