In addition to the energy-rich meat and beast bones, the beast core is the most important thing on a magical beast's body. It can be used as equipment material, and every magical beast has one, though the size, quality, and rarity vary.
The Ironclad Bear, one of the most common magical beasts, has its beast core located near the skull, just behind the brain. This means that the beast core can only be extracted from a dead beast, not a living one.
The beast core of the Ironclad Bear from the previous tiger clan raid on the valley was already extracted and stored in the warehouse.
"Besides the beast core, something feels off, boss," Dry Leaf said with a serious expression. "You should come see this. Everyone, come over."
One by one, everyone gathered around.
Dry Leaf stood next to the magical beast's head. "When I retrieved the arrows, I noticed something odd here... and it seems the other side is the same."
The others crowded in. Some gasped in shock.
"My God... What is this?"
"What is that black stuff dripping?"
"Why are the eyeballs like that? What's going on?"
Kent furrowed his brows. After a moment, he commanded, "Check the tiger clan bodies around here."
Soon, voices of response echoed from the surroundings.
"Shit..."
"Shit, what is this? It's like we're seeing ghosts..."
"The eyes of these bodies are also..."
"How come there's only black, no whites?"
"The blood is black too..."
"Are these tiger clan members?"
"Are they even... human?"
"Now that I think about it, there was something off during the fight..."
"What the hell did we just kill?"
A heavy silence fell over them as they stood there. Everyone felt the unease.
This unknown situation had already surpassed their experience and judgment, leaving them at a loss. Darkness, even darker darkness, enveloped the entire forest and the whole night. Even the small warmth and light of the campfire seemed helpless and insignificant in the face of the overwhelming blackness.
Kent clenched his fists tightly.
The promise of the Red Tiger Clan...
The full moon, two days' time...
Morning.
Along the turbulent Red River, the tiger clan bodies that had already been drained of blood lay quietly in the scattered grass along the riverbank. All the bodies had their left ears cut off, a custom of the plateau. When spring arrived with its abundant rains and rising river waters, the world would gradually cover up the massacre that had taken place here. The silent blood and flesh would turn into nutrients for the earth, continuing the cycle of life.
The extinguished campfire lay abandoned, and the guard squad was nowhere to be seen.
Along the Red River, flowing downward, the endless black forest was sparsely populated. Massive tree canopies hid the path, and the dull forest floor, with broken leaves and rotting soil, made it easy to trace the direction in which the tiger clan and magical beasts had come.
A few figures appeared at the riverbank. The guard squad scattered, inspecting the traces left by the tiger clan's passing last night.
"How many did we kill last night? Thirty-three? Thirty-four?"
"Thirty-five ears, counting the Ironclad Bear, that makes thirty-six."
"My God, that's the size of three or four scout squads..."
"There were a lot of them, but their fighting power wasn't that strong..."
"Our squad worked well together, and we had the advantage in certain areas..."
From a training perspective, last night's battle could be considered a classic example of a small-scale skirmish. The guard squad, with the help of Water Stream, had only ten people in total. They wiped out over thirty tiger clan members and one Ironclad Bear, a creature usually found on battlefields, with no casualties on their side.
In the past, this would have been an unimaginable miracle, but it had happened for real.
This was the result of equipment and teamwork systems, improving coordination and capabilities, even in their initial stages. At the moment of engagement, they gained a local advantage, with shields advancing, spears piercing, and ranged attacks eliminating enemies. The two-on-one and three-on-one strategies quickly disabled opponents.
"Hmm, feels like they're just charging in like a swarm. At this rate, I can take on however many come..."
"Your stamina won't hold out, Fatty Bull. Also, they didn't have any high-level warriors in their squad."
"What's a high-level warrior?"
"One that can transform. Splitting Blade, you should have seen them on the battlefield."
"Heh, high-level warriors, they're treasures in any army. Why would they come here?"
"Don't be so sure. Our boss, a powerful magician, is here, isn't he?"
"That's not the same."
"Something's off... I can't put my finger on it," Splitting Blade muttered.
Splitting Blade could sense the unease that everyone felt, except for the giant.
For the giant, fear had never existed. Only forward bravery and thoughts of food and drink. But for the others in the squad, the anxiety did not fade despite their victory last night. In fact, it seemed to be spreading.
The black blood, the pitch-black eyes with no whites, the near-mad fighting scenes, and the undying, relentless desire.
It was completely different from the tiger clan they had faced when they first arrived at the valley.
Those guys were still bloodthirsty and brutal, but when you faced them, you knew they were a different species with different goals, even though evil filled their eyes.
But last night's enemies had no humanity left in them. They were nothing but beasts.
The dense tree shadows stretched deep into the forest. In the distance, the sound of birds calling could be heard, and the crow looked back.
"Boss, Cripple has news. There seems to be something up ahead."
"Let's go check it out," Kent nodded, then turned to the others, "Stay close."
At a bend in the river, where the foliage was thick, Cripple waved them over.
Kent and Water Stream climbed the slope first, and the others followed behind.
"Boss, take a look here..." Cripple, with his warbow nocked with a black feathered arrow, pointed ahead.
Kent's eyes widened as he saw a strange scene. The morning sunlight pierced through the dense forest, casting dappled shadows on the slope. Scattered stones and uprooted grass roots indicated there had recently been some chaos here.
Two tiger clan bodies lay on the ground.
"Internal conflict?" Crow, who had arrived behind, asked uncertainly.
The bodies were brutally mangled, and their positions were odd, as if they had fought to the death. One of the bodies had its claws pierced through the other's chest, while the victim's short sword had stabbed through the attacker's throat.
The others climbed up and, upon seeing the strange scene, fell silent.
How could this happen? The tiger clan members fighting among themselves?
"No, it's not internal conflict." Cripple, who had discovered the bodies first, had already examined the scene before everyone arrived. "These two bodies are different. Look at this..." He pointed at the one with the stabbed throat. "It's just like last night—black blood and eyes, black as pitch." Then he pointed at the other body. "This one's blood is red, and its eyes are cloudy, but it's still normal..."
Why was this happening? Everyone exchanged confused glances.
"How long have they been dead?"
"Looking at the normal one, the body's already stiff, and the dryness of the grass roots suggests it happened yesterday afternoon or evening."
"Yesterday afternoon or evening?"
This meant they had died before the encounter last night.
"Get ready, let's move forward and see what else we can find..." Splitting Blade commanded. "We might find more."
Such an eerie scene... There was a strong possibility that the Red Tiger Clan, who had come to meet them, had been attacked by the tiger clan.
"Received," "Received," the others responded one after another.
"Cripple, Crow..." Splitting Blade, with the most experience, took charge of the tactical preparations. "You two scout five hundred meters ahead, the rest of you, switch to the partridge lookout and keep your distance..." He took a deep breath, "If we run into those bastards, Dry Leaf and Water Stream, protect the boss, and everyone else..." His eyes scanned the group, his gaze fierce, as he muttered through clenched teeth, "Let's get them!"
Swords and blades were drawn.
Everyone's fists clenched at their hearts, their fierce response stirred the dust.