Chapter 36: Snakes
The next day.
Leo, Lily, and James stood in front of the Beast Hall, waiting for the rest to arrive. None of them carried much â only their essentials. Their weapons were already in place: Leoâs twin daggers hung at his waist, Lilyâs sword â the same one Arnold had dropped â rested diagonally across her back, and James wore his iron gauntlets, faint scratches marking the surface. All three were clad in light armour, fitted tight enough to guard their vitals without slowing their movements.
The morning air was crisp, carrying the earthy scent of dew-soaked soil. As they discussed the upcoming hunt and the dangers of the treants, the steady rhythm of approaching footsteps reached them.
"Jaaames," a voice drawled, stretched with mockery.
A man stepped into view, his smug grin barely hiding the arrogance behind his half-lidded eyes. Two others followed close behind, swords clinking lightly at their waists.
The pairâs gazes lingered on Lily â longer than decency allowed â their eyes dragging down her frame before exchanging crooked smirks. They whispered among themselves, their words not quiet enough to miss.
"Looks like weâll get something extra outta this hunt, kehe," snickered Ish â a thin man with black spots on his face, his voice as oily as his grin.
Leoâs eyes flicked toward them, but the men didnât even acknowledge his presence, as if he were invisible.
Then the first man â Jerom â spoke again, his grin stretching wider.
"Howâs the injury, James? Healed up for todayâs battle, I hope? Donât worry," he said, the words dripping with fake concern, "Iâll make sure to watch your back."
Jamesâs face darkened, his jaw tightening. Jerom had been there during the last mission â the one where James was ambushed and nearly crippled. Back then, Jerom had conveniently vanished at the first sign of danger.
And now, here he was â smiling like a snake that knew its prey still remembered the bite.
Suddenly, Leo spoke.
"Sir James, I think weâre better off alone. Iâd rather not have weaklings watching our backs."
His tone was calm, but his words cut clean. Heâd already made up his mind â bringing them along would be more dangerous than facing the treants alone.
"What did you just say?!" Jerom snarled, the smirk on his face twisting into anger.
James immediately understood what Leo was doing â trying to drive them away under the guise of calling them weak. But Jerom and his team werenât exactly pushovers. The two behind him were peak 1-stars, and Jerom himself was a low 2-star, all with uncommon-ranked souls.
Leo didnât flinch. "Are you deaf? I said youâre weak. Youâll only hold us back. So shut your crap and get the fuck out of here."
That was the final spark.
Ish stepped forward, veins bulging on his forehead. "You think youâre tough just âcause your girlâs watching? Come on thenâlet me show you your place!"
But before he could take another step, the third man lunged without warning, fist cocked back.
"No one insults us, fool!" he shouted, his punch whistling toward Leoâs face.
Lily moved on instinct, her hand flashing toward her swordâbut she stopped midway.
She didnât need to.
A dull
thud
echoed.
The man lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious, his jaw twisted at an odd angle.
"Heh. See? Weak," Leo said, flexing his hand and rubbing the knuckles heâd struck with.
The entire exchange had lasted less than two seconds. With his heightened agility, Leo had clearly seen the incoming blow, sidestepped just enough, and deflected the strike with a sharp swipe of his arm. Then, guided by Shyraâs racial ability to pinpoint vital spots, he landed a perfect jaw-shattering counterpunch.
A small crowd had gathered, whispering among themselves.
"Did you see that? So fast!" one murmured to his friend, eyes wide.
"YOU!!" Jerom barked, fury twisting his face as he yanked his sword free with a metallic scrape.
James instantly moved, lowering his stance to defendâbut he never got the chance.
Leo vanished.
Jeromâs eyes widened, his pupils contracting as he tried to track the blur. A faint distortion shimmered in front of himâthen Leo reappeared, fist faintly glowing with bluish light.
Before Jerom could react, Leo drove his palm into his chest.
Boom!
The impact sounded like a thunderclap. Jeromâs body lifted clean off the ground and flew several meters back, crashing hard into the dirt. A thick cloud of dust erupted, rolling across the square. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he gasped for air, his sword clattering uselessly beside him.
Leo exhaled quietly, his eyes calm. He had held back. With Shyraâs skill, [Critical Strike], his blow carried five times his normal powerâstrong enough to reach the threshold of a Peak 2-star strike. If he hadnât restrained himself, Jeromâs chest wouldâve caved in entirely.
"I donât want to waste time," he muttered under his breath.
Ish, frozen for a second by shock, suddenly panicked. "YouâYou bastard!" he stammered, reaching for his soul space to summon.
But before he could even channel his mana, a sharp
thwack
rang out.
Lilyâs leg shot up in a graceful arc, her kick connecting with the side of his head. Ishâs eyes rolled back as his body went limp, collapsing beside his teammates with a dull thud.
Silence followedâbroken only by the distant whispers of onlookers and the rustle of dust settling around Leo and Lily.
James stared at Leo, stunned.
He hadnât expected that punch to completely flatten a 2-star Beast Master. The faint glow around Leoâs fistâit had to be a skill. And not just any skill, but a powerful one.
Still, praise could wait.
He stepped toward the fallen Jerom, his boots crunching over the dirt.
"Looks like Leo was right," James said coldly. "Pathetic weaklings. Losing to someone who awakened barely half a month ago... truly pathetic."
He turned his back on them and walked toward Leo and Lily. Together, the trio began to leave.
Jerom, gasping for breath, froze mid-cough when the words sank in.
Half a month ago?
His eyes went wide, disbelief painted across his bloodied face.
The bystanders whoâd gathered around had also heard Jamesâs wordsâand the next moment, laughter erupted.
"Hahaha! A newly awakened took down all three? And it was three against one! Have some shame, rascals!"
"Bet that kidâs got a high-ranked soul. No way a normal tamer could do that."
"Who cares? That was damn satisfying to watch!" another chuckled. "Hahaha!"
Jeromâs face turned crimson, veins bulging at his temple. Humiliation burned through him.
With a snarl, he kicked at the two men sprawled on the ground, their groans faint as they stirred awake.
"Get up," he hissed, his voice trembling with rage. "Weâre going to the Baronâs estate."
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A/N: Weekly Challenge
25 Power Stones = +1 Chapter
25 Golden Tickets = +2 Chapter
Chapters will be released by the end of the week!