Chapter 166

Words : 1230 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

Chapter 166: Chapter 166 Clayton froze in shock as the creature he had been searching for suddenly appeared at the most unexpected moment. The bird looked dazed, its feathers wet and ruffled from the intense steam generated by the earlier magical clash. Clearly, it hadn’t been able to withstand the chaos and had fallen as a result of the attack. For a brief moment, Clayton questioned what he was seeing—was it even real? But after a closer look, he was certain. It was the pheasant he had been chasing all this time. And even more astonishingly, the Dragon blood Fruit it had stolen was still clenched in its beak. A surge of joy swept over Clayton. He no longer had to struggle to track it down. Amidst his elation, a sense of awe crept in. Instead of fleeing with the stolen fruit during the chaos, the bird had lingered—ultimately leading to its own discovery. He couldn’t help but marvel at the pheasant’s intelligence—and, at the same time, its sheer arrogance. Meanwhile, the black bear was also stunned by the bird’s sudden appearance. But its shock quickly turned to fury the moment it recognized what the bird was carrying. It knew that item all too well: the Dragon blood Fruit—its most treasured possession, nurtured and protected over the years with great care. Enraged, the bear let out a thunderous roar and lunged at the pheasant with its razor-sharp claws. The pheasant, having regained some strength and awareness, swiftly dodged the attack. Swoosh! With remarkable agility, it evaded the bear’s strike—claws that even Clayton admitted were incredibly fast. Not wanting to remain a target, the pheasant beat its wings and tried to escape into the sky. But it was struggling. Its wings were soaked from the previous battle, making it difficult to maintain steady flight. Even so, its movements remained frustrating and troublesome for both Clayton and the black bear—creatures confined to the ground. Still burning with rage, the bear chased after the bird with reckless abandon. To the bear, the pheasant was now the true enemy—not Clayton, who had merely disturbed its sleep, but the thief who had stolen the fruit it had protected for so long. Watching the scene unfold, Clayton was left speechless. "Wait... just like that? The bear’s not going to attack me anymore?" he muttered in disbelief. Considering how fiercely they had fought earlier, he hadn’t expected things to shift so abruptly. Still, he had to admit—it made sense. The bear had found its real target now. Though the chaos had started with Clayton’s mischievous attempt to steal the bear’s tree and fruit, the two monsters had now left him behind. "So... what now?" he wondered aloud. "Do I leave? Or follow them?" After a brief moment of thought, Clayton made his decision—he would tail them from a distance. He wanted revenge too—and if possible, to reclaim the Dragon blood Fruit that was rightfully his. With that, he moved out, cautiously heading in the direction the two monsters had gone. The remaining skeletons from his summoning dispersed in all directions, prepared to intercept any sudden threats. After a while, they caught up. In the distance, the chase continued. The black bear looked furious, while the pheasant—despite its shaky flight—appeared strangely calm, almost as if it didn’t realize it was being hunted. Fed up, the bear began hurling balls of magma. Swoosh! Swoosh! Yet somehow, the pheasant dodged every attack with eerie precision—as if it had eyes on the back of its head. Clayton, watching from afar, was dumbfounded. The bear’s frustration grew. Feeling mocked, it unleashed wide-area attacks, hoping to finally trap the elusive bird. Splat! A scorching net of molten magma erupted from the bear’s mouth, sealing off every possible escape route. Clayton was certain—this had to be it. The pheasant couldn’t escape this time. He signaled his skeletons to be ready to retrieve the fruit the moment an opportunity presented itself. But then, something unexpected happened. Just as the magma net was about to trap it, the pheasant blinked—and in the next instant, it shot forward like a lightning bolt, completely avoiding the attack. Clayton and the black bear could only stare in stunned silence. "What was that?" Clayton muttered, completely baffled. The bear, momentarily thrown off, quickly regained focus and resumed the pursuit. Clayton thought to himself: Even if it keeps dodging, surely it’ll tire out eventually. He continued trailing the two monsters, occasionally tempted to lend the bear a hand. But he held back. One misstep, and the bear might take offense and turn its wrath on him—something he had no desire to deal with again. So he waited. Patiently. At one point during the pursuit, Clayton noticed something strange. Although the pheasant was clearly flying in front of them, the bear seemed to be searching aimlessly, as if it had lost track of its target. Clayton narrowed his eyes. Something wasn’t right. Then it hit him—the pheasant wasn’t just agile. It was almost completely undetectable. Even with his heightened senses, Clayton could barely feel its presence. "Is that why I could never find it before?" he thought. The bird hadn’t disappeared. It had simply mastered the art of hiding its presence, making it nearly impossible to track. Suddenly, everything made sense. While the bear stumbled around in confusion, Clayton seized the moment. Snap! A marble-sized water bullet shot toward the pheasant. It dodged instinctively—but that was part of Clayton’s plan. Bang! A shot struck the bird square in the head. It spiraled downward. "Haha! You really thought you could dodge an attack I tagged with a tracker? Dream on!" The bear immediately locked onto the pheasant again, launching another barrage of molten projectiles. The bird, now panicked, did its best to evade—but the sheer heat began to scorch its feathers. Clayton didn’t hesitate. Snap! Another water bullet flew. The pheasant crashed once more. Seeing his chance, Clayton dashed forward. The pheasant tried to flee—but instead, it flew straight toward him. "Well, well... naughty bird. Are you finally giving up?" he sneered. But the pheasant didn’t slow down. It didn’t respond. It kept flying straight toward him. That’s when Clayton realized—it wasn’t surrendering. It was using him. The bear’s attacks were still raining down—and now they were aimed directly at him. "You bastard! Trying to get me killed using the bear?!" Furious, Clayton retaliated, striking the bird multiple times until it went limp and fell into his arms. He gripped it tightly, reaching for the Dragon blood Fruit still in its beak. But—whoosh! A massive ball of magma came hurling toward them. Clayton had to leap away, and his grip loosened. The pheasant seized the moment and dove forward. Clayton managed to grab it again—but another magma projectile forced him to let go for good. All that remained was blood soaking his clothes and a handful of long, broad feathers. The pheasant itself lay not far away, clearly unable to move much farther. Clayton was just about to finish the job—when suddenly, a strange light flashed across his skin. His eyes widened in alarm. The glow came from the stigma etched into his body. A signal. Bounty hunters were nearby. And judging by how many stigmas lit up at once—there wasn’t just one. Clayton’s heart pounded. If he were surrounded by bounty hunters in his current condition... he’d be in serious trouble.

Chapter 166

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