Lunar Legacy: Rise Of The Beastlord-Chapter 263: Strange Tattoo

The man’s expression darkened with anger. Who did this brat think he was?

"You little shit," he seethed. "I’ll teach you a lesson about minding your own business."

Then his hands began to glow, ice crystallizing around his fists to form jagged gauntlets. The temperature in the alley dropped noticeably as frost spread across the walls. The man grinned maliciously, clearly confident in his ability to intimidate.

Jayden exhaled. Then he took a single step.

Whooosh!

One moment he was at the alley entrance. Next, he was directly in front of the man, having covered the distance in a split second that made it seem like he’d teleported.

The man’s eyes widened in shock, but he was experienced enough to react. His ice-covered fist came up in a brutal haymaker aimed at Jayden’s head. But Jayden caught the punch mid-swing, pressing down effortlessly.

CRACK!

The ice gauntlet shattered instantly, fragments exploding outward as Jayden’s grip tightened. Then came the sickening crack of bone breaking... not just one bone, but all of them in the man’s forearm, crushed like twigs under Jayden’s enhanced strength.

"AAAGH....!"

The man cried in pain. But his scream was quickly cut short as Jayden’s other hand shot out, striking his throat with surgical precision. The blow cut off his air and sent him into unconsciousness immediately.

Jayden released his grip, and the man crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

The entire exchange had lasted less than three seconds. And the system granted him his rewards as promised.

[Random Quest Complete]

[You have Levelled Up]

[+2 stat points have been added to all stats]

[Ep: 320 >> 340]

[Hp: 730 >> 780]

Jayden dismissed the notification and turned to the woman, who stood frozen against the wall, eyes wide with shock and awe. Her dress was torn, her face streaked with tears, but she was alive and relatively unharmed.

He shrugged off his jacket...bloodstained, but cleaner than the man’s dress... and held it out to her.

"Here," he said quietly. "Cover yourself and leave this area quickly."

The woman took the jacket with trembling hands, clutching it to her chest. "Th-thank you," she stammered, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you so much. I thought I was going to—"

"Don’t think about it," Jayden interrupted gently. "Just go home. And be safe."

She nodded rapidly, wrapping the jacket around herself before hurrying past him out of the alley. Her footsteps echoed as she ran, quickly fading into the distance.

Jayden turned his attention back to the unconscious man on the ground. Then out of curiosity, he pulled up the man’s status.

*Name: Sam Olsen

*Level: 29

*HP: 5/200

Jayden’s eyebrows rose. Five health points left out of two hundred. One blow had done that much damage, even though he’d held back significantly.

"Guess I don’t know my own strength anymore," he muttered.

Then an idea occurred to him. The man was unconscious and helpless. And Jayden had the miraculous system glitch that allowed him to gain experience from draining an opponent’s health down to one.

He crouched beside the man, his expression cold and calculating. One finger morphed into a claw, sharp and deadly. He pressed it against the man’s wrist and dragged, opening a clean cut.

Blood welled up immediately, spilling onto the alley floor. And Jayden watched the man’s HP tick down.

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

And then...

[+20 Exp Received]

[Current Exp: 950/6700]

Jayden stood, satisfied. Twenty experience points weren’t much, but every bit counted. He stared at the cut on the man’s wrist... The wound wasn’t deep enough to be immediately fatal, but if left untreated, the man would definitely bleed out eventually.

But honestly, the man deserved whatever fate awaited him. He’d tried to rape an innocent woman. Death by blood loss was merciful compared to what Jayden could have done.

He was about to turn and leave when something caught his eye.

On the man’s forearm, partially hidden by his sleeve, was a tattoo. Out of curiosity, Jayden pushed the fabric back to get a better look.

It was a cobra, its hood flared, fangs exposed and dripping what looked like venom. The detail was intricate, almost hypnotic in its design. It wasn’t just some random tattoo... it was a mark. A symbol.

Jayden’s brow furrowed. He’d never seen this particular design before, but something about it triggered his instincts. He committed the image to memory before standing and walking away, leaving the man to his fate.

And as he left the alley, a sudden realisation hit him; this wasn’t the first time something like this occurred: A woman getting sexually assaulted, and the system popping up with a quest telling him to save her.

And just like the first time, the system instructed him to save the woman from being kidnapped, rather than from being assaulted. This was odd. Very odd.

At first, he thought maybe it was some kind of glitch with the quest, but it happening twice couldn’t be a coincidence. There was definitely something fishy... But Jayden didn’t even care about all that right now, he already had enough to worry about. He discarded the thought quickly and continued walking.

"I need a bath," he sighed, pocketing his hands as he exited the alley.

The house was dark when Jayden finally arrived home. He’d taken his time, walking the entire way, letting his thoughts churn endlessly.

He entered quietly, not wanting to alert anyone to his presence. The clock in the hallway read 9:47 PM... well past dinner time. His family had probably eaten hours ago.

Jayden made his way upstairs, avoiding the creaky step on the seventh stair out of habit. His room welcomed him with familiar darkness, and he closed the door softly behind him.

He stripped off his blood-soaked clothes, tossing them in the corner to deal with later, and headed straight for the bathroom. The bathtub beckoned like a sanctuary.

He filled it with hot water, watching the steam rise and fog the mirror. When it was full, he sank into it, submerging himself up to his chin.

The heat seeped into his muscles, easing the physical tension from hours of hunting. But it did nothing for the turmoil in his mind.

Jayden stared at the ceiling, water lapping gently against the sides of the tub as he breathed slowly.

’I hate you, Jayden.’

Cassandra’s voice echoed in his mind, as clear as if she were standing in the room with him. It was practically beginning to haunt him.

He closed his eyes, but that only made it worse. He could see her face... the tears, the pain, the way she’d reacted when he tried to comfort her, as if his very presence caused her physical harm.

Did he have feelings for Cassandra?

That question also plagued him, demanding an answer he wasn’t ready to give.

Because if he admitted it... If he acknowledged that yes, he might actually have feelings for her, then what? She’d told him in no uncertain terms that she never wanted to see him again. That their friendship was over.

How could he fix something so thoroughly broken?

And then there was Penelope. He’d told her he loved her. Meant it when he said it. The connection they’d shared that night had been real, intense, and transformative.

But Cassandra...

Jayden sank deeper into the water until it covered his mouth, his nose, leaving only his eyes above the surface. He stared at the bathroom’s plain white ceiling, trying to sort through the mess of emotions tangled in his chest.

He stayed like that for a long time, the water gradually cooling around him. He missed dinner. Missed checking in with Jessica and Tasha. Missed everything except this moment of self-inflicted isolation.

Because right now, sitting alone in a bathtub filled with tepid water, wallowing in guilt and confusion, was exactly what he deserved.

"What do I do?" he wondered desperately. "How do I fix things with a girl I might actually have feelings for? And how sure am I that she even has such feelings for me?"

But the ceiling offered no answers.

Only silence.