Chapter 132 - 133: The Fool Who Bit the Hand That Saved Him

Chapter 132: Chapter 133: The Fool Who Bit the Hand That Saved Him

Chapter 133: The Fool Who Bit the Hand That Saved Him

"What a joke. Do you honestly think you could have handled these bosses on your own? If we hadn’t shown up, you’d be sitting in their stomachs right now."

Nolan Hawthorne’s expression froze.

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. His face turned red with anger, only to pale a moment later.

Because Leon was right.

There was no point denying it.

Even a single Calamity Boss would have been a serious threat to Nolan and Kithra. Facing four of them at once? That was beyond their abilities.

Without Leon and his group, they would have been eliminated long ago.

And if things had gone particularly badly, death might have been the least of their worries.

Nolan’s success in the placement matches had given him a false sense of confidence. He had mistaken a fortunate run for genuine strength. The truth was that he hadn’t encountered any truly formidable opponents.

Now, standing before Leon, he had no way to hide from that reality.

His expression shifted several times. Anger, embarrassment, and frustration fought for control of his face.

His hands trembled at his sides.

He wanted to argue. He wanted to say something, anything, that would restore his dignity.

But every excuse he could think of fell apart before he could voice it.

The four Calamity Bosses lying behind Leon were a painful reminder of the difference between them.

Leon had defeated the very creatures that Nolan couldn’t handle.

And yet, even after witnessing such an overwhelming display of strength, Nolan couldn’t swallow his pride.

His gaze shifted toward Selena.

She was standing close to Leon, seemingly unconcerned by the confrontation. Her long silver-white hair swayed gently in the breeze, catching the faint light filtering through the trees. Her golden eyes remained fixed on Leon, and there was a quiet affection in her expression.

She didn’t even spare Nolan a glance.

It was as though he didn’t exist.

That hurt more than Leon’s words.

Nolan had already been humiliated. Watching Selena act so naturally around Leon only made the bitterness inside him grow.

He clenched his teeth.

"Don’t give me that!"

His sudden outburst broke the silence.

"We found these bosses first! That demonic ape—can you honestly tell me you spotted it before we did?!"

He pointed angrily toward Leon.

"What right do you have to take credit for our work? Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want!"

His voice grew louder with every word.

"Don’t think the whole world revolves around you! There’s always someone stronger out there. Sooner or later, someone will come along and put you in your place!"

His shout echoed through the forest.

Somewhere above them, a few damaged branches shifted in the wind. Broken leaves drifted slowly to the ground, settling among the scorched roots and shattered earth.

Leon didn’t respond immediately.

He simply turned his head and looked at Nolan.

His purple eyes narrowed slightly.

"Credit?"

He repeated the word as though he genuinely couldn’t understand what Nolan was talking about.

Then he took a small step forward.

"What exactly do you want?"

His voice was quiet.

That made it worse.

The atmosphere around them seemed to change. The breeze felt colder against their skin, and the forest suddenly became uncomfortably still.

Nolan’s next breath caught in his throat.

Something had changed in Leon’s eyes.

A moment ago, he had looked merely annoyed. Now, there was a chilling indifference in his gaze, as though he were looking at something that could be discarded without a second thought.

Then the killing intent came.

It spread through the clearing like an invisible pressure.

Nolan’s body stiffened.

His heart began to pound.

For a brief moment, he couldn’t even understand why he was so frightened. Leon hadn’t attacked him. He hadn’t raised his voice or made any threatening movement.

Yet every instinct in Nolan’s body screamed at him to back away.

This wasn’t an ordinary display of intimidation.

Leon had killed before.

He had faced genuine danger, stood against opponents who could end his life in an instant, and learned what it meant to fight when a single mistake could be fatal.

That experience had left something behind.

Something that couldn’t be imitated by simply acting tough.

His eyes held a darkness Nolan had never encountered among ordinary students. There was no uncertainty in them, no need to prove himself, and no hesitation about what he might do next.

Leon looked at him as though he had already decided how little Nolan’s life mattered.

Then he spoke.

"Let me tell you something."

His voice was low, almost conversational.

"In this world, power speaks."

He paused, allowing the words to settle.

"And right now, I could make you bleed. Do you believe me?"

Nolan’s face drained of color.

His feet moved before his mind could catch up. He stumbled backward, nearly losing his balance on the uneven ground.

"Y-You..."

The rest of his words died in his throat.

For one terrifying second, he could almost feel a blade resting against his neck.

He knew Leon hadn’t touched him.

That knowledge did nothing to calm him.

Beside him, Kithra had also been caught off guard by the sudden change.

She had seen Leon fight. She had witnessed his strength firsthand. But this was different from watching him tear through powerful monsters.

This was the first time she had felt the full weight of his killing intent directed at another person.

Her initial surprise quickly gave way to something else.

Respect.

Kithra had met plenty of powerful students. Some were naturally gifted, while others came from influential families and carried themselves with the arrogance of young masters who had never been told no.

But genuine killing intent was different.

It wasn’t something a person could acquire simply by being strong.

It came from experience. From facing death. From crossing a line that most people would spend their entire lives trying to avoid.

Leon wasn’t pretending to be dangerous.

He knew exactly what it meant to take a life.

And that realization made Kithra look at him differently.

"That’s enough!"

Kithra stepped forward before Nolan could make matters worse.

"That’s enough!" she repeated, this time with her eyes fixed firmly on her own master.

Her honey-blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she moved between the two men. She didn’t look at Leon again. Her attention was entirely on Nolan, and the disappointment on her face was impossible to miss.

"Look at yourself!" she snapped. "These people saved our lives, and this is how you repay them?"

Nolan flinched.

"You’re acting like a child, Nolan. An ungrateful, selfish child!"

Her voice trembled slightly with anger.

"I’m so disappointed in you."

Those words struck harder than Leon’s threat.

Nolan stared at her.

For a moment, he seemed unable to comprehend what he was hearing.

Kithra had always stood beside him. Even when he made mistakes, she had usually tried to understand his reasons. She might disagree with him, but she had never spoken to him like this in front of other people.

Now, she was looking at him as though she could hardly recognize the person standing before her.

His lips parted.

Nothing came out.

The shame settled over him slowly, leaving him with nowhere to hide. He could feel the others’ presence around him, even if nobody else said a word.

He had wanted to defend his pride.

Instead, he had managed to humiliate himself in front of the very people who had saved him.

"I..."

Nolan lowered his eyes.

"I just thought..."

He couldn’t finish.

What had he thought, exactly?

That Leon should bow his head and thank him for discovering the bosses? That Selena should ignore Leon and pay attention to him instead? That being embarrassed in front of others gave him the right to lash out at the people who had saved his life?

The answers were ugly.

And he didn’t want to face them.

Kithra closed her eyes for a moment and took a slow breath.

She was still angry, but there was little point in continuing to shout. Nolan had already heard what she needed to say.

When she opened her eyes again, she turned toward Leon.

Her expression softened.

"Leon, I’m sorry. I apologize for Nolan’s behavior."

She lowered her head slightly, making no attempt to excuse him.

"And... thank you for saving us. If you and your companions hadn’t arrived, we wouldn’t have survived."

There was no hesitation in her voice this time.

She meant every word.

Leon looked at her for a moment.

The oppressive killing intent that had filled the clearing gradually receded. His expression returned to its usual calm, as though the frightening man from a moment ago had never existed.

"It’s fine."

He accepted her apology with a simple nod.

Kithra hadn’t expected that.

After the way Nolan had behaved, she had thought Leon might remain angry or make some cutting remark before leaving. Instead, he let the matter go without demanding anything from them.

She felt a quiet sense of relief.

And, if anything, her respect for Leon grew a little more.

He had every reason to put Nolan in his place. Yet once Kithra apologized sincerely, he didn’t see any need to prolong the confrontation.

Selena, however, had little interest in offering Nolan the same courtesy.

She stepped closer to Leon and cast Nolan a brief, dismissive glance.

There was no anger in her expression. She simply didn’t consider him worth her attention.

Why should she?

Her concern was Leon, and she was perfectly happy to leave the rest of the nonsense behind.

She gently slipped her hand around Leon’s arm.

"Come on. Let’s go."

Her voice was soft, almost playful.

"Just ignore him. We might still have time to kill another boss before the trial ends."

Leon glanced down at the timer on his wrist.

The remaining time was running short.

There was no reason to waste any more of it standing around arguing.

"Yeah. Let’s move."

Evelyn Blackheart approached them, her purple robe swaying lightly as she walked.

Before leaving, she looked back at Kithra.

For a moment, the two women met each other’s eyes.

Neither said anything immediately, but the exchange was enough. Evelyn understood what had happened, and she could see that Kithra had already made up her mind about Nolan’s behavior.

"Take care of yourself," Evelyn said at last.

Kithra gave her a small nod.

"You too."

Evelyn returned the gesture before turning toward Leon.

He looked at her with a familiar smile.

"My darling Evelyn, ready to go?"

She gave him a sideways look.

"After what you just did, you’re still asking me that?"

Leon raised an eyebrow.

"What? You’re not angry, are you?"

"I’m thinking about it."

Her answer came without hesitation.

Selena covered her mouth, hiding a small smile.

"You should be used to him by now."

Evelyn let out a quiet sigh.

"Unfortunately, I am."

Leon chuckled.

Whatever tension had remained around him seemed to disappear as easily as it had come. He turned and started walking, with Selena beside him and Evelyn following close behind.

Within moments, the three of them were moving deeper into the forest.

The mist gradually swallowed their figures.

Their footsteps faded into the distance, leaving Nolan and Kithra alone among the broken trees.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Nolan finally turned toward her.

"Feifei, wait. Let me explain!"

Kithra stopped, but she didn’t turn around immediately.

Nolan hurried after her.

"Please, just listen to me. I didn’t mean for things to turn out like this."

She slowly faced him.

Her expression was cold.

"Explain what?"

Nolan hesitated.

"Feifei, I—"

"Your actions speak for themselves, Nolan."

She didn’t raise her voice. Somehow, that made her words sting even more.

"You were saved by someone stronger than you. Instead of thanking him, you picked a fight because you couldn’t stand being shown the difference between you."

Nolan’s face tightened.

He wanted to deny it.

He wanted to tell her that she didn’t understand, that Leon had provoked him, that anyone in his position would have reacted the same way.

But the excuses sounded pathetic even before he could say them.

Kithra had been there.

She had watched the entire confrontation.

There was nothing he could hide from her.

"Feifei..." His shoulders slumped. "I was wrong."

He swallowed hard.

"I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said those things to Leon. I shouldn’t have behaved that way after he saved us."

His voice grew quieter.

"Please. Give me another chance."

Kithra looked at him for a long moment.

The anger in her eyes had faded, but that didn’t mean she had forgiven him.

What remained was exhaustion.

She was tired of watching him let his pride dictate his actions. Tired of seeing him turn every humiliation into someone else’s fault. And tired of having to stand beside him, hoping he would eventually understand what mattered.

She had defended him more times than she could count.

But she couldn’t keep doing it forever.

"One apology doesn’t fix your selfishness and ingratitude."

Nolan’s expression faltered.

Kithra looked away for a moment before meeting his eyes again.

"I need time to reconsider our relationship."

The words fell between them.

Nolan went completely still.

"Feifei..."

But Kithra had already turned away.

She walked off without looking back, her footsteps growing quieter as she disappeared between the damaged trees.

Nolan remained where he was.

Alone.

The forest seemed much larger now that the others were gone. The scorched ground stretched beneath his feet, and the broken branches overhead cast long, twisted shadows across the clearing.

He stared in the direction Kithra had taken.

Then his hands slowly curled into fists.

He had wanted recognition.

He had wanted to prove that he wasn’t inferior to Leon.

He had wanted to protect his pride, even when the truth was standing right in front of him.

And now, because he couldn’t bring himself to swallow his arrogance, he had pushed away the one person who had stood by his side.

For the first time, Nolan understood that his actions had cost him something far more valuable than a few points in a trial.

But by the time he finally realized it, it was already too late.