My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 1142 - 1143: Ric Ran

"I used to be chased by ladies. You might not know this, but I was popular. Everyone loved me, but the ones who loved me the most were the ladies."

Ric was sure he remembered his master saying that while wearing a smug expression.

"In fact, there was nothing glorious about it. No, it was terrifying. Never hope to be chased by a woman through a forest, Ric. They are like beasts—savage creatures. One time, a princess chased me. She’s still chasing me, actually. I didn’t even do much. I only borrowed her tent for... forever."

"Ah, Ric, I am cursed to be chased by ladies. One time, I was even hunted by elven assassins. Of course, I won."

Back then, if Ric had known what was coming, he would have paid more attention to his master’s bragging. Maybe hidden among those absurd stories was the solution to his current predicament.

He glanced over his shoulder, sweat dripping down his forehead as his heart hammered in his chest.

Not from fear.

He was excited.

Alas, the great outdoors were not as terrible as he had imagined. There was only some freakishly strong girl trying to kill him.

Nothing much.

He turned just in time to see a flash of golden light.

The trees behind him exploded into hundreds of splinters.

Suddenly, what he felt was no longer excitement.

She was furious.

And if she caught him, he would be in a world of pain.

Ric hurriedly pulled out a thick book covered in magical runes.

This was a Rune Book, one of the many treasures Damon had gifted him. Powerful runes had been attached to its pages, allowing him to peel them away and stick them onto his body to activate their magic.

Flipping through the pages, he found the mobility runes, tore out two of them, and slapped them onto his legs.

A burst of mana surged through his body.

The world slowed.

He became faster.

Ric glanced back at Ranar, who tore through the forest like a golden comet, leaving sonic booms in her wake. She did not bother avoiding trees or boulders. She simply smashed through them, crushing the mountainside with overwhelming force.

"Hahaha! Too slow!"

Laughing, he swung the sack of stolen food over his shoulder and leapt across a rocky crevice, squeezing through the narrow gap on the other side.

Moments later, Ranar arrived.

Golden light erupted around her body.

She raised a small fist and punched.

The entire wall of stone exploded apart.

The resulting boom shook the mountain.

And, more importantly, Godric’s heart.

Without hesitation, he tore another rune from his book and spun around, firing it toward her.

These were attack runes.

Unfortunately, she did not even slow down.

She raised a hand, conjuring several radiant spheres that collided head-on with his attack.

Gritting his teeth, Ric reached into his bag and pulled out artifact after artifact, unleashing a barrage of spells.

The night sky lit up.

Flames, lightning, wind blades, and glowing projectiles streaked through the forest.

Ric was the prince of the Tomb.

Damon had spoiled the boy rotten, giving him anything and everything he could possibly ask for. Among those gifts was an entire arsenal of magical artifacts. Any ordinary mage would have considered themselves blessed to possess even one.

Godric owned dozens.

Perhaps too many.

He had an artifact for nearly every situation imaginable.

Alas, Ranar was a genuine monster.

With a sweep of her hand, a tidal wave of golden light met the barrage head-on, detonating in an explosion of mana.

Ric grinned.

For a brief moment, he thought he had succeeded.

Then the smoke parted.

Ranar stepped out completely unharmed.

"How... how are you cheating right now?"

Ranar’s expression darkened. Anger flashed across her small face as she clenched her fists.

"When I get my hands on you..." she growled, "you’re going to be sorry."

Ric wisely chose not to wait for her to catch up.

He accelerated again, sprinting up the steep slope toward another mountain peak while Ranar pursued him as a streak of sunlight.

Then, amidst the chaos, the pager Damon had given him began to ring.

Panting heavily, Ric quickly tore out a noise-reduction rune and activated it before answering.

"Master! How are you doing today? Did you miss me already?"

To his surprise, the voice that answered was Damon’s real voice rather than Amon’s deep, mysterious tone.

"Ah, my foolish, adopted, kidnapped boy. I’m surprised you’re still alive. I thought you wouldn’t be able to handle the real world, but it seems you’re doing fine."

Ric immediately understood.

Damon was watching.

Worse, he was probably waiting for him to beg for help.

Absolutely unacceptable.

"Why, I’m doing splendid, Master. In fact, I decided your mission was too easy, so I’ve chosen to make a name for myself."

"Oh? Really now?" Damon replied, amusement dripping from his voice. "You must be very popular with the ladies then, just like your old man."

He paused.

"I mean, your young and handsome man."

Ric looked back and saw Ranar rapidly closing the distance.

He hurriedly slapped another rune onto himself.

"It’s nothing. What can I say? Everything here is easy."

He jumped over a fallen tree.

"Anyway, I’ll call you back. I’ve got this little issue with a firefly."

"If you need help, just admit you’re a wimp and I’ll come flying over in seconds," Damon said, somewhere not too far away, wearing what was undoubtedly a wicked grin.

"Nonsense, nonsense. I’m fine. Just enjoy the beautiful mountains. Hahaha... bye."

The instant he hung up, Ranar caught him.

She appeared behind him like a golden phantom.

Then she smiled.

A beautiful, adorable little devil.

Her fist smashed into his face.

Ric shot into the air, skipping across the rocky mountain like a stone thrown across water before crashing onto the summit.

"Ahh, my head..." he groaned, clutching his face. "That hurt."

Ranar landed in front of him, golden light dancing around her like the rays of the sun.

Ric scrambled to his feet and looked around.

Behind him was a sheer cliff.

In front of him stood Ranar.

There was nowhere left to run.

For the first time that night, he seriously considered swallowing his pride and begging for mercy.

Unfortunately, that would destroy his aura.

He suddenly remembered one of Damon’s teachings.

It was better to die with aura than to live without it.

Apparently, it was written by some ancient sage in the Aura-Farming Bible.

Straightening his back, Ric clasped his hands behind him and looked at Ranar with all the dignity he could muster.

"So... you have come."