Ji Yuan spent an additional hour after getting the hang of his new body. By the time he was ready to call it quits, he collected only two fish.
He frowned at this result, a feeling of disappointment welling up within him. Was he really this useless or were these fish cultivating some profound energy too? Yeah, that makes sense. Just as humans can gain strength from the energy of heaven and earth, the animals can as well.
The fish with profound energy serve as necessary food for the predators who also have profound energy. The stronger the prey, the stronger the predators have to be. It makes sense for someone who was only at the tenth level of the Elementary Profound realm to struggle catching small fish.
Ji Yuan comforted himself with that rhetoric and a smile reappeared on his face.
After killing the two fish, the book recorded them and gained far more energy than it did from recording grass and other plants.
Even if it was still incomparable to Xiao Yuan's worth, it was enough to exchange for more supplementary ingredients. The quantity of plants he harvested along with these two fish and some leftover energy from Xiao Yuan was worth a single main ingredient and three supplementary ingredients.
Almost there!
All that's left is personally killing a canine and digging out its eyes. Once he has that, then he can truly embark on the path of a Hunter.
Ji Yuan stored the fish in the book and stood up. Fortunately, those strangers weren't looking at him playing with his book. They got bored of him a while ago, so there was no need to worry about them getting greedy over treasure.
It's fortunate, but also a bit unfortunate at the same time.
He decided to get closer to those campers for the purpose of asking for directions. They seemed friendly enough, so there shouldn't be any problem with that.
However, just as he was halfway over to them, a beast in the distance let out a long howl that echoed through the forest. The group of five were alerted by the incoming threat and scrambled for their weapons.
"Tu Di, why didn't you see them!?"
"Boss, they came out of nowhere! They're running at full speed!"
The skinny man, who was supposed to be the scout, failed to see the wolves breaking out of the deep forest and charging to the clearing by the river. The wide-eyed beasts snarled and sprinted toward the resting humans and caught them completely off guard.
The unshaven man went for an axe which fit Ji Yuan's expectations, but the woman pulled a saber from her sheathe. That surprised him. He thought it was for show, but he guesses he can't judge a book by its cover.
Women in this type of world need to be strong or else they'd be treated like treasure—used up and tossed aside or forcibly held onto until they're ruined.
The scout, thin as a monkey and high-strung as one, darted into his tent and pulled out a bow and a set of arrows strapped in a quiver. The remaining fighters had their swords at the ready.
"Hey, how about we work together?" Ji Yuan asked them in a joyful tone.
His tone of voice was a bit off putting in this situation, but there was no reason for them to refuse help. They've already estimated his strength through observation and judged that even if he were to try and attack them, they'd be able to reliably deal with it.
"Fine. You take care of your side while we handle ours."
The big man agreed and there was nothing left to say.
Ji Yuan was happy for one reason and one reason only. The last ingredient he needed was here.
There was a pack of fourteen wolves led by a leader who gave off a threatening aura. The largest one at the back had an imposing aura that was like shards of glass pricking Ji Yuan's skin and making his hair stand at end. It barked with the intensity of a raging bear's roar and incited the charging wolves to move even faster..
Four out of the thirteen went to just him. He felt it was unfair, but at the same time, he liked this unfairness.
Why did these guys even come here all of a sudden? He's not a vet nor does he watch animal planet, so he can't figure out why they're being attacked by a pack out of nowhere.
Were they coming for a drink and got agitated from seeing human beings around or did they smell the blood on his body and decided that it'd lead them to a decent meal? Either way, he lucked out with having some people to share the burden of battle with.
He has no weapon, but...
"I don't feel that much of a threat from these dogs except for the big one," he muttered.
He clenched his fist and stepped forward, confronting the rhythm of the four wolves before they fully surrounded him. For animals like these that are skilled in teamwork, it's better to break their offense before they get going.
He learned this kind of fighting back when he fought against people who loved to huddle together and gang up on others.
The four-legged animal only came up to his waist, meaning that slamming a fist into it would leave him more open than if he launched a kick to its face. His foot raised into the first beast's nose and stunned it.
Much to Ji Yuan's surprise, his attack sent the beast rolling several meters away. He did not have a good estimate of his strength because he doesn't know the level of strength his realm is supposed to possess, but even if he did, his estimation would've still been inaccurate.
He may not be at the Nascent Profound Realm, but this body was originally that of someone who was at that realm. It wasn't the type of unstable realm built up by pills and other medicine either. He didn't have that much to spend on resources. He worked himself into the ground and then he was recognized for his efforts.
The body's realm fell, but its physical strength didn't fall all the way to the same realm. It may have lowered a bit, but this was still the body of someone who was in the Nascent Profound Realm.
Ji Yuan's thoughts rapidly turned as the three other animals tried circling around him. He kicked off the ground and dashed to the beast that was struggling to push off the ground.
Savage growls entered his ears from behind. The rush of blood nearly drowned out the sound of those wolves. He grabbed the tail of the wolf in both hands and swung it like a flail behind him.
There was a meaty thwack that reverberated through his arms. The sensation of beating someone with the body of someone else was a nostalgic feeling that made him feel like he was high.
He was fighting again.
Ji Yuan was fighting again. He was spilling blood, breaking bones, shattering teeth, and gouging eyes again.
And finally.
He will kill this time.
There's a great difference between hunting fish and battling against an animal that wants to kill while doing everything to kill it in turn. There's a sense of mutual recognition.
The wolves want to kill him.
Ji Yuan wants to kill the wolves.
The transmigrator heard a loud howl go off in the distance, but it went through one ear and out the other. His focus was on these three wolves in front of him.
He smacked the wolf in his hands onto the ground head-first and stunned it again.
He heard feet stomping against the ground and flicked his eyes momentarily in that direction.
"That's way more than thirteen wolves. I should've expected the pack to be bigger."
From thirteen to forty-three. The pack of wolves were finally out in full force. Five more wolves joined the fray against him while the rest of the pack descended on the camp. The leader wolf finally moved too. It dashed toward the camp with a vicious glint in its eyes.
"Guess I gotta hope they can handle it but..."
He looked over to see them completely uninjured while showing good teamwork against the wolves. They were well prepared, so there's no need to worry there.
Ji Yuan smashed the wolf's head onto the ground once more. With a sickening crack its neck twisted at an impossible angle and its tongue began to loll out of its mouth. Ji Yuan spun and threw it at the charging wolves and dashed to the wolves who tried to circle around him.
That was his first true kill ever since he transmigrated, but that's not enough. It's not nearly enough. He's just getting started!
The wolves howled.
"Come on!"
Ji Yuan roared.