Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 151: A Great Distraction

It was the dead of night. The moon hung high and heavy in the sky, casting long, silvery shadows over the ruins of the White Tiger village.

At the entrance, two figures stood panting, their chests heaving in the cool night air.

"You..." Syris wheezed, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow. "You go find... my mate. I will handle the brute."

Kael, who was breathing raggedly, let out a wet, rattling cough. He winced, clutching his side where the skin was still knitting itself back together.

"No," Kael rasped, his golden eyes burning with stubbornness. "I will battle the Black Tiger. You find my mate."

"Do not be an idiot, Kael," Syris snapped, his voice rising despite his exhaustion. "You are wounded. You cannot even shift into your beast form. If you fight him now, you will just get tossed around again and will ultimately die."

"I will not!" Kael roared, stepping into Syris’ personal space. "I am the White Tiger King! My pride demands blood! I will skin him alive for even thinking about touching what is mine!"

"Ren is mine!" Syris hissed back, his amethyst eyes glowing. "Go find her, you stubborn cat!"

"I am not taking orders from a snake!"

"And I am not letting a weak cripple ruin everything!"

They stood nose-to-nose, their bickering echoing through the silent, destroyed village. They were so focused on their petty dispute over who got to kill the bad guy that they didn’t notice the massive shadow looming in the distance.

"WHY NOT CHALLENGE ME BOTH?"

The loud, gruff voice boomed from the center of the clearing, shaking the remaining leaves off the trees.

Kael and Syris froze. They turned their heads in unison.

Standing amidst the rubble of what used to be the clan’s central gathering spot was Carik. He was grinning, his one good eye gleaming with malice, his massive arms crossed over his scarred chest.

Some distance away in a nearby shrub, Vex watched the scene unfold with a roll of his eyes.

’Amateurs,’ Vex thought, shaking his head. ’These egotistical Kings likely do not even know what the word "stealth" means. They are screaming their plans at the front door.’

But Vex wasn’t going to complain. He took the Black Tiger’s appearance as his cue.

’Perfect,’ Vex smirked. ’While the three stooges measure their testosterone levels, the professional will do the work.’

Kael and Syris were the perfect distractions. Vex didn’t stay to see the showdown; he silently slipped away in the opposite direction.

He moved like a phantom. He knew exactly where the White Tiger Clan kept their prisoners—a holding pit located on the far side of the village, tucked away behind a cluster of collapsed structures and overgrown weeds.

To avoid drawing attention to himself, he took the long way around through a patch of particularly aggressive vegetation.

Vex wove through the thickets and thorns that had reclaimed the neglected parts of the village. His three large tails occasionally snagged on brambles, forcing him to yank them free with a silent curse.

He breached a dense wall of itchy grass, finally stepping into the secluded area where the pit was located.

Vex paused, leaning against a rotting wooden post to catch his breath. He looked down at his arms. They were covered in small red welts from the nettles, and a few burrs were stuck to his tails.

He frowned, scratching a spot on his forearm.

’I must be losing brain cells,’ Vex grumbled internally. ’Because why am I crawling through poison ivy for a female who isn’t even my mate?’

He picked a bug off his shoulder and flicked it away with disdain.

’But she is too precious to die,’ he reasoned to himself. ’She is too valuable.’

He sighed, shaking his head. ’And unfortunately for her, she has managed to attract two mates whose egos are significantly bigger than their brains.’

Vex looked toward the pit. The heavy log grate was just a few yards away.

He didn’t approach yet.

He paused, smoothing down his loincloth and running a hand through his messy orange hair. He picked the remaining burrs out of his tails and wiped a smudge of dirt from his cheek.

’I cannot let her see me looking so disheveled,’ Vex decided, puffing out his chest slightly. ’I need to look handsome. Irresistible. Heroic. When I pull her out, she will be so overwhelmed with gratitude that she might want to kiss me. I must be ready.’

Meanwhile, down in the muddy pit, Ren was pacing.

While she was waiting, she had somehow managed to undo the knot on her ankle to both her and the system’s surprise.

She was cold, shivering violently, and covered in muck. Her breathing was uneven, wheezing slightly as the flu launched a full-scale assault on her immune system. But her impatience was fighting it tooth and nail.

"System," Ren chattered, hugging her naked self. "Is a rescue team really on the way?"

[System: For the tenth time, Host. Yes. Please stop asking.]

Ren sniffled.

"Who...?" she wondered aloud, her voice trembling. "Did Vex actually grow a heart and is coming back?"

She shook her head. "No way. Definitely not that selfish fox."

"Maybe Syris and Kael are working together?" Ren theorized. "Maybe they put aside their differences, shook hands, and tracked my scent here?"

Ren sighed. "Yeah right. Those two would rather die than work together. There are greater odds of me transforming into a magical pig and flying out of this pit."

She slumped against the cold mud wall, feeling hopeless.

Scrape.

Suddenly, the heavy log grate above shifted.

Ren froze. Her heart slammed against her ribs.

Scrape. Grind.

The grate was pushed to the side with a heavy thud, opening the pit to the night sky.

Ren looked up, squinting against the moonlight.

The System didn’t issue a warning. No red flashing lights. No "Threat Detected."

’It must be an ally!’ Ren thought, hope surging through her veins.

Against all odds and her own doubts, she prepared herself to see Vex’s smug, beautiful face peering down at her.

Thud.

A figure jumped down into the pit, landing in the mud with a soft impact that barely splashed the water.

Ren’s eyes widened.

It was definitely not who she was expecting.