Encountered Enemy

Little Arro, who had been observing from the tree for quite some time, climbed down with a piece of bark that had a few rough markings carved into it.

Where was Teacher Gemma?

Little Arro looked around in confusion.

Had she gone somewhere to sleep?

With that thought, Little Arro began searching every corner of the surrounding area.

"Teacher Gemma! Teacher Gemma, where are you?"

Not far away, Gemma, who had concealed herself, quietly asked David, "Why haven't you thrown out the little wolf cub?"

"No rush. He's too close to that big tree right now. If we throw out the little gift and he climbs the tree, it won't have the effect I want."

"Suit yourself. But as long as Little Arro truly encounters danger, I'll act immediately. I don't care what effect you want."

David fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice. "That won't do. I want to scare him, make him understand caution, understand fear, understand battle. More importantly, I want to see him cry his heart out, make him understand the cruelty of the world. You can't ruin my plan!"

"My bottom line is that he can't be hurt."

David suppressed his voice and said furiously, "This is a father's lesson!"

The Black Cat shot David a disdainful glance and said coldly, "This is the task his mother entrusted to me, and it is also protection from his teacher."

Having searched around without finding anything, Little Arro lowered his head and began thinking.

Where could Teacher Gemma have gone?

She had never suddenly disappeared before.

What should he do now?

He looked up at the silent Castle, then at the incredibly bustling Small Town.

It seemed he could only... return to the tree and wait!

Go back to the Castle?

What a joke.

The Castle's Guards had already gone out. The Castle was just a stone house now.

Go to the Small Town?

That was even more absurd. The Small Town was already unsafe. Who knew whether ill-intentioned Refugees were hiding in those corners?

Setting down the bark in his hand, Little Arro Picked Up a branch and began writing, drawing, and calculating on the ground.

But Little Arro's actions left David dumbfounded.

"Damn it, damn it!"

David lowered his voice, sounding heartbroken. "Little Arro, how can you be so timid? Shouldn't you go back to the Castle and see whether Teacher Gemma returned early?"

The Black Cat was not surprised at all. "Isn't his nickname 'Timid Arro'?"

"Gemma, go write something to lure him out."

The Black Cat yawned and lazily lay down. "Forget it if you won't agree. I'm taking my afternoon nap. Good afternoon, annoying male human."

"You..."

David unwillingly glanced at Little Arro, who was still deep in thought, and squeezed out through gritted teeth, "Fine. I'll cast Sebastiao Repulsion Shield on him. That'll be enough to protect him."

"This is also my bottom line. I can't let his mind remain unhurt either, because—that is my purpose!"

"His mind? What does mental harm matter?"

The Black Cat immediately stood up and grinned wickedly. She had wanted to leave Little Arro with a profound memory yesterday, but later events had interrupted her.

"Only enough experience can make him strong!"

"That's Right!"

David's eyes lit up, his face full of delight, as though he had finally found a kindred spirit.

The two exchanged a look, hunched down, and stealthily crept forward with furtive expressions.

Swish, swish, swish!

After writing for a while, Little Arro raised his head and looked around. When he found no one, he prepared to continue calculating.

Huh!

Wait.

Little Arro looked at the grass ahead in surprise.

Had there been writing there before...?

But when he noticed the handwriting, Little Arro let down his guard.

Teacher Gemma had left it. What had she said?

"Little Arro, I'm too sleepy. I went back to the Castle to sleep first. Come back as soon as you see this."

So Teacher Gemma had gone back to sleep. That made sense. Earlier, she had seemed very low on energy.

Then what should he do?

Little Arro hesitantly looked toward the Castle.

Perhaps... he should hurry back?

He definitely could not go to the Small Town. The tree where he was standing was also off the main road, so it would be difficult to wait for the Guards returning at night.

The Castle was not far away, and since Teacher Gemma was there, it would be safer to return early.

Thinking this, Little Arro glanced at the ground, memorized the calculated data, then stood up and quickly headed toward the Castle.

Without the Black Cat by his side, Little Arro felt somewhat uneasy. He did not dare slow down, ignored the greetings around him, and simply kept his head down as he walked forward.

At the same time, the Sinful Duo was secretly plotting.

"Yes, throw him to Little Arro's front right. As his teacher, I know his little habits well. He always relaxes more around things that appear from the right."

"Oh dear! What a shame, I threw him crooked. He seems to have been blocked by a tree!"

"Throw him onto the lawn to the left. As his father, I understand him completely. He's more wary of things that appear from the left, but he's also more likely to notice them."

"Huh? He walked past again. That shouldn't be possible. He's such a big person—didn't he see him?"

"Think about his nickname. 'Timid Arro' won't take the bait that easily. Let's try again."

Little Arro was extremely terrified. How could he possibly fail to see that Young Man who kept appearing to his left and right?

At first, he had believed that less trouble was better, thinking he would investigate after finding the Black Cat. Now, all he wanted was to run away!

What the hell was that thing?

Could it be a ghost?

All sorts of ghost-story plots from his previous life flashed through Little Arro's mind. He immediately imagined a million-word bloody tale about what would happen to him next.

What should he do? What should he do!

Little Arro's expression remained unchanged and his footsteps steady, as though he had noticed nothing. Yet he was far from calm inside. His mind was racing, constantly searching for a solution.

Calm down, hurry up and calm down. Think—what abilities do I have that can get me out of this?

Tree Climbing?

Useful as hell!

System!

Win, win, win...

Get lost!

Racking his brains, Little Arro despairingly realized that he had... no way whatsoever to deal with what he was facing.

In the shadows, the Sinful Duo was already beside itself with anger.

"Why? He's such a big person, yet he just ignores him!"

The Black Cat stared at Little Arro's back, utterly confused. "When you discover that unconscious people keep appearing beside you, shouldn't the proper response be to stay alert, communicate, and understand the situation?"

"Nonsense! The proper response is to attack immediately and blast that person to pieces!"

The man and cat glared furiously at each other!

"Help! Teacher Gemma, help!"

Little Arro finally found a sliver of hope. As he moved forward, he had not encountered a ghostly loop. He was getting closer and closer to the Castle!

Tap tap tap!

Little Arro's short legs became electric motors, switching at an outrageous frequency. A wisp of gray dust rose behind him as he ran faster and faster.

This action immediately eased the conflict between the Sinful Duo.

"Move! Don't let him get away!"

"How?"

"Don't worry about that. Wake the little wolf cub and throw him right in front of Little Arro!"

Bang!

Dust Flying, Little Arro stopped in his tracks and stared tensely ahead.

Had they finally lost their patience and made a move?

He looked up at the Castle and silently estimated the distance.

It was not too far. Could he go around it?

After looking to both sides, Little Arro's heart sank.

This position was too awkward. Dense bushes stood on both sides. Once he entered them, his speed would be greatly hindered. Compared to the speed of the shadow ahead, doing that would be like delivering himself into the wolf's jaws.

He quietly backed up two steps until he was beside a tree, then turned and stared fixedly at the figure within the Dust.

Since there was no retreat, he would first see what was going on.

"Cough, cough, who hit me... My whole body hurts!"

The Dust gradually settled, and the figure slowly became clear.

He was a Young Man around ten years old. His clothes had been torn into strips, but judging from the material, his family had once been fairly well-off.

Through the torn clothes, Little Arro could see that the Young Man's body was not covered in muscles like his own, but it could still be considered sturdy.

Compared with Little Arro's small body, this ten-year-old was practically a little giant. Yet at this moment, he looked utterly dazed. His body swayed as he rose, as if he were drunk.

A confused person?

Appearing back and forth in strange ways?

All sorts of stories from his previous life flashed through Little Arro's mind. He immediately formed a rough guess about the situation before him.

Did this ghost not know he was dead?

But... it was still daytime!

Memories from his previous life raced through his mind. Little Arro hurriedly forced out a smile. "Little Brother, I saw that you had fainted, so I've been guarding you here."

"Are you still feeling unwell? Please move aside first. I'll go home and get you some water, then call a doctor to come take a look at you."

If he was a ghost—I'd bring someone else over!

If he was not, or did not know he was a ghost—bro, I just saved you and I'm even going to get you a doctor!

"Damn it, attack already! Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

The Black Cat stood upright on her hind legs, both paws clenched as she paced back and forth like a boxer, swinging her forelegs.

Nothing like what she had claimed yesterday—that cats could not learn to stand like humans. Instead, she stood remarkably steadily.

"Don't rush. Watch me."

David chuckled wickedly, took out a small jar, and flicked out some Dust.

Sniff, sniff!

The sturdy Young Man greedily inhaled the air. His eyes gradually reddened, and drool began dripping from his mouth.

Little Arro's heart grew heavier. No matter how he looked at it, the Young Man before him was not right, and he was becoming more and more wrong.

"Human?"

"Sweet Human Cub!"

The Young Man, who kept swallowing his saliva, gradually swelled in size. The corners of his mouth stretched exaggeratedly toward both sides, his hair thickened, and his head gradually transformed into that of a wolf.

Werewolf?

Wolf demon?

"Awoo~"

The half-wolf Young Man let out a comfortable long cry, then turned to look at Little Arro. But he found the spot where Little Arro had been standing empty. Sensing branches shaking, he hurriedly looked up and saw that Little Arro had already reached the top of a tree.

That fast?

Had I found the wrong one? Could this be a cat?

The Werewolf Youth began to question his life.

Little Arro, meanwhile, secretly Breathed a Sigh of Relief.

So it wasn't a ghost. That made things much easier.

What, I learned from an old cat. I'm damn good at Tree Climbing. Would I be afraid of a wild dog like you?

If you've got the skills, climb up here and kill me!

Thanks to readers 20180829222516593, East Big Wood, and Fantasy Airplane for their recommendation votes.

Thanks to Thousand Autumn Star Sea for another recommendation vote!

Thanks to I Still Can't Register a Nickname for the correction guidance.