Chapter 18 - 18 Attempting to Hunt Why was Da Shi Camp certain that the Snow Mane was a leftover picked up by Great Xia? The reason is simple, because the camps surrounding Redwood Ridge are all too weak. The only camp that can stably hunt and obtain Cold Beast Flesh is the Rogel Camp, which boasts five Tunneler-level experts. As for the other camps, if they want Cold Beast Flesh, they can either purchase it from Rogel Camp with large amounts of wood, Crystal Fruits, or other scarce resources, or rely on luck. Luck, to put it plainly, means finding the corpses of Cold Beasts in the forest. Cold Beasts prefer eating live creatures and usually stop eating once the opponent dies after defeating other Cold Beasts, so if you can come across them, there will definitely be gains. But how often does such an opportunity arise? Perhaps deep within Redwood Ridge, there are many Cold Beast corpses, but the problem is they don't dare to venture inside, and picking up corpses on the outskirts is rare—a once or twice a year event is considered very lucky. Moreover, having been neighbors for many years, they are very clear about Great Xia's capabilities as a fellow small camp. Generally speaking, the limited Cold Beast Meat should definitely be provided to the members of the logging team first, and only the surplus would be given to the juniors. Therefore, there's no doubt, that Snow Mane was definitely a leftover picked up by Great Xia. ... Summer Hong was unaware of Da Shi Camp's resentment. After driving the other party away that night and having Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng each chop down a tree, the camp entered a relatively peaceful development period. As the three of them went out each night, the reserves of wood and Crystal Fruits in the camp increased rapidly, visibly to the naked eye. The Crystal Fruits increased from 7,000 catties to 12,000 catties. With 154 people in the camp, that's an average of one catty per person per day. Even if they didn't go out, these Crystal Fruits would last for over two months. As for wood, it rose from 87 units to 210 units. Food and heating were secured. The vitality of the camp naturally began to recover slowly. Although at night they still had to seal the cave entrance, at least they no longer had to suffer from hunger and cold. But while others were happy, Xia Hong was well aware that the camp had only just resumed to the state it was before the logging team's accident. When Xia Ding was still around, the camp was never short of Crystal Fruits and wood. For a small camp like Great Xia, the most scarce resource is Cold Beast Meat. Without Cold Beast Meat, there's no way to train and become stronger. Maintaining the status quo would eventually lead to either being discovered by Cold Beasts or found by a Deceitful Monster, repeating past events. Moreover, Crystal Fruits are not unlimited; the Crystal Fruits on the three Ice Trees have been picked clean, and when they will mature again is unknown. If the existing Crystal Fruits are exhausted and the three trees haven't borne fruit, they'll have to go hungry again, and without the only food source of Crystal Fruits, starvation is possible. Redwood Ridge certainly has more than those three Ice Trees. Xia Hong believes there are definitely larger Ice Trees with more fruit deep in the forest, but the problem is he doesn't dare to venture inside at all. So the crux of the problem is still the Cold Beast Meat. The thirty catties of Cold Beast Meat from Yue Feng and his group of five are already used up. All five have made significant progress, but it's still a long way from breaking through to the Logging Realm. Xia Hong himself has also used up his hundred catties of Cold Beast Meat. Although his strength has increased considerably, he is still far from the Tunneler level. "If I can't continue to get stronger, not to mention upgrading the Small Torch, I won't be able to achieve anything with the other numerous builds within the system. We must find a way to hunt, even if it involves some risk, it's worth it!" So far the camp system only has a Small Torch. To upgrade it from level one to level two requires 200 woods and 50 iron. Wood is no longer an issue now. But resources like iron are just a fantasy without strength. "Chuan, Cheng, tonight when we go out, we'll try hunting!" On the eve of nightfall, Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng, who were preparing to go out, heard Xia Hong's words and their eyes widened with excitement. In fact, during their many previous outings, the two had already seen Cold Beasts. Of course, it was a Cold Beast sleeping on a tree. Previously, the two had suggested trying to hunt Cold Beasts a number of times but were always refused by Xia Hong because of how strong the Cold Beasts were. Now, Xia Hong was actively suggesting trying to hunt. "Don't get too excited so soon. As I've told you, Cold Beasts are strong. So this time it's just an attempt, and like before, you have to listen to me outside. Great Xia currently only has you two as Logging Realm combat strength, and I don't want anything to happen to you two, understood?" Both of them, hearing Xia Hong's serious tone, quickly nodded heavily. After instructing the two again, Xia Hong took out two Small Torches from behind and gave them one each. Their eyes lit up as soon as they received the torches, quietly understanding something. "Leader, you mean to use the torches like before, attracting Cold Beasts and letting them kill each other so we can reap the benefits, right?" The function of the Small Torch had already been explained to the two by Xia Hong. Xia Chuan and Yuan Cheng's quick reaction was within Xia Hong's expectations. "Yes, that's why it's just an attempt, all relying on luck!" Xia Hong felt somewhat helpless. Using Small Torches to attract Cold Beasts was indeed a bit of a waste. The Small Torches, like the Small Fire, were meant to deter and harm Deceitful Monsters. To put it simply, Small Torches should be considered advanced items, as evident from the Cold Beasts' obsession with them. However, the current strength of Great Xia Camp is too weak to even think about engaging with Deceitful Monsters, so they can only use them to lure Cold Beasts. Moreover, even if they lured one Cold Beast, it wouldn't be enough. They need to lure two, and they have to fight to the death. The fighting has to end with one falling down, or severely injuring one. Only then might they be able to harvest their prey. Such hunting conditions are too harsh, making it inherently inefficient. But this was the only method Xia Hong could think of at the moment. It's a last-resort plan! As night fell, Xia Hong swiftly led the two of them towards Redwood Ridge. The area under the influence of Great Xia Camp covers only around five to six hundred meters. After so many days, Xia Hong and the two were already intimately familiar with it. Overall, there aren't many Cold Beasts on the outskirts. In total, they have confirmed and personally witnessed only four Cold Beasts. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 There were two Snow Manes, one Frost Wolf, and one goat-like creature Xia Hong didn't recognize and didn't recall Xia Ding ever mentioning. "Not sure about that goat's strength, so let's avoid it for now. Based on the last situation, the Frost Wolf and Snow Mane are similar in strength, so this time our target remains these two." They found where the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf each resided in the trees, and Xia Hong positioned the torch between them before instructing Yuan Cheng and Xia Chuan to dig snow pits fifty meters away from the torch. Just as before, they lit the torch and quickly dispersed, hiding in their respective snow pits to quietly observe the torch. Xia Hong was somewhat tense, given the different circumstances. Last time, the Snow Mane was young and in a blinded and severely wounded state. This time, it's different. Previously they had observed that the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf in those two trees were both full-grown and in peak condition, but what the situation would be like when fighting, he didn't know. In stark contrast, Yuan Cheng and Xia Chuan were not nervous at all; their eyes, exposed above the snow, only showed excitement. This was, after all, their first time seeing Cold Beasts. Even though the thoughts in their hearts were different, time passed nonetheless. The effect of the torch was indeed not disappointing to Xia Hong. It had only been two minutes after ignition. From the west, a series of heavy, muffled beast footsteps sounded. Thump... Thump... Thump...