Unexpected Gains

A series of roars rang out.

The Copperback Hyenas and Devil Horses had gone to war.

They truly treated life and death lightly—if they didn't like it, they fought.

They even skipped the opening exchange of insults, cursing while they fought like gangsters brawling in the streets.

Before the Demon Beast invasion, when these animals had not yet mutated, how would Devil Horses have dared to fight hyenas? Running away would have been their only option.

But now, the battle between the two sides was fierce. The Devil Horses showed no sign of being at a disadvantage, their scales giving them formidable defense and making them incredibly tough.

Yet the Copperback Hyenas were no pushovers either. Taking advantage of their smaller size, they targeted the lower body with viciously underhanded attacks. Meanwhile, whenever a Devil Horse bit down on one of their backs, its teeth were bounced away by hides as hard as Steel.

Though neither side had gained the upper hand, they were evenly matched. Su Wuming peeked out with only his eyes exposed, watching the fight while critiquing 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. Focusing its attack on the perineum, it bit through the Devil Horse's abdomen in one swift motion, leaving its guts spilling out.

Su Wuming's butt clenched at the sight.

He inwardly cursed the Copperback Hyena for having no martial ethics and using such despicable methods.

Then he suddenly noticed a change on the mission panel.

[Mission: Heart of the Strong, personally kill 25 First-Order Monsters]

[Mission Reward: System Coins +25]

[Time: 6/7 days]

[Progress: 3/25]

The progress had gone up by one???

At the same time, the system prompt sounded in his mind:

[Black Iron Rank Demon Beast killed +1, System Coins +1]

What?

So?

Because he had set bait and lured them into fighting, the kill had been credited to him in the end.

This worked too?

This worked way too well!!!

Getting carried like this felt amazing.

Plans never kept up with changes, and changes never kept up with fate.

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

With that thought, Su Wuming suppressed his excitement and continued watching the battle, keeping a close eye on the mission panel to verify his theory.

The Copperback Hyena that had successfully ambushed its opponent earlier had not even pulled its head out of the Devil Horse's belly before another Devil Horse returned the favor in kind. Its end was too gruesome to behold.

[Progress: 4/25]

[Black Iron Rank Demon Beast killed +1, System Coins +1]

Fortunately, seeing both the progress and system rewards increase by one suppressed Su Wuming's urge to vomit.

[Progress: 5/25]

[...]

As time passed, the battle grew increasingly savage. The deaths of their companions and the thickening scent of blood completely stirred up their ferocity, and both sides began tearing into each other without restraint.

At the same time, the progress continued to rise, eventually stopping at [Progress: 24/25].

That was because only one Copperback Hyena remained alive in the field. It had become the final victor and could now feast on the banquet before it.

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 and faced away from the battered Copperback Hyena.

"I admire your courage, and I acknowledge that you now qualify to fight me. I, Su, will not take advantage of you. I'll give you three seconds to recover."

Copperback Hyena: ...Did you hear yourself?

What the hell did you mean, taking advantage of me? I'm not even human!!!

Su Wuming raised three fingers and began counting down.

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

"The three seconds are up. I'll use only one move, called Rubber Pistol. Hoh! Huh?... Where's the beast?"

Su Wuming stared blankly at the spot where the Copperback Hyena had been standing. It was already gone.

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

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

Furious, Su Wuming spotted the blood trail it had left on the ground and determined the direction 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 ahead with great difficulty.

As luck would have it, Su Wuming was charging too fast to stop in time, and he rammed headfirst into its butt.

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 prompt in Su Wuming's mind:

[Black Iron Rank Demon Beast killed +1, System Coins +1]

[Mission completed, System Coins +25]

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

Ignoring such trivial details, Su Wuming immediately opened the system panel and spent all fifty System Coins at once to purchase the First Gear gift pack, successfully unlocking full Rubberization.

A warm current instantly coursed through his body, making him let out a groan.

He clenched and flexed his fists, his bones crackling as a powerful sense of strength welled up within him.

Su Wuming now had the illusion that he could solo the Demon Beasts from earlier.

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

And he had only reached that one star after yesterday's arduous training.

Still, that was understandable. Without factoring in the use of spiritual power—that was, Haki—Power Type Spirit Martial Practitioners possessed considerable combat strength from the moment they awakened. Throwing spears, for example, was terrifyingly lethal among Black Iron Rank Spirit Martial Practitioners.

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

After more than twenty Demon Beasts had slaughtered each other, the stench of blood in that stone forest had long since spread outward.

Demon Beasts began arriving one after another.

Su Wuming was collecting Beast Crystals when he heard the footsteps of Demon Beasts approaching through the fog behind him. There were quite a few of them.

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

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

Su Wuming consoled himself as he ran, completely lacking the high spirits he had displayed when he had desperately needed System Coins.

Now that his Rubber Constitution had been fully unlocked, he could take his time with the first gate of the Eight Gates. It would be best to team up with his classmates; that way, his hunting efficiency would be higher.

He would spend the remaining five days training diligently and improving his cultivation.

At the very least, when fighting others, he wanted to be able to coat parts of his body with Armament Haki.