Chapter 96


    Ivy slowly opened her eyes and saw damp leaves strewn about on the ground. She discovered that


    she couldn''t move because she was bound by something.


    She noticed an indigenous person squatting next to her when she turned around, staring at her. His


    dark skin was streaked with a variety of colored markings.


    Ivy couldn''t help but cry out in surprise.


    The man gave her a friendly smile. He sat bare-chested and sported long, unkempt hair. His neck


    was adorned with animal bone-like ornaments, and a circle of leaves surrounded his lower body.


    Ivy shivered in terror. She sat up and scooted away from him in terror, surveying her surroundings.


    She was in a simple tent-like structure made of many branches and leaves. The branches


    resembled those of the mostmon type of tree in the jungle.


    The branches'' curvature was very flexible, and the dense branches and leaves stackedyer by


    layer kept the wind and rain out.


    The space, however, was limited, and there was no venttion. Inside, it was moist and dim.


    Ivy''s weak face was pale and glum. As she awoke, the sensations of being cold, thirsty, and hungry


    became more unbearable.


    ''Am I still trapped in this hellhole?''


    Her fingers were clenched so tightly that they turned white. The man approached her and attempted


    to touch her, but she screamed and dodged.


    She turned around to see dozens of identically dressed men not far away. They had deep,


    protruding features that gave them a fierce appearance.


    They resembled the indigenous people she had seen in documentaries. Her heart sank deeper as if


    it were falling into an abyss. ''W-where in the world am I?!''


    Ivy felt an intense chill run down her spine when she saw the situation.


    ''Are these the people who dragged my limbs here?''


    In front of them, the tribal people stacked firewood. A strong man was sitting there who appeared to


    be their chief.


    Others took thin pieces of wood and rubbed them against a thick, dry log. The bottom of the stick


    soon began to smoke. As the fire grew, it was ced on another pile of dried leaves.


    The fire spread quickly as the firewood burned quickly. ''Rubbing fire sticks? Is this a primitive


    civilization?''


    Ivy''s face was filled with disbelief. ''God must be ying a cruel joke on me!''


    Ivy didn''t want to be trapped in this hellhole any longer! Before she could sink any further into


    despair, she noticed one of the burly men pointing with his finger in the direction of Ivy.


    Then he made an eating gesture while pointing to the fire and his mouth. Even a fool could figure


    out what that meant.


    She was going to be roasted by these indigenous people! What bad luck!


    Ivy trembled in fear and raised her eyes to the man staring at her. She shed a smile that was


    more akin to a frown.


    "I apologize for the inconvenience. Bye for now!"


    Ivy rose to her feet and began to run, but before taking two steps, she tripped and fell over the


    many sticks and branches littering the ground. She was already dizzy and feverish and only felt


    slightly better after a few hours of sleep.


    Her mind wentpletely nk after the fall.


    Ivy copsed on the ground.


    Another man noticed the situation and approached another man wearing shoes and gibbering and


    gesticting.


    Even though the shoes worn by the man in front of her were so encrusted in mud that she couldn''t


    tell what they were initially made of, the shoes hadces!


    This was an adolescent tribe. How did he getces on his shoes?


    Ivy''s eyes glowed. She suddenly climbed up to tug his shoes with an unexpected burst of strength.


    Ivy couldn''t shake the man because he was tall and robust. She noticed the hazy trademark.


    La Sportiva is a world-renowned Italian brand. Their outdoor sports equipment was well-known


    throughout the world.


    ''Is anyone else stranded here like me?''


    Ivy subconsciously raised her eyes to see the man. She couldn''t see his face because it wasUpstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    covered in markings, but his eyes twinkled brightly as he winked and smiled at her.


    She felt a strong sense of familiarity when their eyes met.


    "You''re a fake—"


    Before she could finish, someone rushed up to her and yanked her arm, dragging her towards the


    fire.


    Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine being roasted and devoured by a cannibal tribe!


    "No... No... Help!" As more and more people gathered around her, she screamed.


    She looked around and couldn''t tell which one was the phony native she''d seen earlier!


    The sky was dim, surrounded by thick jungle, and the distant sea breeze howled like a wild beast


    crouching in the dark, waiting for the opportunity to devour everything. The bonfire burned brightly


    as the indigenous people stared at her as if she were prey.


    Despite their varying heights, they were all mostly naked and filthy.


    Their faces were colored, and the lower half of their bodies were covered by a simple skirt made of


    branches and leaves. They appeared to be terrifying and fierce.


    They resembled indigenous people she had only seen on television.


    “Hello? Kamusta? Bon jour? Hallo? H….”


    Ivy attempted to say hello in sixteen differentnguages, but the people in front of her did not


    respond and babbled in anothernguage.


    Theirck of responsiveness was depressing!


    Where was that phony native who was wearing shoes earlier?


    Ivy wasn''t sure if she had misheard, but she heard a distinct snicker amid the gibberish.


    That gleefulugh could onlye from someone like her from the city. She jerked her head up and


    looked into her bright eyes.


    Before she could rejoice, several men lifted her and carried her to the bonfire.


    She was freezing. Her mind was upied by only one thought.


    ''Are they going to roast me alive?!''


    "Cannibalism is against thew!" Ivy screamed in horror as the men abruptly let go of her and threw


    her.


    She was unconcerned about her pain. Just as she was about to stand up, she noticed the men


    encircling her, holding fire-lit branches they had picked up from the bonfire.


    The circle was small at first, but it grewrger andrger as more people joined in. The indigenous


    people formed a circle around her, holding torches and singing and dancing.


    It was a bizarre sight.


    Ivy was bing increasingly concerned. The group waved their torches at her every time she


    tried to run out of the circle, forcing her back into it.


    They refused to let her out. The mes licked at her body as the temperature rose, and the smoke


    caused her to cough incessantly.


    Ivy was frantically running in circles. She was simply at a loss for what to do. ''Is there anyone out


    there who can help me?''


    Ivy coughed loudly, covering her nose and mouth.


    Simba, pretending to be dead, scratched at her pocket. "Mama, I looked through my database. It''s


    some kind of sacrificial ritual from the past."


    Ivy''s heart sank as she heard the words. ''Am I going to die?!''


    "Simba, you''re a tiger, aren''t you? Can you pounce on them and bite them?"


    Simba was deafeningly quiet for a few seconds before speaking cutely.


    "In her original design, Shane Hardly gave me aggressiveness, but after the Great God Ryan


    remodeled me, my aggressiveness became zero. Mama, you can pounce on them and bite them."


    Ivy was rendered speechless.


    ''I just got snubbed by a stupid tiger.''


    She was about to ask Simba where she could run when everyone around her stopped singing and


    dancing. Their expressions became solemn.


    Ivy quickly closed her mouth. She couldn''t bear the thought of them noticing Simba''s presence.


    She''d even lose the only thing she could talk to if she didn''t!


    Everyone abruptly stopped talking and tilted their heads back, strange expressions on their faces, to


    look at the sky.


    Only the crackling of the firewood could be heard in the silence. It sounded eerie, terrifying, and


    chilling.


    The group''s leader, wielding a wand, took a few steps back, leaving a gap in the circle.


    An older woman with a winged face entered with arge leaf in her hand.


    The woman looked at Ivy, held up the leaf, and said something Ivy didn''t understand.


    The woman then pointed to the items on the ground before returning to her mouth and making an


    eating gesture. She walked away after untying the thorny branches that bound Ivy''s wrists.


    The people in Ivy''s immediate vicinity reformed a circle around her. Everyone in the circle looked


    quietly at Ivy in the circle''s center. Countless eyes stared at her in the dark, like wild beasts.


    Ivy lowered her gaze. There was dried meat, dried fish, and two wild fruits on the leaf. Her stomach


    churned in an instant. She hadn''t eaten in a few days. She sucked her saliva.


    She threw caution to the wind, picked up the food, and shoved it into her mouth. There was no need


    to be concerned about whether or not it was poisoned.


    How can a hellhole like this have high-quality goods like poison?


    Ivy''s etiquette, education, and manners have all crumbled like ash! She had no idea what kind of


    meat it was, but it smelled good and was salty and vorful.


    It just needed a little seasoning, but it was the most delicious meal she''d ever had.


    The indigenous people looked delighted as they watched her devour everything on the leaf.


    She watched as they threw the torches in their hands on the ground before she could react. In an


    instant, the mes formed a circle around her and engulfed her.


    Ivy was taken aback. She shivered as a strange chill ran down her spine. The branches were


    dipped in fish oil when lit on fire and burned wildly.


    The mes, which were more than three feet high, gradually approached, shrinking the circle. She


    was coughing uncontrobly because the smoke was suffocating her.


    Thick smoke continued to enter her lungs. ''Was it really their intention to roast me to death?''


    Indeed.


    Ivy shuddered in horror and couldn''t hold back her rage when she realized the truth.


    Outside, a group of people sang and danced with glee, as if they were performing some kind of


    sacrificial ritual! Ivy had just eaten their offering, so she had epted her role as a sacrifice in their


    eyes.


    Ivy desired to flee. She couldn''t just sit around and die. Except for the smoke, nothing could be seen


    in the darkness.


    Their demonic chants and movements were all she could hear!


    Lightning struck the bleak and dreary sky just as the fire circle narrowed to about five feet away


    from her.


    Thunder rumbled as the ck clouds gathered.


    The indigenous people exchanged strange nces. Some of them looked ufortably at Ivy, who


    was standing in the center of the fire ring.


    Then, in the next split second, icy rain began to fall.


    Everyone ran away from the rain, looking for a ce to hide.


    No one was paying attention to Ivy any longer. The torrential rain put out torches about to kill her.


    While the smoke rose, Ivy was about to take advantage of the chaos to flee when a man grabbed


    her hand and yanked her away.


    Ivy''s struggle was futile against him, so she could only follow him in vain. She looked up


    subconsciously when they ran out of smoke.


    It was that fake native with the shoes!