bookbashuk Chapter 61 Love Grows Wildly Amidst Bitterness
Chapter 61 Love Grows Wildly Amidst Bitterness
The fat Balrog lay on the ground, its expression one of deep sorrow.
But Lynn always found it quite ridiculous.
Its voice was trembling with tears: "Brothers and sisters, I...I haven't done anything bad!"
"Since I came here, I haven't killed a single living creature. I basically stay in this house every day!"
"Those monsters are all produced by the Abyss itself; I only occasionally collect materials... I've hardly ever even left the fifth floor!"
"I'm telling the truth!"
"Oh, right."
"I...I know where my grandfather's treasure trove is hidden!"
"There are so many treasures inside! Sparkling gems! And powerful equipment!"
"If you don't kill me, I... I can try to go back and steal some for you!"
Lynn smiled.
This is the classic line, "Sir, I know where the way is."
This fat fire demon is really abstract.
Seemingly afraid that Lynn wouldn't believe him, the fat Flame Demon gritted his teeth.
Very decisively, it stretched out its claws and gestured at its bulging chest.
A sliver of dark red, core-like light emanated from within it.
"This is my Abyss Core! I can entrust it to you for safekeeping for the time being!"
"That way, even if I run back to the abyss, you can crush it anytime!"
"I'm very useful! I can control fire! I can even help you smelt ores!"
"I don't eat much either..."
"Well, relatively speaking..."
This method of smelting ore is indeed quite effective.
With the help of the Flame Demon, the blast furnace refining capacity can be increased further.
It stared longingly at Lynn, then at Elune, who was clearly one of the leaders.
Finally, he even turned his pleading gaze to Leah, who looked more "kind."
Yes, Leah is so cute, she does look adorable and kind.
The scene was somewhat comical.
Even the usually serious Captain Hina couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Elune was also somewhat amused and exasperated. She looked at Lynn with her beautiful eyes, asking him a question.
Lynn stroked his chin, sizing up the fat Flame Demon.
Killing is definitely necessary—at least this [Abyss Form] needs to be purified.
Otherwise, the crack cannot be completely closed.
But this guy doesn't seem to be a threat at all?
An abyssal creature whose core has been controlled, and which seems to have no ill will towards the material world…
Perhaps there are other ways to handle this?
Lynn quickly calculated in his mind.
"What's your name?" Lynn asked.
"My name is Karbas."
"But my grandpa and friends all call me Fatty..." Fat Flame Demon answered softly, a little embarrassed.
A fat card is just a useless card, isn't it?
Is this card deemed useless and intended to be destroyed here?
"Fat Card, we'll take your core," Lynn said kindly.
As for the things...
"You have one day."
"Bring me a Flame Demon Core and a powerful weapon."
"After that, you'll work for me, and I won't skimp on food, drinks, or even storybooks."
He smiled.
But that smile made Fat Card feel a little uneasy.
However, Fatty still replied with a serious expression, "I will definitely complete the mission!"
After giving the Balrog Core to Lynn, Fat Card dashed into the Abyss Rift.
Its movements appeared extremely agile.
Ok.
He's a nimble fat man.
"Alright, let's begin."
Lynn looked at the miniature abyss rift, his expression turning serious.
"First, we need to draw a sealing array that can continuously purify from the root of the rift."
"This magic circle is quite complex; I need to concentrate."
"Vera, Elune, assist me in maintaining the stability of the surrounding environment and isolating us from any possible external interference."
"The rest of you, retreat to the edge of the secret chamber, keep your bodies cleansed of contamination, and carefully observe and learn—this is a task you may need to complete independently in the future."
The crowd was taken aback and retreated as instructed.
Lynn walked to the crack, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes.
When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with calm and focus.
With the enhancement of those traits, his current attributes are comparable to those of a super-ranked individual.
And it consumes very little mana.
Depicting a purification array for a high-level dungeon is no problem.
He extended his finger, and a silvery-green light, rich in purifying energy, gathered at his fingertip—the light of nature.
Subsequently
Lynn began to draw the first magical rune on the ground, centered on the crack.
The lines are smooth and precise.
Each stroke contains a unique rhythm and a pattern of energy flow.
at first.
The catgirl priestesses and elven druids could barely understand some basic natural rune structures.
but.
As Lynn's drawing progressed, the complexity of the magic circle began to increase exponentially.
Countless fine lines intertwine, entwine, fork, and close.
This creates a series of interconnected, three-dimensional magical loops.
The rune attributes in different regions are completely different, yet they complement each other.
This forms an ingenious energy conversion and circulation system.
Some of the structures even defied their understanding of conventional spell models, but upon closer inspection, they revealed that they contained higher-level principles of elemental harmony and spatial stability.
Vera stood to the side and slightly behind Lynn.
She turned her head away, not wanting to look at this guy.
That was the day Vera saw him and Leah like that.
She felt as if the whole world had been put into strange slow motion, and every reaction of his and every expression of Leah became incredibly clear.
Their intimate, almost cloying atmosphere stung her deeply.
Vera felt this emotion was particularly bittersweet.
She blamed herself for being so useless.
Vera shouldn't be like this, interfering in other people's relationships.
This is simply not something Vera would do.
but.
Does she hate Lynn?
Yes.
Vera hated him.
Vera hates Lynn the most.
Lynn is the best in the world, and I hate her the most.
I hate that he always seems so at ease, I hate that he's always surrounded by so many people, I hate that he's gentle to everyone, and I hate that he pretends not to know when he clearly sees through my thoughts.
I hate him...
Disliking him so easily turned her into the insecure, self-pitying, and utterly unlike Vera Nature Calls she is now.
But what Vera hated most was that she had fallen for this bad guy.
This one.
Every time I see him.
I feel both annoyed, bittersweet, and irresistibly drawn to myself.
Vera stood to Lynn's side and slightly behind, trying her best to maintain a cold expression on her face, and turned her gaze to the corner of the secret room, deliberately avoiding looking at the figure who was focused on drawing the magic circle.
But the more she tried to stop herself from looking, the more her peripheral vision couldn't help but catch his every move.
His slightly furrowed brow, his steadily moving fingers, the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, the slight pursing of his lips when he was fully focused...
Every detail felt like a hook, tugging at the softest and most painful part of her heart.
Vera felt she was having some difficulty breathing.
Vera, how could you be so disappointing!
She should have looked away, she should have armed herself with anger and aloofness like before—look, this womanizer, she did that with Leah, and now she's still having an ambiguous relationship with her aunt!
but……
When her gaze finally fell upon the exquisite magical runes flowing from Lynn's fingertips.
Vera's gaze was instantly drawn to it.
Amazing!
He was able to create such an ingenious design all by himself.
Vera couldn't take her eyes off his hands that were creating miracles.
Her heart raced with each exquisite rune that was created.
A complex emotion, growing wildly like vines, and then...
It entangled Vera's entire heart.
She could no longer deceive herself.
That's more than just dislike.
Too many other things were mixed in with it.
There is admiration for his unfathomable wisdom and strength, a feeling of being moved by the gentleness and responsibility he inadvertently reveals, and a reliance on and trust in his ability to always resolve crises and guide the way.
besides...
A faint, humble longing that even she herself was unwilling to admit.
She longed for his gaze to fall upon her with the same focused attention he was giving her as he was now gazing at the magic circle.
She longed for his gentleness, not the politeness he showed to everyone, but the special tenderness that belonged only to her.
She longed to be like Leah, able to stay by his side with confidence and capture his attention, instead of standing to the side and behind him like an outsider, using awkwardness and indifference to hide the bitterness that was about to overflow.
"Vera, pay attention to the energy fluctuations at node three, and stabilize the natural force field on the left side slightly."
Lynn's calm voice suddenly interrupted Vera's thoughts.
She snapped out of her daze and realized that she had been staring at Lynn's profile for a long time without realizing it, and her cheeks instantly burned.
"I-I understand!" she replied somewhat flusteredly, and hurriedly followed Lynn's instructions, mobilizing her own natural magic.
Vera's fingertips emitted a soft green light, which shone brightly alongside Lynn's.
In the instant their magic touched and merged, Vera couldn't help but blush.
She thought of some strange things.
The feeling of complete fusion when one's own natural magic comes into contact with it.
It seems... quite strange.
It was as if their magic was naturally compatible.
This realization made Vera blush even more, and a bittersweet feeling inexplicably mingled with the sourness in her heart.
She stole a glance at Lynn.
Vera breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Lynn was still engrossed in his work and seemed unaware of her strange behavior, but she also felt a little disappointed.
"What an idiot..." Vera muttered to herself, unsure whether she was cursing Lynn or herself for being so useless.
Unlike Vera, who was somewhat love-struck at this time.
Elune, who is deeply immersed in the ways of nature, feels this even more profoundly.
As an Emperor-level Druid, her vision is even broader.
She could clearly perceive the profound understanding of the nature of nature and the characteristics of the abyss contained within this magic circle.
Many design ideas gave her a sudden sense of enlightenment.
She sighed softly, whispering in a voice only she could hear.
"Such a precise and complex magic array... If we were to design and deduce it ourselves, it would probably require gathering most of the top druids in the forest, spending several years, and experiencing countless failures to complete it... No, it might not even be possible to complete it at all."
"This involves a thorough analysis of the essence of the abyss... Professor Lynn, what exactly are you...?"
Her gaze toward Lynn softened, revealing not only affection but also deep trust.
Don't ask.
The answer is yes, it's open.
No, it's not closed, it's not open.
Time slips away silently.
Lynn was completely absorbed in drawing the magic circle.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his fingers remained steady as ever.
From noon to sunset, from sunset to a sky full of stars. (Though unseen in the dungeon, time has passed.)
The room was so quiet that only the faint hum of energy passing through the ground and the suppressed breathing of the people could be heard.
Finally, as the last stroke was about to be made, the entire magic circle suddenly lit up!