Elemental Cats

Toz, with his perception, noticed how two people left the guild with less than happy faces but didn't think anything of it. Jealousy was a natural feeling, and people exiting a building was even more natural.

After getting his money from Rick, he also left the building, and the cats, who usually were in the familiar space when he was in the city, left it and climbed on top of him, taking their usual places on his head and both his shoulders.

They had just made significant progress in their quest to accumulate enough gold to purchase a grimoire, so it was naturally time to celebrate, and the cats didn't want to wait until they reached the room. During their time in the city, they had also noticed other people with very strange spirit beasts so they weren't that worried about Mindle catching the attention of someone with nefarious purposes due to her appearance.

The group decided to find a place to buy some delicious food they could bring back to the inn and feast on. Thankfully, their inn was located close to several reputed restaurants and food stalls that had open even late into the night on most evenings.

However, when the group entered an alley they had discovered acted as a shortcut to the street their inn was located on, they were interrupted. Toz recognized the two men that stepped out from the door in the wall as the two explorers who had left the guild earlier. They stood on either side of Toz and, with the walls, effectively surrounded him.

In almost any other city, the features of the two men would have been difficult to make out in the dark alley. But in Sleepless Brights, there was no such thing as a dark alley, and Toz could clearly see the two thug-looking men glaring at him.

He turned to the side in order to not get attacked from behind and could have his back protected by the wall while keeping half an eye on both of them at the same time.

The one to the left of Toz was a skinny guy with short brown hair and a nasty glare as he eyed Toz while pulling out a knife.

The person to the right was practically the opposite of the other guy. He was tall, bulky, bordering on fat, and had long unkempt hair, as well as a scruffy beard that hid a large part of his face.

The hairy guy with a potato nose was the first to speak.

"You're using a treasure, right? Hand it over."

The duo obviously assumed that Toz only managed to enter the forest due to external items. It wasn't an unreasonable assumption, but the way the guy said it sounded a little forced as if he was repeating a line or being told what to say. It was a little suspicious. Even if the guy just talked like that normally, Toz wanted to test him out.

"What if I don't want to?" Toz asked back with a smile.

"Then we'll kill you and your beasts, then take it from your corpse."

The words alone didn't confirm Toz's suspicions, but the raging killing intent emitted from both of them did. If the two ruffians only wanted the treasure, they would at most threaten to kill him before trying to beat him up and force him to hand it over or take it forcefully.

If the two thugs wanted to kill him that quickly, it was obviously their main goal with their ambush.

Toz couldn't tell if the demand was a diversion or insurance in case they couldn't kill him, but it didn't matter since after the words were uttered, the two charged at him.

The dagger-wielding thug had covered his dagger in a whirlwind and dashed at Toz with his arm poised to stab Toz in the gut.

The bearded thug had coated his fists and forearms in a flimsy layer of aura that was incomparable to what Rick had displayed. Based on how he moved, Toz could tell that he was aiming for his head.

One going for his torso and the other gunning for his head. It could be tricky to deal with without getting hurt or killing the thugs.

He could use his sword, but in the alley, it would be difficult to slash without striking a wall and damaging private property. Besides, Toz didn't really need to use his sword to deal with the two thugs.

The guy with a dagger was only at the fourth level. And while the fist fighter was at the fifth level, considering his aura, he wasn't particularly proficient or outstanding at training his energy and wouldn't pose that much of a threat if he was coming at Toz alone.

But the synchronized attack forced Toz to make his first move a defensive one as he jumped up and pushed off the wall behind him and then used the other wall as a ladder as he avoided the attack by escaping their reach.

Toz had enough speed and momentum to reach the rooftop of the three-story building he was running on. After getting that high up, he turned around to look down, meeting the confused gazes of the two thugs. And then gravity pulled him down.

He used the extra weight his coat filled with all kinds of stuff to descend on the bearded man foot first. Toz landed foot first on the guy's right shoulder, intentionally avoiding the head.

And with a satisfying crunch, one person was incapacitated, but to make sure he didn't run away, Toz smashed a kneecap as he walked over the man who had fallen to his back after Toz's landing.

The dagger-wielding thug was too stunned to react properly, and by the time he was about to turn around and flee, Toz was already in his face, sending a heavy fist into the skinny man's gut, punching the air and consciousness out of him.

Toz looked at the man with froth at the mouth before he turned his gaze toward the thug, who was desperately struggling to hold his screams back as he used his left arm and leg to try and crawl out of the alley. He wanted to scream for help, but that would only direct Toz's attention toward him again.

Toz stopped the crawling waste by turning the body around. He put his hand right next to the dislocated and crushed shoulder and then, with a smile, said...