Gavin Clark waved his hand, and Little Clark immediately leapt out, its front hooves stomping hard on the ground, clearing a large open space like a whirlwind. The coordination between the man and the beast was already quite seamless. Gavin Clark quickly selected a few branches to use as supports, took out a large piece of frozen meat from his backpack—it was frozen by Little Clark, a unicorn with both wind and water attributes.

Before long, the aroma of roasted meat wafted far and wide. The unicorn’s presence was enough to scare off ordinary magical beasts, but it might not be enough to scare away people.

“Heh, that smells delicious, little brother. I wonder if you could spare a bit?”

A loud voice rang out as a swordsman slowly walked over. He was a bit surprised when his eyes landed on the dark unicorn.

It had been a long time since he’d seen anyone. Gavin Clark felt a surge of warmth. “Help yourself. If you’re interested, sit down and eat with us. There’s plenty of food anyway.”

The newcomer didn’t stand on ceremony, sitting right down in front of the grill. As the meat finished roasting, Little Clark grew impatient, staring intently at the juiciest leg. Gavin Clark shook his head and tore off a large piece for him.

“Please, help yourself.”

“Heh, then I won’t be polite!”

The swordsman drew his sword and cut off a piece of meat, and the two began to wolf down their food.

“Haha, it’s been ages since I’ve eaten so well. After being hunted for so many days, it’s rare to have a full meal.”

The swordsman was still covered in wounds, clearly having gone through fierce battles. Judging by the various stages of scabbing, it seemed he hadn’t had a break in quite some time.

“Want some more? There’s plenty over there.” Gavin Clark pointed to the large bundle on the unicorn’s back.

The swordsman’s eyes sharpened. This kid was no ordinary person—he used a dark unicorn as a mount, and even his pack was made from the hide of a bull-rhino beast. It didn’t quite match his age!

“Thanks, I’m already full. Aren’t you curious why I’m being hunted?”

Gavin Clark shrugged indifferently. He was just happy to see another person; he didn’t care what the man did.

“Where is this place? I want to get to the city. Is it in that direction?”

The swordsman was taken aback, then smiled. “That’s right. Go over one more mountain ahead and you’ll be in the territory of the Water Empire. Since fate brought us together and I’ve eaten your roast, let me give you something in return. Here are some gold coins—should come in handy when you reach your destination.”

The swordsman casually tossed over a pouch of gold coins—at least fifty pieces. Gavin Clark was no savage; this amount was enough to support an average family for a year.

“Haha, Byrd, let’s see where you run this time!”

Five people burst out from the woods: a Sealer, a Mage, and three Swordsmen. The five surrounded the two of them, though they couldn’t help but show surprise at the sight of the dark unicorn.

“We’ve been waiting for you. You sure got here fast. I don’t feel like running anymore—makes it look like I’m afraid of you. Let’s settle this today. But our business has nothing to do with this young man.” Byrd wiped his mouth and slowly stood up.

“Hmph, anyone who hangs around with the Skeleton Battle Group is no good. Today, you won’t escape even if you grow wings!” said one of the swordsmen, his tone full of arrogance, clearly not taking his opponents seriously.

“Mr. Byrd, you’d best surrender!” said a stunningly beautiful female mage, whose attire was clearly much more luxurious than the others.

Byrd shook his head with a bitter smile. “Miss Blanche Bennett, if it weren’t for your master Douglas, do you think you’d still be alive today?”

“Byrd, enough talk. Your life belongs to the Bauhinia Mercenary Group!” said one of the swordsmen.

“Tsk tsk, truly men of justice—so imposing when you speak. An advanced mage, a third-rank Sealer, and three great swordsmen—what a lineup. Come at me together!”

Gavin Clark led Little Clark slowly to the side. He hadn’t expected to run into a third-rank Sealer right after coming out—someone on the same level as Logan Bennett!

Gavin Clark really didn’t know his own current strength, but in his memory, a third-rank Sealer was already the strongest human he’d ever seen.

The Skeleton Battle Group? His master had mentioned them before—apparently a ruthless assassin organization. It was said they didn’t have many members, but each one was a master. The members barely knew each other and mostly acted alone. When the leader issued a summons, they’d gather to pull off some earth-shattering event. They didn’t care about good or evil, taking on any job. Anything the Skeleton Battle Group set their sights on, they always got. Because of this, both the Empire and the Adventurers’ Guild, and even the dark organizations, were quite displeased with them. There were high bounties on every member of the Skeleton Battle Group, but so far, no one had heard of any member ever failing.

“Ahem, Mr. Byrd, we don’t necessarily have to settle this with weapons. Hand over your Skeleton Token and the six-leaf clover fruit, and we’ll let this go. How about it?” said the Sealer, a bit wary of the dark unicorn nearby. As a Sealer, he could sense the beast’s power.

“Haha, Sealer Hill, since when does the Skeleton Battle Group have a habit of giving up what’s already in their hands? If you want something, come and get it yourself!”

“Courting death! There’s no need to show mercy to people like this—everyone, attack!”