The maid ignored Rocky's questions, instead looking at him with worry when she noticed the scratches on his face—the result of the previous fight at the foot of the mountain.
"You have some scratches on your face."
A humanoid-shaped sapling, Celia, on the maid's shoulder let out a soft sound before enlarging herself into a two-meter-tall humanoid tree.
"Yah-Yah."
Celia quickly swayed her foliage, letting spots of light fall onto Rocky's body.
Before long, Rocky sensed his wounds starting to close again, and his body felt a bit more energy in his cells.
"Thank you, Celia." Rocky smiled and gave the humanoid tree a grateful look.
The tree simply nodded smugly and spoke in a language he had never heard. Still, he was sure she was advising him to rest.
''Do you want to eat something? I'll cook for you. You look very thin.'' Ursa said, intending to head to the kitchen, but Rocky quickly caught her hand.
''Let me cook.''
He didn't give her a chance to say anything else and quickly rushed into the kitchen.
Ursa only smiled weakly.
''The kid grew up too fast… I can't quite accept it yet.''
Bang!
A man suddenly slammed the door open and strode forward along with his beast.
A black wolf.
Both of them wore expressions full of arrogance and disdain.
"Jed?"
A middle-aged man whom Rocky's father had once saved in a green dungeon. Rocky's father had even allowed him to enter the Clan, doing everything to help him grow. In other words, Rocky's father was that man's savior.
Jed looked down on Ursa and tossed her a coin pouch.
"That's your monthly allowance. Use it properly."
Ursa forced a smile and took the coin pouch. Most of all, she had used the tuition fee for Rocky.
Yet her wrinkles deepened when she checked the weight of the pouch. She opened it and scowled slightly.
"Why are there only ten gold coins? By the deal, we should receive five hundred gold coins."
Jed let out a mocking chuckle before suddenly swinging a vicious, strong slap at Ursa, making her groan in pain and collapse to the ground.
"Shut your damned mouth, bitch."
In truth, he had already spent the rest of the money on liquor. That was his plan all along—to live off their monthly allowance.
As for this trash, he didn't need to worry. The branch Clan was always on his side.
The next moment, he glanced at Celia with irritation. He hated the way she glared at him.
He clicked his tongue and ordered his white wolf.
"Tear that tree to pieces for me."
The black wolf quickly enlarged up three times and rushed forward, its claws spreading out to block every direction.
Pretty soon, the black wolf caught Cellia and brutally tossed her around like a rag doll.
Jed smirked, yet he was quickly surprised as he perceived an incoming punch from Rocky.
Bang!
Rocky rushed to help the maid in time after hearing the noise. He never imagined Jed would turn out to be a traitor after everything his father had done for that bastard.
He clenched his fist and triggered [Void Forging]. His obsidian armor materialized over his muscular body.
Meanwhile, Bobby lunged at the black wolf to save Celia.
He glanced at the black wolf's stats.
—
Race: black wolf
Level: 65
Species Rank: Mutant
Strength: 87
Constitution: 77
Mana: 77
Speed: 90
Unique Skill: [None]
—
Race: Ancient ape
Level: 12
Species Rank: Calamity
Strength: 56
Constitution: 66
Mana: 40
Speed: 38
Unique Skill: Intermediate Swordsmanship, Void Forging, Aura of Apex Predator, Verdant Insight, Plant Alchemy
—
Rocky frowned. A beast with a mutant species rank shouldn't have skills, but at level 65, it was still a huge opponent for Bobby.
Its stats were definitely higher than Bobby's.
So, he made a decision. He commanded his beast, using the fire pill and the red pill.
He could almost feel a surge of power rushing through his veins through his connection with Bobby.
—
Race: Ancient ape
Level: 12
Strength: 56 → 70
Constitution: 66 →78
Mana: 40 →60
Speed: 38 →40
—
The next moment, Bobby used his [Aura of Apex Predator].
—
Race: Black wolf
Level: 65
Species Rank: Mutant
Strength: 87 →70
Constitution: 77 →60
Mana: 77 →50
Speed: 90 →60
—
At this moment, his beast had overwhelmed Jed's in every aspect.
Rocky smiled and lunged at Jed. His punches were coated in flames, scorching Jed's shirt.
He didn't stop.
A nonstop barrage of blows crashed into Jed's body.
He grabbed Jed by the face and slammed him into the floor again and again. He could see the panic in Jed's eyes as he witnessed Rocky's overwhelming power.
Jed screamed in rage while struggling to break free from Rocky's grip. He tried to fight back, but it was useless. After all, his beast was weaker than Rocky's.
"Im-impossible… What the fuck kind of beast does he have?" Jed's battered face twisted with disbelief.
But then he glanced at Bobby, who was clamping onto the black wolf's maw and tearing it apart with brute force.
Watching his beast roar in agony, he was completely bewildered.
"A beast from the black zone?"
He froze for a moment before being sent tumbling across the ground as Rocky's brutal, precise blows smashed into his face.
"It's not over yet. Don't expect an easy death after betraying my father." Rocky gazed at Jed coldly as he yanked Jed's hair up.
Jed smirked, trying to speak, but his mouth was already mangled after being tortured by Rocky's vicious blows.
"Y-Y-You'll never be able to rise against the Branch Clan. They're stronger than you think. Even if your parents were alive, they wouldn't stand a chance."
Rocky slammed a violent, gauntleted punch into Jed's face, shattering every bone. Then, the next moment, he used the flames from the fire pills to engulf Jed's body.
"DIE!"
Just like that, deafening screams and painful sobbings echoed as a blazing figure danced wildly across the mountain.