C3 For Food

This was the True Claw Tribe's training ground, bustling with dozens of young warriors already immersed in their exercises.

Yuan Ge recalled from his memories that one must undergo an 'Awakening' to become a warrior here. Those who awaken receive the tribe's special skills.

Speed was the True Claw Tribe's awakening skill, which made their training quite unique. They set up variously sized obstacles across the grass, swiftly navigating through them to enhance their agility and suppleness.

Awakened warriors moved through these obstacles like the wind itself. The blur of the mid-level warriors at top speed made them nearly invisible, appearing on the opposite side in an instant.

Some warriors practiced combat skills, which Yuan Ge found quite peculiar. Lacking formal techniques, they relied on sheer physicality, wrestling and jostling with raw power. It was evident that while their speed had been enhanced, their strength had not.

Typically, these self-proclaimed 'Wind Fighters' avoided direct confrontation. Instead, they maximized their speed, encircling their targets to launch swift spear attacks.

Across the field, a group of kids, not much younger than Yuan Ge, practiced hunting rabbits with this spear-throwing technique.

The stone spear, akin to a javelin, featured a wooden shaft and a stone tip, bound together with tendons. Launched at prey, it served as the tribe's primary weapon for hunting.

Such stone spears were the tribe's most rudimentary arms. More formidable beast bone weapons existed but were exceedingly rare, reserved for elders or elite warriors.

As for Yuan Ge, the annual Awakening Ceremony loomed, but the prospect of his awakening was far from his mind. He was utterly captivated by the sight of rabbits darting across the grassland.

The grass was riddled with rabbit burrows, and these rabbits were unusual, sporting short ears, elongated tails, and four prominent front teeth.

Each child carried several stone spears on their back, clutching one in hand, positioned at strategic points across the field. Whenever a rabbit emerged, they would relentlessly hurl their spears in pursuit.

Spear-throwing as a means of rabbit hunting is one of the skill-training methods in the True Claw Tribe. Each warrior begins their training with this task, as the rabbits in these parts are notoriously difficult to catch.

A child was hunched in the brush, focusing intently on a rabbit nibbling at the grass. With a swift motion, he launched his stone spear. The spear flew swiftly, but the rabbit was quicker, effortlessly leaping aside to evade the projectile.

Undeterred, the child persisted, hurling spear after spear at the elusive rabbit until his supply was depleted, yet the cunning creature remained unscathed.

It's no surprise that the tribe's warriors practice their skills on rabbits. These creatures have honed their evasion to an instinctual art form, making them challenging prey.

With no rabbit caught and his stone spears spent, the child collected his thrown spears and resumed his hunt for another target.

Upon spotting Yuan Ge, a nearby child called out, "Ge, you've arrived!"

The speaker, a boy a head taller than Yuan Ge and seemingly of similar age, was named Jiesen, Yuan Ge's closest friend.

Yuan Ge responded with a friendly nod, acknowledging the greeting. Jiesen didn't linger for conversation, instead rejoining the group of children hunting rabbits.

Though spear-throwing is a mandatory skill for all the tribe's warriors, Yuan Ge's interest lay more with the taste of rabbit meat than the act of throwing spears. He had in mind a simpler strategy for capturing the rabbits.

After observing for a moment, Yuan Ge left the meadow and headed home.

Once there, he rummaged around until his gaze settled on several tendons fixed to a table.

"This is it!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. He cleared the table, removing the items and unraveling the tendons. These semi-translucent cords, as thick as fingers and over a meter in length, were remarkably pliable.

Securing the tendons around his waist, Yuan Ge moved to a corner of the yard and hoisted an unsplit stump onto his shoulder. He also tucked a hefty bone club, typically used for cracking hard nutshells, into his waistband before stepping out of the yard.

Returning to the grassland with the heavy stump on his shoulder, Yuan Ge's peculiar behavior drew curious glances from the other children. Even the rabbits paused their scurrying, inexplicably watching Yuan Ge's every move.

A young man named Jiekui hurried over to Jiesen's side and whispered, "Jiesen, Yuan Ge seems to have lost his mind. Aren't you going to check on him?"

Jiekui, who had often brawled with Yuan Ge, was curious to see Yuan Ge hauling a tree stump onto the grassland. He was eager to find out what Yuan Ge was up to, but his pride prevented him from asking directly, so he nudged Jiesen to seek the answers.

Casting a brief glance at Yuan Ge, Jiesen turned back to Jiekui with a stern look and said, "If you're so concerned, why don't you go do something about it?" Jiesen had his own set of questions but had no time to worry about Yuan Ge's antics. In fact, no one but Jiekui seemed to care about Yuan Ge's odd behavior, as it appeared to offer them no advantage.

Jiekui, feeling snubbed, glared back at Jiesen. If Jiesen hadn't been so imposing, Jiekui would have given him a piece of his mind. And as for Yuan Ge, what on earth was he planning to do with that enormous stump?

Yuan Ge paid them no mind and settled in an open space, tossing the stump onto the ground. He drew a tendon from his waist and began to work intently.

Jiesen was taken aback and considered asking Yuan Ge what he was up to. But seeing Yuan Ge so engrossed in his task, Jiesen could only shake his head in resignation and turn back to his rabbit hunting.

Once his preparations were complete, Yuan Ge nodded in satisfaction. He pulled out his Bone Hammer and charged toward a group of rabbits foraging for food.

The rabbits scattered in panic at Yuan Ge's approach. With the Bone Hammer in hand, he herded them toward the stump.

Jiekui's gaze was once again drawn to Yuan Ge's peculiar actions. He mused to himself, "What's gotten into Yuan Ge today? Everyone else hunts rabbits with stone spears, and here he is, not using a spear and absurdly thinking he can take down rabbits with a Bone Hammer?"