"Are you coming?" Gustav asked as he stood near the entrance.
"Yeah, just a moment," Lex replied before turning to Dalia. "I’ll be back before dinner. If you get too hungry, go ahead and eat without me."
Dalia gave him a faint smile. "No, I’ll wait for you and the others."
Lex returned the smile before heading for the door.
The two of them left the house soon after, eager to see the outcome.
"What do you think?" Gustav asked. "Who do you think will win?"
Lex hummed thoughtfully. "It isn’t really about strength. It’s more about experience in the woods. Luke is strong and has been venturing into the forest for some time now, but Terek shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s spent his entire life wandering those woods."
Gustav nodded. "His duty as a guard lets him spend his time doing what he loves most: learning and hunting. And from what I’ve heard, Terek played a major role in tracking down the magical beast during the unified raid some time ago."
Lex nodded. "That’s why I think this challenge is unfair for Luke. He’s still too green for a contest like this."
Gustav smiled faintly as he noticed the concern in Lex’s eyes.
It had taken time, but it seemed the relationship between the two brothers was finally beginning to mend.
As they reached the front of the village, they saw a massive elephant being unloaded from a wooden platform.
"Hmm, that’s certainly an impressive catch," Gustav remarked as he glanced toward the young man receiving praise from the crowd.
It was Dart, the same young hunter Gustav had seen with Luke several times before.
Just as he had expected, those thick arms were not merely for show. The young man truly was a capable hunter.
"A worthy competition," Lex muttered, crossing his arms. "Even I would have a hard time finding such a healthy elephant."
He considered Dart to be almost as strong as himself. If anything, it was his own experience that would likely give him the edge in a fight against the young hunter.
The thought of crossing blades with him brought a smile to his face.
Ah, how long had it been?
"Look! Who’s that?!" someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
In an instant, every pair of eyes turned toward the village entrance.
"Terek..." Gustav recognized his brother instantly.
Baldon’s brows shot up as he stepped forward, his eyes fixed on Terek dragging what looked like a gigantic one-horned rhino behind him.
"Is that..."
"Wah... where did he even find that?"
"What the hell is that creature?"
"...That’s absurd."
Those who managed to find their voices instead of standing there in stunned silence either expressed their amazement or voiced their confusion.
Lex belonged to the latter.
"What even is that? I’ve never seen a beast like it."
Gustav grinned. "That’s because they used to live near our village years ago. As more and more routes were carved through the forest, they retreated deeper into the wilderness. Finding one is far harder than actually hunting it. And don’t let that fool you. Its hide is incredibly thick, and despite its size, it’s terrifyingly fast."
A growl escaped his throat as he added, "It takes a beast to hunt that creature."
Lex stared at the enormous carcass in amazement.
Not only was the creature terrifying even in death, but seeing someone as strong as Terek struggle to drag its massive body left Lex speechless.
"What are you doing? Bring more bricks!" Baldon called to the nearby warriors, drawing everyone’s attention.
Only then did the villagers notice the cloaked figure who had been standing quietly in the corner all this time.
It was the village chief.
Baldon looked at Terek and smiled. "I thought you’d go easy on the boys this year."
Terek loosened the ropes around his shoulders before replying, "I planned to, but I changed my mind."
As he spoke, his gaze briefly shifted toward Gustav.
Gustav’s expression darkened as he understood exactly what that meant.
Of course.
Terek had gone out of his way to display the full extent of his hunting skills for one reason alone.
To defeat Luke.
To prove that he was still the strongest man in the family.
Shaking his head, Gustav muttered under his breath, "You’re no longer the Terek I knew..."
More bricks were soon brought over, and the stone slab now held a total of fifty.
Dart could already tell the beast outweighed the elephant he had hunted, but he refused to give up hope.
Maybe Terek had exhausted himself hunting such a monster. That could explain why he had struggled so much just to drag its carcass back.
However, the moment the rhino was placed onto the weighing platform with the help of a log and several men, all of Dart’s hopes were crushed.
Thump.
The rhino’s side of the platform slammed against the ground.
Without wasting a second, Gary added five more bricks, lifting the plank slightly. Then he placed ten more until it finally balanced.
Sixty-five.
Simply... unbelievable.
It was nearly twice the weight of the elephant Dart had brought.
Terek grinned. "Better luck next time, kid."
Dart returned a faint smile, but inwardly, frustration gnawed at him.
Look at that smug old man...
Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
No one was beating Terek today.
Once again, the veteran hunter had proven why he served as one of the Supreme One’s guards.
The contest all but seemed over, with Terek standing as the unquestioned victor.
Then suddenly...
"Hey... l-look at that..."
A man raised a trembling finger toward the forest.
Everyone slowly turned in the direction he was pointing.
In an instant, every warrior tensed.
Some even drew their weapons.
Terek and Baldon dropped into guarded stances as well, but not because of the enormous silhouette approaching from the forest.
It was the overwhelming bloodlust radiating from the figure dragging the beast behind him.
As the shadow emerged into the light, they finally saw it.
A gigantic wolf.
It was far larger than the elephant and looked even heavier than the giant rhino.
And dragging it was none other than...
"Luke!" Dart shouted, unable to contain his excitement.
The tension gripping the crowd vanished the moment they realized the beast was already dead.
Baldon relaxed as well, recognizing the familiar source of the terrifying aura.
Terek, however, stared with widened eyes.
"Where did he find something like that...?"
Then his face turned pale as his gaze fell on the person tied to Luke’s back.
"Zuri?!" Terek cried before sprinting toward him.
Luke stopped at the village entrance and carefully untied Zuri from his back.
"What happened to her?" Terek asked as he gently took her into his arms.
"She only fainted. I’ve already treated her wounds."
Without another word, Luke walked past him.
He walked past everyone.
The villagers instinctively stepped aside, making a path for him.
It wasn’t just because of the suffocating presence he radiated.
It was because of the state he was in.
A man drenched in blood could never bring good news.
Dart wanted to run over to him, but Baldon raised a hand, silently stopping him.
Watching Luke’s retreating figure disappear into the village, Baldon muttered,
"He has somewhere he needs to be."