But it still caused some damage, making the beast roar in pain.
A chain shot through its wide-open jaws. Lican gripped the other end with his free hand and yanked hard, the sudden force knocking several of the beast's fangs loose. Using the chain as if he were riding the beast, he pulled its head upward, exposing its jaw, then drove the jade pin into the exposed flesh.
Blood spilled.
Lican had watched Dougal strike this exact spot earlier. He had noticed that, unlike the rest of its body, this area wasn't nearly as strong. So he kept stabbing, again and again. His movements became almost savage as the jade pin repeatedly pierced the beast, splattering blood across his hands.
The trio's eyes twitched. They could only stare, grimacing as they watched the sheer insanity of the boy's attack.
Luoming finally broke the silence. "I think I know who killed that Night Panther."
The three exchanged strange looks before almost simultaneously turning back toward the battle. The brutality was raw, and they stared at the kid in silence.
"I think he's the beast," Rhys said, his breath trembling.
Luoming absentmindedly nodded.
"You guys are wrong. He may seem crazy, but he's very calculated. What do you expect from a kid who wandered into this forest?" Dougal shook his head.
Lican was completely unaware of their conversation. He jumped down from the snake, pulling on the chain as he landed. A heart-wrenching sound of flesh tearing echoed through the strangely quiet surroundings as the lower half of the snake's jaw split apart.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound of blood hitting the ground echoed through the silence. The trio's mouths hung open as they stared at the snake's divided jaw, its flesh crimson-red and blood spilling freely, bathing the ground beneath it.
CLANG!
The sound snapped the group out of their stupor. The lean kid was already walking toward them, while behind him, the snake's massive body collapsed onto the ground. A pool of blood spread around it as its body continued convulsing.
Lican stopped. As if remembering something, he turned around expressionlessly and walked back toward the dying snake, pulling out his makeshift weapon.
PUCHI!
The stone pierced the snake's body. Slowly, he drove it deeper, the sound of flesh grinding against stone making the trio grimace. After inspecting the wound, Lican plunged his hand into the snake's body and began searching, blood spilling over his arm.
Then he pulled his hand out.
Between his fingers was a round, bead-like object. He stared at it, studying the strange patterns covering its surface.
"So this is what a Beast Core looks like," he mumbled.
He turned toward the trio. "I'll be borrowing this."
He casually slipped the bloody bead into his pocket. The trio's faces twitched slightly, but none of them spoke. They had just witnessed the kid's brutality firsthand. Who knew what he would do if they refused? They swallowed at the thought.
Ignoring them, Lican turned back toward the snake and cut off a piece of its flesh. Blood spilled as a strong, earthy stench radiated from the carcass. Then he turned toward the trio.
"I'll be collecting my payment."
His voice was blunt and completely expressionless.
"But..." Luoming started.
Dougal immediately glanced at him.
Luoming fell silent. He shut his mouth in defeat, then removed the bag from his waist. He opened it and emptied its contents, and objects far larger than the bag itself fell out, piling up on the ground.
"Take the universal bag," Luoming said, tossing it toward Lican.
Lican caught it.
So it's called a universal bag... hmm.
He studied it for a moment before trying to store his knife inside. The knife disappeared into the bag without a problem. He then tried storing the jade pin, but it didn't work.
Lican's brows furrowed as he stared at the jade pin with renewed interest.
"Maybe it's a spatial treasure that's stronger than the bag," Dougal said. "Smaller spatial treasures can't contain larger ones."
Lican turned toward him, confusion evident on his face.
Seeing an opportunity to brag, Luoming immediately spoke. "Oh? You don't know what a spatial treasure is? No worries. I'll tell you."
He adjusted his position on the ground, clearly enjoying the chance to explain.
"A spatial treasure is a treasure that contains its own space—a void within it. It can hold objects much larger than itself, depending on its quality."
He sighed, staring at the jade pin with undisguised fascination.
Lican turned away, fondly swiping his fingers across the jade pin before inserting it back into his hair. He then turned toward the forest and began walking away.
"Kid, thank you. If you ever visit Black Cloud City, you can come find us at the Purple Hounds Mercenaries," Dougal called.
Lican paused.
"Okay."
That was all he said before dashing into the dark wilderness, his figure quickly disappearing between the trees.
Behind him, the trio remained silent. Rhys slowly breathed out.
"Shit... if that kid gets stronger..."
His face had turned pale.
"That was why I tried to build a relationship with him in the first place," Dougal said, still staring at the spot where Lican had disappeared. "Better to have more friends than enemies."
Unaware of their discussion, Lican moved through the jungle, munching on his remaining jerky. His eyes remained wide and alert, constantly scanning his surroundings, while a grin slowly spread across his face.
Today's harvest was huge.
He returned to the spot where he had dropped his belongings earlier and was relieved to find that no other beasts had discovered them. He quickly gathered everything, wrapped them up, and stored them inside his universal bag.
He couldn't help but laugh.
"What a treasure."
He looked at the bag with newfound appreciation. With this, he wouldn't have to carry heavy loads around while hunting anymore.
After about forty minutes, Lican finally arrived at the stream. He squatted beside the water and took the meat from his universal bag. Using his makeshift stone blade, he began cutting and cleaning the flesh, throwing away the unwanted parts.
He stared at the crimson meat. Even after being separated from the beast, a trace of vitality still lingered within the flesh.
Lican washed it thoroughly in the stream. When he finished, he stripped off his clothes and stepped into the water, washing his body and scrubbing away the dried blood that covered his skin.
Afterward, he looked down at himself. Claw marks and bruises covered parts of his body.
Lican sighed.
He ignored them. There was no point worrying about wounds he could still endure.
He picked up the cleaned meat and prepared to leave.