Another victim of the Glory Stick!

Long Chen stood still, a silent statue in the shadows of the cave, just watching the tragic scene before him. His mind, however, was a whirlwind of morality and empathy.

The victory outside, the convenience of his new ring, the power flowing through his veins — all of it vanished, replaced by an unexpected inner conflict.

"Damn it!"

He bit his lower lip, the tips of his teeth pressing into the skin. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms.

'Why the hell should I care about this? It's just a demon beast. Weaker, dumber. A prey that lost the fight. Its core would be valuable… maybe even more than the two I just took,' he thought, trying to convince himself.

The cold logic of a hunter, the survival mindset he was cultivating, screamed at him to take the opportunity. That's how not only this, but the outside world worked. In the end, the strong devour the weak. End of story.

But then his eyes fell on the two cubs, two tiny balls of fur so small and vulnerable, sleeping in an innocence that did not belong to that brutal world. And he looked at the mother, whose breath was a prelude to certain death, but whose body still served as a shield for her cubs.

'Maybe she's different from the others,' he murmured to himself, the coldness in his heart beginning to melt. He could be cold with the other demon beasts, but only because they never showed anything beyond pure wild instinct. They attack, kill, eat. Like simple savage and fierce animals.

With them, there is no thought, no feelings. But in his sight, this fox seemed different. He could see some wisdom in her tired eyes, the pain not only of her wounds but the fear for her children.

Besides, putting all the current context together, she probably wasn't injured because she was weak. But because she was trying to protect her two cubs.

The two giants fighting outside... the bear and the wolf... they probably knew she was here. So they were fighting to see who would get the biggest prize, her Demon Core.

Unfortunately for them, and perhaps fortunately for her, Long Chen was nearby and took the opportunity. But still…

After a hesitation that felt like an eternity, he let out a long sigh, his decision made. Logic could go to hell.

He slowly knelt beside the large fox, who was bigger than his whole body, moving carefully so as not to scare her. From his interspatial ring, he withdrew the two Silver-Rank cores, the earthy yellow one from the bear and the light blue one from the wolf. He held them in his palm and presented them in front of the mother fox's snout. With his other hand, he gently extended and began rubbing her fluffy, soft ears.

"Hey, Xiao Xue, maybe this can help you recover from your injuries?" he asked in a soft tone.

The fox, expecting a final blow, stiffened for a moment. But the tone of this strange being was gentle, and the touch was very soft. Moreover, the scent emanating from the cores was like the elixir of life to her. Her ears twitched as they felt the potent aroma of pure energy.

She raised her tired eyes to Long Chen, a mixture of disbelief and gratitude in them. Slowly, she nodded, as if understanding his words. With a deliberate movement, she stretched her neck and, with her tongue, took both cores at once, swallowing them.

Long Chen watched the scene and sighed, but a weight seemed to lift from his shoulders. He felt a little relieved. 'If this fox gets better and tries to kill me, then I can only say I learned another lesson. An expensive lesson, but a lesson nonetheless,' he sighed.

The mother fox immediately closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly as the overwhelming energy of the two Silver-Rank cores began to circulate through her wounded meridians, initiating a slow and painful healing process.

Bang!

Suddenly, as silence settled in the cave, Long Chen felt a new aura rapidly approaching from outside. An aggressive and chaotic presence. He frowned, stood up, and went to the cave entrance to look.

"What the hell?"

Bounding toward him, letting out sharp and challenging cries, was a Four-Armed Demon Monkey. Its fur was tangled brown, and its four long muscular arms ended in huge knotted hands. Its red eyes gleamed with wild intelligence and malice.

Estimating its strength by its speed, Long Chen concluded it wasn't much stronger than the Bear and Wolf from before, perhaps at the same level of a Three or Four-Star Silver-Rank. But it was visibly faster, more agile, and the brute strength contained in those four limbs was obvious.

"Shit! He was probably here because of the smell of blood," he concluded.

He glanced one last time inside the cave, at the vulnerable fox and her cubs. A resigned sigh escaped his lips. He would be their guardian, at least for today.

"Looks like my charity work comes with security service included," he muttered to himself, with a bitter smile.

Gripping the Glory Staff more firmly, he immediately activated his purple eyes. The killing intent exploded from him. The instant the Demon Monkey saw him and opened its mouth to unleash a war cry, Long Chen vanished.

Swoosh!

He reappeared beside the monkey, a ghost of movement, and struck a heavy horizontal blow with the staff, aiming at the creature's ribs.

THUD-BOOOM!

The impact was heavy. The monkey was caught by surprise by the speed, but its instincts were sharp. It managed to raise two of its arms to block the blow, the staff colliding with its forearms with the force of a sledgehammer.

"HUUUU-GAAH!" the monkey roared, more out of anger than pain, being pushed several meters to the side.

It planted itself on the ground, pounding its chest with the two free arms in a primal display of fury. Its red eyes fixed on Long Chen, the malice now mixed with murderous rage.

Long Chen gave it no time. He advanced again, the staff becoming a blur. The advantage was his. His speed with the [Shadow Steps] was superior, and each strike was heavy and precise. The monkey was forced into a desperate defense, using its four arms in a chaotic dance to block, parry, and deflect the rain of attacks.

CLANG! CRACK!

Long Chen's staff struck the monkey's knee, which gave way with a sickening snap. — GRAAGH! — The monkey howled in pain and, in a rage frenzy, ignored its own defense. It leapt forward, its four arms moving in a wild and uncoordinated attack.

Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!

Long Chen dodged the first three blows, but the fourth, a punch coming from a low and unexpected angle, hit him square in the chest.

BAM!

The air was forced out of his lungs. He felt a sharp pain explode in his sternum, as if hit by a battering ram. He flew backward, spitting out a mouthful of saliva and blood, and rolled on the ground, the taste of dust and blood filling his mouth.

"Grrr... Son of a... bitch..." he gasped, quickly getting up.

"UUK! UUK! UUK!" the monkey screamed in triumph, pounding its chest again, the injured leg making it limp slightly. It saw its enemy stagger and advanced for the final blow.

But Long Chen's hesitation was a ruse. The moment the monkey entered his reach, Long Chen's eyes shone with a dazzling purple light.

The [Soul-Paralyzing Eye]!

The monkey stopped mid-step, its body freezing, the triumphant expression frozen on its face into a mask of terror. The resistance of its wild mind fought against the paralysis, but the hesitation of a single second was fatal.

Long Chen burst forward, ignoring the pain in his chest. All his power, all his fury for the blow he had received, was channeled into a single final attack. The Glory Staff whistled through the air.

SMASH!

The blow struck the top of the Demon Monkey's head with sick intent. The skull cracked like an eggshell, and the large furry body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, raising a cloud of dust.

Long Chen stood over the corpse, breathing heavily, his chest aching.

"One more victim has fallen under the Glory Stick," he breathed deeply, with a painful smile.

The battle was harder than he expected, a reminder that even weaker opponents could be dangerous if underestimated. He looked toward the cave, making sure the noise had not disturbed the fox, then began the familiar work of extracting his prize.