Grrrrrr!

Nox clenched his teeth as the wind whipped against his face.

Nox and the white cat were racing down a dirt path at a frightening speed. Nox held the cat tighter, almost digging his nails into its soft fur.

'This is really not Earth,' Nox reminded himself once again. On Earth, cats were fast, but Fluffington was in a different league!

Its speed was comparable to that of a full-grown cheetah, if not faster!

Despite the danger, Nox couldn't help but feel excited! If not for the intense speed they were moving at, he would have screamed at the top of his voice.

'If merely riding a beast could be this exciting, I wonder what it would be like to get a flying beast or even a dragon as a mount.' The boy let his thoughts run wild for a moment, but it was within the realm of possibility... if only he could get his class!

"Where is the direction?" Because Fluffington communicated through telepathy, he didn't have difficulty speaking.

'Luminary Forest!' Nox answered, his gaze fixed on the blinking arrow in his system interface. 'Just keep going.'

Nox had learned from his grandfather about the Luminary Forest, where the historical Luminary River originated. It was said the forest was populated by various low and high-level beasts that could tear him to shreds.

Knowing this, some might question Nox's judgment, but he had two valid reasons why he had to do this now.

First: The Beast Taming goddess, Terra, specifically instructed him to get his class at the age of five because it was at this age that parents took their children to awaken a class by taking them to any of the various temples that were scattered all over the world, and the last thing Nox wanted was to awaken another class!

After witnessing the potential of a beast tamer, Nox couldn't imagine choosing any other path.

Second: If all the gods refused the prayers of a child, or he didn't awaken any class by the age of five, that child would be deemed classless.

The third and most important reason...

'Terra told me that only a handful of people still know about the existence of the beast-taming class... I strongly doubt if Mom and Gramps would allow me to awaken any random class... that's why I have to do this.' Nox gritted his teeth hard as Fluffington left a white streak in his wake, closing in on the Luminary Forest.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

In Fluffington's wake, two figures radiating powerful auras appeared simultaneously.

"Your grandson is suspicious." One of the figures said in an indifferent voice as they narrowed their eyes.

"Ah, my eyesight is getting weaker and weaker these days," Nathan claimed. "For a moment there, I thought it was an enemy and was ready to disintegrate that person with mighty flames. Although I'm sad about that, it's good to see you, Eve."

Eve, the beautiful dark-haired woman who had scared Nox shirtless, didn't reply. She merely looked in the direction Fluffington and the little tyrant had gone.

"Why is he heading in that direction?" She voiced out after a moment. Listening to her voice, it was evident that she didn't care; she was just curious to know what the boy was up to.

After all, seeing a five-year-old riding a cat into a forest teeming with beasts in the middle of the night wasn't an everyday occurrence.

"Hmmm, don't tell me Miss Eve is concerned." Although Nathan knew she didn't care, he couldn't help but tease this woman who had a history with his family.

"Hahaha, funny."

"Master, please don't laugh..." The green-eyed skull floating beside the mysterious woman vibrated in terror. That laugh was very unnatural and scary.

"You and I know the reasons for my actions," Eve said, walking forward. "The last thing I'd want is for 'those' people to locate me."

Nathan nodded. After spending so much time with her, he had learned that the mysterious woman who exuded an aura of death was a brief talker who liked to get straight to the point.

"Even I don't know, but I have a hunch," Nathan said with an unsure expression. "Although I forget a lot of things, I can never forget the dusty writing of my great-great-grandfather."

"If my guess is right, this boy wants to tread the same path as Arthur."

When Arthur was mentioned, a brief glint flashed across Eve's ruby eyes before it disappeared. Without saying a word, she dashed towards the Luminary Forest.

The old man shook his head as he followed behind.

***

Step! Step!

"Mister Fluffington, what do you think those eyes are?" Nox asked bitterly as he saw countless red eyes staring at them from the darkness.

Those gazes were so intense they seemed to bore holes in him. What made it worse was the sound of lips licking, like someone salivating over a delicious meal.

[Probably lights used to decorate the forest,] Fluffington replied, its vigilant eyes scanning around as it gave all the eyes an intimidating defiant stare.

GROWL!

'Bastard, you're not helping matters!' Nox cursed inwardly as he heard the bestial sound.

Then his eyes contracted the next moment.

The beasts were starting to make their move.