Chapter 22

Let's briefly summarize what happened.

First, Lycus, who was hurt by a bitch, was given a belly full of heartwarming soup by Sigma, and had a great awakening. He noticed the girl who had been silently contributing to his life and wanted to embrace this precious love.

However, fate played a cruel trick, and a very tragic accident occurred: his new love interest saw him taking off his clothes and passionately licking a female puppy. The young girl sobbed and ran away, utterly heartbroken.

Then, he waited outside her house all night, crying and begging for an explanation, but received no response.

The next morning, Sigma came to rub salt in the wound. Unable to bear the blow, Lycus finally broke down and sobbed as he left.

So, this is a rather tragic turn of events—assuming the story ends here. However, the reality is far more cruel. The reason Elisa didn't respond to Lycus all night wasn't that she was still angry, but that she wasn't there. According to her neighbors, she had taken the afternoon off and gone home to cry to her parents because her worldview was severely shaken...

So, Lycus, who foolishly waited all night in front of an empty house, was truly a fool.

And even more ridiculous is that Sigma has to find this stupid kid—what if this psychologically fragile tragic figure decides to end his life in a moment of despair? That would be a real sin...

"Damn, he can run..." A glint of light flashed in Sigma's eyes. In his vision, a faint blue light zigzagged and extended into the distance, indicating that Lycus had run quite far. If not for the soul-tracking mark Sigma had casually placed on him earlier, he would have no way to track him.

He cast a flight spell and flew low over the dense forest, where the vast, green Maya Forest stretched endlessly, covering mountains and hills. Its size was so vast that even the druids had not fully explored it.

"A natural treasure trove. If fully developed, it would yield a fortune every year. Fortunately, the Nolen continent is still in its early exploration phase, and a new frontier has already occupied most of humanity's extra energy. Otherwise, the druids controlling the Maya Forest would be in grave danger..."

While observing the landscape of the natural kingdom and advancing at high speed, Sigma later found that the flight spell consumed too much magic. When he passed a cliff, he provoked a large Luke raptor. As the raptor spread its five-meter wings and swooped down to catch him for lunch, Sigma cast a weakening curse and then felled it with a bone spear. Using the Washington family's ancestral taming technique, he tamed the raptor and rode it to continue chasing Lycus.

—Yes, the core of the Washington family's ancestral taming technique is simple: if you don't submit, you get beaten. This robust and straightforward taming technique is mainly used for warhorses. If they dare to jump and misbehave after being mounted, a punch to the ground and a kick several meters away, followed by a foot on the neck asking if they submit, usually does the trick. "Submit? Good. Here's some good feed and medicine. We'll be good friends."

After flying for about two hours, as Sigma grew increasingly impatient, the mark showed that Lycus was in a nearby mountain surrounded by green trees. Sigma patted the raptor's head, signaling it to land nearby. He skewered two wild boars and threw them to the raptor as payment. Watching the raptor grab the two dead pigs and flee, Sigma smiled and then turned to look at the nearby forested mountain.

This place is hard to enter...

He looked at the small, overgrown path in the forest and slowly exhaled.

In this life, the pampered Sigma hated going to five places, the top of which was the Necromancer Academy, which had given him long-term psychological trauma, and another was the uninhabited, lush forest.

Forests! Forests! Besides the beautiful and serene natural scenery, they are home to many terrifying and bizarre creatures. A thriving ecosystem has nurtured many peculiar beings. While wolves, tigers, and leopards are minor threats, the real danger lies in the small and numerous creatures, such as various oddly shaped spiders, snakes, scorpions, and mosquitoes. They are not only numerous and terrifying but also unpredictable and difficult to defend against. Though not lethal, they are extremely disgusting.

Looking at the grass everywhere, which has always hidden many dangers, such as venomous snakes, spiders, centipedes, and Garen, each of them is a formidable opponent...

Finally, the method of entry was determined. Relying on his physical strength, Sigma leaped and ran from branch to branch like Tarzan, covered in a layer of ice armor and with a minimal flight spell to make him as light as a swallow. Lycus was not on the mountain but must be hiding in this forest. However, the soul mark's signal had become faint, having lasted for two hours.

Sigma finally stopped in front of a cave.

The cave was completely hidden by lush vines. If not for the soul-tracking mark, he would never have noticed it. Observing carefully, necromancers are very sensitive to life forces, and these vines were grown by druidic magic, indicating that Lycus had entered the cave.

A secret base?

He listened carefully, and from deep within the cave, he heard muffled sobs.

Damn, crying so far away? Are you a sissy?

A ball of dark blue death energy glowed in Sigma's right hand. He slashed forward, and the moving vines recoiled in fear, revealing the dark cave entrance. After casting a series of defensive spells and activating dark vision and hostility detection, Sigma entered the cave. After a few twists and turns, the light of a torch came into view, and everything became clear.

There, he saw Lycus.

The torchlight illuminated the cave, and on a simple stone bed, a humanoid creature had its legs spread, while Lycus was busy doing something between its legs. Strange wails echoed, and a few figures seemed to be surrounding them, but they were hard to see in the dim light.

Until a loud cry rang out.

Lycus slowly stood up, holding a small bundle in his hands, and said with relief, "Mother and child are safe."

The others relaxed and laughed in relief. Perhaps they had been too tense earlier and hadn't noticed Sigma's silent approach. When they relaxed, they sensed the unexpected visitor.

Woof.

A dog barked.

From the direction of those... no, humanoid creatures, a dog barked.

The torchlight finally revealed their faces: large eyes, long snouts, a row of uneven teeth, and two pointed, furry ears. These were dog heads on human bodies.

We can call them dog-headed people.

The problem is that no book on the Nolen continent mentions the existence of this species.

At this moment, Lycus also turned around, holding the newborn.

A small dog head and a human body, wrinkled and ugly.

Sigma stared at Lycus, his mouth opening wider and wider.

Damn...

******

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