C21 Second Stage Primitive Forest
"Scott, take the left flank and engage them. Just a bit of harassment will do. Wenwen, provide long-range support. Everyone else, follow me for some guerrilla tactics," Tina directed with authority.
The team worked methodically to defeat the monsters. These puppets were formidable, but Matthew and his companions meticulously took them down one by one. Collecting badges along the way, Matthew was quite pleased. However, after they had dispatched around a hundred, the puppets seemed to gain some awareness, or perhaps instinct kicked in, prompting them to flee at a staggering speed. Even the swiftest among them, a lean man, couldn't keep up, forcing the team to abandon the chase.
The ground was littered with badges, much to everyone's delight. After gathering them up, they counted over a hundred—exactly one hundred and forty. Returning to the central area where the exchange stele stood, they divided the badges among themselves. Matthew ended up with twenty-five and eagerly perused the exchange list.
Beyond the previously seen orange and purple hero badges, there was an astonishing variety of weapon cards and treasure cards. After much deliberation, Matthew traded for Liu Bei's shotgun, a blue-quality weapon, and a treasure card. Glancing at his teammates, he noticed the man of silence had chosen a lotus flower, likely another treasure card. The others appeared to have completed their exchanges as well, each wearing a smile of contentment, unaware of the dangers that awaited them in the next challenge.
Following a brief respite, the group positioned themselves on the teleportation circle. In an instant, Matthew found himself in a lush jungle, a stark contrast to the previous stage. This vibrant forest seemed untouched by civilization, unlike anything Matthew had ever seen. The team advanced in a triangular formation, with the burly man leading the way and Matthew at the center.
Over the past few days, Matthew had come to know his companions better. Tina was a formidable leader, steering the team with a cool head and consistently making sound decisions. The burly man, on the other hand, was hot-tempered and blunt, often resorting to colorful language. Matthew had pegged him as the fearless type back at the villa, someone who only showed apprehension around Tina, though how she managed that was still a mystery. The lean man was clearly cunning and calculating, while the man of silence remained as reticent and aloof as ever. The squad pressed on through Bramblewood, and after a few hours, dawn began to break. Nightfall came quickly in the jungle, but thankfully, daylight arrived just as swiftly.
The team was advancing when the burly man at the front suddenly signaled for a halt. Everyone froze in place. Matthew and the others approached cautiously and spotted a colorful tiger lying on a flat patch of ground behind two bushes—it bore a striking resemblance to a tiger from Bramblewood.
The tiger's coat was a mix of yellow and black stripes, sleek and smooth. It looked like any ordinary tiger, except for its terrifying size.
This creature was astonishingly large, its presence commanding even as it lay there in what seemed like lazy repose. Clearly, it possessed the regal air befitting the king of beasts. Unaware of Matthew's group nearby, the tiger was preoccupied with licking its sharp claws, surrounded by piles of dry, yellowed bones.
The group remained silent, fearing they might startle the Bramblewood tiger. Tina gestured to them, indicating they should skirt around its territory before proceeding.
As they were about to bypass the formidable beast, Matthew accidentally brushed against a branch, dislodging a stone. The stone flew up and landed with a crisp sound, perilously close to the tiger. The Bramblewood tiger let out an enraged growl, its ears erect, as it rose to its feet.
The tiger's perception was incredibly keen. The group had gone unnoticed only because the beast was at rest, its body and mind relaxed. But now, alert and scanning its surroundings, it quickly spotted Matthew and the others concealed behind the trees.
With a roar, the Bramblewood tiger bent its legs and propelled itself with its powerful hind legs, leaping nearly two meters high and charging straight toward Matthew's group!
In the midst of the chaos, the tiger had closed in to less than twenty meters from them. The man of silence swiftly drew his bow and loosed an arrow. He aimed for speed over precision, but with the Bramblewood tiger's fearsome reflexes, it merely tilted its head and the arrow whizzed by harmlessly.
The arrow did, however, manage to slow the tiger down. Tina instantly commanded, "Scott, take the front and pin the tiger down. Wenwen, keep on the attack!" With that, she charged ahead, the lean man right on her heels, and Matthew followed. The muscular man lifted his shield and charged headlong at the Bramblewood tiger.
The tiger exhibited a fierce territorial instinct and was now seething with rage. It was taken aback to see a human boldly stepping forward, perceiving this as a challenge to its authority. With a thunderous roar, it leaped toward the burly man. The man, seasoned in battle, remained composed. As the tiger lunged, he lifted his shield to intercept the ferocious attack. With a deft maneuver, he redirected the Bramblewood Tiger aside as if he were performing Tai Chi.
Yet, true to its feline nature, the tiger's balance was impeccable. It somersaulted mid-air and landed with precision, immediately wheeling around for another assault on the man. This time, it struck from a lower angle with blistering speed. The man, burdened by the heft of his massive shield, couldn't evade in time and sustained a deep gash from the tiger's razor-sharp claws on his arm.
Witnessing the man's injury, the man of silence sprang into action. He produced an object resembling a lotus flower and hurled it at the tiger. It moved with such velocity that it was nearly imperceptible to the naked eye. The Bramblewood Tiger howled in agony as the projectile made contact.
To everyone's surprise, the object was a weapon card that detonated upon touching the tiger, causing the Bramblewood Tiger to writhe in pain as it rolled on the ground. More bizarrely, the site of the explosion on the tiger's body erupted in crimson flames that refused to be extinguished, despite the tiger's frantic attempts. The weapon card, a single-use item exchanged by the man of silence, exhibited a peculiar and formidable power. Realizing the flames were inextinguishable, the tiger stood defiantly and let out an enraged roar at Matthew and his companions.
