Online Game: Starting with an SSS-Level Plundering Talent

This is a small village with fewer than a hundred people. The village chief, an elderly man named Jackey, holds some authority and respect among the villagers.

Spoorate, a young girl, is his granddaughter. She was exiled to the Realm of Chaos at the age of three and endured much hardship.

"Big brother, tell me more stories about the outside world." Over the past few days, Spoorate had become quite close with John. Whenever she had a moment, she would cling to him, asking him to share stories of the world beyond.

She was particularly interested in John's rebellion against The Heaven.

Perhaps due to her own past experiences, John sensed that Spoorate had a rebellious streak and seemed to harbor a deep resentment toward The Heaven.

"Well then, today I'll tell you the story of when I encountered a powerful member of the Shadow Clan on the Skyline Continent," he said, his eyes full of affection, as he began recounting his battle against the Shadow Clan's Blood Moon in the Secret Area of Skyline Continent.

Spoorate sat quietly on a chair, her little hands supporting her chin, listening intently to John with wide eyes.

Whenever he spoke of the dangers he faced, she gasped in alarm, her concern for him evident as if she were there with him.

When John described seizing the Heart of the Skyline Continent and slaying Blood Moon and the Sea King, she gasped in awe.

John found himself unexpectedly touched by the little girl's genuine reactions.

"Big brother, can I become strong like you? Can I train and become powerful?" Spoorate asked, her eyes filled with hopeful anticipation.

"Of course you can," John replied, nodding confidently.

Spoorate possessed a divine-level talent, but Jackey had never told him what it specifically was, and even Spoorate herself didn't know.

It seemed that the talent was incredibly powerful, but Jackey had sealed it, and no one, except for the two of them and John, knew Spoorate's secret.

"Big brother, can you teach me?" Spoorate asked, her big, sparkling eyes looking up at him.

John wasn't surprised that the Realm of Chaos blocked the perception of The power of laws.

He gently ruffled her hair and said, "I'm not sure how to train, but I know there must be a way. As long as we don't give up, we will definitely succeed."

"Mm!" Spoorate nodded vigorously, a bright smile spreading across her face. "I believe in you, big brother, and I believe in myself."

"Chief, you said yourself that we don't support freeloaders in this village. What's going on with that young man?"

Just then, a commotion was heard from outside the house.

"Yeah, don't think we don't know that Spoorate has secretly taken quite a bit of meat."

"This person's origins are unclear. He must be exiled."

"Chief, we don't want to make things difficult for you, but this month's tribute is still far from enough. Now you've taken in another freeloader. We're in a tough spot."

…

The straw hut was not soundproof, and John naturally overheard the villagers' complaints. This was already the third time it had happened.

The village's resources were scarce, and every month a tribute had to be paid. With fewer than a hundred villagers, only around twenty strong men could go hunting outside.

The more than twenty villagers barely managed to sustain the small village. The residents still struggled to make ends meet, living on the edge of survival.

What made matters worse was that every month they were required to deliver a large portion of their resources to the town. Failure to do so would result in the abduction of the strong men to be made into slaves.

Many villages had been wiped out for this very reason.

"Big brother, you don't need to pay attention to them. These people are too much. Before my grandfather got injured, he hunted many dangerous beasts. The village promised to make sure we never went hungry, and the food I took was just my share. Now they're breaking their promise and want to back out. It's outrageous!" Spoorate pouted, looking furious.

John had learned that the old village chief, Jackey, had once been a powerful warrior. It was said that he had survived a siege from a pack of wolves, leaving unscathed.

But after a serious injury in a later battle, and with his age catching up to him, Jackey could no longer fight and had been elected as village chief.

"It's okay. My injuries are almost healed. It's time I did something," John reassured the little girl.

He wasn't helping these villagers for their sake, but to repay the life-saving kindness of Jackey and Spoorate.

John stood up and left the straw hut.

The chaotic crowd outside quieted, and the villagers all fixed their eyes on him, their gazes unfriendly.

"Isn't this guy supposed to be bedridden? I thought he was paralyzed," a burly middle-aged woman sneered as she glanced at John.

"He's actually kind of handsome. Could he be the gigolo Spoorate's been feeding?"

The comments grew more vicious.

Jackey's brow furrowed deeply, and his beard trembled slightly as he tapped his cane. His voice grew angry as he shouted, "Shut up. Don't forget the promises made long ago."

"Old chief, our men risk their lives hunting, just to feed you two. We're not here to feed this young pretty boy!" one of the villagers complained loudly.

"Exactly. This guy has to go today. If he doesn't, we won't be going out hunting anymore!" another villager coldly threatened.

"Agreed!"

Several others chimed in.

John frowned. These villagers were nothing but ungrateful wolves.

"Cough… cough..." Jackey trembled with rage, his body wracked with violent coughs.

"Grandpa!" Spoorate cried out in worry, patting his back, then turned to face the crowd. Her voice rang with anger as she shouted, "Don't forget who you are. Without my grandpa, you would have long been wolf food!"

Several villagers frowned. What Spoorate said was true, but it didn't sit well with them.

Both the old man and his granddaughter were so weak, yet they had to treat them like honored ancestors.

"Everyone," John finally spoke up, stepping forward. His voice was calm as he said, "I apologize for the trouble I've caused you all these past few days. But from now on, I'll hunt and take care of myself, and I'll contribute my share to this month's tribute, as a repayment to the old village chief."

John didn't like these people. If it weren't for helping Spoorate and Jackey, he wouldn't have cared about them at all.

Moreover, in order to obtain legal status, he would have to go to the town and receive the blessing of the Goddess.

Exactly one week later, Apricot Village was scheduled to deliver their tribute to Taodollar Town. John would accompany them, obtain his legal status, and then leave the village to search for Sini and the others.

"You're going to provide this month's tribute? Kid, are you sure about that?" One of the villagers' eyes brightened, and he looked at John with excitement.

Their village was still far short of the required tribute for the month, and they were at a loss as to what to do. That's why they had been causing trouble for the village chief.

They hadn't expected this unlucky guy to walk right into their trap. If he couldn't come up with his share of the tribute, they would just tie him up and hand him over to the town as a slave. With the harvest they had collected these past few days, it should be enough to meet the requirements.

"No, John, your injuries have just healed. The beasts in this world are incredibly strong, and... you're no match for them," the old village chief disagreed. He knew John's situation—he wasn't just another poor villager from a struggling village.

John had been exiled here after resisting The Heaven in another star domain. Although he wasn't imprisoned, his strength had been completely wiped out. He was seriously injured, weaker than an ordinary person. If he encountered a fierce beast in this world, he would undoubtedly die.

"Village chief, he's the one who volunteered. Don't be such a goody-two-shoes," someone chimed in.

"Yeah, acting all holier-than-thou."

"This is settled then. We'll give our tribute to this young man this month. Tomorrow we'll take you hunting, and we'll make sure you're safe," a burly middle-aged man declared, slapping his hand down firmly. He then flashed John a smile.

He completely ignored the village chief's objections.

The villagers grumbled but eventually dispersed. They had found their scapegoat, and at least they wouldn't have to worry about the tribute this month.

"John, you're being too rash," Jackey said helplessly. He wanted to protect John, but he couldn't do much about it now.

"Don't worry, old village chief. I'm strong," John said confidently.

Although the laws were gone and his physical attributes were sealed, his basic physical condition still remained.

Otherwise, with such severe injuries and the various herbs the old man had used to treat him, he wouldn't have healed so quickly.

"Ah…" Jackey sighed helplessly. He knew what kind of people these villagers were, and now that John had already agreed, there was no point in trying to persuade him otherwise.

"Big brother, I'm going hunting with you tomorrow," Spoorate said eagerly.

"No, that's too dangerous," both John and the village chief replied simultaneously.

"Why not?" Spoorate pouted, looking displeased.

"No matter what, it's not happening," John firmly rejected, no matter how much Spoorate pestered him.

His physical attributes were still sealed, with all four basic attributes at just 10 points, not much stronger than an average person.

What he was confident about, however, was his battle experience.

These villagers were able to deal with fierce beasts, and with his vast combat experience, John was certain he could handle them too.

"Kid, let me give you some advice about the mountain forest. It'll help you prepare," the old village chief said, not expecting John to hunt down enough fierce beasts, but only hoping he would survive.

The mountain forest was full of fierce beasts, which were the main source of food for the villagers.

The outer edge of the forest was home to the giant-horned deer and the green bull monsters, which were relatively weak. As long as the villagers coordinated well, three or four strong men could work together to kill them.

Deeper inside the forest, however, lay the territories of the tusked wild boars and the ferocious demon wolves, which were the main sources of fierce beast crystal cores.

These creatures were brutal and powerful. Ordinary people stood no chance against them.

Each month, Apricot Village had to deliver 100 fierce beast crystal cores. The hunters were forced to take the risk of hunting the wild boars and demon wolves in the forest.

The only way to deal with them was by setting traps, and the rest was left to luck.

On a good day, they might hunt four or five fierce beasts.

On a bad day, they might come back empty-handed, and there was always the possibility of losing their lives in the process.

...

The next morning, John was ready. Jackey handed him a longbow.

When hunting fierce beasts, having a ranged weapon was the safest choice.

"John, stay with the team and don't act recklessly. We still need sixteen more fierce beast crystal cores. Seven days should be enough," Jackey reminded him repeatedly.

John nodded and replied, "Don't worry, old village chief. I'll be careful."

At the village entrance, the group of hunters was already growing impatient.

"Big brother, I'll wait for you to come back," Spoorate called out, taking a few steps toward him, looking reluctant to let him go.

John smiled and waved at her before joining the others.

"Let's go!" The leader of the group, a burly man with a longbow on his back and a simple spear in his hand, gave the order. He glanced at John and led the way into the mountain forest.

John had learned that this man's name was Cena, the strongest hunter in the village, and his prestige was even higher than that of village chief Jackey.

In this world, strength determined everything.