Chapter 155: Mutually Beneficial Cooperation

Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Mutually Beneficial Cooperation

Lomita originally intended to leave once this night was over.

But she discovered that just by sitting next to this Cat No. 99, the spirits, as if terrified of something, only hovered around the perimeter, absolutely not daring to approach. Yet whenever she stepped away, she was instantly torn at like before.

This tournament banned all magic tools and magical artifacts entirely.

Initially, Lomita thought he had secretly set up some magic that made the spirits wary. But as two days passed, she realized he hadn’t done anything.

Just sitting there, releasing magic elements, was enough to keep the spirits three feet away.

Lomita was extremely curious about the reason. But the current situation made it inconvenient to rush over and ask directly.

Thinking of victory, she quietly set aside her initial decision to go solo, just trailing along behind this miraculous Cat No. 99.

In exchange, she would clear out the charging magical beasts for him.

Um, adding one more sentence: to avoid awkwardness, aside from the first day, the entire process afterward occurred in silence. Including the tailing part.

From the very beginning, Phoenix knew this Cat No. 1 was sneakily following him. But he was too lazy to speak. As long as she didn’t bother him, whatever.

By the morning of the fourth day, Cat No. 1 suddenly vanished.

Phoenix didn’t care either.

Until an Order Mouse, hog-tied, was tossed right in front of him.

The mouse’s mouth was sealed shut by magical vines. The badge on its chest was neatly displayed in the most conspicuous spot. While its face bore an expression of not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

And the one who went out early in the morning to catch the mouse was currently hiding behind a tree trunk. Hiding very well, keeping the maximum possible distance. If not for the mouse’s frustrated gaze locked fixedly on that spot, he would have had a hard time noticing too.

Phoenix was silent for a moment, then bent down to pick up the badge.

Black mist surged. When his figure reappeared, he was standing right in front of Lomita.

Lomita was wondering why she still hadn’t heard the notification of the mouse being eliminated. Just as she was about to turn and look, she raised her head only to see a figure blocking her front.

Under the Cat outfit’s disguise, she couldn’t see his face clearly. But visualizing it, he was definitely expressionless right now.

Lomita also never thought she could hide forever. She knew the other party had probably discovered her long ago. But this abrupt popping up right in front of her still startled her.

While thinking about what to say to lessen the awkwardness, the person in front spoke in a deep and smooth voice: "For me?"

His voice was slightly hoarse. His facial features were more than half obscured by the mask; only his eyes, black as the night, were strikingly clear.

Lomita didn’t answer. He just stood there waiting.

Realizing that, she cleared her throat, resting one hand on her chin: "...Well, I don’t have the habit of owing others favors."

Arms crossed over her chest. The cat tail unconsciously wagged behind her back.

"Thanks."

The person in front didn’t care what her attitude was, seemingly only needing that exact answer.

He crushed the badge. The shattered fragments turned into scattered motes of light.

The notification of Mouse No. 153’s elimination rang out.

Lomita was very satisfied. A favor could be owed, but ultimately it had to be repaid.

She observed the person in front. The face couldn’t be seen clearly, but the faint dark circles drooping under the corners of his eyes were very prominent, as if he had never managed to get a proper night’s sleep.

"...How about we form a team?" Lomita hesitated for a bit but still voiced the proposal. "You help me deal with the spirits, I help you clear out magical beasts and complete the mandatory elimination task."

No matter how you looked at it, this was beneficial.

Phoenix looked up at her. His deep, bottomless black eyes carried a heavy weariness: "If you want to."

Lomita raised a hand to rub her nose, giving a hmph: "It’s nothing. A small matter."

After finalizing the agreement, aside from the two sentences exchanged on the first day, for the following days both kept their mouths shut, treating each other as mutes.

Just like that, right up until the seventh day — the day for hidden class allocation — they still hadn’t separated.

Because both were completely unable to find a way out of the Forest of Eternal Night.

Lomita hadn’t advanced her class. She directly asked him if he would, and Phoenix replied no.

Having the answer, no one suggested disbanding. The formation was maintained just like that. Miraculously, both sides achieved a mutually beneficial cooperation.

Lomita also didn’t worry about being tricked. After all, whether it was the first seven days with locked Sacred Weapons and skills, or the unrestricted phase afterward, she was still stronger than this Cat No. 99.

On the other side.

Leon took a full seven days to escape the central sea area. By the morning of the eighth day, he finally reached the edge of the Endless Sea.

But when he was less than a few hundred meters from the exit, he caught an aura.

Before he could identify it, a scimitar thickly dyed with death aura tore through the wind and lunged over.

Leon clicked his tongue. The pair of Crescent Blades instantly appeared in his hands. He leaned back to dodge the blade, raising his foot to kick the back of the sword.

After adjusting his center of gravity, the pair of lunar blades switched to close-combat form, summoning a gust of clear wind to blow away the fog.

And the tall, slender figure hidden within that death fog stepped out from it.

It was a Cat.

Code: Cat 11.

Seven days had passed; restrictions on Sacred Weapons and skills had been lifted. Even without seeing the face clearly, Leon recognized the opponent in an instant.

The Holy Covenant holder who once sparred with his team captain. Also the only owner of a top-ten Holy Covenant in this first-year class.

Holy Covenant No. 09 — Raphael.