Chapter 328: Storytelling

Meanwhile, after half an hour, Leon finally confirmed that he had escaped from the city. Without hesitation, he teleported to the surface, appearing in a flash of light.

It was nighttime already, but the moon was nowhere to be seen.

’It went off again?’

He frowned, looking around. Shadow Sense made it easier for him to see in the darkness, so he had no problems.

Glancing around, he confirmed that he was still within the dome, just outside the city.

Without hesitation, he began to make his way out of the place, intending to return to the bunker where he had hidden Selene. He didn’t dare think of going back again. He was currently injured, and he hadn’t forgotten about the monstrosity that guarded the Heart.

’Looks like I have no choice but to do that.’

Pausing outside the protective barrier of the Dome, he tied up his injury, suppressing a groan as he did. The king was definitely going to search for him, but the night was a good cover.

As long as he moved quickly, they wouldn’t even be able to catch his shadow.

Leon moved as fast as he could, sprinting farther and farther away from the dome. He didn’t stop. At least not until he reached the old village.

Leaning against the wall, he took a moment to catch his breath, then walked into the village. He quickly arrived above the underground bunker and moved away the cover. Climbing inside, he locked the cover and finally looked around.

He instinctively wanted to take out his torch, only to realize that he hadn’t picked it up from the shrine.

He groaned, then took out a lighter instead. He quickly made a flame torch, lighting up the small room.

Meow!

Rune reacted immediately to the light, scowling at the intruder as its tail glowed.

"Brat, it’s me."

He said as he walked over to it and patted its head. It immediately quieted down, rubbing its head against his leg.

Leon shifted his attention to Selene, his gaze solemn. Her face looked peaceful while sleeping, without an ounce of coldness.

Leon smiled faintly, then sat on a wooden chair by the bedside. Placing Rune on his lap, he began to recount his journey to the unconscious Selene.

He spoke about the man who had almost scammed him, the weird octopus soup that was actually tasty, the birth rate policy, the old receptionist who seemed weird, the library full of books that gave detailed history of the planet, and the school system that was a little interesting.

When he got to the part where he went after the Heart, his cheerful voice turned gloomy. Rune tilted its head, sensing the turmoil in his emotions. Its tail lit up again, and Leon felt his heart ease.

He patted its head and continued his storytelling.

"You should have seen that serpent. Wait, perhaps it’s better you didn’t see it. It’s actually Tier Four. I was terrified, not gonna lie. But a man has to look strong, so..."

He shook his head, forcing a chuckle.

"I chatted with it for a while, and it even got interested in me. Unluckily for it, I don’t do beasts—only women. I’m straight as fuck. Anyway, I turned down. It’s confession, and that’s when the Vaelari big daddy stormed in. He was built like Thor or some Greek god type of shit. And he looked really angry because his daughter used my dagger to scratch her neck. Tsk, this is why we have spoiled brats everywhere."

He fell silent for a moment, then continued grimly.

"I managed to escape, but not unscathed. That bitch of a king actually dared to come after my arm. If I hadn’t reacted fast enough, I could have had my entire arm cleaved off."

He paused for a few seconds and glanced at the flame torch hanging on the wall.

"Anyway, I managed to escape—with all my body parts intact. Shouldn’t you praise me?"

Receiving no response, he sighed. "Well, I’ll tell myself good job, then."

Reaching into his storage ring, he pulled out the last plate of mutated chicken meat he had left, with mixed feelings.

He felt sad that his seemingly inexhaustible source of food had finished, yet at the same time, he was relieved.

With how much he had eaten from it, he didn’t doubt that he might develop an allergy to the food.

Glancing at Rune, who was already sniffing the plate, he pursed his lips and decided to let it eat the whole thing.

Instead, he’d go hunting for something better.

Not wanting to waste mana on teleportation, he chose to climb out of the bunker. Parasitized creatures still roamed around blindly in the darkness, so he had an easy time hunting them.

He was picky with his target, only settling for a young, deer-like beast that looked gentle.

The beast was Tier One, though, and it gave him a fair amount of trouble. However, he still killed it without much effort, cutting off the destroyed head and taking the body back with him.

He returned to the village, but didn’t enter the bunker immediately. Instead, he searched for a house that hadn’t collapsed and went inside, building a bonfire to roast the young deer.

’Sheesh, I should have stolen some cooking ingredients from that restaurant. Well, at least I still have salt and some spice.’

He roasted it to the best of his abilities, then immediately began eating.

"Oh, nice. This is actually not bad."

He mumbled quietly as he tore several strips of meat and stuffed it in his mouth. Although it wasn’t as tasty as the octopus soup...

’Damnit, am I actually falling for that meal?’

He grunted, wiping his lips.

He only ate a small portion of the roasted meat, choosing to keep the rest in his storage ring. Sighing, he stood up and returned to the underground bunker.

The cat was delighted by his return and stuck close to him. Leon petted it a few times, then lay on the ground to rest. His arm was still injured, but he believed a few hours of rest would do the trick.

’Await my return, vile king. You will surely love it.’