I charged forward because my thinking was simple. A squirrel is still a squirrel, no matter how you look at it.
BRUK!
My fist landed squarely on the squirrel's body. But the beast squirrel didn't even flinch.
Slash!
The squirrel's claws, sharp as swords, attacked me. I twisted my body in mid-air, following the guidance from the book given by Elder Hartono.
Bruk!
I used the momentum. A spinning kick connected with the squirrel's head. The squirrel retreated slightly, then let out a screech that made my ears ring and broke my focus.
Srak! Boom! Pow!
The squirrel turned out to be quite clever. It took advantage of my dizziness with a relentless barrage of attacks.
Ptoh!
I spat out and wiped a bit of blood from my mouth.
"Alright, squirrel. This time I'll get a bit serious."
I recalled the stance I used when I lost consciousness. I followed its pattern, adding some adjustments from the book given by Elder Hartono.
Bham!
The squirrel gave me no time. While I was preparing my stance, it attacked me again.
"Hey, it turns out you have no basic honor, you damn squirrel!"
"Karman! Over here!" Tono shouted, calling me.
"Hey, Tono! Don't bother me!"
"Stubborn fool! Get over here quickly! Don't waste time. I can't stand it anymore."
I ran towards Tono. The squirrel chased me at full speed.
"Hurry!" Tono yelled.
Bruk!
A trap left the squirrel dangling between trees. Its leg was caught in a rope Tono had prepared earlier.
"Hey you, Tono! Why didn't you tell me there was an easy way to kill this bastard!"
"Sighhhh... You're the one who wasn't listening."
I just realized that Tono had been shouting something while I was charging at the squirrel.
"Alright, now for my payback."
I once again used the stance my body had taken when I lost consciousness. Channeling my strength while following the instructions in the book from Elder Hartono. Once again, it felt as if nature itself was flowing through my veins.
Bhamm!
A punch produced a shockwave. But this time, I didn't immediately exhaust my energy. It turned out the instructions in the book allowed me to control my energy output.
The squirrel died with a hole in its stomach. The beast core inside shimmered with a golden light.
"YES! FINALLYYYY WE CAN EAT WELL TONIGHT!" we said in unison.
We began hunting with solid coordination. Tono, with his intelligence, set up various traps—hidden nets, pit traps, even decoys to attract beasts. Meanwhile, I used my physical strength to execute every trapped beast. What was once a dangerous fight turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Beast after beast fell. Squirrels, wild boars, even some small wolves—all were powerless against our strategy.
Gruuuuukkkk.
My stomach growled. In the end, such an intense and exciting battle had to end with something ridiculous.
"It seems we have to stop," Tono said, looking at my exhausted condition.
"I'm okay... Gwenchana," I said, giving a thumbs-up with a trembling hand.
"Look... How are we going to carry all these beast cores?" Tono said, pointing at the mountain of beast cores piled in front of us.
"Ahhh... Okay. I can't wait to eat until I'm full! Mwehehehehh!"
We exited through the portal carrying a large bag full of beast cores.
But for a while now, something had been bothering me. It felt as if all our movements were being watched. At first, I didn't know where it came from, but now the feeling grew stronger, and its origin seemed to be at the peak of Mount Kidang Alas.
"Hey, why did you stop? What are you looking at?" Tono said, annoyed that I had suddenly halted my steps.
"Ah, it's nothing. I just feel like we're being watched."
"Don't think too much. It's probably just your imagination because you're too hungry."
---
From the mountain top, the forest king, who had been asleep for decades, roared for the first time. A roar that shook the entire Kidang Alas. Birds flew away in panic. Small beasts ran for cover.
Meanwhile, in a very distant place, the silhouette of the man who killed the Fist King felt the effect of that roar. A faint smile appeared on his face, hidden in the darkness.
"Hehehe... What is the meaning of your roar, White Tiger? Have you found the last small piece?"
---
Chaos erupted within the sect when we submitted our hunt to the Finance Division. The officer on duty nearly fell off his chair when he saw the contents of our bag.
"WHAAAAAT!!! You must have stolen these!"
"What did you say? Don't mess with us, or I'll take your core too!"
Plak!
Tono hit the back of my head.
"It seems you've gone crazy from hunger," Tono scolded me with a wry smile. Then he turned to the officer. "Forgive our impudence. But can you quickly give us our points before my friend really goes insane from hunger?"
The officer recounted repeatedly, unable to believe the number of beast cores we had collected. His eyes widened as the final number appeared.
"T-this is... 847 contribution points for the two of you!"
The entire sect was abuzz as news of our achievement spread rapidly. New disciples who hadn't even been members for a month managed to collect that many points in a single day? Impossible! But the evidence was right before their eyes.
This news became a hot topic among both students and elders. It even reached the Sect Leader's ears.
"I never expected you to bring a gem to our sect," the Sect Leader said to Ayu Putri, his daughter, who was practicing sword techniques in the backyard of their private residence.
"Ahhhh, Father, you're just disturbing me. I'm focusing here!"
"Hahaha. You're just like your mother. If she were still alive, she would be the proudest to have a diligent and devoted daughter like you. Hahahaha."
"Whatever you say, Father!" Ayu Putri swung her sword again, trying to hide the small smile forming on her lips.
Everything went smoothly.l. But there was one figure who didn't join the celebration.
Behind a stone pillar, a student watched our movements with a gaze full of envy.
"I must report all of this to Suheri," Bonar muttered, clenching his fists tightly.