The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 163. Panther Couples

Chapter 163: 163. Panther Couples

Two panthers—one white, one black—prowled in a deadly circle, amber and purple eyes locked, muscles tight under their shiny fur.

Leo stood on the mantis’s burned remains, his katana disappearing into his item space with a flash of mana, replaced by his soul resonance weapon, the Chained Blood Dragger. Its red blade glowed, the chain twisting like a live snake.

Leo’s smirk expanded with reckless excitement as a second white panther with scars on its side emerged from the bushes to his left, claws pointed at him.

He flicked the dagger’s chain, sending its links hurtling through the air and encircling the scarred panther’s neck. A hard pull slammed the beast to the ground with a loud thud, the chain’s can extends to meters, giving him deadly control.

He jumped down, boots crunching on ash, as Elynn’s screen pinged.

[Creature Identified!]

[Glass Panther, Rank: A]

These panthers are similar to earth’s panthers, but twice as big, they had fur that sparkled like glass, their shiny look full of danger. Alone hunters, their teaming up was rare and risky.

Leo spun the chained dagger, its blade singing a sharp tune. "Oh, you two are a couple, huh?"

The first white panther charged, its claws glowing with glass magic, shining like sharp diamonds. It swiped, sending a storm of jagged glass shards flying at Leo.

He twirled the chain at blinding speed, links blurring into a shield that deflected each shard with sharp pings, stray projectiles thudding into a nearby tree.

Nimbus roared, shadow tendrils bursting from the ground like dark snakes, whipping at the panther. The tendrils wrapped its legs, pulling it off balance, but the beast twisted, its glass claws cutting through the shadows, the broken wisps fading into black mist.

The scarred panther, recovering, leapt at Leo, claws out. He spun, the dagger chain lashing out, its blade clanging against the beast’s shiny spikes.

The chain coiled around its front leg, and Leo pulled, throwing the panther off course, its body smashing into a tree with a loud crack, leaves falling.

The beast growled, its spikes breaking into a cloud of glass needles shooting at him. Leo gripped the dagger’s hilt, fire mana flaring. A wide swing created a tall wall of flame, burning the needles in a sizzling burst, the heat scorching nearby leaves, filling the air with a sharp smell of burnt plants.

Leo muttered, "That’s an impressive trick," and then he appeared in front of the scarred panther, in a blur with Shadow Step. It screamed as his chained dagger made a sharp arc and sliced into its shoulder, causing blood to spray.

With the chain encircling its flailing legs like sturdy vines, he drove the blade into its chest. The beast’s cries faded as it fell into a smoking pile as the dagger exploded with fire, burning it from the inside out.

With blood streaming down his face, Leo yanked the blade free and turned to Nimbus.

After being battered by Nimbus’s never-ending tendrils, the first panther launched a last-ditch effort: a massive glass spear with a dangerously gleaming diamond tip. The spear whistled through the air as it was hurled at Nimbus.

Nimbus used his own shadow step, vanishing in a blur, the spear hitting a tree with a loud crack, splitting the trunk.

He reappeared, tendrils pinning the panther’s legs, jaws locking on its throat. With a strong twist, he finished it, the beast’s body going limp, its glass fur dulling as life faded.

Leo clapped, walking to Nimbus with a big grin, rubbing the panther’s head warmly. "Well done, my boy."

He glanced at the fallen panthers lying in the clearing’s mess.

He muttered, "Obviously lovers," with a twinge of sorrow in his chest, remembering of a previous life’s loss.

Dark, human-like forms emerged from his shadow as he summoned two shadow wraiths, their purple eyes glowing eerily in the twilight.

He commanded, "Bury them." The wraiths nodded, making a silent grave for the two of them with their dark hands digging into the ground.

Leo watching the shadow wraiths bury the glass panthers side by side, piling earth over the lovers’ crystalline forms. Nimbus, now in his smaller cat form, licked a paw lazily, his purple eyes glinting in the fading sunlight.

It had been three months since Leo began his grueling routine: early morning training with the bronze tournament participants, classes at the Academy, afternoon sessions with Professor Gidon, and then-

A soft chime interrupted his thoughts as Elynn’s interface flickered in his vision.

[You’ve leveled up to Level 30!]

[You’ve been granted 12 stat points.]

Leo’s lips curved into a satisfied smirk as the interface displayed his current stats after distribution.

[Current Stats:

CURRENT LEVEL: 30!

STRENGTH: 96

ENDURANCE: 88

DEFENSE: 90

SPEED: 100

STAMINA: 90

MANA CAPACITY: 82

INTELLIGENCE: 101

BATTLE INTELLIGENCE: 110

SOUL RESONANCE WEAPON: Chained Blood Dragger (Lvl 2)]

[Alert! Shadow Summons Leveled Up!]

Shadow Wraith (First)

Type: Mana-Bound Summoned Entity

Level: 25

Strength: 80

Speed: 102

Defense: 69

Endurance: 85

Mana Cost: 1 per 60 seconds

Shadow Wraith (Second)

Type: Mana-Bound Summoned Entity

Level: 25

Strength: 80

Speed: 102

Defense: 69

Endurance: 85

Mana Cost: 1 per 60 seconds

Shadow Panther (Nimbus)

Type: Free-Willed Summoned Entity

Level: 28

Strength: 98

Speed: 124

Defense: 78

Endurance: 90

Mana Cost: None (Free-Willed)

Leo’s smirk grew as he looked at the numbers, focusing on his battle IQ and intelligence, which were numbers that could only be increased by training and experience rather than points.

He had become stronger and more adept at fighting thanks to Gidon’s unrelenting teaching. In a low voice, he acknowledged the progress he had made during these trying months by muttering, "Learning from the stronger doesn’t disappoint."

He looked at the 12,302 mana shards in his possessions. He had been economical, using shards for upgrades and skill acquisitions only, reserving the balance for emergencies.

After the wraiths completed their work, the ground leveled the panthers’ grave.

Leo nodded, the wraiths vanished into his shadow, their shapes blending in with the shadows beneath him. With a playful tail flick, Nimbus also leaped into the shadows and vanished with a gentle mana ripple.

Leo rolled his shoulders and let out a breath. Aside from the distant cries of nocturnal animals and the rustle of leaves, the forest was now silent.