Chapter 9: Joining the party
Laila shook Hansen awake with a sharp kick to his side. "Hey, idiot! Wake up!" she snapped.
Hansen groaned, eyes fluttering open, disoriented. "What happened? Who attacked me?"
Laila's face was pale with panic. "We're screwed, Hansen. That brat we attacked—he's from one of the Ten Clans."
"The Ten Clans? Who are they?"
"You stupid oaf!" she hissed. "The Ten Clans rule the damn world! No one dares to touch them. And this one—he's from the Mythical Lion Clan!"
Laila threw the boy's bag to the ground. "We have to run. Leave everything. Let's go!"
Without another word, they vanished into the woods, disappearing into the shadows of the towering trees.
Near the boy's unconscious body, two girls stood quietly. The brown-haired one, Emily, looked worried. "What should we do, Sarah?"
The black-haired girl knelt beside him. "Let's wake him up first."
The boy slowly stirred. William Roarhart—the eldest son of the Mythical Lion Clan's main family—had been pampered since birth. His father and grandfather adored him. He had already reached the third circle of the Earth Element thanks to daily doses of rare elixirs. But he had never seen real combat, never hunted or fought outside the comfort of his home. If his family had known he was here, elite Grandmaster-ranked guards would have been stationed at his side.
William blinked a few times, then sat up groggily. His eyes fell on the two girls, and his face lit up with a smug grin.