Profile of Logan:
- Name: Logan
- Age: 10 years old
- Occupation: Seventh-level Warrior (Exp: 72/100), First-level Ice Magician (Exp: 72/100)
- Reputation: 1878/10000
- Practice: Warrior (1/10), Magician (4/10)
- Position: Chief of the Silvermane Tribe
- Nation: 7373
- Military Assets: 1186 warriors, 256 warg cavalry
- Territory: 1620 square kilometers
- Facilities: Marketplace, Professorial Inheritance, Sub-professional Inheritance
Logan reviewed his attributes; his next reputation milestone was a daunting ten thousand, and his cultivation level had reset to one.
Cheating really did have its perks.
Meanwhile, as Logan and his party navigated through the Duskin tribe, a formidable flock of Thunderbirds began to converge above.
In the bustling Duskin Conference Hall, Chief Hakeba addressed his council with a tone of urgency, "I'm less concerned about how many beastmen the Silver Mane Tribe has assimilated. What I need to know is where are they getting all their food?"
Indeed, the Silver Mane Tribe's recent, rapid expansion had caught the attention of Duskin's leaders. Formerly a medium-sized tribe, Silver Mane had swelled in strength and numbers, absorbing disaster victims at an alarming rate.
This aggressive annexation raised suspicions: Where had they sourced the massive amounts of food necessary for such expansion?
Chief Hakeba had considered a similar strategy of taking in victims, but a glance at his tribe's dwindling food reserves had dissuaded him from such a risky endeavor.
Amidst the heated discussion, a breathless scout burst into the hall, interrupting the proceedings. "Sir Chief, it's urgent... we're under attack by a swarm of monster!"
"What?"
Habak leapt to his feet as the breathless guard delivered his alarming report.
The gathered high-ranking members of the Duskin tribe in the great hall exchanged bewildered glances.
How could monsters besiege Duskin without warning?
It was well known that the wasteland bore no magic beasts, they had all been vanquished. The remnants lived far away, secluded within the Black Wind Mountains, seldom venturing from their rocky sanctuaries.
Duskin lay over a hundred miles from those mountains. The notion of such a distance being breached seemed inconceivable.
With urgency pressing his steps, Habak strode outside the hall.
"Chirp~~"
A thunderbird soared overhead. But it was not alone; the sky swarmed with hundreds, casting shadows over the entire Duskin tribe.
"Curse it, a whole flock of thunderbirds!"
"How could this be? What drove these thunderbirds to descend upon us?"
The tribal officials were astounded by the sight. A flock of thunderbirds convening above their home was a spectacle none could have anticipated.
"Chirp~~"
At that moment, a Thunderbird hovered directly above Logan and his group, issuing a low, ominous chirp.
"It's spotted us!" Jean's expression darkened.
"Then we take it down!" Logan declared, leaping from his Manticore mount onto a nearby rooftop to retrieve a bow and arrows he had previously snatched from a Duskin warrior.
The target was clear, the Thunderbirds, merely a hundred meters away. Logan pulled the bowstring taut, his fighting spirit infusing the arrow, turning it a ghostly white.
Whoosh...!!!
The arrow sliced through the air with a piercing sound.
"Chirp~~!!!"
A thunderbird wailed in agony. Despite its third-level strength, it plummeted like a stone, crashing onto a nearby house and smashing through the roof.
Logan leapt towards the downed bird, drawing his bow once more, this time aiming directly at the Thunderbird's head.
Though the flesh of a peak fifth-level Thunderbird was more desirable, this third-level specimen was too valuable to waste.
"Hold on, can we store the living ones in the system warehouse?" Logan paused, struck by a sudden thought. Live flying monsters could fetch dozens, perhaps hundreds, of gold coins.
If feasible, he would store it in the system warehouse, possibly taming it later when they returned to their own tribe.
After all, if the system allowed for the exchange of live beast cubs, surely it could accommodate live captures as well.
Duskin Logan relaxed his grip on the bowstring and opened the system's expansive warehouse interface.
Leaping onto the thrashing Thunderbird, he cast aside all conventional wisdom.
In that moment, Logan plummeted to the ground, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He came down because the third-tier Thunderbird beneath him had vanished into thin air.
Possible!
The system's warehouse could indeed house living creatures, and shockingly, a Thunderbird occupied merely a single slot. For context, a single slot could hold a hundred sacks of grain, equating to 10,000 kilograms.
Yet, the true revelation was not the space efficiency but the fact that he could encapsulate living entities, presenting a novel method for Logan to exploit the system.
The disappearance of this particular Thunderbird caught the eye of its kin. Soon, over a dozen Thunderbirds circled menacingly above Logan's head.
Still, they remained oblivious to his presence.
Logan's eyes sparkled with avaricious glee, his mind racing with the possibilities now within his grasp.
Suddenly, a fierce hiss cut through the air.
It was the roar of a Manticore. Logan's expression shifted dramatically as he leaped onto a nearby rooftop, catching sight of a pack of beastmen in hot pursuit of the Manticore and Jean.
The Thunderbirds, now aware of Logan, screeched angrily, sending bolts of purple lightning streaking towards him.
Concern for Jean propelled Logan into action. Though she was a formidable fifth-level warrior, her combat experience was limited.
As Logan dashed away, the Thunderbirds' assault ignited a nearby house, flames licking the sky with hungry tongues.
"Whoosh!"
Logan darted from roof to roof, loosing arrows rapidly. In under a minute, half a dozen arrows had found their marks in the werewolf pack chasing Jean.
A piercing scream echoed as an arrow penetrated a beastmen's chest, suddenly causing him to collapse in defeat.