Six days had passed since his encounter with the mysterious girl, and Yaw-Yan had been fighting the urge to bash his head against a rock every time he remembered the utterly cringe-worthy move he had made when his hormones got the better of him.
"Beautiful!?"
'Really, Yaw-Yan? That's the only word you could say when a complete stranger was just a meter away from your tribe's settlement? You didn't even try to question her why she was there, standing outside of Silao valley in the middle of a cold night, wearing nothing but a school uniform?'
Yaw-Yan shook his head. The memory of that encounter had been a constant distraction, causing him to mess up countless times during his daily tasks—so much so that it was no longer funny, just plain embarrassing. Broken plates, burnt food, stumbling over his own feet, and even fumbling his words during the elder ceremony...
He had made so many mistakes that one of the elders decided to perform a cleansing ritual on him, believing he was being followed by a bad spirit.
Except the so-called "bad spirit" haunting him wasn't some supernatural force. It was the memory of her, living rent-free in his mind for days now.
And the worst part? She had run away faster than a lorifin—a lizard-like beast so fast it could literally run across water.
The girl had been way too quick on her feet, all because Yaw-Yan, a.k.a. Mr. I'm-gonna-steal-your-girl, had blurted out the first thing that came to his mind the moment he laid eyes on her.
"Beautiful."
And just like that, he had scared her off.
Yaw-Yan sighed. He hated being so out of tune like this. Luckily, he didn't need to go hunting since the old chief had ordered all hunters to put their missions on hold and keep an eye on the visitors as they started their activities.
And those activities were about to begin.
The scouts sent to observe the floating ship had returned with news: several people had been seen leaving the massive object, scattering in different directions.
The old chief took this as the first sign that the "Sky People" were beginning their subjugation of the beasts. Apparently, these people were scouting the valley to ensure the beasts' strength was at the perfect level for training their young warriors. Any beasts deemed too strong were eliminated to make the hunt safer for their trainees.
When Yaw-Yan asked what would happen to the beast cores of their slain foes, the old chief simply reassured him. "There's nothing to worry about," he said. "The Sky People only collect the cores of the strongest beasts, leaving behind those they deem worthless.
Yaw-Yan's brow twitched in annoyance. If you really thought about it, these people did whatever they wanted—hunting and slaughtering beasts for fun, leaving a mess behind—and his tribe was left to clean it up.
But all he could do was curse them in his mind. Starting a fight with them would be foolish—especially for him. He doubted his makeshift weapon could do anything against them, especially if even the old chief admitted they were stronger than him.
"ALRIGHT, MY CHILDREN," the old chief clapped his hands, demanding everyone's attention.
"You all know your tasks. Follow the children of the skies, collect the abandoned beast cores, gather the best cuts of meat, and do not get in their way. This is the best way to avoid confrontation."
The hunters nodded and bid farewell to their families.
Some of them nodded toward Yaw-Yan, knowing he wouldn't be joining them. Their destination was outside the safe valley—a place deadly for someone like him. Compared to them, Yaw-Yan was undoubtedly the weakest hunter in the tribe. Yet, despite that, the hunters acknowledged his dedication to providing food for the tribe, ensuring that everyone—including their wives and children—was fed. To them, that alone was reason enough to respect him.
Yaw-Yan, however, could only sigh in envy. He couldn't help but feel jealous watching the hunters stride confidently out of the safe valley.
He had heard many stories about the dangerous parts of the Silao Valley from the seasoned hunters, and the more he heard, the more intrigued he became. But he knew that without a core weapon of his own, he'd just end up as a snack for the beasts out there. Even if the hunters were willing to take him along, he would refuse.
The last thing he wanted was for someone to die shielding him just because he was too weak to defend himself.
So, he settled for hunting within the safe valley.
Yaw-Yan waved back as his hunter brothers bid farewell to the tribe. Once they were out of sight, he turned to the old chief, ready to take his leave as well.
"Old Chief, I'm heading out to forage. Since I won't need to hunt for beast meat for a while, I'll just gather herbs and spices in the meantime."
The old chief nodded. "Be careful out there."
Yaw-Yan made his way toward Silao Grande.
Usually, when hunting for tribute, he would pick a spot far away from the mountain-sized beast. Its overwhelming presence was enough to keep other creatures at bay, which was why the surrounding area was called the "Safe Valley." The closer one got to Silao Grande, the less likely they were to encounter a beast.
That didn't mean he let his guard down, though. There was always a chance a stray beast would appear.
But since his goal wasn't hunting for meat this time, but gathering herbs and spices, he needed to be closer to Silao Grande. It was the perfect place for foraging.
With enough rations packed, he could stay out for a few days before having to either hunt for a meal or return to the tribe. But being near the mountain-sized beast meant the chances of encountering other creatures were low, so he had to be diligent in gathering as many herbs as possible.
That way, the rations he used up wouldn't be wasted.
It had been a couple of hours since Yaw-Yan started his journey toward the slumbering Silao Grande, and he could tell he was close to his destination. Not only did the mountain-sized beast appear much larger now that he was nearer, but the absence of wildlife noise in the surroundings was another deafening proof of its presence.
Because of this, the vegetation in this part of the valley was far more abundant than anywhere else he had been so far.
Yaw-Yan decided to start foraging while the sun was still up. He could already see some rare herbs and smiled as he gathered them.
It took quite some time, but Yaw-Yan managed to fill his bag to the brim—herbs, spices, and fruits to snack on later.
He was about to look for a place to set up camp when he heard a clashing noise in the distance. Yaw-Yan was familiar with this kind of rhythmic sound—he had heard it many times when two hunters sparred with each other.
It was the sound of weapons colliding.
"Are there people fighting?" Yaw-Yan wondered.
Stealthily, he moved toward the source of the noise. While his tribe wasn't the only community living in Silao Valley, they were the only ones who had chosen to settle near the mountain-sized beast. The other tribes had wisely decided to stay as far away from the slumbering giant as possible.
This was why Yaw-Yan was confused about who could be making such a commotion.
Crouching in a nearby bush, Yaw-Yan barely made out the silhouettes of a group of people. It looked like they were sparring—two of them were exchanging blows, while a third stood on the sidelines, monitoring the fight.
Unable to clearly gauge the action, Yaw-Yan took out a makeshift telescope he had crafted. He had discovered that by burning the scales of a fish-like beast until they charred, then polishing them repeatedly until the outer layers were removed, he could create something similar to glass lenses. Initially, he had intended to make goggles, but upon testing, he realized the lenses functioned more like those used in telescopes.
His eyes didn't require such lenses, so instead, he had fashioned them into a small telescope.
Peering through it, Yaw-Yan finally had a clear view of the distant figures.
There were three of them.
One was a short, brown-haired girl wielding a hammer larger than herself, swinging it at her opponent—an orange-haired guy with a double-bladed weapon, who gracefully dodged each incoming blow. The third person, a tall blonde girl, stood a few feet away, arms crossed, mouthing words that Yaw-Yan couldn't hear from his hiding spot.
One thing stood out to him—they were all wearing the same uniform as the mysterious, beautiful girl he had encountered a few nights ago. Well, except for the guy, who had a male version of the uniform.
Yaw-Yan was completely captivated by the two fighters.
The way they moved was like a dance—fluid and precise—unlike the warriors of his tribe, who fought with brute force, relying on hacking, bashing, slicing, and stabbing. These two moved like the warriors he had seen in movies and anime.
And then there were their Core Weapons.
Unlike the plain spears, swords, and axes of his tribe, these weapons were vibrant, complex in design, and glowed far brighter than any Core Weapon he had ever seen. The craftsmanship was on an entirely different level—at least a hundred times more refined than anything he had encountered before.
Yaw-Yan was so engrossed in watching the fighters that he didn't notice the tall blonde girl looking in his direction.
When he finally locked eyes with her, a chilling sense of dread enveloped his entire body.
She was looking straight at him.
It was the same feeling as when a beast noticed his presence.
Instinct took over.
Yaw-Yan grabbed his bow and arrow, turned around, and dashed away as fast as he could. He didn't even bother to grab his bag—its weight would only slow him down.
This was pure survival instinct.
He couldn't fight the beasts of this valley head-on. If he tried, he would die.
All he could do was run and outsmart his predators—something he had done many times before.
But this time was different.
These were not mindless beasts.
These were people—with strength and intelligence that could easily overpower him
So he ran.
Ran as fast as he could.
He was running for his life.
End of Chapter 4.