82: Chapter 82: Continuing the Challenge

The ten-minute rest period passed agonizingly slowly amidst the deathly silence and heaviness following the pyrrhic victory in the fifth stage.

The air was thick with a complex mixture of scents: blood, char, medicinal herbs, and the sweat of exhaustion.

The groans of the wounded were stifled as soldiers seized every second to catch their breath and bandage their wounds, though their gazes drifted involuntarily toward the depths of the plains, where even more unspeakable horrors seemed to lurk.

Lin Tian and Lord Su Wan stood facing each other at the center of the formation, their expressions so grave they seemed ready to drip water.

Lord Su Wan's elven troops were now reduced to just over a hundred and thirty, all of them wounded and nearly drained of mana. Many of the young elves huddled together, their faces marked with undried tearstains and fear of the unknown.

The looks they cast toward Lord Su Wan were filled with reliance and a faint glimmer of supplication.

"Lord Lin Tian," Lord Su Wan's voice was noticeably weary and hoarse. Her emerald eyes swept over her surviving subjects before shifting to Lin Tian's side, where nearly a thousand soldiers remained. Though they had suffered heavy casualties, they still maintained their basic formation and fighting spirit, despite including nearly two hundred severely wounded who had lost their combat effectiveness. Her tone was filled with uncertainty and worry. "Are we... going to continue?"

She paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts, striving to make her analysis sound objective:

"According to the incremental difficulty of this Secret Realm challenge, the fifth stage already involved five hundred low-level Silver-rank enemies... The sixth stage, I fear..."

She didn't continue, but the meaning was clear: in their current state, the possibility of clearing the sixth stage was minuscule. It was far more likely they would be wiped out here and then "safely" kicked out of the Secret Realm. Although there was no real death, for those who had never experienced it, the psychological impact was equally immense.

Lin Tian lowered his head and retrieved a refined steel sword, which he had previously obtained from a treasure chest, from his storage space.

He had taken Lord Su Wan's words to heart; reason told him that her analysis was likely correct.

The fifth stage had already forced Lin Feng to use his trump card, "Command of a Thousand Armies," paying the price of near-total exhaustion, and half the soldiers had been lost.

The difficulty of the sixth stage would only be higher. What did they have to fight with? Relying on Lin Yin alone? Or on these remaining exhausted troops?

Give up? Leaving with the existing rewards didn't seem like a loss. After all, they wouldn't truly die, and knowing when to quit was the wise course of action.

But... He looked up, his gaze sweeping over those around him. Lin Yin was silently holding her moonlight longbow, meticulously wiping the bow limbs with a clean, soft cloth. Her profile appeared somewhat pale in the dim light, yet her eyes remained clear and focused, as if the brutal battle just moments ago had been nothing more than routine training.

Lin Feng was sitting cross-legged not far away, regulating his breathing. His complexion was still poor, but his back was straight as a rod.

Further away, the wounded and exhausted soldiers, while harboring fear in their eyes, displayed even more determination, along with unconditional trust in him as their lord.

"Just giving up like this... I feel a bit unwilling."

Lin Tian struggled internally. Opportunities for Secret Realm challenges were rare, and the rewards for the final three stages would surely be even more generous.

Moreover, as he had said before, they wouldn't really die anyway. At worst, they would be kicked out due to "Challenge Failed." It seemed... could they give it another shot? What if the difficulty increase for the sixth stage wasn't that outrageous? What if there was some turning point?

This adventurous notion, fueled by wishful thinking, intertwined with the stubborn streak in his bones—the desire to see the "scenery at the summit"—leaving him unable to make a quick decision.

Finally, he took a deep breath and looked at Lord Su Wan, forcing a somewhat stiff but attempted-casual smile onto his face, his tone sounding like he was negotiating:

"Lord Su Wan, I understand your concerns. However... since we're already here and have fought this hard, giving up now just feels like a loss. Anyway, the worst-case scenario is just being 'invited' out; we won't suffer any real losses. How about... we try one more stage? Just one! If there's truly no hope for the sixth stage, we'll give up immediately. How about it?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously rubbed his fingers, looking somewhat embarrassed, as if he were making an unreasonable request.

Lord Su Wan looked at the light in Lin Tian's eyes—a mix of unwillingness, anticipation, and a hint of a young man's adventurous spirit—and remained silent for a moment.

She could understand Lin Tian's unwillingness; after all, he had contributed more, and his achievements were greater.

Moreover, what he said made sense. They wouldn't really die, so... could they really give it another try? However, looking at the few remaining elves behind her with their terrified faces, she still felt a sense of reluctance in her heart.

Just as she was hesitating, Lin Yin, who had been standing quietly beside Lin Tian as if one with the longbow in her hand, suddenly raised her head.

She did not look at Lord Su Wan but stared straight at Lin Tian. Her cold, clear eyes shone with an unquestionable determination, and her voice, though not loud, reached both their ears clearly:

"Brother Tian."

Lin Tian turned his head at the sound.

Lin Yin took half a step forward, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with Lin Tian, the hem of her moon-white holy robe gently brushing against his arm.

She tilted her face up slightly, her gaze clear and persistent, as if stating an indisputable fact: "No matter what appears in the sixth stage, no matter how dangerous it is,"

Her tone was calm, yet carried the weight of a thousand jin: "I will definitely protect you. I will never let anything harm you."

The words were spoken with ironclad certainty. There were no grandiose declarations, yet they were more moving than any vow.

She was not asking to fight, nor was she expressing her determination; she was declaring that her very existence was Lin Tian's strongest shield.

After finishing, she returned to her usual cold demeanor, though her fingers gripping the longbow seemed to tighten slightly.

Lin Tian was stunned at first, then an indescribable warmth surged in his heart, and the irritation caused by hesitation and pressure instantly dissipated significantly.

Looking at Lin Yin's earnest profile, he couldn't help but reach out and, as if treating his own younger sister, gently ruffled the top of her hair. The gesture was natural and affectionate, and a gratified, warm smile appeared on his face:

"I know, our Lin Yin is the most reliable. Thank you."

Lin Yin tilted her head slightly from his touch, two very faint blushes rising on her cheeks, but she did not pull away. Instead, she lowered her eyelids, her long lashes trembling slightly, and gave a soft "Mn." She said nothing more, but her tense body seemed to relax quietly.

Lord Su Wan, standing to the side, took in this display of deep affection between master and subordinate.

Watching Lin Tian's unmasked affection and trust toward Lin Yin, and seeing Lin Yin's demeanor—seemingly cold yet having all her attention tied to Lin Tian, even faintly carrying a sense of exclusivity—envy rose in her heart once more.

Such a subordinate, such a bond—how rare it was. Perhaps it was precisely because he had such a companion by his side that Lin Tian dared to challenge the impossible time and time again.

She sighed softly, as if having made up her mind, and nodded at Lin Tian, her voice returning to a calm state:

"Very well, Lord Lin Tian. Since you insist, then we will... try one more stage. However, if things truly look bad, we will give up immediately."