Capítulo 47: Her Plan
"We could do that," Andrew agreed, his grim expression relaxing as if a weight had fallen from his shoulders. It had hit him hard that despite his experiences and preparations, Ethan had been injured again in this life. He had to admit that before Luke and Rose arrived, their situation had been quite bleak. Without understanding why one shield worked while the other didn't, and with their wounds hampering them, he'd struggled to formulate an escape plan. Now though, the situation was different. They could make a few more shields and simply walk out of the realm. With the additional help, carrying the wounded Ethan would be manageable.
With Ethan in too much pain to make sound decisions, it fell to the other three to determine their next move. Given Luke's young age, the final decision rested with Rose and Andrew.
While Rose understood their logic, a little greedy devil sat on her shoulder, urging her to stick to her original plan of destroying the plant. If they killed the creature, they could safely search the realm for other treasures. Perhaps they would find spirit liquid to aid the development of their abilities. Or maybe she would stumble upon a rare element, helping her level up with the strange device weighing down her pocket—its presence impossible to ignore, especially in this dire situation. With upgrades and more information, future realm encounters would become though not easier at least more plannable.
Rose still regretted that during their last realm run, she had been too exhausted to search the area and had simply left with Luke after killing the giant worm. Who knew what treasures they might have missed?
The reasons the little devil whispered were sound and convincing. Yet she couldn't voice them aloud—no one else knew about spirit liquid and rare elements. These things wouldn't be discovered, or at least wouldn't become public knowledge, for several months.
Thus, still unconvinced about leaving just like that, she spoke up. "Before we decide, could you listen to the rest of my explanation first?" she asked slowly, focusing her gaze on Andrew.
Her question made Andrew pause. He furrowed his brows, unsure what else there was to discuss when the solution seemed obvious. He wanted to dismiss her thoughts outright but stopped when he saw her earnest expression. Reflecting on her behavior over the past weeks, he realized she had transformed from the argumentative girl who would challenge him at every turn. Since the portal's appearance, she had matured significantly, becoming more measured and thoughtful. If she had indeed changed, he needed to adjust his approach accordingly. After all, they had solved the mystery of Ethan's failed shield thanks to her insights. So Andrew decided to give her a chance.
"Let's hear it."
Rose exhaled, glad to have cleared the first hurdle. She had half expected him to dismiss her. It was no secret that he viewed her as a naive girl that didn't know how the world works. And she had to admit that he had been correct in his evaluation before. But now, with her accumulated experience from her past life, things were different.
She carefully chose her words. "I think it might still be safer for us to destroy the creature instead of simply leaving. We're not entirely sure of its location or how the shields will work if we get closer to its core. What if it attacks us? Or what if we unknowingly pass by it, exposing our backs?" Since the marshland looked identical everywhere, even around the portal, there was a chance the creature's core lay hidden underground, making it impossible to locate.
Andrew nodded thoughtfully. "And how would you go about destroying that creature?"
"We burn it," she said with determination, meeting his gaze. "With the strange substance in this marshland being highly flammable, we could use Luke's power to burn everything to the ground."
While Andrew remained expressionless, Luke stared at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Are you serious?"
Rose threw him a sidelong glance and nodded. "Yes. It's the simplest and most effective method. The creature won't be able to escape, and we can safely leave this realm."
While her logic made sense, setting the entire marsh ablaze seemed incredibly dangerous. "There is one catch," Andrew interrupted. "How do we keep ourselves from being burned to a crisp?"
She swallowed. That was actually the hard part. "I was thinking that you and my brother could go into that pond you mentioned where you found Ethan's ability. As it won't burn you will be safe there."
"And what about you and Luke?"
"Using the shield, I'll get Luke into position. Once he starts the fire, I'll use my speed ability to get us both to safety. Since everything here is so flammable, it should ignite and burn out quickly—just like we saw with the twig earlier."
"Hmm…" Andrew didn't respond immediately. He hesitated, his eyes darting between Rose and the injured Ethan.
Rose looked at him expectantly. "What do you think?"
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