Shang was currently on top of a tree as he looked at the bottom of another tree with concentration.
He was waiting.
From time to time, Shang could hear flesh being separated from below the tree.
Some minutes passed.
Eventually, a green rod poked out of the bottom of the tree slowly.
It extended more and more until a bird head could be seen. The beast looked around carefully before slowly walking out from the hole beneath the tree.
It slowly slithered around the tree like a lizard as it began to climb it. Shang could see the green feathers coming out of the beast's legs.
Then, the beast paused.
Shang's eyes widened as he jumped forward.
BANG!
A Fire Blast later, Shang arrived in front of the beast, his sword leaving a black gleam behind.
SHING!
Shang's sword cut off the Javelin's beak at the base and the tree along with it.
The Javelin let out a pained screech, which sounded like a panicked bird screaming.
BANG!
Shang released an Ice Blast to shoot back to the Javelin.
PACK!
Shang grabbed the Javelin by the neck as it continued screeching in panic. Its clawed feet were trying to injure Shang, but they couldn't reach him.
Shang took out the stamp and hit the Javelin's head with it.
BANG!
Shang kicked the Javelin away with all of his power.
The Javelin screeched in terror as it hit a tree. Luckily, the Javelin was at the Peak Soldier Stage, and a mere kick from Shang couldn't injure it in any significant way.
As the Javelin hit the ground, its feet quickly dug up the earth as it shot away in fear and panic.
Shang didn't chase.
After the Javelin fled, Shang grabbed the beak and put it into his beast sack. A second beak with an identical color could be seen as Shang put the first beak away.
'That's two,' Shang thought. 'This one was at the Peak Soldier Stage. If I didn't have my two Blasts, I would have had issues in getting close enough to destroy its beak. On top of that, it's faster than me without my abilities.'
Shang looked at his left arm. 'My left arm might not have much destructive power, but it is still an incredible help. It gives me a substantial advantage in terms of speed.'
'Anyway, I need one more. I've already been in here for over four hours, and it's afternoon. I can still hunt at the beginning of the evening, but at late evening, I should start returning to Warrior's Paradise.'
'I have about three more hours.'
Shang jumped back to a branch and continued traveling through the forest. By now, he had gone quite a bit towards the south.
During the last couple of hours, Shang had already seen two General Stage beasts. One of them had noticed him and had wanted to attack him, but after seeing Shang shoot away at incredible speeds, it didn't even start running. It immediately canceled the attack.
Hunting such weak prey was not worth the hassle.
The other beast Shang had seen hadn't even noticed him. It had simply walked past the tree he was on.
Shang had marked these two spots in his mind and avoided them.
However, he still needed to stay careful.
Sadly, it wasn't easy to stay careful. Shang's headache was making it hard for him to focus, and the bloodied face kept reappearing in Shang's mind.
Every time it came back, Shang felt pressure inside his chest. It was like a hole was slowly opening up inside him.
Without noticing it, Shang began to travel on autopilot.
PACK!
Suddenly, Shang's body jerked as his arm got grabbed by something.
"Whoa there, kiddo! Watch where you're goin!" someone said from behind him.
Shang's mind went into battle mode, but he quickly calmed down when he felt no threat coming from anywhere close to him. Additionally, the voice Shang had just heard didn't sound aggressive.
Shang was lightly thrown back, and he landed on the ground without any issues.
"What's going on?" Shang asked the man in front of him.
In front of Shang was a man with a big hat made of leather and black leather armor.
In a way, this person reminded Shang of a cowboy.
"I just saved your life. That's what's going on," the guy said with a bright smile.
"Saved my life?" Shang asked. "What? Saved from what? How did you find me? Who are you?"
"Quite some questions you got there, kiddo," the man said with a chuckle. "Name's Chuck McGuiness, hunter by trade."
'Really? His name's Chuck McGuiness?' Shang thought.
"Some thanks would be appreciated," the man said.
"Thanks? I don't even know what I should thank you for," Shang said.
"For saving your life, kiddo," the man said as he pointed at a small spire between a couple of trees.
Shang looked at the thing Chuck was pointing at. It was only a piece of rock jutting out of the earth. It was barely half-a-meter high.
"What's that?" Shang asked.
Chuck looked surprised. "You don't know what that is? Boy, why are you walkin' around such dangerous places without getting to know the locals?"
Shang's brows furrowed. "That's a beast?" Shang asked.
"Sure is, kiddo," Chuck said with a chuckle. "This here's a Stalker Lion, derivative from ant lion, but we folks call it a Spire Mire."
"A Spire Mire? You folks?" Shang asked.
"Yep, the folks back in the Volcano Wyrm Zone. I'm not from here," Chuck said. "Anyway, you see that stone thing? That's a Spire Mire. Nasty things they are. They burrow into the ground, and if they feel something heavy touch the ground above them, five long mandibles close around you."
"The spire is the Spire Mire's tongue. Imagine it like this. The spire in the middle represents the middle of a flower, and if you touch it, the flower closes immediately."
Shang looked over at the spire.
This was the beast's tongue?
Shang wasn't sure if he would have actually triggered the beast's attack. After all, he was jumping from tree to tree. Sure, the tree was very close to the spire, but he would still be on a tree.
However, one thing was for certain. Shang would have been in danger.
"Anyway, I'm glad you found it," Chuck said as he eyed the spire. "That thing's the reason why I'm even here. Been searching for one of those for a while."
Chuck laughed. "Who woulda guessed that following some painful screech would bring me to my target."
Painful screech?
Shang remembered the screech the Javelin had let out after he had severed its beak.
So that was how Chuck had found him.
"Thanks," Shang said.
"No prob. You repaid me by bringing me to my target," Chuck said. "See that spire? It's filled with all kinds of valuable ore. That's how the Spire Mire attracts its prey."
"And, well, I'm after that ore. I can't hunt one solo, but I sure can harvest its ore on my own."
"Kiddo, I would suggest going someplace else. Spire Mires get real nasty when their ore gets stolen."
Shang nodded. "Chuck, have you seen any Javelins?"
"So that's why you're here," Chuck said with a chuckle. "Sure did. Found one on my way here. It was a bit to the north from where you found the earlier one."
"Thanks, Chuck," Shang said, "and thank you again for warning me about the Spire Mire."
"It's fine. Now go. You don't want an angry Spire Mire on your ass," Chuck said.
Shang nodded and left in the direction Chuck indicated.
Chuck only looked with a smirk at the small spire.
BOOOM!
Some seconds later, Shang heard the distant sound of explosions.
It sounded like a huge beast was rampaging through the forest.
'That was my first time seeing another hunter in the wild.'
