Chapter 111: The Landlord is here!

Gilby didn’t need to be told twice. He carved off a massive wedge, shoved it into his face, and instantly let out a groan of pure euphoria, his knees buckling slightly. He looked like a man who had just taken a heavy bliss drug. "So good, this is so good." He pointed to his mouth, grinning to Hunter.

Fresh fruit was rare in the world. 90% of it went to the rich. Even most of the canned and dried fruit went to them. He had no doubt that if this place was discovered, Trinity would claim it, and all this fruit would become impossible to buy.

Hunter opened his mouth to berate them for their lack of discipline, but before a word could escape, Zyra swiftly jammed a juicy slice straight between his lips.

His first instinct was to spit it out, his warrior training screaming poison! But the sweet, chilling aroma hit his palate. He chewed tentatively. His eyes blinked once, twice, and he gave a slow, dignified nod of approval. It was staggeringly good_ like chilled honey blended with morning dew.

Tessi cheered, happily digging into her own piece, pale juice running unceremoniously down her chin.

"Alright, Gilby," Zyra said, wiping her blade on her pant leg, her eyes gleaming with sudden entrepreneurial fire. "Show us this forest."

It was barely a three-minute walk around the bend, but the sight stopped them in their tracks. Tucked away in a big shallow sinkhole was a hidden forest. Every tree, vine, and bush was entirely white, looking like they were sculpted from fine porcelain.

"Is that... sugar cane?" Hunter pointed toward a cluster of tall, segmented stalks rising from the frosty soil. "It’s white, but it’s definitely sugarcane. I have been to the El Matador clan sugar farm, so I know what sugarcane look like."

Zyra nodded, her mind already calculating the profit margins. "If we can domesticate these seeds back in Beast Valley_ we can produce and sell our own sugar. We will be rolling in Hunter. We can sleep on it, bathe in it and wipe our asses with it."

Gilby grimaced. "I think that would hurt."

Zyra rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."

With a few quick whistles, they summoned their bonded beasts. The creatures bounded forward, instantly sensing the safety of the forest. A heavy-furred monkey, tiger, snake, squirrel, ant and different birds leaped into the taller canopies, eagerly harvesting the fruit.

Suddenly, the bonded beasts paused, their ears twitching. A few yards away, several wild, white-furred deers were quietly chewing on fallen fruit. However, seeing the newcomers, the wild creatures didn’t flee, they simply shared the space.

"See?" Zyra smiled, plucking a massive white mango. "They’re just here to eat, exactly like us. I’m marking this territory right now. From today on, this forest belongs to Beast Valley. It is our farmland."

A split second later, a low, guttural roar tore through the forest.

The sound was strong, vibrating through the frozen floor and rattling the teeth in their skulls. The peaceful, wild deers instantly bolted, vanishing into the rocky crevices like ghosts.

Suddenly, the beast link bands on their wrists began to flash a violent, pulsing red. Gilby slowly raised his eyes from his blinking interface, his face draining of all color as he looked at Zyra.

"Uh, Divine Maiden... I think this place already has a landlord."

Hunter didn’t say a word. His posture shifted instantly into a lethal stance, his fists clenching until his knuckles popped, his jaw locked tight.

From the dense white trees, the owner of the forest stepped into the light. It was a big beast with a coat of thick, coarse white, crystalline ice shards protruding along the entirety of its spine like a row of frozen broadswords. It was a creature none of them had ever seen in the bestiary logs. Even Hunter took a half-step back, his eyes narrowing.

"Mother of saints..." Gilby whispered, his hands trembling slightly as he leveled his rifle.

In Zyra’s vision, the red text flared to life instantly.

[Warning: Snow Wolf. High-ranking beast. Extremely territorial and very hostile. A quick tactical note for the host: they usually move in packs.]

Zyra’s eyes darted frantically around the shadows of the upper ridges. "Guys, it’s a high-level wolf, they move in packs. We aren’t dealing with just the alpha"

"Damn it!" Gilby cursed, taking aim at the alpha’s snout.

"Zyra, lock the beast!" Hunter commanded, his voice cutting through the panic like ice.

Tessi, gripping her daggers, looked completely lost. "Lock it to what?!"

The Snow Wolf let out a deafening howl, its massive paws churning the frosted earth as it charged down the incline toward them like an avalanche of muscle and fur.

"Locking!" Zyra roared. She raised the lock gun she had hidden away in her beast domain and fired straight at the beast’s feet. Unseen energy slammed into the wolf and pinned its big paws firmly to the ground.

But this wasn’t an ordinary beast. Despite its lower half being completely immobilized, the high-ranking creature roared in fury, it howled and growled, causing cracks in the ice. It threw its head back, letting out a piercing, high-pitched cry that echoed through the entire forest.

Answering howls echoed from above. The pack was responding.

"Not on my watch," Hunter growled.

The rest of them started firing at the creature, but its fur was not for show. Bullets did not penetrate so easily.

Using the distraction, Hunter exploded forward. He jumped high and propelled himself onto a sturdy white tree branch. Then, he launched his body directly onto the head of the pinned beast. He descended like a falling star, his hands wrapping directly around the upper and lower jaws of the thrashing beast.

With earth shattering, physical might, Hunter gripped the beast’s head tightly. He pulled hard and they heard a sickening tear of flesh and bone. Hunter manually wrenched the beast’s jaws completely apart, ending the call mid-howl. The snow wolf collapsed into the snow, its vital essence instantly fading.

He landed smoothly on his feet amidst the spraying white mist. He reached deep into the chest of the fallen beast, his hand emerging a second later holding a glowing, white-yellowish beast core, pulsing with energy.

Gilby and Tessi stood entirely frozen, their jaws slack as they gawked at the sheer, terrifying efficiency of the kill.

"Uh... Magnus?" Gilby squeaked, pointing a shaky finger past Hunter’s shoulder.

The silence didn’t last. From the dense trees and the snowy shadows of rocks, dozens of pairs of glowing green eyes illuminated. The pack had arrived.