Chapter 122: Scavengers
The moment the barrier fell, Luke’s brows pulled tight in disgust.
Something was rotting nearby. A corpse.
Inside the resting zone, he could hear voices and feel the air, but the smell had been sealed away. Maybe the system didn’t want to give him the advantage of knowing how close he stood to a hunted carcass.
He gripped his knife and moved toward the source of the stench.
He had to start somewhere, and if it was a dead beast, there was a high chance scavengers would be lurking nearby.
Careful with every step, he advanced slowly. His nose burned, urging him to cover it, but he held back. His arms needed to stay ready, poised to strike or defend at any moment.
He couldn’t afford to lower his guard. Not here.
Scruff
The bushes rustled faintly as he pushed through and peeked to the other side.
Just as he expected.
A dead elephant lay sprawled across the ground, far larger than any ordinary one. Thick brown hide clung to its massive frame. Its stomach had been hollowed out, the fat and organs stripped clean. Judging by the state of decay, it had been dead for at least two days.
And yet...three beasts lingered around the carcass, tearing into the decaying flesh and snapping at each other over the choicest pieces.
Their fangs were broad and sharp, their bodies wrapped in coarse brown hide. Each stood nearly four feet tall at the shoulder.
Hyenas.
Common scavengers that fed on whatever an apex predator left behind.
Thankfully, whatever had hunted that massive beast was nowhere in sight.
Luke narrowed his eyes at them. Faint white letters hovered above their heads.
<Lvl 1>
So, these were his prey.
If the system had ranked them at one, they should be within his reach.
Still, caution came first.
’Assess them.’
[Name: Swarm Hyena]
[Str: 12
Spd: 13
Def: 14
Int: 12]
Nothing extraordinary, but more than enough to kill him if he got careless.
His stats were higher across the board. But what the beasts held over him was experience and a better grasp of the terrain.
He drew a slow breath and chose surprise.
A large puddle lay off to the side. He picked up a rock and tossed it with a smooth underarm motion. It arced cleanly and dropped right into the center with a loud glop.
All three beasts snapped their heads toward the sound, growls rising in alarm.
Luke moved at once. He surged strength through his arm and hurled the knife at the nearest hyena.
"KREEE!"
The blade buried itself in its stomach. The hyena shrieked and staggered. Along with the other two, it turned toward the bush where Luke had stood a moment ago.
But he was already moving.
He broke into a run, feet tearing through the soil without restraint. The noise gave away his position, but he didn’t care. He didn’t need stealth anymore.
Steel claw ready, he halted in a sharp pivot on his right foot and lunged straight at the closest hyena.
"Grrr!"
The beast charged too, faster than its heavy frame suggested.
Luke read it cleanly. He slipped past the snapping jaws that closed just short of his shoulder and drove his claw up beneath its neck.
SQUELCH
The talons sank deep. The hyena howled and tried to wrench itself free.
Luke snarled, twisting his grip, grinding the wound wider.
"Nnghhhhuuu!"
It thrashed wildly, snapping for his throat, but Luke braced it back with his free hand, his strength holding its jaws just out of reach.
Just then, he heard hurried steps. The last uninjured beast charged in from the side, aiming straight for him.
Luke clicked his tongue. "Quite the teamwork..."
He dismissed the steel claw into his inventory, freeing himself from the wounded hyena, and leapt back. The charging beast crashed straight into its companion.
Another howl tore through the air as the stabbed one, already bleeding heavily, took the impact.
The attacker staggered back to its feet, shook its head once, and fixed Luke with dull, furious eyes.
Luke exhaled softly. "It hasn’t even thought of running... does it not see me as a threat?"
The thought irritated him, but he steadied himself.
Two were down. One remained.
The hyena snarled and lunged again.
Luke didn’t hesitate. He burst forward as well, metal claws forming over his hands, ready to tear its head clean off and end it.
But just before impact, the hyena skidded.
Mud and water exploded from the puddle, splashing straight into Luke’s face.
"Gah, fuck!"
Grit and water blurred his vision. He swung blindly, forcing space between them.
Then he heard it.
"Keh-keh-keh-keh."
A low, mocking laugh. That bastard.
Luke stayed calm. ’Trace it with the Appraising Eye.’
His enhanced vision ignored the obstruction. Through the blur, he caught the hyena’s silhouette circling left, trying to flank him.
A grin tugged at his lips.
He pretended to stay blinded, swinging wildly in front of him, roaring in frustration. He didn’t even try to wipe his eyes.
The bait worked.
Fast, eager footsteps closed in.
Luke kept his back turned until the very last instant.
The moment the hyena lunged for his face, he pivoted.
The steel claw vanished.
The beast overshot, its eyes widening.
Too late.
His fist clenched, rage driving his strength.
When the punch landed, it didn’t just hit.
Its stomach burst on impact.
**DOOOOM**
Luke grimaced as he felt blood and gore completely splattered on his body and face, the foul smell far worse than the corpse.
He slowly removed the dirt from his face using the water he bought earlier and saw something annoying.
The one he stabbed first...it has escaped.
He was only able to kill two hyenas.
And ...that fucker even took his knife away.
Now this was simply frustrating.
[Congratulations, host. ]
[Your Gamma has gone up by 100.]
[Ding! A quest has arrived.]
[Find the surviving hyena and get your knife back.]
[Reward: 30G]
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. I hope you liked the Chapter.