Hulk dug through the Komodo's stomach-bag and ripped a thick chunk of thigh meat free. He crouched near the injured wolf, holding the bloody meat out.
But the beast only bared its fangs, low growls rumbling from its throat. Even hurt, its wild instincts screamed for it to fight anything that came close.
Hulk cracked his knuckles, thinking. "If I break the trap now, it'll bolt. Hmph... stubborn beast."
With a grunt, Hulk stepped back, placing the meat closer, then shifted behind a nearby bush, watching carefully.
Sure enough, the wolf's nose twitched, hunger beating down its fear. Slowly, warily, it limped forward and tore into the meat with sharp, tearing bites.
When Hulk stood again, the wolf only flinched slightly. No more snarling. Just a watchful eye.
"Good. You've got some fight in you."
Feeding the thing was smart, not just for survival, but to help complete the taming quest. Hulk tore the meat in half with his bare hands, meat and sinew ripping like wet cloth.
A hundred-pound carcass wasn't hard to break apart when you fought with fists your whole life.
After the wolf ate its fill, ten chunks of meat, Hulk felt a shift in the air, the pulse of the system responding.
[Basic Beast Taming acquired.]
Effect: Allows taming of beasts under Elite rank.
Hulk grinned. "That'll come in handy. Plenty of wild things crawling around the Blood Forest."
The wolf wasn't snarling anymore, just panting heavily, its wary gaze softer now. It still flinched when Hulk moved fast, but that was fine. Trust took time.
Kneeling beside the trap, Hulk pried it open with brute strength, then knelt and started tending the beast's wounded leg. His fingers were calloused and rough, yet gentle now as he cleaned the blood.
"Easy… easy…"
Bit by bit, the wolf calmed down. Hulk could feel it, the growing bond through the taming skill. The beast's wild thoughts brushing against his own.
It wasn't a speech. More like raw feeling. Hunger, pain, weariness… trust.
With a slow breath, Hulk rested his hand on the wolf's head, stroking its rough fur while guiding his thoughts through the bond.
A connection snapped into place, and for the first time, the wolf pressed its head against Hulk's leg, not in fear, but in trust.
"Now that's more like it."
Hulk chuckled, tusks glinting under the fading light. "Let's call you… Gnash. You bite like a proper orc-brother."
The name fit. The wolf wagged its tail, licking at Hulk's bloody knuckles.
"Good hunt today," Hulk muttered, standing. His shoulders rolled loose, his muscles thick under the hide vest. "Not as dangerous as I thought."
But that was only because he hadn't gone deep yet. Even fools knew that the Blood Forest swallowed the stupid.
"C'mon, Gnash. Let's get that elk and head ho—"
A sound made Hulk freeze, sharp ears flicking. A rustling above. Thick branches swayed.
He squinted upward, eyes narrowing.
It wasn't a branch.
It was a scaled coil. Huge. And it was moving.
"By the War God's fists…"
A Dark Python was devouring the elk he'd hidden! The prize of his whole hunt, halfway swallowed by a beast that slithered with silent hunger.
Rage boiled in Hulk's gut.
"Oi! That's my kill!"
Without hesitation, Hulk bounded forward, muscles coiling. His bare feet dug into the bark as he climbed the tree like a mountain cat.
With a roar, he grabbed the snake's tail and yanked it from the branch, slamming it against the ground with a brutal thud.
[Beast: Dark Python]
[Weight: 820 pounds]
[Strength: 12]
[Agility: 8]
[Stamina: 12]
Traits: Originally a forest python, now twisted by the old void's power. Strong, fast, and mean as the devil's spit.
Hulk grinned widely. "Almost as strong as me."
"Gnash! Snarl at it!"
The wolf snarled like a proper packmate, hackles rising, fangs bared. The python uncoiled from the elk, tongue flicking in the stale air.
It struck first.
With a blur of muscle and scale, the Dark Python lunged for Gnash, aiming to snap his neck like dry twigs.
But Hulk was faster.
He moved. One hand up to guard, the other crashing forward with an elbow strike straight down—Muay Thai style—BOOM—onto the python's skull. The serpent hissed in pain, rearing up.
Gnash didn't hesitate. The wolf darted in and bit deep into the coils, tearing scales loose in bloody strips.
The snake twisted violently, smashing its tail across the clearing. Gnash was flung aside with a yelp, rolling across the dirt.
Hulk ducked under another strike, pivoted on one foot, and drove a brutal low kick to the serpent's midsection. The crack of impact echoed between the trees.
It reared, hissing, then spewed a black jet of venom.
Hulk pivoted sideways, raising his arms to guard his face. Drops of acid splashed across his forearm, burning through skin and leaving angry welts. But pain was nothing new.
With a roar of fury, Hulk dashed in, launching a flurry of punches—boxing combinations now. Left hook, right straight, knee to the gut.
The snake's muscle armor resisted most of the hits, but not all. Each strike bruised and battered.
Gnash limped up, tail low, but refused to abandon the fight. He charged again, biting deep into the snake's lower coils.
Seeing the fight turn against it, the Dark Python tried to slither away.
"Oh no, you don't," Hulk growled. He grabbed the back of its skull, twisting with every ounce of orc strength, and drove his knee, again and again, into the snake's head like a hammer on stone.
With one final, brutal upward elbow to the base of its skull, the Dark Python went limp, twitching, before falling dead at Hulk's feet.
Hulk rolled his shoulders, panting slightly, steam rising from his bruised arms.
Gnash whined softly, limping to his side. Hulk ruffled the wolf's ears.
"Not bad." Hulk smiled.
Suddenly, a howl echoed through the trees. Not a threat this time. Gnash was alerting him to something else.
"What is it, boy?"
Following the wolf's nose, Hulk shoved past thick bushes… and blinked in shock.
A chest. Sitting right there under the tangled roots of an ancient tree.
Not naturally made. Crafted by something old or powerful.
[Special Item: Champion's Chest]
[Description: A reward given to those who survive the hunt alone. Only Champions may open it.]
"Champions?" Hulk grunted. "That means others like me might be here."
Orcs. Champions. This world was full of bloody mysteries.
But one thing was certain: he was going to smash his way to the top.
With fists. With fury.
With blood.
"Let's take it home, Gnash. And may the War God watch my fists."