Lyerin stepped out of the shelter, breathing in the air that now felt a bit different after the surge of excitent from earlier.
However, sothing unexpected caught his attention.
As soon as he moved beyond the threshold of the shelter, he saw a towering stone statue in the distance—the one representing his Stonehooves tribe—begin to shift its gaze.
The stone eyes glowed ominously, locking onto him with an unsettling intensity.
A sudden Ding! echoed in his mind as the familiar system notification appeared before his eyes:
[ The host will lose all authority in the tribe if the host leaves the areas covered by the tribe's domain.
[ Please issue commands to your tribe mbers before attempting to depart. ]
Lyerin clicked his tongue in irritation.
The Borgias Family's panther mana that had temporarily bolstered him was all but drained now, leaving him as a Ninth Stage, Second Cycle Mana user in the unforgiving environnt of the ruined magical world.
His body felt significantly less powerful compared to when he had the panther mana coursing through him, but what annoyed him more was the audacity of the system still binding him under such restrictions.
Even after all of this, they still dare to treat like a re mortal? he thought, his eyes narrowing in frustration.
He crossed his arms and smirked, with his usual arrogance bubbling up.
"So, I can't leave without losing control of my tribe, huh?
"Not a problem.
"I had anticipated this very scenario already."
Lyerin knew that the system and the forces controlling this ruined world were never simple, and he had planned accordingly. His fingers found their way to his mouth, and he let out a piercing whistle.
Wehoweeeet!
The sound sliced through the air, reverberating across the landscape, and with it ca the unmistakable tremors from deep underground.
The earth beneath their feet began to shake violently, sending everyone into a fresh wave of panic.
The girls and the newly integrated mbers of his tribe clutched at each other, terror written across their faces as the ground seed to rumble with so hidden, monstrous force.
The crowd erupted into exaggerated, frantic screams.
"What's happening now?! Are we under attack again?!" Fiona shrieked, her eyes darting wildly around the clearing as if expecting a new enemy to materialize out of thin air.
"Another beast! What now? What are we going to do?"
always on m|vl|e|mp|y|r
Maria's voice was breathless with panic, her hands trembling as she backed away, only to bump into Lydia, who had already sunk to the ground, too overwheld to stand.
"Are we going to die? Are we going to die?!"
Emily was nearly in tears, clutching at the edge of her cloak as though it could sohow protect her from whatever monstrous threat was approaching.
"I knew it! I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!" one of the new tribe mbers yelled, pacing frantically. "We're all going to die here! First, that cursed ssage about fighting for Earth's survival, and now this! We're dood!"
"Enough!"
Lyerin's voice bood over the chaos, commanding imdiate silence. His presence alone was enough to halt their terrified ramblings, though their wide-eyed panic remained.
"Don't be so noisy," Lyerin scolded, his tone carrying a mixture of amusent and authority. "They're ours."
"O-Ours?" Corora stamred, her voice shaky but curious. She, too, had been caught off guard by the tremors. "What do you an, 'ours'?"
"The Mana beasts of our tribe," Lyerin explained coolly. "I just told them to fetch sothing."
The ground continued to tremble, but this ti the fear in the crowd shifted to confused awe.
Slowly, out of the shadows of the surrounding forest, the enormous figures of the tribe's Mana beasts erged.
Massive, muscular creatures with hooves—goats, ibex, sheep, and other hoofed beings, but all with an air of terrifying eldritch power.
Their horns glead like polished bone, and their eyes glowed with otherworldly light.
"They're… they're the sa ones, aren't they?" Sophia whispered, her eyes wide. "The sa ones that took us to the dungeons before?"
"But why do they look so different?" Lydia asked, her voice tinged with both fear and curiosity. "They're… they're stronger, more terrifying. I can feel it just by looking at them."
"They surpassed the threshold of the third cycle," Lyerin said simply, his eyes glinting with pride as he watched his beasts drag sothing behind them through the dirt. "That's why they look different now. Stronger. They've evolved."
The girls exchanged nervous glances.
The sheer power radiating from the beasts was undeniable, and though they were supposedly allies, the ferocity in their glowing eyes made it difficult to feel completely safe.
"They've… evolved?" Corora whispered, more to herself than anyone else.
The notion that these already fearso beasts had sohow beco even more dangerous was a hard pill to swallow.
Lyerin, however, was already focused on what the beasts were dragging.
He watched closely as they hauled enormous shapes through the dirt—hulking figures with gnarled, greenish skin and grotesque faces.
The creatures were half-unconscious, their massive bodies battered and bruised from the confrontation with the Mana beasts.
Lyerin's lips curled into a grin. "Finally," he said, his voice tinged with excitent. "So forest trolls I can beat up."
The crowd stood in stunned silence, staring at the captured trolls in disbelief.
The creatures were monstrous, standing twice the height of any man, their bulging muscles rippling beneath their rough skin.
Yet they had been dragged here like re animals, defeated and humiliated by the beasts Lyerin commanded.
Corora was the first to break the silence. "T-Trolls? You're going to fight those things?"
Lyerin glanced at her, amused by her disbelief. "Fight? No," he said, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward, flexing his biceps casually. "I'm going to break them."
The trolls, groaning in pain, struggled weakly against their bonds as Lyerin approached.
Despite their imnse size and strength, they were no match for the raw power of the Mana beasts who had captured them.
"But they're… they're huge! And dangerous!" one of the newcors blurted out, unable to comprehend how Lyerin could be so nonchalant about the situation. "You'll get yourself killed!"
Lyerin laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down the spines of those around him. "I've fought worse things than trolls," he said, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "Besides, they're already half-dead. Consider this a warm-up."
Without another word, Lyerin lunged forward, his speed and strength catching everyone by surprise.
He slamd his fist into the side of the nearest troll's face with such force that the ground beneath them shook.
The troll let out a pained roar, but Lyerin didn't stop.
He delivered blow after blow, his fists connecting with brutal precision, until the troll collapsed, unconscious and defeated.
The crowd watched in awe and horror as Lyerin made quick work of the trolls, his movents fluid and controlled, as if he were rely toying with them.
Despite their size and strength, the trolls were no match for him.
When the last troll lay motionless at his feet, Lyerin wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to face the crowd. His smile was wide, almost predatory.
"Now," he said, his voice filled with satisfaction, "let's get to work. We've got a war to win."
Reviews
All reviews (0)