Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 303 The Snow Giant Makes a Stunning Debut!
"Village chief, that's about it."

"Is the big snowman my son found related to the giant footprints around the village?"

At the village chief's house,

Xiao Zhao anxiously recounted what Xiao Xiao Zhao had seen and heard, then glared fiercely at Xiao Xiao Zhao, who was looking down at the ground: "Is there anything else you haven't told me?"

Little Zhao raised his head, revealing a pair of red eyes, and sniffed hard: "No, no more."

The village chief's face was very grim, his forehead deeply wrinkled. He paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, finally looking at the man sitting on the stool, puffing on his pipe: "Old Mu, what do you think?"

Old Mu was about fifty years old. He was tall and thin, like an old pine tree on a cliff. His face, weathered by time, was etched with deep lines, and his skin was a dark ochre red from years of wind and snow.

Upon hearing the village chief's question, Old Mu raised his ebony pipe, took a deep drag, and the thick smoke couldn't hide the grin on his face. His voice was as hoarse as the cold wind blowing through the night: "No mistake, it's this guy."

A cloud of smoke rushed towards them. Xiao Zhao reached out and pulled Xiao Xiao Zhao behind him, frowning as he stared at Lao Mu: "Uncle Mu, there are still children here."

Uncle Mu, an old man who has been living a solitary life in the village for decades.

He was the only forest ranger in the area, and after the spiritual energy revival, he successfully awakened as a beast tamer, thus becoming a forest ranger in the new era.

Old Mu put down his pipe, got up and went to the window. With a click, his dark hands opened the window, and the cold wind outside suddenly swept into the room. He squinted his eyes and his voice blended into the wind: "This blizzard has brought many guests to our village."

Anchang Village experienced three days of heavy snow, with thick snow covering the village and its surroundings, severely impacting transportation. This was the fundamental reason why Xiao Zhao had such a difficult journey.

At the same time, the blizzard also put wild animals living nearby in a survival crisis.

While spiritual energy can indeed basically sustain a pet's energy needs, winters in the Qinling Mountains are incredibly harsh, making it difficult to survive the winter smoothly with just spiritual energy.

Food, pets need food.

Old Mu gazed intently at the snow-covered world outside the window, his voice hoarse and deep: "This pet beast, like those steel-maned beasts, must have come for food."

He paused, a faint smile appearing on his face: "Unlike those hot-tempered, violently robbing beasts like the Rending Tooth Steelmane, this pet seems rather gentle and hasn't shown any intention of forcibly taking things."

Xiao Zhao's expression gradually became serious.

In the previous emergency meeting, the village chief mainly addressed three important issues:

First, the blizzard has just passed, and the whole village should work together to quickly clear the snow from the streets and restore normal traffic.

Second, a group of hungry, ravenous Steelbristles have set their sights on the village's food. They are lurking around the village, looking for the best opportunity to break in.

Like most villagers, Xiao Zhao deeply loathed this pet animal that evolved from a wild boar.

Before the revival of spiritual energy, the Qinling Mountains were home to a large number of wild boars, which had become a prominent problem for the local ecosystem.

The rampant infestation of wild boars has led to crop damage and frequent conflicts between humans and livestock. Unexpectedly, even after the revival of spiritual energy, the conflict between humans and wild boars remains acute and has yet to be resolved.

Normally, these powerful, steel-bristled creatures have no difficulty finding food and look down on Anchang Village, where the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled gather.

However, after experiencing this blizzard, the grain stored up in Anchang Village allowed this group of Fisstooth Steel-bristled animals to brave the wind and snow and venture into human settlements.

If this group of fanged steel-bristled beasts were to break into the village, the loss of food would be a minor issue; the real danger would be the threat to the lives of the villagers.

Nobody wants this to happen.

Therefore, the village chief contacted outsiders to try to seek support, while also instructing all villagers to stay at home and not to go out unless necessary.

However, the blizzard has covered the road to Anchang Village, and it will take some time to clear the snow, so outside assistance will not arrive quickly.

Fortunately, Xiao Zhao, a local, knew a side road. He had parked his car halfway there and walked in with his wife and children.

Xiao Zhao sighed inwardly, "It seems this trip to Baokun City is going to be canceled."

The two elders haven't given in yet, and now they've run into this troublesome situation. He dares not leave the village with his wife, children, and the elders.

The third thing is that Lao Mu left huge footprints around the village, which should alert all the villagers and make them report any discoveries immediately.

Little Zhao accidentally discovered the owner of the footprints.

The menacing, steel-maned cleaver and the enigmatic, yeti.

When all these troubling issues come together, a heavy and oppressive atmosphere hangs over Anchang Village, a feeling amplified by the biting cold wind.

Xiao Zhao wanted to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible, but this was the place where he had lived since he was a child.

He cannot leave, nor should he leave.

The room was deathly silent, with only wisps of smoke rising from the pipe, which vanished with a gust of cold wind.

"Old Mu, you know these things best. Tell me what we should do?" The village chief rubbed his temples, suppressing the anxiety and worry on his face.

Old Mu snapped the window shut, shutting out the biting wind. He raised his chin slightly, revealing his unshaven stubble, and said in a rather nonchalant tone, "I think you're all too pessimistic."

He raised his face, his weathered eyes gleaming: "Just a bunch of Cracked Teeth and Steel Bristle, nothing to worry about."

Looking at the confident Old Mu, the village chief opened his mouth and whispered a reminder: "Our village has only two beast tamers, including you."

Two beast tamers could handle attacks from ordinary pets, but there was absolutely no way they could withstand a group of Rifttooth Steelmane beasts that had gone berserk due to hunger.

These guys could raze Anchang Village to the ground just by using their [Bunny Charge] attack.

Old Mu showed no concern despite the huge difference in strength. A smile appeared on his parched face as he pointed out the window and slowly said, "The car can't get into the village, but what about the pets?"

The village chief was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Old Mu's face revealed a smile that said, "We are now under the jurisdiction of Xuanhe Town. Have you forgotten who lives in Xuanhe Town?"

The village chief's pupils contracted, and a glimmer of hope welled up in his eyes.

"Brother Chen Yuan!"

A child's voice rang out, and Little Zhao peeked out from behind his father, his eyes no longer filled with tears.

"Yep."

Old Mu subconsciously picked up his pipe, preparing to take a deep breath, when he suddenly noticed Little Zhao staring intently at him. He gave an embarrassed smile and hid the pipe behind his back.
“Our village is only a few dozen kilometers away from Xuanhe Town. For Consultant Chen, it will only take him the time it takes to eat a meal to get here.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present simultaneously showed relieved smiles: "That's right, with Consultant Chen here."

"Oh right, we're considered residents of Xuanhe Town now!"

But as everyone smiled, Lao Mu suppressed his smile and said with a solemn expression, "I will now report the situation here to Advisor Chen. You should close the doors and windows tightly and do not go out."

"No matter what noise you hear, do not open the door."

The village chief nodded emphatically and broadcast the notice to every household through the village's public address system. At the same time, Lao Mu dialed Zhou Xu's number, and Zhou Xu relayed the message to Chen Yuan.

"Advisor Chen, the situation in Anchang Village is quite serious."

A moment later, a steady voice sounded in my ear: "Okay, I'll be right there."

After hanging up the phone, the heavy weight on Lao Mu's heart finally lifted. He hummed a little tune that no one could understand, and the wrinkles on his forehead gradually smoothed out with a smile.

But a hurried voice suddenly shattered the village's tranquility: "Uncle Mu, those horde of Rifttooth Steelfur are about to break in!!!"

As evening fell, wind and snow mingled, and twilight painted the mountains and forests.

A horde of hungry, ravenous steel bristles, like a torrent of rusted steel, crashed through the snow and gathered at the edge of the village.

The fanged steel bristle resembles a giant wild boar, with a shoulder height of nearly two meters.

Its body was covered in thick, rusty, iron-black armor, and a pair of huge, curved, steel-cone-like fangs extended from its upper jaw, gleaming with a cold light. Its back and tail were covered with sharp, needle-like mane.

Their eyes gleamed with greed and ferocity, their menacing faces stared straight ahead, and the heavy thud of their hooves made the snow tremble slightly.

Upon closer inspection, this group of Rifttooth Steelmane consisted of eleven individuals, making it a small pet beast group.

The leader, the Rending Steelmane, was about three meters tall. Its massive size exuded a strong sense of oppression even from a distance, and its huge, dark eyes stared ahead.

The smell of food led them here.

Old Mu and another beast tamer hid behind an earthen wall, observing the restless group of Rifttooth Steelmane. The previous composure on his face was gone, and two deep "川" (river) lines appeared between his brows: "This is troublesome."

This group of cleaving steel bristles was clearly starving.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have so quickly abandoned their fear of humans and their worries about beast tamers, and so blatantly barged into the village.

The ravenous, ravenous Rifttooth Steelmane is capable of anything.

"Uncle Mu, what do we do now?"

"Should we stop them?" Another beast tamer, only thirty years old, looked at the Rending Fang Steelmane with trepidation in his eyes, his voice trembling. Old Mu glanced at him indifferently: "Are you crazy?"

"Do you think we can stop these starving bastards?"

"Oh, if you want to become their food, that's not impossible."

The beast tamer's lips twitched at first, then he secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "So what do we do now?"

Old Mu spread his hands: "What else can we do but give them food? Hopefully they'll leave after they've eaten their fill."

"Oh, it's best not to leave. Consultant Chen will be here soon."

The name "Advisor Chen" seemed to possess boundless magic. The beast tamer was no longer so afraid, but muttered under his breath, "What a waste of all this food."

Fortunately, this is not like the days when people were starving; otherwise, the villagers would have fought desperately for their hard-won food.

But now, exchanging food for security is well worth it.

The two men made up their minds to have the villagers bring out their grain when they suddenly heard a dull rumbling sound as they pounded the ground.

A massive body appeared out of nowhere, standing like a mobile fortress between the beast horde and the village.

From the side, the two could clearly see the entirety of this colossal creature, which stood five meters tall and was as majestic as a mountain.

His entire body was covered in thick, crystal-clear blue-white ice armor, beneath which lay rugged, solid, bluish-gray skin, and huge eyes that shone like warm amber in the wind and snow.

His back rose like a mountain ridge, and his fists were like giant hammers made of ice and rock.

This is the owner of the giant footprint, the snowman that Little Zhao mentioned.

At first glance, it does look like a large snowman, but upon closer inspection, this guy is majestic and imposing, just like a snow giant covered in heavy armor.

"Uncle Mumu, did you see that?"

Overwhelmed by the snow giant's imposing presence, the young beast tamer's eyes widened, and he stammered out his words.

"I'm not blind, I can see," Old Mu replied casually, but then frowned. "What kind of pet is this? What does it want by suddenly appearing like this?"

As the wind and snow swept by, and the cold wind howled, the nameless snow giant stared at the group of steel-maned, cleaved creatures from dozens of meters away, and a heavy atmosphere suddenly filled the air.

"Roar!"

When a snowflake landed on the giant fang of the Rifttooth Steelmane leader, it raised its head and roared. Several Rifttooth Steelmanes simultaneously launched a barrage of steel manes, a dense rain of sharp steel manes hurtling towards the snow giant with a whooshing sound.

The snow giant stood firmly on the snow, its amber eyes gleaming, a dazzling pentagram pattern appearing on its forehead. Suddenly, it let out a low roar and slammed its fists into the ground, instantly raising a thick, massive ice wall that stretched out in front of it.

Old Mu looked surprised: "This guy is of Morning Star quality?"

Bang bang bang!
When the sharp steel bristles shot out and hit the ice wall, ice shards flew everywhere.

The crystal-clear ice wall remained unshaken, just like the snow giant behind it, which stood as tall as an iron tower.

But the observant Old Wood keenly noticed the Snow Giant's every move. After it used its skill, it carefully touched its belly.

Recalling what Xiao Zhao had seen and heard, Lao Mu pondered, "This guy still hasn't eaten enough?"

Come to think of it, three roasted sweet potatoes and two pieces of cured meat are hardly a sweet treat for this big guy.

But the group of Rifttooth Steelfur did not turn away because the ice wall was indestructible. More and more Rifttooth Steelfur launched a barrage of steelfur, and with the clanging sounds of impact, cracks gradually appeared on the ice wall.

"Roar!"

Upon seeing this, the leader of the Rending Steelfurs sounded the charge, and the Rending Steelfurs behind him seized the opportunity to launch a massive charge, crashing heavily against the ice wall like out-of-control armored chariots!
Just as most bear-type pets can master the "bear's strength," pig-type pets also have their own exclusive skill—Pig Charge.

With its massive body, it launches a fearless charge forward, its sheer force enough to frighten even the most resolute beasts.

With a deafening roar, the ice wall shattered, sending ice fragments flying as the beast horde charged forward.

"Help!"

After observing for a moment, although Lao Mu did not know the origin and background of the snow giant, he was very clear about one thing at this moment—this big guy was helping to protect the village.

He couldn't just stand by and watch the snow giant fight alone.

With a sharp shout, Lao Mu summoned his pet beast, the Frosty Pig, while the beast tamer beside him summoned a Flowing Cloud Sparrow. Together, they stepped forward to assist the Snow Giant.

However, the Morning Star quality snow giant was clearly not so fragile. With a deafening roar, it advanced instead of retreating. Facing the oncoming few Rending Steelmane, it lowered its shoulder and slammed its shoulder, covered with thick ice armor, into the side of the foremost Rending Steelmane with tremendous force.

Click!

A heart-wrenching sound of bones cracking rang out, and the steel-maned creature howled as it was sent flying, crashing into a group of its companions.

At the same time, the Rifttooth Steelmane on both sides and behind seized the opportunity when the Snow Giant used its skills to surround it. Instead of tearing at the Snow Giant's solid ice armor, they raised their front hooves and launched ground stomp attacks.

Boom boom boom!
The dull thuds of trampling echoed, and the ground suddenly trembled violently as shockwaves pounded the ground beneath the snow giant like invisible hammers.

The next moment, the snow giant stumbled and nearly fell.

"Roar!"

Seizing the perfect opportunity presented by the snow giant's stagger, the leader of the Rending Steelmane lowered its massive, gleaming fangs, its muscles bulging, and launched its most ferocious charge!
In that instant, the Frostboar stepped forward and charged at the Rifttooth Steelmane leader, blocking a fatal blow for the Snow Giant!
The two pigs collided, remained locked in a stalemate, and then simultaneously staggered back several steps, panting heavily.

Taking advantage of the moment, the snow giant steadied itself. It pulled its right arm back, and the muscles beneath its ice armor bulged. Instantly, ice crystals harder than steel condensed on its fist, emanating a chilling aura.

boom!
The fist whistled through the air, and the powerful punch sent the man with cracked teeth and a steel mane flying several meters away before crashing heavily to the ground with his eyes closed.

Subsequently,

The enraged snow giant continued forward, his palms clenched tightly, violently lifting a steel-maned creature with cracked teeth, and then slamming it hard to the ground with a sudden burst of strength from his shoulders.

Another man with cracked teeth and a steel bristle fell to the ground.

Such violent behavior instantly terrified the steel-maned fangs surrounding the snow giant. They were shaken by the snow giant's terrifying strength and slowly retreated while letting out weak roars.

"Roar"

The leader of the Rending Tooth Steelmane clan looked at the fallen members of its tribe, then at the snow giants that resembled towering snow mountains, and with a look of retreat on its face, it suddenly gave the signal to retreat.

The next moment, the group of Rifttooth Steelmane turned around and retreated in unison, disappearing into the wind and snow in the blink of an eye.

Even the two fallen Steelmane seemed to hear their leader's signal to retreat, and struggled to their feet, staggering away.

Old Mu watched the despicable group leave, spat on the ground, then turned to look at the towering figure beside him, his voice hoarse: "Thank you so much this time, your visit to our village has been very kind."

Before he could finish speaking, the snow giant suddenly knelt down on one knee, startling Old Mu: "You child, why are you kneeling?"

The next moment, the snow giant fell headfirst onto the snow.

Old Mu was taken aback at first, then quickly led his companions to the snow giant, squatted down to examine it closely, and discovered that the creature's body was covered with tiny wounds.

That's right. Although it appears to be all-powerful with its fists and fangs, it is actually surrounded and suffering various attacks.

Even a Morning Star quality pet would struggle to cope with such a large number of beasts.

"And this guy shouldn't be at the third tier of strength," Old Mu murmured.

If it were a third-tier Morning Star quality pet, it could scare away this group of Rifttooth Steelmane just by standing still.

"Uncle Mu, what do we do now?" his companion's voice suddenly rang out.

Old Mu's eyes flickered, and without hesitation he said, "The crisis has been temporarily averted, but the Rifttooth Steelmane are vengeful and will most likely attack again, so we must remain vigilant."

"Go and get some healing spray."

"Oh, right." Old Mu suddenly remembered something and added, "Bring some food with you. This guy might not have collapsed because he was injured; he could have just been too hungry."

As soon as he finished speaking, the snow giant's enormous hands trembled slightly.

After his companions left, Old Mu composed himself and sighed softly, "Sigh, I hope these Steel-maned Rifttooths aren't too vengeful."

"After all, Consultant Chen hasn't arrived yet."

The moment the words left his mouth, a dog barked from high above: "Awooo!"

Old Mu suddenly looked up, and then a smile appeared on his face.

This time, Chen Yuan finally arrived at the scene instead of waiting until the last minute.

(End of this chapter)