In the face of her earnest pleading, the mechanical System merely repeated what it had said before: "This System operates on a tight budget. No credit."
Wu Yue: "I just..."
'Damn it, I'm so pissed!'
'As expected, a little cutie like me can't have a pleasant chat with this damned System.'
'Looks like I'm on my own for tomorrow's gathering. I'll have to crawl there if I must. At the very least, I can gather some edible things to exchange for a few points.'
She clenched her fists. 'I have to get stronger as fast as I can. These days, when even getting a bite to eat is a struggle, are just too hopeless.'
The soreness and weakness of her body intensified her mental exhaustion. Not long after her conversation with the damned System, Wu Yue gave in to sleep. The sound of her even breathing added a touch of life to the cave.
In a forest a great distance from the Snow Tiger Tribe, more than twenty tall Beastman Warriors were moving swiftly through the night. A Beast Skin bundle was tied firmly to each Beastman's chest.
As they ran, each Beastman kept one arm protectively over his chest, his grip not slackening in the slightest, even as blood dripped from his beast-marked arm.
'What's inside here is a matter of life and death for our tribe. There can be no mistakes.'
The Beastman running at the very front was over two meters tall. His upper body was bare, and around his waist was a white Beast Skin Skirt, which had transformed from his own fur.
The Beastman exuded a chilling aura. His features were deep-set and chiseled, and his dark eyes gleamed with a cruel, cold light.
Suddenly, he stopped, his sharp gaze fixed on a thicket to his front right.
At that moment, the beast hiding in the thicket instantly felt as if it had been targeted by some terrifying Fierce Beast, and its fur stood on end.
The Beastman's arm muscles tensed. The Stone Spear in his hand shot toward the thicket like an arrow loosed from a bow, letting out a WHOOSH as it cut through the air.
YOWL—
A short, agonized cry was extinguished by the pitch-black night before it could even travel far.
One of the Beastman Warriors ran over, and the sight that met his eyes made his pupils contract.
A beast as tall as his waist had been pierced through the head from its mouth by a Stone Spear, pinning it firmly to a tree. It was still twitching sporadically.
"A beast got close," a cold, deep voice sounded in the darkness.
With that said, he walked forward, yanked out the Stone Spear that had pierced the beast, and looked at the Beastman beside him. "Hoist it up. Let's go!"
Upon hearing the command, the Beastman beside him grabbed one of the beast's forelegs, slung it over his back, and followed his tribesmen, taking off at a run. It was as if the creature, as long as the Beastman's own body, was as light as a log. In the blink of an eye, the group of Beastman Warriors vanished from the spot, thick with the scent of blood.
"RING RING RING! RING RING RING!"
"Lazy pig! Time to get up! Lazy pig! Time to get up!"
The ear-piercing ringing, accompanied by the damned System's mechanical wake-up call, made Wu Yue, who had just woken from a dream, want to die on the spot.
"Shut up!"
Wu Yue growled, rubbing her throbbing head.
'Does this damned System have any idea how awful its voice is?'
"Warning! The System is perfect. Please do not secretly disparage the System, or you will be issued a warning of point deduction."
The mechanical voice spoke words that were just begging for a punch.
Hearing this, Wu Yue's mouth twitched. She simply lay back down on the dry grass, looking as though her life was hopeless.
"Go on, deduct them! I'm not going out today anyway. Since I'm bound to a rip-off System like you, I probably won't live much longer.
I could let it slide that you embezzled my beginner's gift pack, but threatening to deduct points at the drop of a hat? That's just unbearable."
As she spoke, she angrily shook her fist. "I protest! You're a black-hearted System! Let's just perish together! My miserable life is hopeless!"