6

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Obol continued to eye Liza suspiciously as they made their way through the forest and toward the plains. Something about the metal device near her ear didn't sit right with him, but he decided to keep quiet for now.

Soon, they exited the forest and began walking across the grassy plains. In the distance, they could see a large metal structure with humanoid figures moving back and forth, carrying materials.

*"Didn't you say he was alone?"* Obol questioned Liza, but when he saw the look of confusion on her face, he realized she didn't know either. He clicked his tongue involuntarily, as the danger had just increased significantly.

*"I didn't know. I didn't see anyone else besides him,"* Liza replied, equally confused. The group paused for a moment before Obol sighed. *"There's nothing we can do now. Let's approach them first. If it's dangerous, we'll run,"* he said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

As they got closer, shock was written all over their faces. *"Metal humans?"* Elias murmured, equally confused as he watched the robotic figures moving materials. He had heard of many species, but never one made of metal.

*"What are they doing?"*

*"It looks like they're laying down iron plates on the ground."*

The group was puzzled but continued walking. Oliver, who had already noticed them, descended from the ship fully equipped and pointed his rifle at them. *"What do you want?"* he sent a message through Liza's device, and the two groups stared at each other in silence.

Obol looked doubtfully at Liza and Oliver, who were silently staring at each other, and wondered what was happening. But soon, Liza turned to them and explained, *"He told us to lower our weapons so we can talk."* Seeing Oliver lower his weapon, the group relaxed slightly and approached.

Oliver handed each of them a Focus device, allowing them to communicate normally.

*"What are you?"* Elias was the first to ask.

*"I'm human, just like you."*

*"Doesn't look like it,"* Obol commented, but Oliver just laughed, leaving them speechless.

*"I'd say the same thing if I were in your position. But don't worry, I'm not a threat. I plan to settle here and build a village first. If any of you are interested, you're welcome to join,"* he said, eliciting looks of surprise and doubt from the group.

Obol was one of them. It wasn't that people hadn't been interested in establishing a village on the plains before. The land here was ideal for farming, and there was a stream a few kilometers away. However, there was one major problem.

*"If you're planning to establish a village, you'll need to be careful of the One-Eyed Bulls!"* he said, piquing Oliver's interest. *"They're large herbivores that live in herds in this territory. Sometimes we hunt them because their meat is delicious."*

*"But they're very aggressive and territorial. Whenever a village tries to settle on the plains, they invade the fields, eat the crops, and destroy the houses. Because of their numbers, it's very difficult to deal with them without the help of the feudal lord's knights."*

Oliver listened attentively and asked for more details about these animals. According to their description, the One-Eyed Bulls were large, red, one-eyed creatures with horns, about four times the size of a person. They traveled in herds of 15 to 50, making them formidable for a small group to handle. Often, hunters would injure a few and wait for the herd to abandon them before collecting the bodies.

*"I see. Thanks for the warning, but I have methods to deal with them,"* Oliver said, surprising the group. Seeing his confidence, Obol decided to try being more friendly. *"If that's the case, could you help us? A family of Earth Bears has moved into the area, along with a goblin nest. We're planning to exterminate them when the trade caravan returns in a few days."*

Oliver thought for a moment and decided to accept. He could earn more points and, with luck, familiarize himself with the locals. *"I'll help. This device I gave you will help us stay in touch. To see the other options, just think 'System Focus,' and it will activate."*

Elias muttered the words mentally and let out a startled yelp as his vision was flooded with blue screens. His sister laughed at him, leaving him embarrassed.

Soon, the group headed back to the village, leaving Oliver alone on the ship. *"Well, I should start preparing the area,"* he commented. With the help of the four service robots, he began marking the terrain around his ship.

He had already sent out drones to scout the surroundings, and a herd of One-Eyed Bulls had been detected. He planned to hunt and try to capture a few to see if they could be raised in captivity.

*"Besides, it's been a long time since I've had meat,"* he said, saliva pooling in his mouth as he decided to hurry through his tasks to go hunting.

---

**Several hours later, at nightfall.**

Oliver approached the sleeping herd, staying a few hundred meters away. The tall grass helped hide his body, and his suit blended perfectly with the darkness.

*"They're really huge,"* he muttered. As Obol had described, they were giants. Just by glancing at them, Oliver could tell they weighed at least half a ton each, with the largest likely weighing even more.

Their robust bodies and heads with long, forward-curving horns made them intimidating, but the single large eye on their foreheads seemed like an obvious weakness. After crawling a few more meters to get into a good position, Oliver opened the scope on his blaster and set it to overload mode.

He began choosing a target among the many bulls in the herd. By his count, there were about 25, including three calves. Not a huge number, but definitely a threat if they attacked together.

Oliver selected his target—a bull isolated at the edge of the group—took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. His blaster began charging with a blue light for a few seconds before firing.

*PLOW!*

A loud sound of plasma firing echoed, and before the herd could react, the targeted bull fell dead with a 10-centimeter hole in its head.

Soon, the air was filled with roars and howls as the bulls began searching for whoever had dared to attack them. *"Now, let's move on to the capture,"* Oliver murmured, sending a signal to one of the robots he had hidden in the grass a few meters away.

The robot stood up, and its silhouette was spotted by a few bulls, who roared and began charging toward it. The robot turned and started running, but despite their massive size, the bulls were incredibly fast.

Oliver watched in shock as the charge of four bulls made the ground tremble. They closed the distance in just a few dozen seconds, rapidly approaching the decoy robot.

*"Too bad they're not very smart,"* Oliver commented with a smile as he watched the four bulls move farther away from the herd. He crawled a bit before standing up and leaving. It wouldn't take long for the rest of the herd to follow, but by then, his plan would already be a success.

*BANG!*

A loud impact sound echoed, followed by cries of pain and distress. Of the four bulls chasing the decoy robot, three fell into a trap pit Oliver had dug earlier near a small ridge.

Seeing his plan succeed, Oliver quickly retreated. After retrieving the decoy robot, he returned to his ship. Tomorrow, he would reap the fruits of his labor.

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