When Natalia made that comment, Principal Mark looked proud and straightened his back.
It was rare to meet a good student like that, and he was eager to show off to Charles.
But when he turned around, Charles was already gone.
"Damn it, where did that guy go? This was the perfect chance to show off to him."
At that moment, far away in the forest, a bunch of Temple knights were gathered around a portal.
Nancy Priest stood next to Charles, watching Evelynna and her group go into the Blood Cultivation Realm.
Unlike the military, which had cameras in every corner of the Blood Cultivation Realm, the Temple only gave each of its knights a cross pendant.
Each pendant had Nancy Priest's blessing on it: "The light of God is with you. If anything happens, break it right away. It will take you out of the Blood Cultivation Realm and away from danger."
Only after the last Temple knight disappeared through the portal did Charles finally open his phone.
On the screen, there were hundreds of messages from Principal Mark.
"Charles, are you scared that Logan's power is stronger than Evelynna's, so you ran away?"
"Or did you already know Evelynna was a fraud, and you're scared she might get hurt in the Blood Cultivation Realm?"
"Charles, I'm telling you…"
Each message from Mark kept popping up one after another.
Charles hadn't even finished reading the last one when a new one came in.
Finally, Charles had enough and picked up his phone to call Mark.
As soon as Mark answered, his voice came through, full of pride: "Hahaha, Charles, my student is now playing around in the Blood Cultivation Realm with four familiars. Even the guys fromStorm Wind City and Edo Castle are calling him their leader. Don't be jealous."
Mark's words made Charles even angrier. But before Charles could say anything, Nancy Priest suddenly snatched the phone and frowned: "Mark, you said Logan has four familiars? How is that even possible?"
"What's so impossible about it? The succubus Logan called isn't even C-level. How could you miss that when you gave him the blessing yourself?" Natalia's lazy voice came through, making Nancy Priest go crazy.
"That's impossible! Dark Side familiars can't get Divine Blessings!" Nancy Priest muttered, then suddenly gripped her phone tighter. "Natalia, I don't care what's special about Logan's succubus, I just want to remind you - half the resources in this Blood Cultivation Realm belong to the Temple! The city lord's office and the military had better not get involved, especially not the space fragments."
"Nancy, I'll remind you too - the federal law is clear. Clearing the monsters in the Blood Cultivation Realm and stopping it from spreading out of control is always the top priority." Natalia's voice was still calm. "If your people don't finish their area in three days, the city lord's office will send someone to help."
Crack!
A loud bang - Nancy Priest smashed her phone.
Charles saw that and his mouth twitched, but he didn't say anything.
When Nancy finally calmed down, she regained her composure, and her eyes flashed with a sharp look. "Ignoring your own sister, and instead showing off to me about some commoner. Natalia, you'll regret this one day!"
"Controlling four familiars at once? In front of an angel's absolute power, numbers mean nothing!"
Meanwhile, inside the Blood Cultivation Realm.
Logan was setting up a camp with Yelena and Sawako.
After a long day of walking, they were all hungry.
Yelena sat on a rock and pulled out some bread and water from her bag, taking big bites.
Sawako pulled out two pieces of compressed biscuits and some chocolate from her waist, scarfing them down to get energy.
But just as they were eating, a strong, sweet milk smell suddenly filled the air.
Sawako sniffed the air and immediately looked up, following the scent.
Not far from where Yelena and Sawako were eating, Logan was telling the Tree Spirit Beast and the Ancient Ape to set up a bunch of grill racks.
And the Gilded Wasp Queen was flying around with her swarm, collecting all kinds of flower nectar and turning it into a liquid - royal jelly.
At the grill, Lilith was brushing sauce on the meat and pouring the royal jelly into cups.
Soon, a clear cup of royal honey and a big steak were brought to Logan's table.
Gulp… gulp…
Yelena and Sawako looked at the steaming steak, and suddenly their food didn't taste as good as it used to.
As familiars tamers, eating outdoors and roughing it was normal when exploring the Blood Cultivation Realm.
Some places were so harsh that just getting food and water was a struggle.
So Yelena and Sawako packed light and practical supplies. They were nowhere near as fancy as Logan, who even brought sauces and seasonings.
Sawako swallowed the last bit of chocolate and stared at the familiars serving Logan, eyes full of envy. "Wow, I didn't realize having more familiars could be so useful. I really envy him."
She grabbed Yelena's arm and pulled her over to Logan. "Logan, we helped take down that Crimson Serpent Bull too. We should get a share."
Smack!
Before Sawako could say more, the Ancient Ape swung its arm and threw half a dead Crimson Serpent Bull in front of her and Yelena.
"Cook it yourself," Logan said, tearing off a piece of meat and eating it.
Yelena and Sawako stood by the bull's body, looking at each other, completely embarrassed.
They were good at killing monsters, but cooking? Grilling steak? Not a clue.
In the end, they lost to their own hunger.
Yelena was the first to walk up to Logan and poured him a cup of royal honey. "Um… can you ask Lilith to help? We can pay her."
"Yeah, yeah! We'll pay ten times, no, a hundred times the price of a five-star restaurant. Please, Lilith, make us some grilled meat like Logan's."
Sawako quickly added, since Yelena's voice was too quiet.
Logan knew the two had fallen for it. He gave a small smile and nodded at Lilith.
"We're gonna be stuck in this Blood Cultivation Realm for a few more days, and you guys can't just keep bugging Lilith like this," Logan said, his expression slowly turning serious. "But if you're willing to hand over the loot distribution rights to me, I don't mind letting Lilith work a little harder to cook your meals for the next few days."
Logan's condition came out, and Yelena and Sawako both froze.
That basically meant giving all the best loot to Logan. From now on, whatever they found, they'd only get whatever was left after he'd picked first.
"Can we… change the deal?" Yelena clenched her fists and explained, "This exploration is a big part of our evaluation score. If we give it all to you, my family's gonna be mad when we get back."
"I'm not in a hurry. You can think it over," Logan said, his voice flat and calm as he kept chewing on his steak.
Yelena sighed heavily. "Logan, sure, we're in an elite-level Blood Cultivation Realm, but no one can be sure there aren't stronger monsters in here."
"You'll eventually run into something you can't handle on your own. And then you'll need our help, right?"
"So, the most we can do is let you pick the first three pieces of loot. The rest has to be split based on who contributed the most," Sawako added, nodding in agreement with Yelena.
At that moment, a deep roar echoed from the deepest part of the forest. A terrifying aura quickly came toward Logan and the others.
Yelena and Sawako were caught off guard and both jumped back, their faces pale.
When they turned around, a twin-headed wolf had already come out of the trees.
Every step it took left behind a blackened, burning footprint.
[Race: Twin-Headed Wolf (Fae)]
[Stat: Inferno, Earth]
[Rank: B-level, 5-star]
[Stage: Elite, 3-star]
[Talent: Dual Spellcasting, The Earth's Embrace]
[Skill: Celestial Fire Rain, Howl of Terror, Shadow Wolf Echo, Frenzy of Blood]
[Stat: Power 52, Stamina 51, Mind 45, Agility 63]
...
Looking at the monster's stats, Logan wiped the grease off his lips and laughed.
"Just now you said you could help me out. Now you two better get to it."