Time passed slowly, as Li Xian finished all the meat in his portion by the time the sun completely set. Of course, the little girl also ate a bit too much of what she could.
"Kid! Get ready, we will be starting soon! Let me drop the Little Bowl at someone's cave first, or you can go by yourself to the entrance area. Brother and other hunters are already gathered there and waiting for us."
Lasang said as he came inside. He then took a wooden axe from his back, before handing it to Li Xian.
"It's alright, Uncle Lasang! Drop her off and come directly to the entrance." Li Xian said as he handed the little girl, who was sound asleep.
Lasang nodded his head before walking away. Li Xian also stepped out of the cave, holding his axe in the middle of the stick.
It would have been a heroic scene going for a hunt, but his body, which is a bit too round, made it look funny. And also, these people who gathered outside their caves aren't even laughing at him for looking like that.
Instead, their eyes are filled with cruelty and complete disregard for his life. Li Xian observed them but didn't say anything as he knew how easy it was for any person to die in this damned era.
So, he can understand their disregard for him, who only wastes resources and is of zero help to their band.
He slowly made his way to the entrance, and he checked the stone axe in his hand. The axe is actually a pick axe, and it looks like Lasang did a pretty awesome job on this one especially.
But he doesn't say what type of wood he used for the handle or what kind of stone he used for the head. He used a bit of strength on his grip to see whether the wood was good, which instantly satisfied him as the handle is not slippery and also quite sturdy.
As he got closer to the hunter team, he slowly counted them one by one. Three of them are standing in the center, while eight of them are standing a bit behind them.
"Including uncle Lasang! It will be a team of 12 hunters."
Li Xian muttered as he reached them.
"Kid! Have you finished your dinner? We won't be eating any more food till tomorrow's hunting period ends."
Ankara said from the same spot, as he saw Li Xian coming with an axe.
"I'm full, Uncle! And also, I'm ready to go right away." Li Xian said as he sat on a nearby rock.
"Ankara! Why are you giving this kid a precious tool? Don't you know how long it takes to find the proper materials and stones to make them?"
One of the middle-aged guys, who is standing side by side with Ankara, questioned.
"Yes! Do you think that this kid has a chance to kill that beast with that or something? And that axe appears to be better than some of the hunters." The other main hunter also chimed in, as he saw the axe in Li Xian's hands.
"Maiman and Ranong! Does that axe belong to you? And also, that axe wasn't made with the materials I bought, and none of you contributed to it in any way. Mainly, it was given to him by my brother... I don't see any problem with him holding that axe here."
Ankara directly stated this without giving them any face.
Both of their faces instantly turned awful, as what he said is quite true. It's just that they felt that they were wasting such a good tool on a kid who was about to die. If that tool were to be given to another hunter, it would add a bit more strength to their group.
But they didn't say anymore, as they understood Ankara is already pretty dissatisfied with them, and it won't do any good for their hunt if there is an internal fight now.
Li Xian looked at the two guys, activating his eye technique. He didn't surprise me by much, as these guys have pretty equal stats to Ankara. He then observed the stone tools in their hands, which are mostly spears, axes, or daggers made of stone.
None of the hunter team gave a good look to Li Xian, and they all completely concentrated on their own work, like sharpening their tools or talking with other hunters.
Around 10 minutes later, Lasang came with a dude who looked to be blown away if the winds were a bit stronger. Li Xian simply used his eye ability to check his stats as he observed him.
'Name: none (not even nicknames)
Strength: 0.5
agility: 0.6'
"Oh! This fellow is truly as weak as this old body's owner." Li Xian muttered before standing up and walking towards him.
"Uncle Lasang! How are you going to see anything in such a dark forest on this dead night?"
Li Xian asked, as he stopped beside the weak kid, who is probably around 18 years old or so. But with all this hair that's covering their bodies in many spots, it's pretty hard to guess.
"How old are you? And how do I address you?" Li Xian completely ignored Lasang, after dropping his question and started to interact with the kid instead.
"I don't have a name, and I don't think I will ever get one in the future either, as my future is going to end tomorrow. So, just call me whatever you want to, and I don't know what my age is and have never bothered about it. But, according to what people have told me, I was born during a rainy season, and it's been around 80 or so seasons."
That guy is a bit confused as to why this 'Big Bowl' is asking such silly questions that many people in this band know the answers to. He is talking as though both of them have never met, but he still answered in the same manner as Li Xian whispered.
'Ouch'
Li Xian cried out in pain as someone knocked him on the head. He looked up and saw that it was Lasang.
"What are you kids whispering about?"
Lasang asked a bit frustratedly. This kid just asked him something, and just as he was about to explain, this kid completely ignored him and started chatting with the other kid.
"See! This is my uncle Lasang, and he thinks he is the most intelligent person in the village, and he even made this stone axe for me to fight against that beast tomorrow. If you also want one, I can ask him to give you one too. Isn't that right, Uncle Lasang?"
Li Xian said it again, trying to cheer this dude, who looks to have completely decided that he is going to die tomorrow.
Lasang gritted his teeth and glared at Li Xian before taking a short, rough dagger from his backside, where he placed it, before handing it to the other kid.
He would have never done such a thing before, but he felt something odd was going on with Li Xian. He wanted to know what kind of surprise this kid was going to give him tomorrow, and as such, he decided to go with his flow for now.
All the other hunters felt a bit bad about that. But they also didn't complain as that dagger is in poor condition and won't be of much use to them.
"Alright! We have set up some signs along the path to help us find our location at night. Now we will follow them slowly without making any noises, and we will also use the little moonlight that is flowing into the forest. But once we reach the cave area near that beast, we have plenty of plains there, with abundant moonlight."
Before walking to his brother, Lasang said and completely ignored Li Xian.
"Damn! This method is extremely dangerous, isn't it? We may come across dangerous animals or lose our way if we make even a minor error. Such a dumb method to follow." Li Xian muttered to himself.
"I know! But what can we do? And also, please take this weapon with you. I don't think I can hurt the beast, and at the same time, how are you able to stay calm and jovial about this?" The kid's voice is a bit calm at first, but his voice is raised when he said those last few sentences.
Li Xian looked at this kid a bit deeper. He thought that his being a bit casual would release some tension for this kid. But he didn't expect that this kid was still hoping for a miracle. Otherwise, why would he become enraged if he had already given up completely?
"Listen to me, keep the dagger, as I already have my weapon! When we go there tomorrow and the time comes for us to bait that beast. I will try to get the attention of that beast, and you can run away in the other direction that I run, got it? Li Xian said as if he felt a bit of pity for him.
He also decided to check the stats of the beast first. If it is too powerful for him to even get away from it. Then, he... But he soon shook his head at that thought, which kind of made him feel bad.
"C-can you do that for me? For real?" That kid asked with a bit of surprise and also a bit of hope in his voice. No one cared for him in this band, not to mention helping in such a dangerous situation.
He realized he didn't need to be here. Some of these guys' hearts are quite vicious, and they want him to die.
"Of course! I'm kind of special, and you will see it tomorrow. Let's be friends now, alright?"
Li Xian said as he held out his hand for a handshake, confusing the kid.
"You are the only friend that I have had since the day I was born. Even the old grandpa that raised me is already dead. I will make sure to repay you if I can survive tomorrow."
That kid said something emotionally before hugging Li Xian, completely ignoring the hand raised by Li Xian for a handshake.
"Alright, kids! Come here quickly and hold my hands, and don't even leave it till we reach the location for the hunt." Lasang said, as all the hunters lined up.
On the front is a hunter, who probably marked the signs, and the three main hunters distributed themselves along the line to be ready for any ambushes.
The last two are Ankara and Lasang. Li Xian and that kid walked towards them before Lasand positioned them in between Ankara and himself.