Thirteen dead bodies were on the forest grounds as a fiend creature peered greedily at the corpses.
Leigh had grown accustomed to the power he acquired from consuming particular species, and he understood how much his strength would increase if he absorbed the ten people in front of him.
Concerning the chimaeras, he had no idea how many grains could be gathered through their consumption, but his knowledge and instincts allowed him to view the corpses as high-value grain sources.
However, before devouring, Leigh wanted to check the vitals of the final possibly remaining chimaera, Archer. Leigh was unsure whether Archer was still alive, so he decided to check.
Leigh had never approached Archer before every last chimaera and foe had died for two reasons.
One, he felt Archer was the least dangerous of them, even if he was still alive, because Leigh knew Archer was injured, which meant he would never have had the chance to fight Leigh. After all, the chimera's unconsciousness was caused by an injury.
The second reason was that he wanted to actually save Archer in the event that he was still alive but unconscious. If Archer didn't see anything of the combat that featured Leigh, he wouldn't know about Leigh's deeds, which would make for a more credible account to tell the chimaeras' camp.
Because of these two factors, he decided to prioritize the immediate dangers and deal with Archer after he had neutralized the more deadly opponents. His plan also worked brilliantly because Archer was still alive but asleep, making him the ideal cover for his story.
Leigh's strategy was straightforward but effective. He understood that if he was the only one to return, it would appear strange, but if he rescued the mission's target and returned with Archer, many would overlook the fact that he was the only one to live, or so Leigh assumed.
Archer would also be a witness to the battleground even if he was unconscious, he would at least be able to confirm the existence of the real soldiers and Tito's involvement.
Leigh had dealt with Archer's problems and only needed to devour his victims before returning to the camp. The truth is that Leigh would rather avoid the camp since he will not return with any bodies because they had injuries that no human or weaponry can inflict, hence causing suspicion.
This may enrage Kalen, which is why Leigh would prefer to avoid all the commotion in the camp, but he can't because he still wants to inquire regarding the carcass of the bear he killed.
He has the impression that the body could provide him with an enormous amount of grains, enough to elevate him to a higher state of existence because of the amount his strength might improve.
'I need to persuade Kalen that I could only save the one living chimaera and not the corpses because of the soldiers. I'll let Kalen assume the soldiers were victorious.'
As he devoured the humans, Leigh devised a strategy in his thoughts. At that time, the procedure of consuming individuals was rather straightforward; Leigh had honed his skills in drenching the liquids of corpses while his body processed the rest.
Leigh approached the chimera's bodies after the ten human corpses had vanished and been replaced by blood stains. He had no respect for the chimaeras due to their lack of physical and mental strength, even though he was grateful to them for transporting him away from the scene of the massacre, allowing him to avoid capture by authorities while he was unconscious.
Leigh crouched down and examined the bodies, after a couple of minutes, he performed the same action as with the human corpses and consumed the 3 chimeras. The corpses of the Owl and Cheetah chimaeras provided him with more grains than the chameleon, but all of them were worth at least three humans.
By the end of the battle, Leigh had tripled the density of his grains, considerably boosting all of his powers, from speed and strength to endurance and physical resistance.
To avoid aggravating Archer's injuries, Leigh took Archer's body and carried it behind him like a backpack. He dashed towards the chimaeras' encampment with Archer on his back.
Kalen was not in a good mood during the camp. He couldn't believe they'd been discovered and hated himself for the poor strategy he devised. His major purpose had been to keep the chimaeras concealed from the rest of the world, but Archer had been kidnapped, and their species may have been exposed.
As he was wondering about such worthless ideas, Leigh had already arrived thanks to his new speed and entered the camp. Despite the size of the camp, Kalen could still know about Leigh's return because he was in a position that allowed him to learn about all the chimeras that the guards had observed enter and exit the camp.
Kalen was overjoyed at the news and ran to greet his returning squad, but was surprised to see only two figures enter his field of view: Leigh and a severely injured Archer.
Kalen waited, but no one else emerged, and his concerns about the other chimaeras' absence were verified by Leigh's look.
"What about the others?" Kalen asked to make sure using words, he couldn't accept the outcome readily.
Leigh just shook his head and remained silent in response because he realized he was in a difficult situation, and now was the moment to mix some lies in with the truth and tell a story that no one could contradict.
Kalen was astonished and upset, but his role as leader of the chimaeras didn't allow him to mourn for long before ordering the other chimaeras to take Archer and heal him. Because the chimaeras were formerly human, several of them possessed medical training.
Kalen then turned to face Leigh, probing him for information about the situation with a sad but firm voice, "What occurred there, what happened to the others?"
Leigh had told the story in his own unique style, including Tito's betrayal, which had resulted in everyone's death. Leigh described how he used the distraction to save Archer, the only person he could save.
The story, however, was insufficient to persuade Kalen, who inquired sternly, "How could you remain unhurt when everyone else died?"
Kalen was no longer calm and nice; he was radiating killing intent towards Leigh.
"Beatrix refused to let me participate, so I stayed in the nearby area. The troops didn't see me until I came upon Archer, who was tied up and left on the ground. I was fortunate to escape with Archer, but I couldn't go back for the others since I would have lost my life as well as Archer's."
Leigh's statement was compelling because Kalen was aware that Beatrix, the cheetah chimaera, could perform such a feat. Kalen was at a loss for words as to how to handle the matter. The fact that Archer was still alive validated Leigh's narrative, but Kalen didn't totally accept it; something seemed off, but he couldn't do anything without Archer's assistance. He'd simply ask Archer once he awoke.
Leigh wanted to ask about the bear but realized it wasn't the greatest moment to do so, so he left and walked back to his room. Because the camp's population was small, the chimaeras were aware of the events that had occurred.
Many people stared at Leigh as he moved through the corridors, as if he had committed a crime. There was a lack of trust in their eyes, and they saw Leigh as a lesser being for not having done anything to help the chimeras that lost their lives.
Their looks made Leigh uncomfortable because, even though Leigh was callous, he still wanted to feel like he belonged in a community because he had never felt that way before. The glances and sequence of events just confirmed Leigh's belief that such a sentiment could not even exist in a community of beings similar to him. This made him further angrier and more determined.
He had realized that he would probably never fit in with a community, that he didn't belong to anyplace, that he didn't belong in that world.