Fishing in Troubled Waters

Chapter 46

"How about it? Have you guys learned to play it yet?" Ray asked as he watched the two young boys engrossed in a dozen puppets.

"Yes, yes, we can! This is great! Look at my bunny, it's beautiful!" Haruza swung the puppet enthusiastically with his small hands.

"That's right, this is a good thing!" Esubi echoed as usual.

Seeing this, Ray felt happy. Even though what he had created wasn't perfect, he had put in some effort.

So, his slight tiredness from making these small things would fade away when he saw the smiles on these two little ones. According to Ray, it was worth it.

"Alright, you guys keep playing. Abang will get ready to leave."

"Are you going camping again?" Haruza asked, appearing unhappy.

The girl's mood changed so quickly, evident from the sudden furrow on her forehead.

"Ahhh, yes. Can't I go?" Ray questioned.

"Don't..." Haruza said pleadingly.

"Heheheh, I have to go. What if I buy you something delicious when I come back?"

Haruza remained unmoved. This made Ray's expression turn slightly bitter.

As Haruza was an intelligent child, she could see that her brother's face had turned sour because of her response.

Not wanting to burden her brother, Haruza reluctantly agreed, albeit with a heavy heart.

"Alright, I will bring you good things when I come back!"

Ray then caressed the heads of the two little ones to comfort them.

Haruza, who was initially upset, became calmer after being reassured by her brother.

Ray then bid farewell to their mother. As usual, even though he had gone away many times before, he would still be scolded a few times.

...

After Ray set up his tent, he wanted to quickly collect water from the river.

Ray was surprised when he arrived there. Various animals were staring at each other in a tense atmosphere.

There seemed to be a potential for chaos if any party misbehaved.

These staring animals were not to be taken lightly.

To the east, there was a group of large wild boars trying to drink water. In the west, deer took turns drinking water while keeping an eye on each other. Meanwhile, in the south, a tiger crouched, scanning all directions with meaningful eyes.

Ray, who had suddenly appeared, became the center of attention for everyone. He could only curse silently.

"Why am I so unlucky?" Ray grumbled to himself.

"And what's with these animals? Why are they all drinking water together randomly? Are they so lonely that they want to socialize!" The more Ray pondered, the more irritated he became.

This situation continued.

None of the creatures made any extreme moves after Ray arrived.

Everyone drank the water quietly as if they had an unspoken understanding.

Ray didn't dare to make a move and fetch water at all.

Ray regretted not bringing water as he usually did for camping.

However, this time he intentionally didn't bring any, thinking that the tent was close enough to the river.

So he didn't need to fetch water and could save space in his storage ring.

What Ray had considered reasonable at first now backfired on him.

Now Ray realized that he was still too inexperienced. Many factors came into play in the wild.

He didn't know what would happen next. With this realization, Ray reminded himself to be better prepared next time.

For now, he needed to figure out how to get out of this awkward situation.

The group of animals from before maintained their positions for a long time.

The ordinary young man was growing tired of constantly being on edge. Just when Ray thought he couldn't bear to stay in that place any longer, an idea struck him. However, despite coming up with an idea, Ray had no clue what to do. The idea he had in mind was completely absurd. Ray argued with himself for some time, but realizing things had reached this point, he clenched his teeth and prepared to put his plan into action.

Ray, who had been silent until then, suddenly made a move, catching the group's attention. The animals eyed Ray cautiously, suspecting that he might pose a threat. However, confusion arose when they saw something appearing in Ray's hand.

The animals were smart enough to discern between a threat and something harmless. They observed that the bamboo stick in Ray's hand didn't appear threatening at all. It's small size and bamboo material made the group of animals feel no sense of danger.

Ray had no idea what the creatures were thinking. All he knew was that a group of animals from three different species were staring at him with hostile eyes. Ray felt terrified being glared at by so many creatures. If he didn't have strong self-control, he might have wet his pants by now.

Ray forced himself to ignore the group's stares and activated his ability to copy. Then, something astonishing happened in that place.

Go! Go! Go!

Ray hopped through the air, leaving the ferocious beasts bewildered. They had never seen a hairless monkey that could fly before.

Ray felt a twinge of excitement witnessing their reactions. Taking advantage of the group's surprise, Ray approached a nearby herd of wild boars. Fearful of any trouble, Ray kicked the largest pig with all his might.

Bang!

Ray didn't stop at one; he kicked several other unsuspecting pigs. The dull sound of impact resonated multiple times.

Afterward, Ray leaped and ascended into the sky. Feeling safe, he peered down with curious eyes.

From above, Ray could see that the once tranquil river had descended into chaos and turmoil. The animals had gone truly mad. They not only attacked their enemies but also inflicted deep wounds upon their neighbors.

Ray gazed at the figures attempting to flee with cold eyes. He didn't want to leave any loose ends. He realized that if he let these animals escape, he would face trouble in the future. Who knew how vengeful these creatures could be?

Thus, Ray began to dispatch the creatures that were already dying. Just when he thought his task was accomplished, he felt dumbfounded and slightly bitter. The tiger that he believed to be dead had suddenly vanished.

Ray had witnessed the tiger struggling desperately while surrounded by the group of animals. It was clear that the king of the jungle posed a threat to the other animals, and Ray had thought of eliminating him first. However, he never anticipated that a seemingly dying tiger could deceive everyone, including Ray.

Left with no choice, Ray reluctantly collected the animal corpses, wearing a bitter expression...

"Grrr!"

From the mouth of a cave, a tiger appeared, moving with difficulty. After a while, a large number of tigers emerged from the cave. The leader of the pack, the final tiger with the most ferocious aura and the largest body, stepped forward and fixed the tiger with a serious gaze.

The tiger silently regarded the blood-stained tiger, as if waiting for an explanation. Then, the wounded tiger growled softly in a language unknown to humans.

"Grr... Grrrrrr! Ghhh..."