I am a Primitive Man

Chapter 465: Meteorite Iron

When the people inside the cave quieted, a deathly silence fell over the surroundings.

The birds and small animals had fled in panic the night before, leaving this eerie place behind.

After a while of silence, the people in the cave grew bolder. This time, in addition to the leader, two others joined him in leaving the cave.

Under the watchful and tense eyes of those inside, they reached the spot where the stone had fallen and picked it up to hurl it again.

After throwing the stone, they ran back as before, but they didn't go straight into the cave this time. Instead, they stood a short distance away, nervously observing...

Through repeated cautious advancements, more people gradually emerged from the cave. Eventually, the entire tribe reached the edge of the ashes.

They approached with a mix of fear and anxiety.

This area, which had once been relatively flat, was now dotted with large and small pits.

The larger ones were deep enough to bury a person standing upright, while the smaller ones resembled the marks left by someone sitting on soft sand.

Black stones were visible in some pits, while others were buried deeper, having been driven directly into the ground.

After standing there for a while, the leader spoke up. After a brief hesitation, the people hurriedly retreated, keeping a safe distance.

Only the leader and a few others remained near the ashes.

Seeing that the others had backed off, the leader took a deep breath and issued a command.

Together, they hurled the stones they held into the pits and at the black stones within them.

Once the stones were thrown, they quickly turned and ran back.

After a tense and silent wait, they returned to the edge of the ashes.

The stones they had thrown lay quietly in the pits, with one even striking a black stone directly!

This result encouraged them even further.

After waiting a while, someone cautiously ventured into the ashes, while others stood guard with weapons, watching the person and their surroundings intently, fearful of any sudden danger.

The area remained deathly quiet. The person walked through the ashes and reached the nearest pit.

Inside was a black stone, not particularly large.

Standing at the edge, under everyone's tense gaze, the person carefully prodded the partially buried stone with a wooden spear.

The leader lifted a fist-sized black stone into the air, one he had just dug out of the ground. It was heavier than any stone he had ever seen.

He held it up and shouted triumphantly to those around him, showing off his strength.

The others cheered, for they wouldn't have to relocate; they could continue living on this familiar land.

The leader then carefully tossed the heavy black stone aside and led the group to hunt.

That black stone was useless to him because it was too heavy to be thrown effectively...

Life in the tribe gradually returned to normal, though they still harbored some fear of the ashes and the black stones that had come with the loud noises and fire.

As days passed, the strange phenomena in that area never reoccurred, and the tribe's people grew increasingly brave, venturing there more often.

One day, when most adults had left the cave to hunt, a mischievous young boy wandered away and found himself at the site.

He rummaged around and found a small black stone. Unlike the others, it had a sharp, angular edge, probably caused by colliding with other stones as it fell.

The boy ran his hand over the stone, pressing down too hard. The sharp edge cut his hand, causing him to drop the stone in fear and dash back to the cave. Once inside, he clutched his bleeding finger and stared fearfully back at the uneven ground where he had found the stone.

The small black stone, now discarded, lay silently on the ground, exposed to the elements just like the others...

Later, the hunting party returned to the cave. Although they hadn’t caught any live prey, they found a dead creature, unlike anything they had seen before. Nevertheless, they knew it was edible.

As soon as the creature was laid down, someone grabbed a stone knife to skin it. However, the creature's hide was exceptionally tough, and despite his efforts, the man couldn’t cut through it.

The leader, growing impatient with hunger, kicked the man aside and took the stone knife himself, but even he couldn’t make any progress.

Frustration spread through the group. They had food but couldn’t get to it, an irritating situation.

The leader gestured towards the fire and the creature, indicating they should roast it whole. Although this would waste some meat and take longer to cook, they could at least eat something, unlike their futile attempts.

The young boy with the injured hand, still eager to eat, recalled what had happened earlier in the day. He told the others about his discovery and showed them his wounded hand.

After a brief hesitation, some of them accompanied him back to the site to find the sharp stone.

After some searching, they found the small black stone lying quietly on the ground. They picked it up and brought it back to the cave.

The leader examined the black stone for a moment before gripping it firmly and slashing at the creature's tough hide.

To everyone’s amazement, the hide, which had resisted their efforts, was quickly cut open, revealing the meat inside...

As the scent of roasting meat filled the cave, everyone crowded around to get a closer look at the small, sharp black stone. They hadn’t expected this strange, heavy stone to be so incredibly sharp.

This unexpected discovery gradually opened a new door for them...