The lizard—silent, invisible—glided through the sky above the estate.
With barely a sound, it descended, wings folding as it landed gently beside the corpses of the elders. Its glowing eyes flickered as it glanced upward.
A rustle.
A shadow.
From the shattered roof above, the fox burst forth—leaping with wild grace, its form lithe and precise.
Lizarius narrowed its golden eyes, watching as the fox landed nearby, equally silent, equally deliberate.
Huh... fox..
The thought burned through the lizard mind.
Its eyes glowed brighter, fixed on the foc.
What is it doing? Is it planning to eat my prey?
A low growl trembled in its throat.
If it dares touch them... I will kill it.
---
Lizarius lowered its body close to the ground, muscles taut, belly skimming the earth.
Its golden, glowing eyes were locked on the fox.
Then—two pouches.
Its eyes widened.
From each of the corpses, small cloth pouches floated upward.
Lizarius thought,
"Hmm… those tiny bags the humans carry. What are they?"
> [System]: "Those are called Storage Pouches. They're low-grade spatial artifacts commonly used by human cultivators to store tools, herbs, spirit stones, and other essentials.
They may look like simple pouches, but inside is an entire pocket dimension.
It doesn't make things lighter—it moves them somewhere else entirely.
Instead of dragging around swords, jars of pills, or piles of stones, cultivators just toss them into the pouch and carry it all with ease."
The fox's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Its limbs trembled slightly.
Each pouch could be filled with spirit stones… pills… talismans… maybe even a spirit tool.
Its breath quickened.
Its heart pounded with excitement.
"The Heavens must be smiling on me today," the fox murmured, grinning wide and toothy.
With a flick of spiritual energy, the pouches floated toward the fox and slipped neatly into its own storage pouch.
Lizarius glowing gaze remained fixed on the fox.
"Huh. So it's not trying to eat my prey… it just wants those pouches."
> [System]: "They're very convenient. If you obtain one, you'll be able to store the beasts or humans you kill—preserving them for later consumption."
Lizarius blinked, eyes widening again.
"So… with that pouch, I can carry the prey I kill with me… and eat it later when I'm somewhere safe?"
> [System]: "Yes. With a pouch, you can carry what you kill—meat, bodies, anything.
And when you open it… it'll be just like when you killed it.
Fresh. Ready to devour."
Lizarius eyes widened.
A slow, satisfied hiss escaped its throat, golden gaze fixed on the fox.
But the fox was already in motion.
It appeared beside another corpse—this one lying in a scorched crater nearby.
Standing over the body, eyes gleaming, the fox grinned to itself.
"Tch… another one.
Heh.
At this rate, I'll be rich—filthy rich."
It licked its lips, tail flicking with excitement.
"I'll be drowning in treasure... might not even have room left in my storage pouch."
Its gaze flicked toward the distance, toward the still-burning remains of the estate.
"What a shame we're not working together."
The thought came unbidden, lingering.
"If only… just so I could lead it to the other families.
It would devour them, and I'd loot their riches.
A win-win.
It feasts, I swim in treasure."
It smiled wide.
"Not a bad deal at all."
But then its eyes narrowed.
"No... that's impossible. No way I could ever control a beast like that."
A bitter breath slipped out of its mouth.
"It'd turn on me the moment it gets hungry—and I'd be the next corpse in its belly."
The fox huffed, shaking the thought away.
"No use overthinking it."
The fox shook its head, pushing away the lingering doubt.
"For now... just grab the pouch and get out of here."
Its focus returned to the task at hand.
Another storage pouch floated free from the corpse.
As it neared, the fox's own pouch opened, glowing faintly, ready to receive the prize—
But then—nothing.
The pouch vanished.
Eyes widened.
"What—?"
It looked up.
The corpse lay still.
The pouch was simply… gone.
---
The fox let out a startled "Huh?", eyes widening in horror.
Without hesitation, it leapt back—instinct taking over.
Above the corpse, Lizarius slowly materialized, fading into sight mid-hover, the stolen storage pouch clutched in its bloodstained claws.
Its golden eyes gleamed with eerie calm.
It landed softly beside the corpse, talons clicking against the scorched earth.
At a distance, the fox skidded to a halt.
Its body had reverted to its normal size, claws dragging lightly across the ground.
Fur bristling, back arched, it lowered itself defensively—turquoise eyes narrowed, locked onto the lizard.
A low growl vibrated in its throat, teeth clenched tight.
"What... why is it here?"
Panic flickered behind its eyes.
"Wasn't it still supposed to be fighting that mid-stage cultivator?"
A cold shiver crawled up its spine.
"Don't tell me... it's already finished him off?"
Its mind raced. "But how? How did it take down a mid-stage cultivator that quickly?"
Its gaze swept over the lizard form—
Scales shimmered faintly in the light.
Blood still clung to its claws.
But then—it saw it.
A deep gash along the lizard's side.
Wings tattered.
Wounded… but healing.
"Those most had been serious injuries... and they're already almost gone?"
A new, colder fear sank in.
"Can it regenerate…?"
Its back paw inched toward the edge of the crater.
Every muscle tensed.
"If it can recover from wounds like that... this thing is way stronger than I thought."
"What kind of monster is this?"
The fox's ears flattened.
The heat of the battle was gone—
Only survival mattered now.
"I can't fight it."
---
The fox's gaze narrowed.
Muscles tensed.
"Looks like my only option is to run."
But then a creeping doubt slid in.
"If I run… can it catch me?"
Its eyes flicked to the lizard's wings.
Torn.
Shredded.
Unlike its stomach, they weren't healing.
No pulsing flesh.
No mending scales.
"No… probably not."
It swallowed hard, breath shaky.
"It can't fly.
At least not properly—not fast, like before."
Relief flickered.
A plan began to form.
"If I flee at full speed, I might be able to escape.
It's fast—but grounded, wounded.
It won't be able to catch me... not in the state it's in.
I just have to wait… for the perfect moment."
The fox lowered its body slightly.
Muscles coiled, every fiber of its being primed to launch.
Breath shallow.
Eyes locked.
And then—
Nothing.
Lizarius hadn't moved.
Still crouched low near the corpse, claws working slowly, trying to open the storage pouch.
Calm.
Focused.
The fox blinked.
"Huh?"
Its ears twitched.
Lizarius didn't even look at it.
Didn't so much as flick a glance.
"It doesn't seem to be paying attention to me..."
The fox held still, breath held tight.
Its body remained low and tense—but now confusion crept in.
Something felt… off.
"Maybe... maybe it didn't even notice me?"
A beat passed.
Then another.
"No. No way."
Its heart thudded.
"It appeared right in front of me.
It looked right at me.
It knew I was here."
The fox's throat tightened.
And yet, the lizard hadn't moved.
Still crouched low beside the corpse, its focus was entirely absorbed by the storage pouch gripped tightly in its claws.
Tilting it.
Turning it.
As if trying to figure out how it worked—pawing at the pouche, jaws twitching slightly with frustration.
The fox watched in stunned silence.
"It… it doesn't even look like it wants to attack."
A shaky breath eased through its clenched teeth.
"It's only focused on that pouch."
Its body tensed—
But this time, not from fear.
"Since it's not after me… this is my chance."
One paw shifted back.
Silent.
Controlled.
"If I move now—carefully, quietly—I can run.
Be gone before it even notices."
The thought brought a flicker of relief.
But then—
A thought
"Wait... what about the other two corpses?"
Temptation flickered.
"They might still have storage pouches.
They could have spirit stones… pills… talismans…
Maybe even a spirit tool."
The fox's jaw tightened.
"That's two pouches.
Two.
That could change everything."
Its turquoise eyes darted back to the lizard.
Still distracted.
Still pawing at the pouch like a confused child, claws scraping at the rune-sealed fabric.
"It might not notice..."
The fox's breath quickened.
A tremor of greed mixed with calculation.
"I could grab them. Fast.
In and out."
It took another silent step backward.