CHAPTER 176: EX 176. DRAGON MIGHT 101

Confrontations inside the settlement were forbidden. Everyone knew it. If caught, the punishment wasn’t just harsh, it was the kind of thing no one laughed about later. But outside the walls, the rules shifted. The wilds didn’t care for laws, and that was where men like Lukas thrived.

He’d been squeezing Andrew and his squad for months now, demanding "protection fees." After all, when Andrew ventured into the trial wilds, who would keep him safe? Who would stop Lukas and his boys from making his life hell? No one. And in the wilds, where real treasures lay buried in blood and risk, no guard would step in.

That was why Andrew and his squad had been avoiding the wilds altogether. It wasn’t that the altars were scarce, it was Lukas. And now Lukas had cornered him at last.

"Well, Andrew," Lukas drawled, leaning closer, his hand pressing down on Andrew’s shoulder. "You trying to play me?"

Andrew’s hands twitched at his sides. His two squadmates sat stiff and silent, their eyes on him. He swallowed, unable to form words. They were F-rank trial takers. Lukas was E-rank. The gulf between them was a canyon, too wide to cross.

’I’m pathetic,’ Andrew thought bitterly. His gaze flicked toward his comrades. ’I’m supposed to be their leader, and yet I can’t even stand up for us. If only... if only I was stronger.’

But as he sank into self-loathing, Lukas mistook his silence for defiance. His eyes narrowed, and his lips curled into irritation. "What, you ignoring me now?" he snapped, breath hot with menace. He opened his mouth to snarl another threat, but suddenly he froze.

As a crushing pressure slammed down on him like a mountain. His voice caught in his throat, coming out as a stutter before dying completely. His legs shook. His grip on Andrew’s shoulder slipped away without him realizing it, fingers trembling like a child’s.

The men behind him blinked in confusion, trading startled looks.

Andrew’s heart kicked against his ribs.

’What... what’s happening?’

To the others, it looked like Lukas had suddenly lost his nerve, as if he was collapsing under the weight of some invisible terror. But to Lukas, it was worse than that. He felt eyes on him, cold, merciless, and predatory. The kind of gaze that didn’t just threaten violence, but promised it.

And then, as suddenly as it came, the pressure vanished.

Lukas staggered, nearly crumpling, his hand shooting out to grip the edge of the table. Sweat slicked his forehead.

"Boss, what happened?" one of his men blurted, stepping forward to steady him.

Lukas didn’t answer. The next heartbeat, he bolted, sprinting out of the café as if his life itself was on the line. Chairs clattered in his wake, his boots slapping against the floor. His squad hesitated for half a second before scrambling after him, their confusion written plain on their faces.

Left behind, Andrew and his two squadmates stared in stunned silence. Their mouths hung slightly open, eyes wide in disbelief.

Finally, Andrew broke it with a hoarse whisper.

"What... was that about?"

****

Back at Unit 1’s table, Elizabeth sat frozen, her spoon dangling above her untouched sundae. Her amber eyes were fixed on the girl across from her, bafflement plain on her face.

"How... did you do that?" she asked at last.

Nikko didn’t even look up. She was still busy savoring her ice cream, sliding another spoonful past her lips with calm precision. "Do what?" she said, as if the question itself were strange.

Elizabeth’s brow twitched. The look she shot Nikko clearly said do I look like a fool? But Nikko’s expression didn’t waver in the slightest, so Elizabeth decided to drop subtlety altogether.

"How did you make that man act like that? It was almost identical to—" her voice sharpened, "—Dragon Might."

The name alone soured the air. Bal’ark’s jaw clenched and his expression tightened into a scowl. That cursed ability had played its part in his humiliation, in his sealing, and just hearing it mentioned scraped old wounds raw.

Nikko blinked once, then tilted her head, spoon still in hand. "So that’s what it’s called."

Adrian and Eden exchanged a glance but stayed quiet. This kind of thing had been happening too often lately, Elizabeth and Nikko diving into discussions far above their heads, so they sat back and simply listened.

Nikko went on casually, "After I saw Leon use it during his display, I thought I’d try something similar."

Elizabeth repeated the words like they were blasphemy. "Something similar?"

’Similar?’ Her thoughts spun. ’Is Dragon Might something anyone can just copy now? Is there some secret guru out there teaching a ’Dragon Might 101’ course that I’ve somehow missed?’

Nikko, oblivious to the storm raging in Elizabeth’s mind, took her silence as encouragement. "I planned to ask Leon to teach me when he had time, but I started practicing on my own. After all, I noticed I shared something in common with this... Dragon Might."

Elizabeth snapped back to attention. "What do you mean, ’something in common’?"

Nikko placed her spoon down at last. Her tone was patient, almost instructional. "My talent, Primal Hunter, lets me channel the energy of the wild, the primal current that belongs to predators. Dragon Might, as you called it, works by overwhelming the mind with superior predatory force. So... I just did that."

Elizabeth stared at her for a long beat before sighing. "You’re terrible at explaining things."

"Yeah, I’ve heard that before." Nikko gave a tiny shrug. "Doesn’t change the fact that it works. I just need to meet Leon so he can help me refine a thing or two."

There was a faint blush on her cheeks when she said his name. Elizabeth found herself momentarily distracted.

’She’s so cute when she acts like this.’

Aloud, she smiled and said, "Don’t worry. I can teach you if you want. After all, I’m the one who taught Leon how to use it."

Nikko’s eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Elizabeth kept her face straight, though the truth flickered in her mind, ’technically, he figured it out himself. I just gave him, the technique. Same difference.’

"Yes," she said shamelessly. "And... I need to tell you something later."

Her tone softened at the end. It was a secret, something bound to her race, that Nikko deserved to know if she was truly going to be part of Leon’s life.

Before the moment could deepen, the bell above the shop door chimed. A tall boy with white hair and sharp, handsome features stepped inside, eyes scanning the parlor.

"What happened here?" he said smoothly. "I saw someone running out like they’d just met me in a bad mood."

The same thought rippled through every mind at the table.

’Fucking narcissist.’