Chapter 39: Taking a Break

Chapter 39: Taking a break

Lin Mu chuckled dryly. "Parasite?, Funny, coming from someone who's been leeching off the chief's goodwill while doing absolutely nothing productive. Tell me, when's the last time you actually contributed to this tribe?, Oh, wait, don't answer. I already know. Never!."

The tribesman's face flushed red, but Lin Mu wasn't done. He turned to the group as a whole, his voice rising. "You want to call me weak, useless, an outsider? Fine. But at least I'm not standing on the sidelines, hoping someone else will clean up the mess while I complain about it."

"You—!" The wiry one's voice cracked as he tried to respond, but Lin Mu cut him off.

"Shut it!." Lin Mu snapped. "You stupid lot can keep your insults, your pride and your self-righteous nonsense to yourselves. But don't forget, if it weren't for me, some of you wouldn't be here right now. So maybe, just maybe, instead of whining about how much you hate me, you could focus on being less of a liability next time."

The silence that followed was deafening before a series of uncontrollably laugher surged forth. The Lang Shen's face turned a metaphorical green, then red, then blue, as if he couldn't decide whether to be embarrassed or furious. Some of the other tribesmen who had been on his side at the beginning, exchanged awkward glances, clearly unsure whether to side with him or acknowledge Lin Mu's point.

Finally, one of the younger Serinerians, who had thanked Lin Mu earlier, stepped forward. "He's right," the young man said quietly, his voice breaking the tension. "We wouldn't have made it without him. I think it's about time we stopped judging him for what he is and started seeing what he's done for us, don't you agree?."

The Lang brothers growled but didn't respond. Lin Mu urged Autumn Wind to take a step closer, his smirk fading into a serious expression. "Look, I don't care if you like me or not. But if you're going to keep acting like children while lives are on the line, then you're not just a problem for me, you're a problem for everyone in this party."

With that, Lin Mu turned and walked away, leaving the group in stunned silence. Behind him, he could hear a few whispers and even a stifled laugh from a few of the tribesmen. For once, Lin Mu felt a small sense of satisfaction. If they wanted to hate him, fine. But they'd think twice before underestimating him again.

As they regrouped and continued their journey, Lin Mu couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that lingered in the air as if he was still being watched by a pair of unsavory eyes. The system's voice returned, confirming his suspicions.

«[The commotion has likely attracted attention. The possibility of another beast encounter has risen.]»

Lin Mu glanced at the horizon, his grip tightening on the reins. "Great. Just what I needed."

Unbeknownst to the group, a dark shape moved beneath the surface of the sand, its movements silent and sneaky. The shark-like creature, similar to the one Lin Mu had seen before, was drawn to the scent of blood and the vibrations caused by the battle. It stalked them from a distance, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Lin Mu's unease grew as they pressed on, the desert around them eerily silent.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were still being watched as if hunted. The tribesmen on the other hand seemed oblivious, their spirits lifted slightly after their small victory over the mutated rats.

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By dusk, the hunting party found a suitable spot for rest, a flat plateau of sand and sparse vegetation that seemed relatively safe from predators.

After having fought their way through 3 more lesser packs, the first compromising of red jackals and the second and third being mutated rats, The group had managed to bag themselves more meat than they'd bargained for.

All thanks to Lin Mu and Autumn Wind who this time only supported the other's during the hunt to avoid exposing his strange secret.

Though this gave the Lang brothers something to mock him with, Their useless squabble was drowned out by the multiple thanks he received from most of the hunting party, even some who had gone against him earlier today had long since gone over to his side after he had helped them several times during the hunts, even when it seemed completely disadvantaged to him. His chivalrous behavior naturally won over their simple tribe minds that mostly valued strength and honour.

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The Serinerians dismounted their beasts, tending to their mounts or unpacking supplies, while making sure their game[1] was in order. Lin Mu slid off Autumn Wind, patting her muscular flank. " I believe the person most deserving of thanks is you dear." He muttered with a warm smile. As if it could understand him, Autumn Wind snorted softly, her eyes scanning the horizon as if trying to feign nonchalance, but her obvious reaction only made Lin Mu's smile grow even more.

With a light chuckle, he went to join the Serinerians who were gathering in a circle on the desert floor, sitting to regain some of their lost strength from having gone through consecutive fights.

" Can I take a seat as well." Lin Mu asked a Serinerian as he made his way over.

" Hahahaha, no need to be modest brother Lin, There's plenty of room next to me." The Serinerian replied with a cheerful smile, fortunately his sharp dentures did nothing to diminish his smile.

" Don't listen to that dumb fart, brother Lin, the rascal probably now smells like a bag of Asxian manure after having pushed himself so much today. You can happily sit next to me." Another Serinerian said with a chuckle.

" Oi, Big mouth Zhao, what's that supposed to mean you shitty vermin." The Serinerian replied back with an annoyed countenance. " I don't smell that bad do I?." The Serinerian unconsciously sniffed his armpits, his actions only made Big mouth Zhao chuckle the more.

Lin Mu himself struggled to hold back a stifled laugh when he arrived next to them. " Multiple thanks brother." Lin Mu clasped his hands in thanks before sitting down next to the first Serinerian

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[1] Game: in the chapter, the type of game being referred to is something akin to a hunted wild animals meat.