First hunt

The team members of the team 6 are all gathered after the bear left the area. Well, at least all the remaining members. The six members who came and joined Sam and Jack are looking at the duo awkwardly not knowing what to say.

They ostracized him at first, because they got jealous of his achievement in the tower of will. But now they almost got killed because of their behaviour. Now, they understood what the Elder was warning them about adapting and surviving. This test is harder than they thought it would be.

“Thank you.” Eve broke the silence with her slow and timid voice. She looked at her feet and didn’t look him in the eye. After a few moments the rest of the members also thanked him except for Dustin. He is still suffering from the embarrassing situation. 𝒃𝒆𝙙𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝙡．𝙤𝒓𝙜

Sam scanned the crowd and just nodded at their words. Everyone turned silent again. Looking at the awkward situation, Jack said. “What’s next?” He looked at Dustin while saying these words. The latter felt even more embarrassed.

“Sam, will you be the leader of the group?” Shor asked. The rest of the group also looked at him with some expectation. All except for one.

Sam looked at their expressions and said after a few moments of silence.

“If you guys want me to lead the team, I have some conditions.”

“What are they?” Val asked.

.....

“First of all, you guys better listen to every command without any questions and if you don’t want to listen you can just leave the group.

The second thing is that point scrolls you find are yours individually and even if we work as a team to obtain it, I will decide on who will get what share of the points.

The third and final condition. If you fight with someone, you can take the points by yourselves and I won’t interfere in the battle unless you ask me to and then I will take my share of points. Same goes for you guys too. If I am having a battle to get points, you are not allowed to get in my way and interfere. If we battle as a team, I will decide the share of points according to the contribution of everyone

If you are okay with all the conditions, you guys can follow me. If you don’t, you can be on your own way now.”

The rest of the teammates were dumbstruck on the conditions. If they were to agree, they will lose control of their actions completely to Sam. So, they are hesitating.

“Why do you get to decide the point share?” Dustin asked.

“I will be providing ways to find food and I will be the one to provide you the ways to live safely and I will be the one to lead you guys in a battle. Then who do you think should share the points if not me?” Sam spoke and took a seat near a tree as he leaned against the trunk and Jack followed his actions.

Sam looked at their pondering expressions and said. “I don’t have all day for you guys. The first day is the most important day and I can’t waste my time on you. Please, decide quickly.” His voice carried a hint of impatience.

All of them exchanged glances and started whispering to each other. The trio from the falcon cliff city seemed to came to a decision and Dustin spoke.

“We can’t agree to your suggestion on the point share. I will be the leader of the team and decide the point share and you will be responsible for the food and shelter for which I will give you a ten percent points from each person in the group on top of your share.” Dustin said and the remaining two nodded their heads.

Sam looked at them with an amusing expression and stood up as he stretched lazily. “What about you guys?” He asked the remaining three people.

“I will join you.” Eve said and took a step forward. Both Vales and Shor looked at each other and said. “We also agree with Dustin and others. You deciding the point share is a bit unreasonable.”

Sam raised his eyebrow and asked. “Why do you think so?”

“What if you distribute the points unfairly to yourselves?” Vales asked in return.

“So, you think there won’t be this problem with Dustin?” This time it was Jack who asked this.

“What? Do you think we are like you, county bumpkins? Do you think we have to rely on these petty tricks to gain the points unfairly?” Val sneered at Jack. Sam just stayed still in silence but Jack asked the two guys from the subordinate cities.

“Is that your concern as well?” When he asked the question, he looked at them with some displeasure. Vales and Shor didn’t answer but from their embarrassed expression, the answer is obvious. They really did think that Sam might use this to get more points and Dustin wouldn’t do so, because in their eyes only them from a subordinate city who have less resources has to rely on those means. In their eyes, the people from the Count city are all noble and superior.

Sam could guess their thoughts without them speaking. He shook his head with a wry smile. The more people he met, the more similarities he found about these people to the people from his previous world. They really do hold high opinion on the people from a superior place. For example, most people from India have a great prejudice that the all other Indians are like them and their behaviour is similar and the Americans, who are from a richer country will have a superior way of thinking and treat them as something special. [A/N when I say ‘most’, I am considering the large populace and I am not targeting anyone personally and by the way I am also an Indian and there was a time I had that opinion.]

Sam looked at the remaining team members and said. “The conditions I said aren’t up for negotiation. If you guys have listened to me regarding the bear incidence, I would have stayed in the team without being a leader, but after that happened, no chance. You guys can be on your own.” Sam said and turned around to walk away. Jack and Eve followed.

“Wait, I will join you.” Shor said and immediately walked towards them hurriedly. Actually, he really didn’t have anything against Sam being the leader. He agreed with Dustin because of his friend’s suggestion to suck up to the candidates from the eminent background in the Count city. They also thought that Sam would immediately agree and won’t leave the group. But when it came to the point, he chose to trust Sam more as he proved his worth just now.

The remaining four people remained there with an unpleasant expression on their faces. The trio especially are gritting their teeth in anger. They didn’t expect that Sam would leave decisively. They just wanted to give it a try to take over the point share and if it didn’t work, they will try to get some benefits. But Sam didn’t follow their script and just left as soon as they tried their trick and now, they are hesitating whether to follow him as they felt that it would be their loss of face to follow him.

Before they could make the decision, Sam and the other three left the place.

“What is so great about him? we can definitely make it in this forest. The last time is just because we are caught off guard.” Dustin snorted as if trying to convince them and himself. The other nodded.

“Yes, once we get our hands on a cultivation scroll, we can get through this easily.” Vales also said from the side. Jessie the only female is looking at the direction Sam left. The other are thinking that they can easily get through this if they unseal the cultivation. But is getting the scroll so easy.

Sam and the three teammates started walking towards a certain direction in a moderate pace as he examined the surroundings. Soon, they stopped at an empty place surrounded by trees. They could hear a faint sound of stream.

Sam left the group there and walked towards the sound and soon found a small stream going through a rocky bed. The stream is very small and its depth is also very low. The water is pure and transparent as the pebbles and the gravel can be seen clearly under the water.

Sam took a handful of water and took a sip. The water tasted normal and a bit refreshing after the walk. He went back to the team and said.

“The water is stream is that way and the stream is too small to attract bigger animals. This place is good for now. We can stay here for tonight.

First of all, we need a few things to stay safe. First thing is we need fire. Second, we need to find some food and some containers to store water.

Shor, go and collect some fire wood. The sticks need not be big, but they should be dry and bring as many as you can.

Eve, you fetch some dried leaves, dried grass, birds’ nest, dried tree bark along with some green leaves, which are big. Both of you don’t go too far. You should be within the visible range from this place.

Jack you will follow me.”

Sam gave instructions and walked to a certain direction along with Jack after he saw the other two left.

Sam and jack walked towards a direction where there is a small path in between the grass. They are moving stealthily and slowly without making any sound.

They finally stopped near a cave and hid on a tree.

“We have our target inside the cave.” Sam said to Jack in a low voice.

“What is it?” Jack asked curiously.

“I don’t know exactly. But it is a beast but the danger is less compared to the bear we encountered earlier.”

Jack didn’t say anything and he waited as Sam broke a bamboo tree which is a distance away from them. After that he searched a while and finally found a stone which has somewhat sharp edge.

He came back to Jack and asked. “How sure are you at your throwing skills?”

“I can do just fine.” Jack said in a confused tone. He didn’t know why Sam was asking this but still answered.

“Okay, then. In some time, the animal will be coming out of the cave and I will try to stop it to stay in a single place. You have to hit its head from a distance and the hit should be as strong as possible.”

“The cave is so wide. Is it possible to stop it in a place?” Jack asked. Sam didn’t say anything and both of them went back to the camp place. The other two already came back with the stuff they collected.

Sam placed the bamboo pole and the stone on the ground and picked up some dried wood. The next actions made the group confused to no end.

He picked up a flat piece of wood and round stick and placed them together. Then he peeled of the outer layer of the bamboo pole, twisted and weaved a thin but stiff rope. He took a raw stick and made a small bow on which thread he made a small loop around the round stick he picked up earlier. He made a bow drill to start a fire.

He placed the stick attached to the bow on the flat wood and started operating the bow drill after around ten minutes of continuous action, Sam is already sweating and the hole formed on the wood started emitting some smoke and he took out the drill quickly and took some bird’s nest and placed the small spark in wood on the nest and after some continuous blowing the nest caught fire.

Soon, there is a fire in the middle of the camp and the teammates are all surrounding it. Even though it is just a little before evening and it is not that cold, they were still happy to rest before a fire.

They didn’t understand how Sam made a fire out of some dry wood, but they were surprised and in awe at the trick he performed.

Sam didn’t sit for a long time. He walked towards the bamboo pole and broke it in half. Each half measuring up to three feet long.

He took one half and split one end into several thin vertical pieces until it reached a half foot long and started sharpening the edges of each tip. After sometime, he took some sticks and broke them into small pieces. He then placed them at the bottom of the split end to make the pieces he spilt to spread as wide as possible.

Now, the pole has one end normally and the other end like an inverse umbrella frame without the canopy. He took other half of the pole and stuffed the opening with some tree bark and dried leaves and covered it with some green grass leaving only a small opening to reach the dry stuff.

He gave the stone to Jack and picked up the two poles, then started walking towards the cave as Jack followed him with a wooden stick which is still burning.

After they walked neared the premise of the cave, both of them looked at the cave as they hid behind a tree. Soon, they saw a fox entering the cave with a rabbit in its mouth.

After it went deep inside the cave, Sam gestured Jack to move and they picked up all the dried wood around the area and arranged it on the ground at the entrance of the cave leaving only a small area as if leaving a path.

After arrangements are done, Sam lit the dried wood as well as the bamboo pole he stuffed the dried and green leaves with and threw the pole inside the cave. Then he held the pole with the inverse umbrella frame facing the path.

Soon the dried wood was burning vigorously and the inside of the cave is also filled with smoke and amid the smoke a creature ran outside and looked at the fire surrounding the cave and ran towards the only way that is towards the pole Sam held.

He immediately pressed the frame on the fox head with all his might and pinned on the ground for a second. “Jack now.” Sam shouted and soon the stone with a sharp edge flew threw the air and it pierced through the ear of the fox immediately seizing its movements.

Sam slowly moved towards the fox and to be on safe side quickly broke its neck. After that both of them put out the fire with the soil around them.

Jack looked at Sam and smiled for which latter replied with same one. Both of them walked inside the cave and saw the half-eaten.

They held a torch and walked towards the cave a bit deeper and within the light of the flame, they saw a small dagger.

Both of them smiled and Sam picked up the dagger as he checked it. Now, he clearly understood the statement of the elder. ‘Every danger leads to an opportunity.’ The danger of facing the fox may lead to this dagger.

He passed the dagger to Jack and kept on searching and found nothing else. He tried to search for a point scroll but there is nothing.

Both of them came out and started dressing the fox right there instead of making it at the camp. Then they cut the pieces of the fox meat and left the carcass there before walking towards the camp.