Unexpected Gains

A burst of roars came from ahead.

The Copperback Hyenas and Devil Horses had gone to war.

They treated life and death lightly—if they didn't submit, they fought.

They even skipped the opening exchange of insults, cursing as they fought instead, like a street brawl between gangsters.

Before the monster beast invasion, when these animals had yet to mutate, how would Devil Horses have dared to fight hyenas? They would only have run away.

But now, the battle between both sides was fierce. The Devil Horses were not at a disadvantage at all, their scales providing excellent defense and making them remarkably tough.

But the Copperback Hyenas were no pushovers either. Taking advantage of their smaller size, they specifically attacked low, striking with vicious cruelty and no bottom line whatsoever. Meanwhile, every time a Devil Horse bit down on one's back, its jaws were bounced away by that steel-hard hide.

Though neither side was losing, they were evenly matched. Su Wuming peeked out with only his eyes exposed, watching while offering commentary on both sides.

Just then, one Devil Horse failed to dodge in time and crashed into its companion.

The Copperback Hyena fighting it immediately seized the opportunity and pulled the rug out from under it. Aiming for its perineum, it bit straight through its abdomen, leaving its guts spilling out.

Su Wuming's sphincter clenched at the sight.

He inwardly cursed the Copperback Hyena for having no martial ethics, its methods far too despicable.

But then, he suddenly noticed a change on the mission panel.

[Mission: Heart of the Strong, kill 25 first-order monster beasts alone]

[Mission Reward: System Coins +25]

[Time: 6/7 days]

[Completion: 3/25]

The completion count had gone up by one???

At the same time, the system notification sounded:

[Black Iron Rank monster beast killed +1. System Coins +1.]

What?

So?

Because I set bait and lured them into fighting each other, the kill counted as mine in the end.

This worked too?

This was fucking perfect!!!

Getting carried like this felt amazing.

Plans could not keep up with changes, and changes could not keep up with fate.

It seemed he would complete the mission ahead of schedule this time.

Thinking this, Su Wuming suppressed his excitement and continued watching the battle, keeping his eyes on the mission panel to confirm his guess.

At that moment, the Copperback Hyena that had succeeded in its sneak attack had yet to pull its head from the Devil Horse's abdomen when another Devil Horse returned the favor in kind. Its end was too gruesome to behold.

[Completion: 4/25]

[Black Iron Rank monster beast killed +1. System Coins +1.]

Fortunately, seeing the completion count and system reward rise at the same time suppressed Su Wuming's urge to vomit.

[Completion: 5/25]

[...]

As time passed, the battle grew increasingly intense. The deaths of their companions and the thickening scent of blood completely stirred both sides' ferocity, and they began biting each other without regard for anything else.

Meanwhile, the completion count continued rising until it finally stopped at [Completion: 24/25].

That was because only one Copperback Hyena remained alive in the field. It had become the final victor and could now enjoy this feast.

Just as it panted heavily and let out what sounded like a victorious cry, Su Wuming suddenly stood up.

He clasped his hands behind his back, facing away from the battered Copperback Hyena.

"I admire your courage, and I acknowledge that you now have the qualifications to fight me. I, Su, will not take advantage of someone in a weakened state. I'll give you three seconds to recover."

Copperback Hyena: ...Do you even hear what you're saying?

Taking advantage of someone in a weakened state, my ass. I'm not even a fucking person!!!

Su Wuming raised three fingers and began counting down.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"Three seconds are up. I'll use only one move, called Rubber Pistol. Hah! Eh?... Where's the beast?"

Su Wuming stared blankly at the spot where the Copperback Hyena had been standing. The beast was long gone.

"It ran? So... I just put on that whole act with my back to empty air?"

"How outrageous, you beast! Where do you think you're running?!"

Furious, Su Wuming spotted the bloodstains it had left on the ground and determined which way it had fled. He stretched out both arms, grabbed the tree trunks on either side, and stepped backward.

The instant he could retreat no farther, Su Wuming loosened his footing and shot forward like a rocket.

The moment he flew into the mist, he spotted the Copperback Hyena limping forward with great difficulty ahead of him.

Unfortunately for it, Su Wuming was charging too fast to react or brake, and he slammed headfirst into its rear.

Fortunately, it was running with its tail tucked between its legs.

Unfortunately, Su Wuming had drawn a dagger.

Secret Technique: Rubber Millennium Death!!

Awooo—!!

A miserable howl rang out, followed by the system notification in Su Wuming's mind:

[Black Iron Rank monster beast killed +1. System Coins +1.]

[Mission completed. System Coins +25.]

After that haul, Su Wuming had completed the mission ahead of schedule and was ecstatic enough to forget that his hands were covered in unclean liquid.

Not bothering with such minor details, Su Wuming opened the system panel and spent all fifty System Coins at once to purchase the Gear Shift One gift pack, successfully unlocking complete Rubberization.

At once, a wave of heat coursed through his body, making him let out an involuntary moan.

He clenched and flexed his hands hard, producing crackling sounds of bones grinding together as a powerful sense of strength welled up within him.

Su Wuming now had the illusion that he could solo the monster beasts from earlier.

Perhaps unlocking Rubberization had given him inexplicable confidence, making him forget that his cultivation was still only One-Star Black Iron.

Even that one star had only been achieved through yesterday's hard training.

Still, it was understandable. Setting aside spiritual power—or rather, Haki—strength-type Spirit Martial Artists possessed considerable combat power right after awakening. For instance, throwing a spear was terrifyingly lethal among Black Iron Rank Spirit Martial Artists.

However, what happened next completely shattered Su Wuming's illusion.

After more than twenty monster beasts had slaughtered one another, the bloody smell in that stone forest had long since spread outward.

Monster beasts began arriving one after another.

Su Wuming was gathering monster crystals when he heard the footsteps of monster beasts approaching through the mist behind him, and there were quite a few of them.

In an instant, all his earlier bravado about soloing a pack of monster beasts vanished. After quickly taking the last monster crystal, he used Rubber Rocket without hesitation and fled for his life.

"What's a Black Iron Rank monster beast even worth? Why risk my life over it?"

Su Wuming comforted himself as he ran, entirely lacking the high spirits he had shown when he desperately needed System Coins.

Now that his rubber physique was fully unlocked, he could take his time with the first gate of the Eight Gates. Ideally, he would team up with his classmates, which would make hunting much more efficient.

For the remaining five days, he would devote himself to cultivation and advance his cultivation.

At the very least, when fighting others, he needed to be able to coat part of his body in Armament Haki.