Outside the Dark City
In the dense, shadowy forest beyond the Dark City, a figure was dashing through the trees at breakneck speed.
Behind him, more than a dozen people were in hot pursuit, their footsteps thundering through the underbrush.
"Damn it! Just how many people did Jinghai College send? There are still so many even out here?!"
Smith couldn't help but curse inwardly. He'd been running non-stop for over ten minutes since leaving the city, already putting a considerable distance between himself and the main battlefield.
Back in the city, he had left One Tail behind to stall Jinghai College's main force. Not to mention, Li Tuo was still holding back the four top-level executors.
And yet, about ten enemies had still managed to follow him out.
The only thing to be thankful for was that most of them were only third-level psychics—only one among them had reached the low level of the fourth tier.
They had been chasing him ever since he exited the city.
Originally, Smith planned to shake them off, but he hadn't expected them to be so relentless and difficult to lose.
"F**k this—I'm done running!"
Annoyed, he skidded to a stop.
It wasn't like he couldn't win this fight. So why keep fleeing?
With that thought in mind, Smith turned around and faced the group chasing after him, battle-ready.
But just as he prepared to attack, something bizarre happened.
Several people in the group suddenly turned their weapons on their own teammates.
Even the fourth-level psychic began acting strangely, attacking his allies without hesitation.
"What… the hell?"
Smith stood frozen in disbelief.
He had just braced for battle, and now they were fighting each other?
"No, wait… this is charm magic!"
He quickly noticed something odd.
Those who had turned on their comrades had dull, glazed-over eyes and were surrounded by a faint pink aura.
"You guessed it right—it's charm!"
A playful, coquettish voice echoed from the trees.
Moments later, several figures emerged from the shadows. At the forefront stood a small girl with animal ears, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
It was the Red Queen, from the Twilight Auction.
At this moment, she had activated her half-beast form. Pink, fluffy animal ears twitched atop her head. With her petite build and youthful features, she looked like a real beast girl from a fairytale—though anyone who knew her true nature would know better than to let their guard down.
"You? Why are you helping me?" Smith asked, clearly surprised.
The Red Queen was a rare dual-ability psychic—capable of beast transformation and illusion. Her charm spells were particularly terrifying, able to throw even equal-level opponents into disarray.
The chaos among the pursuers was the result of her abilities. Under her spell, they had turned on each other—and by the time the confusion settled, they had nearly wiped themselves out.
But Smith couldn't understand why she had intervened. After all, the Twilight Auction was a neutral party. They rarely involved themselves in conflicts like this.
"You saved my grandfather. Now I've saved you. Debt cleared!" she huffed, tilting her head back proudly.
Even though she barely reached Smith's waist in height, she carried herself with all the authority she could muster.
"I see. So I just saved myself in advance," Smith replied flatly. "Tell the old man I said hi."
He didn't plan to stick around. There was no telling when more pursuers from Jinghai College might show up.
"Hey! Wait a second—this is from my grandfather!"
The Red Queen suddenly tossed something at him.
Smith instinctively caught it. It was a dark golden token, heavy in his hand. Carved into its surface was the image of a majestic city gate.
"What's this?"
"It's my grandfather's token. A sacred emblem of the Holy Empire. If you ever find someone from the Holy Empire, show them this and you'll get help."
"Sacred token?"
This was the first time Smith had heard of such a thing.
But since it came from the old man, he decided to accept it. Whether it worked or not didn't really matter right now.
The Holy Empire was in a chaotic state. It was questionable whether they even had the resources to help someone like Smith. And it wasn't as though he knew where to find them—maybe only in the Holy Royal City.
"I'll thank the old man for you."
With that, Smith slipped the token into his pouch and vanished once more into the forest.
Only the Red Queen remained, staring at the direction he had gone, muttering with a pout.
"Grandpa even gave away something that precious… and not to me."
"…Who's really your granddaughter, huh?"
---
After shaking off Jinghai College's pursuit completely, Smith knew one thing for sure—he couldn't go back.
It had only been a month since he left, and more than half a year remained before the great beast tide crisis.
Smith's plan was to return when the beast tide was imminent. Right now, it was far too early—and far too dangerous.
Jinghai College had gone to extraordinary lengths to capture him, even sending so many psychics deep into enemy territory.
If he returned to Huaihai College now, Jinghai College would surely retaliate directly against Huaihai City.
And Jinghai was far stronger.
Even if Huaihai College was willing to lay down everything to protect him, they simply couldn't withstand the might of Jinghai.
This time, they had already dispatched over ten fourth-level psychics.
Next time?
They might send fifth-levels, or worse—Lin Hai himself might come.
The only safe option for Smith now was to completely erase his presence. Stay hidden. Never allow himself to be found again by Jinghai College.
"Seriously… I can't relax for even a moment."
With a long, frustrated sigh, Smith disappeared once more into the deep jungle.
---
Meanwhile, at Jinghai College...
"Bang!"
A loud crash echoed through the chamber as Lin Hai, the Dean of Jinghai College, slammed the table in front of him into splinters.
"A bunch of useless trash!" he roared. "All of you ganging up to catch one man—and you let him escape?!"
A squad leader standing before him didn't dare lift his head. He stammered nervously,
"Dean, that kid's abilities far exceeded expectations. And… there were others helping him in Dark City."
"One of them was an old general from the Holy Empire. A fifth-level intermediate."
"And Smith—he summoned a fifth-level high-tier monster. We were caught completely off guard. We weren't his match…"
A fifth-level intermediate human and a fifth-level advanced beast. Against that combination, even they were outclassed.
No one had expected the mission to be this difficult.
Before they set out, there had been no intel indicating such powerful allies or summons.
"Excuses!" Lin Hai shouted. "It hasn't even been that long! How could he possibly tame a fifth-order advanced demon beast?!"
At that moment, a slow, lazy voice rang out from the entrance.
"Well, Lao Lin, why are you getting so worked up?"
A middle-aged man ambled into the room. He was balding, round-bellied, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, and carried the air of someone who didn't take much seriously.
"Wang Daochuan?"
Lin Hai narrowed his eyes.
The man in question was none other than the President of Huaihai College.
Seeing him, the others in the room quickly stepped aside, leaving space for the two giants of their respective colleges.
"I haven't been here in years," Wang Daochuan said casually, pulling out a chair. "Still remember the way, though."
He plopped down, grabbed a fruit from the wrecked table, and began eating it as if he were in his own office.
"You're here to plead for your student?" Lin Hai's voice was ice-cold.
Wang Daochuan raised an eyebrow. "You made such a spectacle and still couldn't catch a student. You're not embarrassed?"
"My son is lying in bed," Lin Hai snarled. "The doctors say his spiritual core is completely destroyed. He'll be crippled for life!"
"I'll tear that boy into pieces if it's the last thing I do!"
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