Chapter 70: Chapter 68: Lynch: Mentor~ Don’t!~ (Part 2)
...
Dark Forest.
Nighttime.
In the center of a wide clearing within the dense woods, a camping tent was pitched.
A campfire crackled in front of the tent, its warm flames dispelling the damp chill of the night.
A massive Hellhound Skeleton lay quietly by the fire, its gaze fixed on the black iron pot hanging over it.
The thick soup in the pot was bubbling away—GURGLE GURGLE—with edible mushrooms and large chunks of venison tumbling within, releasing waves of fragrant aroma.
As a Transmigrator from the great gourmet Empire, Lynch had already bled the deer when butchering it to minimize the gamy taste.
Lynch leaned back comfortably in a folding chair draped with a soft animal pelt. He held a long-handled wooden spoon, occasionally stirring the thick soup. With a pair of long chopsticks, he casually picked up a piece of venison leg, stewed until it was fall-apart tender, rolled it in a specially-made dipping sauce in a wooden bowl, and popped it into his mouth.
An expression of pure satisfaction instantly appeared on his face.
Suddenly, a soft, unexpected chuckle shattered the tranquil atmosphere.
"Hehe~"
"Student Lynch, are you here for the assessment... or for a picnic?"
A tall, graceful figure had appeared by the campfire at some unknown moment. Even her loose Mage Robe could not conceal her fiery, curvaceous figure.
Her presence immediately agitated the nearby Undead Units with Soul Fires. They wanted to lunge forward, yet they also cowered as if facing a natural predator, not daring to approach.
"Hello, Mentor."
Lynch quickly stood up and bowed, then immediately used his mental link to soothe his subordinate Undead Units.
"Hehe, you’re certainly taking it easy. After that last surge of points, why didn’t you keep climbing?" Mentor Annabella said, making herself right at home by sitting on the prone Red Rabbit.
Red Rabbit remained as still as a stone statue, not daring to move an inch.
"You praise me too much, Mentor. This is a dipping sauce I mixed myself. Please, try the venison." Lynch respectfully took out a new bowl, poured some fresh sauce into it, and handed it to her. He then added, "Mentor, you know my personality. I don’t like to stand out too much. I prefer to develop in a low-key manner."
Lynch knew, of course, that while he might be able to hide his actions from the other mentors, he could never fool his own.
Annabella took out a dagger, speared a piece of venison from the pot, dipped it in Lynch’s sauce, and put it in her mouth to taste.
The tender, juicy venison melted between her teeth. The fresh aroma of the mushrooms and the complex flavors of the special dipping sauce filled her mouth, and Annabella’s brow involuntarily relaxed.
After eating several more pieces of venison and drinking a bowl of soup, she let out a breath. "On account of your cooking skills, I’ll forgive you this time."
"Thank you, Mentor," Lynch said respectfully.
"However, this little stunt of yours..." Annabella drew out her words. Seeing Lynch tense up, she changed her tune. "...has made your mentor very happy."
"Phew~" Lynch looked immensely relieved.
’But he knew, really. With Mentor’s personality, how could she not like what I’m doing?’
’Her desire for drama is just so strong, I have to play along~’
Sure enough, seeing she had Lynch’s emotions wrapped around her finger, the curve of Annabella’s lips deepened.
"By the way, Mentor." Lynch glanced around, a little nervously. "Aren’t mentors and candidates forbidden from meeting during the assessment? Doing this... won’t it cause problems?"
"It won’t." Mentor Annabella’s smile faded, and her tone grew slightly more serious. "I came here this time with the Dean’s authorization."
"The Dean?"
An image of the old Mage with the monocle surfaced in Lynch’s mind.
"You remember that assassin’s letter you submitted last time, don’t you?" Annabella said.
"..." Lynch was speechless. "Mentor, you and the Dean don’t mean for me to go deeper into the Dark Forest and see if I can bait out the Draenei Brotherhood or Viscount Golding’s people, do you?"
"Having a student as smart as you is truly my honor as a mentor," Annabella chuckled.
’Smart my ass.’
’Did I even need to guess?’
’Based on the clues we have, the escalating goblin and Fishman disasters are definitely the work of the Draenei Brotherhood and Viscount Golding pulling strings behind the scenes.’
’If they sent a mentor to investigate, the culprits would definitely go into hiding.’
’So, the best way is to use this assessment as an opportunity to have a few reckless students stumble right into them.’
"I’m not going," Lynch refused flatly. "It’s too dangerous."
The smile on Annabella’s face instantly froze.
After a long pause, she finally said, "The Dean has been secretly protecting our Undead System, but he’s under a lot of pressure. If our department performs well this time, and on top of that, we achieve a great merit, the Dean will have grounds to stand up for us."
"Mentor, look at me. These skinny arms and legs... I’m just an ordinary apprentice of the Undead." Lynch spread his hands, a look of sincerity and helplessness on his face. "Having me fight some goblins or clear out some Fishmen is one thing, but investigating dangerous characters... these small shoulders of mine really can’t bear such a heavy burden."
Annabella tried to persuade him from another angle. "So you have the heart to watch Amadis go alone? Her strength is considerable, but she’s impetuous and proud. What if she falls into a trap..."
"Er..." Lynch rubbed his nose, his gaze drifting toward the campfire. "That... doesn’t seem to have anything to do with me, does it? Senior Amadis is powerful and comes from a prominent family. She must have her own trump cards and judgment. How can a junior like me worry about a senior’s affairs?"
’Well, I’ll be damned.’
’He’s completely impervious to persuasion.’
Annabella silently gritted her teeth. ’This student of mine has become a real fox, slippery as an eel.’
’Looks like I’ll have to get serious~’
She suddenly leaned forward slightly, getting a little closer. The movement naturally caused the wide collar of her Mage Robe to open a bit, revealing a breathtaking, snow-white curve.
Her deep cleavage, now visible in the firelight, exuded the unique, enchanting allure of a mature woman.
"Student Lynch... if you’re willing to help your mentor with this, besides the merits and rewards from the academy..."
Her red lips parted slightly, and her voice took on a uniquely lazy, magnetic quality, as if lined with deadly little hooks, full of bewitching temptation. "Your mentor can also give you some... ’special’ rewards."
Lynch’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he audibly swallowed. GULP.
The atmosphere instantly grew heated.
But the next second, Lynch bit his tongue, his eyes hardening with resolve as he shook his head like a rattle drum. "No, no, no, Mentor, I’m a coward... and I still have parents at home waiting for me to support them."
Seeing he still had that "a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water" attitude, Annabella finally flew into a "rage out of humiliation."
"It seems I’ve been too gentle with you!"
She snorted, suddenly stood up, grabbed Lynch by the collar, and dragged him into the tent. "It’s too cold out here. Let’s go inside and have a long, slow talk."
"Wait, Mentor, I—" Lynch’s final protest was muffled by something, turning into a series of muffled whimpers.
By the campfire, Red Rabbit, the Skeletal Mage, the Black Corpse, the Fish Priest, and the other Soul Fire Undead Units all craned their necks to look, a sliver of "concern" for their master in their minds.
"What are you all looking at!? He’s not going to die."
A sharp rebuke echoed from inside the tent, causing the Soul Fires of the assembled Skeletons to freeze. They all quickly turned their heads away.
The tent flap fell with a SWISH, closing tightly.
"Red Rabbit, save m— Mmph... Mmph mmph~~ Mentor, don’t!~"
...
