Honestly, the existence of the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator, Blood Spear, could truly only be described as a glitch, a bug in the system. But then again, how else could one survive? How could one stand out amidst the brutal competition of the Predators?

It was precisely because Roni managed to deal damage that even the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood Spear found astonishing that the creature deemed Roni’s skull worthy and honored enough to become part of his collection.

However, processing a trophy skull in the traditional manner of the Yautja involved numerous steps, alongside many legendary taboos. The most prominent of these dictated immediate "processing" after decapitation, based on the legend that doing so sealed the enemy's soul within the skull, allowing the collector to borrow some of its power.

Blood Spear firmly believed this legend. If he were to kill Roni immediately now, he would have to stop and process the skull according to tradition; yet, he needed to pursue Fang Senyan. He simply did not have the time. Therefore, after beating Roni half to death, he injected him with a unique Yautja drug, leaving him in his current state, before bringing the subdued Roni along to hunt down Fang Senyan.

After Fang Senyan rescued Roni and administered an antidote, preparing to tend to his wounds, he suddenly heard an incredibly furious, earth-shaking roar echoing from the distance! The sound was saturated with madness, primal energy, and an untamable spirit. Immediately following the roar came a massive boom that caused the very ground to tremble!!!

Hearing the sound, Fang Senyan’s eyes instantly brightened, knowing that the contingency he had secretly laid out had finally come into play.

Less than ten seconds later, a slight tremor began to shake the ground. The vibration intensified from subtle to violent, utterly shocking, as if some colossal, towering creature were stomping toward them in a rage. The sheer momentum of its approach felt suffocating, almost stealing the very breath from his lungs! Night was already beginning to descend. Mist started to creep in, drastically reducing visibility; otherwise, the daylight vision range would have revealed the identity of the mysterious creature approaching.

However, after waiting a few more seconds, what rushed out of the fog was not the mysterious horror Fang Senyan expected, but the Iron-Blooded Arbitrator Blood Spear, fleeing directly towards him!!!

But at this moment, Blood Spear’s face was completely contorted. Even when Fang Senyan had pushed him into close combat, forcing him to endure blade strikes, his expression had only shown pain—never the current chaotic mixture of frenzy, despair, and unwillingness. It was clear Blood Spear was also gravely injured: his left arm was severed completely at the shoulder. More terrifyingly, his entire left side looked as if it had been violently crushed by something like a steamroller; it was completely flattened, a horrific mess of torn flesh and blood.

Moments later, the mysterious creature finally revealed itself.

It was a terrifying beast existing only in Greek myths and legends!!

The Hill Cyclops.

This was a behemoth standing twelve feet tall, weighing over two thousand pounds. On its back, it carried a massive sack made of animal hides. The sack was crudely stitched together with exceptionally rough craftsmanship, and through the gaps in the bindings—made of what looked like animal sinew—one could clearly see numerous foul, fetid, and inexplicable contents.

Such as a stone axe, a half-broken wooden bowl, and a cup fashioned from the skull of some hunted animal.

This creature possessed an appearance similar to an ape, but its large, bald head was completely devoid of hair. Its arms were exceptionally long, naturally possessing terrifying musculature. Its shoulders were hunched, its brow low, and its limbs thick and powerful. Its skin tone was a mottled mix of reddish-brown and pale tan. Multiple scars covered its body, marking it as a ferocious combatant with remarkably tenacious healing abilities and immense brute strength!

A battle spear, seemingly glowing faintly with fire, was lodged deeply into the edge of the creature’s single eye socket, causing blood to stream down its face. This was evidently the cause of the furious roar the Hill Cyclops had emitted moments before.

Upon closer inspection, three faint, thick, winding blue veins converged on the creature’s chest. This indicated it possessed royal lineage, harboring a crystal gland within its body capable of resonating with the Earth Mother—or, to use a more familiar term, a Mana Core.

It was a Mana Core of the Earth attribute.

This meant that the Hill Cyclops enjoyed the favor of the Earth Mother. Any path it took, if it did not wish to leave traces, would be smoothed over by the earth, erasing any sign of its passage. During combat, it never needed to waste time searching for throwable stones; the Earth Mother would locate the most suitable rocks and automatically place them into its hands!

The reason Fang Senyan had previously discovered the giant’s footprints was because the Hill Cyclops suffered from a peculiar habit: it frequently got lost. Thus, it had to periodically set markers for itself—a behavior akin to any dog needing to mark every fire hydrant it encountered. The footprint Fang Senyan found earlier was one such marker the Hill Cyclops had left to avoid disorientation.

Strictly speaking, both Fang Senyan and Roni had a close encounter with this creature. Just after they landed, the vicious Badger-Wolf that had been chasing Roni was brutally dispatched by this very being!

At that time, the Hill Cyclops feared the power of the One-Horned Flying Ants but favored the plump prey on the plains, so it could only skirt the edges of the Mushroom Rock area. The ferocious Badger-Wolf Roni had lured was a delicacy it hadn't hunted in a long time. Later, when the two found no tracks at the location, it was due to the Earth Mother’s favor.

The reason Fang Senyan had grabbed a large Marmot, drawn its blood, and drenched Blood Spear with it earlier was because he knew the Hill Cyclops absolutely adored Marmots as food. Furthermore, creatures at the apex of this food chain, much like humans on Earth, were diurnal—they hunted during the day, drank water at dusk, and returned to their nests to sleep soundly.

The source of this knowledge came from Artificial Human No. 1. The data gathered from the partially wrecked spaceship that the human had accessed contained a series of files that Fang Senyan had studied in detail, which coincidentally included specific information about the Hill Cyclops.

Of course, that half-crashed ship was incredibly far from Mushroom Rock, so the information collected wasn't necessarily about this specific creature, but it was likely about its relatives, meaning their living habits would be largely the same.

Fang Senyan was not entirely certain that a Hill Cyclops would actually inhabit this area, but dousing Blood Spear in blood carried a strong implication of "drawing the tiger out of its den." Since the swarm of One-Horned Flying Ants was destroyed, whoever took over the Mushroom Rock plains certainly wasn't benevolent! Seeing Blood Spear, reeking of blood, running around within its territory, was essentially like a late-night snack being delivered right to its doorstep???

This demonstrated Fang Senyan’s meticulously planned strategy: even if his initial calculation went awry, the resulting error wouldn't have significant negative consequences, as it would be compensated for by other external factors.

As for why Artificial Human No. 1, possessing a richer database, failed to see through Fang Senyan’s layout, that was purely down to the difference in imagination.

The ensuing events require little elaboration. When the Hill Cyclops came to drink water, it spotted a delicious “midnight snack” attempting to flee. This creature was instantly inflamed with desire, like a skewer of lamb seasoned with cumin, and without hesitation, it translated that desire into action.

Blood Spear, already arrogant and frustrated by his repeated failures against Fang Senyan, certainly harbored resentment. When he encountered the obtuse Hill Cyclops, he wanted to vent his rage upon it. Since the Hill Cyclops was accustomed to being overbearing itself, the two sides naturally met halfway in aggression.

So, the result was that the Hill Cyclops’s single eye was nearly blinded by the fiery battle spear, while Blood Spear, due to a moment of carelessness, was struck squarely by a massive stone hurled by the terrifying war beast before him. Even with his incredibly tenacious vitality, this blow was devastating.

As the saying goes, an injured beast is the most frenzied. Blood Spear lacked combat experience against the Hill Cyclops and, moreover, noticed there were no suitable throwing stones nearby, leading to his moment of carelessness.

This momentary lapse proved fatal. The massive stone thrown by the enraged beast—which didn't need to worry about ammunition—was amplified tenfold by its fury after its only eye was injured. It immediately unleashed a triple barrage at its historical peak performance.

The fate of the Predator needs little further description; the horrific state Fang Senyan now witnessed was his left side nearly pulverized into a bloody pulp, his emerald blood staining the ground with nearly every footprint he took, all while being pursued relentlessly by the seemingly inexhaustible Hill Cyclops! Though Blood Spear was still running through sheer willpower, he was clearly at the end of his tether, hanging by a thread.

The reason the bastard was running toward this location was obvious: knowing he likely could not escape the Hill Cyclops’s clutches, he intended to drag Fang Senyan down with him as company in death!

Just then, Roni let out a weak groan and stirred awake. The moment his eyes opened, they widened almost impossibly! He, too, sensed that nauseating yet familiar odor being emitted into the air from the Hill Cyclops’s glands.

The two exchanged a look and immediately understood that this was the moment to see who could play the more despicable role. Thus, both simultaneously and decisively closed their eyes. Fang Senyan, who had been standing, added one final step: he dramatically collapsed straight onto the grass……

Yes,

The final contingency plan they executed was to play dead! .RT