Ryan leaned against a sturdy tree, panting heavily, sweat on his forehead sliding down his cheeks.

  The sprint just now wasn't tiring—it was the cold sweat from the tension and fear.

  That mix of thrill and guilt had even soaked the back of his robe.

  "I wonder if Evelyn has discovered the Stockings yet?" Ryan rubbed his heated cheeks, his mind unconsciously flashing to her expression when she sees the Stockings.

  Anger? Helplessness? He was even a bit curious—what would she look like if she walked in front of him wearing them?

  "What a waste of those two Stockings. I wonder if they'll smell or if she'll just throw them away," Ryan clicked his tongue, full of regret.

  It would be such a shame to lose them like that.

  【Grimoire-produced Shadow Silk Stockings come with a permanent cleanliness enchantment. They never develop odor and generate a unique fragrance based on the wearer's magical aura. Even after wearing them for a million years, as long as they are undamaged, they remain clean.】

  "You useless Grimoire! Why didn't you say so earlier!" Ryan complained to the Grimoire in his mind, instantly feeling regret.

  "If I had known about this feature, I should have taken them while she didn't notice!"

  He even had a bold thought: should I go back and check now?

  Maybe Evelyn really threw them away, and he could pick them up as a keepsake.

  But the idea was immediately suppressed. If he ran into Evelyn with her magic fully restored, forget picking up the Stockings—he might not even survive.

  Besides, the thought was a bit perverse and didn't fit his image.

  As Ryan hesitated, a familiar sound suddenly reached his ears.

  It wasn't a beast's roar but a clearly emotional bark, just like a familiar little creature.

  "Sled hound?" Ryan's eyes lit up. He didn't expect to reunite here!

  Then came several magical explosions and shouts:"Don't let that sled hound get away!"

  Ryan peeked and saw a sled hound covered in mud, its fur messy, running wildly in his direction.

  When it saw him, the sled hound's eyes lit up, and it even opened its mouth in a look of relief.

  The sled hound barked excitedly at Ryan a couple of times, then abruptly braked, scratching a shallow groove in the ground.

  Ryan laughed at the hound's messy and comical appearance."Sled hound, just over thirty days gone, and look at you now! You left so cool, and now you're being chased back?"

  He reached out and patted the sled hound's forehead. The familiar furry texture was still there, just covered in mud.

  The sled hound rubbed against his palm with a pitiful whine, as if telling the story of its ordeal.

  At that moment, several figures came rushing up, wearing matching teal magic robes.

  The leader stopped, pointed at the sled hound, and said coldly to Ryan:"Let go of that Magic Wolf King! This is the one our young Voidmaster has chosen. Hand it over if you know what's good for you!"

  Ryan raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the sled hound beside him, teasingly:"The Magic Wolf King the young Voidmaster has chosen… is this sled hound that can't even walk properly?"

  The sled hound seemed to understand Ryan's words. Its pitiful expression disappeared instantly, and it bared its teeth and growled fiercely at the approaching figures.

  But its feet honestly stepped back, hiding behind Ryan.

  Ryan moved the sled hound behind him protectively, his gaze turning cold."This is my magical companion. Just because your young Voidmaster has his eyes on it doesn't mean it belongs to you."

  His tone was full of disdain. Even if the sled hound were just an ordinary magical pet, he would never allow anyone to take it by force.

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  "You're probably an outsider, aren't you?" One of them laughed loudly, clutching his stomach as if he had heard the funniest joke.

  "All the magical beasts and ores within a hundred miles obey us! If you know what's good for you, hand over the sled hound. If not, we'll turn you into a corpse."

  Ryan's eyes turned ice-cold. Negotiation was clearly impossible. Their meaning was explicit: hand over the sled hound and maybe survive; refuse, and face a grisly end.

  Suddenly, Ryan erupted, his magic activating instantly, a gray aura rising over his skin.

  His speed was astonishing. Before they could react, he had already closed the distance. His fist, infused with magic, smashed directly into the head of the leader.

  A dull explosion sounded. The man's head burst open, and his body fell stiffly to the ground without even a scream.

  The remaining three froze, their arrogance wiped clean, replaced by sheer terror.

  They exchanged glances, fell to their knees, and pounded their heads on the ground, shouting wildly,"It's our fault!"

  "Our fault?" Ryan looked down on them."Can't even say sorry?"

  "Sorry!" they shouted in unison, their foreheads hitting the ground, blood seeping out.

  "Too bad," Ryan said slowly, raising his hand. A sharp magic spike formed in his palm."Saying sorry won't help."

  Before he finished, he swung his hand violently. The magic spike pierced one of their heads instantly. The man didn't even grunt and collapsed into a pool of blood.

  The remaining two, seeing that Ryan had no intention of letting them go, finally triggered their survival instincts. They drew the longswords at their waists and lunged at Ryan.

  "Is this all you've got and you dare act arrogantly in front of me?" Ryan's eyes overflowed with disdain."At most, you're First-tier Adept Mages. You think you can control everything within a hundred miles?"

  The sled hound squatted nearby, eyes wide, watching the fight. Excited, it wagged its tail and tapped the ground with its paws, as if cheering for Ryan.

  Ryan caught a glimpse of the sled hound and his lips curved slightly, but he didn't stop moving.

  He sidestepped one of the sword thrusts and lifted his foot, kicking the man's knee with full force. A crisp crack echoed. The man screamed and fell to his knees.

  Ryan seized the opportunity, pressing his palm against the man's head. Chaos magic exploded instantly, crushing the skull, splattering blood on Ryan's hand.

  The last man trembled violently, his sword hand shaking uncontrollably.

  He stared at Ryan as he advanced, finally gathering courage, and roared, swinging his sword at Ryan's chest."The young Voidmaster will never let you go!"

  "Then I'll kill you first and wait for your young Voidmaster to seek revenge," Ryan replied.

  He didn't dodge. He let the sword stab toward his chest. Just as the tip neared his clothing, the gray aura surged, repelling the sword. A fine crack appeared along its blade.

  Ryan took the chance to punch the man in the chest, denting it deeply. The man flew far back, finally crashing into a tree, lifeless.

  Ryan shook off the blood from his hand, took the still slightly damp towel from his storage space, and carefully wiped his hands clean.

  The storage space can freeze the flow of time for items, keeping the towel in a damp state. Its only drawback is that it cannot store living creatures.

  He crouched down to inspect the bodies. Four people should leave behind at least something useful.

  Unfortunately, the result was disappointing. The longswords at the waists of two of them were just ordinary iron weapons, not even of any notable grade.

  Rummaging through the pockets of the four, he found only a dozen or so scattered low-level magic crystal coins, the most basic currency in the magical world, not enough to buy even a bottle of beginner magic potion.

  "No need to collect the bodies," Ryan said, standing up and brushing the dust off his hands.

  The forest was full of scavenger crows and shadow wolves. Soon, these corpses would be taken care of by the magical beasts, requiring no effort on his part.

  He walked over to the sled hound and patted its fluffy head, his tone teasing."sled hound, you've caused me so much trouble. Don't you owe me some compensation?"

  The sled hound trembled, its round eyes fixed on Ryan's hand. Its body was stiff as if it were a sculpture of ice.

  The image of Ryan crushing the enemy's skull had left a deep psychological shadow. Even now, whenever Ryan raised his hand, it couldn't help but recall the bloody scene.

  "What are you afraid of?" Ryan tapped the sled hound's forehead and smiled helplessly."Do you think I'd crush your head? I wouldn't dare."

  To his surprise, the sled hound seemed to understand. After a brief hesitation, it suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a palm-sized, white, transparent crystal vial.

  "Grimoire, check what's inside," Ryan said, picking up the crystal vial. Inside was a single white pill.

  【Detection complete. Item is"Beginner Bone Strengthening Pill," can increase the user's bone density, enhance physical defense, and assist in body enhancement.】

  "Beginner Bone Strengthening Pill? Not bad at all." Ryan's eyes lit up.

  He patted the sled hound's head again. This time, although the sled hound was still somewhat wary, it no longer trembled like before. Its body remained tense, but calmer.

  "By the way, where are your friends?" Ryan suddenly remembered something. Sled hounds are usually pack creatures. Even if this one was being hunted, it shouldn't be acting alone.

  The sled hound bared its teeth and howled, full of anger and grievance.

  Ryan roughly understood. Just like the last time he encountered it, when danger appeared, its companions had abandoned it. He didn't expect these magical beasts to be so cowardly, lacking even the instinct to help each other.

  "All right, from now on, stick with me. No one will dare bully you." Ryan patted the sled hound on the back, swung himself up, grabbed its ears, and gently tapped its rear."Let's get out of here quickly!"

  The sled hound immediately responded, spreading its legs and sprinting away from the territory of that group.

  Ryan had barely been riding the sled hound for long when five figures appeared beside the corpses. They were wearing matching purple magic robes.

  The leading woman crouched down and inspected the wounds on the bodies, frowning."These are people from Void Spire. How could they have been killed here?"