Chapter 2 The Marvelous Uses of Beast Cores
A massive brown-black bear was wedged between the trees!
Based on its outstretched arm, Ye Da estimated the beast had to be at least two meters tall, with a body width of no less than a meter.
The gap between the trees was barely half a meter wide—Ye Da himself could only squeeze through sideways, so of course the bear couldn’t possibly fit!
The giant bear strained in the tree gap, desperately reaching for its prey, its jagged teeth bared in a furious snarl as it roared, unable to grasp what was so close at hand.
"Phew! That scared me half to death!"
Ye Da patted his chest to calm himself.
But Ye Da was the sort who became more reckless the more frightened he was—only then could he ease the terror in his heart.
Seeing the bear unable to get through, he deliberately slapped his own backside and taunted, "Come catch me if you can, dumb bear! Hahaha..."
Crunch!
Just when he thought the bear was stuck for good, its dark claws tore into the wood at the edge of the gap like a mechanical digger!
The wood on both sides of the tree gap peeled away like paper, ripped off in large chunks.
In only a few swipes, the bear shredded bark more than ten centimeters thick.
"Damn!"
Ye Da's eyes widened as he retreated again and again, shocked by the bear's ferocity.
He had to stop it!
Frantically, Ye Da searched the ground for something he could use as a weapon.
His gaze fell upon a wooden treasure chest.
With a crash, he flung open the lid and found three items inside.
A card, a box of matches, and a—
A stone axe, its triangular head bound tightly.
"A stone axe!"
Ye Da's eyes lit up and he snatched it up.
Taking a deep breath, he swung the stone axe down onto the bear's head!
The bear roared in pain and lunged at Ye Da, its jaws opening wide.
A foul, fetid stench swept over him, nearly making Ye Da retch.
But he gritted his teeth against the rank odor and his fear, bracing himself under the pressure, and raised the stone axe again, aiming for the bear’s eye!
This time, though, the bear was ready. Its jaws closed on the axe.
Crunch!
The bear’s teeth were like a stone crusher—effortlessly, it snapped the axe handle, as thick as a child’s arm.
Crunch! Crunch!
The bear chewed twice, realized the stone axe wasn’t food, and spat the head out, which landed squarely on Ye Da’s foot.
"Ah!!"
Ye Da cursed in agony, "You brute, you have no honor!"
"How dare you try to ambush a young man of twenty!"
---
"Damn it!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
Ye Da’s attack had completely enraged the bear. It forced its massive body into the seventy or eighty centimeter wide gap, inching closer and closer!
The bear was surprised that its prey would fight back.
But it still didn’t take Ye Da seriously.
To the bear, the prey’s resistance was nothing but a futile struggle.
Yet, it failed to recognize one thing.
The greatest difference between humans and animals is that humans possess intelligence!
Swish!
No axe? A sharp wooden stick would do just as well!
Ye Da gripped the broken axe handle in both hands and thrust it straight at the bear’s eye!
Howling in agony, the bear thrashed wildly.
But its heavy body was wedged tightly in the gap, rendering every movement useless.
"Does it hurt?" Ye Da shouted at the bear, whose head was bigger than his whole body. "It should hurt! The first time always hurts! Just bear with it!"
Swish!
Sticky, foul liquid burst from the bear’s eye socket, splattering Ye Da’s face and body.
The moment Ye Da plunged the stick in with all his strength, the bear’s cries abruptly ceased.
As though someone had pressed pause on a player.
The bear’s entire form suddenly sagged, hanging limp in the tree gap.
It was finally dead!
Ye Da collapsed onto the ground, drained.
Only then did he feel the aftershock.
"Hiss!"
"So painful! So, so, so painful!"
Battling the bear, Ye Da’s adrenaline had kept the pain at bay.
Now, as he relaxed, the throbbing agony in his toes—where the axe head had struck—became unbearable.
He took off his shoe and saw—
His middle and ring toes were bruised purple, with blood seeping from the ring toe, evidence of how hard the stone had hit.
"My God, that was brutal!"
Ye Da glared at his injured foot, grinding his teeth in hatred at the bear.
"Hey?!"
When Ye Da looked up, intending to glare at the bear’s corpse, he discovered the giant bear wedged in the gap had vanished mysteriously!
Only—
A field strewn with glowing spheres remained.
---
Within those spheres, various objects seemed to be encased.
Staring at the strange orbs scattered across the ground, Ye Da was overwhelmed with astonishment.
Could it be...
Was this truly a game world?
Ye Da, torn between disbelief and curiosity, reached out for one of the glowing spheres.
The orb shattered, revealing a dusty crystal inside.
But the moment Ye Da grasped the crystal, it melted away like a snowflake in his palm, vanishing instantly!
At the instant the crystal disappeared—
Ye Da felt a surge of warmth flood his body, restoring his energy, which had been depleted from exhaustion.
He also felt a tingling sensation in his injured toes, as if something was wriggling in the wound!
Were those new tissue buds?
Looking down, Ye Da saw countless tiny buds growing in the wound, the itching and tingling evidence that the injury was healing.
Once the warmth faded, he found his injury had completely healed, with a thin layer of new skin grown over it. Though the skin was a different shade from the surrounding area, it no longer hurt at all!
Was it...
Healed?
Moreover—
Not only was his toe pain gone, but even his chronic athlete’s foot had stopped itching, the skin beginning to form a thick callus.
Ye Da scratched at it, and the callus fell away, revealing fresh, undamaged skin beneath!
This...
Ye Da’s eyes brimmed with delight.
Was this the reward for defeating monsters?
Then—
Could his congenital heart disease also gradually be cured in this game world?
Hope blossomed in Ye Da’s heart.
He had suffered from congenital heart disease since childhood; whenever he didn’t rest well, he would experience palpitations and shortness of breath.
He had never been able to participate in sports, always watching his classmates play basketball and soccer, running in the sun, from the sidelines.
Ye Da was truly envious.
But his body simply couldn’t support those activities. If his heart could really heal—
Then, like a normal person, he could play sports, marry and raise a family, and never again worry about whether his child might inherit his heart condition!
And the crystal that restored his health was merely the first reward for slaying the bear!
Just one reward had brought Ye Da such immense benefit.
What about the rest...
Ye Da’s eyes lit up with anticipation!