Time passed. Though the outside world remained perpetually gray, the sky visibly darkened as the day waned. The Hunting Team returned to camp before nightfall.
Even the most experienced hunters avoided venturing out after dark whenever possible.
Lingsha observed that the Hunting Team, numbering around twenty, were almost all wounded. Two severely injured men had to be carried back by their comrades, their bodies drenched in blood.
What was even stranger was that the Hunting Team had brought back no game.
Could it be that women in this world are far superior to men in combat? Lingsha wondered. That doesn't make sense. If that were true, the Hunting Team should be composed entirely of women, not men.
Seeing Granny Xi preparing to use her exorbitantly expensive medicinal herbs to treat the hunters' superficial wounds, Lingsha swiftly intervened. She drew healing incense from the Incense Burner and dispersed it, enveloping the entire Hunting Team in its therapeutic fragrance.
The injuries of the Hunting Team members visibly healed at an astonishing rate. The two most severely wounded—one with three claw marks stretching almost across his entire chest, the other with a gaping wound in his right arm—saw their wounds completely close within mere seconds.
The Hunting Team leader stared at Lingsha in utter shock, then glanced down at his own previously injured hands, stammering, "W-what... what is this?"
Lingsha was also somewhat surprised. Her wound-healing 'Scent' was far more effective than she had anticipated, almost as if she had granted everyone a 'Wolverine-level regeneration buff.' However, facing the leader's stunned expression, she maintained perfect composure, smiling faintly. "Just a little trick," she said.
As the leader gradually recovered from his shock, he silently resolved something in his mind.
The Beast-Eared Girl started a fire, butchered the Velociraptors that had attacked them earlier, and began preparing dinner.
Notably, Ikezawa also woke up around this time. He sat up groggily, looking around dazedly, rubbing his still-aching head, and coughing incessantly.
"You're awake? How are you feeling?" Lingsha asked, approaching slowly as she waited for the barbecue to cook, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Not great... cough cough, I feel a bit unwell," Ikezawa replied, shaking his head.
"What were you doing? Why did you suddenly faint?"
"I... I don't know. I wasn't doing anything," Ikezawa said, rubbing his temples as he tried to recall. "I was just talking normally with the others and asked if I could touch their ears. Then, for some reason, I suddenly felt a wave of weakness wash over me, and I lost consciousness."
Lingsha crossed her arms, propping her chin on one hand as she pondered. He didn't seem to be lying. Besides, trapped in this mountain cave, what kind of reckless stunt could he have even pulled off?
This was truly puzzling. How could a perfectly healthy person suddenly fall ill and faint without any warning?
"So, what exactly is wrong with me?" Ikezawa asked weakly, inwardly grateful that his teammate was Lingsha, a skilled physician. Otherwise, he might have kicked the bucket for no reason right after being transported here.
"I'm not entirely sure what's wrong with you," Lingsha said, shaking her head. "Perhaps it's a disease that could be named after you."
Good news: You'll go down in history!
Bad news: You'll go down in history by having a brand-new disease named after you.
Ikezawa panicked. "T-this... Lingsha, you'll save me, right?!"
Lingsha gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll do everything I can."
Just then, the roasted Velociraptor meat was ready. A young, adorable Beast-Eared Girl skipped over to them and handed each of them a piece.
Cooked over an open fire without seasoning, the meat's flavor was mediocre at best. But in their current situation, having something to eat was a blessing.
Lingsha cradled a slab of meat larger than her forearm, glancing at the others. The Beast-Eared Girls and Men were already devouring their portions with astonishing speed, tearing into the meat like wild animals. Their robust physiques demanded immense energy, explaining their voracious appetites.
Lingsha, of course, wouldn't resort to such barbaric eating habits. She carefully tore thin strips of muscle fiber from the cut edge of the meat and placed them in her mouth.
To put it mildly, the meat was dry and tougher than Lingsha had imagined, almost impossible to chew. She even considered sneaking away later to have Robin cook at home and send the meal through the Chat Group.
After a few bites, Lingsha handed the roasted meat back to the Beast-Eared Girl who had given it to her.
The girl's tail wagged from side to side as she tilted her head slightly, her expression puzzled. "Aren't you going to eat any more?"
Lingsha didn't reply, merely grimacing and waving her hand dismissively before turning and walking away. And so, dinner was over.
Once everyone had finished eating, the Hunting Team leader clapped his hands to draw their attention. He then produced a white stone sculpture about twenty centimeters tall. The moment it appeared, everyone except Lingsha and Ikezawa immediately knelt and bowed deeply toward it.
Lingsha could see that the sculpture was crudely made, its features indiscernible. The arms and body were fused together, leaving only a vague impression of a vaguely humanoid figure.
The leader announced loudly, "To welcome our two new members to the tribe, I shall prepare the grandest welcoming ceremony!"
Then, seemingly from nowhere, he produced a glass jar filled with water. Inside floated a palm-sized piece of pale pink flesh. He carefully removed it and delicately sliced off two small chunks, each about the size of a little finger.
After placing the remaining flesh back into the jar, he offered one of the small pieces to Lingsha and the other to Ikezawa.
Immediately, the eyes of all fifty-odd occupants of the mountain cave fixed upon the pair. Though the leader remained silent, his intention was unmistakable: they were expected to eat the strange meat.
Night had completely fallen, plunging the cave into near-darkness. Yet the Beast-Eared Girls and Men seemed to possess night vision, their eyes glowing with an eerie, pale green light that cast an unsettling atmosphere over the surroundings.