Seeing Caius poach his teammate right in front of him, Geoffrey felt a wave of bitterness in his heart.
He didn't say anything. After this experience, Kiki definitely wouldn't stay. Following Caius might actually be a good choice for her.
The rest of the journey was much more peaceful.
There was only one Wolf Demon. When they passed by the torn-apart cattle herd, everyone felt a lingering fear.
If it weren't for Caius, they would have been in serious danger.
The situation back then had been extremely urgent. Even the scouts in their group couldn't outrun the beast. Even if they had sacrificed Kiki, there was no guarantee the convoy would have escaped safely.
After all, creatures like the Wolf Demon were vicious. Even if it had killed Kiki, it would have turned its sights on the team next.
The outcome?
Either the team would be forced to abandon the convoy, leaving the drivers and pack animals to distract the Wolf Demon while they fled—leading to mission failure and heavy losses.
Or… the Wolf Demon would ignore the convoy entirely and target the people directly. In that case, the only survivor might be Geoffrey, the fastest runner.
Or perhaps, none of them would have made it out alive.
So, their feelings toward Caius were complicated.
They were grateful—deeply so—but also in awe of him.
Caius, on the other hand, clearly looked down on them for abandoning a teammate. He had no interest in engaging with them, which made them feel uneasy.
Geoffrey understood—it was a matter of pride.
This young man, both in his actions and words, carried a wild arrogance that Geoffrey lacked.
If he looked down on you, he made it obvious. There was no pretending, no hypocrisy.
So, no one dared to bother Caius or Kiki.
The 100-kilometer journey would take two days and a night. After the Wolf Demon encounter, the rest of the trip was smooth.
By nightfall, aside from two minor encounters with passing magic beasts—both easily driven away—nothing significant happened.
When night came, the convoy stopped to rest.
The three carriages were arranged in a triangle, and a bonfire was lit in the center.
Everyone chewed on dry rations, but their eyes kept drifting toward Caius.
The guy had taken some time to go hunting earlier. In no time at all, he had come back carrying two wild boars. He had already processed them on the road, and now, one of them was roasted to crispy perfection.
The aroma of roasted pork filled the air.
Everyone looked at the sizzling, golden-brown roast in front of Caius, then glanced at the tough, dry jerky in their hands.
They couldn't help but swallow hard.
Caius poked the roasting boar with a knife, watching the juices sizzle out. Satisfied, he nodded and tore off a leg.
It was a carefully chosen young wild boar—tender meat, just the right size to avoid waste.
"Here," he said, handing the leg to Kiki.
Kiki was practically drooling, looking every bit the little glutton.
"Thanks, meow~!" she said, her ears twitching as she gave Caius a sweet smile.
The little Catgirl was growing cuter by the second. Caius couldn't resist ruffling her head.
Surprisingly, Kiki didn't resist. Instead, she rubbed against his hand affectionately.
Caius chuckled, then grabbed a leg for himself and started tearing into it.
His appetite was enormous. In no time, he had devoured a whole roast pig.
Kiki, too, ate until she was stuffed, letting out a satisfied burp.
As for the others, they were dying of hunger but felt too awkward to ask Caius for meat. They could only gulp down their saliva and try to convince themselves not to think about it.
Watching this, Caius smirked.
He had left them hanging long enough.
Stretching lazily, he looked at Geoffrey. "You guys are just eating dry rations? That enough for you?"
"Uh… well… it's fine," Geoffrey stammered, a little surprised.
Was Caius actually talking to them?
He had thought the big guy would ignore them for the entire trip.
Truth be told, Caius still had no respect for those who abandoned their comrades.
But why dwell on it?
He wasn't going to be their teammate anyway.
Instead, he knew how to get what he needed from them—information.
The awkward silence during the day had been suffocating. Geoffrey and the others had wanted to break the tension, but they didn't dare. Now that Caius had started talking, it was like offering them an easy way out.
So, Geoffrey was more than willing to chat.
"I hunted an extra boar. It's in the carriage. If you want some, go deal with it yourself," Caius said, leaning against the wagon.
Everyone looked at each other, stunned.
"Not interested?" Caius raised an eyebrow. Despite his rugged, honest-looking face, at this moment, he had a teasing, almost roguish expression.
"We'll eat!" they all blurted out at once, rushing to get the boar.
Soon, they too were enjoying roast pork—though their cooking skills clearly weren't as good as Caius'. Their meat didn't look or smell half as appetizing.
"You called that thing a Wolf Demon?" Caius asked casually, seeing them relax.
With full stomachs and a more open atmosphere, they were more willing to talk.
"Yeah," Geoffrey nodded. "It's a creature born from the Bloody Land. Lately, something strange has been happening—some distant lands have been corrupted and turned into Blood Soil."
"Blood Soil?" Caius frowned.
"Yeah. Monsters crawl out of it—Wolf Demons are one of them."
"What's the Bloody Land?" Caius asked. He had never heard of it before.
"It's… another world. A terrifying one."
"Its power seeps into other worlds through certain mediums. It corrupts the land, turning it into 'Blood Soil,' which spawns monsters."
"In extreme cases, it can even open Blood Rifts, directly linking to the Bloody Land and possibly triggering a Blood Tide."
"I don't know the exact details, but it's like a beast tide—only much worse."
"What rank is the Wolf Demon among these creatures?" Caius pressed.
"I've only seen three types: Bloodfish, Bloodeye, and Wolf Demons."
"Bloodfish rely on sheer numbers—they're weak alone but terrifying in swarms. Thankfully, they can't stray far from Blood Soil."
"Bloodeyes look like giant red octopuses with a single eye. They're stronger than Bloodfish and can mess with your vision—really troublesome."
"But the Wolf Demon… it's the deadliest of the three. They act alone, their combat ability is terrifying, and they supposedly grow stronger through killing. Once one targets you, it won't stop until one of you is dead."
"The Mage Guild says even a newborn Wolf Demon is hard to handle without at least a Gold Five-Star rank…"
At that, Geoffrey shot Caius a complicated look.
This guy had claimed he was only Silver Five-Star…
Luckily, someone else voiced the question he was thinking.
"Big guy, are you really just Silver Five-Star, meow?" Kiki asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
Caius grinned. "Of course. Don't believe me? Watch."
He activated his vital energy.
Five veins of vital energy appeared around him, swirling like a vortex, shimmering with silver light.
Geoffrey and the others were stunned.
He wasn't lying!
"Silver Five-Star… meow…" Kiki murmured. Then, unable to hold back, she asked, "But why are you so strong? Why is your strength so insane, meow?"
Caius scratched his head.
He couldn't exactly say it was because he was a giant, with strength growth dozens of times that of a normal person.
That was the beauty of giant physiology—unparalleled strength and resilience. He still wasn't sure if giants had magical talent, but that was a question for another time.
Thinking for a moment, he smirked.
"It's because I have Divine Strength!"
He flexed, showing off his biceps, which bulged like small mountains.
His arm was thicker than Kiki's waist.
"Meow… holy crap…" Kiki couldn't resist touching his bicep, her eyes gleaming with awe.
Geoffrey and the others chuckled, nodding.
Some people were just born different.
Caius was clearly one of them.
With his physique, he was destined to become a powerful warrior.
…That is, if he only wanted to be a warrior.