But unlike the encirclement and aggressiveness the purple cat expected from the human and the beasts in front of it, none of them moved. It was then that the purple cat belatedly noticed that it woke up to being watched, not attacked.
And then, after taking another moment to get its bearings, it also noticed that the wounds from its capture had been taken care of. The purple cat also magically felt all of its injuries healing. The rapid improvement in its health was visible as the previously malnourished cat was looking at least slightly better.
The purple cat eyed the group of four opposite to it before, in a raspy voice asking,
"What do you want?"
The cat's natural wariness against others wasn't lessened, in the slightest, despite the medicine and healing potions it had received.
Nil, Lucy, and Mindle all looked at Toz in unison. Since he was the acknowledged leader of their small group, it was up to him to answer the purple cat's questions. Without him, the group would have never come into contact with each other, or the purple cat, after all.
Toz looked a little hesitant as he answered the purple cat, but eventually, he responded.
"Now that you are awake, I would like to invite you to join us in our travels."
"Why?" The purple cat was suspicious in response to Toz's invitation.
"No reason. Ah, well, my inclination is related to cat type spirit beasts, so if it makes more sense for you, it is for personal gain."
"Just to make things clear, I am absolutely not interested. But... What's in it for me?"
"Aside from a new family, the connection with my inclination will help your talent at controlling mana grow stronger. There are some smaller things that aren't as important, but in short, it will help you get stronger."
"So both you and I get more power by bonding with your inclination?"
"Yeah, that's basically it."
"Hmm... Let me think about it."
"Of course."
Since they had talked with the purple cat and reached an agreement, Toz and the cats left the burrow so they could head back to Sleepless Brights. And meet up with Rick and Mond.
Rick had only briefly told Toz that he was working with the captain of the city guards to investigate the traces in the forest and look for Toz. So when he saw the rugged man next to Rick, he was slightly surprised. There were a lot of battle-hardened veterans in these parts, first the purple cat and now Mond.
Since Toz was running low on mana and still recovering, Rick and Mond slowed down to match his pace. Although it delayed them from quickly getting back to town, there wasn't really any need to rush that, and it also gave time to let Toz tell the duo what had happened.
Mond hadn't found any other traces or evidence that could tell him what happened, so he eagerly listened to Toz's story.
Rick and Mond had initially wanted to bring Toz with them to the conference hall, where they would gather with the other influential powerhouses of the city. But after hearing Toz say he was tired and needed to rest, they let him go back to the inn.
Rick already had an understanding of Toz and suspected he didn't like being in the spotlight, so he easily let him go. And after hearing about how Toz bravely stood up to the demonic bear, Mond was as easily convinced as Rick.
Although the story seemed a little exaggerated, Rick and Mond had seen the evidence supporting it, and it also seemed like Toz was downplaying his contribution.
After reaching the gates of Sleepless Brights, the temporary trio split up. Toz headed to the inn where he could continue sleeping. Rick and Mond left for their meeting with the others, leaving a promise to get Toz a reward as lavish as possible.
Although Toz's storytelling had taken up most of their walk back to the city, he had gleaned a little information about what he had been up against. Rick and Mond also exchanged a grave look after Toz told them about the three robed figures.
The situation was slightly more severe than Toz thought. The other two also realized that it was good they acted quickly. Toz had told them that the Demonic Spark Bear had only been at the sixth level, and both based on the signs of destruction and that Toz was alive, it made sense.
But in the span of only a couple of hours, it had shot straight to the eighth level. If the bear had continued devouring the bolts floating through the sky in the Lightning Clouds, it would likely have even reached the ninth level. At that point, the Demonic Spark Bear would be unrivaled on Roaring Skies.
Although there might be one or two hidden powerhouses somewhere on the plane, the odds of them defeating the Demonic Spark Bear weren't that great.
The Demonic Spark Bear was a demonic beast confident enough to take on an entire plane. Hidden powerhouses often hid for a reason. Even if they are strong compared to other individuals of lower levels, they won't carelessly expose their location.
Thankfully, Toz and the cats had been there to delay the bear from devouring the lightning. When Rick heard about Lucy's contribution, it looked like he wanted to give him his own Explorer's Badge.
Nevertheless, from what Toz could tell, they had done something worth a lot more than simply investigating a turbulent forest on the outskirts of a medium-sized city.
In anticipation of the abundant rewards they were about to receive, Toz walked to the inn with spring in his steps and a satisfied smile on his face.
And then, without anyone noticing, a light snuck into the city over the city walls. It easily sped past the guards right as they revealed a blind spot.
After entering the city, the quiet bundle of purple lightning disappeared.
Then, after some time, it reappeared on the rooftop of a building next to the inn where Toz and the cats were staying. Beneath the Lightning Clouds, no one was foolish enough to look upward, and no one saw the purple lightning.
The quietly buzzing lightning vanished and revealed the purple cat. Carefully, watching the inn.
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