Chapter Seventeen: A Gentleman with a Moral Compass

“I'll lure the Poison Cat King’s hatred; you find an opportunity to take it down in one strike!”

“No problem.”

The Poison Cat King roared relentlessly, pursuing without any intention of giving up. More importantly, moving through the forest, humans could never match the agility of a feline predator.

The Poison Cat King deftly maneuvered using tree trunks and branches, incredibly agile. Even with speed capsules, the distance between them gradually closed. Sooner or later, it would greet them with its sharp claws—a deadly greeting.

Its instincts were keen; the woman posed a greater threat, so it locked its hunting target firmly on Shiat.

Wind Blade!

A streak of azure wind blade barely grazed the Poison Cat King’s neck, pulling away a few strands of dark, ash-colored fur, but it didn’t deter its hunting focus.

“This beast is pretty clever; I’ll have to get ruthless!”

“Big cat! Look what I’ve got here—this is the hand of your friend, Thunderstrike Keno. I took him down.”

A half-silver-gray goblin hand waved mockingly in the air, held by Yelin, who after a few taunts popped an acceleration capsule and bolted.

True to Linus’s words, the Poison Cat King shifted its target after a few moves on the tree trunk. It shared a special bond with Thunderstrike Keno.

Maybe it was a cross-species love affair, or perhaps a bromance—who knew whether the Poison Cat King was male or female.

Elsewhere, Shiat gripped the advanced samurai sword, pivoted, and stopped mid-step. She calmed her breath and fixed her unwavering gaze on Yelin—who had circled the forest and returned—and the Poison Cat King stalking behind him.

A hum resonated.

Sword energy rippled, and the withered yellow leaves beneath her feet shattered into fragments. An invisible shockwave exploded, sending leaves swirling wildly.

At half strength, Shiat was far stronger than the barely managing state she had when facing Keno!

“Down!”

Without hesitation, Yelin lunged forward and dropped flat, revealing the Poison Cat King poised on a tree trunk behind him, snarling and ready to pounce.

Phantom Triple Slash!

Three sword energy slashes cut through instantly, carving three bare gaps through the carpet of fallen leaves. Apart from looking a bit disheveled, Yelin was otherwise unscathed.

Such exquisite control over sword energy!

“My back’s a little chilly. I’m really afraid you might accidentally slice me into four pieces. Then, who’d be left to mourn you?”

Rising, Yelin patted his chest in relief. Had Shiat’s hand trembled or a vengeful impulse flickered in her heart, he’d truly be finished.

Apparently, no resurrection tokens were on hand—he’d opened several boxes without success.

Such keepsakes were common enough that a few tries could confirm their presence or absence.

“You scoundrel. I regret this—I want you to stand still so I can cut you once!”

Shiat’s face turned cold as she prepared to strike. Having just escaped with her life, a lesson was needed to keep her sharp.

“Be gentle, girl. How can you marry anyone being so violent?”

“You shameless wretch, can you even hold on to your last shred of decency?”

“Huh? I still have decency on me?”

The Poison Cat King, truly a top feline predator, at the last moment forcibly twisted its body to avoid being sliced into four.

But its appearance was still grisly—an arm-sized gash on its belly that couldn’t be sealed, some internal organs surely severed by Shiat’s blade.

Yelin watched its struggling limbs with a complicated expression. This creature fought desperately to survive, still breathing faintly, not yet dead.

From the Poison Cat King’s eyes, he even read a silent “plea”—it wanted to live.

“Don’t get sentimental; this is a venomous cat demon.”

Shiat crouched down, lightly rubbing her blade against the Poison Cat King’s neck. After the encounter with Thunderstrike Keno, she’d learned her lesson.

A whole body was worth far more than scattered limbs.

“It’s not so warm and fuzzy; at least a dozen adventurers have fallen to it. This isn’t some cuddly kitty.”

“Exactly. As an adventurer, mercy is not an option.”

Shiat’s blade sliced through veins and windpipe. Even the notorious Poison Cat King couldn’t withstand such a fatal final blow.

But then, something unexpected happened…

Whoosh—

A dense, nearly tangible purple mist spewed from the Poison Cat King’s mouth, spraying Shiat’s face at the last moment!

Cough, cough…

Ugh!

Shiat coughed violently as the nauseating stench invaded her sinuses and lungs. The intense urge to vomit rivaled the mental exhaustion she’d felt before. A wave of dizziness swept over her mind.

“I… might need to sleep for a while…”

Her eyelids began fluttering uncontrollably. The pills Seria gave her couldn’t suppress the overwhelming poison mist; the toxin’s effects were taking hold.

The transference power and pills were frantically consuming the poison, but the process would take considerable time.

“If you… dare to lay a finger on me, either kill me or I’ll kill you.”

With that, Shiat’s eyes closed, and she curled up, falling asleep. Before drifting off, she warned him not to get any ideas.

Yelin was momentarily stunned, clutching the immunity artifact, the Shining World Orb, feeling at a loss.

“You said that yourself. If I don’t do something, won’t I look useless?”

A terrifying evil desire descended from the sky. The two heroes of the land faced each other proudly. When they met, a cataclysmic battle was inevitable.

Smack!

Biting his tongue, Yelin gave himself a hard slap, activating the World Orb, eyes wide in disbelief.

He’d been poisoned earlier, causing his thoughts to blur.

When the Poison Cat King had spewed the toxic mist, dispersing it into the air, he hadn’t been far—too distracted by Shiat’s pre-sleep warnings, he’d forgotten all about it!

“Damn! My mind’s all scrambled.”

Though he fancied himself a “gentleman,” Yelin was the kind who would take advantage openly but wouldn’t stoop to such low acts as assaulting an unconscious woman.

Gathering the Poison Cat King’s corpse and dropped items, he hoisted Shiat onto his back, seeking a place free of the poisonous mist to administer the World Orb.

[Cat Demon Bone Claws]: (Rare) (Usable at LV10) (Claws)
Physical Attack +132
Magic Attack +132
Attack Speed +3%
Physical Critical Rate +3%
MP Recovery Speed +25%
Dark Attribute Attack
2% chance to inflict poison on hit.
Note: For every pair of bone claws produced, a cat demon suffers harm. Protect cat demons—start with you and me!
—A certain unknown youth’s slogan, later killed by a cat demon hunt.

[Shadow’s Touch]: (Rare) (Usable at LV10) (Necklace)
Magic Defense +880
Spirit +11
Poison Resistance +10
Note: Contains some of the Poison Cat King’s power…

“Hey, wake up! I gave you a pill—an ancestral power booster.”

Having escaped the poisonous Thunderclap Ruins, he pinched Shiat’s cheek. Could it be the World Orb was no longer effective? Why wasn’t she waking?

“If you don’t wake soon, I’m going to give you a thorough check-up—no spot left unchecked!”

“You shameless scoundrel!”

Shiat’s eyelashes twitched as she came to. The first thing she did was check her clothes and pants—everything intact, her body unharmed. Looks like the beast had restrained himself.

“Where are we?”

“Don’t know. I just found a place without poison mist, near the Darkwood Forest.”

“Why… is it a bit cold?” Shiat hugged her shoulders, shivering.

“Cold? You’re underdressed. Want me to get you some thermal underwear? Yeah, it really is a bit chilly.”

Yelin frowned, suddenly glancing down at the leaves on the ground.

The once withered yellow leaves were now dusted with a thin layer of frost, which seemed to be thickening!

“Uh… have you ever heard of two mad mages…”