Chapter 17 Finding trouble
Vandal immediately switched to his Force Echo resonance and charged up a Force Echo arrow blast.
“I can’t let that beast get to her,” urgency surged through Vandal as he notched the bow and fired two quick shots for insurance.
The moment the bowstring was released, the torrent of energy was so violent that it launched him backward. He had to steady himself with several hurried steps.
Just as the claws were about to graze her face, a brutal torrent of Force Echo energy slammed into the leopard’s head, causing it to explode like a watermelon.
Blood and brain matter splattered across her face, making her grimace in disgust and shock.
Before long, an older woman who appeared to be in her early forties approached from behind her.
“Sabine, dear, are you okay?” The woman pulled her into her arms, her eyes filled with concern. She took out her handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from Sabine’s face.
Vandal watched the scene in puzzlement. “Was that her mother? Why is she being so affectionate toward her?” He couldn’t quite place it, but he got a strange vibe from the woman. Something about the way she looked at Sabine felt off. She didn’t even flinch at the sight of the dead Echo beast, nor did she act as if she had seen any of the battle.
“Wow, so powerful!” Xander looked at Vandal as if he were a monster.
“What incredible archery skills! Why didn’t he use that kind of power earlier?!”
“Hmph! He’s just a guy using a resonance bow that he obviously stole. A wretched-looking guy like him could never afford such an expensive weapon in the first place.”
“He has no skill. It’s the stolen weapon that’s powerful,” a youth at the third resonance stage said coldly.
His words were immediately met with agreement from the others. “You’re right! That kid used us as bait to distract the Wind Echo Leopard and then used his stolen treasure while hiding!”
“Fenwick, that boy saved our lives,” Xander said, shaking his head in disapproval at how they were speaking about Vandal.
Just as Vandal walked toward the corpse, the surviving warriors turned on him with venomous glares.
“Kid! Don’t you dare come near that corpse! It’s ours!”
“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Fenwick snarled, stepping forward aggressively. “You attacked the leopard without our permission! Apologize right now!”
Another youth named Femi pointed at him with pure contempt. “And don’t even dream of taking any share of the beast. We did all the real work here. A smelly, homeless bum like you doesn’t deserve anything!”
At first, he had been wary of Vandal’s strength, but after sensing that Vandal was only at the second resonance stage, he no longer took him seriously.
Vandal stood completely still, his white-streaked hair still dripping, his young face calm yet carrying an ancient, unshakable resolve. He said nothing, only stared at them with quiet, indifferent eyes.
The girl called Sabine looked at Vandal’s face amid the escalating commotion and recognized him.
“You… you were kidnapped just like me. You escaped too? And you saved my life just now… thank you.”
“I owe you my life.” She pulled away from the older woman’s arms and ran to Vandal, hugging him unexpectedly.
This sudden behavior created an awkward tension in the already escalating situation.
“So that’s your little girlfriend, huh? Well, she’ll be dealt with too if you don’t back off our kill,” Fenwick quickly hurled his threat.
Suddenly, Vandal’s pale blue eye locked onto him with terrifying intensity. A murderous aura leaked from his body, so strong that Sabine felt like she would suffocate under its pressure.
“Try it and see what happens,” Vandal said in a calm, casual voice, as if he were already looking at a dead man.
Before the confrontation could escalate further, a powerful voice boomed from the treeline.
“Enough!”
A group of figures in matching forest-green robes descended from the canopy, riding on giant leaves. At their head was a stern middle-aged man with a long beard and the imposing aura of a high-ranking elder. Behind him trailed several young clan members and two adult warriors bearing black leaf marks on their faces, signifying their special positions within the clan.
The elder’s sharp gaze swept over the scene: the dead blue leopard, the two mangled corpses, the bloodied Xander clutching his chest, and the lone white-streaked boy standing calmly amid the chaos.
“This was part of the Green Tempest Clan’s annual recruitment trial for promising youths,” the elder declared, his voice laced with authority. “The beast was released as a test of courage and skill. You were all supposed to hunt it together under supervision.”
He pointed at the surviving youths. “Yet three of you are dead due to recklessness, and now an outsider interferes?”
Fenwick stepped forward, quick to seize the opportunity. “Elder Bainard! This filthy beggar stole our contribution! We weakened the leopard with our own efforts. He just fired some cheap arrows at the end. He should apologize and hand over any spoils!”
The other youths nodded vigorously, shouting accusations. “He’s clearly a homeless stray who wandered into the trial grounds! Expel him!”
Elder Bainard narrowed his eyes and focused on Vandal. His soul sense brushed over the boy, lingering on the unusual white streaks in his hair and the faint, ancient aura that didn’t match a mere fourteen-year-old.
“You… are not one of our clan members,” the elder said slowly. “State your name and purpose here. The trial grounds are restricted during the recruitment period.”
Vandal met the elder’s gaze without flinching. “My name is Vandal. I… emerged from somewhere nearby. I didn’t know this was a trial.”
A murmur spread through the group. During the six months he had been gone, the area had apparently become the official site for the Green Tempest Clan’s entrance assessments, a major event that drew hundreds of aspiring cultivators from nearby cities and smaller clans.
Elder Bainard stroked his beard, intrigued despite himself. “Somewhere, you say? And you emerged with… that unusual bow. Interesting.”
One of the inner clan members beside him whispered something. The elder nodded.
“Very well. Since you killed the trial beast and saved the remaining participants (however unintentionally), we will not punish you on the spot. Instead…”
Elder Bainard’s lips curved into a faint, testing smile.
“You may participate in the remaining portions of the recruitment trial. Prove your worth in the upcoming assessments: combat sparring, resonance testing, and the final arena matches. Impress us, and you may join the Green Tempest Clan as an outer member. Fail, or cause more trouble…” His eyes hardened. “And you will be expelled from these lands.”
Fenwick’s face twisted with displeasure. “Elder, you can’t be serious! Letting a random bum-”
“Silence!” Elder Bainard snapped. “If you have complaints, settle them in the arena during the tournament. Our clan values strength above all.”
He turned back to Vandal. “What do you say, boy? Will you take the chance to rise from the streets… or slink away like the stray they claim you are?”
Vandal smiled faintly.
“I don’t want to join your clan.”