Hermes had seen Lin Kong start a fire to roast meat before, but in the depths of the forest where strength ruled above all, he didn’t think much of the lighter in Lin Kong’s hand. He gave it a dismissive glance and said with a hint of disdain, [You really think that cheap thing can lure out a Stone-Piercing Beast?]
The sarcasm in his voice was impossible to hide.
Lin Kong rubbed his chin and kindly reminded him, “Remember last time I was roasting meat? The firewood was so damp it smoked you right out of the cave?”
Hermes: […]
With a dramatic flick of his sleeve, Hermes turned away and fixed his gaze on the kneeling zerg. His voice dropped, firm and commanding: [Go. Gather a pile of dry branches and place them at the cave entrance.]
“Yes, my lord.”
Upon hearing the command, the zergs looked as though they’d been granted a royal pardon. They immediately scattered to collect dry branches, and before long, they had piled them into a small mountain. The younger, stronger ones unfurled their wings, clutching bundles of sticks as they flew into the cave hidden behind the waterfall, stuffing it until it was packed to the brim.
Lin Kong handed the lighter to one of them and explained how to use it: “When you get inside, press this part—fire will come out. Light the branches, then get out quickly, or you’ll get burned.”
The zerg studied the mechanism carefully, then tucked the lighter into a pouch made of beast hide to keep it from getting wet. Only then did he fly into the cave, disappearing behind the waterfall, leaving the rest of the swarm anxiously waiting by the cliff’s edge.
Lin Kong, with nothing better to do, stood behind Hermes and spoke to him in a low voice: “If the Stone-Piercing Beast really comes out later… will you still kill these zergs?”
Hermes responded coldly with a question of his own: [And what does that have to do with you?]
He felt that Lin Kong seemed far too concerned about these low-level zergs. It gave him the uncomfortable sense that something that belonged to him was being taken away—and he didn’t like it one bit.
Lin Kong had a sweet tongue and knew exactly how to charm people. Hearing that, he smiled brightly and said, “Of course it has nothing to do with me. I don’t even know them. Your business is what matters to me.”
Hermes’ expression eased ever so slightly—but before he could say anything, Lin Kong followed up with another question: “Aren’t you all the same species? Why are you killing each other?”
Lin Kong had started to notice: the zergs who lived together in groups seemed to show more warmth and camaraderie. In contrast, Hermes and the other divine attendants always moved alone—cold, distant, and hard as stone.
Hermes hadn’t expected Lin Kong to ask that. His brows furrowed, and he replied with scorn in his voice: [They’re nothing but a failed species in the game of survival. I could crush them with a single finger. You think they deserve to be called my kin?]
In Hermes’ eyes, only the strong had the right to stand on equal footing with him. At the very least, one had to be someone like Xue Po or Gayan—divine attendants with real power. His cold, beast-like nature left no room for concepts like brotherhood or compassion.
Lin Kong cast a slow glance at him, then deliberately asked, “Then I’m even weaker than they are—do you look down on me too?”
Hermes didn’t like that comparison. [You’re my prey. They’re ants.]
Lin Kong blinked. “Is there a difference?”
Hermes: [Yes.]
Lin Kong: “What’s the difference?”
But Hermes fell silent, gazing off into the distance without a word. Maybe he didn’t know the answer himself. Or maybe he did—he just didn’t want to say it out loud.
What mattered was that he knew Lin Kong was different.
Seeing this, Lin Kong didn’t press further. His skin was thick—Hermes’ words had never really touched his pride anyway. Instead, he shifted his attention toward the cave entrance.
Because the cave entrance was right behind a waterfall, Lin Kong had been worried the fire wouldn’t catch. He had specifically reminded the zerg to burn the branches further inside. It wasn’t until more than half an hour later that he saw a figure stumbling out from within the cave—shockingly, it was the zerg who had gone in to start the fire.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough…”
The zerg was clearly overwhelmed by the smoke. It landed near the cliff edge, clutching its mouth, and broke into a violent coughing fit, tears streaming down its face from the harsh fumes.
The other zergs quickly rushed forward, helping the coughing one to his feet, bombarding him with questions: [How was it? Did the fire catch?]
Even Hermes glanced over at them.
The zerg took a moment to compose himself before kneeling in front of Hermes and reporting: [My lord, the fire’s been lit. The cave’s filled with smoke—it shouldn’t be long before the Stone-Piercing Beast is driven out.]
Even though the zerg had a robust constitution, he’d been reduced to tears inside the cave by the smoke, unable to stay even a second longer. The chances of driving the Stone-Piercing Beast out were looking pretty high.
Hermes stared at the cave entrance for a moment. Seeing no movement inside, his voice came out like a sharp stone dipped in cold water—ominously, deeply unsettling: [If you don’t get it out, you’ll all die anyway.]
The zergs, hearing those words, paled and lowered their heads in silence, trembling like frozen cicadas.
Lin Kong, however, remained relatively calm. With all the dry branches piled inside, it was practically enough to make smoked meat. He didn’t believe the Stone-Piercing Beast wouldn’t come out.
Time ticked by slowly, until, when the sun was high in the sky, there was finally some movement inside the cave. Lin Kong stood at a distance, watching as thick smoke billowed from the cave entrance. Soon after, the sound of a massive beast’s roar echoed from within, shaking the mountain. Countless rocks tumbled down from the entrance, creating a loud crash and sending splashes of water flying everywhere.
[Look! The Stone-Piercing Beast is coming out!]
Someone exclaimed in surprise, and the zergs standing by the shore all snapped to attention. Lin Kong followed their gaze and saw a dark mass suddenly crawl out from the cave. Its limbs were short and thick, resembling a crocodile, but its mouth was sharp and elongated, resembling a drill bit.
“ROAR———!!”
The Stone-Piercing Beast’s skin was uneven, looking like a mass of stacked rocks, making it the perfect natural camouflage in the dense forest. Whether it was the smoke choking it or not, its body was charred black. As it caught the scent of the zergs near the cliff edge, its large, lantern-like eyes suddenly flashed with a bloodthirsty gleam.
Lin Kong had been pondering how to make his move, considering the distance between the cliff and the waterfall. But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he saw the Stone-Piercing Beast suddenly push off with its hind legs, propelling itself into a swift black blur that shot toward them with a whoosh.
“What the hell?!”
Lin Kong’s pupils contracted at the sight. He quickly grabbed Hermes and pulled him aside, while the other zergs scattered in all directions. The Stone-Piercing Beast leaped directly from the cave to the cliff’s edge, its massive body hitting the ground with a thunderous crash that caused the earth to crack open in several places.
Getting a closer look, Lin Kong realized just how enormous the creature was—it was the size of a dinosaur. When his gaze met its yellow, bloodshot eyes, he felt as though he might be paralyzed by the sheer ferocity and bloodlust radiating from them.
“ROAR——!!!!”
The Stone-Piercing Beast growled in fury once more. Driven by its primal instincts, it immediately charged at the nearest zergs, its tail whipping violently and striking three of them, leaving deep gashes. It lunged forward, sinking its teeth into the others in a frenzied attack.
The younger, stronger zergs reacted quickly, manifesting their claws and charging in to fight the beast. However, the Stone-Piercing Beast’s skin was impervious to their attacks. They could only penetrate a fraction of an inch before their strikes were stopped, forcing them to shift their focus to its eyes.
In pain, the Stone-Piercing Beast’s body began to thrash more violently, flinging the zergs away like ragdolls. Even from a distance, Lin Kong barely dodged a rock that flew at him, narrowly missing his arm. He pulled Hermes behind him, anxiously monitoring the battle while quickly backing away. His mind raced with thoughts of how to escape.
“What do we do, what do we do? It looks like they can’t defeat the Stone-Piercing Beast! Maybe you should tell them to fall back and escape?!”
Lin Kong was in a panic. Wild beasts eating people wasn’t a joke. With the Stone-Piercing Beast’s massive mouth, it could swallow two zergs whole without even needing to chew.
Hermes had remained silent the entire time. He tilted his head slightly, staring at the figure of Lin Kong standing in front of him for a moment. His gaze lowered, settling on the hand Lin Kong had clenched around his wrist, his brows furrowing slightly, as if lost in thought about something.
A rabbit standing in front of a tiger—this scene was inevitably a bit absurd.
But Hermes didn’t feel like laughing. He only found the sensation strange, something he had never felt before. It was like countless ants were biting at his heart, but it wasn’t exactly unpleasant.
Lin Kong, waiting for a response that didn’t come, turned to look at Hermes. He found the other man staring at him, lost in thought. “Say something! Are we running or not?”
Of course, they weren’t running. Hermes was determined to take down the Stone-Piercing Beast, but relying on the low-level zergs to handle the kill was clearly unrealistic.
Snapping back to reality, Hermes finally turned his attention to the battlefield. With a sudden spread of his wings, he shot into the air, his movement so fast it was almost a blur. He coldly threw two words over his shoulder at Lin Kong: [Wait here!]
Hermes’ attack was clearly much faster and more lethal than the zergs’. He landed heavily on the Stone-Piercing Beast’s back, his right hand’s claws growing sharply. With a sickening crack, he pierced the beast’s eyelid, digging in violently and blinding it with a brutal strike.
The Stone-Piercing Beast let out a tortured, high-pitched shriek. Its tail whipped through the air behind it, trying to fling Hermes off. But Hermes, without even looking back, grabbed the tail covered in sharp barbs, and at the same time, his right hand slashed down at the beast’s skull. His mental energy surged into its brain, wildly siphoning its life force.
During this struggle, the Stone-Piercing Beast’s thrashing grew more frantic, but it couldn’t resist Hermes’ relentless strength. Gradually, its massive body began to shrink at an alarming rate, its once-mighty form withering before their eyes. Its struggles eventually weakened.
The beast was enormous, and it took Hermes a full hour to drain its life force. After what felt like an eternity, a glowing blue orb of life energy the size of a crystal ball appeared in his palm. The Stone-Piercing Beast, now nothing more than a desiccated corpse, crumbled to dust at the slightest touch.
Hermes glanced at the energy in his hand, his crimson pupils narrowing slightly. Clearly, he was pleased with the harvest. He stood upright and nimbly leaped off the Stone-Piercing Beast’s back. As he landed, a series of broken, decayed sounds echoed through the air. The beast’s body crumbled into powder, leaving only a severed head as a reminder of its former strength.
Lin Kong was startled at the sight. He quickly rushed forward and asked, “Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Hermes, meeting Lin Kong’s worried gaze, subtly hid his left hand behind his back. He responded coldly, with barely a flicker of emotion: [I’m fine.]
Lin Kong glanced at the remains on the ground and hesitated before asking, “Now that the Stone-Piercing Beast is dead, can you report back to the Zerg King now?”
Hermes frowned. [What do you mean?]
Lin Kong gestured toward the injured low-level zergs. “Anyway, the offering for the Zerg King has already been provided. There’s no need to use these zergs as bait anymore. Why not just let them go? The Zerg King probably won’t even remember their names.”
The last part was a guess on Lin Kong’s part.
He felt that the Zerg King was like a gluttonous fool, a mindless creature with nothing but a mouth. If Hermes was willing to help cover it up, the Zerg King would most likely never investigate further.
As soon as Hermes heard Lin Kong’s words, he understood that Lin Kong was once again trying to show unnecessary kindness. However, he had gained a lot today, and whether those low-level zergs lived or died no longer mattered to him. With impatience, he simply muttered, [Do as you wish.]
The zergs, standing off to the side, immediately beamed with joy. They knelt before Lin Kong and Hermes, expressing their thanks with fervor: [Thank you for your mercy and kindness, thank you…]
Hermes didn’t like listening to all the rambling gratitude, so he flicked his sleeve and turned, flying back to the cave with Lin Kong.
Lin Kong, feeling famished, immediately started rummaging through his luggage as soon as they returned to the cave. Sitting on the floor, he tore open a package of instant noodles and ate half of the leftover Feather Dragon leg from last time. His stomach, growling in hunger, finally began to feel more at ease.
Hermes, sitting cross-legged on the stone bed, couldn’t help but glance over at Lin Kong, watching as his cheeks puffed up with food. He thought to himself, This prey really is hard to keep—always eating something, so troublesome.
Lin Kong, perhaps sensing Hermes’ gaze, looked up and said, “I don’t eat much. One meal a day is enough for me.”
Hermes let out a cold laugh. [When the heavy snow seals the mountains, you won’t even get that one meal.]
The winter in the dense forest was barren and freezing, even the Zerg King would slow down its feeding and enter a semi-hibernation state. During that time, it was nearly impossible to find any prey, and even a powerhouse like Hermes wouldn’t be able to hunt.
Every year, countless weak zergs would die in the heavy snow, and Lin Kong would have it even harder.
As Hermes thought about this, an inexplicable frustration rose within him. Without warning, he spoke, [Lin Kong, stay alive.]
Lin Kong was taken aback, “What did you say?”
Hermes, with his crimson eyes, stared at him quietly and, with some patience, repeated, [If you manage to survive this winter, I won’t kill you.]
Yes, he won’t kill him.
Hermes had decided to let this prey live, even going as far as to entertain the thought of keeping him alive.
If Lin Kong could survive the long, cold winter, he could endure many more years. Hermes was used to being solitary, but sometimes, he found it boring. As Dongning had said, they couldn’t stay immersed in slaughter forever; they also needed to lift their heads and look at the mountains and the blazing sun.
Lin Kong, however, hadn’t expected Hermes to say such a thing. He swallowed the food in his mouth and, curious, asked “Why?”
Hermes closed his eyes, his expression returning to its usual cold, impassive state. [There is no reason.]
Lin Kong noticed this and moved to sit beside him, settling down on the stone floor. But as he lowered his head, he saw Hermes’ left hand, which had been badly mangled by the tail of the Stone-Piercing Beast. Shocked, he exclaimed, “Your left hand is injured! Why didn’t you tell me?”
Seeing the torn and raw flesh, Lin Kong felt a wave of discomfort and didn’t dare touch it. His brows furrowed in concern. “Wait here, I’ll check if there’s anything useful in the medicine box.”
As he moved to stand, a wave of invisible psychic force yanked him back.
[No need.]
Hermes quietly opened his eyes. With a flick of his right hand, a ball of blue life energy emerged, casting a faint glow in the dim cave. [Healing with life energy is enough.]
The medicines Lin Kong had were useless for the zergs, whose physiology was far from ordinary.
Lin Kong said, “But isn’t that life energy meant to be offered to the Zerg King? If you use it, what are you going to tell him?”
Hermes, right in front of him, casually split the energy into two parts—one large, one small. He flicked the smaller one toward Lin Kong. [Give this to him. It’ll do.]
Lin Kong choked for a moment, thinking to himself that Hermes was taking a cut: “Is this little bit of energy enough to heal you? Why didn’t you store more before, you know, to be prepared for anything…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw blue light orbs popping up around Hermes. Some were as small as pearls, while others were as big as eggs, floating like fireflies in the air, their beauty almost breathtaking.
Lin Kong’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at Hermes in disbelief. “You… ?!!!”
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![He Lived Like You [End of the World]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/HLLY.jpg "He Lived Like You [End of the World]")
