CHAPTER 113: SILVER-WINGED TIGER

Adrian inspected the kitten in his hand and noticed two small protusions on the back of the kitten. They were still small, but Adrian could tell they were wings.

Thanks to the knowledge from the inheritance of the Sage of Slaughter, Adrian was able to identify what kind of magic beast was in his palm.

"A silver-winged tiger." He muttered to himself. The beast in his hand was squirming and trying to escape, but it could not free itself from his grasp. Seeing how the beast was acting, Adrian brought out a piece of dried meat from his storage ring.

The storage ring he was using now was the one he had snatched from Alchemist Melvin back at Roser City. It was only a Bronze grade storage ring, appropriate for someone of his realm.

He had learnt his lesson and kept the storage ring he got from the Hundred-faced thief inside the Blood Star. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened with Julian, where he got into trouble just because of his storage ring.

When the kitten in his hand noticed the piece of meat that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere, its eyes widened as its attention shifted towards it immediately.

It started drooling and attempted to snatch it out of Adrian’s hands. Adrian wasn’t stingy and offered the jerky to the kitten. The kitten that looked no older than a month old had surprisingly sharp teeth. Tearing the meat was no problem for it.

Adrian fed it a few more, and very soon, the little kitten was satisfied. It then hopped onto Adrian’s face and started rubbing its face against his.

It seemed the little kitten had gotten fond of him. And quite quickly at that. It seemed that the way to gain its favor was through its stomach. Adrian quite enjoyed the affection from the little kitten and was patting it gently.

After that, the kitten suddenly jumped down on the ground and started running away. This time, Adrian didn’t stop it and simply watched it run around.

After running for a few metres, the kitten turned around and let out a soft meow towards him, as if telling him to follow it. Adrian, amused by the antics of this cute little beast, decided to follow it and see where it was going.

He didn’t have to wonder far as the little kitten made its way towards the cave that was hidden behind the waterfall.

Adrian stepped past the thin veil of vines and stone, his senses alert. The little kitten trotted ahead of him, no longer playful, its ears twitched, and its body trembled slightly, as if anxious.

The cave was surprisingly large and went deeper into the cliff than he initially thought. They kept walking until they were in the cave’s depths. Here, it was difficult to see because the light from the sun couldn’t reach here.

Then suddenly, his whole body felt stiff. A terrifying pressure washed over him, forcing him to stop moving. The ferocity of the aura was much greater than anything that he had ever felt before.

Even the wolf from before couldn’t compare. The pressure increased until he was forced to kneel down. He could no longer keep standing.

Just as the pressure seemed as if it would crush him, the meow of the kitten he had followed sounded. The little creature stood in front of him, as if trying to protect him.

Adrian would have found it cute if he weren’t in danger currently. Surprisingly, the little kittens’ roar seemed to work.

Lying in the shadows of the cave, hidden behind a natural curtain of hanging moss and rock, was a massive figure. The Silver-Winged Tiger, a true Rank 7 magic beast, lay sprawled across the stone floor, her breath shallow, and her silver-plated wings limp against her sides.

When the pressure vanished, Adrian could finally breathe. He stood up with shaky steps, and his eyes finally fell on the beast in front of him.

His eyes widened in shock at the immense size of the beast. Lying down, the silver-winged tiger was around three meters tall. His mind spun as he wondered how tall it would be when it stood up.

Adrian’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the colossal form of the Silver-Winged Tigress. Her silver fur shimmered faintly even in the dim light, and each of her shallow breaths sent ripples through the thick spiritual energy in the air.

It was clear that this wasn’t just an ordinary beast. It was a monarch in its domain, a creature of majesty and terror.

The little kitten trotted up to its mother, nuzzling her snout softly and letting out a string of pitiful mewls. The tigress opened one eye, a deep, luminous silver that held more wisdom than any beast Adrian had encountered. Her gaze swept over her cub before landing on him.

Adrian felt as if he were being weighed by a mountain.

But unlike before, there was no hostility in her gaze, only a heavy, exhausted awareness. Only now did Adrian notice her condition; she was injured.

Adrian approached slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves. Now that the pressure had faded, he could move, but his instincts still screamed at him to be cautious. One wrong step, and she could still crush him even in her weakened state.

As he drew nearer, the injuries became more apparent. Long, vicious gashes marred her flanks, some still bleeding slowly. One of her wings looked like it was barely hanging on, and her breathing was ragged.

Adrian didn’t know what had done this to her, but it had to be something terrifying. However, seeing that the Silverwinged tiger was still alive showed her own strength and resilience.

From her injuries, he guessed that it was a battle between beasts. The little kitten that was still nuzzling with its mother drew his attention, making him have some thoughts on the matter.

Seeing how young the kitten was, he could guess that the silver-winged tiger had just given birth to it before it was challenged. Because it was still weak, it had probably lost the fight, making it flee here.

Suddenly, it all made sense. The reason for the recent beast activity in the Misty Mountain was suddenly revealed to him. A Rank 7 beast, like the Silver-winged tiger, did not reside in the inner region.

Beasts of that strength stayed in the core regions, where they looked for opportunities to grow stronger. The silver-winged tiger coming here probably had no choice.

The magic beast released a low rumble, and though the sound lacked strength, it carried weight. Adrian stopped, trying to make sense of her intention. Then, her eyes flicked to the kitten, then back to him. There was a faint shimmer of light in those eyes. Then a faint energy entered his mind.

Adrian’s breath caught in his throat as he heard a voice in his head.

"How did you get here, human?" The voice spoke to Adrian. Adrian was very surprised when he heard the voice. He knew it was coming from the magic beast in front of him.

He wasn’t surprised because he knew that beasts at that rank were capable of very amazing things. When magic beasts reach a certain level, their intelligence would be no less than that of a person.

Even communicating with individuals would be a small matter.

Adrian steadied his breathing, forcing himself to remain calm despite the surreal situation. A Rank 7 Magic Beast, capable of telepathic speech, was addressing him directly.

"I was exploring the mountain when I found your cub," he answered carefully, keeping his voice low. "She led me here."

There was a long pause.

The Tigress’s silver eyes gleamed with understanding, though pain still clouded her gaze.

The silver-winged tiger narrowed her eyes slightly. A low growl echoed faintly in the cave, though it lacked the strength to intimidate him fully.

"You did not harm him," she said finally. "That is why you still live."

Adrian remained silent. He didn’t need to defend himself. She could already tell if he meant any harm or not. Fooling a beast with such intelligence was something that he could not do.

After her statement, she remained quiet for some time, leaving the cave in complete silence, except for the whimpering of the little kitten.

The kitten, oblivious to the tension in the atmosphere, kept circling Adrian, trying to get his attention. However, Adrian wasn’t exactly in the mood to play with the kitten currently.

He was planning on ignoring the kitten when it suddenly jumped on him. He had no choice but to give it some attention. He brought out some small treats, feeding the kitten, which it ate excitedly.

The silver-winged tiger watched all this with a glint in its eyes. No one knew what was going through its mind.

"That child seems to really like you. It is rare for a young one to trust another so quickly and easily."

Author’s note: Let’s keep the power stones rolling in.