Chapter 5：The First Member

The sound was neither tiger nor leopard, neither crocodile nor bird.

Searching through all the memories in his mind, Allen couldn't find a match for the sound.

This was definitely not a roar that an ordinary beast could produce; it was a declaration of its existence and status, filled with majesty and violence.

Allen was certain that the sound came from the direction of the river wolf dam.

Despite the shock and fear induced by the unknown beast's roar, Allen was the first to regain his composure.

Seizing the moment of Bernice's distraction, he quickly released her slender wrists.

With both fists clenched like iron hammers, he struck Bernice's chest.

Allen had no hesitation in his heart. He struck with full force, delivering an almost fatal blow!

Bernice's face turned pale instantly, as if her ribs had broken.

Her legs could no longer grip Allen's neck, and she flew backward.

Allen knew that in a fight, the side willing to risk everything often emerged victorious.

Ignoring the distant roar from the river, Allen focused on dealing with this troublesome woman.

But just as Allen was about to pounce on Bernice with a fierce expression, he heard her pale lips anxiously and fearfully say, "Stop, or we'll both die! That is..."

Before Bernice could finish, a dead silent and violent aura swept over them.

Instantly, the entire rainforest seemed to freeze.

Allen found himself unable to move, as if he had been turned into an ice sculpture.

He could tell that the owner of the aura had not noticed them.

But even this unintentional aura passing by made them shiver uncontrollably, with no thought of escape.

Time seemed to stand still, as if any slight movement would trigger a devastating attack.

"What is that...?" Allen stared intently at Bernice's face, urgently seeking an answer.

But Bernice was already drenched in cold sweat, her pupils filled with a thick, swamp-like fear.

Clearly, this woman was not going to be of any help now.

Allen was about to make a slight move to attempt an escape.

But Bernice's hawk-like gaze fiercely locked onto him.

Then, a faint voice, like a mosquito's buzz, reached his ears.

"Swamp Dragon, a level three magical beast, the overlord of this rainforest. If you make any noise, we won't survive!"

From Bernice's eyes, Allen could tell she wasn't lying.

At this point, he had no choice but to stay still and adapt to the situation.

For the next ten minutes, the Swamp Dragon's roar did not resound again.

Instead, the river wolves' wails echoed continuously.

Based on the wails, Allen roughly estimated that at least hundreds of river wolves had perished in the Swamp Dragon's maw.

Without needing to see it, Allen's mind conjured the image of this terrifying beast he had never seen.

It was a monstrous creature, the sound of its body churning the river sending chills down his spine.

Suddenly, a scene from the adventure movie "Anaconda" resurfaced in his memory.

The Swamp Dragon was undoubtedly more terrifying than that giant snake!

They remained frozen for over ten minutes.

To Allen, time passed extremely slowly and torturously.

It felt like a thin rope tied to a 10-kilogram weight was attached to his testicles.

When the Swamp Dragon's aura gradually faded, time seemed to flow again.

Allen, a thrill-seeker, decided to act despite the lingering danger.

He quickly picked up the flying rope from the ground and, with a swift motion, tied Bernice's legs.

Before Bernice could struggle, he pounced on her.

Pressing his entire body against Bernice's, he tried to immobilize her arms.

"Bastard, stop right now, or I'll scream and bring the Swamp Dragon back."

Allen's hands paused, no longer groping aimlessly.

His eyes turned cold, regretting not gagging this woman earlier.

"Let me go, and I'll give you the gold-threaded knife. I'll tell you whatever you want to know, or we'll both die!"

After a brief standoff, Allen stood up, looking down at Bernice.

...

After a conversation, Allen finally understood the situation.

Bernice's encounter with him was purely coincidental.

This woman from a jungle hunting tribe was the sole survivor of her tribe after a Swamp Dragon attack.

She had been futilely tracking the Swamp Dragon, seeking revenge.

She stumbled upon Allen, and in the jungle, strangers often attacked each other on sight, leading to their fight.

"Swamp Dragon..." Allen muttered. A level three guardian beast in the depths of the rainforest must be guarding an extraordinary treasure!

As he pondered, Allen's hands moved without hesitation.

He stripped Bernice of her gold-threaded knife, hunting knife, flying rope, and hunting tools.

Allen seemed lost in thought, his hands moving naturally.

With a few deft moves, he removed Bernice's outer hunting clothes.

Bernice's face turned cold instantly. This man was shameless!

"Enough already!" she snapped.

Allen paused, his hands on Bernice's chest, and squeezed twice instinctively.

Then, he calmly said, "This is far from enough. Don't forget, you attacked me first. I should have killed you! But..."

Bernice's eyes showed disdain. "But I'm a woman with a slim figure and big breasts, and it feels good to touch, right?"

"Absolutely correct!" Allen said with admiration, as if Bernice had given the perfect answer.

"If you're not going to kill me, can you at least stop groping me?"

Allen's strong hands stopped their aimless exploration, realizing that if he wanted to recruit her, he couldn't continue this behavior.

"Alright, I won't kill you, but I've changed my mind. Letting you go isn't an option."

Under Bernice's icy gaze, Allen continued groping her chest as he said, "I need a team member. Your skills are impressive. How about joining my team?"

After their fight, Allen felt that Bernice's agile skills would be valuable for his team.

Moreover, with their current enmity, if they couldn't become allies, they would remain foes unless he killed her.

Seeing Bernice's cold eyes fixed on his hands, Allen awkwardly stopped.

Since he decided to recruit her, he couldn't continue groping her.

"Join your team? Why should I?"

Allen could tell that Bernice was seriously considering the offer, as she seemed genuinely interested.

Perhaps she saw no hope for avenging her tribe on her own.