Chapter 251

Chapter 251: A Strange Place

Employers had explicitly instructed them to enjoy the hunting experience in Aputuo, so the guards naturally dove into the activity with enthusiasm.

The guards from Ye Falar were no exception. Selected from the cream of the crop among skilled bandits, these monsters had initially relied on hunting as their primary means of survival before becoming professional bandits. With extensive experience, they remained proficient hunters even in unfamiliar territory!

Though Aximu and Grey's group didn't bag many prey, each one was a high-quality catch. Under Mr. Aximu's tutelage, Grey was no longer the bone-catching monster he once was. Though his strength couldn't match Abu's group, Grey could read! Knowledge equaled wealth, and Ajin claimed that the prey Grey brought back were quite valuable.

Abu's grandfather and Naji were also impressive. As business partners, they hunted together daily to sell lunchboxes. They could anticipate each other's intentions with just a glance, and with Naji's unexpected strength for his size, their results were commendable.

Even Crystal managed to make a catch.

Despite being a vegetarian by nature and eating meat only when hungry, his hunting method involved using bait. By transforming into his original form and lying on the ground, it wasn't long before cautious magical beasts approached. Honestly, this tactic was more efficient than actively searching for traces of magic beasts.

Eventually, some magical beasts even started cooperating with him voluntarily.

Black Dan was envious.

Being so tiny, his strength was insignificant compared to other monsters. These past few days, as he followed Jiujiu around and saw the others eagerly presenting their prey to her after hunting, Hei Dan couldn't help but yearn to catch a huge, huge, huge prey for Jiujiu too!

Especially after Ajin presented Jiujiu with a snow-white pelt as a scarf, his eagerness grew even more.

But he was just too small and not strong enough.

At this young age, little monsters were instinctively eager to learn from the larger ones around them. After much contemplation, Hei Dan decided that Crystal would be his mentor.

After learning earnestly from Crystal how to set traps, Hei Dan soon put his knowledge into practice.

However, he lay there for what felt like an eternity, almost dozing off, without any monster approaching. Eventually, it was Jiujiu who carried him away.

Eventually, Crystal gave up on practicing with him too. When Hei Dan was around, no monsters would come near. The silence was eerie, unsettling both monsters and humans alike.

Everyone speculated that it was due to those stinky pills in Hei Dan's bag.

With Hei Dan carrying those pills, they encountered fewer monsters, which reduced their spoils but increased their safety significantly.

As they ventured deeper, the monsters they encountered grew fiercer. Many of these creatures didn't resemble any known species on the continent. Even if they vaguely resembled something, perhaps due to the local environment or some unknown reason, these monsters were significantly larger than their counterparts outside!

"In this area, the magical beasts are more akin to their original breeds," Ajin had confided in Ji Huan privately. "The original breed refers to the initial strains of magical beasts. Those outside have, due to various reasons, lost much of their pure lineage, resulting in a significant decline in their species' advantages."

On the third day of their venture into the hunting zone, they encountered their first real danger since entering: The snow was littered with signs of violent struggle, revealing that an intense battle had taken place here. The black soil beneath the thick ice layer had been churned up, and along the path lay several fallen beasts, their forms askew.

They were already lifeless.

Dressed in ordinary thick clothing and with youthful features still evident on their faces, these magical beasts likely originated from the outer encampment.

Just as Ji Huan's group hesitated whether to proceed deeper, a magical beast suddenly appeared before them.

"Behind us lies our prey, please refrain from approaching."

Ajin nodded in approval, and after a while, several monsters emerged from within. Among them was a male monster that Ji Huan recognized - it was a member of the hunter team that had stayed at the same inn with them initially!

They were dragging a colossal, purplish python, lifeless and riddled with massive wounds. It was apparent that this was the creature that had been battling the monsters inside.

Upon recognizing Ji Huan and the others, the female team leader nodded at them.

"May we have a look at the python?" Ajin asked, intercepting them as they prepared to depart.

"How come? Are you interested, wealthy one?" The female captain flashed him a wide grin. The monster girl was quite beautiful, but the blood covering her face almost obscured her features. Her smile now only conveyed a sense of dread.

"Just a bit," Ajin replied nonchalantly, nodding. After the other party acknowledged him, he approached the giant anaconda and examined it closely.

"Pity it's already dead. But even if it were alive... it probably wouldn't be qualified to serve as a foundation for a wealthy one's magic," the girl commented again.

Ajin simply smiled, then after a moment, he returned to his own team.

Their paths crossed and soon, they moved on.

The heavy snow quickly concealed any traces on the ground, the signs of struggle, and... the last vestiges of the deceased monster.

Ajin was unusually quiet that day. However, he wasn't much of a talker anyway, so while Ji Huan sensed something off, Ajin's subsequent topic of discussion quickly redirected his attention.

On the fourth day, they encountered more monsters – three hunting teams collaborating to take down a massive magical beast.

Due to Ajin's substantial bounty, many teams had secretly formed alliances before setting out, a fact that Ji Huan was already aware of. However, he soon realized that the situation seemed more intricate than he initially thought:

Before the colossal magical beast stood another monstrous figure, abnormally tall and wielding a long blade across its chest. This was precisely the massive creature that had caught Ji Huan's attention in the living room from the very beginning!

It was clearly attempting to resist the three teams of hunters facing it.

"One of the Savages, do you intend to snatch the cargo from our hands?" one of the monsters bellowed.

"That magical beast was injured by us first. Don't you know any manners, barging in at this moment?" another monster chimed in.

"You may be quite strong, but with the strength of only one monster, you think you can defy us, a horde of monsters? Do you fancy yourself as Black?" The third monster laughed boisterously.

"You'll have to go through me first if you want to harm him!" The colossal monster finally spoke across the confrontation.

It was also the first time Ji Huan had heard his voice.

Deep and sonorous, it carried a distinct accent.

The tension between the two parties was about to erupt.

Just then, an unexpected turn of events occurred:

Behind the massive monster, the previously stunned magical beast suddenly regained some strength, leaping fiercely from the ground. It opened its gigantic maw and lunged at the massive monster in front of it.

The massive monster crashed to the ground.

At that moment, the three opposing teams forgot their confrontation with the humans. Seeing the magical beast escape, they hastily pursued the injured creature!

Only then did Ajin signal for everyone to follow. Approaching the massive monster lying on the ground, unconscious and possibly dead, he squatted down and personally checked for the creature's breath before gesturing for the other monsters to drag it away.

It was fortunate that the massive monster had an incredibly resilient body. Despite a large gash on its neck and injuries that seemed fatal, after Ajin ordered someone to pour a bottle of wine over it and apply a bag of healing herbs, the creature astonishingly regained consciousness as the sun set.

"Where... where is my brother? No, that injured magical beast!! ?????"

Ji Huan seized upon the crucial word. "Your brother?"