"Put that shit down, or I’d take it as a threat to me."

For a split second after Killian spoke, he noticed something quickly pass through Theodore’s face. It was neither fear at his warning, nor caution.

If anything, it would be... amusement? Killian couldn’t be sure.

"She... can talk." Theodore said, his voice shaking slightly, and his eyes rooted on the human-rabbit as if he looked away, she would pounce on him.

"She’s a B-tier realm monster at least. I can’t ignore—"

Killian raised the girl with one arm, and she vanished, returning to his spatial storage. "She’s gone."

The inventory spat out the Void-Bat as well. Killian breathed in and out, calming his nerves. "Now, put it down or you’d be forcing my hand," he said with a low tone.

’This is rage bait. Nothing less.’

Theodore’s eyes locked in on something else the moment the human-rabbit was gone— the weapon in Killian’s hands.

"It has blood all over it." He said calmly. "You did fight with a monster, didn’t you? As I would expect of the Top Scorer."

Killian’s fingers curled around his bat. The way Theodore switched tones was beginning to irritate him, and he couldn’t help but feel he was playing to his tune by answering.

"Don’t ask me questions while pointing a weapon at me, Theodore. Or I’d really escalate it. Last warning."

Silence reigned between them.

Theodore turned away, his posture relaxing almost completely. A sly smirk grew on his face, crumbling every act of fear or aggression he had been putting on.

"I was just playing around, Top Scorer. I don’t want to duel with you," he strolled to the other direction. "At least not yet."

Killian’s grip loosened on his bat, but his shoulders didn’t relax. He couldn’t understand why Theodore would test him, but it was too random.

’He reminds me of George too much. Scheming all the time.’

The worst part was that he didn’t realize it soon enough and brought him in there, and they were trapped together.

Since Theodore’s element was the worst match to his, Killian had no intention of fighting. Unless completely necessary.

’I doubt he would try to kill me though.’

’That would be going just too far.’

They walked a short mile, with Killian following behind him, while checking the surroundings to familiarise himself.

"I saw two beasts getting it off by a lake." Theodore said after a while. "I can distract one, and we ambush the other. What do you say?"

Killian’s head was still in the first sentence. Getting it off? "Sure... but how do you plan to ambush them?"

He needed to know how the boy planned to ambush beasts in their own territory when it was unfamiliar to them, the hunters.

Unless he had already familiarised himself with this realm before, or completely understood it within the short time he was here.

But Theodore hummed, saying nothing else.

Killian’s eyes shifted to his right leg again. There were wet stains on his shoes, and a blood smudge at the base of his trousers. He looked back at the boy, and continued moving.

’As if I would believe that he waited for me to kill a beast together.’

Killian sighed softly.

’He is the little brother of George, after all.’

.

.

"Killian, now!"

<Piercing Scorch>

With tightly clasped hands, and an even tighter expression, the flame shot out from between his fingers stabbing straight at the forehead of the beast.

It crashed down to the ground, blood quickly soiling the earth. Killian held his knees, panting heavily. "This has... been a workout. An unnecessary workout."

’I can’t shake the feeling that he is still testing me with this stupid plan. Why did we have to use this method?’

’Yes, I expend less mana than going for a full fight, but it had required an excess amount of stamina.’

Firstly, they had climbed at the top of a waterfall that rained down in very quick bursts. It had so much pressure that even where he stood, at a cave beside it, still felt dangerous.

Theodore’s plan was to attack the beast at the waterfall by provoking them. Killian collapsed on the water under him, letting the small flow of water calm his nerves down.

’I played along with him because I was curious to know his plan. But it seems he’s just playing around.’

’I should break off with him. I still have to eat more.’

Killian spotted Theodore waving from the other waterfall, opposite the height he stood on. "Darn you," he muttered.

"What did you say? Our plan worked!" the boy yelled from a distance. "I guess reading so many comic books helps!"

His boisterous laughter after saying the dumbest thing made Killian fist the water under him.

A strategy that made the beast generate a lot of adrenaline by provoking it? The only reasonable part was that by leading it to the opposite of the twin waterfalls, it was easier to make a clean headshot with Piercing Scorch.

And Killian saw how far the shot could go.

"But that beast isn’t even the last boss."

"I can’t really hear you, Killian!" Theodore yelled again, flailing his arms. "Don’t worry. I will come to you. I just have to figure out how to get down. It’s too high."

Killian didn’t move. As far as he was concerned, Theodore was putting up a younger brother act and trying to look helpless.

So he decided to abandon him, and intentionally this time. Killian forced himself off the ground. "Use your element to get yourself down or something. Aren’t you a water type?"

Theodore just stared at him, wondering what the words that left his mouth meant. "I’m really hearing nothing. Just wait. Don’t go anywhere yet."

He stepped down the waterfall. As Theodore stepped on the water surface, it solidified to a soft-hard jelly-like texture and Theodore wobbled from the top down.

"I don’t even know what that skill is or how it can be useful in combat." Killian said to himself, moving away. "I hope he falls down. It will buy me time till we meet again."

’Truly, apart from Evelyn and Juda, I can’t work with anyone else.’

He walked till he reached the spot he had seen during their walk. He released the human-rabbit from his inventory.

They both looked down at the vast lands below the cliff they stood on. There were no trees or shrubs. Small stones and shaped boulders were littered about, but with a certain pattern.

"This looks like a mass grave..." she turned to him, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"You don’t plan to eat... them... do you?"