Then finally, Carl took a long nap and woke up at night. His mind felt refreshed and full of energy, so he was ready to depart anytime. But for some reason, he thought it was better to wait until morning instead of heading out right away.
Walking through the forest at night didn't seem smart, since he would have to face all kinds of monsters. Even though he was strong enough to kill them, he didn't want to waste his calories on useless little monster cards.
That kind of trade-off wasn't worth it.
He let out a long yawn, glanced at the sky, and then looked toward the edge of the forest opposite his spot.
[Dragon Sense activated]
"It seems they're coming here… Let them. I just hope they don't do anything stupid, like approach me or try to pick a fight."
He lay back down and ignored the candidates at the forest's edge making their way toward the center of the safe zone, only about fifty meters away from him.
Just like that, Carl was sleeping again—until someone interrupted him.
"Hey, noble heir!"
Carl grimaced. Damn, someone had woken him up. He sat up and glanced at the person nearby.
Oh, this guy. The handsome one who had given him alms with a gold coin at the dungeon gate before. Of course, Carl had burned that coin to ashes.
"What's the matter, lizard?"
Wilbur just smiled politely, not showing any discomfort even though Carl's words were dripping with hostility.
"Here you are. I thought you might be hungry. This is a roasted rabbit."
Carl glanced at the roasted rabbit meat and gave it a sniff.
Good! It looked delicious, and the smell was great—but something about it still made him suspicious.
"Why are you giving this to me? What do you want? Do I look like some beggar who's waiting for scraps from the lizard like you?"
Wilbur waved his hand, trying to explain peacefully.
"Of course not. Take a look." He pointed at the camp in the center of the safe area, where everyone else was eating the roasted rabbit together, looking cheerful and relaxed.
But their joy only made Carl feel worse. To him, this bastard was mocking him, showing off their happiness in front of someone isolated like him.
"Are you trying to mock me?" Carl spat a mouthful of saliva at Wilbur's face and let out a chuckle.
"Are you deaf? I told you… your help is disgusting!"
Then he grabbed a chicken leg from his stash, bit into it, and chewed slowly, savoring it on purpose, letting the smell drift right into Wilbur's nose.
Wilbur slowly wiped the saliva off his face while keeping his usual polite smile.
He placed the roasted rabbit nearby and said,
"Sorry if I said something wrong. I wasn't mocking you, I was just trying to convince you to join my team. Because once we reach the second floor of the dungeon, one person's strength alone won't be enough to get us through."
"So whenever you want to join my team, we'd be really glad. We need your power anyway."
Carl frowned for a moment at Wilbur's actions. Wilbur didn't even show the slightest anger after being spat in the face. He could've dodged, but instead, he just stood there with spit running down his cheek, like he really wanted Carl's strength no matter what.
"I'll decide later. For now—get out of my spot." Carl waved him off.
He felt bored that this pretty boy didn't want to fight him. If the guy had shown any hostility or anger, Carl would've actually enjoyed it. But instead, that handsome guy just stayed silent.
That only proved how much he could endure and swallow down his pride.
All in all, Carl had already marked the pretty boy as an enemy; he would erase the moment he showed even the slightest sign of being suspicious.
"I need more sleep…" Carl yawned and shut his eyes again.
And then, it was finally midnight.
[Dragon Sense activated]
Carl grimaced as someone woke him up again. This time, he had a feeling it wasn't anything good.
"Trying to assassinate me? Or just bully me?... I'm not the Ryan Family's heir anymore."
Carl got up and slipped out from the rock, walking leisurely toward the edge of the forest—far enough that no one in the safe zone would hear the bullies' howls. He assure to draw the stalkers along behind him.
Once he felt he was in the right spot, his voice turned cold.
"Show yourselves. I know you're there."
Sure enough, three figures emerged from the bushes—a tall one, a skinny one, and a fat one. A strange bunch for anyone to see.
The tall guy spoke first.
"So, you're the crippled heir of the Ryan Family." His tone dripped with disdain.
"He acts arrogant even after being expelled from the Ryan Family," the skinny one sneered.
"Tch, just an eccentric, after all. Honestly, his little sister should've just killed him instead of only destroying his mana core."
"Stop wasting words on him. Kill him and take whatever valuables he has," the fat one barked, eyes locked on Carl.
Carl stared back at him, a smile spreading across his face. A strange, unsettling smile that made the fat man shiver for a moment.
"What the hell are you staring at?" the fat guy snapped, annoyed. Being stared at like someone was sizing up every inch of his body felt disgusting.
"Uh… ah, sorry. I kinda spaced out. What were you saying again? I was too busy looking at your clothes, so I didn't catch it."
Then Carl added with a smirk, "Especially you, big guy. Those clothes are pretty fancy. I bet you stole them from some noble, right? No way you could afford that yourself."
"So here's the deal—I'll spare you if you just kneel and obey."
…
The three men only grimaced at Carl's words. Finally, the fat one couldn't take it anymore.
"Kill him!" he roared.