After a grueling, day-long battle of wits and haggling, Zani was finally able to secure the deeds to one of the residential courtyards attached to the Gym’s eastern wall.
Although this new plot only covers a mere 2,000 square feet, vastly smaller than the massive 8,000-square-foot training ground he initially purchased, the price difference between them was like heaven and earth.
This small courtyard has bled 10 silver coins from his ledger.
All because he was too desperate to acquire it and after gym opened here, this part of village has become more prosperous.
Following the purchase, Zani immediately hired a small army of local workers, including professional carpenters and a master blacksmith, to remodel 1,000 square feet of the newly acquired space into a secure beast pen.
Currently, the Iron Core Gym operates like a well-oiled machine, and the project is moving smoothly.
The old courtyard on the new land was destroyed and the construction smoothly started, he was told that within fifteen days everything will be completed.
Including an additional 200 square feet building, that can accommodate two people.
And This entire endeavor, cost him another 15 silver coins, heavily driven by the exorbitant blacksmithing fees required to forge thick, pure iron fences capable of holding a Mud Boar.
With the silver spent and the workers hammering away, Zani was left with only one final task: capturing the beast itself.
One could say everything was proceeding in total tranquility.
But then, a mere five days into the construction, urgent news broke the peace.
“Master Zani!
Master Zani!” A scout from the newly formed hunter network sprinted through the iron gates, gasping for breath.
“A hunting party…
they have located fresh Mud Boar tracks near the outer perimeter!” The moment Zani heard the report, his eyes flashed with sharp ambition.
He had been waiting for this exact moment.
“Brother Bai, grab the gear.
We will leave immediately,” Zani ordered.
He had prepared his specialized tools, according to the knowledge purchased from the Slaughter City, a long time ago.
Before rushing out, Zani turned to his Eldest disciple.
“Elisi, I am leaving the Gym in your hands,” Zani commanded.
“Hurry up and push the workers.
I want that holding pen fully operational before I return with the beast.” “Yes, Master!” Watching Zani and Bai sprint out the gates, the other inner disciples quickly crowded around Elisi, their faces laced with nervous panic.
“Senior Sister, w-what should we do?
We have never done this before!” one of the younger boys stammered.
“should I call my father?” A female disciple on good terms with Elisi suggested, trying to help her.
But Elisi immediately shook her head.
A sudden, mischievous glint replaced the panic in her eyes as she realized that with Master Zani gone, she held absolute authority now.
“No need!
We must handle this ourselves,” Elisi declared, puffing out her chest.
“First, go inform all the outer disciples that the afternoon and evening training sessions are officially canceled!
And if anyone dares to complain, hehehe” The junior disciples shivered at her cheeky grin, immediately scrambling to obey.
“As for the rest of us, we go ask the worker uncles exactly what needs to be done!” Although Elisi is gluttonous and highly mischievous by nature, she always handles the tasks assigned to her.
Meanwhile, Zani and Bai linked up with a hunting party of eight seasoned men, officially entering the dense, overgrown outskirts of the Brown Earth Mountain.
Hunter Teer, Elisi’s father, was among them, gripping his heavy bow.
“Master Zani,” Teer asked, eyeing the massive, bulging backpack strapped to Zani’s shoulders.
“Why are you carrying such a heavy load into the wilderness?” “Oh, this?” Zani patted the bag, offering an unfathomable smile.
“It contains all the tools that might come in handy to capture the Mud Boar alive.” “I see…” Since they were now traversing the perilous depths of the forest, talking and getting distracted could easily prove fatal.
After that brief exchange, the party quieted down, slipping into silence.
An hour later, wading through the thick brush near the edge of the mountain’s outer perimeter, the team finally halted.
Through the dense foliage, they spotted their target sleeping peacefully in a muddy clearing.
“It also has piglets,” one of the hunters whispered, his eyes widening.
“Is it a female?” “No, look at the tusks.
It’s a male,” Teer whispered back, his brow furrowing in confusion at the strange family dynamic.
“Three male piglets and one female.” “Master Zani, should we attack?” Teer asked, silently nocking a iron-tipped arrow into his bowstring.
“Wait.” It was Bai who reached out and stopped the hunter, pointing toward Zani, who was currently crouching behind a massive tree trunk, deep in thought.
Then they saw, Zani opened his heavy backpack and retrieved several sealed wooden containers.
“Do not make a single move,” Zani warned, his voice barely a breath.
“If you wake them up and they scatter, I will not pay you a single copper.” Under the bewildered gazes of the hunters, Zani began meticulously mixing the herbs he had bought with him.
Within a minute, he had compounded a potent, pungent paste.
“This drug contains herbs that are incredibly beneficial to a Mud Boar,” Zani whispered, handing the wrapped bundle to Teer.
“But they are far too potent.
If the beasts over-consume it, they will fall into a deep, paralyzing slumber.
Now, we just need to make sure the boar eats it without noticing our scent.” The hunters, who had remained perfectly silent till now, could no longer contain their murmurs when their prize money was on the line.
After a brief, hushed debate, it was decided that Teer, possessing the best aim, would throw the bait.
Whoosh.
The bundle sailed through the air, landing softly in the mud just a few feet from the sleeping beast’s snout.
The scent wafted instantly.
The massive boar snorted, cracked its eyes open, and immediately devoured the herbs, with the piglets eagerly fighting for the scraps.
A few moments later, a series of heavy thuds echoed through the clearing as the entire family collapsed into a drugged, snoring heap.
“Hahaha!
Well done, everybody!” “Congratulations, Master Zani!” “Okay, okay, the pleasantries can wait,” Zani instructed, stepping into the clearing with a wide grin.
“Tie them up securely.” Using a massive, pure iron barbell rod Zani had brought from the Gym, they tied the 300-kilogram Mud Boar entirely upside down, securing its hooves to the metal.
Because the beast was overwhelmingly heavy, the burden of carrying the main rod fell to Zani and Bai.
Zani, whose unyielding regimen has recently pushed his lifting limit to an astonishing 260 kilograms, hoisted his end of the barbell onto his shoulder.
He grunted under the massive pressure, his muscles bulging.
Yet, glancing to the other side, he was deeply astonished to see Bai managing the weight perfectly well, his rugged face entirely unfazed as they navigated the uneven jungle terrain.
Just as they breached the halfway mark, a low, collective growl echoed from the shadows.
A pack of six wild wolves stepped onto the path, their eyes glowing with desperate hunger.
Although it numbered only six, Zani’s heart leaped into his throat.
He and Bai were entirely pinned down by the 300-kilogram beast on their shoulders; they could not even raise their arms to defend themselves.
“Protect them!” Teer roared.
The hunters made incredibly quick work of the ambush.
Two wolves were pinned to the earth by arrows instantly.
Realizing the disparity in strength, three turned tail and fled.
But one wolf, driven mad by desperation, bypassed the hunters entirely and leaped directly toward Bai’s exposed throat.
“Brother Bai!” Zani shouted in sheer panic, while the hunters frantically tried to nock another volley of arrows.
However, deep inside the hollow space of the puppet, Little Leo was vibrating with fury.
Was it not enough that I am working as a beast of burden?
Now this stinky dog comes to mess with me, too?
Hmph!
In truth, she was mostly just angry that she couldn’t stay back to play with Elisi and had been forced to come out here.
Although the puppet she was wearing was not built for fighting, its mechanisms could easily exert 500 kilograms of force.
Outwardly, Bai simply sighed.
Without dropping the rod, the rugged man casually shifted the entire burden onto his left shoulder.
Freeing his right hand, he curled his fist and struck out.
BAM!
The horrific kinetic impact met the wolf in mid-air.
The beast’s skull shattered instantly, its brain matter scattering violently across the forest floor as its lifeless body was swatted away like a bothersome fly.
The entire hunting party froze, staring at the rugged instructor in sheer, unrestrained awe.
As the sun finally began its descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in strokes of orange and purple, the exhausted team finally returned to Big Wheat Village.
A massive crowd of villagers gathered along the dirt streets, pointing and whispering in shock as Zani and Bai carried the mythical beast through the streets.
Upon entering the newly purchased courtyard, Zani prepared himself to yell at the workers to hurry up.
But as he and Bai lowered the snoring Mud Boar to the earth, Zani paused, utterly astonished.
The pen was completely finished.
Thick iron bars were firmly set.
The only missing section of fencing had been flawlessly reinforced with a temporary, thick mud wall.
Most impressively, the incredibly time-consuming waterway and internal mud pit were fully excavated and operational.
How this impossible feat was accomplished became immediately apparent when Zani looked at his disciples.
Elisi and the others were standing proudly by the pen, completely covered from head to toe in thick, drying mud and dirt.
“Excellent work,” Zani said softly, a profound wave of pride washing over him.
“I am truly grateful for your hard work.” The hunters, who had followed them inside carrying the drugged piglets, were equally astonished.
Teer, in particular, stared at his mud-caked daughter in a completely new light, wondering why she never did chores at home before.
Catching her father’s bewildered gaze, Elisi merely shot him a cheeky, unapologetic wink.
“Master Zani, there is no need to be so polite,” Sighing dramatically, Elisi stepped forward, Rubbing her small shoulders and putting on a pitiful, exhausted expression as if she had suffered immense grievances.
“But…
since we worked ourselves to the absolute bone today…
if you are truly moved by our efforts, then please…” “Say no more,” Zani interrupted, his lips curving into a warm, generous smile.
“Tonight, we will surely enjoy a grand feast to celebrate our victory!” “Hehehe!” Zani already knew exactly what the gluttonous Elisi was about to demand, and tonight, he was simply too happy to deny her.
Pulling silver coins from his robes, he tossed them to his rugged instructor.
“Brother Bai, please go and order the best meat the local tavern has to offer!” After the hunters were handsomely paid their share of the silver and the sleeping boars were safely locked in the pen.
The tavern food finally arrived, filling the Iron Core Gym with the scent of roasted meat and the loud, joyous laughter.