"This guy! So he didn't run away he's been following us all along!" The man wearing the green dog headed mask exclaid in surprise.
The others imdiately turned their gazes toward Charles. Cassian, in particular, darkened visibly. His expression turned cold as he ripped off his mask and snapped at Charles in a harsh voice:
"You reckless brat! Do you have any idea who you've just ssed with? And yet, you still dare to co here and provoke us?!"
Hearing this, Charles couldn't help but feel speechless. The way these people twisted the truth was truly impressive. Clearly, they were the ones who had been tailing him, targeting him so how did the narrative suddenly flip to him being the ignorant one who had overstepped?
Was he supposed to just sit back and do nothing while Calista placed her bid at the auction?
"Ridiculous. If you've got so ntal issues, go get them checked at a hospital instead of barking like a dog in public," Charles said indifferently.
He was seriously tempted to make a move, but this wasn't the right place for it. A crowd had already begun gathering, and even so of the Black Market patrol guards had taken notice.
Including Cassian, the opposing group consisted of four people. Charles wasn't sure what level of strength Cassian possessed, but the guy didn't give off any sense of danger. The one who did make him wary, however, was Ava the woman who had just purchased the long eared rabbit.
That one… was far more dangerous than the rest.
"Fighting is strictly prohibited in the Black Market. If you've got an issue, take it outside!" A mber of the patrol squad strode over, issuing a stern warning.
Cassian gritted his teeth and shot Charles a reluctant glare. The people who ran the Black Market in the Sleepless District weren't the kind of figures he could afford to offend. Even soone as prominent as Calista, a prodigy of the Feng family, would have to pay a steep price for causing trouble here.
"Tch, consider yourself lucky, kid," Cassian spat. "But luck doesn't last forever. Strength is what really matters. And you? You're just a asly Rank 4 Beast Master so you'd better learn to keep your head down."
Now that his actions had been exposed, there was no way he'd get another opportunity. There was no way to act within the Black Market, and if they took it outside, Charles would simply run the mont things got heated.
It looked like he had no choice but to return and face Calista's disappointnt. He knew Charles Qingyang's personality all too well Calista would be thrilled at first, but once she found out he had failed, she wouldn't scold him outright. Instead, she would silently grow distant.
Not just her, either. The people around her, those who followed her lead, would gradually start to alienate him as well.
That… was sothing Cassian simply could not accept.
But right now, there was no way around it unless Charles suddenly lost his mind and voluntarily agreed to fight in the Barbaric Area of the black market.
"You better rember, kid this isn't over. If you've got the guts, et in the Barbaric Area. Otherwise, the next ti you step foot in Central City, I'll make sure you understand exactly which people in this place are not to be ssed with," Cassian said through gritted teeth, unwilling to back down.
Charles wasn't particularly familiar with the Barbaric Area. After all, this was his first ti visiting the black market in Central City's Never Sleep District. He had only done so preliminary research beforehand.
The so called Barbaric Area referred to a special section of the black market. It was a place ant to solve problems or rather, to deal with problematic people.
To put it in the simplest and most brutal terms, when an irreconcilable conflict arose, as long as both parties agreed, they could settle it in the Barbaric Area with a fight to the death.
The reason it was called the Barbaric Area was because, within its borders, the black market turned a blind eye. The mont both parties stepped inside, laws and morality ceased to exist. The only rule was this the strong walk out alive, while the weak either die or are crippled for life.
It didn't matter who you were or what status you held once you entered that zone, there was only battle.
"I'm really curious about sothing," Charles said slowly. "I haven't done anything out of line, and yet you're acting like I killed your family or sothing. We haven't even spoken before today, have we?"
Cassian sneered in disdain and replied without hesitation, "People who don't belong waste air just by breathing let alone soone like you, a clueless little brat. Don't worry, though I won't kill you. At most, I'll cripple you so you can never act arrogant again."
"So? Are you scared now?" Cassian stared directly into Charles's eyes, searching for any trace of fear or panic.
But Charles's gaze held nothing but confusion like he was looking at a lunatic.
That look made Cassian feel utterly humiliated.
Right now, Charles was at a complete loss for words. One hundred thousand tis speechless.
He genuinely hadn't expected that there could be so many brainless people in this world.
He had once heard a saying: Most people in this world only seem like they can function normally but in reality, they're far from sane.
And now, Charles found that statent to be painfully accurate.
There were far too many irrational people. And dealing with them? A total waste of ti.
"Your na is Charles, right?" Cassian smirked. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to dig up every piece of information about you. I'll make you understand what happens when you provoke soone you shouldn't. Your friends, your family they won't be spared either."
Charles froze for a mont.
Then, his gaze turned ice cold as sharp and rciless as the scythe of the Grim Reaper, poised to claim countless lives.
When Cassian t his eyes, he instinctively took a step back.
A second later, he snapped out of it, and his initial panic twisted into rage.
He had actually been intimidated by the look of a re Tier 4 Beast Master?
If word got out, how the hell would he ever show his face in Central City again?
"What are you staring at? If you kneel down and beg for rcy right now, I'll spare you!" Cassian said slowly.
What he didn't know was that this wasn't the first ti soone had said sothing like that to Charles. In fact, every single person who had said such a thing to him had t a bad end it seed like they all ended up dead.
"Let's go," Charles casually tossed the mask in his hand to the ground and said coolly.
Cassian didn't imdiately grasp what was happening and asked, "Go where?"
"To the Barbaric Area. I've known about it for a long ti. There's no point in talking more with soone like you. Once you feel the pain, you'll naturally regret it," Charles said as he turned his attention to a nearby black market patrol officer.
"Excuse , can you tell where the Barbaric Area is?" Charles asked politely.
The patrol officer was montarily stunned, then he looked at Charles and kindly whispered, "Brother, there's really no need. Cassian is a Level 6 Beast Master he's very strong. Sotis it's better to just endure, and it'll pass."
It wasn't until the patrol officer finished speaking that Cassian's face broke into an excited grin. He hadn't expected Charles to be this arrogant!
The guy had really lost his mind and was about to go with him to the Barbaric Area!
"Shut up! This isn't your business!" Cassian shouted angrily, glaring at the patrol officer who had just spoken, his eyes full of nace.
"Well, I've said what I needed to," the patrol officer replied, ignoring Cassian. He turned to Charles and added, "The Barbaric Area is to the north. You'll see a blood red area that's where it is."
At that mont, another voice suddenly broke the silence.
"The person he's fighting… is !" Skylar's voice rang out sharply.
His teammates were montarily stunned, but then they saw the uncontrollable trembling in Skylar's body and his eyes now glowing a deep red.
Two of his teammates, who were from the sa country, instinctively took several steps back and started trying to dissuade him.
"Wait, your sister told you to follow my orders, not to act on your own. If you "
Before his teammate could finish speaking, Skylar turned to face him.
His eyes were now a blood red hue, like a wild beast already lost in a bloody fight, with no trace of reason left only pure, unrelenting bloodlust.
In Kingston, any Beast Master with a bit of talent knew one deadly taboo never provoke Skylar or his sister.
When Skylar was a child, he had witnessed his entire family being brutally murdered. His enemies had tied him and his sister up, forcing them to watch every agonizing detail of the slaughter.
At the ti, Skylar's sister had passed out from the horror, but Skylar… he had kept his eyes wide open, terrified that he might miss even a single mont of the cruelty.
After Skylar and his sister were rescued, he showed not a single trace of fear completely unlike a normal child.
He could recall every detail of his family's slaughter with unsettling clarity. When he recounted the story, his words were so grueso that they made people around him feel physically sick.
But Skylar himself?
His face held only an excited smile and even a hint of regret.
"What a sha… you ca too early."
That was the first thing Skylar said after being rescued.
Now, in his current state, none of his teammates dared to provoke him. They could only desperately bring up his sister, hoping to snap him out of it.
The man wearing the green dog head mask fumbled for his phone, hastily trying to call Skylar's sister.
But before he could dial, Skylar's shadow appeared right behind him.
A cold fingertip brushed against his spine.
A low, almost gentle voice whispered in his ear:
"I have no interest in you. But I wouldn't mind letting you see what your own spine looks like… while you're still alive."
The mont those words reached his ears, the man's legs gave out.
He nearly collapsed to the ground.
"You want to fight him?" Cassian scoffed. "You think you can? A Beast Master from a backwater place like Kingston? You probably aren't even that strong."
He couldn't understand why the others looked so uneasy.
In his mind, only one thought mattered no matter what, Charles had to suffer.
Skylar let out a soft chuckle.
Without a word, he slowly drew two weapons razor thin, like surgical scalpels.
Then, he lifted his gaze and locked eyes with Cassian.
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