Chapter Thirty-Four: Peril on All Sides

“Hee-yah, hee-yah!” Whether it would work or not, Jia Zhengjin shouted loudly as he and Tina chased after the two startled pack horses. Luck was on their side—after running a short distance down the mountain path, the horses finally came to a stop.

“What a relief!” Both were utterly exhausted, but each managed to seize a horse’s reins and bring them under control.

“Look, up there!” Tina glanced back up the mountain, then shrieked at Jia Zhengjin.

“What is it?” He followed her gaze and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

The dozen kobold slingers had all been slaughtered by the white tiger; only their leader, Cook, remained, struggling desperately. But he was clearly no match for the beast—his life force was almost gone.

“Tina, we need to get out of here!” The white tiger was terrifyingly strong. Jia Zhengjin slapped Tina on the back, urging her to take a horse and flee together.

But the tiger had already dispatched the kobold leader and now, with a furious roar, bounded down toward the two of them.

Despite the brutal fight, the tiger’s health, which had started at three thousand points, had been whittled down to just seven hundred and eight. Still, even together, Jia Zhengjin and Tina stood no chance.

With unexpected courage, Tina shouted something at Jia Zhengjin, then spun to face the beast, her ebony staff raised high.

He didn’t understand her words, but her meaning was clear—she wanted him to escape while she stood her ground.

“How could I possibly let the woman I love face death alone?” Jia Zhengjin wanted to flee with her, not fight the white tiger. But seeing Tina, who had once cowered in fear, now ready to lay down her life for him, a surge of indescribable emotion washed over him.

Yet a head-on battle was pointless—ten of him wouldn't make a difference.

His mind raced as the white tiger closed in.

Tina, bolstered by resolve, hurled a small fireball at the beast.

The white tiger’s eyes gleamed with ferocity as it pounced at her.

Suddenly struck by inspiration, Jia Zhengjin dashed forward, grabbed Tina around the waist, and rolled them both out of harm’s way—just escaping the deadly strike. As they flung themselves aside, he fished a block of ice from his virtual pack and tossed it precisely where the tiger would land.

The beast, focused solely on its human prey, failed to notice the ice beneath its paws. As soon as its massive forelegs touched down, it lost its footing completely. The slick surface offered no friction; the tiger’s enormous body tumbled down the smooth mountainside, rolling like a giant ball of muscle and fur, unable to halt its descent with even its sharpest claws.

With a thunderous crash, the tiger tumbled over twenty times before slamming headfirst into a massive boulder below, blood splattering around it. Amazingly, its huge body still twitched, stubbornly clinging to life.

Jia Zhengjin hurriedly took aim with his crossbow and fired.

The bolt pierced the tiger’s mouth—its health now visible: 110 out of 3000.

“Tina, don’t let it recover!” Jia Zhengjin shouted, reloading for a second shot.

Tina quickly unleashed another fireball, and together, they seized the opportunity, launching attack after attack while the beast was still dazed.

[Notification] You have slain the Highland Tiger and gained 300 experience points!

At last—it was dead! Relief flooded Jia Zhengjin as the message appeared. “We did it! We won! Tina, we’re safe!”

But when he turned around, he saw Tina gazing sorrowfully at the fallen kobolds, gripping her staff as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Foolish girl, you can always hire more of them.” Jia Zhengjin gently stroked her golden hair. “Let’s hurry home before nightfall.”

He handed Tina a horse to lead, then went to search the tiger’s corpse.

[Notification] You have obtained: Ferocious Tiger Mask!

[Notification] You have obtained: Perfect Tiger Fang Necklace!

[Notification] You have obtained: Simple Latrine Blueprint!

[Notification] You have obtained: Antidote Potion!

[Notification] You have obtained: Inferior Tiger Hide Skirt!

To make room for these spoils, Jia Zhengjin had to discard some ice blocks.

The tiger mask provided ten defense points—an impressive value for ordinary quality. The perfect tiger fang necklace increased strength by three and attack by ten—a remarkable piece of equipment. The inferior tiger hide skirt offered one defense and a boost of three intelligence points. Despite its low defense, those intelligence points were invaluable—just what Tina needed, as intelligence increased magical damage and maximum mana.

The antidote’s use was obvious—it cured poison.

As for the simple latrine blueprint, it unlocked the construction method for a basic toilet. Until now, going to the bathroom had been a hassle for Jia Zhengjin. With no latrine, he had to sneak into the forest, always anxious about what otherworldly creatures might ambush him at such a vulnerable moment. If he found it nerve-wracking, how much worse must it have been for Tina?

Now, with this blueprint, they could build a toilet inside their home, channeling waste through pipes into the forest’s depths, nourishing the plants. If they unlocked farmland, it could even fertilize crops.

Of all the loot a giant tiger could offer, it was baffling that it would drop a latrine blueprint.

Tina, delighted with her new skirt, seemed pleased. Jia Zhengjin put on the tiger fang necklace, swapped his helmet for the tiger mask, and turned to ask Tina, “How do I look?”

“Handsome!” Tina, having learned the word, wiped her tears and managed a smile.

“Come on, let’s go home!” Jia Zhengjin gathered the tiger’s meat and hide. Then, with Tina, each leading a horse, they carefully made their way down the mountain path toward home.

Having lost all their kobold companions, they had to be more cautious than ever. Fortunately, they encountered no further predators, and as dusk fell, they finally reached their home safely.

Jia Zhengjin sent Tina inside to prepare dinner, while he summoned all the kobold miners, instructing them to dig in the yard within the walls. They needed to build an ice cellar as quickly as possible to store the fresh meat and food.