Chapter 12 Goodwill (Thanks to the Alliance Leader of the Song of the Wind!)

"Quite the strength, has your Spirit Energy Awakening triggered an activation of dormant power? Truly remarkable,"

He was astonished by the talent of the White Folks child, and he approved the other's choice, "The riverside jungle to the west of the city is the territory of the local Natives, with many fierce beasts around. An anomaly is about to occur, with animals becoming aggressive, and the Natives even have a temporary camp there. To dispose of a body in that area is nearly a death sentence."

"The official road isn't bad, but in some time, the reinforcements applied for by the local Viscount are likely to arrive. If the body is hidden there, there's a high chance it will be discovered by passing soldiers or Sublimators. By then, a seven or eight-year-old child will not be able to control his own fate."

"Only the lake forest to the east of the city, although frequented by many people, is relatively safe. They stick to just a few paths, and the body would soon be consumed by beasts and bugs of all sorts."

"This must be a plan conceived before committing the murder, otherwise, he wouldn't have made the correct decision so swiftly."

And next, the boy's actions when he realized he was being watched by a beast impressed the old Knight.

——Beasts do not conceive of weapons; pitchforks, spears, swords, and long blades are to Humans what teeth and claws are to them.

The boy grasped the pitchfork with both hands, one hand below the head, ostensibly reducing his striking distance, tempting the beast to make its move. In reality, he could extend his attack at any moment, advantageously thrusting forth his 'claws.'"

Even most warriors wouldn't have this kind of insight.

"Either it's a legacy from his family's teachings, or he truly has exceptional talent!"

Seeing this, the old Knight already knew he didn't need to watch any further, the forthcoming thrust from the boy would unleash at least 150 to 200 pounds of force, comparable to the strength of a teenager in puberty, likely a result of vitality activated by the Spirit Energy Awakening.

A mere malnourished Forest Leopard is nothing more than a big cat, with no chance against one who prepared thoroughly and possessed combat skills like a budding Spirit Energy User.

And indeed, that was the case.

The boy with white hair stepped forward just as the Forest Leopard hesitated because of the corpse, and suddenly thrust his 'claw'.

The pitchfork brought a gust of wind.

The beast, not understanding why the 'claws' of the creature standing before it suddenly extended, was pierced through its neck in an instant.

The intentionally sharpened head of the pitchfork, bearing the weight of the boy's body, was fiercely driven into the ground!

Without even the energy to howl, the female leopard's world plunged into darkness.

"That was easy, didn't even need to use the Sleep Powder..."

Muttering to himself in the jungle, Ian wiped the sweat from his forehead and took a deep breath, "Is this the danger from Foresight View... feels a bit off?"

Indeed, a Forest Leopard is dangerous, but it wouldn't threaten an adult in Terra World who could wrestle a brown bear, yet it was definitely a killer for a child.

He could kill it solely because he had a long-handled weapon and technique, further assisted by the enticement of the corpse of his cheap uncle for the beast.

"Good death, the body was a great help."

With that pleasant thought in mind, Ian nodded and activated his Spirit Energy, scanning the surrounding jungle.

Then, the white-haired boy, just being cautious, widened his eyes.

"What, what?!"

In that instant of activating his power, he saw crimson and gold.

The golden aura stood nearby, tall and firm like a mountain peak, while a round of dim crimson halo was closing in silently. Like a ghost or specter, it approached him rapidly through the shadows and coverage of the forest!

Thud!

His heartbeat suddenly accelerated, without a trace of hesitation, Ian yanked the pitchfork from the body of the Forest Leopard and with his fastest speed and greatest strength, lunged straight towards the red shadow that was still stealthily lurking!

At this moment, deep in the lakeside forest, a Native who had been stealthily moving through the jungle, preparing to capture Ian, was pondering.

He couldn't understand why there would be a child wandering about with a corpse, recent merchant groups in Harrison Port had been few, but it shouldn't have come to the point of a food shortage severe enough for them to resort to cannibalism like his people, especially since the other party didn't seem like he was about to have a meal in the forest.

But what did it matter to him? The tribe was in urgent need of a child of this age for a ritual sacrifice, he had only intended to tame a Forest Leopard, and stumbling upon this was just his good luck.

Just as he was about to make his move, the Native Hunter, who was only slightly taller than Ian, was shocked to see that Ian seemed to have known exactly where he was, as he was stabbed straight at with the pitchfork!

"Roar!"

With a roar, taking advantage of the breath change while roaring, the Hunter immediately dropped the steath mode that required suppression of strength and speed, and gathered his strength for an ambush.

The Redwood Forest Natives were generally malnourished and short in stature, but this also made them light-footed and easily concealed, making them the forest's best hunters.

The pitchfork of the White Folks boy was indeed fierce, not resembling the skill level of his age, good enough to intimidate wild beasts, but it wasn't difficult to evade, his hand already gripped the short knife, and in the next instant, he would close in on the boy's side, sever his limbs' tendons, and take him back to the tribe as a sacrifice.

But who could have known, that swift stab was nothing but a feint.

The Hunter, ready to close in, suddenly felt his vision blur as his face was smeared with a scented, powdery substance.

"Ah!"

Instantly blinded, perhaps a seasoned combat expert could remain calm and assess the situation, but how could a common Native have such composure? The Hunter instantly became flustered, his strength draining away.

Therefore, in the next moment, he felt a pain in his chest.

Still dripping with blood, deliberately sharpened, the sharp pitchfork pierced through his body, and Ian, with a fierce look in his eyes, kept pushing, exerting all his strength and weight to pin the Hunter firmly to the ground, the fork's head buried in the mud.

"Cough... Cough!!"

But the Hunter was not yet dead, the severe pain and the fear of death caused his adrenal glands to secrete rapidly, and he continued to struggle, waving the Obsidian Dagger in his hand, trying to plunge it towards Ian's neck.

This strike was too fast, Ian, who had been maintaining the pressure of the pitchfork on the Hunter, couldn't let go and back away in time, but he tilted his body, so the knife couldn't reach his neck, at most it could only slash his arm.

It was impossible not to get hurt, so it was better to minimize the damage!

And at that moment.

A hand reached out, falling like lightning.

It gripped like a vise, the wide palm seizing the Native Hunter's knife-wielding wrist, the enormous strength causing the Native to loosen his grip on the knife handle, allowing the Obsidian Dagger to slip from his hand.

"Well done, child."

Words of admiration rang out, followed by the miserable screams of the Native Hunter, and the crunching sound of bones shattering.

Ian, still gasping for breath, raised his head, his face a mixture of confusion and a glint of surprise, as he looked in the direction of the suddenly appearing voice, to the owner of that hand.

At first, the boy didn't see a dusty, slightly aged man, nor did he notice the look of appreciation and even delight on the man's face.

All he saw was a cloud of pure, bright mist, even faintly crystalline with a translucent luster.

The golden mist swirled and twisted, releasing the scent known as 'goodwill'.