Demon Immortal-Chapter 19: Self inflicted injury

Duncan watched dispassionately as Leia began working on the wounded Mo Hong with a sense of urgency.

From what he had learned from Morgan and Logan, everything had been going well until the boar had been lured into the net. Mo Hong had played his part perfectly by baiting the boar into the trap they had set for it.

But, it was the moment that the boar had become trapped that things went downhill. According to Morgan and Logan, before others could arrive to truly encircle the boar and kill it, Mo Hong deviated from the established plan and attacked it, even before the net was secure.

It was clear from their description that Mo Hong wanted the glory of killing the boar all to himself. Normally, it would have only left to a few grumblings from others if he had succeeded.

Mo Hong would have then gone on to brag about luring a boar into a trap and solo killing it for months. That kind of prestige was hard to come by among the hunters and it would open doors to more powerful hunting groups that usually hunt ferocious beasts.

It was clear from Morgan and Logan's chatter that it had been Mo Hong's plan all along. To join a mediocre and safe hunting group and make a name for himself before leaving for better pastures.

Unfortunately, he had been a little hasty in his execution.

As the net had not been properly tightened, when Mo Hong had attacked the boar, the boar retaliated with its tusk in a desperate bid to get away. It had resulted in him being severely injured before others could come to his aid.

While the rest of the team had killed the boar in quick order, the damage had already been done. So, leaving Roy and Old Qin to take care of the boar; Morgan and Logan rushed toward their location to find Leia to treat Mo Hong.

After hearing the entire story from the twins, it became clear to Duncan that Mo Hong had never cared to get along with the team in the first place. In his mind, he was only using the team to find better pastures.

Since his plan was all along to make a name for himself, he had never truly listened to the safety instructions Roy had been preaching for the past few days. His mind had been solely focused on killing beasts, even to the extent of ignoring the veteran's advice.

Moreover, Roy's relatively conservative approach had also soured Mo Hong a bit. He had been expecting glory during the hunt, but all he had to show for until now was to run around the forest in search of beast tracks.

As the reality had been far from what he had imagined, he had wanted to obtain quick results. The end result was that he was now seriously injured and being treated by a grim-faced Leia.

Duncan also deduced that his presence too didn't help the matter much. First Duncan had a history of killing a wolf and then he showcased his prowess once more by killing a deer all by his lonesome.

Coupled with the fact that he was also a newcomer to the team like him, this had pushed Mo Hong to take dangerous actions to make himself look good in front of others.

When he realized all this, any amount of sympathy Duncan had for Mo Hong vanished like smoke. This was a self-inflicted wound. No one was responsible for Mo Hong's current condition apart from himself.

Duncan also realized that being too greedy or prideful would only lead to a path of ruin. If Mo Hong had calmed down and listened to what experienced hunters like Roy had told, he would have not been in such a miserable situation.

Duncan was glad that he had enough self-awareness to know his shortcomings and act accordingly. If he had been foolish and willful like Mo Hong, this might have been his fate too.

He also realized that he was somewhat akin to Mo Hong in a few aspects. When he attacked the deer, he only cared about killing it. He had not paid enough attention to self-defense.

Luckily, his body had been strengthened due to Coiling Dragon Sutra. If he continued on this path, then he would one day land himself in the same situation as Mo Hong. And it would be all his fault.

The realization that the old fool had saved his life, albeit inadvertently, brought a bitter taste to Duncan's mouth. Ever since he had stepped out of the Starsinger Town, he had truly understood what kind of a sick game the old fool had played with him.

So, his opinion of the old fool had hit the bottom. Having to owe his life now to the old fool was not something Duncan wanted to think about. These conflicting thoughts made Duncan's headache somewhat.

"I have done everything I can. But, this is beyond my expertise. We need to take him back to the city if he has to have any chance of survival," Leia spoke tiredly as she rose from treating Mo Hong.

"Good, anyway it is not our fault that decided to be an idiot and forgot the instructions," Logan said gloomily shooting a dark glare towards Mo Hong. "Roy told me to start packing. With the boar, we have enough haul to get back to the city early. Maybe, he will survive until then."

"The thing that irritates me is that we have to fork our share to put in his medical cost," Morgan grumbled beside Logan. "I say we leave the fucker here. He deserves it."

"Shush, Morgan, don't say that. He is our teammate after all," Leia swatted his head.

"Was… not is. Roy made it clear that he wouldn't be welcoming such an idiot once again into the team," Logan grunted from the side.

"So, we are once again short of members, huh?" Leia shook her head in displeasure.

"I will rather be short, than have a cunt like him with us," Morgan grunted shooting an angry glare at Mo Hong.

"Enough, let's start packing. We can make good time once Roy returns," Leia gently ordered causing the twins to snort and move away.

Duncan assisted the trio in packing the stuff. Soon, Roy made his appearance along with Qin Long in tow transporting a huge boar. After enquiring about Mo Hong's status, Roy's face turned even more gloomy.

But, he didn't express his displeasure much. He merely grunted and ordered the team to leave the forest.

Duncan came out of the forest with the rest of the team after traveling for two days. When the cart driver saw them bringing an injured member along with their goods, he made haste towards the city.

They reached Starmist City in good time owing to the condition of Mo Hong. Roy once more took charge. He ordered Morgan and Logan to sell the beasts, before telling Duncan to come see him in two days for the payment.

Once he fixed a meeting spot with Duncan, he left with Qin Long, Leia, and an injured Mo Hong. Duncan watched them go with a complicated feeling in his heart.

Even though his experience with the hunting team had ended on a sour note, he had a good opinion of the team in general. While he learned a lot about hunting wild beasts in the forest, he also realized that he couldn't be on Roy's team for long.

In a way, he was also similar to Mo Hong. While he wasn't a glory-seeking fool like Mo Hong, he too wanted to earn more money. If he wanted to earn enough money to enquire about cultivation, a team who was cautious and stable in its approach was not the right place for him.

While he may be safe and sound in Roy's team, it would only be merely surviving in his opinion. He had not stepped out of Starsinger Town to merely survive. He wanted to know more about cultivation and find a way to become a cultivator in the future.

There was an old fool that needed severe thrashing waiting for him. If he wanted to merely survive, he could have stayed in the mine itself. There was no need for him to travel to Starmist City and even risk his life by hunting wild beasts. He had done all this to pursue his goal of cultivation.

Hence, Roy's team wasn't a good fit for him. However, he would be with them until he stabilized his living situation. It was really hard for him to find a job in the city. Being a mercenary was his only option.

While he would go on hunts with Roy's team, he will also pick up other missions so that he could earn more money easily. It would cut short the time he needed to save enough money to obtain information from the Blue Wind Society Hall.

With his mind made up, Duncan walked back towards the inn.