CHAPTER 100: GODFREY’S FEELINGS

It was time to let his mother see the difference between both her children, who would be important in society and who would always be frozen in fear in situations like this.

Once his mother beheld his armadillo’s glory in a time like this, she’d understand why Lucy was in the wrong all along.

All these thoughts blew up in Sam’s mind, but it all came crashing down as Lucy stomped the ground, unleashing a shockwave that blasted a top-level low-tier dungeon beast out of the house.

Sam couldn’t believe his eyes. His parents were even more shocked. Her summon had a potential of 3.3 at its peak, meaning on her own she was quite weak. Not even her skills could affect the lioness, but Lucy knocked it backward without even looking serious.

Before their eyes, Lucy removed the head cover, revealing her eye-catching new hair colour, much different from the once dull colour.

’No! It can’t be...!’ Sam’s heart pounded intensely when he saw her hair. In that moment, a portal flared up, from it stepped out an eight-feet-tall crimson and ember-orange crab with pincers shaped like short greatswords, only slightly curved.

With such a massively armoured size, it even dwarfed a tank. The ferocious lioness suddenly became tiny before this formidable Crimson Dreadclaw Crab.

The air rippled as heat burst out of the cracks on its chitinous exoskeleton. While the lioness died on the spot, the family felt like they were in a giant pot, their skins quickly becoming red as they retreated to protect themselves.

As the Crimson Dreadclaw moved, and Lucy along with it, the family rushed to the door and saw the crab charging at three other lionesses and a black mane lion, a 5.5 high-tier mini boss!

Standing at five feet with a lustrous black mane, it roared with the inborn pride of a king, but the crab unleashed its heat wave, killing the three lionesses before swinging its massive claws.

Despite its size, this crab swung its pincers with the uncanny precision of a swordsman, utilizing the sharpness of its pincers to the utmost.

By the time it was done, the mini boss fell lifelessly to the ground with deep cuts that even revealed its bones!

Sam couldn’t believe his eyes. His summon had peaked at 4.1, and his father saw him as his pride, but Lucy’s summon cut down a 5.5 mini boss without receiving a single hit.

A mini boss that would completely tear his Inferno Scaled Armadillo into two.

While Sam was lost in his comparison, the other mini boss arrived with its four lionesses and eight others, a sign that the main boss was close.

The Crimson Dreadclaw Crab’s pincers glowed and burst into flames as it swung its natural swords at the lionesses, leaving molten scars on the asphalt road and through walls of buildings.

It was quickly swarmed, attacked from all sides despite its scalding heat, and the mini boss pounced on it, clawing and biting but just couldn’t get through the crab’s thick armour. It was different from fighting a tank with swords and daggers.

’Kill them all! You have it in you,’ Lucy said inwardly, and as if empowered by its summoner’s words, steam burst through the cracks along its armour and it unleashed a massive shockwave that launched the lionesses away.

The asphalt road shattered with a molten underlay, like there was an underground volcanic eruption.

Only a few of the lionesses rose up, and they were suffering from bad burns; some couldn’t even walk properly. The Crimson Dreadclaw scuttled, cleaving through all of them before facing the mini boss.

It growled at the crab, trying to chase it away, but the crab swung both claws, unleashing a crescent wave of flames that opened a gruesome charred wound on the mini boss’ body.

It collapsed immediately, smoke leaving its mouth.

"Lucy...!" Her mother’s eyes moistened. Her happiness quickly changed to fright when the seven-feet-tall main boss arrived, a 6.6 black mane lion!

It was beyond what the 6.0 Crimson Dreadclaw Crab could fight. It didn’t even show signs of being affected by the crab’s heat. Instead, it approached with majesty.

"Man! Are all the taxi drivers so afraid? We clearly said we’ll protect him!" A loud voice made Sam and his parents turn to the other side.

Sam’s mouth almost fell to the ground when he saw Isaac, the one who spoke, Percival with his nose mask, Isolde with a face cap, and finally Godfrey in a black hood.

"Do you honestly expect a man to drive into a place people are fleeing from?" Percival replied coolly.

Godfrey walked ahead of the group. A golden spear manifested in his grasp. Holding the shaft with the bottom locked in his armpit, he pointed the spear at the lion, and it suddenly expanded over twenty metres, piercing through the lion’s chest.

Lightning crackled through the spear, blowing up a hole in the main boss’ chest, and the spear dispersed while the boss collapsed.

Cedric’s pupils shook. Did he just witness a student kill a 6.6 high-tier beast without his summon?!

To do such a thing, that summoner must either be a dual summoner with two top-level high-tier summons, but that spear... that spear alone meant this young man had a humanoid summon!

"You’re Mr. Cedric Woods, right?" Isolde asked as she walked up to him.

Upon realising who this young teenager was, Cedric’s heart shuddered. Was this the friend Lucy was talking about?!

Was this an opportunity? Were her friends here to apologize to him, and would Isolde use her connection to grant him a lofty position at one of her family’s businesses?

Expectations bloomed in Cedric’s eyes.

"Lucy has revealed that you’ve subjected her to maltreatment and abuse. Even in our current world, hitting your child like she’s an animal is a crime." Isolde’s stern words were like a hammer to Cedric’s heart.

"W-What?" he stuttered.

"You didn’t stop there. You’ve also been beating up your wife and even cheating on her with her co-worker."

Cedric’s eyes widened while Lucy’s mother stared at the man in despair. She had been enduring all this, and he still went outside?!

Isolde turned to Lucy’s mother. "There’s a permanent residence for you and your daughter at Pendragon Island. You’ll also get a new job."

"Wait... wait! This is all a mistake..." Cedric said while shaking, but Lucy’s mother walked out of the house, still in shock at what she had just heard. She didn’t doubt it.

She had suspicions already, and someone like Isolde, from the most prominent family in this region, wouldn’t come to her doorstep to blabber lies.

They had even helped her daughter.

"You can’t hit me anymore." Lucy spat at Cedric as she held her mother. Cedric rushed after them but was blocked by a wall of young men – Godfrey, Percival, and Isaac.

Isaac waved at Sam. "See you at school!"

As they walked away, Percival glared at him.

"What?" Isaac asked innocently. "Are we not going to see Sam at school? We attend the same school."

Terrified, Sam faced his father. "Dad, I’m not going back to that school, I’m not—"

SMACK!

***

The next day, early in the morning when it was still foggy, the closer Godfrey got to the bench, the more beautiful the girl seated there became.

It was like removing layers and layers of fog until he finally stood face to face with Isolde.

She sat while he stood, but their eyes met, his ocean-blue eyes and her golden-orange ones.

"Hi, pretty face. Right on time. You’re really serious about taking the Valedictorian spot from me, huh?"

"A bet’s a bet. And I plan on winning."

"It’s an unfair battle. A ferocious boxing Tri Summoner against a weak Dual Summoner," Isolde pouted.

"You? Weak?" Godfrey scoffed. "I’ve done my research on your Giant Null Dragonfly. It has a Queen Tier potential and has a tendency to always get there. It can negate the abilities of its opponents, making it a perfect counter to almost every summon on the planet. It can also see the future, but it’s more frequent during combat, which is why summoners of Giant Null Dragonfly end up either as an Invisible or a Queen Tier summoner.

It’s said, if not for our world’s barrier, it should have soared to greater heights. I didn’t understand that, but after listening to our teacher, I knew your summon is almost seemingly unbeatable."

Isolde smiled cutely. "You forgot I have a ninety-four percent chance of catching or killing those I consider prey. With my clairvoyance, that chance increases to ninety-eight."

Godfrey’s spine went cold.

"It’s going to be hard to beat me, and I don’t plan on giving up the title of Valedictorian," Isolde added.

’She’s strong! Possibilities of being one of the most powerful Queen Tier summoners the world has ever seen are equally high. Is liking such a girl even a good thing?!’

Godfrey’s irises dilated. ’We’re just friends!’

He stretched his hand towards her. "Time to jog. The tournament is less than two weeks away, and I hear there’s going to be a sudden change."

Isolde took his hand and rose to her feet. Godfrey just realized he was quite lucky to have such a top-class beauty jogging alongside him every morning.

Even if they were just friends.

....

A/N: This is the hundredth Chapter. Thank you guys for your support and contributions through comments, lovely reviews and heart warming gifts!

I believe we can hit 1,500 power stones at the end of this week!