"Brother Charlie, impressive skills!"
Aaron didn't hide his shock.
He had felt Snow Mane's immense momentum himself.
Though the White Thread and Black Blade played significant roles, Charlie's strength couldn't be underestimated.
Not only Aaron, but Reeves's three brothers and the other five now looked at Charlie with newfound respect.
Even Peter and Clint seemed deeply shocked and puzzled by the rapid improvement in Charlie's abilities.
"Alright, stop showing off. What's your Basic Strength now?"
Bruce teased, knowing Charlie's growth and the potent power of the Black Blade and White Thread, which Charlie had confided in him about, was why he'd dared to bring him along.
Charlie grinned sheepishly, replying, "It should be nearing 7,000 kilograms now."
7,000 kilograms, that's quite the rapid improvement!
Bruce had some guesses based on how Charlie held off the gravely injured Snow Mane, but hearing the actual number, he couldn't help but feel astonished.
The others, especially Aaron, upon hearing this number, looked envious and felt a sense of urgency.
Among them, Aaron boasted the highest Basic Strength at 8,000 kilograms; Reeves's brothers were just over 7,000; and Collin's and Turner's four had only just reached 7,000.
They were all technically stronger than Charlie, but the issue was Charlie's age.
Considering Charlie had obtained the Black Blade and White Thread from the Wood Puppet Monster…
It was highly probable that their collective strength fell short of Charlie's.
"Don't get complacent; you're still far from the Earthripper Realm. Also, spend more time studying the Black Blade and White Thread—their potential should far exceed this,"
Bruce chided Charlie, a reminder in light of Lex and Matthew's prior focus on the Wood Puppet Monster.
"Tonight, our first prey is secured!"
Bruce's words brought them back to reality, and looking at the Snow Mane on the ground, their faces momentarily showed disbelief.
Considering the lengthy process just now, from digging the pit to now, only an hour had actually passed.
Snow Mane was injured by stepping into the pit, struck by arrows, and attacked by Bruce and Aaron's main group while fleeing, confronted by Charlie and decapitated by Bruce.
The entire hunting process was smooth and effortless, as simple as eating or drinking.
Was this truly hunting?
Rogel Camp's previous hunts were never this simple!
Aaron shook off the chaotic thoughts, having considered the entire hunt, and directed his gaze to the torches and the animal trap.
"Leader, how did this animal trap gain such power?"
Upon Aaron's inquiry, Bruce's face displayed appreciation, pointing directly to Snow Mane's right foreleg where the animal trap was attached.
He said, "Remove it and see."
Aaron nodded, crouched, and tugged at the animal trap, making a startled face when it wouldn't budge.
Setting aside his sword, he gritted his teeth and tried again.
The animal trap's jaw remained tightly shut, unmoving.
"Michael, Eric, help me here."
With Michael and Eric assisting, they finally pried the trap open and removed it from Snow Mane's leg.
Seeing the ten silver filaments pattern on the trap's side and the ten heavy springs around the joints, Aaron and the others gained sudden insight.
"I spent three whole days crafting this trap and added over ten crude springs. The force required to clamp it shut is at least over 12,000 kilograms. Without Earthripper Realm strength, opening it's impossible."
Accepting the opened trap, Bruce's face showed confidence.
"One prey is not enough. Bury this Snow Mane's body in the snow for now, mark it, and follow me east to find that Frost Wolf!"
Hunting Crack…
Two hours later, a Frost Wolf stepped onto an animal trap in the snow, lured by the torch's light.
Unlike before, when the Snow Mane's bones were merely caught, this time the Frost Wolf's left forelimb was nearly severed.
And because the Frost Wolf sensed danger and tried to flee, its speed was so fast that a large chunk of flesh was torn from its entire left leg, leaving the bones almost completely exposed, the scene was quite horrifying.
Despite the Frost Wolf's agility and reaction speed being even faster than the previous Snow Mane, opting for an early escape, the animal trap's strong pull and restraint, coupled with Bruce's meticulous prearrangement, led to its demise on the spot, with Charlie extracting its Essence Blood.
As Aaron and the others looked at the Frost Wolf's corpse, weighing over a thousand kilograms on the ground, and then up at the sky, they realized only half the night had passed, yet they had already harvested two prey, and their expressions began to show numbness.
When did hunting become so easy?
It's not that they didn't exert any effort, but compared to previous hunts led by George, the dangers encountered tonight were almost negligible.
Both the previous Snow Mane and the current Frost Wolf were lured by the torch to step onto the animal trap, injuring their legs, reducing their full strength by thirty or forty percent.
After a wave of arrows, if not killed, they would be skinned alive, and finally, with Bruce leading the five of them, the prey was obtained effortlessly.
Moreover, while hunting the second Frost Wolf, they used Charlie's White Thread to replace the rope; no matter how the Frost Wolf pulled, the thread held steady.
In terms of time, hunting it was even easier than the Snow Mane.
"With this animal trap, if I personally lead the team, hunting low-level Cold Beasts in the future should be no problem; it's just a matter of time before we clear them from the perimeter!"
After two consecutive hunts, Bruce had already confirmed the effectiveness and power of the animal trap he personally crafted, greatly boosting his confidence for future hunts.
"Leader, can this animal trap be mass-produced?"
Aaron's question immediately brightened everyone's expressions.
However, Bruce shook his head, slowly removing the animal trap from the Frost Wolf's leg, and said, "This animal trap was made from Ten-forged Iron that I personally crafted for both the main body and the spring.
Just the iron ore alone weighed twelve hundred kilograms. It's not the same as the ordinary ironware previously made at Rogel Camp.
Given the current camp's reserves of iron ore and mining capacity, mass production is impossible…"
Pausing for a moment, Bruce continued, "Even if we could craft two or three more now, we still wouldn't be able to use them."
Upon hearing this, everyone pondered for a moment and then nodded.
Recalling the two hunting processes just now, although the animal trap played a significant role, more crucial was their frontal blockage; more accurately, the fatal injuries of the two prey were almost entirely caused by Bruce.
So, strictly speaking, while the animal trap could injure a Cold Beast, relying on it to reap rewards without preparation was impossible.
Without prior arrangement and supplementary force from those at the Earthripper Realm, the likely outcome would be a severely injured Cold Beast escaping with the trap.
In such a case, they would end up with nothing.
"Therefore, if any of you break through to the Earthripper Realm first, with the animal trap's help, the camp could definitely establish a second Hunting Team. At that point, hunting ability would be greatly enhanced, and the prey harvest would naturally reach a higher level."
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes immediately lit up.
They had all witnessed the experiment tonight firsthand.
One Earthripper Realm, an animal trap, plus several at the Axeheart Realm, and not to mention encountering unfamiliar Cold Beasts; at least tonight proved that Snow Manes and Frost Wolves, as long as they are cautious, are almost easy to hunt.
Given tonight's hunting progress, let alone Bruce's earlier proposed meat distribution rules being smoothly implemented, Cold Beast Meat might even be in excess.
Aaron and the other eight exchanged glances, then looked at Bruce.
The doubt in their eyes had completely disappeared, leaving only admiration and respect.
The seemingly fantastical meat distribution rule.
It turns out he wasn't bragging,
This new leader, Bruce.
He could really make it happen!
"Next, let's see how many low-level Cold Beasts are left on the outskirts here. Is our camp's hunting speed fast, or is their spread fast? I want to see if these Cold Beasts really are endless."
Unaware of the change in Aaron and the others' perspectives, Bruce's gaze turned towards the deeper parts of Redwood Ridge, his expression turning somewhat excited.
The two hunts tonight also proved that from now on, the Harper Camp truly stands at the top of the food chain above the Snow Mane and Frost Wolf.
Hunting, as long as nothing unexpected happens, focusing on the currently familiar types of Cold Beasts, should not be a problem in the future.
He now even has to consider the question of whether there will be enough low-level Cold Beasts in the future.
The trees of Redwood Ridge are robust, and the Cold Beasts are quite large, so not many can occupy the outer 500 meters here.
For instance, when they just came over to search, they confirmed only seven were present.
But this doesn't mean there are only these seven on the periphery, just that only seven happened to be there tonight.
Bruce, though not fully familiar with the life habits of Cold Beasts, understood from interacting with several types so far that at least they are not stationary.
Logically, those mixed into the outskirts must be the weakest batch of Cold Beasts, but it's unclear how many weak ones are specifically within Redwood Ridge.
According to the current meat distribution rule implemented by Harper, at least fifteen are needed per month.
In the short term, this shouldn't be a problem, but continuing long-term like this will definitely reduce the number in the outer 500 meters, and then they will have no choice but to expand the hunting range.
"Leader, two should be enough. Shall we end tonight here?"
Hearing Aaron's inquiry, Bruce shook his head.
"We'll take down that Golden-eyed Demon Sheep too."
Upon hearing this, everyone swallowed, including Charlie.
Two Cold Beasts in one night were already a fantasy for them, yet Bruce wanted to tackle a third one.
It's not that they saw it as unrealistic, having personally experienced the process of hunting the two Cold Beasts before, they didn't feel that the third Golden-eyed Demon Sheep would be excessively difficult.
The issue was hunting three Cold Beasts in one night.
To them, it indeed seemed a bit mad and equally unbelievable.
If the hunting process of the first two Cold Beasts required some effort, then the hunt for the Golden-eyed Demon Sheep could certainly be described as simple.
The attack mode of the Golden-eyed Demon Sheep is extremely singular—just a reckless charge.
Although its strength is much greater than that of the Snow Mane, its power was severely diminished after stepping into the animal trap, leaving it to flee under the siege of Bruce and his group.
Aware of the threat posed by its glowing eyes on the back, Bruce and his team naturally avoided providing any opportunities.
As luck would have it, the golden eye on its back turned out to be the perfect target for Peter, Clint, and the seven archers perched in the trees.
It's worth noting that, compared to Clint, Peter, and even Charlie, the hunting skills of Aaron and the other eight were noticeably superior.
This was apparent not only from the Golden-eyed Demon Sheep but also from the earlier Snow Mane and Frost Wolf hunts.
Charlie, using the Black Blade and White Thread, could compete with the likes of Aaron, but Clint and Peter's archery skills clearly weren't on the same level as Aaron and his group.
Both Clint and Peter noticed this point as well.
Although their faces showed some frustration, there was an evident sense of competitiveness.
During the return journey, they continuously sought opportunities to learn archery techniques and practiced whenever possible, which was quite apparent.
Bruce welcomed this sort of friendly rivalry.
As they prepared to bring back all three prey to the camp, the temperature visibly dropped, an indication that dawn was nearing, prompting everyone to quicken their pace back to the camp.
Coincidentally, upon reaching the valley entrance, they encountered Ben and Sam, who were leading the Axeheart team in moving lumber inside.
"Leader, how was it? Did we catch any prey…"
Seeing Bruce at the forefront, Sam bowed in greeting, about to inquire about their hunting harvest, but before he could finish his question, he looked up to see the three massive creatures each carried by Peter, Clint, and Nathan, and his mouth fell open in shock.
"Greetings, Leader, this…"
Ben also approached, initially puzzled about Sam's sudden pause.
However, upon looking up and spotting the massive bodies draped over Peter, Clint, and Nathan, his expression instantly mirrored Sam's in astonishment.