Chapter 82: A Cheetah on His Ass
Cain took his time getting out of the water.
Once he reached the shore, he opened his inventory and took out a fresh set of clothes. There was no point putting the burned ones back on when most of the shirt had already been ruined by the Flamecrest Lion’s fireball.
He quickly changed before putting the Crimson Fang Sword at his waist.
By the time he finished, Sonya had already dressed and was standing several steps away from the water. She was fixing her hair when Cain approached.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes.
"Where are we going now?"
"We’re going to regroup with my friends first, then we will head to the capital after finishing my Advancement Mission." Cain replied with a smile.
"Capital? Advancement Mission?"
"Yeah." Cain nodded before explaining to her his plan going forward, their situations, etc.
"Ohhh..." Sonya’s eyes lit up as she found it somehow interesting.
"Don’t look so happy, we still have a lot of things to do in between." Cain chuckled as he shook his head.
"I know, I know..." She said as she tightened her ponytail and adjusted her jacket, then looked toward the zoo entrance.
Cain followed her gaze.
There was no longer any reason to search the zoo.
The Flamecrest Lion had been the strongest creature here, essentially the king of the entire area. After killing it, Cain had not sensed another evolved animal powerful enough to interest him.
Their trip had already been more profitable than he expected anyway.
The wolves, the rhino, and especially the Flamecrest Lion had given him valuable Cores, Stats, System Points, and a new weapon that was far more suitable for channeling Ruin Dragon Force.
That was enough for now—at least for him.
Though, he still needed to find Ron and Alex before grouping together with the others while helping Ron to level up more.
Cain adjusted the sword at his waist before turning toward Sonya.
"Get on."
Sonya looked at him, then at his back and back at him again.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"You’re not going to do anything, right?"
"Just get on quickly." Cain rolled his eyes.
Sonya continued staring at him suspiciously for another moment before finally walking behind him.
She climbed onto his back with far more caution than necessary, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
The moment her body settled against him, Cain became painfully aware of the familiar soft pressure against his back.
He closed his eyes briefly and exhaled through his nose.
"Your beasts are genuinely such a problem."
Sonya rested her chin near his shoulder.
"Shut up! It’s a YOU problem, not mine in the first place!" Sonya puffed out her cheek.
Cain opened his mouth, then closed it again as he really had no argument against that.
Without saying anything else, he quickly left the zoo and headed west.
Cain moved west at a much faster pace than before.
This time, he was not interested in exploring the surrounding area or searching for every powerful presence within his Sense.
His priority was finding Ron and Alex.
Sonya remained on his back with her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Cain could have moved considerably faster, but doing so would make the ride uncomfortable for her.
So he maintained a speed that was fast enough to cross the district quickly without throwing Sonya around every time he accelerated or changed direction.
Even then, the scenery passed rapidly around them.
Abandoned cars appeared and disappeared behind him within seconds. Cain occasionally jumped over wreckage blocking the road, landing smoothly before continuing without losing much speed.
Sonya had already grown accustomed to being carried like this.
Her head rested against his left shoulder as the wind pushed loose strands of her silver-white hair across Cain’s cheek.
Several powerful presences entered his Sense while they traveled, but Cain ignored them.
At least two felt like 1st Echelon creatures, but their positions were farther away from his intended route.
Considering how few zombies existed around this part of the eastern district, they were probably evolved animals that had wandered away from the zoo or nearby recreational areas.
Normally, Cain would have been interested, but not now because after fighting the Flamecrest Lion, ordinary 1st Echelon evolved animals were no longer worth delaying his search for.
Several minutes passed.
Cain crossed another damaged intersection before suddenly slowing down.
Something fast was approaching.
At first, Cain thought it might be another evolved animal.
But then, he sensed the familiar presence running in front of it.
Cain’s lips curved upward.
"There he is."
Sonya lifted her head from his shoulder.
"Who?"
Cain did not answer.
A figure suddenly appeared at the far end of the road.
It was naturally Ron.
He was sprinting between abandoned vehicles at an absurd speed, occasionally changing direction whenever something behind him came too close.
Even after advancing to the 1st Echelon, Ron looked as though he had pushed his movement close to its limit.
Then when he noticed Cain, his expression instantly brightened.
"CAIN!"
Ron raised one hand while continuing to run.
"HELP!"
Cain shook his head with an amused smile.
"This bastard really does have a talent for getting chased."
"What’s chasing him?" Sonya asked.
Cain looked behind Ron.
A golden blur crossed the road.
Several seconds later, the creature became clear enough for Sonya to see it as well.
It was an enormous cheetah.
Its body was much larger than a normal one, with powerful muscles visibly shifting beneath its spotted fur. Its long legs crossed frightening distances with every stride, and unlike most of the evolved animals Cain had encountered, this creature’s strongest characteristic was obviously speed.
Information appeared above its head.
[1st Echelon Evolved Cheetah | Level 50]
Cain’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Get down."
Sonya immediately loosened her arms.
Cain crouched slightly and allowed her to step onto the road.
"Stay here."
He unsheathed the Crimson Fang Sword.
By the time Cain looked forward again, Ron had already rushed past him.
The bastard did not even slow down.
"Thanks!"
"You haven’t been saved yet."
"I trust you!"