Boonie Bears: Another World Fantasy

After the torrential rain, the damp air swirled and billowed through the silent forest. Not a single raindrop touched the empty throne of the abyss, as if time had stood still.

Mus stood before the throne for a long time, his eyes revealing a mixture of restlessness and anticipation.

“General, there’s still no news from Lefève.” Yeman moved cautiously to Mus’s side. Mus’s tall figure was like a wall, blocking some of the light, making Yeman look more like the mastermind behind everything.

"How likely do you think your little one will bring him back?" Mus asked in a deep voice, tapping the ground lightly with his foot.

“This… please forgive me for not being able to make any promises to you—” Ye Man’er lowered her head slightly, her gaze following Mu Si’s figure.

“Of the ten knights, besides myself, you are the one I trust the most, Yeman.” Mus slowly walked behind Yeman, casting a shadow over her. “Although you are not a genius I personally nurtured, I greatly admire your loyalty and focus.”

At this point, Ye Man'er swallowed nervously. She knew that Mu Si was inherently suspicious, a man who wouldn't even spare himself, let alone his subordinates and confidants...

Yeman forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions in her heart, her face calm and without any ripples: "General, are you doubting me? If I have colluded with the enemy in any way, you may execute me on the spot, and I will have no complaints."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Maner slowly raised the golden spear in her hand, placed it aside, and then handed it to Mus with both hands.

Mus looked at the scene before him and revealed an enigmatic smile. He reached out and gently pushed the spear back: "You are very clever. You may seem rigid, but you are actually meticulous and flexible." After speaking, he turned around and stared at the only corridor leading to the inner wall of the abyss for a long time.

"You should also deal with your personal feelings, Ye Man'er. Spending your days alone guarding this empty throne, those corrupt and decadent royalty will never return..."

Mus's words struck a nerve with Yeman. She knew in her heart that Mus was referring to her relationship with Yevkov. However, was that kinship, which was almost devoid of blood ties, truly worth all the effort she had to maintain?

She was once a gentle older sister, caring deeply for her younger brother. But now, all of that is gone…

An insurmountable chasm had long since formed between them.

After watching Mus leave from afar, she was once again left alone under the vast dome. This had been the case for decades.

……

"Oh, what brings you here, Lord Musk?" Yi Tong greeted Musk as he entered the laboratory without looking up, while busily operating the complex instruments in front of her. Despite her busy work, she kept talking: "I don't have time to tidy up here."

Mus walked straight to a large culture vessel and carefully observed the girl immersed in a pale purple solution through the transparent glass wall. He asked softly, "How much longer until she's ready?"

Yi Tong stopped what she was doing, turned around to face Mu Si: "It'll be soon. I just need to test the margin of error of this little stand-in one more time..."

How rare! Mus actually came to me of his own accord! He's always been someone who has absolutely no interest in human science. Yi Tong shook his head with a wry smile, then poured the unpurified purple liquid from the bottle into the tubing. As the liquid slowly flowed into the culture container, the pale purple solution began to swirl.

"What is this?" Musk asked, staring at the row of test tubes filled with bright purple liquid.

"I borrowed this from an old friend in Shenzhen. It's called Purple Star." Her tone was calm, her eyes intently admiring the experimental specimen in the container, as if it were a precious treasure.

Mus frowned and pressed, "What benefits will using this bring her?"

Yitong sensed the worry in Mus's voice and asked, "Are you worried about the safety of this experimental subject, Lord Mus?" She then explained, "This is the most cutting-edge technology humanity has today, perfectly replacing medical anesthetics. Moreover, the proportions of additives greatly affect its effects in the human body. Whether it causes nerve paralysis or becomes a potent poison depends entirely on the ratio of the ingredients."

After a moment of silence, Mus said, "But we only have this one sample, Eton. What if it fails?" He looked away from the container, more concerned with the current situation and the potential risks than with Eton's long-term and ambitious goals.

“I was the first person in the clan to go out and study in modern society. My lord, their technology is miles ahead of ours.” Yi Tong’s eyes gleamed with an unusual light. “The war between heaven and earth dealt us a heavy blow, shattering our long-held illusion of strength and exposing the corruption and incompetence of the clan’s upper echelons.”

Yi Tong took off her protective hoodie, revealing that her once long brown hair had completely disappeared, replaced by short, paper-white hair.

Mus looked sadly at the woman before him who had dedicated most of her youth and energy to the Deer Clan. Unlike those who chose to leave, Itong carried the future of this ancient people on her shoulders.

"I assure you, sir, your plan will be executed perfectly..."

……

In the largest wooden house located at the very center of the tribe, the spacious room was packed with people. Men, women, and children of the tribe, filled with curiosity and anticipation, came to watch this sudden showdown.

Sharp throbbed with energy, diligently preparing for the upcoming test. His body was slightly sweaty, and his skin shimmered.

The solid short stick in his hand made a whooshing sound with each swing, and Sharp was trying to find the right feel for it. From the outside, it seemed to be just an ordinary wooden stick, but if used properly, its power would exceed people's imagination.

Several young men in leather armor skillfully spread out animal hide mats, creating a perfect arena for one-on-one duels. Once they were finished, they stepped aside. Sharp, his chest heaving, walked barefoot onto the mat, his heart pounding as if it would leap out of his throat.

Among the crowd on the periphery, only Zhao Lin looked worried. Sharp nodded slightly to her to indicate that he was alright, but in reality, he wasn't entirely sure himself.

Several candidates who would be competing against Sharp were already lined up on the sidelines. The "examiner," Na Ling, stood at the edge of the mat that was divided in two, holding several score tokens in her hand, waiting patiently.

She remained expressionless, seemingly unaffected by anything around her. Looking at her unchanging demeanor, Sharp couldn't help but wonder: was she really that hard to impress? It was truly unimaginable what kind of performance could elicit a look of surprise and admiration from her.

Perhaps... she never will?

Undoubtedly, she personally watched the match to see if she had bet on the right person and to test the depth of Sharp's abilities. If he was just a pretty face, then Naling would have suffered a huge loss.

But she would never say these things to his face.

Seemingly noticing that Sharp was distracted, Naling glanced at her watch and then gestured for the crowd behind her to make way.

“Let’s begin,” Na Ling said softly.

Under the watchful eyes of many, contestant number one stepped forward. His physique was similar to Sharp's, but his explosive power was evident from his continuous jumping strides.

The two nodded to each other, and then each took their positions.

Sharp clenched his fists, bent slightly, and stared intently at his opponent. Number One, on the other hand, gripped his long staff with both hands, assuming an attack stance.

"Drink!" With a deep shout, contestant number one attacked Sharp like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. His movements were concise and clear, heading straight for Sharp's face.

First came a fierce diagonal slash, followed by a rapid forward thrust, and finally another sharp diagonal slash. This series of attacks was like a whirlwind, giving Sharp no chance to catch his breath.

Sharp could only retreat, using his agile footwork to dodge the opponent's attacks. However, Number One showed no signs of stopping his attack; on the contrary, he became even more ferocious.

There were no fancy moves, no feints, and no indication that Sharp needed to intervene. All that remained were simple, brutal attacks that left the opponent overwhelmed.

"Too direct—"

Sharp sighed inwardly, then dodged Number One's attack by sidestepping. At the same time, he quickly extended his short stick, accurately blocking the opponent's attack, and then slashed forward, hitting Number One's unsuspecting ribs hard.

With a crisp sound, Number One groaned and stumbled to the ground.

This sudden turn of events drew gasps of surprise from the deer-tribe spectators, while Na Ling, standing on the sidelines, remained calm, seemingly having anticipated the outcome. She narrowed her eyes slightly, paying closer attention to the situation on the field.

Although this attack gave Sharp an advantage, he knew it was far from enough. Sure enough, Number One did not give up. Instead, he endured the excruciating pain, stood up abruptly, readjusted his posture, and prepared to launch another attack.

This time, Sharp and Number One engaged in a fierce battle, exchanging blows without giving an inch. Sharp mainly relied on agile defensive techniques to build his fighting system. Although his movements were slightly clumsy, every move was full of power.

Na Ling glanced back at Zhao Lin in the crowd, choosing to ignore the pleading look Zhao Lin was giving her, then turned and walked to the sidelines, starting to pace back and forth.

Seeing this, Sharp didn't hesitate to take the first step, launching an attack towards Number One's right side. Number One seemed to have anticipated this, quickly shifting his weight to the direction of the attack, preparing to meet Sharp's assault. In that instant, Sharp displayed astonishing speed. With lightning speed, he suddenly pulled the short stick from his hand, and then, with a sharp turn, accurately struck Number One's groin with the other end of the stick.

The blow astonished the crowd, followed by enthusiastic applause. Sharp's movement was so swift that many didn't even see what happened.

Only Na Ling saw all of this clearly. She pursed her lips and remained silent.

At this moment, Number One, somewhat annoyed by the heavy blow, tried to get up again. However, Na Ling stepped forward in time and stopped him.

"Well done, go and rest for a bit." Na Ling patted the young man's shoulder gently, soothing his anxiety.

She then revealed one of the tokens in her hand, with the number five engraved on the top.

“Out of ten points, I’ll give you five,” she said to Sharp without any politeness.

So, it still didn't meet her expectations? Sharp, panting heavily, shook his head helplessly. He was well aware of Naling's strict requirements and her deliberate targeting of him, but he still hoped to receive a fair evaluation. Nevertheless, Sharp couldn't help but be curious, wanting to know just how low a score this "expressionless" woman would give him.

A few minutes passed, and Na Ling silently helped Number Two, who had fallen to the ground, to his feet. She merely uttered two words: "Three points."

It's getting lower and lower, Sharp thought.

She seemed somewhat unhappy, even showing signs of displeasure. This emotion seemed to stem not only from Number Two's poor performance, but more like a disgust at discovering a certain method.

The arrival of number three finally made Sharp feel the strain.

Not only was he physically inferior, but his technique was also not as refined as Number Three's. He was hit multiple times and even knocked to the ground. Sharp struggled to get up, only to be knocked down again.

He felt his head buzzing, saw stars before his eyes, and his ears ringing. His consciousness gradually faded, but Sharp gritted his teeth and held on, refusing to collapse.

The hands holding the stick were so numb from the shock that they could barely hold it anymore.

Sharp glanced at Zhao Lin out of the corner of his eye and saw her squeezing through the crowd to get to Na Ling's side.

“Na Ling, his injuries have only just healed!” Zhao Lin frowned and stepped forward to question Na Ling directly.

“I know.” Na Ling didn’t even glance at her.

"What's the point of this test? Isn't it just because you don't like him?" Zhao Lin's voice was exceptionally sharp as she could no longer contain herself.

"Continue," Na Ling said sternly.

Upon hearing the order, Sharp's heart tightened, but he gritted his teeth, gripped the wooden stick tightly, and prepared to face the next attack.

"Let her plead for you, Sharp, is this also part of your plan?" Instead of offering any encouragement, Naling mocked her.

Sweat trickled down his forehead and dripped onto the ground.

“No, of course not,” he gasped, managing to squeeze out the words.

"Then prove it to me."

Sharp took a deep breath and straightened his body. Although his body was exhausted, his heart was still burning with an indomitable fighting spirit.

He brandished the wooden stick in his hand and charged toward number three, launching a final attack with all his might.

"..."

"Two points—" As the word fell, Na Ling raised the sign in her hand again, which clearly showed the number: 2.

This was her third time revealing her card, and this time the result was a complete disaster compared to the previous two, a shockingly low score of 2. The surrounding crowd began to whisper among themselves, clearly surprised by the score.

"Na Ling is being way too strict!" someone couldn't help but complain.

"Although he is indeed no match for number three, he has persevered through gritted teeth, so he shouldn't only have two points..." another person chimed in.

Naling has her own views on these matters.

Sharp straightened up with difficulty, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and then slowly walked towards Naling.

"I knew this would happen..." Sharp said, panting. "Looks like even if I beat them all up today, you still won't approve of me, will you?"

She didn't respond, but a hint of barely perceptible contempt flashed in her eyes.

He glanced down at the pile of digital tokens in Na Ling's hand and found that they were almost all worth 2 or 3 points.

"So you already had a conclusion about me. No matter how hard I try, I'm nothing special in your eyes," Sharp said self-deprecatingly.

“Of course I can give you a higher score and recognition, Sharp. But sometimes there’s a difference between playing tricks and a fair fight—” she bluntly stated.

She was truly perceptive. Sharp did indeed use a small amount of the Radiant Energy within her body when dealing with Number One and Number Two, but this power was so subtle and fleeting that most people couldn't even detect it.

But he didn't intend to hide it from Naling. If it were a truly fair one-on-one duel, Sharp, who had no advantage whatsoever, would probably just sit and wait to be defeated. Such powerful strength wasn't just for show; it was better to adapt to the situation and make use of it.

“However, to be frank, this is one of the tactics that can be used in the game with the other party.” Na Ling bent down slightly, reached out and grasped the heel of one boot, and gently lifted it off. Then she took off the other boot in the same way and placed it neatly to the side.

Under the stunned gazes of Zhao Lin and the others, Na Ling actually made another move, unbuckling her belt, taking off her thick coat, followed by the straps on her shoulders, the dagger at her waist, and various other odds and ends. Finally, she stood there wearing only a thin corset and a pair of close-fitting trousers, looking relaxed and agile.

“But I don’t like to use underhanded tricks, so naturally I won’t…” Na Ling said as she slowly walked onto the animal skin mat, exuding a powerful aura.

She took the short stick from number three and slowly walked up to Sharp, standing face to face with him. Her current posture made her hidden desires crystal clear.

"So, use any despicable and underhanded means you can think of. I'm giving you this chance to play this game with me." Na Ling finally smiled, but that smile made everyone present break out in a cold sweat for Sharp.

The short stick in her hand was like a nuclear weapon poised to be unleashed, ready to unleash its overwhelming power at any moment.

It looks like today is going to be a very long day...

Sharp reluctantly walked to the other end of the mat.