Chapter 1
Jian Long woke to the cold slap of water.
River waves struck his face again and again. Icy water slipped into his nose and mouth, making him choke before he coughed violently. His slender body trembled as his hands instinctively grabbed onto something rough beneath him.
A tree trunk.
He was floating on it.
Slowly, he opened his eyes. The pale light of dawn reflected across the moving river, forcing him to squint. It took several moments before his awareness gradually returned.
Water surrounded him on all sides.
The current pushed him forward without mercy.
Dense forests stretched along both banks of the river—dark, deep, and silent, like the open jaws of a giant beast waiting to devour anything that came close.
His body shivered.
Both of his hands clung tightly to the trunk, his fingers pale from the pressure. His wet silver hair clung to his forehead, cold droplets sliding down with every small movement.
He looked around in confusion.
The forest.
The river.
The distant mountains.
Everything felt strange.
His thoughts froze for a moment. Then a single question appeared in his mind like a bolt of lightning.
"What happened…? Why am I here?!"
But before he could think further—
Memories exploded inside his mind.
Screams.
Fire.
Blood.
Last night.
It had been a beast tide.
Their small village stood on the mountainside, one of the many villages that served the Bai Clan.
Ordinary humans like them lived under the protection of the clans.
Or at least…
that was what they believed.
But this time, the beast tide had been far stronger than usual.
Far stronger.
Strong enough that the Bai Clan abandoned the villages.
They sealed their mountain settlement and left the mortals below to face their fate.
Jian Long clenched his teeth unconsciously.
The images still chased him.
Wild beasts rushing between houses.
The cracking sound of splintering wood.
People screaming.
His mother's voice.
His body stiffened.
He shut his eyes tightly.
His village…
was destroyed.
Homes crushed beneath claws and fangs.
People running in every direction.
As for his family…
He never even saw the end.
The only thing he remembered was running.
Running until he reached the edge of the river.
Behind him, the beasts were closing in.
Ahead of him, the raging water.
In that moment, there had been no time to think.
He jumped.
Then…
nothing.
Jian Long slowly opened his eyes again.
Now he understood.
The river had carried him away throughout the entire night.
He survived.
His chest trembled slightly.
Anger ignited in his heart.
Anger toward the Bai Clan for abandoning them.
And a heavy grief for the family he would never see again.
But among all those emotions…
one feeling stood stronger than the rest.
Fear.
A cold fear that slowly crept into his heart.
He raised his head and looked around once more.
Dense forests.
Distant mountains.
A wide river carrying him toward the unknown.
He was alone.
A fourteen-year-old boy.
In the wilderness.
He swallowed hard.
But after a moment—
he took a deep breath.
No matter what happened, staying here would not help him survive.
He lifted his head and began carefully observing his surroundings.
The river twisted between the mountains, while forests covered nearly everything. After a while, he spotted something in the distance.
A mountain.
Its peak rose above the forest like a silent giant.
In the Southern Border, everyone knew a simple rule.
The wilderness between mountains was dangerous.
Wild beasts roamed freely there.
Mountains, however, were usually safer.
That was why people built their homes along mountain slopes whenever possible.
Jian Long didn't know whether there were humans on that mountain.
But it was the best chance he had.
He tightened his grip.
Then he released the tree trunk.
He jumped into the river.
The water was cold, but fear gave him strength.
He began swimming toward the riverbank.
Toward the mountain.
Toward an unknown fate.
---
Several hours later…
The sun had already risen high into the sky, hanging above the mountains like a blazing white disc. Harsh light filtered through the dense branches, scattering patches of brightness across the forest floor.
Jian Long walked slowly through the wilderness.
His simple hunter's clothing was still slightly damp from crossing the river, though most of it had dried under the heat of the sun. The fabric was rough against his skin, yet it was made for the harsh life of the mountains.
He paused for a moment, placing a hand on his stomach.
He was hungry.
At times like this, Jian Long felt grateful for the knowledge he had gained as the son of a hunter.
In the mountain villages of the Southern Border, hunting was not merely work.
It was survival.
He knew how to distinguish edible plants.
He also knew how to notice the subtle signs of danger.
Footprints.
Broken branches.
The unnatural silence of the forest.
This knowledge could not protect him from every danger.
But it could reduce the risks.
Jian Long bent down and picked up a long stick from the ground. The wood was sturdy and straight—perfect for what he needed.
He picked up a sharp stone and began sharpening the tip.
His movements were not fast, but they were steady.
After several minutes, the end of the stick became sharp.
A crude spear.
He gripped it in his hand and tested its weight.
It was not perfect.
But it was better than nothing.
In the wilderness, even a simple spear could mean the difference between life and death.
He continued walking.
The forest around him was strangely quiet. Only the sounds of insects and the occasional rustling leaves disturbed the silence.
Time passed slowly.
Until—
He suddenly stopped.
Ahead of him was a dense bush of low plants. Their leaves were wide and dark green, and among them grew several large round fruits.
Breadfruit.
A faint smile appeared on Jian Long's face without him realizing.
These fruits were well known in the mountain villages. Their outer shells were hard like coconuts, but the inside was soft and filling like bread.
He approached carefully.
As sunlight moved across his face, it briefly highlighted the straight line of his nose and the slight fullness of his lower lip.
He reached out toward one of the fruits.
But—
At that exact moment—
He sensed something.
A faint movement.
Behind the bush.
His body froze.
Before he could even think—
Something exploded out of the plants.
A massive mouth the size of a grown man lunged toward him, rows of sharp teeth glinting like knives.
But Jian Long reacted on instinct.
He jumped backward.
The monstrous jaws snapped shut just a hair's breadth from his body.
At the same moment—
His spear shot forward.
Stab!
The sharpened tip plunged directly into the creature's eye.
A shrill screech erupted through the forest.
The creature twisted violently, its massive body smashing against the ground and nearby branches.
Jian Long quickly stepped back, his heart pounding.
Only then did he finally see his enemy clearly.
A crocodile.
But…
not an ordinary one.
He stared at it carefully.
Its body resembled that of a crocodile, covered in dark rugged scales.
But its legs…
were far longer than normal.
His thoughts froze for a moment.
"A crocodile?… What is it doing here? I'm far from the river!"
Then realization struck him.
His eyes widened.
"A long-legged crocodile!"
Unlike ordinary crocodiles, this species was not a water hunter.
Thanks to its long limbs, it could run swiftly through the forest.
It was—
a land predator.
The moment Jian Long realized this—
he turned and ran.
The nearest tree was only a few steps away.
He leapt toward it, grabbed the trunk, and began climbing rapidly.
Despite his young age, his movements were agile and light. His body had long grown used to climbing since childhood.
Within seconds—
he was already among the branches.
But the crocodile did not stop.
It rushed toward the tree.
Then—
its tail moved.
Something small emerged from the tip of its tail.
One second later—
CRACK!
The tree trunk shook violently.
Then—
it began to fall.
Jian Long's eyes widened.
"What is happening?!"
There was no time to think.
Before the tree could collapse completely—
he jumped.
His body shot through the air, his silver hair fluttering behind him before he grabbed the branch of a neighboring tree.
He swung slightly before stabilizing himself.
Then he looked down with his gray eyes toward the crocodile's tail.
There—
he saw something.
An insect.
A small beetle, but its head was shaped like a sharp spear tip.
It was attached to the crocodile's tail.
Jian Long's eyes slowly widened.
He realized.
"A Gu worm…"
This was not merely a wild beast.
This meant—
the crocodile…
was a Hundred Beast King.