Zachary reached the pond amidst continuing shouts and cries of beasts. The pond wasn’t very big, about the size of a small pool. Tall trees grew all around it, protecting this watering hole from the dangerous seagulls in the skies above.

A large beast squatted in the middle of the shallow pond. It was an alligator, covered from head to tail in shiny blue scales. It was over three meters long, full of tough muscle and sinew, with a mouthful of sharp white teeth. It had suffered some wounds and its blood stained the water red.

It hissed loudly as it faced two other beasts. One was a large green mantis the size of a person. It was unremarkable except for a pair of blade-like forearms. Even the alligator’s tough scales couldn’t stand up to those dangerous weapons. The other was a yellow flower demon. The ground before it was covered in living vines, making the alligator wary of its possible tricks.

All three gave off powerful auras at the adept rank but they weren’t the only ones. On the other side of the pond, two adept ranks faced off against two more. There was a treant with a thick trunk, a gray-haired bear with pieces of stone stuck to its fur like armor. They were matched against a black raven with glowing purple eyes and something that looked like a giant pill bug.

“Raaa! Raa!” The gray-haired bear roared in anger as the black raven fluttered around its head, poking left and right with its sharp beak.

“Hee! Hee!” The giant pill bug hissed as it rolled into the treant, nearly knocking it over.

“Block them, they want to steal our stuff!”

“Bastards!”

“Heize, kill them!”

Two groups of people had gathered on either side of the pond. They shouted orders to their summons and hurled insults toward each other. Closer to Zachary, there was a middle-aged man and three women. The other side had three people who were hiding behind trees and hard to discern.

“Hurry up and kill the lizard!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Another few chaotic moments passed as the Ensouled fought each other. The alligator suffered a few more wounds from the mantis but it also managed to land a heavy bite on the flower demon. On the other side, the treant and the pill bug fought to a standstill while the gray-haired bear managed to catch the black raven in its claws. It almost tore the bird in two before the raven’s summoner saved it with a long-range recall. However, the bear had also suffered greatly. Its head was covered in fresh blood from several deep punctures.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Stop it! Stop it! Let’s talk about this!” A deep, powerful voice shouted over the noise of battle.

A skinny, old man stepped forward, exuding a surprisingly domineering aura. He was covered in colorful tattoos all over his body. His face was ugly with countless scars large and small.

“Everyone, stop! Let’s stop for a moment and talk before we end up killing each other!”

Zachary frowned. He recognized this man. It was the same old man, the leader of a gang, that forced Zachary out of his first hunting ground.

The old gangster’s words carried a great deal of weight and the fighting stopped. The alligator continued to hiss but had nowhere to retreat because behind it was a small waterfall.

“What do you want, Casimir? And don’t you dare say this wild Ensouled. It’s ours!” A sharp voice retorted.

A woman with dirty blonde hair stepped out of the other group. She wore a small top and shorts, both made of beast skins. Her bare skin complexion had a healthy tan. Her face was bright with strikingly beautiful features. She looked both wild and refined at the same time.

Zachary’s frown deepened. He recognized this person too. She was Heather Glenn-Bower. She had murdered two of her husbands and had been in the cell next to his on the ship.

“Heather, don’t be like this.” The old man named Casimir said. He spread his arms out in a disarming manner and smiled, making his scars stretch disturbingly, “You know this area is the territory of our Dark Star Gang. We originally wanted to wait a little while before capturing it. I didn’t think you would try to sneak it away from us.”

Heather scoffed and crossed her arms, “Your territory? Who says this is your territory? I don’t see a line. Does anyone see a line anywhere?”

“No!”

“Nope!”

Her people answered emphatically.

“We were here first so this crocodile is ours. If you don’t leave, then you will have to pay with your blood.” Heather finished speaking with a serious expression, daring the other side to make a move.

Casimir clicked his tongue and shook his head, “Heather, Heather, there are better ways to solve problems than killing each other. How about this? If you give us this beast, I can give you three summons at the peak of the novice rank.”

Heather laughed mockingly, “Three? Do you take me for an idiot?”

“How about six then? And I’ll also throw in six anima crystals at the peak of the novice rank.”

“No, we’re done talking! Suhua, Nellie, get ready to capture the crocodile!”

“Alright!”

“Got it!”

“Ha… haha.” Casimir laughed weirdly, “Haha… hahaha!”

His voice reverberated eerily. It was an uncomfortable laugh that would not be out of place in a scarehouse. It attracted everyone’s attention. And when all eyes were on him, he raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

At first, nobody understood what he was doing or what was going to happen. Then, a split second later, a barrage of black spikes shot out from a corner of the forest on the other side of the pond, directly opposite of Zachary’s position. They were not aimed at him but at Heather.