Leon rushed forward without hesitation, pulled Miho close against his chest, and thrust his free hand out. A translucent orangish aura shield flared into existence just as a ring-like sound shockwave slammed into it, the impact rippling through the barrier with a sharp hum.

The man froze for a fraction of a second, clearly shocked by Leon's reaction. Then, realizing he was no match for him, panic flickered across his face. He hastily summoned his beast—a massive bat, almost 4 meter tall. Grabbing onto one of its legs, he began to lift off, hurling curses back at them as the wind whipped around his body.

But Leon wasn't having any of it.

He dismissed the aura shield and raised the same hand toward the fleeing beast—

[Magic Stinger]!

An intricate magic circle bloomed in front of his palm, spinning like a glowing disc. From its center shot a solid projection of a scorpion's stinger, dense and razor-sharp.

Shing!

The projectile tore through the man's abdomen first, carving away a bloody chunk as it passed through. Without losing momentum, it continued onward and pierced straight through the bat's body. The beast shrieked once before its wings faltered, and both rider and mount collapsed mid-air, plunging into freefall.

But before either of them could hit the ground, they vanished.

Miho was still pressed tightly against Leon's solid frame. The steady heat of his body and his faint making her cheeks burn. Embarrassment flared in her chest—she knew she slacked mid battled

"I am sorry for being careless…" Miho apologized softly.

Leon didn't respond. His gaze was fixed on the sky. He narrowed his eyes, frowning when he still couldn't get a clear view. He used magic, forming a lens-like magic circle in front of his eyes as the world sharpened.

"A Skyrend Eagle?" he muttered.

The moment the eagle sensed his gaze, it shot away, vanishing rapidly into the distance.

Leon watched for a while longer, but when he couldn't find the watcher again, he canceled the eye magic. Only then did he notice something squirming slightly in his arms.

He looked down.

Miho's face—and even her ears—were tomato red, her eyes stubbornly refusing to meet his. Realizing the situation, Leon immediately released her and raised both hands in surrender.

"That was the safest way I could think of protecting you," he said quickly. "It wasn't intentional."

Miho nodded rapidly, like a flustered kitten. Her gaze drifted to Leon's arms instead—the metal rods supporting his broken arm, the bandages wrapped around the other where it had been sliced. She noticed that the wounds had already scabbed over, unlike before when they were still fresh and bleeding.

Leon then casually spoke, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"By the way, good fight for someone new. Keep on that track, and you'll soon be among the top 100."

"T-thank you… And I didn't mind..." Miho replied as the last words came barely more than whisper which didn't even reach Leon's ears, her head lowered, still unable to meet his eyes.

Not long after, Nord's scream echoed in the distance. Both of them stiffened and immediately ran toward Leo's location.

"What's happening?" Leon asked as they arrived, spotting Leo busy adjusting and modifying the Rock Golems.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," Leo replied calmly, barely looking up. "Lily got hold of the man who injured Miho in the arena."

He said it like it was the most normal thing in the world, but the screams ringing out in the background him suggested otherwise.

Curiosity got the better of both Leon and Miho, and they moved toward the source of the noise. They descended the plateau and reached a cave-like entrance carved into the rise. Just before stepping fully inside, Leon stopped dead in his tracks and abruptly turned around, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

Miho was still heading forward, her steps hesitant, fear plain on her face as the screams continued.

"Let's go. There's nothing to see there," Leon said with a forced smile.

Miho hesitated, clearly wanting at least a glimpse of what was happening. Leon had no choice. He grabbed her arm firmly and dragged her away. Miho wouldn't be able to handle the scene unfolding inside.

Fuck! What sort of psychopath does that bastard love?! And how the fuck does he even handle her?!

Leon cursed internally, silently swearing to never, ever mess with Lily.

Miho, meanwhile, completely lost interest in whatever was happening behind them. Her entire attention was on Leon's strong arm gripping hers, the firm pull stirring something unfamiliar deep in her heart.

After what felt like hours of screaming—and Leon relentlessly preventing Miho from going anywhere near the hidden room—the screams finally stopped.

Then Lily emerged.

She wore a bright, refreshed smile, as if she had just taken a relaxing bath. The illusion shattered when one noticed that she was soaked head to toe in blood, as though the water she had bathed in had been dyed red.

As she came out she spoke cheerfully.

"Looks like I need to work on my methods, I lost control and he was sent back to temple. I should catch him again sometimes." She said with bright face that darkened both Leon and Leo's face.

Miho gasped in horror seeing bloodand immediately rushed to check on Lily's well-being. Meanwhile, Leon and Leo quietly backed away from the area, their attention shifting to the eagle that had appeared in the sky earlier.

"So you're saying someone was observing us from above?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Leon replied with a nod. "But the moment he realized he'd been spotted, he dashed away. I couldn't get a proper view."

Leo nodded in thought.

"Did you use any of your beast powers?" he asked.

"No. Except for one ranged attack.... and an aura barrier, none," Leon answered.

"Everyone else was dealt with by the golems you summoned and Miho's area control on my side."

Leo nodded again, satisfied.

"Then he didn't get shit worth of intel from us," Leo said flatly.

"We didn't summon our beasts, and 2 of us—the strongest here—didn't reveal our powers. Lily only used her… uh… torture skills and area control. Our wild card druid and trump card Howl, weren't revealed either."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"So the only full information he has is on Miho. And even that will change in a couple of weeks once she joins more academy classes."

Leon's expression turned thoughtful.

"What about the golem summon—or the construct skill you used? Summoning 40 golems at once is another trump card."

"No," Leo replied calmly. "I'm planning to make the primary defence line and patrol teams out of automated golems soon. They'll be visible to everyone, all the time. And just so you know, that was the first time I used that golem skill. It'll only get stronger."

With that, everyone returned to their own tasks. Leo headed toward Aurelius Hall to gather food—mainly high-ranked meat for his beasts.

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