After Jian Long fully confirmed that the crocodile was dead, he waited patiently until the flock of birds finally dispersed.
Only then did he descend the slope carefully.
The heavy smell of blood filled the air. The huge body of the long-legged crocodile lay motionless on its back, its belly torn open by the thousands of sharp strikes from the sword birds. The ground around it was stained with dark blood and scraps of flesh.
Jian Long stopped a few steps away.
Even though the beast was no longer moving, he did not approach it immediately. He stood there for a few moments, his gray eyes silently watching the corpse. In the wilderness, caution was always better than recklessness.
After finally confirming that the beast was truly dead, he slowly stepped forward.
The first thing he looked at was the tail.
There, the Gu worm was still quietly attached, as if it had not participated in the battle at all. Its small body was hard and glossy, and its pointed head resembled a tiny metallic spear.
Jian Long moved closer.
When he got near enough, he was able to recognize it clearly.
A Rank 1 Metal Spear Gu.
He was not a Gu Master, and he was unable to use it. But even as nothing more than a hunter's boy, he knew the value of such a thing.
A single Gu worm… could be worth an entire fortune among ordinary mortals.
How could he possibly leave it here?
He carefully reached out his hand, then picked it up.
The worm moved slightly between his fingers, but it did not resist much. After a brief moment, Jian Long carefully placed it inside a piece of cloth and tied it tightly.
After that, he looked at the corpse once more.
This beast had been a Hundred Beast King. Even its body alone was a treasure.
But Jian Long was not greedy.
Staying in this place for too long would be foolish.
The smell of blood would attract other beasts sooner or later.
He bent down and picked up a stone the size of his palm from the ground. He sat for a moment and began striking its edges with another stone, breaking them with focus and patience.
It did not take long.
Soon, the stone became sharp-edged, like a crude knife.
Jian Long stood up and walked toward the corpse.
He knelt beside it and began cutting off some pieces of meat from the less damaged areas. His movements were cautious and measured, like those of a hunter accustomed to preparing prey since childhood.
After gathering enough for a meal, he stopped.
Then he looked at the crocodile's thick hide.
An idea came to his mind.
He used the sharp stone again and cut off a suitable piece of hide. The hide was tough and durable, but after some effort, he managed to carve out a large enough piece.
This hide could become useful later.
He could make a small bag from it to carry his belongings… or a waterskin.
At last, Jian Long stood up.
He cast one final glance at the huge corpse.
There was nothing else he could quickly take.
And the smell of blood in the air was becoming stronger with every passing moment.
Without hesitation, he took the meat and hide he had collected, then quickly left the place, heading deeper into the forest before other beasts arrived to feed on the crocodile's corpse.
....
After three days of continuous walking, Jian Long finally reached the mountain.
His journey had been extremely exhausting. During those three days, he had not known real rest. During the day, he walked cautiously through the bushes and rocks, avoiding traces and scents of beasts. At night, he slept lightly and uneasily, waking at the slightest sound. The food he had taken from the crocodile's corpse was not much, but it was barely enough to keep him alive.
When he arrived at the foot of the mountain, he did not feel completely relieved, but he still let out a sigh of relief.
At the very least, this place was somewhat safer than the low forest.
In the Southern Border, many beasts lived in forests, rivers, and swamps, while mountains were usually less crowded with them. Humans also often chose to settle near or on mountains. That was why Jian Long had endured all that hardship to reach this place.
But after he began wandering around the area, he soon realized something disappointing.
There was no sign of humans.
The mountain was completely deserted.
Jian Long felt disappointed, but the feeling did not last long. He quickly forced himself to calm down.
The absence of humans was not entirely bad news.
At the very least, it also meant that this place was not close to a conflict zone or a dangerous road. Even if the mountain was abandoned, it was still better than staying in the heart of the open forest.
So he continued searching.
He wandered around the mountain for long hours, observing the terrain around him as he searched for a suitable place to stay for some time, even if only temporarily. He did not need anything comfortable, only a place where he could sleep without fearing that a beast would devour him during the night.
A small cave.
A crack in the rocks.
A narrow place that would be easy to defend.
Anything like that would be enough.
While he was moving around one of the rocky slopes, something suddenly made him stop.
Not far away, a bear appeared before him.
No… it was not just an ordinary bear.
The moment his eyes fell upon it, Jian Long felt the blood in his body turn cold.
It was a Hundred Beast bear.
Its body was as large as an elephant, covered in thick muscles and rough dark fur. Its limbs were as thick as tree trunks, and its claws looked capable of tearing apart the rocks themselves. Just standing there gave an overwhelming sense of weight and savage strength.
Jian Long froze in place.
At that moment, he truly thought that his end had come.
This time, there were no nearby trees to climb.
No rocky slope he could use.
No flock of sword birds to save him.
If this beast attacked him, he would have no way to resist or escape.
He did not even dare to move.
He held his breath, his entire body tense without realizing it, as if even the slightest movement might provoke the beast in front of him.
The bear, however, raised its head and looked at him.
Its eyes were heavy, almost devoid of emotion, as if the boy standing before it were nothing more than an insect by the side of the road.
Several moments passed that felt suffocatingly long.
Then…
The bear lost interest.
It slowly turned its body and moved back toward its dwelling without any hurry.
Only then did Jian Long finally breathe again.
But he did not take his eyes off the beast. Instead, he followed it with his gaze until he saw the place it entered.
There was a huge hollow at the side of the mountain, something like a giant pit or a low cave. For an ordinary bear it might be called a den, but for this beast, which was the size of an elephant, the dwelling itself was enormous, fitting its massive body.
Jian Long looked at the giant den, and then an old memory flashed in his mind.
His thoughts returned to the days when he used to go hunting with his father and the hunters of their village. During those times, the hunters often exchanged many strange stories and rumors about the beasts of the mountains and forests.
Among those rumors, he remembered one in particular.
It was said that some brave hunters would jump into a bear's den to hunt it. According to the rumor, if a person jumped into a bear's den, the bear would not attack them.
It was a rumor so strange that it was almost ridiculous.
At that time, no one had taken it seriously. In fact, no one even knew who would be crazy enough to try such a thing. Anyone who approached a bear's den was already considered tired of life—so how much more someone who jumped into it himself?
Because of that, no one knew whether the rumor was true or merely nonsense that hunters passed around to entertain themselves around the fire.
Jian Long thought about it for a moment, then shook his head inwardly.
Even if the rumor were true, trying it on a Hundred Beast bear would be pure suicide.
He silently moved away from the place, deliberately keeping his footsteps light as he left. He did not want to attract the beast's attention again.
After that, he continued wandering around the mountain.
Several more hours of searching passed.
The sun slowly moved across the sky, and the mountain air grew colder with time. Fatigue had begun to accumulate in his body, and his legs ached from all the walking, but he did not allow himself to stop. Finding shelter before nightfall was a necessity, not a luxury.
Fortunately, after much wandering, he finally found a suitable cave.
It was not very large, but it seemed good enough.
Its entrance was not wide, which was good, since narrow entrances were easier to guard and conceal. The inside was relatively dry, and the rocky ground was less unpleasant than he had expected. It was not perfect, but it was far better than sleeping out in the open.
Jian Long entered the cave cautiously, inspecting it step by step.
He looked at the ground first, then the dark corners, then the ceiling and the walls. He did not want to be surprised by a poisonous snake, a strange insect, or even a small beast that had taken the place as its home.
While he was examining the walls, he noticed something strange.
On one side, there was a small hole.
It was not obvious at first glance, because it lay in the shadow of the rock and looked more like a narrow crack than a passage. But when he approached it, he realized it was deeper than it appeared.
It was extremely narrow.
In fact, it was so small that it could barely fit a boy his age, and even then only if he bent his back and forced his body inside.
Jian Long stopped in front of it.
The sight immediately aroused his curiosity.
Where did this hole lead?
He stared at it for a few moments.
Then he made his decision.
He slowly bent down.
And slipped his body into the narrow opening.