What Fierce Tiger hadn’t expected, however, was that Susu had been sold without her parents’ consent.
It was merely a conspiracy hatched by the Clan Leader to please his own female.
Thanks to this memory from Fierce Tiger, Susu was finally beginning to get a basic, general understanding of this strange new world.
This was a world ruled by shapeshifting Beastmen.
There were no countries or governments—only clans of varying sizes, scattered across the world.
After reaching adulthood, all Beastmen could shift between their human and native beast forms.
They were also divided into three ranks based on the completeness of their transformation.
Low-level Beastmen, Intermediate Beastmen, and reigning above them all, the most perfect and powerful: High-level Beastmen!
High-level Beastmen were so powerful that they didn’t even need a clan to survive alone in this perilous world.
Their only true dilemma was reproduction.
The rank of a newborn Beastman was highly subject to chance and unforeseen factors.
This was especially true for High-level Beastmen.
Even if the father was a Peak Seventh Rank Purple Level male, the strongest among the High-level Beastmen, mating with an Intermediate Beastman female could still very likely result in a Low-level Beastman offspring.
For the High-level Beastmen at the top of this world’s pyramid, nothing was more troubling than the issue of continuing their bloodline.
To put it in the simplest terms, no king could ever accept the fact that his heir was an incompetent fool!
Thus, over time, an unwritten rule formed in this world.
Due to their immense strength, High-level Beastmen didn’t need the protection of a clan.
On the contrary, during the most difficult and dangerous seasons of the year, High-level Beastmen would visit the clans and offer them a degree of protection.
In exchange, they held the right to mate with any female in the clan.
Giving birth to a High-level Beastman’s offspring was a female’s only chance to gain his approval and the possibility of living with him.
However, such an opportunity was exceedingly rare, almost unheard of.
And Susu’s mother had been lucky enough to receive such an opportunity.
But for this very reason, she incurred the jealousy of the other females in the clan.
The Clan Leader’s female, in particular, devised the scheme of selling Susu off to prevent Susu’s mother from having any chance of being with that High-level Beastman!
However, this act was met with fierce resistance from Susu’s mother and her males.
To protect Susu and help her escape, they faced pursuit from the entire clan without giving up, finally managing to escort Susu safely into this jungle…
Fierce Tiger’s expression was grim.
‘To be manipulated by a group of Intermediate Beastmen, to be used as a tool for them to deal with their rivals…
this is a disgrace to my status as a High-level Beastman!’
Of course, that wasn’t what frustrated him the most.
It was the fact that because of those idiots’ deception, Susu now inexplicably saw him as a mortal enemy.
Seeing the wary and hostile look in her eyes whenever she glanced at him, Fierce Tiger felt as if his heart were bleeding.
Looking at Brother Leopard, who sat before him like a professional scavenger, Fierce Tiger was resentful.
But at the moment, he had no other way to resolve this predicament.
He ground his teeth, and though unwilling, he had no choice but to concede for now.
“Even if you’ve gained her approval and trust, I won’t give up!
And you know, while I may only be Green Rank, that’s just one level below your Green Level!”