Hunters: The Prequel - Chapter 274

Samoa wished he could see who the surprise intruder was, but the large snake in front of him restricted his view.

“Stop yapping and let’s get this over with,” another voice added. This voice was different from the owner of the voice who had prevented the Giant Black Mamba from turning Samoa and Joe into snake chow. Samoa turned to the direction of the voice and noticed a robust middle aged man standing upright on a tiny tree branch. The branch was so tiny that Samoa believed that even a gust of wind should have been enough to bring it down. Was the branch stronger than it looked? Or was the person using it as a stand an impressive specimen of a New Type?

Samoa recognized the tree. As a Scouter he knew much about the Enchanted Forest so he knew what that tree was. It was one of the most common kinds of trees one could find in the outer region and wasn’t spectacular in any way. It was weak, and all it was good for was to serve as kindling for fire. That could only mean that it was the one who stood atop this branch that was impressive. Samoa could recognize the newcomer. And so did Joe.

“Is that Frowning Tiger,” Joe had a pleasantly surprised expression on his face when he saw the man on top of the tree? His voice was filled with excitement and relief.

“We are saved, Joe exclaimed, hope filling his voice. He shook, but it wasn’t in fear. It was in excitement and hope for life. He was happy.

“No wonder that tree branch isn’t snapping,” Samoa was just as excited as Joe was. He also felt relief wash over him as he admired the figure atop the tree. Frowning Tiger. It was a name that was admired by everyone in the village. And it belonged to one of the 15 Tigers that served directly under the Village Head. He wasn’t like the other Tigers. He didn’t have extraordinary strength that could shake the earth or lift the mountains. His speed didn’t turn the heads of all who tried to keep up or send clothes flying when he run. His stamina wasn’t his special point. But he was still a Tiger of the Village – and one qualified enough to serve under the Village Head. Why was that?

It was because of his excellent control. When Frowning Tiger took the New Type potion for the first time, many thought he was so untalented that there was no change. But that wasn’t it. He didn’t receive any strength or agility or stamina enhancement. What he received was bigger than that. He evolved. He became a Control Type. Although they didn’t have Mane’s ability to see the statuses of others, after seeing Frowning Tiger’s exceptional control that was beyond reason, even they were convinced that he was different. That was why they called him a Control Type. It was true that he was a Control Type. It was an evolution that combined strength with agility to allow one to gain precision in every activity one attempted. It was an exceptional ability. And it was the ability that pushed Frowning Tiger to become what he was today.

“Protect the kids! I’d take care of this beast!” The voice of the one holding on to the Giant Black Mamba reached the ears of all who were here. The Giant Black Mamba was still alive. The fear in its eyes had subsided by a bit and there was a bit of trickery in those eyes when Frowning Tiger was told not to engage but protect the kids. It seemed that the snake thought it had a chance.

“Understood,” Frowning Tiger didn’t dispute the words of his hidden colleague. He answered simply and his figure flashed as he disappeared from atop the tree. Before Samoa or Joe could see and understand what was happening, the reliable figure of Frowning Tiger was in front of them. He faced them directly and said,

“Any injuries?”

Although he still had a frown on his face – perfectly embodying his name – his voice was laced with concern. Samoa looked into the eyes of the man he regarded his idol and struggled to find the right words.

“We are fine Sir. Thank you for saving us” Joe composed himself quickly and responded. He finally showed that he was the son of an Elder. Although he still looked visibly excited, he was better composed than the speechless Samoa.

Frowning Tiger shook his head and replied simply, “I didn’t save you. Rash Tiger did.” His words caused the excitement that was fading from Joe’s eyes to return sharply. Samoa looked even more lost than Joe. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was unbelievable that Frowning Tiger was here. This was a man Samoa had admired since the day he became a New Type. This was the man he aspired to be. But now there was another. Another Tiger with an ill.u.s.trious reputation and great strength. His reputation exceeded even Frowning Tiger’s, and his strength was nothing to scoff at. Although this man wasn’t above Frowning Tiger on Samoa’s ‘Star’s list’, he was right below him.

All of a sudden, the snake that had been lying down obediently sprung back to life. It slipped out of Rash Tiger’s grasp with great agility and made a dash to the left. Anyone with some knowledge of the creature would recognize the ability it was using to escape – Accelerate. Left with no choice, the beast tried to run away and spared no effort doing so. The space to its left was an unguarded area, and it was confident it could escape. It was a smart beast alright. It wasn’t stupid enough to wait for its death. And it wasn’t silly enough to think it could take on a Predator level powerhouse – and a Tiger at that. There was no way it could handle two Tigers, especially when Tigers were called so because of their ruthless aggression in fights.

But before it could get anywhere, a figure flashed before it and smacked it back to Rash Tiger.

“When did he move,” Joe asked Samoa? Both youngsters were stunned by the incredible speed that Frowning Tiger displayed. They now understood why he was one of the strongest men under the Village Head.

*Bang*

The large snake was struck cleanly, and although the attack came from a barehanded opponent, there was a slight depression on the Giant Snake Mamba’s head! The seemingly weak attack was that powerful!

“Be more careful,” Frowning Tiger advised Rash Tiger.

“Hahaha. Sorry! I forgot myself there for a minute!” the boisterous laughter of the Rash Tiger filled the place. But anyone close to him would have been terrified by this laughter. It wasn’t his usual warm hearted laugh. It sounded that way, but it wasn’t. It was the kind of laughter he made before he dismantled an opponent in complete fury.

“What happened to the rest,” Frowning Tiger asked as he suddenly appeared before the two youngsters, taking them by surprise and scaring them to bits.

“Dead Sir,” Joe sadly replied. Samoa also hung his head in pain.

“I see,” Frowning Tiger calmly said, but the fury in his voice was clear.

“How did you know we were here Sir,” Joe asked.

“Your father asked Rash Tiger to come for you when he noticed that it was getting late. He had a hunch that something was wrong. And he was right”

This was the most Frowning Tiger had spoken since his arrival. Although the Tigers were under the direct command of the Village Head, they had familial ties to the Elders. Rash Tiger was the cousin of Joe’s father, and Joe’s uncle. But since Joe rarely got the chance to meet the man, he was unfamiliar with him.

“Then why did you come Sir,” Joe asked? If Rash Tiger was here because of his father’s request, then why was Frowning Tiger here. Frowning Tiger was an orphan who grew under the tutelage of the Village Head himself. He didn’t have any ties to the other Elders and it made no sense for him to be here.

“The Village Head informed me of a talented young man. He said there was a young talent he wanted to protect at all costs and that this young man reminded him of me. I wanted to see the boy for myself to confirm if it was indeed true. Are you that talent? What was the name again? Samoa?”

Frowning Tiger’s words filled Samoa’s forlorn spirit with limitless energy. He temporarily forgot about the death of his comrades as he processed the words of his mentor.

“He knows my name,” was all Samoa could think of! Joe looked at him in admiration. Although Rash Tiger was here for Joe, it was only because of a personal request. But Samoa was different. A Tiger had travelled into the Enchanted Forest just to check him out.

“I…am…Sir” Samoa stuttered. Frowning Tiger looked him up and down and said, “Good,” and turned his head to watch the fight. Although it was only one word, Samoa was ecstatic. It took him some time to get his mind back on track. And just in time too. Because he was able to see something amazing.

Rash Tiger evaded a desperate lunge from the Giant Mamba. Unlike Frowning Tiger’s robust but streamlined physique, Rash Tiger was literally a walking mass of muscles. His large frame was surprisingly agile, and the large snake’s lunge was evaded without much difficulty. Due to its poor choice of attack, Rash Tiger found himself under the belly of the snake. Rash Tiger straightened his fingers into the form of a blade and gathered his strength. He had a cold smile on his face as he landed a powerful uppercut on its belly. As it was still midair, the Giant Black Mamba couldn’t avoid the strike.

*Boom*

The large snake was sent flying several feet into the air, and its scales that Samoa and Joe regarded impenetrable had been broken through. Several scales fell off its belly and dark red blood flowed freely from its new wound.

*Hiss*

Once it landed on the ground, it hissed pitifully in pain. But Rash Tiger wasn’t done. The large club on his back remained unused. And it didn’t seem like he was planning to use it anytime soon. His fingers were stained with the mamba’s blood, but he didn’t even give it a second glance. He jumped into the air and somersaulted. Because of his large build, his somersault looked clumsy, but it was actually well done.

“Hooh!”

The large man exclaimed as he descended from the sky and landed a powerful blow onto the injured upturned belly of the Giant Black Mamba.

*Hiss*

Its scream was even louder than before. Samoa watched in awe as its eyes filled up with fear once again.

“So this is the strength of a Predator. This is the power of a Tiger”

*Boom*

*Boom*

*Boom*

*Boom*

*Boom*

*Boom*

Samoa and Joe watched wide-eyed as the creature that had toyed with them was mercilessly slammed onto the ground over and over again. This creature that easily wiped out half of the Scouting Party was like a helpless little bird in front of Rash Tiger. Several trees had been destroyed by Rash Tiger’s merciless tramping of the Giant Black Mamba. Its helpless cries filled the forest for about half a minute, before Rash Tiger finally ended its misery.

Rash Tiger span the snake around and slammed it onto one of the many broken trees. The move looked rough and unplanned, yet the injured belly of the snake was pierced through accurately by the tree stump. Usually, a flimsy tree wouldn’t have been able to pierce its hardened scales. But it had already been breached by Rash Tiger’s earlier strike and had lost its armor. Since its armor had been breached, its delicate innards were destroyed by the tree stamp.

Looking at the giant snake that was hoisted on the tree stamp, Rash Tiger nodded in satisfaction. The occasional twitching of the snake didn’t draw any pity from him. He turned to look at the dumbfounded Samoa and Joe and said with a broad grin,

“Now that’s a trophy.”