20
Suddenly, the cavern began to shake violently. Several piercing “screeches” echoed through the air. The flames in the abyss abruptly shot up. A giant bat, entirely blood–red with a hairy, terrifying human face, flew out of the fire. It extended its razor–sharp claws, aiming for Valerie’s face. Valerie barely dodged, then began to fight the blood–red bat with Kaelen.
Ryker looked at me meaningfully, finally understanding my intention, and gave me a thumbs–up. Yes, this ultimate boss guarding the Staff was incredibly powerful. In my previous life, I had spent every ounce of my energy, getting covered in wounds, just to finally kill the big boss. But then Valerie swooped in to claim the prize. This time, I was ready to give her a taste of her own bitter medicine.
That bat was formidable, but not without weaknesses. Its eyesight was poor; it relied entirely on sound to navigate. Although its entire body was impenetrable, the back of its head was its most vulnerable spot. Valerie and Kaelen jumped onto the bat’s back, preparing to deliver a fatal blow. The bat roared in fury and began to spin and fly wildly, trying to dislodge them. With the bat moving like that, their plan became impossible.
Valerie told Kaelen to go down and distract the bat’s attention, so she could seize her opportunity. “If I go down now, won’t I be committing suicide?” Kaelen looked at the enraged bat, hesitating.
“Why are you so slow?! Do you want me to be the bait?” Valerie kicked him down without a word. The bat followed immediately. Before Kaelen even hit the ground, the bat’s claw tore through his back. The force was so great that his ripped clothes and flesh flew through the air. Kaelen screamed as he crashed to the ground. The bat, however, was also struck down by Valerie’s blow and plummeted into the abyss.
21
“Can I… can I hug you?” Kaelen coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggling to stand, his eyes filled with desperate hope as he looked at Valerie. Seeing her hesitate, Kaelen pleaded humbly, “This is my last wish before I die. You are the only person I’ve ever truly loved in my life…”
Valerie finally stepped forward and embraced Kaelen. Kaelen’s face showed not happiness or joy, but shock and agony. The next second, Valerie pulled the dagger from Kaelen’s back. Her face twisted into a sneer of contempt. “Do you really think that once I become Clan Leader, I’d take my sister’s discarded trash as a husband? What wishful thinking!”
“Useless dog, get lost!” Valerie kicked the heartbroken Kaelen into the fiery abyss. The scene of Kaelen pushing me into the fire in my previous life was still vivid in my mind. Now, it was his turn to be betrayed and abandoned by the person he loved most. He deserved it; this was
his karma!
Seeing that the time was right, I rushed forward to seize the Staff. How could Valerie just let her hard–won victory simply fly away? She pulled out a clay figurine from her pocket, summoning a green–faced, fanged evil spirit from it to block my path. To allow me to escape, Ryker immediately engaged the evil spirit. I was the first to reach the high platform. The moment my hand touched the Staff, Valerie rushed up to stop me. To achieve ultimate victory, we both fought with all our might, a desperate struggle. Valerie, having just fought the big boss, was clearly exhausted. I was about to completely defeat her.
Suddenly, a white figure flew in from a distance, directly snatching the Staff we were fighting over. When she saw who it was, Valerie was
overjoyed.
22
“Sterling, you’re alive! That’s wonderful!” Valerie, ecstatic, eagerly urged, “Sterling, quickly, bring the Staff over!”
“Don’t give it to her! She only loves herself, not you!” Valerie glared at me, then coaxed him carefully, “Don’t listen to her nonsense. Give me the Staff, and the Cloud Clan will be ours!”
Sterling hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Valerie. Valerie, now holding the Staff, laughed with triumphant madness. “Sister, you finally lost to me! Just wait to be eliminated by the system! Hahahahaha-!”
Her arrogant laughter abruptly cut off. Looking again, Sterling had grabbed her by the throat.
“What are you doing?!” Valerie struggled to squeeze out the words through gritted teeth.
Sterling stared at her, his voice filled with resentment. “When we bonded, you promised you wouldn’t have multiple partners, but why did you secretly hook up with Kaelen? Why did you flirt around everywhere? You said we’d be together forever, so why did you leave me to walk alone?”
Sterling stared at her, his voice filled with resentment. “When we bonded, you promised you wouldn’t have multiple partners, but why did you secretly hook up with Kaelen? Why did you flirt around everywhere? You said we’d be together forever, so why did you leave me to walk alone?”
Faced with Sterling’s accusations, Valerie felt no guilt. Instead, her face twisted. She broke free from Sterling’s grip, her voice sharp and furious. “Don’t forget your place! You’re just a Beast–kin! What right do you have to accuse me? If I tell you to die, you’ll die!”
Hearing this, Sterling laughed in despair. He didn’t retort, but instead threw the Staff to me. With lightning speed, he dragged Valerie with him and leaped into the fiery abyss. Valerie never dreamed that when Sterling was on the verge of death, it was my precious item that saved him. Nor did she ever imagine that after all her careful calculations, she would ultimately be outmaneuvered by the very Beast–kin she had raised. Karma truly was a swift and brutal force.
Ryker and I successfully cleared the dungeon. This unexpected ending left all the clan members dumbfounded. Despite Mom’s extreme displeasure, she couldn’t violate clan rules and was forced to accept it.
In this life, I deciphered the secret of the painting and found the Beast–kin token. After Ryker became the leader, he managed the entire Beast–kin tribe with impressive efficiency. Later, I became pregnant. We married because of our child, holding a grand and solemn wedding. We
vowed to be together for a lifetime, to grow old side by side.
(The End)
