CHAPTER 67: THE PAST (2) - [100 PS BONUS CHAPTER]

Arthur caught the hands that were fussing at the corner of his eyes. He was just about to say something when Joshua suddenly lunged forward, throwing himself into Arthur’s arms and burying his face in the crook of his neck.

A faint, sweet scent brushed past Arthur’s nose. He froze for a heartbeat before hearing Joshua mumble softly, "In my dream... it was strange... I saw you leaving—going somewhere far away. This time... don’t leave me behind, okay?"

Arthur finally wrapped his arms around Joshua. Only then did he realize how small the young man felt in his embrace—his shoulders trembling slightly, as though he were terrified.

How old was he? Eighteen? A rich young master, raised not only with his family’s protection but also the care of his friends, with a kind, innocent heart. And now, with his memory gone... a blank sheet of paper, destined to be stained by the world.

Arthur lowered his gaze and gently brushed his fingers through Joshua’s soft white hair, his tone firm and sincere.

"Don’t worry. I’ll never leave you."

They exited the TO auction hall through a secure passageway.

The team members waiting outside froze when they saw Arthur emerge with a young man.

What startled them even more was how beautiful the boy was. Could it be that their captain had finally succumbed to temptation?

Lily kicked them a few times and muttered under her breath,

"That’s Life."

The others gawked. Lily chuckled and nodded proudly.

"You guys have no idea—our captain is loaded!"

She then began recounting the entire auction scene. The team gasped in disbelief when she got to the part where Arthur had bid a thousand level-5 crystals.

Captain... such a noble sacrifice—Mantis will never forget this!

"Let’s go."

Arthur took Joshua’s hand—or rather, since they had left the cage, Joshua had been holding onto Arthur’s hand and refusing to let go. It was almost like the story of a hatchling—the first person it saw would become the one it trusted most.

Johan slid into the driver’s seat, Lily took the passenger side, and Arthur and Joshua sat in the back. The rest of the team quickly got into their vehicles as well.

They all knew what this meant. With "Life" in their possession, trouble was inevitable.

Sure enough, even though they sped away at full throttle, it wasn’t long before the silhouettes of pursuers appeared in the distance behind them.

A mutated saber-toothed tiger, its white fur streaked with black stripes, came into view.

Lily cursed under her breath, her voice sharp with anger.

"It’s Beast! Those damn bastards—always resorting to filthy tricks!"

Mantis had always been crushed under Beast’s heel for as long as anyone could remember. No—more accurately, Beast made a habit of bullying anyone weaker than them, and Mantis just happened to be one of their many victims.

"Bang!" Almost the instant Lily finished cursing, a thunderous sound split the air. The saber-toothed tiger had leaped high into the sky before crashing in front of the two off-road vehicles, blocking their path.

The beast stood nearly three meters tall, its body stretching close to seven meters long—not counting its tail. It was, without a doubt, an absolute monster.

And sitting atop its massive head was a towering man, muscles bulging as if they could burst at any second. His coat hung open, revealing a bronze chest and abdomen. A pair of scars cut down both sides of his eyes, and his expression carried savagery and arrogance.

"Where are you rushing off to?" he drawled with a grin. "I was just wondering—since when did your pathetic little team get so rich?"

He rose to his feet and jumped down from the tiger’s back. At the same time, his squad appeared from behind—two wolves the size of small trucks flanked the vehicles, baring their fangs and snarling, ready to pounce at any moment.

"But that’s fine," the leader said, still smiling. "Just hand over Life, and I’ll let you all walk away unharmed."

He stated his purpose bluntly, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Joshua blinked as he looked outside. This was his first time seeing animals of such monstrous size. There was curiosity in his eyes—but not fear.

When he had woken up, his mind was a blank slate. He remembered nothing, knew nothing, save for some faint traces of common sense that still lingered in his mind.

After listening to what others told him, piecing together fragments of information, he finally understood that this world had already fallen to ruin—the apocalypse had come, and everything had changed.

They said he had merely been separated from his friends and that they would soon come to bring him home. Joshua didn’t entirely believe them.

But it didn’t matter, as long as it didn’t affect him.

Still, a strange ache bloomed in his chest when he looked into Ace’s eyes. In that instant, he thought that maybe those people weren’t lying. Perhaps he and Ace really had been friends once.

Ace—Arthur had told Joshua that was his name.

Joshua turned to Arthur and asked, "Are we going to be eaten?"

Arthur couldn’t help but chuckle at Joshua’s serious expression. "As long as I’m here, no one will eat you."

By then, the massive tiger had already lumbered closer, toying with their two off-road vehicles like playthings, nudging and shoving them back and forth.

"Get out of the cars—or be crushed!" the Beast leader roared, making no effort to hide his arrogance.

After all, teams like Mantis were nothing but insects beneath his feet.

Johan and the others were furious, but this situation was nothing new. Resist? The last time they tried that, half their team had died!

Johan glanced at Arthur beside him, nearly on the verge of tears. "Captain, your crystals..."

The others wore equally resentful expressions. Their captain had spent an absurd amount of crystals to bring Life back—and now these bastards wanted to snatch him away? Outrageous!

But the world had changed. The strong ruled, and the weak were nothing but prey.

Justin raised an eyebrow, eyeing the new face in Mantis’s ranks, his voice lazy and mocking. "Oh, you’re the big spender who dropped a thousand Lv 5 crystals to buy Life, huh?"

Then his gaze shifted toward Joshua. Pale, soft—not feminine, but undeniably beautiful, with wide, curious eyes staring right back at him.

Tch. Someone like this didn’t belong in the ruined world they lived in. It wasn’t very pleasant.

With that thought, Justin smirked and crooked a finger. "Come here."

Joshua glanced at Arthur, obediently shook his head and took a small step back, hiding slightly behind him.

Arthur felt Joshua’s hand clutching the hem of his coat. His eyes met Justin’s, whose expression had turned sour—but Arthur’s smile didn’t waver. "If Beast leaves now, we can end this peacefully."

Justin barked a laugh. "You’re the new captain of Mantis, huh? Pretty arrogant, aren’t you?"

Well, fair enough. Anyone who could toss around a thousand Lv . 5 crystals wasn’t some ordinary guy.

But so what? Justin didn’t plan to waste words. If he weren’t ordinary, they’d find out after a fight.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, the two wolves beside him suddenly lunged forward, jaws wide and fangs gleaming as they charged at Mantis’s vehicles.

The team was ready to defend themselves—

—but before they could react, both wolves let out agonized howls and collapsed to the ground, writhing uncontrollably.

Justin froze, staring at Arthur in disbelief—and he wasn’t the only one. Everyone’s eyes turned to the man standing calmly in the open.

A faint silver light shimmered in Arthur’s eyes, and a strange psychic energy pulsed softly around him.

A psychic esper...

At that moment, Joshua saw Ace turn his head toward him. The man was still smiling, his expression as gentle as ever.

"I told you," Arthur said softly. "No matter how dangerous it gets out here—I’ll always protect you."