The First Real Weapon: Netherworld Wolf Leg-Bone Dagger

Chu Xiu climbed onto the branch and took down the Netherworld Wolf skeleton.

The skeleton weighed a full two hundred jin. If the Mutant Wild Apple hadn't increased his strength, he would have struggled to get it down from the tree alone.

Ning Rongrong stood beneath the tree, watching Chu Xiu heave the skeleton onto his shoulders, her pretty face full of confusion.

"Isn't that just an ordinary skeleton? It's not a spirit bone. What use could it be?"

Chu Xiu grinned. "Outside, this skeleton wouldn't be worth much. But in this godforsaken place, it's a treasure."

Qian Renxue frowned. "Do you have a plan?"

"I wouldn't call it a plan, but its uses are obvious."

Chu Xiu straightened his back and shifted the Netherworld Wolf skeleton directly over his shoulders so he could carry it more easily.

"Let's head back first. I'll explain on the way."

The three retraced their route. Qian Renxue and Ning Rongrong kept busy along the way, each gathering vines and tough leaves they could use.

Without an axe or knife, cutting down trees was out of the question.

That made the vines and tough leaves the easiest resources for Chu Xiu and the others to obtain and put to use.

They made it all the way back to the beach.

When Shui Bing'er saw the huge skeleton on Chu Xiu's shoulders, she came over in astonishment.

"My goodness, is that a Netherworld Wolf skeleton? Where did you find it?"

Ning Rongrong chuckled and eagerly showed off their find. "Impressive, right? We found it in the woods. And listen, Netherworld Wolves aren't the only Spirit Beasts here. There's at least one that's much stronger. This skeleton is what it left behind after eating."

Shui Bing'er swallowed nervously.

The presence of Spirit Beasts was the worst news they had received since their struggle to survive began.

Chu Xiu carried the skeleton a few steps farther before dropping it onto the sand. The three women followed him, and Shui Bing'er asked curiously, "Chu Xiu, you brought it back for a reason, didn't you?"

"Of course. This thing has plenty of uses."

Chu Xiu had already explained it to Ning Rongrong and Qian Renxue, but he patiently went over it again for Shui Bing'er. "Netherworld Wolf bones are known for being tough. They're even harder than many kinds of rock."

"Take these leg bones. They're long and straight. Grind one into a Bone Dagger, and wouldn't it make an excellent weapon?"

Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up. "That's right! Weapons are what we need most."

"What about the other parts?"

Shui Bing'er looked at him again.

If the leg bones could be made into weapons, he could have brought back just those. There was no need to carry the whole skeleton if they couldn't use the rest.

Chu Xiu smiled and explained:

"The other parts are useful too. We could make a bow from the ribs. It would be a little short, but with vines tied to it, it should do."

"And the wolf's teeth would make excellent arrowheads. Netherworld Wolf teeth are extremely sharp."

"As for the rest, we could try making bone armor, but that takes specialized skills. I don't think we can manage it yet."

Shui Bing'er's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

The Douluo Continent was rich in resources, and no one had thought to make weapons from Spirit Beast bones.

Chu Xiu's idea struck her as daring, but entirely possible.

There was still plenty of daylight left. Chu Xiu planned to take the skeleton apart and grind out a weapon as soon as he could.

The others kept busy too.

Shui Bing'er used the snake head left over from last night to catch shrimp and crabs, while Ning Rongrong gathered scallops and sea snails in the nearby shallows.

They could eat all that seafood raw, and the shells made ready-made containers. With no pots, bowls, or other utensils, they had to make good use of everything they found.

Qian Renxue stayed beside Chu Xiu. She took a Netherworld Wolf leg bone he had removed and began grinding it against a rock.

The leg bone was hard, but bone was easier to shape than stone. By the time Qian Renxue had ground one leg bone into the shape of a short dagger, both her arms ached.

It was still a long way from having a sharp edge.

"Tired? Let's eat first."

Chu Xiu had seen Qian Renxue rubbing her shoulders again and again. He knew she was exhausted.

Just then, Ning Rongrong and Shui Bing'er returned with a leaf bag full of seafood. Chu Xiu set down the last piece of bone he had removed, stood up, and brushed the sand off his backside.

"Did you catch any shrimp or crabs?"

Ning Rongrong held up a bag made from a flexible leaf and came forward with a delighted grin. "Look at all the good stuff we caught today."

She opened the bag. Inside were seven or eight small crabs and two sea crayfish.

There were also more than a dozen scallops of various sizes and a fist-sized sea snail.

"I picked up the scallops and the sea snail. I threw a few others back because they were too small."

Ning Rongrong set the leaf bag on the ground, looking pleased with herself.

Shui Bing'er went to fetch some fruit and gave two pieces to each of them.

It was evening by then. The four sat together eating fruit and seafood. Chu Xiu pried the sea snail and scallops from their shells, rinsed them, and placed the scallop meat and snail meat in separate shells.

The snail meat was harder to chew, so Chu Xiu kept it for himself.

The others got the scallops and shrimp. There wasn't much, but at least it was easy to eat.

"Seafood really is better. It even tastes good raw."

Ning Rongrong had eaten raw fish before, but this was her first time eating raw food she had prepared herself.

The same was true for Qian Renxue.

Eating raw snake meat yesterday had thoroughly disgusted her.

But although today's shrimp and scallops were raw too, she had no trouble swallowing them.

Seafood provides protein, but without good-quality fat, we'll only get hungrier the more we eat. We need to get a fire going soon. Then we can make snake soup.

Chu Xiu made plans in his mind.

On a deserted island, getting a fire going as soon as possible was the most important thing.

But leaves covered most of the forest floor. To find firestone, they would have to search farther in, up in the hills.

Carrying more than two hundred jin of bones back from deep in the forest had worn Chu Xiu out. After eating, he went into the grass shelter to sleep.

Once Qian Renxue and the other two had divided up the night watch, two squeezed into the shelter with Chu Xiu to rest. The third stayed outside and continued grinding the bones.

The next day.

By the time Chu Xiu woke up, the three women had finished a bone dagger.

"Chu Xiu, look. What do you think of this dagger?"

Ning Rongrong held up the bone dagger like a prize and swept it lightly to the side. It sliced through a tough leaf with ease.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

Chu Xiu praised it again and again.

An ordinary animal's bones could never be ground into a dagger this sharp.

Only the bones of a handful of Spirit Beasts had properties like steel.

"I was planning to explore the foot of the hills deeper in today. With this Bone Dagger, we'll be a lot safer."