Finally, stepping out of Nofalark Forest, Caius glanced at the time—it was already close to six o’clock.

  If it weren’t for Hilda, he could have come out half an hour earlier.

  So, in order to make it in time for his candlelit dinner with Instructor Holan, Caius decided to speed up his return.

  "Do you still have the energy?" Caius asked Hilda. "I’m going to run straight back."

  "Run back?" Hilda looked puzzled for a moment before saying, "I have a Teleportation Magic Array Plate."

  Caius: "..."

  "Then why didn’t you use it earlier? You had to walk all the way out first?" Caius widened his eyes.

  Hilda felt her face heat up slightly but still said, "I thought you had a better way to return..."

  In truth, she had simply forgotten. She had only just remembered it, which made her tone somewhat lacking in confidence.

  Caius: "Heh."

  Hilda: "..."

  "What are you laughing at?" Hilda asked, a bit displeased.

  Caius grinned. "I just didn’t expect the widely praised Swan Blade Maiden to be such a newbie."

  Forgetting to use a Teleportation Magic Array Plate—if that wasn’t a rookie mistake, then what was?

  A better way to return?

  Come on, tell me, what could possibly be better than teleporting directly back?

  Hearing Caius' words, Hilda’s cheeks reddened again. She hadn’t heard the term "newbie" before, but she could tell from Caius' teasing tone that it meant "beginner."

  "I’m not!" Hilda refused to admit it. In her opinion, she was already far ahead of her peers.

  Most students her age were still attending classes at the academy!

  But Caius simply looked at her with a knowing smile, saying nothing, making Hilda’s chest rise and fall more intensely.

  In the end, she couldn’t hold back, let out a huff, and then retrieved her Teleportation Magic Array Plate, injecting magic power to activate it.

  The activation process took about ten seconds, and it couldn’t be interrupted; otherwise, there would be magic backlash. This made it practically useless for escaping during combat.

  Seeing that Hilda was initiating the teleportation sequence without any intention of taking him along, Caius smirked and told Kiki to hold on tight—he was about to sprint.

  As Hilda continued her teleportation channeling, she noticed Caius getting into a running stance. After a brief hesitation, she said, "Hurry up and get in! We’re leaving!"

  "On it!" Caius instantly changed his sprinting trajectory at an incredibly smooth angle, landing perfectly inside the magic circle.

  As if he had planned it all along.

  Well... not as if—he had planned it.

  Whether Hilda liked it or not, he was going to hitch a ride. Only a fool would run all the way back.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Realizing his premeditated move, Hilda stomped her foot in frustration.

  As the teleportation array lit up, Caius and Kiki were surrounded by a burst of dazzling light. In the next instant, the scenery changed—they had arrived at the teleportation plaza of Hydis Magic Academy.

  This place housed specialized teleportation magic circles connecting various major cities. The Teleportation Magic Array Plate linked to the academy always brought people back here.

  "Truly convenient," Caius sighed in admiration.

  If he had one of these, he wouldn’t have to keep running everywhere. Maybe he could ask Instructor Holan for one.

  Hilda’s arrival didn’t attract much attention. It was class time, and the teleportation plaza wasn’t a gathering area—playing around was prohibited here—so there were few students wandering about.

  Back at the academy, Hilda seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before turning to Caius, about to say something.

  But Caius simply waved his hand without turning his head as he walked toward the library. "I need to find my instructor. See you later, little girl."

  Little girl?

  Hilda froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth. "My name is Hilda!"

  "Mhm, I remember," Caius replied with a dismissive nod before striding away.

  Watching his departing figure, Hilda stomped her foot again. Then, lifting her chin high, she once again assumed the proud demeanor of a Little Swan, flicking her golden, wavy high ponytail before heading toward the dormitory area.

  ......

  After amusing himself by teasing the Little Swan, Caius was in an excellent mood, even humming a song as he walked.

  The song he hummed was a rock anthem from his past life—a favorite among wasteland mercenaries.

  Since he had hummed it many times, Kiki had picked it up too. Sitting on his shoulder, the little catfolk swayed its head while mimicking his tune, looking absolutely adorable.

  Before long, he arrived at the library.

  Caius wasn’t sure if Holan was there; he was just following his instincts.

  And, as it turned out, his instincts were spot on.

  Holan was in the library, and the librarian, upon seeing Caius, let him pass without asking any questions.

  Perhaps it was a privilege given by Instructor Holan?

  Whatever the case, Caius accepted it without complaint.

  What puzzled him, however, was why the librarian and passing students all looked so surprised when they saw him. Had he somehow become even more handsome?

  Stepping into the library, he found the familiar private room where Holan, having just finished a class, was leisurely sipping tea.

  Upon seeing Caius enter, she visibly paused, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

  "What’s wrong?" Caius asked, puzzled. "Why does everyone look at me like that? Do I have something on my face?"

  Holan chuckled, shaking her head. "No, your face is clean. Your upper body is also... very clean."

  Caius glanced down and finally realized—his upper garments had been shredded by that Wolf Demon, leaving him completely shirtless, his sculpted muscles on full display.

  No wonder those female students had covered their faces and fled just now…

  Scratching his head, Caius gave an awkward laugh. "My clothes got ruined during a mission."

  Holan nodded, not doubting him, as she noticed the scars on his exposed torso.

  However, now that Caius had advanced, his recovery rate was astonishing.

  In just a short time, the originally terrifying wounds had mostly healed, leaving only a few faint scabs less than a finger’s width in size. At a glance, it barely looked like he had been injured at all.

  "You can’t have a candlelit dinner shirtless," Holan teased. "The place I picked won’t let you in like that."

  At this moment, the charm of a mature woman was on full display.

  Even though her face was slightly flushed, she didn’t react like a shy young girl. Instead, she boldly appreciated the view before her.

  However, Caius shook his head. "True, but I think tonight’s candlelit dinner might be canceled."

  Holan blinked, a trace of disappointment flashing in her eyes, though she merely looked puzzled on the surface. "Why?"

  Caius' expression turned serious. "See these wounds?"

  "Left by a Wolf Demon."

  Holan’s brows immediately furrowed.

  "You’re saying you encountered a Wolf Demon again? Where?" she asked.

  "Just two hundred kilometers from here, in Nofalark Forest. And it wasn’t just one—it was eight!" Caius replied.

  "Eight..." Holan’s frown deepened. "Do you have samples?"

  "I do. Brought them all back. They’re in my ring." Caius gestured toward his spatial ring.

  "Come with me," Holan said, standing up with urgency.

  She now understood why dinner was canceled—she had no mood for a candlelit dinner now!

  Caius followed Holan through the academy grounds to a minimalist-style building, where most people wore white coats—clearly high-level researchers.

  After hurriedly exchanging nods with colleagues, Holan led him into her lab.

  "Take out the Wolf Demon corpses. I need to examine them," she instructed.

  "I need to determine if they all originated from the same Bloody Lands. This is critical."

  Caius nodded and withdrew the bodies, piling them on the floor.

  The scent of blood filled the air, and Holan’s eyes widened as she spotted one particular corpse.

  "Slaughter Wolf Demon?!"