Hello, My Name Is Xu Fan, and I'm a Contestant from the Yan Kingdom

As the other person drew closer to Xu Fan,

the viewers in the Live Stream Room were able to confirm

that this guy wasn't some ferocious beast, but a human.

"Oh my god, Xu Fan actually ran into a human in the Forbidden Land? Is it a contestant from another country? Or... are there natives living in the Forbidden Land?"

"Every ferocious beast in the Forbidden Land is several times larger than anything on Blue Star, and the land there must be vast, too. What are the odds of suddenly running into a contestant from another country?"

"This is unbelievable!"

"Guys, the person Xu Fan ran into is the contestant from the neighboring Curry Country!"

Considering everything Xu Fan had encountered in the Forbidden Land,

even if there really were some natives living there,

the viewers wouldn't have thought it was impossible.

After all...

What could be more unbelievable than the remains of the Wolf Ancestor?

But this time, Xu Fan had run into a contestant from another country.

No matter how you looked at it, there were only about two hundred contestants in the Forbidden Land.

A quick search of the other Live Stream Rooms would confirm that.

Considering the size of the Forbidden Land,

many people felt that Xu Fan's encounter with the Curry Country contestant

was an incredible stroke of fate.

The contestant from Curry Country was named Sharman Gandhi.

He came from an illustrious family.

His family had been rich for generations beyond counting.

He was somewhat arrogant.

Even back in Curry Country, plenty of people despised him.

His family in particular

often looked for opportunities to profit from national disasters.

"Fuck, why did they have to choose me for the Forbidden Land? What a joke. Who'd want to come to a hellhole like this?"

"Ah-choo! I'm freezing to death."

Sharman complained nonstop.

Twenty minutes to prepare wasn't nearly enough time to do anything.

Besides, he'd been spoiled rotten since childhood.

He had no experience surviving in the wilderness.

He'd only prepared ready-to-eat food, fresh water, and a Pistol.

He had put on a few extra layers of clothing,

but since he'd brought nothing to keep things warm, all his food had frozen solid.

It was cold and hard.

He couldn't swallow it at all.

He'd have to get through the whole day on fresh water alone.

And after walking nonstop,

Sharman was now cold, hungry, and exhausted.

He wished he could lie down and never wake up.

As for fighting for his country—

What was that supposed to mean?

He was a noble member of the upper class.

He'd been born to enjoy the good life.

But all he could do now was complain.

Nobody wanted to die.

Especially people who were living well.

If he'd been given the choice,

he would never have come to a place like this!

Before he knew it, he was getting closer and closer to Xu Fan.

Xu Fan noticed him, too.

"Is that a contestant from another country?"

Xu Fan glanced in Sharman's direction.

With Observation Haki, he could sense the emotions Sharman was feeling.

Frustration.

Exhaustion.

Anger.

Hatred.

All kinds of negative emotions filled his heart.

Of course, Xu Fan didn't invite him over to warm himself.

He wasn't interested in that sort of thing.

Besides, the smoked meat was ready,

so he simply tucked in alongside the Female Snow Wolf.

"Easy there, little guy. There's plenty more."

Seeing the Female Snow Wolf wolfing down the food, Xu Fan stroked its little head and spoke softly.

The Female Snow Wolf had also noticed Sharman's approach.

If it had been a ferocious beast from the Forbidden Land,

it would have bristled and watched his approach warily long ago.

But Sharman smelled much like Xu Fan.

There was a slight difference, but the scents still had something in common.

As it ate the delicious smoked meat, it watched Sharman.

This guy walked upright on two hind legs, just like Xu Fan.

Maybe he knew Xu Fan?

That was what the Female Snow Wolf thought, so it didn't attack.

It had to be said,

after awakening its Bloodline Talent, the Female Snow Wolf had become much smarter.

Its ability to think was nearly on par with a human's.

It also had emotions that ordinary beasts didn't possess.

It knew full well that it had awakened its bloodline and become stronger and smarter

because Xu Fan had given the Skill Book to it.

So deep down, it was grateful to Xu Fan.

It secretly vowed that no matter what danger they encountered, it would protect Xu Fan

and keep him from getting hurt.

Before long...

After trekking for who knew how long,

Sharman finally spotted a fire.

And beside the fire were Xu Fan and the Female Snow Wolf.

"That's..."

"A human?"

Sharman's eyes went wide.

When he'd first seen the light, he'd guessed that another contestant might have fired something like a flare.

But even after he actually laid eyes on Xu Fan,

he still couldn't believe it.

Most importantly...

Xu Fan had a cave that could shelter him from the wind and rain.

He also had a warm fire and food.

That was right.

For Sharman, who hadn't eaten anything all day,

the smell of smoked meat was the most wonderful thing in the world.

He was saved!

Gulp.

Sharman swallowed nervously, his throat bobbing. Then, taking three steps for every two, he hurried

toward Xu Fan.

"Ha... hello."

When Sharman was less than ten meters from Xu Fan, he started greeting him.

"I'm a contestant from Curry Country."

"My name is Sharman Gandhi."

"What country are you from? The Yan Kingdom? The Neon Nation?"

Although the news that Xu Fan had tamed the Female Snow Wolf had been sent to the other contestants,

Sharman had been too cold and hungry to pay attention.

Besides, the Female Snow Wolf was very small and elegant.

Without a close look, it could have passed for a large pet dog.

Xu Fan stopped what he was doing and looked Sharman over.

He could understand him!

Even though he'd never learned Curry Country's language, he could understand what Sharman was saying.

"So..."

"The Forbidden Land must have given us the ability to understand one another, to make it easier for contestants from different countries to communicate."

Xu Fan thought to himself.

Then he responded to Sharman's greeting.

"Hello, my name is Xu Fan, and I'm a contestant from the Yan Kingdom."

Xu Fan didn't see any reason to hide who he was.

Besides...

Running into someone from Blue Star in this vast Forbidden Land

was a remarkable twist of fate.

But when Sharman heard Xu Fan introduce himself,

he froze on the spot!

He'd had a vague idea of Xu Fan's identity, but even after confirming it, he still found it hard to believe.

"This man standing before me..."

"Is he the one who killed a ferocious beast on the very first day in the Forbidden Land"

"and secured the country's share of the mountain-forest resources?"

"Wait."

Sharman blinked hard, wondering whether he was imagining things.

He'd assumed Xu Fan had defeated the Forbidden Land's ferocious beasts by bringing powerful modern weapons with him.

But after looking around,

the only thing Xu Fan seemed to have was a crudely made long blade.

So how had he defeated those ferocious beasts?

It was impossible to imagine!