The Snow Mane has a large body, strong charging power, and excellent feigning death skills; whereas the Frost Wolf is adept at using terrain to its advantage, likes surprise attacks, and is quick and agile, most critically, it knows when to run if it can't win.
Bruce watched as the Frost Wolf completely disappeared into the dense forest, then shifted his gaze to the limping Snow Mane heading towards the Small Torch, a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
But the hesitation only lasted a moment.
Bruce quickly glanced around, pointing to two of the trees, and spoke to Tony and Charlie:
"See those two trees? When I start fighting the Snow Mane, each of you climb one and stay there. Unless I call you, don't move!"
Having given his instructions, Bruce immediately rose from the snow, drew a stone axe from his waist, and swiftly charged towards the Snow Mane.
He had to hurry; the Snow Mane was almost at the torch.
That torch could heal the Snow Mane and even make it stronger.
In the winter snow forest, scents are not easily distinguished.
In this absolutely silent forest, sound is the greatest tool for any creature to identify enemies and their surroundings.
Though he was fifty meters away, the moment Bruce spoke, the Snow Mane had already sensed him, but its instincts seemed to think the little crawler over there was no threat, so it kept moving towards the torch.
Unfortunately, its left hind leg was too badly injured, making it too slow.
Slow enough that Bruce had already reached its rear, the Snow Mane realizing danger, turned its head to glare fiercely at him.
Facing a Cold Beast for the first time, especially an adult Snow Mane.
Even though he knew it had just gone through a life-and-death battle and its strength was significantly depleted, Bruce still felt a bit nervous.
Stay calm, stay calm.
No matter what, it's still a beast.
Bruce took several deep breaths to calm himself, then looked directly into Snow Mane's eyes, gradually revealing a hint of fierceness on his face.
This little crawler dared to look into its eyes, clearly angering the Snow Mane; with pupils reddened, it pounced swiftly toward Bruce.
Unfortunately, due to the severe injury to its left hind leg, its speed was too slow.
Bruce's gaze sharpened slightly.
Instead of dodging the charging Snow Mane, he put the stone axe in his mouth, gripping it tightly, and spread his arms wide open.
He expertly grabbed hold of the Snow Mane's two long tusks.
Despite the severe injuries weakening the Snow Mane significantly, the abrupt impact still pushed Bruce back five or six meters.
Bang…
If he hadn't changed direction forcibly, bracing against a big tree behind him, dissipating most of the force, he would have been pushed much further back.
"Six thousand four hundred Kilograms of force, yet it's still unstoppable. In its prime, an adult Snow Mane's full-force charge must exceed ten thousand Kilograms. No wonder it takes reaching the Earthripper Realm to hunt them!"
Despite the retreat, Bruce's hands still firmly clung to the Snow Mane's tusks.
The Snow Mane raised its head and opened its bloody mouth towards the facing Bruce.
Bruce saw this, his pupils constricted, he swiftly let go of his right hand, gripping the stone axe that was clamped in his mouth, taking the opportunity to swing to the left as the Snow Mane swung its head.
Thump…
A five- to six-meter long, sharp tongue resembling an icicle shot out of the Snow Mane's mouth.
Bruce leaned aside just in time, as the terrifying tongue pierced straight through the big tree behind him.
This was not over.
Missing its target, the Snow Mane's tongue suddenly went limp, the portion that pierced the tree softening suddenly, curling toward Bruce's neck.
The image of the person at Taylor Camp, having their head sent flying after being entangled by Snow Mane's tongue, was still vivid in Bruce's mind.
He certainly wasn't going to let the Snow Mane succeed.
In fact, just after catching the stone axe and dodging the long tongue, Bruce had already reacted.
The moment Snow Mane's tongue pierced through the tree, Bruce released his left hand as well.
Gripping the stone axe with both hands, his legs on the tree kicked forcefully, propelling his body high into the air, hacking down furiously at Snow Mane's tongue.
Crack…
Compared to Taylor Camp's arrows and knives, the stone axe wasn't nearly as sharp.
But it depends on where you cut.
The tongue is one of the most vulnerable parts of almost any creature's body; the Snow Mane is no exception.
The painful roar issued by the Snow Mane after its tongue was severed clearly showed it.
Seize the opportunity to strike when it's down.
With the tongue severed, the part behind the tree naturally lost its function too.
With no more worries, Bruce swung the stone axe at the Snow Mane's open mouth in a frenzy, the fierce power forced the Snow Mane to retreat uncontrollably, but due to its leg injuries, it retreated slowly and haphazardly.
It was swaying left and right on pure instinct.
Meanwhile, Bruce shouted loudly at the trees:
"Come down and hack its right hind leg, quick…"
Two figures leaped down from the trees, jumping towards the back of the Snow Mane.
The cold gleam from the stone axe flickered past Bruce's eyes, wide open from exertion.
"Got it!"
This Snow Mane was actually extremely cautious.
When dealing with the Frost Wolf, even when gravely injured, it did not use its tongue.
Clearly, these Cold Beasts, having roamed the jungles for years, have rich experience in combat.
They know how to keep their trump card and decisively refrain from using it unless it's a life-or-death situation.
Unfortunately, Bruce had already planned strategically.
Guiding the Snow Mane to lean toward the big tree was to let its tongue pass through the tree, hampering its movement, and attack its greatest weakness.
Indeed, from the beginning, Bruce's target was the tongue.
In the previous hunting process at Taylor Camp, he witnessed the entire event.
Even a large knife couldn't pierce Snow Mane's hide, let alone the stone axe in his hand.
While the Frost Wolf could tear the Snow Mane's abdomen with its claws and rip its leg muscles with its teeth, Bruce was not naive enough to think he could do the same.
The tongue was almost the only place he could hurt it and potentially a mortal point.
Moreover, during this period, his strength increased to 6,400 kilo.
So, Bruce took a gamble on this opportunity.
The facts proved that his gamble was right.
Cold Beasts, while strong, are not invincible.
Bruce tightly entangled it from the front, while Charlie and Tony slashed madly with stone axes at its injured left hind leg from behind.
Despite Snow Mane's strong will to survive, it ultimately fell with regret.
The massive creature weighing over a thousand kilos collapsed with a crash, leaving Bruce and the other two almost exhausted.
Yet, all three faces showed a spontaneous sense of joy and relief.
"This… must be over a thousand kilos, right?"
"At least 1,400, maybe even more."
"Clark and the five of them should be able to break through."
"Quick, lift it, let's head back to the camp first."
Bruce wasn't overwhelmed with joy.
After standing up, he immediately extinguished the still-burning torch, then instructed the two to carry Snow Mane's corpse and quickly return to the camp.
Such a large prey could attract other Cold Beasts or humans, which would be fatal for the nearly exhausted trio.
Fortunately, the journey was thrilling yet safe, and the three finally made it back to the camp.
After exchanging the secret code, the entrance opened.
When the Snow Mane was finally placed down inside, illuminated by the bonfire in the cavern, Bruce's emotions settled, and he relaxed with a smile.
"Another one has been brought back."
"The leader is so strong, isn't he?"
"We've never seen such a large Cold Beast when the former leader was here."
"This must be over a thousand kilos!"
---
Whether it was Clark's group of five, those a dozen of the same age, or everyone else in the camp, they all gathered around Bruce and the others.
Looking at the massive body of the Snow Mane on the ground, its sharp tusks and claws, after a burst of hushed discussions, everyone simultaneously looked at Bruce and the other two with eyes filled with admiration and even frenzy.
This type of look was not unfamiliar to Bruce, as he often brought back resources to the camp, such gazes became increasingly frequent.
Admiration and frenzy didn't concern Bruce too much.
Any creature, upon seeing another stronger than itself, would naturally develop such emotions.
What mattered more to Bruce was the deeper nuance he saw in their eyes:
Hope.
Hope is what drives people and gives them courage.
When Bruce first arrived, he noticed it.
People in the camp generally lacked hope.
Even when Thomas was there, the camp had ample Crystal Fruit and no issues with heating, yet no hope could be seen on their faces.
It is understandable, really; the Crystal Fruit offered satiety and heat provided warmth, but these only sustain life, preventing starvation and freezing.
Yet, humans live for more than just survival.
These people have been hiding in the shadows since birth, with the outside world, Cold Beasts, Deceitful Monsters, and even sunlight posing deadly threats to them.
What they lacked the most were a sense of security and dignity.
Both of these could only be supported by great strength.
Cold Beast Flesh is their only hope to grow stronger.
Previously, under Thomas's leadership, the frequency at which Harper Camp obtained Cold Beast Flesh was too low, meaning too few people received it.
But now, with Bruce as the leader for only a little over two months, bringing back two Snow Manes surely stirred great excitement among them.
Even if it isn't their turn now, the reformation of the Axeheart Team and its growing numbers would eventually bring more prey, and one day it might be their turn.
This is why everyone's eyes showed admiration and frenzy towards Bruce.
Because Bruce gave them the most precious thing, hope.
"After skinning and deboning, a total of 1,270 kilos remains."
The camp's excitement reached a new peak as the weight of the Cold Beast Flesh was announced.
All eyes were fixed on Bruce, awaiting his decision.
Most people actually knew they would not receive a share.
But they just wanted to see how Bruce would distribute it.
How to handle this Snow Mane was something Bruce had thought over long ago.
Seeing everyone looking at him, he spoke directly:
"From now on, all Cold Beast Meat in the camp will be divided according to a three-five-two ratio.
Those who go out hunting will receive 30%; the Axeheart Realm reservists, meaning Clark and the five others, will receive 50%; the remaining 20% will be divided among those aged between fifteen and twenty-two whose Basic Strength exceeds one thousand kilos.
Additionally, regardless of age or gender, anyone whose strength exceeds two thousand kilos can join the Axeheart Team reservists.
Moreover, going forward, any leftovers, for instance, this time it's 1,270 kilos, we take out seventy kilos and let everyone in the camp share it, as a treat."
When they heard about the three-five-two ratio, the camp members were already showing signs of shock.
Hunters only taking 30%?
And upon hearing the last part, regardless of age or gender, anyone whose strength exceeds two thousand kilo can join the Axeheart Team reservists and share the 50%, they all fell silent.
Finally, even the seventy kilo leftovers were shared among everyone in the camp.
Suddenly, those who thought they wouldn't receive a share all raised their heads, staring intently at Bruce.
"Then, can we also join the Axeheart Team in the future?"
"Women too?"
"Did I hear wrong?"
"Do we get a share too?"
A few voices rang out among the crowd, and everyone looked at Bruce in disbelief.
Seeing him nod to confirm they were not mistaken, smiles appeared on their faces, and some even wept with joy.
"Mighty leader!"
Someone, for the first time, shouted those four words.
Subsequently, the crowd followed him, erupting in enthusiastic cheers.
"Mighty leader…
Mighty leader…
Mighty leader…"
Everyone was engulfed in frenzy, some even directly knelt and bowed to Bruce.
Whether it was the cheering crowd or those kneeling to worship him, Bruce did not stop them.
He understood these people and their actions.
Under Thomas, only the Axeheart Team and their direct descendants could receive Cold Beast Meat in the Harper Camp; the others didn't stand a chance.
This was not due to Thomas's short-sightedness; he knew that the more warriors in the Axeheart Realm, the stronger the camp, securing more resources, thus maximizing benefits by allowing more people to cultivate breakthroughs.
Thomas understood this principle, but the problem was, he couldn't do it.
Lacking hunting abilities meant that obtaining Cold Beast Meat was a gamble, possibly luck, or essentially scavenging.
In times of resource scarcity, only the Axeheart Team could be prioritized.
But now it's different.
Bruce's face was full of excitement; the biggest gain from tonight's hunt was not this thousand-some kilo Snow Mane.
The greatest gain was the validation that hunting with Small Torches was feasible.
Though it involved a lot of luck, it was verifiably feasible.
Now, until he's strong enough to face Low-level Cold Beasts directly, having a proven successful hunting method is vitally important.
This means, around Redwood Ridge, it's not just Rogel Camp that can hunt now.
Harper can do it as well!