Lavinia casually revealed Colin’s true level, leaving Liyami and Sylphnie completely stunned.
Lavinia herself was taken aback by their strong reactions. Once she gathered her thoughts, she asked in confusion, “Is it really necessary? Why such a big reaction? I just mentioned Colin’s level—there’s no need to make such a fuss.”
“Besides, if you really wanted to know Colin’s level, why didn’t you just ask him directly? It’s not like it’s some secret that can’t be asked about. Why take it so seriously?”
Lavinia’s words nearly caused Liyami and Sylphnie’s minds to short-circuit.
What did she mean? Could it be that the biggest mystery tormenting them these past two years—the enigma of Colin’s level—could’ve been solved simply by asking Colin himself? What were all their doubts and speculations worth then? They might as well have been two clueless geese!
In that instant, Liyami and Sylphnie reached an unspoken consensus, almost reading each other’s minds.
They turned to face each other, exchanging a heartfelt gaze before both looking back at Lavinia. Seeing the bewildered expression on Lavinia’s face, they simultaneously raised their fists and slammed them hard into her stomach!
“Ugh!”
With a cry of pain, Lavinia bent over and knelt on the ground, clutching her belly tightly. It was obvious that Liyami and Sylphnie had used quite a bit of force, nearly making Lavinia vomit up the breakfast she had just eaten.
“…You, ugh… what are you guys doing?”
Lavinia struggled to speak, but all she got in return were cold glares from Liyami and Sylphnie.
“What are we doing? You should’ve told us about something this important sooner!”
“Hmph… What? Is it really that important? And the reason I didn’t say anything is because you never asked! How could I answer a question I’ve never even heard before?”
Lavinia complained bitterly, but it didn’t change the anger on Liyami and Sylphnie’s faces. Still, though they were upset, they didn’t mean to do her any real harm—just a solid punch to the stomach was enough. They weren’t going to go overboard, after all, they shared some of the blame in this matter.
Eventually, with Lavinia moaning and clutching her stomach, Liyami and Sylphnie gradually calmed down.
“By the way, have you known about this all along?” Liyami suddenly asked, causing Lavinia’s body to tremble involuntarily. The “this” she referred to was, of course, Colin’s level.
“Uh, I’ve known since I joined the team,” Lavinia answered.
Hearing that, Liyami squeezed her eyes shut, trying to suppress the sudden surge of anger welling up inside her.
Damn Lavinia! Couldn’t she tell how much Sylphnie and I cared about this? We had shown it clearly so many times before—any normal person would have noticed!
Sylphnie shared the same thought. Lavinia clearly knew how important this was to both of them but had been deliberately silent about it until just now, when she accidentally spilled the secret to cover up the topic. What a terrible personality!
As for Lavinia, despite clutching her stomach and moaning, she was actually fine. After all, she was level 79—it was impossible for her to be knocked out by a casual punch from someone at a level ten or so below her.
Everything earlier had been an act, intended to make the other two believe she was genuinely unaware.
She knew very well how much they cared about this, so from the start, she had come up with this prank to tease them. But after so long, she had basically given up on it, and the reason she hadn’t told them was simply because she forgot.
All in all, Lavinia’s current predicament was entirely self-inflicted and didn’t deserve much sympathy. Liyami and Sylphnie once again shared this understanding.
Thus, Lavinia’s little prank came to an end—at least from her point of view. Liyami and Sylphnie, however, were already planning to give Lavinia some special punishment once they returned.
Especially Liyami, who had originally planned a big surprise for Lavinia—and now was thinking of adding a “little surprise” on top of that.
When Colin came over, the three of them knew the break time was over and it was time to keep moving.
After traveling some distance forward, they entered a large room. Facing the “Bronze” armored figures ahead, Colin took a deep breath and prepared to have Elinor cast the “Holy Light” divine spell to test his theory.
Elinor instinctively gripped her staff tightly upon hearing Colin’s command. But soon, she recalled Liyami’s words and the moment Colin had invited her to join the team. Her heart steadied, and she calmly began praying to the gods.
Elinor’s prayers quickly took effect—a dazzling light suddenly appeared above the enemies’ heads, shining down on all the “Bronze” armored figures.
Immediately, the “Bronze” armors began trembling, barely able to keep standing. Some of the weaker “Bronze” figures even dropped their weapons, too exhausted to pick them up again.
Seeing this, everyone, especially Colin and Elinor, was delighted. Colin because his hypothesis was confirmed, and Elinor because she once again had an important role to play.
Liyami was excited too—this meant their path ahead would be much easier! As long as they stayed alert for ambushes, there wouldn’t be a repeat of their previous troubles.
While everyone was feeling upbeat, a large magic circle appeared beneath the feet of the “Bronze” armored figures.
Colin instantly tensed and nearly drew the Sacred Sword, but quickly realized what was happening and looked back at Sylphnie.
Noticing Colin’s gaze, Sylphnie casually explained why she was acting this way: “Someone has to deal with them. You’re all so happy you almost forgot the enemies are only suppressed, not defeated.”
No sooner had Sylphnie finished speaking than the magic circle under the “Bronze” armors began to glow faintly. Thick branches sprouted forth, violently stabbing at the armored figures.
Though they were just branches, they were surprisingly flexible, bypassing the armor’s defenses by slipping through the gaps and piercing the bodies inside.
Before long, Sylphnie’s magic had dealt with all the “Bronze” armored foes.
Hearing Sylphnie’s words, Colin felt a pang of guilt. She was right—how could he be so careless over something so small? He still needed to stay calmer.
After reflecting, Colin led the now-spirited group deeper into the labyrinth, wondering when they might finally encounter the knights.