Chapter 43: The Prey and the Hunter
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The sky had sunk into a deep, moonless darkness, and the towering mountains stretched up like silent giants. In the heart of a thick forest, a large crowd had already gathered, murmuring nervously among themselves. These were the newly awakened ones, pulled from their home villages and forced out into a night thick with danger. Soon, they would all have to venture into the canyon’s special areas, where a single misstep might mean certain death.
“Pipe down! Who’s still blabbering?” snapped one of the Golden Rooster Knights. He swept his fierce gaze over them, perched on his massive golden rooster as it let out a shrill, ringing cry that rattled everyone’s nerves.
The Knight’s voice was sharp with disgust. “Listen up, you lot. Your only job is to hunt for the ore—nothing else. Quit your moaning, shut up, and do what you’re told!”
Many of the villagers clenched their fists in frustration. If they hadn’t had families depending on them back home, some might have rushed forward to fight right then and there. Everyone knew that poking around those weird, glowing places underground would seriously harm their bodies. Still, they had no choice.
“Move out! And listen carefully—cause trouble, and you’ll regret it!” snarled the Knight.
Around him, other newly awakened villagers from Golden Rooster Ridge stood fully armed. It looked more like a chain gang under guard than a proper search party. Under the Knights’ watch, the group shuffled forward, no one daring to speak up again.
They followed a winding path until they reached the edge of an enormous canyon. A handful of villagers were already there, escorted by members of the Three-Eye Sect. The two local powers had teamed up, and together they eyed the rocky landscape below: jagged cliffs, sharp crevices, and loose boulders that threatened to spill at any moment. Sparse bushes clung to the stone, and the slightest wrong step could send a person plummeting into the darkness beneath.
Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eye Sect stood together, keen to send others into harm’s way without risking their own necks.
“Huh?” One Knight narrowed his eyes at Qin Ming, who was among the crowd. Qin Ming was a young villager who had once gotten this Knight into big trouble, causing the man to lose a few teeth after a scolding by Cao Long and Mu Qing. Now, the Knight’s scowl deepened.
“See that kid?” the Knight muttered to a companion. “Make sure he gets sent to the worst spots. Let him dig and dig until he drops dead. Let’s see how he likes that.”
Of course, he didn’t dare harm Qin Ming openly while Cao Long and Mu Qing were still around, but once everyone went underground, it’d be easy enough to push the boy until he collapsed from overwork.
A gray-haired elder from the village whispered, voice trembling, “I just hope we find this ‘mysterious ore’ quickly. If we stay in that glowing light too long, even us newly awakened folks will get sick. Might not come out alive…”
“Did I say you could speak?” hissed the Knight, cracking his whip with a loud snap. The elder stumbled back, a painful gash opening on his cheek.
“Whoever finds the ore first can leave right away—and there’s a reward,” announced the Knight in a harsh tone. “Not just Night Silver. We’re talking Daylight Gold!”
This promise dangled before them like a carrot. If nothing else, it meant they weren’t all doomed from the start. Maybe, just maybe, they had a shred of hope.
An older member of Golden Rooster Ridge stepped forward. “Alright, into the ground you go. The canyon’s under our watch. Search every crack and cranny. We know there’s ore here somewhere.”
Golden Rooster Ridge and the Three-Eye Sect had claimed a spot by the canyon entrance. It was far from ideal—everyone knew Red Glow City’s forces held better positions—but they had to make do.
Qin Ming followed the others down into a network of underground tunnels. He clutched a small sunstone lantern, its warm glow pushing back the total darkness. The underground maze stretched out like a spider’s web, with passages twisting and branching in every direction. Some tunnels gave off a strange, dim glow that stung at the eyes and scorched the skin. Others were pitch-black and cooler, offering some relief.
An older villager murmured, “Don’t kill yourselves looking in those glowing places—it’s almost impossible to find anything there. We’re better off sticking to the dark areas and staying out of sight.”
A broad-shouldered man nodded, adding, “We should split up. Some of us will pretend to search, but others will look for hidden exits. Let’s be ready to run when those outside forces start tearing each other apart. No point in playing the heroes.”
Many villagers agreed, nodding urgently. They were mountain folk who knew how to survive. Qin Ming noted their quick thinking—these people understood the dangers right from the start.
With a slight shrug, Qin Ming headed deeper into the tunnels, picking paths on his own. For nearly an hour, nothing much changed. Above, the factions hadn’t started fighting each other yet. But then a terrible roar echoed through the canyon. Something else had chosen to break the silence and tear apart the calm.
Aboveground, bestial shrieks split the night. Apes bellowed, tigers snarled, and monstrous birds screamed as they attacked from all sides.
“They’re attacking!” yelled a Golden Rooster Knight stationed near the entrance.
A massive white bear, as tall as three men stacked up, burst from behind a boulder and grabbed two villagers, ripping them apart like rag dolls. Not far off, a golden bull snorted flames from its nostrils, spearing a Three-Eye Sect member on its horn and flinging the body away.
And these were just a few of the beasts now swarming down from cliffs and up through hidden cracks. High above, silver eagles swooped and dove, one of them plucking the skull clean off a villager who had awakened twice.
“These monsters were waiting for us,” muttered a Golden Rooster Ridge elder. He leapt high and snapped a mutant owl’s neck with a single swift move. The rest of them stared in horror. Just when they’d been sent underground, the beasts had seized their chance.
“Now what?” panicked voices cried from the canyon floor. The entrance was blocked, and with so many creatures swooping and stomping about, escape looked impossible.
Below, the news spread fast into the tunnels. “Something’s off!” shouted a man as he dashed through the darkness. “The beasts are on the attack. We have to hide and seal off any secret passages. Don’t let them find our escape routes!”
Skilled hunters, the villagers reacted quickly. They raced around, shoring up barriers and piling rocks over tunnels that might lead to the open air. If the surface was a deathtrap, they’d wait it out underground.
Qin Ming quietly slipped deeper, staying calm. He knew if he had to, he could back up into those awful glowing tunnels—scary places no one, not even the beasts, wanted to enter. Better that than getting cornered by these monsters or the sect forces.
Above, the Golden Rooster Ridge and Three-Eye Sect warriors tried to rally. But they were tense and frightened. The beasts seemed to have come prepared, as if someone had planned this ambush.
“The top-level monsters won’t jump in themselves,” muttered an elder from Golden Rooster Ridge. “They promised Red Glow City they wouldn’t. But sending in these lesser beasts is a sneaky way around that. They want to pick us off without making it a full-scale war.”
His words were grim, and everyone understood the meaning: the humans were not just searching for ore—they themselves were considered valuable “resources.” In the wild, to the monsters, certain humans carried spiritual energy as precious as the plants and materials humans craved.
“So we’re not only looking for ore,” whispered one villager, voice trembling. “We’re the prey here!”
A heavy silence fell among those who heard. Anxiety twisted their stomachs. The big bosses wouldn’t wipe everyone out—no, that would cause too big a backlash. But losing a quarter or even half? That might be allowed. Their faces went pale as they realized how slim their chances of survival were.
“Get into the caves!” shouted a Three-Eye Sect elder, and everyone rushed underground, where the passageways were too tight for the biggest beasts to chase them easily.
The tunnels offered a natural defense, but some creatures, adapted to life underground, were already sniffing out back routes. Screams and clashes echoed through the caverns as both humans and beasts tried desperately to find safe ground.
Many newly awakened villagers from both factions split off on their own, each hoping to find a way out of this maze. Fear pulsed through them like a fever. There had to be an exit somewhere.
Deeper inside, Qin Ming spotted a familiar face. It was that Golden Rooster Knight who’d once tried to bully Old Man Liu. The Knight now crept alone through a dim tunnel, separated from his allies.
Qin Ming stepped forward, gripping his long-handled black metal hammer. He lifted his lantern so the Knight could see him more clearly.
“Well, well,” Qin Ming said, his voice casual, trying to sound like a normal teenage boy who just wouldn’t back down. “What’s up, big guy? Lose your giant chicken?”
The Knight glared, surprised that the boy dared to speak like this. “You!” he barked. “Get over here. Have you found any ore yet? What’s happening aboveground? Talk!”
Qin Ming rolled his eyes and sauntered forward, shoulders relaxed, as if this was no big deal. “Chill out, man,” he said, voice low and a bit mocking, like a teenager unimpressed by a scolding teacher. “Lots of screaming, things with teeth and claws, you know—the usual party outside.”
The Knight’s expression twisted with rage. He had always wanted to pay Qin Ming back for the trouble he’d caused. Now, far from prying eyes, he could. He lifted his whip, planning to kill the boy and blame the beasts.
But Qin Ming had no intention of getting hit. As the whip lashed out, Qin Ming’s hammer swung up to meet it, sparks flying as metal struck metal. The Knight’s eyes widened in shock.
“You think you can fight me?” the Knight snarled, furious that a mere first Awakened kid dared stand his ground.
Qin Ming smirked, his teenage voice dripping with sarcasm. “Dunno, dude. But since we’re down here anyway, might as well see what you’ve got.”
Before the Knight could strike again, Qin Ming slammed the hammer into the Knight’s face. The force broke the man’s nose and sent teeth flying. The Knight staggered, struggling to keep his balance.
“Whoops,” Qin Ming said, shrugging like he’d just dropped a textbook. “My bad.”
“You little brat!” The Knight hissed, blood spraying with every word. He drew his sword with his other hand, determined to end this quickly. He was sure he could beat a kid who’d only awakened once.
But Qin Ming didn’t give him a chance. He swung the hammer again and smashed the Knight’s sword arm. Bones splintered with a sickening crack. The blade clanged to the ground, and the Knight’s arm hung at a weird angle.
“Remember Old Man Liu?” Qin Ming taunted, stepping in closer. “You treated him like dirt. Guess you never thought a ‘nobody kid’ would hit back.”
The Knight’s eyes bulged in horror. Qin Ming had grown too strong. How? Had he awakened a second time?
Before he could even process it, Qin Ming brought the hammer down again, again, and again, until the Knight’s head was a ruined mess. The body slumped lifelessly to the rocky floor.
Qin Ming dragged the corpse into a softly glowing cave chamber, breathing hard. He glanced around, nerves on edge. Then, he noticed an old man stepping from the shadows. The stranger’s eyes were cold, and he looked suspicious.
“Who are you?” the elder demanded. “What’s going on here?”
Qin Ming took a quick breath and tried to sound casual, like a teenage boy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Me? Oh, I’m with the Three-Eye Sect,” he lied smoothly, raising his lantern so the elder could see his face. “This guy was hurt by that weird glowing light. I was just checking on him.”
The elder lunged with a roar. He didn’t buy a word of it. As he charged, the rocky floor cracked under his feet, and a pale white aura shimmered around him. This man was a third Awakened—far beyond the Knight Qin Ming had just beaten.
Qin Ming’s heart raced. This would be his toughest fight yet. He tightened his grip on the hammer, forcing a confident grin, though his palms were damp with sweat.
“Alright, old man,” Qin Ming muttered to himself, hoping to sound tougher than he felt. “If I can take you down, maybe I can clear out the rest of Golden Rooster Ridge too.”