The hunters took a moment to rest before they began to gather their rewards, although there was nothing tangible to harvest. Nonetheless, they were grateful to have survived. Some hunters remained resting because of their injuries, with a few still unconscious, but fortunately, no one had died. "Chief, take a look," Draven called out, rolling the corpse off the young man.
There stood a flower, slowly blooming—it resembled a sunflower. In this grim environment, the flower seemed like a ray of hope as the sun shone through it. Everyone noticed it, their gaze slowly lifting upwards. A gap began to form in the ceiling, debris falling and cracks spreading. Their expressions turned serious. Wang Jun plucked the sunflower and ordered everyone to retreat.
"Let's get out before this place crumbles!" he exclaimed, ordering the others to carry the injured and unconscious hunters.
"But, Chief, how do we leave?" Draven asked, carrying Grimlock on his back.
Wang Jun frowned, looking around at the lack of any visible gate or door. "Follow me," he said decisively.
They made their way to the grassy area behind the throne where the young man's main body lay. Spreading out, they searched for a way out and soon discovered a small tunnel leading upwards. At the end of the tunnel, they could see sunlight filtering in through trees. However, only one person could fit inside the tunnel at a time.
Wang Jun went first. After exiting the tunnel, he helped the others up. When it was Draven's turn, he held Grimlock, so he gestured for Grimlock to go first, nuzzling him to the tunnel entrance. However, Grimlock's body couldn't fit inside the narrow tunnel.
"Pull!" Wang Jun yelled, hearing the distant sounds of the crumbling building. He refused to let anyone die here; they were all going home alive. "Dig! Some of you, dig around!"
The hunters quickly got to work, sharing the same determination as Wang Jun. They lived together and hunted together, forming a brotherly bond. Despite their exhaustion, they gritted their teeth and continued to dig.
After a while, mountains of dirt formed as they finally pulled Grimlock and Draven out of the tunnel. The hunters sighed in relief, and Wang Jun slumped to the ground, completely exhausted. Among the group, he had the lowest stamina, but his will to survive had pushed him beyond his limits. Now, the accumulated exhaustion had rendered Wang Jun unable to move his body.
Despite the urgent need to move, Wang Jun forced himself to push through his exhaustion. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move himself. Helplessly, he asked one hunter to assist him, who obliged with a smile and carried him on his back.
As they walked through the forest, Wang Jun glanced at the flower he was holding.
---
Name: Child of the Sun
- Grants the power of the sun to those who consume it.
----
Now that they were at a safe distance from the labyrinth, Wang Jun ordered everyone to rest and set up camp. He instructed Draven to contact Freya, Jacob, and Wulfgar after they had rested, to which Draven nodded before closing his eyes.
The sound of flames sizzling filled the air, accompanied by the whispers of the wind brushing against their ears. Suddenly, Draven, who had been resting, abruptly opened his eyes and sniffed the air, sensing something.
"Chief, catch a whiff of that? Smells like blood, but it ain't beast blood. It's human," Draven remarked, his senses sharpening as he stood up. "I'll go check it out," he informed Wang Jun.
Wang Jun nodded, his exhaustion too heavy to allow him to speak.
After watching Draven leave, Wang Jun shifted his focus to the Child of the Sun.
This flower was undoubtedly a great treasure to him, offering the power of the sun. He felt that all the hardships of their journey had been worth it, finally culminating in a deserving reward. However, he didn't plan to consume it just yet; he needed to know its side effects first. After all, nothing in the world comes for free.
After gazing at the flower for a few moments, he carefully hid it in his pocket. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard rustling in the bushes, and a figure emerged from the foliage.
It was Draven, but he seemed different from when he left earlier. His expression was one of confusion, pain, and anger, with a swirl of complicated emotions evident in his eyes.
Wang Jun's heart sank as a sense of foreboding washed over him.
"Chief... the tribe..." Draven began, his voice carrying a weight of concern as he explained what he had seen.
Wang Jun's fists clenched tightly as he listened intently, his expression growing more serious with each word from Draven.
As Draven explained, the smell of blood he had detected didn't come from a beast, but from a member of their tribe. He had followed the scent, initially thinking it was a hunter who had died. In this world, death at the hands of beasts and monsters was common, and while Draven had grown accustomed to it, he still felt a pang of sadness.
As he followed the trail of blood, Draven stumbled upon a horrifying scene: their tribe was burning, corpses littered the ground, and blood-soaked the earth. Despite the devastation, there were still some survivors. Draven also discovered the lifeless body of Wulfgar among the casualties. The perpetrator responsible for this massacre was nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only suffering and destruction in their wake.
"So, I'm not enough... now you also target my home..." Wang Jun gritted his teeth, blood flowing from his lips. The tribe had become his home, and everyone in it was like family to him. Yet someone had destroyed it all. Anger and sadness overwhelmed him, and if he had any energy left, he would have punched the nearest tree, blaming himself for what had happened.
He couldn't fathom how anyone, especially those from Earth, could commit such atrocities. They should have retained their morals and humanity, but the senseless destruction of their tribe proved otherwise.
Wang Jun sighed heavily, his eyes reflecting a sense of defeat. Despite his youth and origins on Earth, he had never experienced emotions as intense as these. It felt as though someone was wrenching his heart apart, causing unbearable pain. Yet, in the face of such devastation, he felt utterly powerless, unable to change what had transpired.
"What about Freya and Jacob?" Wang Jun asked, his voice heavy with concern.
"I didn't see them," Draven replied. "It's possible they're either being held captive or have retreated."
The hunters were undoubtedly the most affected by the situation. Having lived longer in the tribe than Wang Jun, they had formed strong family bonds over the years. Despite their stoic faces, Wang Jun could sense the depth of their emotions.
"So, what should we do, Chieftain?" Draven asked calmly, though blood flowed from his palm, evidence of the turmoil within.
Wang Jun sighed heavily before responding, his voice firm. "We are going to get our revenge."