Felix instinctively shut his eyes as he felt a prickly ball of flesh slide down his chest. The moment it tumbled onto his abdomen, it started struggling frantically, scrambling all over his clothes.

A minute passed. Seeing that Felix remained silent, Sayak found it peculiar. "This bastard can’t feel pain?"

The rat scurried up to Felix’s armpit, and finally found an opening. It darted through his sleeve and escaped, squeaking loudly as it fled.

The group of guys, who had been tormenting him, fell into a brief silence.

Sayak raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap to the fat guy, cursing, "What ‘rat tainted with dark mist’? That was just a filthy sewer rat! It didn’t even dare to bite! What a useless piece of trash!"

The fat guy’s plump face was distorted from the impact, with a glaring red handprint on his cheek. He trembled and stammered, "It’s... It really is tain—tain..."

"Tain your ass! Get lost!" Sayak kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him stumbling backward.

"A bunch of useless fools!" Sayak suddenly lost his temper. He grabbed Felix by the hair and dragged him into the wooden cabin.

This cabin was meant for the forest rangers to rest in. At this time, the ranger was away tending to the magical beasts, which left the place completely deserted.

Sayak scanned the room before finally dragging Felix into the restroom.

The space was cramped. Sayak’s eyes gleamed with malice as he forced Felix to kneel on the floor. He gripped the back of Felix’s head firmly, ready to plunge his face into the filthy water of the toilet.

"Stop!"

A sharp command rang out from the doorway.

Sayak’s hand paused as he instinctively turned toward the voice. His eyes reflected a silhouette standing against the light.

Loewen’s heart pounded at the scene before him. His face fell instantly as he stormed forward.

"Let go of him!" He frowned at Sayak’s hand, which was still gripping Felix’s hair.

"Are you telling me what to do?" Sayak deliberately yanked Felix’s head back and forth. His eyes were filled with arrogance and disdain.

"I said, let go!" Loewen’s tone became even sharper, showing no intention of backing down.

Sayak’s anger flared. He bared his teeth like a rabid wolf, spitting out threats, "You? A worthless nobody, daring to order me? Watch yourself, or I’ll teach you a lesson too!"

"Sayak Lombardi." Loewen slowly lifted his gaze. His emerald-green eyes met Sayak’s with icy calm. "Your family’s auction house in the royal city purchases top-grade magic ores from my family every year. If you dare lay a finger on me, I’ll have my father cut off your family’s supply."

Hearing this, Sayak clenched his fists tightly.

His nostrils flared as he exhaled hot air. His chest heaved violently like a balloon on the verge of bursting.

The tension in the room was clear. Loewen stood tall, confident, and faced Sayak with a sense of righteousness.

After an intense internal struggle, Sayak’s reason finally overpowered his fury, forcing him to release his grip.

He shot Loewen a venomous glare and stomped out of the cabin. His footsteps were heavy as if he wanted to crush everything beneath him.

Qixiu arrived at the cabin entrance just in time to brush past Sayak.

The furious and violent Sayak didn’t even spare a glance at the petite girl. He merely barked at his lackeys waiting outside before leading them away from the scene.

Qixiu looked uneasy. She cast a glance at the group of guys behind her, then anxiously peered into the cabin.

Just moments ago, she had seen Leowen suddenly dash westward into the forest. Though she didn’t understand why, she hesitated only for a second before deciding to follow.

What exactly had happened here?

As soon as Qixiu set foot on the wooden steps of the cabin, her highly sensitive ears caught a faint, rustling sound—something was darting swiftly through the underbrush.

Her instincts kicked in immediately. She turned her head sharply to track the source of the movement. In the corner of her vision, she locked onto a shadow moving at high speed, leaping from the side and lunging at her with ferocious force.

She hadn’t even seen clearly what it was before her body reacted instinctively.

Qixiu leaned back in an instant, widening the distance between herself and the unknown attacker. At the same time, a glint of cold steel flashed from her sleeve—a razor-thin blade shot out.

A loud screech echoed as the shadow was hit in mid-air, its body pierced by the flying blade.

With a dull thud, the creature was pinned against the rough bark of a tree.

Qixiu took a deep breath, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat as she carefully moved forward to examine the target.

It was a rat.

A grotesque, bloodshot-eyed rat with thick fur. Its throat had been cleanly pierced by the willow-leaf-shaped throwing knife, its tail drooping lifelessly. Even in death, its eyes remained wide open in an eerie, unblinking stare.

But… weren’t all the spirit beasts in this forest supposed to be non-aggressive?

What was going on?

A sense of unease crawled up Qixiu’s spine.

Though her mind was filled with questions, she knew there were more pressing matters at hand. So, she left the strange, deranged rat where it was and hurried into the cabin.

Inside, Leowen was standing in front of Felix, his face full of concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Felix’s lips quivered, but he remained silent. He lowered his head in a posture of quiet submission, looking utterly pitiful.

Leowen misunderstood his silence. Seeing Felix’s messy clothes, a terrible thought suddenly hit him. His face darkened, and his pupils trembled in rage.

Oh god.

He’s just a child!

And Sayak—that little brute—he wasn’t even that much older himself! What kind of insane, ruthless beast would do something like this?!

Leowen felt as if his blood had turned to ice. His hands trembled as he hesitantly reached out, brushing against Felix’s messy hair with extreme gentleness, as though handling fragile porcelain. His voice was soft and filled with careful reassurance.

“Felix… are you alright?”

Felix hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a quiet voice.

“My legs are numb… I can’t stand.”

Leowen felt his chest tighten painfully. His hands shook slightly as guilt and regret surged through him—he should have arrived sooner.

“Miss Flenqi, could you help me up?” Felix looked up at him. His eyes were brimming with hopeful pleading.

“Of course.” Leowen immediately bent down beside him, slipping an arm under his to lift him up.

However, he seemed to have momentarily forgotten that his own frame was even smaller than Felix’s. The effort nearly sent him stumbling.

Thankfully, Qixiu arrived just in time to lend a hand. Together, they managed to prop Felix up and help him out of the cabin.

Not long after, Oran arrived with the Spirit Beasts instructor and the Crescent Class advisor in tow.

As soon as Mr. Morris, their advisor, saw Felix leaning weakly against Leowen, a terrible feeling settled in his gut. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, hoisted Felix onto his back, and carried him toward the infirmary without wasting another second.