Hearing Alric, the boy froze for a moment — more out of surprise than fear. It was obvious from his posture that he hadn't expected anyone to actually talk back to him.

Ah… he messed up, Leo thought, watching with mild amusement. At least have the strength to back it up if you plan to act tough.

That single pause was all Alric needed. His grin sharpened like a blade as he stepped forward, seizing the moment.

"What was that? Go on, say it again," Alric's tone dropped low, carrying a surprising edge of threat.

"W-who do you think you are? I'm a noble! A knight!" the brown-haired boy stammered, his voice trembling between pride and fear.

Alric's sneer deepened. And then, another shadow stepped out from behind him.

Here we go, Leo mused silently. The rat and the fox, teaming up.

"Knight? Hah! Who's the country bumpkin now?" Zolton spat, crossing his arms with that habitual look of disdain.

Alric's smile widened as he glanced toward his ally."Lord Zolton, why don't we teach this whelp a little lesson? Seniors should always discipline their juniors, right?"

Both Alric and Zolton had spent their lives under the weight of higher-ranking nobles back home, and the feeling of being overshadowed never sat well with them. They were raised with one rule — hierarchy mattered. And here, in this new place, they saw the perfect chance to establish theirs.

Zolton had already decided to leave the city behind. Alric, on the other hand, was under strict orders from his father — earn fame, make a name. And what better way to start than by trampling someone weaker?

"Petty people…" Lily muttered, shaking her head.

Leo chuckled softly. Both of them turned away, leaving the scene behind. Not long after, a loud cry for mercy echoed through the settlement. No one intervened — clearly, this setup was designed by the academies themselves. A silent culling to weed out the weak before the trials even began.

"I wonder if they trade beast corpses somewhere…" Leo murmured.

He figured this was as good a time as any to sell off the remains he'd been holding onto. Soon, they found a trading hub bustling with noise and impatient voices.

"What? Out of stock again?" a customer snapped at the counter.

"I'm sorry, sir, but demand for defensive items is overwhelming," the shopkeeper replied wearily. "We're running low on materials. We just can't craft them fast enough."

Leo's ears perked up. His instincts screamed one word—profit.

Approaching the counter, he struck up a casual conversation. Apparently, most applicants weren't sitting idle here; they hunted outside the city gates regularly and sold materials for coin. With that money, they bought whatever could make them stronger — defensive gear especially, since most weren't Beast Masters. Fights meant injuries, and injuries meant death if you weren't properly protected.

A slow grin crept across Leo's face. He had exactly what they needed — Treant corpses. Tough, flexible, naturally resistant. Perfect for crafting defensive gear.

After a bit of shrewd haggling, he sold the Treant corpses for twenty silver and the tiger corpse for fifteen, normally they would go for half of the price. Counting his pouch, he now had eighty silver coins and some loose change. [15 (previously left after shopping with Lily) + 30(Knight Commander stipent) + 35]

The shopkeeper was stunned by the number of corpses Leo pulled out. He assumed the boy must be from some wealthy family with a personal storage artefact — there was no way someone this young could have hunted a peak 2-star beast on his own.

"Umm…" Lily side-eyed him.

"What?" Leo asked, already smirking. "You'll have to say it if you want me to guess."

"Shouldn't you share something with your big sister?" she said, narrowing her eyes accusingly, like he'd just committed a terrible crime.

"You really love switching between being my sister or something else, don't you?" Leo said, teasingly.

"But for your information, I'm pretty stingy when it comes to family. Of course, you could try something to convince me…"

A mischievous glint lit up Lily's eyes. She stepped closer, sliding her hand through his arm and pressing it against her chest. Her voice dropped into a sultry whisper.

"I can make you feel good tonight~"

Leo froze, his entire body stiffening. What the hell! How can she sound that damn seductive?!

"Big sister, was it?" he said, smirking as he flicked her forehead lightly. "What a joke."

"Where will you make me feel good then, huh? Surely not in an alley again, right?" he added slyly, his grin widening.

Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson."L-let's just find a place to stay first," she stammered, remembering that alley incident vividly.

Leo laughed outright, which only earned him a fierce glare."Hmph!"

Smug bastard… she thought, clenching her fists. Let's see how long you can keep that composure when I'm with you tonight.

She had slowly come to accept one fact — she couldn't outmatch him in stamina. So secretly, she'd started reading books on the arts of pleasure, determined to turn the tables. And from the previous experience, she knew one thing for sure — he didn't hold back a single bit.

I was actually afraid that, from all the noise we were making, Mis—Sister Sera might actually know what we were up to. Thankfully, she was sleeping soundly.

She exhaled in relief, clearing not aware.

Leo had actually managed to figure out the basic structure of the city when they were landing and was heading towards the wealthier region.

"Oi oi, 'o'? Do you people really think you can go anywhere?" Came an arrogant voice.

Both turned and saw a Blonde boy, wearing light armour over his clean white and yellow clothes—having girls on both arms.

The boy examined them, then his gaze landed on Lily, and his eyes sparked.

"You—" Pointing at Leo.

"Scram, and you pink hair girl, stay." Saying that he threw a pouch of coins—copper coins.

Both Leo and Lily made a disgusted face.

"Poor Asshole..."

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A/N: Sorry, I was feeling sick and fell behind schedule.

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