C10 One Egg Shattering Technique

No, he couldn't just sit there and wait for death. He had to devise a plan.

He glanced at the harpoon in his grasp. Stab it with the harpoon?

The idea startled him, and he swiftly dismissed it.

The tiger's hide was too thick and tough; his feeble strength might not even pierce it. If he provoked the tiger, a single swipe could end his life.

The wolves' teeth were too short to penetrate the tiger's hide, dooming the pack to failure.

His worry deepened.

The tiger didn't prey on wolves, but once the pack failed, he'd be next. In this life-or-death moment, he had to decide.

He eyed the tiger tearing into a wolf, its back to him, then the deep pool to the left of the crevice.

Lee Cha bit down on his resolve and slowly stripped off his outerwear and shoes, down to his thin undergarments. This way, he could move almost silently.

He inched forward cautiously, always behind the tiger, his hands clenching the harpoon, his mind racing: "You bastard, just give me a chance, and I'll stew your tiger parts!"

"Keep it up, my wolf brethren, let's take it down together..."

Maybe these thoughts could chase away a bit of his fear, or perhaps they were just a pretext.

The wolf pack kept up their barking in front of the tiger, growing more cautious after losing some of their number, maintaining a safe distance.

If the tiger lunged, the wolves in front had time to back away, while those at the sides could move in to provoke, deterring the tiger from a deep chase.

The tiger was wholly fixated on the pack, oblivious to the insignificant human behind it, the one it saw as mere spoils of war, daring to target it.

Closer and closer, the distance was right.

Lee Cha extended the harpoon. No, its tail hung down, shielding the vital spot. Damn, how had he overlooked that?

Sweat began to bead on his palms.

Just then, the alpha, a brown-black wolf, lunged at the tiger, forcing it to turn sideways.

Lee Cha, too, shifted his stance instinctively, ensuring he was positioned right behind the tiger.

But he was still a step behind.

Damn, it's going to spot me!

He wasn't as fast as the tiger. Now, even though he had reached the outer side of the groove, he was positioned behind and to the side of the tiger.

The tiger seemed to sense something and glanced back.

Lee Cha's hair stood on end.

But in that instant, his previously unfocused eyes sharpened as he spotted a vulnerable point from his angle.

Now was his chance!

His pupils narrowed, zeroing in on the two dangling targets beneath the tiger's thigh. With all his might, he thrust forward.

Pop!

The fish bone met only slight resistance before piercing through.

Lee Cha didn't dare to check the damage; instead, he bolted toward the deep pool the moment the bone went in.

Awoo!

A roar—neither pain nor rage—echoed behind him.

He leaped into the deep pool.

Rip!

The sound of his undershirt tearing filled the air. As Lee Cha felt a sting on his back, he plunged into the icy water.

He glanced over his shoulder to see a massive, gaping maw inches away. Terrified, he paddled downward frantically.

The tiger that had been tailing him began to dive as well.

Something brushed against Lee Cha's feet.

I'm a goner!

He screamed internally, too scared to look back. Driven by a fierce will to live, he flailed through the water, devoid of any technique, swimming downward with all his might.

Two seconds later.

Whoa! Lee Cha, moving too swiftly, collided with the pool's bottom. Dazed, he couldn't focus on anything else.

His hands clutched at the mud and stones, flinging them behind as he turned and continued to dive, churning up the sediment to cloud the water.

Only when he was utterly spent and his consciousness began to fade did he slowly make his way to the surface.

His head emerged, and he gasped for air, the waterfall's spray raining down on him, scalding his lungs.

He stifled the urge to cough, tears streaming down his face.

As he scanned the water's surface, there was no sign of the tiger.

No, that wasn't right.

He had kicked something with his foot.

Panic-stricken, he mustered his last ounce of strength to clamber toward the damp rock wall.

But then, his grip failed, and he plunged into the water... it was over.

Damn! He had poked the tiger's rear and now he was paying the price.

If you want me dead, I'll make you work for it, even if it means I have to gulp down some water myself.

He let himself sink, then suddenly grabbed onto the object beneath his feet.

A second later, he resurfaced, clutching a log in his embrace.

It wasn't a tiger...

Minutes passed.

Lee Cha sprawled out on the icy rock, gasping for air and coughing violently, too exhausted to move.

He resolved that even if a tiger or a wolf appeared, he wouldn't budge. He whispered to the heavens, "Come and end my suffering."

Minutes later, he rose to his feet, declaring, "Just kidding. I'm not ready to die yet."

"Hiss!" The intense pain made him inhale sharply.

His palms were riddled with tiny cuts, oozing blood—wounds from the lake's gravel as he stirred up the murky depths.

His arm was badly scraped, skin peeled away to reveal raw flesh, a memento from his startled tumble off the rock face.

But the real kicker was the searing sensation on his back, as if scalding liquid was seeping out.

He glanced at the ground; at the center of a wet imprint lay a crimson streak. He touched his back and his hand came away soaked in red.

"Damn it, I curse you to pieces... No, I need to tend to these wounds fast or I'll bleed out."

The larger the wound, the greater the risk of infection.

He quickly stripped off his shirt, wincing as the fabric tugged at his injuries, contorting his face in pain.

Fortunately, there was only one tear in the shirt, suggesting a single wound that wasn't too deep—otherwise, there would have been five slashes.

Biting back the pain, he stepped back into the frigid pond to wash his wounds. The water, now settled, was clear once more.

The icy sting made him suck in breath after breath, nearly passing out from the agony.

Over ten minutes later, Lee Cha found himself entwined with numerous dark green vines across his upper body, a dark brown plank strapped to his back. A red and green liquid oozed from beneath the plank, trailing down his spine and staining his thermal pants black. He was uncertain if this makeshift bandage would stanch the bleeding or prevent infection. Straightening up, Lee Cha reached behind to feel the wound.

Alone and without tools, he had no choice but to use a random wooden board to secure the healing herbs in place. Only after tending to the wounds on his arm and palm did he shiveringly wade through the creek beneath the deep pool to reach the opposite bank, where his clothes lay in a hollow.

As he dressed his wounds, Lee Cha noticed only the remains of wolves, victims of a tiger, on the other side; the pack was nowhere to be seen. He took solace in the fact that the beasts of this Alien World, like those before the Cataclysm, had not evolved—a small stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Yet, this did little to improve his dire situation. As an ordinary man, he was no match for the predators of the past, let alone those of this world. His steps grew increasingly leaden, his body weaker. He knew he needed to make fire and find food urgently.

Faced with the likelihood of being killed by a tiger or wolves versus dying of cold and hunger, he chose the risk of predators. Tigers and wolves might not return, but without warmth, he'd freeze to death within the hour.

"Brother Wolf, Sister Wolf, thank you for coming to my aid. I'll lay you to rest soon, catch some fish as a tribute. May you not hunger on your journey to the beyond..." Lee Cha murmured, stepping over the lifeless bodies.

Approaching the hollow, he heard a faint rustling. Suddenly, a brown-black wolf emerged from a pile of dry grass to the right of the hollow, revealing a hidden den. Trailing the brown-black wolf were two smaller gray wolves, one of which was the very female gray wolf Lee Cha had once saved, followed by a dozen or so wolf pups.

In that moment, Lee Cha understood—the wolves hadn't come to rescue him, but their own young. Their fierce desperation now made perfect sense.

Lee Cha found himself in a precarious situation in this alien world. He was at an impasse, unable to leave but also unable to stay put. Three large wolves sat before him, observing him in silence, while the younger wolves, seemingly intimidated, hid behind their parents, eyeing him with caution.

What was his next move? Should he attempt to leave or retrieve his clothes? A gust of frigid wind swept by, sending shivers down his spine and causing a wave of dizziness and hallucinations. Disregarding his symptoms of hypothermia, he knew he couldn't wait any longer; it was a matter of life and death.

In a bold move, he gestured to himself and then to his clothes in front of the pack's alpha, mustering the courage to approach. The mere ten meters felt like an eternity, his mind racing with thoughts of how the alpha might attack—would it be a fatal bite to the throat or a gruesome death by being devoured?

But, to his surprise, nothing of the sort occurred. The alpha and his mate simply watched, and the rest of the pack followed suit, their ears tilted in quiet curiosity.

Slipping into his jacket and changing out of his damp pants, Lee Cha was enveloped in warmth, as if stepping into a room with air conditioning. A comforting warmth spiraled around him, and he breathed a sigh of relief—he was safe from the cold, at least for the moment.

Yet, as his body acclimated, the cold crept back in. He stepped out, contemplating where to build a fire and catch some fish. It was time to leave this spot.

But then, he paused, considering the alpha. The wolf seemed to regard him either as a friend or as no threat, showing no signs of aggression. With that in mind, Lee Cha decided it might be best to stay nearby. The presence of the wolf pack would likely deter other predators.

After a brief moment of hesitation, he made his way to a cluster of boulders near the pond, selecting a spot within sight of the wolf den but at a safe distance.

He quickly got a fire going, banishing the chill. Once he was comfortably warm, he turned his attention to fishing. Picking up the spear, he noticed blood and a clear liquid on it. A sinister grin spread across his face—had the tiger's pendant burst? The thought made him involuntarily tense his stomach, a shiver running through him, followed by an inexplicable thrill.

Indeed, it seems everyone harbors a destructive urge deep within—a twisted longing to wreak havoc...

He couldn't be sure whether the tiger had been driven off by the pack of wolves or had fled due to injury, but one thing was certain: after today's ordeal, it was unlikely to return anytime soon.

As he pondered this, he snapped off the end of the spear and whittled it to a sharp point with a small knife.

Approaching the pond, he began to search downstream.

Soon, his face lit up with delight.

Beside the creek lay a small pool, about a meter deep, where several large fish were nestled among the aquatic plants.

Without hesitation, he dragged a stone over to block the exit and thrust the spear with precision.

As he hoisted the spear, two large fish were impaled through their bellies—a two-for-one catch.

His aim was exceptionally true today; he wondered if it might be the result of some mysterious "egg-crushing" boost...