Chapter 26: Where Did You Get This Wild Junior?

“Run!”

Lynn made a split-second decision, grabbing Su Xiaoxiao and bolting back the way they came.

But it was already too late.

The Crypt Lord let out a shrill screech and leapt from the ceiling, its massive body blocking the tunnel they had used to enter.

Their retreat was cut off.

“Senior…”

Su Xiaoxiao’s face was pale with fright, and her body trembled violently.

“Don’t be afraid! Hide behind Little Grey!”

Lynn pushed Su Xiaoxiao behind the giant beast and drew the sword at his waist.

The sword was a standard-issue blade from the Academy; against a monster of this caliber, it was no different from a toothpick.

But Lynn had no other choice.

His mind raced, recalling the attack patterns and weaknesses of a Crypt Lord.

Its weak point was the abdomen, but it was protected by a thick carapace and only exposed the moment it raised its forelimbs to attack.

He would only have one chance.

The Crypt Lord didn’t give Lynn much time to think. Its eight long legs moved in unison as it charged toward him like a runaway tank.

A stench-filled wind whipped against his face.

Lynn stared intently at its forelimbs, waiting for them to lift.

“Now!”

He was about to roll to the side, looking for that fleeting opportunity.

But at that moment, he caught a glimpse of something incomprehensible out of the corner of his eye.

Su Xiaoxiao, whom he had pushed back, wasn’t hiding.

She simply stood there. The terrified expression on her face had vanished at some point, replaced by a near-indifferent calm.

She raised one hand.

That hand was fair and slender, appearing to possess no strength at all.

She simply made a light pinching motion toward the charging Crypt Lord.

There was no sound, no light effect, and not even a ripple of energy.

Halfway through its charge, the Crypt Lord’s massive body — like a balloon gripped by an invisible giant hand — instantly twisted and deformed.

The hard carapace let out a tooth-grinding crack, and green bodily fluids erupted from the fissures.

*Squish.*

With a soft sound, the Crypt Lord that had filled Lynn with despair turned into a pile of mangled meat mid-air, crashing to the ground in a messy heap.

The entire process took less than one second.

Lynn remained frozen in his rolling stance, stuck in place.

His mind was a total blank.

“What did he just see?”

“Was it a hallucination?”

He whipped his head around to look at Su Xiaoxiao.

The girl stood there, her expression having reverted to one of extreme terror.

She was panting heavily, as if she had just survived a life-or-death crisis.

“Senior! It… it exploded on its own! That was so scary!”

Her voice trembled as she rushed over and gripped Lynn’s arm tightly.

Lynn’s body was stiff.

He looked at the mess of monster remains on the ground, then back at Su Xiaoxiao’s tear-streaked face.

‘Did my eyes play tricks on me? That moment of indifference, and that casual gesture…’

“Maybe… maybe this cave has some kind of strange energy field…”

Lynn struggled to find an explanation.

He could not connect the fragile junior before him with the incomprehensible scene he had just witnessed.

“Yes! It must be!”

Su Xiaoxiao nodded frantically, as if trying to convince herself as much as him.

Lynn’s heart, however, sank.

He instinctively pulled up the System interface.

[Status Window]

Name: Su Xiaoxiao

Identity: Royal Arcane Academy Freshman

Blackening Value: 5%

The value hadn’t changed.

It was still 5%.

Lynn stared at the number, his brow furrowed.

Just as he was about to close the interface, the panel suddenly flickered.

A red light flashed by.

**[Blackening Value: 99%]**

The number remained for less than a tenth of a second before returning to 5%.

It happened so fast that Lynn thought it was a hallucination caused by his nerves.

“Is the System… bugged?” he muttered to himself.

‘Did it break when I fell? Is it being interfered with by the magnetic field here?’

That was all he could think.

The other possibility was far too terrifying for him to dwell on.

‘A person with a 99% Blackening Value pretending to be a pure, innocent flower with 5% right in front of me?’

“No, it was impossible.”

Lynn shook his head, forcing the absurd thought from his mind.

‘Su Xiaoxiao is definitely normal. The System is broken. Yes, it must be the System.’

“Let’s… let’s go around it,” Lynn said, his voice a bit dry.

He pulled Su Xiaoxiao along, bypassing the disgusting pile of shredded meat. His footsteps were no longer as steady as before.

An indescribable chill slowly crawled up his spine from the soles of his feet.

He didn’t dare look back at Su Xiaoxiao’s expression again.

He began to wonder if what he had found was a life-saving piece of driftwood or a lead weight disguised as wood that would drag him into a deeper whirlpool.

Lynn felt like his back was completely soaked.

It wasn’t because of the damp cave; it was cold sweat.

Beside him, Su Xiaoxiao followed closely, her clear eyes glancing at him from time to time, filled with reliance and trust.

But as long as Lynn thought about that fleeting **[Blackening Value: 99%]**, his scalp felt numb.

He didn’t dare gamble.

He didn’t dare bet on whether it was a System bug or if this girl’s acting skills had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

All he could do was continue playing the role of the reliable, trustworthy Senior, walking ahead to guide her while his mind raced to think of an escape plan.

This girl made him feel more uneasy than Alicia and Vivian combined.

The malice of those two crazy women was written on their faces and displayed clearly on the System panel.

But Su Xiaoxiao… her danger was hidden beneath the skin of a pure 5%.

“Senior, how… how much longer do we have to walk?”

Su Xiaoxiao’s voice carried a hint of fatigue and cowardice.

“Soon. I remember there should be an Abandoned Miner Camp up ahead. We can rest there for a bit,” Lynn said without looking back.

He processed every word three times in his head before speaking.

He didn’t dare say or do anything that might arouse her suspicion.

Just then, Su Xiaoxiao, who was walking behind him, suddenly let out a short cry of surprise.

“Ah!”

Lynn turned around instantly, every muscle in his body tensed.

He saw Su Xiaoxiao fallen on the ground, her ankle seemingly caught on a protruding stone.

A pained expression appeared on her small face, and her eyes turned red instantly.

“Senior… my foot…”

Lynn’s pupils constricted.

‘Was it really an accident, or… a test?’

He couldn’t tell.

He could only suppress the myriad of thoughts in his heart, walk over quickly, and crouch down.

“Don’t move. Let me see.”

His voice sounded steady and filled with concern.

There was a cut on Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle from a sharp stone. It wasn’t deep, but beads of blood were seeping out.

Against the girl’s fair skin, it looked particularly striking.

Lynn checked and confirmed no bones were broken.

“It’s fine, just a superficial wound.”

He acted as if he were relieved.

“I’ll give it a quick treatment.”

As he spoke, he tore a relatively clean strip of cloth from the hem of his damaged clothes.

He knelt on one knee and carefully supported Su Xiaoxiao’s ankle, preparing to bandage it.

The girl’s breathing was a bit rapid, her cheeks were flushed, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

“Thank you, Senior…” her voice was as thin as a mosquito’s buzz.