Chapter 10: Long-Tongued Frostback |
At first glance, this crystal fruit tree appeared no different from others nearby.
Its trunk was blanketed in snow, its crown draped in silver, with thousands of icicles hanging from its branches like curtains.
Yet upon closer inspection, one unusually thick branch bore dozens of meter-long icicles growing upside down in eerie fashion.
Xia Hong studied that section carefully and immediately realized his mistake.
Those weren't icicles at all - but a massive snow-white creature resting on the branch.
A four-to-five-meter-long tongue dangled from its mouth.
The tongue's white surface glazed with ice made it resemble an exceptionally long icicle at first glance.
The inverted "icicles" were actually spiny protrusions along its back.
Under cover of night, the creature's full size remained unclear, but that distinctive tongue and spiny back revealed its identity.
The Frost Beasts near Redwood Ridge's outskirts came in limited varieties.
Two most common types were Bone-Spike Frost Wolves and these Long-Tongued Frostbacks.
From lumberjack team accounts, Frostbacks resembled wild boars among low-tier Frost Beasts.
Even juveniles weighed three-to-four hundred jin, with adults exceeding a thousand.
Their tremendous strength combined with back/forehead spikes made them dangerous, but their meters-long tongues posed the real threat - capable of hardening or softening unpredictably.
"If encountering juveniles, a strong archer plus ten lumberjack-level fighters might stand a chance... otherwise just run."
Xia Hong steadied his breathing, resisting temptation despite the creature's valuable meat.
Fortunately it was nocturnal and currently asleep.
A daytime encounter with an awake Frostback would be lethal.
"Just harvest crystal fruits quietly and leave."
"Frostbacks sleep deeply at night - they won't wake unless attacked."
Still, Xia Hong tested this by throwing a stone at a distant tree.
The resulting icefall produced clear cracking sounds, yet the Frostback remained motionless.
Just as Xia Hong prepared to descend...
WHOOSH!
An arrow sliced through night air directly toward the Frostback.
"ROOOAAAR—!"
The enraged bellow shook the entire tree, sending icicles crashing down like hail.
Even Xia Hong's perch trembled violently.
"Madmen! Is that Boulder Camp?"
Though Redwood Ridge territories were clearly divided among camps, territorial violations became irrelevant when facing a provoked Frostback.
Boulder Camp shared similar strength to Great Xia Camp - at best a few extra lumberjack-level fighters.
How could they possibly hunt a Frostback?
Soon Xia Hong witnessed their strategy unfold.
"Shi Dong! I hit its left eye! Aim for the right while others rope it!"
Seventeen figures emerged from the west wearing animal pelts and wielding stone axes - except their leader bearing a gleaming metal cleaver.
"Must've bought that from Rogge Camp..." Xia Hong noted with envy.
In extreme cold, both stone and metal underwent transformations.
Great Xia possessed only a half-metal axe - its blade alone forged from iron.
Yet even that outperformed stone tools completely.
The battle commenced below.
The Frostback descended with an arrow embedded in its left eye, remaining right eye bloodshot with rage.
After pawing snow twice, it charged with shocking speed for its size - like a white arrow loosed, a collapsing mountain in motion.
"Scatter! Deploy rope traps now!"
The hidden archer commander continued directing attacks while another archer named Shi Dong provided support.
Their arrows mostly missed vitals but successfully disrupted the Frostback's momentum.
Fourteen fighters scattered, laying multiple rope traps during evasion.
The cleaver-wielding leader even managed to loop one around the beast's neck.
Unable to brake, the Frostback plowed into the trapped area, ensnaring all limbs and head.
"PULL!"
The team divided into five groups yanking ropes in different directions.
With a thunderous CRASH, the Frostback flipped onto its back.
Twin arrows then streaked like meteors into its remaining eye.
"GOT IT!"
Cheers erupted as the Frostback's death throes gradually stilled.
Only after prolonged stone-throwing confirmation did the cleaver leader declare:
"Captain... it's dead."
Two middle-aged men emerged from cover to inspect their prize.
Watching from above, Xia Hong frowned slightly as the harvesting began.