Chapter 83: A Cave Filled With Familiar Faces

Using the [Minor Remnant of Dread] from the [Shell Of Dread], Leo released the little dread the Vestige had accumulated so far and forced the surrounding goblins backward slightly. The effect was useful, but not especially potent considering the Remnant was still at the "Minor" stage while the goblins themselves vastly outnumbered them.

Leo didn’t wait for the goblins to regroup. The moment [Minor Remnant of Dread] pushed them back, he grabbed Yin Li by the arm and turned sharply into the trees. Yin Li stumbled but kept pace, forced to adjust his weight quickly just to avoid being dragged behind. The goblins reacted almost immediately, their screeches rising again as they pushed through the forest in pursuit.

"Why are they still following us?!" Yin Li shouted while running. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Because we didn’t convince them we’re not worth it," Leo replied without looking back.

"That’s not how logic works!" Yin Li yelled.

"It is in this forest."

Branches whipped past them as they moved deeper between the trees. The terrain became uneven quickly, forcing both of them to adjust their steps more carefully. Yin Li relied heavily on sudden bursts of muscle tension to keep balance, but even that was becoming inconsistent under pressure. Leo, on the other hand, kept his movement controlled, only adjusting speed when necessary.

The goblins did not give up easily. Their footsteps spread across multiple directions, indicating they were trying to surround rather than simply chase. Occasional arrows struck nearby trees, forcing Leo to shift their path twice in quick succession.

Yin Li nearly tripped over a root and cursed loudly while dragging the massive odachi behind him.

"Why are you even carrying that thing while running?!" Leo asked.

"It cost more than my life!"

Leo didn’t have time to reply when another arrow flew past them and struck a tree trunk ahead. Leo immediately changed direction again while pulling Yin Li along with him. The chubby boy wheezed in pain from the sudden movement.

The forest ahead became darker as the trees thickened together. The ground was rough and uneven while exposed roots twisted across the path like traps waiting for someone careless enough to miss a step.

Behind them, the goblins continued shrieking. The sound alone was enough to irritate Leo.

"They’re loud."

"They’re chasing us with weapons and that’s your complaint?" Yin Li scowled.

Leo scoffed and didn’t reply.

Yin Li looked like he wanted to argue more but stopped when another goblin suddenly jumped down from a branch directly in front of them.

Leo reacted instantly. [Yielding Spine] slammed upward and cracked into the goblin’s jaw hard enough to launch the creature sideways into another tree. Before the body even landed properly, Leo kept running without slowing down.

Yin Li stared briefly. "You know, normal people stop after hitting something."

"I don’t have time to admire my own work." he replied this time.

’Does he really have to comment on every single thing?’

"You absolutely do." Yin Li said oblivious to Leo’s irritation.

Several goblins burst through the trees behind them again. This time there were more archers mixed among them. Crude arrows started flying repeatedly through the forest, making movement even harder than before.

Leo clicked his tongue. "We split for thirty seconds."

Yin Li looked horrified. "No."

"They won’t know who to chase." Leo added.

"They will chase me. I look edible." the chubby boy mused.

Leo glanced at him once. "Fair point."

Yin Li looked offended for half a second before another arrow nearly struck his shoulder armor.

The chubby boy immediately sped up.

"Actually splitting sounds terrible. Let’s remain united."

Leo rolled his eyes.

The goblins were slowly gaining ground again. Numbers were starting to matter more than individual weakness. Even with [Grinning Mist] disrupting visibility behind them, the creatures kept pushing forward aggressively like they didn’t care how many of them got injured.

Leo frowned slightly. ’These things are annoying.’

A sudden crashing sound echoed from somewhere behind the goblins.The goblin noises changed immediately afterward. Some of them became panicked while others scattered slightly instead of continuing straight ahead.

Yin Li noticed the shift too. "Why did they suddenly sound afraid?"

Another heavy impact shook the ground. Then something massive burst through the trees behind the goblins.

Yin Li almost screamed.

A large tiger-like creature charged through the forest with terrifying speed, its body covered in dark stripes that almost blended with the surrounding shadows. Its size alone made the goblins look small by comparison.

Several goblins were knocked aside immediately as the creature forced its way forward without slowing down.

Leo stared for half a second.

"...That is definitely worse."

"I TOLD YOU THERE WERE WORSE THINGS HERE."

The tiger creature ignored the goblins almost entirely and focused directly on Leo and Yin Li instead.

Its eyes locked onto them then it suddenly charged towards the two students.

Goblin screams mixed with crashing trees while the creature tore through the terrain behind them like it didn’t care about obstacles at all.

Yin Li’s breathing became uneven immediately.

"Leo."

"What now?" Leo rolled his eyes and dismissed all his Vestiges except for the [Grinning Mist]. He was really running low on aura.

"If we survive this, I think we deserve graduation." Yin Li scoffed.

"We haven’t even attended enough classes yet."

"That sounds like a school problem."

Another tree exploded apart behind them as the creature slammed through it during pursuit.

Leo frowned deeply now.

He could fight the goblins. He could probably even handle the tiger creature briefly. But both at the same time?

Not worth it.

"Run faster," he said.

"I AM FAT."

"Temporarily fix it with your weird muscle thing."

"That’s not how my abilities work!" The chubby boy yelled.

Despite his complaints, Yin Li still tightened the muscles around his legs again. His speed increased suddenly, though his movements became noticeably rougher afterward. Leo noticed slightly but ignored it.

The chase continued deeper through the forest.

Eventually the terrain started sloping downward slightly while large rocks appeared more frequently between the trees. The goblin noises behind them were becoming less organized now, partly because the tiger creature had disrupted their formation.

Unfortunately, the tiger itself was still chasing them relentlessly.

Leo glanced back once and saw the creature leap over a fallen tree with frightening ease.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I don’t like that."

Yin Li looked back too. His face lost even more color. "Why is it still following us specifically?!"

"You probably smell weaker."

"That is a horrible thing to say during life threatening situations."

"Seriously! Stop talking!"

Ahead of them, Leo suddenly noticed an opening between several rocks. Large boulders fell together to create a cave entrance. It was not especially large, but it gave them few seconds of breathing space.

"This way."

Both of them immediately changed direction and rushed toward the opening. The tiger creature noticed too and accelerated again, clearly intending to catch them before they entered.

The distance between them closed rapidly.

Yin Li panicked and nearly lost balance again while dragging the odachi sideways through the dirt.

They reached the cave entrance barely in time.

Leo turned immediately, [Yielding Spine] already forming properly in his hand while [Shell Of Dread] spread further across his body. The tiger creature charged directly toward them without slowing down.

Leo prepared himself, then suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder from the darkness behind him and pulled hard.

Leo almost attacked instinctively before realizing several figures were standing inside the cave.

Students.

Some looked injured while others sat near a small fire deeper inside the cave walls. Bags, weapons, and random supplies were scattered around the area like they had already been staying there for some time.

The tiger creature stopped outside the entrance for a moment. Then its body slowly dissolved into smoke before disappearing completely.

Leo narrowed his eyes immediately.

"Of course, it was a lower world creature." He said with a dead pan expression.

One of the students near the entrance sighed tiredly. "Same expression I had when it chased me."

Another student nearby lowered his hand slightly. Thin strands of blue Aura faded around his fingers. Yin Li collapsed onto the cave floor dramatically while gasping for breath.

Leo looked at him briefly.

"So that was yours."

The student nodded once. "Yes."

Leo clicked his tongue. "Damn. I should get my own creatures."

’Shroud will make a great choice.’ he said the last part inwardly.

A student laughed quietly from near the fire."You really should. I wonder why you don’t have creatures as a Royal."

"They should be." He replied without turning but then thinking about the student’s voice again, he turned with a surprised expression.

Sitting on a large rock surrounded by students was a young man with rough pink bangs and piercing pink eyes. Unlike the other days, the student didn’t have a calm and nonchalant expression. His uniform were dirty and torn and there was a warm smile on his face.

"Lucien."