Chapter 44: A New Prize

Knowing that dealing with Big Gray meant avoiding a prolonged battle of attrition, Jiang Yi knew their stamina could never outlast a creature like that. The mere thought of endurance spurred Jiang Yi into action; he directly tore away the sports apparel—already reduced to tattered rags by the willow tree and Big Gray—revealing a physique made increasingly shredded and muscular through continuous leveling, now slick with blood and sweat.

Jiang Yi retrieved the bottle of Body-Sourcing Potion from his pocket and drank it down in one gulp. The apple-flavored potion felt cool as it slid down his throat, making him feel as though he were chugging an ice-cold cola in the dead of summer...

With the cooling sensation settling into his throat, Jiang Yi’s heart hammered frantically as if stimulated by an injection of adrenaline. His skin, previously pale and drained from exhaustion, instantly flushed with color. The sweat on his body evaporated rapidly, and a whole day's worth of fatigue vanished in an instant. Right then, Jiang Yi felt strong enough to kill a bull with a single punch!

Just as he watched Big Gray swat Chento away with a single claw, Jiang Yi’s body blurred. Maximizing his 17 points of speed, he moved with the swiftness of a gale. With a single slash, he cut off the nose of Big Gray, which was in the middle of lunging to bite Chento.

"Aroo!" The agonizing pain forced Big Gray into a frantic retreat. Blood sprayed wildly from its mutilated nose. Having lost its formidable sense of smell, Big Gray was suddenly stripped of its greatest advantage, driving it to the brink of agony. Pressing its paws against the wound, the beast began thrashing blindly in all directions.

Before Jiang Yi could even celebrate his successful first strike, Big Gray’s massive body rammed squarely into him, sending him tumbling through the air before he slid across the ground.

Gu Hansue drew back her bowstring and shouted anxiously, "Jiang Yi, are you alright?"

Jiang Yi stood up with an excited grin, casually rolling his slightly sore arm. His eyes shone with a brilliant light as he stared at the heavily wounded beast: "There's never been a better time than now!"

Seeing that Jiang Yi genuinely seemed unhurt, Gu Hansue finally relaxed. She pulled out a bottle of Magic-Restoring Potion and prepared to uncork it when she heard Jiang Yi suddenly shout, "Hansue! Chento! Don't interfere, I’m going to finish it myself!"

Pointing his left hand forward, the black saber flew back into his grip as the dark leather cord coiled tight around his arm. Connected to the skull-cleaving blade, Jiang Yi surged forward like a cannonball, shoving the hilt with his right hand to thrust straight at Big Gray’s body!

"Splitch!" A miserable howl escaped the struggling beast. In the nick of time, Big Gray violently jerked its neck to the side, dodging the fatal thrust aimed right at its vitals!

The razor-sharp black saber drove deep into Big Gray’s ribs. Wracked with unbearable pain, the creature lashed out with a claw at the man clinging to its side. Reacting with sharp reflexes, Jiang Yi leaped back, releasing his grip with his left hand while pulling the black cord wrapped around his wrist with his right. With a sharp yank, the cord-attached blade instantly wrenched free, bringing a fountain of scalding beast blood with it!

Catching the saber mid-air, Jiang Yi swung the dark blade with all his might. A massive canine paw, wreathed in bloody flames, slammed heavily into the ground!

Big Gray raised its head and roared to the heavens. The gaze it turned upon Jiang Yi no longer held the previous fiery rage, replaced instead by sheer terror. It couldn't comprehend why prey it could easily hunt down just days ago had suddenly turned the tables. Crashing heavily onto the ground, the beast’s failing body betrayed a flicker of supplication in its single remaining eye!

From the moment it was born, it had yearned only to survive. No matter how bitter or difficult things became, it refused to die! Having lived as a stray for so long, its eyes now mirrored the exact expressions of cowardice and dread it had feigned countless times before.

It knew that kind-hearted humans would always spare it when faced with such a display. Holding the saber, Jiang Yi stood before it, looking into the familiar gaze he had witnessed countless times, and slowly shook his head: "Sorry, Big Gray, this time I won't be sharing my bento with you anymore..."

As if it finally understood Jiang Yi's words, Big Gray’s massive body writhed a few times under its terrified expression before its features suddenly twisted ferociously, resembling a wild jackal!

With a violent roar, the entire beast lunged straight for Jiang Yi’s throat. Even in death, it would drag this man down to hell with it...

"Slash!" A deep crimson line erupted across its neck, and fresh blood splattered all over Jiang Yi’s boots!

Big Gray slammed heavily onto the ground, its single eye filled with endless resentment. It parted its jaws, and the once-bright eye gradually lost its luster! Several glowing orbs of light shot directly into Jiang Yi’s body as the beast's carcass rapidly withered away!

Chento and Gu Hansue finally walked over with expressions of utter shock. They looked back and forth between Jiang Yi and the corpse of Big Gray, which now looked as though it had been dead and decaying for days.

Neither of them had imagined that Jiang Yi's growth would be this terrifyingly fast. Just a few days ago, he had been brutally mauled by this very fierce beast; yet now, he was capable of slaying a beast hound entirely on his own. This rate of progression was simply too unbelievable.

Jiang Yi cast a long, lingering look at the beast's corpse, then looked up with a smile for the two of them. Just as he was about to speak, a group of people suddenly walked out from the nearby tree line. Dongfang Tian took the lead. Upon seeing the trio and the corpse of Big Gray, he asked, "What happened here? Hansue, are you alright?"

Gu Hansue turned around, frowning slightly. When had Dongfang Tian and his group arrived? "We're fine!"

Dongfang Tian nodded, strolled over to the massive carcass, and circled it twice. A trace of shock flashed in his eyes; he had never witnessed such a gigantic mutated beast before.

Even with all his confidence in his own strength, he wouldn't dare guarantee he could kill such a massive creature. Did Jiang Yi really kill this thing by himself? Dongfang Tian glanced sideways at the expressionless Jiang Yi.

He mentally shook his head. Jiang Yi gave off a thoroughly ordinary vibe, looking nothing like someone capable of pulling off such a feat.

Noticing the arrow embedded in the carcass, Dongfang Tian leaned toward believing that Gu Hansue was the one who had slain it. With that thought in mind, he cast a disdainful glance at Jiang Yi before walking over to Gu Hansue's side: "Hansue, the smell of blood here is too strong. It'll probably attract zombies. We should head back!"

Gu Hansue instinctively looked toward Jiang Yi. Jiang Yi gave a subtle nod and retrieved his weapon!

Dongfang Tian instructed his subordinates, "Take this carcass back. Try to figure out if it's edible."

Chento frowned and stepped forward, about to protest, when Jiang Yi pulled him back and gave a slight shake of his head...

And just like that, the spoils of war belonging to Jiang Yi and his companions were brazenly carried away by Dongfang Tian’s men. From start to finish, Dongfang Tian didn't even bother to direct a single question at them.

Gu Hansue felt a wave of disgust, but remembering that she was still staying under his roof—and that most of her former teammates now answered to Dongfang Tian—she chose to hold her tongue, unwilling to spark a conflict over the matter.

Back inside the gymnasium, Chento, who had bottled up his frustration the entire walk back, looked indignantly at Jiang Yi: "Why didn't you let me speak? Dongfang Tian is going too far. That was our loot!"

Jiang Yi sprawled nonchalantly across his mattress, glancing at the deeply disgruntled Chento and Gu Hansue, whose expression was equally sour, before suddenly breaking into a smile: "If they want it, let them have it. We wouldn't have used it anyway!"

Gu Hansue felt indignant on Jiang Yi's behalf: "But he crossed the line! He didn't even bother to ask you first!"

Jiang Yi seemed entirely unbothered: "Doesn't matter. The truly good stuff is already in my hands anyway!"

The two of them froze, their gazes locking onto Jiang Yi simultaneously. Instinctively guessing his meaning—after all, which normal beast corpse would decay at such a visible rate upon death?

Connecting this to Jiang Yi's bizarre abilities, and seeing his current expression, how could they not be consumed by curiosity?

After holding out for a few seconds and seeing the unmistakable urge in both of their eyes to reach into his bags themselves, Jiang Yi finally moved first, plunging his hand into the pack beside him! He pulled out a vial of blood-red potion!

"Blood-Recovery Potion!" Gu Hansue gasped aloud. Instantly realizing she had broken her composure, she slapped a hand over her mouth, glancing cautiously around to ensure no one was paying attention. Only after confirming they were ignored did she exhale in relief, staring at Jiang Yi with excitement: "It really is like that! You can extract potions from both animals and plants!"

Jiang Yi nodded excitedly, "That's right, and there's more!" With that, Jiang Yi reached back into his bag. This time, he pulled out a long, luxurious fur blanket!

The soft animal pelt felt as plush as the finest Persian rug, its grey-white fur dense and velvety smooth!

Gu Hansue's eyes lit up. She snatched it from his hands immediately. The tactile sensation upon touch surpassed even the finest fur coat she had ever owned!

"Is this... Big Gray's hide?" Chento asked, eyeing the familiar coloration.

Jiang Yi shrugged, "Who knows? Anyway, once Big Gray was killed, I ended up with a pelt!"

"Animal Pelt (Tier 1): A pelt crafted from the vital essence of an unknown fierce beast. Possesses superior defensive and thermal insulation properties..."

Jiang Yi hadn't expected that defeating Big Gray would net him ten experience points, alongside a handful of items in addition to the potion. Aside from the two-meter-square pelt, Jiang Yi had also acquired ten 'Sharp Beast Fangs' and ten 'Hard Beast Bones'. Every single fang and bone was identical in size and shape, matching down to the exact weight!

Jiang Yi had no idea what these items were for, but given the familiarity he felt with the potions, he guessed these were raw materials automatically harvested from Big Gray's body.

This gave Jiang Yi a subtle hypothesis: since his 'Infinite Combat Leveling' ability could automatically harvest these components now, it meant he might be able to craft things with these materials in the future.

Therefore, even if they had no immediate use, Jiang Yi wasn't particularly disappointed.

Gu Hansue adored the fur pelt, while Chento remained fascinated by the pristine beast fangs in his hand. After all, Big Gray's teeth hadn't been missing from its mouth when it died—so where had these fangs come from?

Neither Chento nor Jiang Yi knew that over in the kitchen, a few students tasked with processing the beast carcass had tried to pry out a few teeth to keep as souvenirs. Before they could even find a tool, they simply pulled on one, and the seemingly solid fangs had snapped cleanly off at the root...

"Ahem, let me show you one last thing!" Jiang Yi coughed lightly, successfully drawing their attention back to him before pulling a solid, block of raw meat from his pack!

The slab of meat looked so fresh it seemed ready to drip blood, topped with a rich layer of fat that emitted a faint, savory-iron aroma. Its marbled patterns rivaled the highest-grade Wagyu beef!

Chento instinctively sniffed the air: "Such fresh meat!"

The Yamato nation was the birthplace of raw dining and home to the world's finest beef. Even though Chento hadn't lived in Yamato for long, he had tasted raw delicacies before. A single sniff told him that the meat in Jiang Yi's hands was the absolute freshest, premium ingredient fit for consumption.

Jiang Yi tossed the chunk of meat in his hand: "A full hundred pounds of dog meat! Anyone want some?"