CHAPTER 65: SLIPPING AWAY

Nick was already slipping away.

Not literally through the teleporter or anything, that would be too suspicious.

But in the moments after Dido’s rallying words, when everyone started moving, shouting orders, organising supply lines, inspecting gear, or forming scout groups and team leaders...

Nick stood up, stretched lazily, made a show of yawning and then casually strolled toward the outskirts of the gathering like he was just trying to get some air.

No one paid him any mind.

Not at first.

Everyone was far too preoccupied with the looming threat of hunting and searching for a Star Rank beast than to follow the movements of a nobody like him.

His figure melted naturally into the crowd, then drifted beyond it, heading for the treeline that marked the end of the plains that separated the Sanctuary from the wilderness of the Beast Domain.

His thoughts were racing despite his calm expression.

’What do you mean "We’ve got days to do the impossible"? I’m not trying to do anything impossible! I’m just trying to not die horribly in the middle of the Beast Domain just because some Star beast decided I looked the tastiest amongst a bunch of gruff men!’

He knew full well what happened to people who got caught up in this kind of madness. Either you die pathetically early, or you lived a bit longer but still died in the end — becoming a cautionary tale for more rational people like himself.

Either way, he’d die.

Besides, Nick knew he wasn’t gonna get any of the spoils from hunting a Star Rank beast in the extremely unlikely event that they not only found one, but managed to kill it — those would all obviously be going to Dido, No questions asked.

And with so many people investing their all into it, pulling off another kill steal like the one he did with Beast Slayer was a complete no go.

There would be way too many watchful eyes around for him to be bold enough to try that.

No thanks.

’Let those lunatics kill themselves while fighting over it. I’ll just go back to scrounging more Mutant Soul Seeds, and avoiding being murdered by those Radiant and Star Rank beasts or those psychopaths who seek to hunt them!’

But as he slipped through the outer perimeter and reached deeper into the forest, a chill ran down his spine.

Not from fear, but from some sort of sixth sense instinct...

That uncanny sense you’d get in a moment of danger that allows you go go beyond your limits.

He was being watched.

He didn’t know who by, or from how many people — if it even was a person.

He didn’t dare look back, he just activated his speed augmentation from his Sabertooth Wolf Beast Armament, and entered into a full sprint.

***

Back at the centre of what was now a makeshift war camp, Dido was directing her elites into forming three groups for initial scouting when her eyes flicked casually to the area Nick had been sitting.

Her brow twitched.

He wasn’t there.

Her eyes scanned the immediate surroundings like a hawk, sweeping over every head present.

But Nick wasn’t there.

He was gone.

Dido’s calm, calculating mind whirred into action like a machine.

Her first instinct wasn’t anger or surprise.

It was weariness.

’He slipped away right in the middle of this... without saying a word?’

She didn’t think for a second he was just retreating out of fear.

No.

Anyone like that wouldn’t have even bothered showing up, or would have left long ago. But Nick — the Waste, as everyone still knew him as — wasn’t a waste anymore.

Not in Dido’s eyes.

And if someone like him walked away from a golden opportunity to utilise what she viewed his was perfect trait and put it to the test, it meant one thing only.

He already had his own opportunities — his own goals in mind.

Her lips thinned.

She was about to send someone to look for him, probably Meylin since she was familiar with him, when—

"I see you’ve already hidden your ace card," Beast Slayer’s gravelly voice rumbled from behind her.

Dido’s face stiffened when she heard what he’d said, but as she was facing away from him, Beast Slayer didn’t notice.

’So I was right! He has found out about his uncanny ability!’

Her face turned as cold as ice.

She turned slowly to face him, with her expression becoming unreadable as usual.

"He’s not here," Beast Slayer said, folding his arms.

"You let him go before we even moved. You’ve already got a clue to the whereabouts of a possible Star Beast, haven’t you?"

Dido didn’t respond, since whether she denied it or not didn’t matter, as Beast Slayer was already convinced with his guess, and a denial from Dido would just make him even more suspicious.

And besides...

Why would she correct her enemy’s wrong assumption?

She’d much rather just let him waste his time.

"Don’t tell me you’re scared I’ll find and kill a Star Beast without you?"

Dido asked with ridicule.

Beast Slayer gave her a thin lipped grin, as he replied. "Scared? Ha, don’t make me laugh!"

But inside, he was fuming.

’So she did plan for this. Slipped him away quietly before the operation’s even started. Probably already got him searching alone, since his strength is more than adequate to survive out in the wild solo... She essentially has a whole other team with him in her ranks...’

He didn’t know what the hell she or Nick had done to bring his strength to such a level, but he knew damn well that the situation surrounding the two of them wasn’t normal.

Even now, his mind was still connecting the dots.

The two stared at each other for a moment, before turning back to face their respective teams.

Bickering before they’d even set off wasn’t going to help them in any way.

Besides, neither leader dared to voice their real fear that had been growing inside them from the start.

The very idea of hunting a Star Rank beast was crazy, and they weren’t so egotistical to think that they could pull off something that nobody had ever done before in the history of the Federation.