Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Snake Den Jungle
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Sahā Realm Dungeon, Snake Den Jungle.
There, a Sword-Tooth Clan boy was charging forward.
The boy's name was Hanok Wilbria.
As he raced ahead, Hanok opened his mouth wide.
"―――!"
In that instant, a roar poured out from Hanok.
It was Primal Roar [B], the skill Hanok possessed.
Leyzon had learned that Hanok had an empty skill slot and bought it for him.
Primal Roar [B] captured the attention of enemies within a 300-meter radius.
For Phantasmal Beasts, it locked their gaze for three full minutes.
This was an essential skill for anyone choosing a tanker class.
'Hanok is a shield warrior in a damage-tanking position.'
A hybrid role handling both tanking and dealing damage.
It fell a bit short compared to a pure tanker,
but with the right gear, he could handle tanking duties with ease.
As proof, Hanok blocked all the attacks from the swarming snakes.
The timid, frightened look he'd had moments ago was completely gone.
Once in combat, Hanok's eyes were profoundly serious—even Leyzon was impressed.
Hanok deftly blocked the snakes' attacks with his shield.
Then, thrusting his spear through gaps in the shield, he struck the snakes.
Here, Hanok's innate skills truly shone.
Iron Skin [D] and Shield Resonance [C].
Iron Skin [D] boosted his physical defense.
It was weak to magic attacks, but against physical ones, it offered efficiency beyond its D-rank.
Shield Resonance [C] activated by striking the shield.
Its effect stunned nearby foes for a brief moment.
With these two skills, Hanok performed his tanker role even more reliably.
'Worth every investment.'
Leyzon judged that choosing Hanok had been the right call.
Whoosh!
Just then, Syria zipped past Hanok's side.
Syria had chosen Half Dark Elf Dagger Master.
Using shadows for swift movement, she relentlessly carved up the snakes.
'Told her to act like a proper 6th Ascension to avoid drawing eyes.'
Yet she soared freely anyway.
Impressive. Well done, Syria.
A single well-raised undead was worth ten party members.
In the meantime, Syria and Hanok finished off all the Dragon Palace Beasts.
"Leyzon, it's over!"
Syria called out to Leyzon.
Leyzon quickly approached her and Hanok.
For some reason, a swell of emotion welled up in him.
'Yes, this is how dungeon clears should be.'
It reminded him of that first day of possession and grueling hardship, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.
Leyzon wiped at the corners of his eyes.
In that time, Hanok expertly dismantled the Dragon Palace Beasts.
Do-long snakes, self-sufficient.
Dragon Palace Beasts that frequently appeared at the Sahā Realm entrance.
All they yielded were crude magic stones.
"Syria, can your shadow hold the magic stones?"
"Easy enough."
Syria swallowed all the magic stones Hanok had extracted into her shadow.
An excellent storage space.
He'd make good use of it going forward.
"Leyzon."
Meanwhile, Hanok approached Leyzon.
"Leyzon, is it okay if you don't fight?"
In Dungeon Replay, you had to contribute to Phantasmal Beast hunts to gain experience.
But this time, Leyzon hadn't intervened at all.
There was a reason for that.
"I'm fine. I got one."
Leyzon had snagged one do-long snake with Fierce Poison Spread.
In exchange, he'd let Hanok and Syria handle the rest.
'Dungeon Replay shares experience among party members, excluding the first hunt bonus.'
Even with zero contribution, you still got a sliver.
Leyzon was already prepping for 18th Ascension.
He'd snatch the massive first-hunt experience, of course.
From the second onward, he'd funnel it all to Hanok as much as possible.
'Hanok's growth is the party's strength.'
Sword-Tooth Clan damage-tanks were rare.
To take Hanok all the way, he needed to grow him fast.
Otherwise, he wouldn't keep up with Leyzon's ascension pace.
"Hanok, how much experience do you have left for your next ascension?"
"Hmm, not much."
Good—he seemed close.
Then, for some reason, Hanok started fidgeting.
"...Leyzon, I'm a slave, you know. Is this really okay?"
At 8th Ascension, Hanok could break free of his slave magic.
Leyzon was well aware.
But he smiled as if it didn't matter.
"Hanok, you said you wanted to grow strong as a Pioneer yourself."
Hanok nodded.
"Stick by my side, and you'll quickly see who you should stay with to grow the fastest."
Don't underestimate a 65th-round player.
Leyzon knew the dungeon layouts, Phantasmal Beasts, and skills inside out.
He'd even jotted down every growth route that came to mind each night.
Hanok's growth route was included.
Hanok grew fastest at Leyzon's side.
Leyzon planned to make that crystal clear to him.
"Huh, Leyzon, the more I see you, the weirder you seem."
Syria glared at him.
"D-don't treat Leyzon's good intentions like that from some weirdo!"
"Eek!"
Hanok let out a yelp.
Knock it off.
'You're scaring the kid.'
Leyzon placed his hand over Syria's eyes.
"Syria, pretty face."
He lowered his hand, and she beamed.
Yes, that smile made her all the more lovely to behold.
"That's my charm, right? I'll take it as a compliment."
"...That excessive positivity is impressive."
Hanok said as he checked his shield.
"Still, since I'm a slave, I'll trust what you say, Leyzon."
Slaves had no choice but to trust their master.
Leyzon chuckled briefly at Hanok's excuse.
"Let's keep moving."
Sahā Realm had plenty more to see.
As Leyzon pushed forward with the two, hunting steadily,
"Leyzon."
Syria suddenly called out to him.
Her long elf ears twitched as she turned to him.
"A White Jade Serpent seems to be getting hunted."
Leyzon's expression hardened.
Hanok, who was ahead, stopped and looked back.
He'd sensed the shift in Leyzon and Syria's mood.
"Syria, tell me more."
Syria had scattered shadow bats everywhere to gather intel.
One had just brought back news.
"It's a bit complicated.
A small party spotted the White Jade Serpent first and was hunting it when the large guild Steel Wolf intervened."
Leyzon stroked his chin.
After the Shadow Warlord incident,
Leyzon had studied the world’s power structures from 100 years ahead in detail.
Some forces remained unchanged after a century,
but there were plenty of new rising powers too.
Steel Wolf was a relatively new large guild among the big players.
'Steel Wolf ranks last among the ten major guilds.'
Aside from the guild master, its members weren't exceptional.
But the master's savvy had gathered the largest numbers, earning them large-guild status.
However, scraping together anyone willing could sometimes backfire.
Those drawn by the name often turned cutthroat in survival of the fittest,
resorting to vile acts under the guild's banner.
'And this is exactly that situation.'
Wielding their large-guild prestige to exploit a small party.
A textbook event.
"Syria, what's Steel Wolf's lineup like?"
"Nothing special. Minus one 9th Ascension Pioneer and one 6th, the rest are 5th or below."
"A 9th Ascension Pioneer, huh."
Seemed they'd slotted one elite and filled the rest with bodies.
Numbers were still nothing to ignore.
Dungeons held unknowns.
Fighting a large group was always best avoided.
'Dungeon looting happens more often than you'd think.'
Empire law didn't extend inside.
Kill and bury, and when the dungeon reset, so did the bodies.
No better spot for it.
"They're clashing over the White Jade Serpent right now."
A material worth challenging a large party for.
The small party would fight tooth and nail too.
"Oh, combat's started. One from the small party grabbed a Steel Wolf member's collar."
And greed could blind you.
"It's on."
The small party had handed them justification first.
Steel Wolf would use it to justify wiping them out.
Plenty of Pioneers entered dungeons.
The Pioneer registry would shrug off a party wipe.
"Syria, Hanok—we're heading there now."
So Leyzon grew urgent.
Before Steel Wolf annihilated the small party,
they had to arrive.
Because that White Jade Serpent?
It's mine, you bastards.
Crash!
"Jay!"
Small party, Ozul Party.
Ozul's leader, Oberizel, shouted.
Before him, party member Jay was rolling on the ground.
"Urgh..."
He'd just taken a mace to the head from a Steel Wolf Guild member.
His temper had flared resisting their aggression,
succumbing to provocation and grabbing the man's collar.
"Tch, told you. Should've read the room and backed off. Why get greedy."
The Steel Wolf member whose collar was grabbed straightened his clothes.
Beside him, the mace-wielder bared his fury.
"Attacking our guild mate? Unforgivable!"
Yet his lips curled upward.
Infuriating.
"L-Leader."
Mage Iwen called to leader Oberizel.
Trembling like a small animal, full of anxiety.
Jay's outburst had crossed the line, giving them cause.
All that remained was Steel Wolf's ruthless punishment.
"Alright, time to avenge our guild mate."
"Kuh!"
Oberizel bit his lip hard.
It was do or die.
No fighting, no living.
They wouldn't let them leave alive.
"Iwen, prep your magic!"
Oberizel yelled, drawing his sword.
Steel Wolf had numbers, but lacked skill.
Oberizel and Iwen were solid mid-tier 5th Ascension Pioneers.
They had a shot.
Splat!
If not for that one Steel Wolf member present.
"Uh, guh..."
Iwen staggered back two steps, a dagger buried in her throat.
Foam bubbled from her mouth as she dropped to her knees.
"Iwen!"
Oberizel's eyes bulged.
He hadn't even seen the dagger fly before her throat was pierced.
As shock hit Oberizel,
the Steel Wolf members burst into laughter.
Their cackles scrambled his thoughts.
"Hahaha! Brother Liren, can you believe this idiot?"
"Thought having a mage made them invincible?"
Liren.
Hearing that name, Oberizel's pupils dilated in horror.
Steel Wolf Guild Master Iron Wall Rafila's own brother.
The notorious wastrel, Liren.
This infamous figure had come along.
Oberizel stared at the center of their group in dismay.
There stood a man with arms crossed.
Blue hair matching the guild master's.
A scar under his eye.
Arrogant eyes looking down on Oberizel.
No doubt.
Iron Wall's brother, Liren.
Liren clicked his tongue at Oberizel.
"Would've been smart to back off when we said nice. Why cause this mess."
Oberizel swallowed hard.
But the real reason wasn't that.
A certain man who had appeared beside him unnoticed.
Gloomy demeanor.
Sunken cheeks.
In that man's hands dangled the White Jade Serpent.
A Sahā Realm Dungeon Rank-A Dragon Palace Beast.
Small body, lightning-fast movements.
Scales too tough for blades, magic immunity.
Venom dripping from fangs and body alike.
No easy catch.
Yet in the brief clash between Steel Wolf and Oberizel's party,
he'd slipped in, killed it, and returned.
Seeing him, Oberizel realized the gap between them.
A wall he could never climb.
Darkness clouded his vision.
"Guh, urk."
Iwen was already convulsing on the ground.
Her life was slipping away.
'Is this where I die?'
Oberizel felt the humid jungle air tightening around his throat.
Swallowing bloody tears inwardly, he raised his sword for a final stand.
Then Liren's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Everyone, back off."
Axe already in Liren's hand.
"I'll kill this one."
His nasty habit surfaced.
He enjoyed finishing off desperate foes.
Rafila had warned him it was dangerous countless times,
but it only worsened with time.
No intention of changing.
Of course.
No matter the peril,
his bodyguard, 9th Ascension Pioneer Pensaldor, would step in.
At that moment.
"Whoa, what's going on here."
A voice suddenly echoed.
Somehow, it felt incredibly contrived.