Leslie followed Nex's gaze, looking through the bushes toward a small clearing ahead.
Four people stood near the edge of the clearing, three men and one woman. They appeared to be arguing about something.
Nex recognized them almost immediately.
'Asura's group?'
He lowered his body, signaling Leslie to remain quiet.
The two moved closer to a large tree, using its trunk and the surrounding bushes to conceal themselves.
From there, they could hear the conversation clearly.
"We've been searching for hours, and we haven't found a single animal!" one of the men complained.
He carried a machete and wore a backpack that looked almost empty.
Another man, holding an axe, looked equally frustrated.
"What are we supposed to do? At this rate, we won't meet our quota."
The third man shook his head.
"Maybe we should head back and try searching somewhere else."
"With what?" the man carrying the machete replied. "We can't return empty-handed."
He looked toward the woman standing beside him.
"Unless..."
The woman frowned.
"Unless what?"
The man hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"We might have to sell you."
The woman froze.
"What?"
Her brother looked away.
"You heard me."
She stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Her voice rose.
"I'm your sister!"
"I know!"
"Then how can you even suggest something like that?"
The man gripped his machete.
"What else are we supposed to do? You heard what Asura said. Everyone who wants to stay under his protection has to contribute."
He gestured toward the forest.
"We've been searching all this time, and we haven't found anything!"
The woman shook her head.
"That doesn't mean you can just sell me!"
"It's better than all of us dying!"
Her brother looked at her.
"Besides, Asura won't kill you."
The woman took a step back.
"Won't kill me?"
Her expression changed.
"Do you even hear yourself?"
The other two men remained silent as she continued.
"Did you forget what he said before we left? Anyone who can't contribute will have to serve those he considers useful."
She looked toward her brother.
"And what do you think that means for a woman like me?"
He avoided her gaze.
"Circe..."
"No!"
Circe interrupted him.
"I heard how those men were talking earlier. They weren't even trying to hide what they wanted."
Her voice trembled.
"If we go back without anything, I'll end up as nothing more than their sex slave."
She clenched her fists.
"And you expect me to accept that?"
Her brother opened his mouth, but she continued.
"Just imagine how many of them would treat me like some toy they could use whenever they wanted."
She shook her head.
"I'd rather die than live like that."
The man with the machete fell silent.
Circe looked at him with reddened eyes.
"You're my brother. How could you even think about handing me over to those people?"
He sighed.
"Why do you think we're out here in the first place?"
She paused.
"What?"
"We came here to find food so that wouldn't happen!"
He gestured toward the forest.
"Do you think I want to hand you over to that bastard? I'm trying to make sure we all have something to bring back!"
Circe stared at him.
Before she could respond, the man carrying the knife suddenly chuckled.
"Well, if that's how things are going to turn out..."
He looked toward Circe with a grin.
"Wouldn't it be better to do it with someone you know first?"
Circe's face went pale.
The man continued.
"I mean, if you're going to end up serving strangers anyway, why not..."
SMACK!
Before he could finish, Circe's brother struck him across the head.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
The knife-wielding man stumbled sideways, nearly dropping his weapon.
"Fuck! What was that for?!"
Circe's brother grabbed him by the collar.
"Say something like that about my sister again, and I'll kill you myself!"
The man raised his hands.
"Hey! Calm down! I was just joking!"
"Does it look like I'm laughing?"
The brother shoved him away.
He then turned toward Circe.
"And you."
Circe flinched.
He sighed.
"Do you seriously think I'd sell my own sister?"
She stared at him.
"But you said..."
"I only said that because I wanted you to take this hunt seriously!"
He pointed toward the empty backpack.
"We need food. All of us. If we go back empty-handed, we're going to have problems."
Circe looked down.
Her brother continued.
"But I'd kill those bastards myself before letting them lay a hand on you."
The knife-wielding man rubbed his head.
"Well, you didn't have to hit me that hard."
Circe's brother glared at him.
"Shut up."
The man immediately fell silent.
Hidden behind the tree, Leslie watched the exchange with an uncomfortable expression.
"Those people..."
She lowered her voice.
"Did you hear what they were saying?"
Nex nodded.
"Yeah."
Leslie looked toward Circe.
"Her own brother threatened to sell her."
Nex frowned.
"Looks like he wasn't serious."
"That doesn't make it any better."
Nex didn't argue.
He looked toward the men again.
'Asura's already making people desperate enough to consider things like that.'
They had barely arrived in the tutorial, yet some survivors were already treating protection as something they could use to demand obedience from others.
Nex tightened his grip on his spear.
'That bastard...'
Just then, the axe-wielding man suddenly raised his hand.
"Shhh!"
The others turned toward him.
"What?"
"Quiet!"
He raised a finger to his lips and pointed toward the other side of the clearing.
"Look over there."
The group followed his gaze.
Something was moving between the trees.
At first, all they could see was a large brown shape behind the bushes.
Then the creature stepped into the open.
It was enormous.
Its body was covered in thick, dark brown fur, and two curved ivory horns extended from either side of its head.
The creature stood nearly six feet tall at the shoulder and stretched almost ten feet from head to tail.
Its thick neck and powerful legs supported a body that looked heavy enough to crush a person beneath it.
The animal lowered its head, calmly grazing on the grass.
The axe-wielding man stared.
"Is that..."
He blinked.
"A bison?"
The others looked equally surprised.
Circe frowned.
"What is a bison doing in the middle of a forest?"
Her brother shook his head.
"Who cares?"
He stared at the animal.
"Look at the size of that thing!"
The knife-wielding man grinned.
"That's a lot of meat."
"Exactly!"
Circe's brother tightened his grip on his machete.
"If we can take that thing down, we'll have enough meat to meet our quota."
He glanced toward his companions.
"Maybe even enough for the rest of the quest!"
The other two men looked interested.
The bison continued grazing, seemingly unaware of their presence.
"That's a lot better than running around looking for rabbits," the axe-wielding man muttered.
Circe, however, looked uncertain.
"Are you sure we can kill something that big?"
Her brother turned toward her.
"Why not?"
He gestured toward the animal.
"It's just a bison."
"But..."
"Look, we have weapons, and there are four of us."
He raised his machete.
"If we surround it, we should be able to bring it down."
Circe glanced at the massive creature again.
Its horns alone looked dangerous enough to kill someone.
"Still, what if it's mutated?"
The knife-wielding man shrugged.
"Everything's mutated these days."
He smiled.
"Doesn't mean we should run away every time we see an animal."
Her brother nodded.
"Exactly."
He looked toward the others.
"We're doing this."
The three men exchanged glances before slowly spreading out.
Circe remained near the bushes, holding a rifle in her hands.
Her brother turned toward her.
"Circe."
She looked up.
"What?"
"Stay here and cover us."
He pointed toward the animal.
"Don't shoot unless it's absolutely necessary. If you fire too early, the sound might scare it off before we get close."
Circe nodded.
"Alright."
She crouched behind a fallen tree and raised her rifle.
The barrel followed the bison as it moved through the grass.
Meanwhile, her brother and the other two men began approaching from different directions.
The knife-wielding man moved toward the left.
The axe-wielder circled toward the right, using the trees as cover.
Circe's brother approached from behind, keeping his machete low.
The bison continued grazing.