It took a few minutes before a man of towering height entered Chief Viren's tent. His intimidating yet dependable presence washed the room unimpededly, demanding respect from those who laid their eyes upon him. His long, red hair was as terrifying as before, as if every strand was soaked in the blood of those he killed.
Before Alfred could digest his emotions, another person followed Vir inside.
It was a young man, probably the same age as him. His short, silver hair was similar to the fur of the mighty dire wolf, while his two beady eyes, with the same color, shone like the moon itself. He was beautiful. And yet, within his magnificent and immature appearance, Alfred could discern that something was hidden from within. Something wild, primal.
Dazed by the uniqueness of the young man, Alfred couldn't help but stare far longer than he should have.
"What the hell are you looking at, outsider?!" The silver-haired young man dropped the basket he was holding and shouted while pointing at Alfred. "Why are you even here? This is not your place!"
"That is not for you to decide," Shaman Catori interjected.
Vir abruptly kneeled before the Elders and proclaimed. "My apologies, it is my fault for not teaching my hunter proper manners. Please forgive him, as he is still immature."
"Head Hunter, it is the outsider's fault!" The boy exclaimed.
Vir glared at the young man and pulled him down to kneel. "Show respect, Gunnar. I did not bring you here to embarrass me."
"But-."
"Shut up and apologize."
Gunnar gritted his teeth and lowered his head. "Sorry."
'That is the most insincere apology I have ever heard. This is my first time seeing someone show disrespect to the Elders. I guess even in this world, people like that exist. How unfortunate, with his look, he could have been an idol in my world.'
Vir was about to lash out, but before he could do it, Chief Viren preceded him.
"Report your findings."
"As you ordered." Vir slightly glanced at Gunnar and commanded. "Report what you saw."
The silver young man lingered for a few seconds before uttering his words. "In our hunt, we witnessed something impossible. Three beasts, species of different kinds, worked together to kill one of the kings. We do not know how something like that led to that kind of weird situation, but we suspect they are the reason for the sudden thinning of monsters in the forest."
The Elders frowned.
"That is indeed peculiar," Shaman Catori said, her already displeased face deepening as seconds went by. "What is the outcome of the battle?"
"We do not know; we do not dare to stay for too long, afraid of garnering the beasts' attention," Gunnar replied, his head still lowered.
"This is concerning," the skinny Chieftain added. "We must know the root of this dangerous phenomenon as soon as possible. Something is brewing in the great forest; we have to prepare.
Alfred had difficulty following the conversation. He understood that something strange had happened, but he couldn't comprehend what.
'Is the situation really that dire to have this kind of reaction? Beast, huh? Are they talking about something like the massive rat that attacked me?'
Alfred raised his right hand, wanting to catch everyone's attention. "Sorry, but may I ask? This beast you're mentioning, is it like the one that attacked me? Are they that dangerous?"
A laugh resounded.
He didn't need to ask who it was; the answer was obvious.
"I am tired of your rotten behavior!" Elder Ahote angrily shouted. "Get out if you are done! We do not need your opinion here!"
With a flick, Vir hit Gunnar with the back of his hand, sending the disrespectful young man flying outside the tent.
Alfred stared at the towering muscle with perplexed eyes. Only in the movies had he seen someone fly with just a simple punch.
'How strong is this person? Is the kid still alive?'
"I am ashamed. I will properly discipline him later," Vir reassured.
Chief Viren waved his hand and ordered. "Stop kneeling there and sit beside young Alfred."
Vir stood and sauntered next to him. The towering muscle glanced briefly in his direction and then rested his bottom near him.
Beads of sweat formed on Alfred's back, knowing the man next to him could probably kill him with one hit.
"Young Alfred," Chief Viren called.
"Y-yes," he stutteringly answered.
The old Chieftain warmly smiled and spoke. "Relax, you do not need to worry about your inquiry. It is understandable if you do not know that, as we all know, you lost your memory. To answer your question, yes and no.
"You see, the thing that attacked you back in the forest is a bit different. Usually, we call them animals, monsters, or prey. But once these monsters live long enough, they will form a core inside them, giving them power so strong it can trample a tribe. Now, these monsters that successfully form their core, we call them beasts.
"Fortunately, their numbers are few, and they often like to live in solitude. Thus, even with their immense strength, we could still defeat them using quantity, thorough preparation, and sacrifices. However, what do you think will happen if they suddenly decide to work together?"
Alfred conjured random images of ferocious beasts inside his brain.
Incomprehensible.
'The massive rat is already an unimaginable horror. What kind of being is more dangerous than that?'
"…Chaos," Alfred involuntarily muttered.
"Indeed." The scarred old man nodded. "If this is left alone, it can become the beginning of the end."
He shivered. This was only the beginning of his story. It would be tragic if the end were just around the corner.
"Do not be too alarmed, for now it is only a suspicion; so, what we need to do is to confirm it," Chief Viren reassured while caressing his white beard. "Vir, tomorrow, send a party of hunters to investigate this matter. Tell them to report anything unusual."
"I will, Chieftain."
"Let us set that topic aside for later," the old Chieftain continued. "Right now, we have a more dire problem that needs an immediate solution. How much prey did you catch this time?"
The red-headed man glanced at Alfred and inquired. "Forgive me for asking, but is it okay for him to be here?"
Chief Viren smiled and answered. "Of course, he is now a member of this tribe. We will discuss that matter later; for now, focus on the food problem."
Vir hesitated, his eyebrows knitted, and his fist clenched harder. "We only manage to catch 5 prey."
The scarred old man furrowed his eyebrows. "That is less than last time. If this continues, a loss of life will be the consequence.
The Head Hunter slammed his head on the ground and yelled. "I failed to do my duty; please punish me!"
Alfred almost jumped at the sudden outburst of Vir. He knew he was extreme, but this was on another level.
"What will that do?" Shaman Catori waved her right hand dismissively. "Punishing you will not help our tribe; it might even cause more problems."
"I agree," Elder Ahote supported. "Raise your head and just make sure you get more next time."
"I… will not let you down," Vir declared before he hesitantly returned to his proper sitting posture.
The tent remained silent for a few seconds before Chief Viren broke it once again.
"Do you have more to report?"
"I have." Vir nodded. "The White Lion is dead."
The old Chieftain's eyes widened so much as if the news was the most surprising out of all the reports.
"How?" he asked, his voice shaking.
"It was devoured by a newly evolved beast."
"So, my old rival left this world before me." The scarred Chieftain smiled wryly. "Even though the White Lion was a beast, it once saved my life. I know it is hard to believe, but it did. I have yet to repay my debt; thus, hearing of its death shook me quite a bit."
'Save? How can a beast save a man?'
Alfred's curiosity rampaged inside his heart, wanting to disturb the conversation and quench its thirst for an answer. Nevertheless, he kept it at bay, as the topic was too serious for his unwarranted curiosity.
"I do not understand," Elder Ahote confusedly inquired. "How can a newly evolved beast defeat one of the kings?"
Vir grabbed the basket that Gunnar dropped earlier and took three furry balls from inside. "Because of these."
It took several seconds before they could distinguish the balls.
"Lion cubs?" Alfred uttered absentmindedly.
The Head Hunter briefly looked at Alfred and then returned it to the Elders. "It is indeed the White Lion's cubs. The king had just given birth to these, draining its stamina and Spirit Energy in the process. The newly evolved Black Scaled Snake saw the opportunity and assaulted the Lion. The White Lion's instinct was to protect its cubs, leading to its untimely demise."
"A cruel fate," Chief Viren whispered. "But why did you bring those cubs here?"
"In normal times, I would not even look at these small monsters, let alone consider them. However, our tribe's dilemma forced my hand to make a desperate choice; thus, I am here to ask the Elders of your decision."
Chief Viren grabbed his white beard once more, contemplating for a few seconds before answering. "Our people have never consumed a monster cub before. Breaking that tradition will have unforeseen consequences. Yet, are we in the position to think of a future if our present is on the brink of its end?"
The old Chieftain turned his attention to the Elders beside him and asked. "What do you think?"
The two lingered for a while, clear uncertainty painted on their faces.
But then, Shaman Catori's eyes sparked as if she had an epiphany. "Why not ask the young lad for his opinion?"
All eyes suddenly were on Alfred.
His unprepared heart jumped, fogging his mind and stiffening his body.
"Do not be worried, young Alfred," Chief Viren calmly said. "You can speak what is in your mind; you will not be blamed for anything."
'What should I say? I am not ready for this. I can't just say whatever; it has to have value in it. But if I don't speak, I will waste this golden opportunity to prove myself.'
A few more seconds passed, and all anticipation had already left the Elders' faces, losing hope for Alfred to provide an opinion.
He, too, was about to give up, but then, a crazy idea hit him.
Out of excitement, he didn't think of it further and answered hurriedly. "We should adopt the cubs and raise them ourselves!"