The thunderous roar from Hugo Lionheart echoed throughout the entire forest, causing everyone to look in their direction.
’Heh, let’s see how you fare now?’
Boros, the sole culprit behind it, was watching from afar with gusto. Finally, his stoic face showed a faint smile.
"Lucien, why did you poison my Bongo? I didn’t know you were this despicable. Is this how your bullshit Goldveil family behaves?"
The long blade in the warrior’s hand and the bloodstained armor Hugo wore clearly showed that he had been fighting monsters nonstop.
However, even though he had easily reached the center and managed to kill many monsters, he wasn’t happy.
The Lionheart family was tamer, and anyone who couldn’t awaken the same class was never treated equally, no matter how strong they were.
And Hugo’s failure to awaken was directly because of this guy, who was looking at him with those cold, emotionless eyes.
"Your stupid monkey died... what does that have to do with me?"
Lucien wasn’t the same as before, as he no longer let anyone walk over him as they pleased.
After encountering death not once, but twice, and getting involved with demonic energy, his attitude had already shifted subtly.
"Hugo Lionheart! As a member of a family of the same rank as mine, you mock me time and time again for no reason."
Lucien didn’t let Hugo speak; instead began scolding him coldly. He even stopped Liora, who was trying to intervene, with his hand.
"So this is what the proud Lionheart family produces? A viscount with an heir less of a class than a pleb."
Who said Lucien didn’t know how to talk? He simply never bothered before, because he didn’t think it was necessary.
But to be poked at again and again, to be disrespected repeatedly, and have his family dragged through the mud, who could stand that?
Although Lucien didn’t hold particularly strong emotions toward his family, it was still his nonetheless.
Why would he let any lowlife disrespect his family ?
Hugo was completely enraged when Lucien referred to him as a pleb.
In this world of nobility, where a person’s status was decided by birth, a plebian was the lowest of the low.
How could he endure such an insult?
"The Goldveil family is truly treacherous. They bought their nobility with money, and now they even poison my pet from behind?"
"Such cowards, are they even worthy of holding the title of viscount?"
Hugo pointed his sword at Lucien.
"Such a useless and pathetic family doesn’t deserve the respect of my dignified Lionheart. Don’t try to bring me down to your level."
His voice was cold and deep, filled with intense hatred.
"Enough talk. If you’ve got any guts, face me with a sword, not words."
The moment the words left his mouth, a chilling wave of murderous intent surged through the air, rippling across the field.
The youngsters watching from behind with gusto suddenly stiffened as they felt the pressure over them like a storm about to break.
"Let’s see if you can even protect your own ne—"
Before Hugo could finish his sentence, he saw Lucien suddenly vanish from his position and appear right in front.
Then, without warning, he felt a vice-like grip wrap tightly around his neck, cutting off his breath, followed instantly by a crushing blow to his gut.
The force drove all the air from Hugo’s lungs.
Blood spilled from his mouth as his sword slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.
His knees buckled as Hugo collapsed to the ground like a broken puppet.
During the entire process, he didn’t even sense Lucien’s movement; there was no wind, no footsteps—just a blur and then excruciating pain.
"Ugh... cough... cough... what...?"
Hugo coughed up a mouthful of blood, eyes wide in shock as he was completely stunned by the sudden attack.
All along, he had the impression that Lucien was weak. Otherwise, why would he need a quota just to awaken a class?
And in his rage just now, he hadn’t even considered how Lucien appeared in this place. He was simply consumed by the thirst for revenge for his Golden Monkey’s death.
"Hugo Lionheart, this is the last time I warn you..."
Hugo was clutching his stomach and coughing non-stop in immense pain when suddenly that same vice-like grip returned, forcefully lifting him up to the level of those cold eyes filled with hidden murderous intent.
Lucien wasn’t as weak as before. His strength was already at a whopping 48 points, enough to handle someone like Hugo with ease.
"...don’t try to insult my family. If you do it one more time... believe it or not, I’ll cut your throat right here..."
Lucien’s threatening voice, laced with an oppressive aura, pierced Hugo’s ears, leaving him dazed.
He could feel that Lucien was serious. Because those eyes... they clearly resembled his father’s; a man who had truly killed someone in cold blood with his own hand.
"Hmph... now go and use that useless piece of your mind. Don’t waste my time here. You’re this weak... and you think I need poison to kill your stupid monkey?"
Lucien mocked in disdain.
"Don’t forget who stole that pouch, and whose hands it was in to begin with."
"If the Lionheart family doesn’t even have the brains to figure out the real culprit, they might as well hang up their title and start chasing chickens."
Lucien was relentless as he mocked Hugo and his family, just like Hugo had done to him, making his face turn black and blue.
Then, as if he’d had enough, he suddenly lifted Hugo with one arm and hurled him forcefully into a tree, like tossing a chicken.
"I warned you, don’t make me mad. Next time, it won’t be just a lesson."
Lucien shot one final warning with that same piercing gaze before turning to face Liora.
"Let’s go somewhere else. My mood is ruined by a pig."
He said with a dark look and slowly walked away, graceful and composed in full view of the crowd, who stood rooted to the spot.
From the beginning of the fight to the end, they didn’t or couldn’t say a single word.
After all, they were just as shocked as Hugo, if not more.
’When did this guy become so powerful?’
That was the thought shared by every noble offspring present, silently witnessing this undeniable display of dominance.
Among them was Liora Evergreen, who had witnessed everything from close proximity.
She was so shocked that it took her a few moments to react and follow Lucien.
After catching up, she looked at the serious Lucien and asked a little unnaturally,
"Hey, that was surprising. When did you become so strong? Why don’t I know?"
Liora was genuinely confused. Although they weren’t too close, she saw him often enough, mostly to extort money, and never once had she heard or seen that he was strong.
’When did he change?’
Liora’s emerald green eyes were full of suspicion. She couldn’t help but feel that Lucien might have been playing everyone around him all this time.
Otherwise, this made no sense.