The warriors on the outside thought they had hit the jackpot when a portal had appeared near their clan base. Their clan was located in the Dark Faction and wasn't very large. It was known as the Purple Berry Clan.
While the clan had history, it wasn't significant enough to be written down in books. However, they believed their luck had changed.
The world of Pagna had learned about dimensions and portals opening up. Now was a time when clans would grow stronger and larger and could benefit from having a dimension open near them.
Before informing anyone about this new discovery, the initial clan had sent ten of their strongest warriors to scout the dimension. They had no idea what level of beasts lay inside.
Upon entering, the warriors, including a couple of high initial stage warriors, thought they were in luck. They fought against the beasts and managed to defeat them as a group, acquiring powerful crystals that could be sold for a small fortune or boost their cultivation to the middle stage.
Since nearly all of the warriors who entered were high-ranking initial stage warriors working together, they could defeat beasts they would never have been able to handle alone.
After defeating a few beasts, a real challenge appeared. They came across a large orange bear—and not just one, but two.
"Looks like we hit the jackpot with this one. Let's go; this could be the difference for our clan. Maybe we'll even be the ones to save the Dark Faction!" one of the leaders cheered, and they all charged forward.
However, the bear was far stronger than they had imagined. Its claws could match several of the warriors at once in strength, throwing them away and crashing their bodies into the large trees behind them.
It was no simple beast like the others they had encountered in the dimension so far. As they were cautious in attacking, they realized that the beast wasn't charging forward or attacking them.
This gave them time to think.
"What do we do? The beast is too strong for us, but it's also not charging at us. Should we give up and hunt somewhere else?" one of the warriors asked.
They all looked to the leader in charge of the expedition. It wasn't the Clan Head but the most promising member of the clan, a rising star named Roku.
"Wait, don't leave just yet," Roku said, holding up his hand. "There's a reason it's not attacking. Can't you see? Every step it takes, every movement, it moves to protect the younger one."
"It's quite clear; it's a mother protecting her child."
"But what difference does that make?" another warrior asked.
"A lot of difference. There are ten of us, and we are coordinated in our attacks," Roku answered. "If we know it's protecting its child, then we know how the beast is going to act. As long as we attack the right target…"
The other warriors started to understand what Roku was saying, and they put the plan into motion.
The warriors coordinated their attacks against the child bear. While the child bear was strong for a beast, it was no match against these well-coordinated warriors.
The mother bear, Ginger, realized this and would move to cover the child with most of her body while delivering a swipe. This was the perfect time for Roku and the others to strike.
They managed to come from behind and deliver powerful attacks, damaging and ripping through the bear's skin, causing it to bleed. Yet Ginger still stood strong, determined to protect her child.
The battle went on for a while, with Roku using the same technique repeatedly. The marks on Ginger's body grew larger, and eventually, Ginger collapsed, her claws wrapped around her child's body, trying to shield it.
"We did it. We finally did it. That has to be at least a level five power crystal!" one of the warriors claimed.
The group quickly began harvesting the crystal. As they got close, they realized something. The child bear roared and tried to snap at one of them.
"What do we do with that?" one of the warriors asked.
"What do you mean? It's a beast, right? There's a crystal in its body, so take it out," Roku ordered.
In the quickest fashion, five of the warriors went in from different directions, piercing through its body with their swords. It didn't last long and fell into the arms of its mother.
From above, it would appear as a perfect picture, with the mother holding on, trying to protect her child.
There was clearly no sympathy from any of the warriors, as to them, it was just another beast. The creatures they could harvest energy from to better their own lives, much like animals grown for food but harvested for their power.
The crystal had already been harvested from Ginger's body, and now they were making their way to the child. That's when they heard a branch snap and leaves rustling on the floor.
Turning to see who was there, they saw a man wearing next to no clothes. The clothes he had on when he arrived had long since deteriorated, leaving only a small patch covering his groin area and partly on his legs like a pair of shorts. The one item he had on him was a medallion hanging around his neck.
"Get away from that body," Murkel stated.
"There was someone here before us? How is that possible!" Roku exclaimed.
The others quickly continued with their work, ignoring the man who had just entered, planning to leave it to Roku to deal with.
"State who you are and what clan you're from," Roku said, pointing at the intruder, who had suddenly vanished from his sight.
Before he knew it, Roku saw the tip of his finger falling to the floor. His hand had been sliced cleanly off, but by whom he didn't understand until he heard screams behind him.
Turning around, he saw an entire fist thrust through the stomach of his allies from the strange man in question.
"I said, get away from the body!" Murkel exclaimed.