Chapter 17
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Plunder! That Dopamine-Bursting Pastime!
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The results of the training were astonishing.
No, miraculous.
"Shield Division! Hold the line!"
Urkan's booming command rang out, and fifty massive tower shields slammed into the ground in unison.
Thud—!
A dull roar shook the earth.
It was the moment the iron wall was complete.
Hundreds of desert ants, drawn by the scent of prey, charged in with ferocious momentum, but before that iron wall, they were nothing more than helpless waves.
Bang!
Crash!
The ants' sturdy jaws and forelegs bounced off the steel shields.
In the past, flesh would have been torn away amid screams of agony.
But the shield bearers didn't so much as flinch.
There was no longer blind fear in their eyes.
They had something to rely on now.
"Spear Division! Aim for the gaps! Thrust!!"
Delker's sharp order followed.
From the narrow slits between the shields, dozens of chilling spear tips shot out like snakes.
Pierce!
Thud!
Spurt!
No need for precision. Overwhelming strength pierced straight through the ants' bodies in a single blow.
Green bodily fluids sprayed up like fountains, but not a drop reached the warriors hiding behind the shields.
The ragtag mob that used to charge in yelling 'Waaah!' and brawl like dogs was gone.
In its place were nothing but finely meshed gears of slaughter, turning with mechanical precision.
Of course, this formation wasn't complete without them.
"Kahahaha! Sweep 'em all away!"
On the flank of the front-line ant swarm, Karack led the Assault Division, rampaging across the battlefield.
Riding massive camel-horses and charging freely through the fray, they were no different from the empire's elite cavalry.
Because they drew the ants' attention, the main unit could carry out even safer and more efficient massacres.
And Monta was...
"Omnomnom! Hehe, ants sting a bit but they're tasty!"
...stuffing his face with ants like crazy.
No matter how you looked at it, Monta was abnormal.
Despite his enormous bulk, he ate more than his body weight, and even poison-laced food never fazed him.
Aila had said he might be a descendant of the long-extinct 'Glutton Tribe' from ancient times.
They starved to death because there was nothing to eat, right?
'Getting stronger just from eating... Doesn't that make him the strongest in the world...?'
To be precise, it was more like he got tougher. His durability was now beyond even trolls.
Anyway,
This battle too ended with zero casualties.
Hunting speed was three times faster than before.
Overwhelming efficiency.
"Hm, now you're worth watching."
I nodded in satisfaction, arms crossed.
That night, we used the spoils to upgrade every tribe member's tattoos to level 2.
The Grom Kel tribe's average combat power leaped up a whole level in one go.
The oasis night deepened once more.
Rustle—
Aila wandered near the water, unable to sleep.
The tribe growing stronger was joyful, but a corner of her heart felt strangely restless.
To be exact, it was because of that 'foxy bitch' who joined a few days ago.
At that moment, giggles leaked from the Shaman Division's tent.
"Oh my, Division Leader. Did you see him today?"
"I did. Kel Bark took his shirt off for training... Haah... Those magnificent back muscles..."
It was Lunia's voice.
She continued in a sticky, ecstatic tone, as if savoring delicious food.
"Sweat droplets trickling down his spine... It was such a shame to see them hit the ground... He should have sprayed them on me..."
"Eek! Leader, you naughty thing! But I locked eyes with him today too, and that beastly gaze made me think I was getting pregnant right there! That would be a dream come true!"
"How can he be so feral... I wonder how wild he'd be in bed... I'd die happy if he crushed my bones in his arms."
"Hehe... With Kel Bark, he could handle all three of us in one night, easy."
"Kyaaah!! I just pictured it!"
Aila's face, listening behind the tent, turned red as a ripe tomato.
'Those horny bitches...!'
Daring to spout such vulgar, lewd nonsense while the sacred tribe chief was around!
She wanted to burst in and sew those seductive mouths shut.
But crude talk among the women was their one source of entertainment in the south.
Receiving strong warriors' seed was their honor and survival instinct, after all.
Aila hated that.
Why did women have to entrust their entire lives to men?
It was the savage yoke even a shaman struggled to break.
But as her anger flared, a pang throbbed in her chest.
Because the image of Edel they described vivid in her mind made her heart race on its own.
Aunt Magra's words echoed in her ears.
'He is destined to be a true king. You must become his mate! You have a duty to bear Kel Bark's seed and continue that noble bloodline!'
Aila covered her face in embarrassment and muttered to herself.
"B-bear his what! Seriously! They're all crazy!"
At first, she thought it was absurd.
But everything changed after Edel arrived.
The tribe grew stronger, more prosperous, and above all... they had hope.
And she could no longer deny that her heart was already leaning toward the man who trusted her and said, 'I need you.'
'...Annoying.'
Aila bit her lip and glared at Lunia's tent.
The subtle sense of crisis from her arrival was shaking the cool rationality in Aila's heart.
The next morning.
I gathered only the five captain-level warriors.
Karack, Batu, Urkan, Delker, and Monta.
My core talents.
As the elite assembled, their sheer presence weighed down the air.
"Today, we're loosening up just among ourselves."
"Hunting?"
"Yeah. Time for us to hit level 3."
I rolled my shoulders as I spoke.
"I've gotten all the subordinates to level 2, but if the captains lag behind, it looks bad. Followers chase a strong leader."
Our target: the 'Desert Orc Scouts' patrolling the outer Red Canyon.
We planned to snag some separated patrols and secure 'Orc Molars,' the material for level 3 imprints.
"Let's move!"
A moment later.
We encountered five orcs in the wasteland a bit away from the canyon.
"Chwiik! Humans! I smell 'em!"
The orcs bared their yellow fangs, grabbing clubs and charging.
As the hulking orcs kicked off the ground, the earth trembled like an earthquake.
A normal warrior would have recoiled from the momentum, but they'd picked the wrong opponents.
"Hmph!!"
Urkan indifferently thrust out his tower shield.
Bam—!
The orc's full-swing club smashed dead-center into the shield.
Force enough to shatter rock.
But Urkan didn't budge an inch.
The club bounced back instead.
"...Weak."
Whoosh—
Delker's spear shot out without missing a beat.
Stab—!
The tip pierced the orc's throat and burst out the back.
"Next."
Delker yanked the spear free like skewering meat, his voice ice-cold.
Flawless, efficient murder.
Meanwhile, Monta was wrestling an orc.
"Hehe, you're light!!"
"Chwiik?! Let go, you pig!"
Monta bounced the orc's charge with his massive gut, then grabbed its waist and hoisted it up effortlessly.
The orc flailed, but against that bear-like grip, it was like a child.
"Fly far, far away!!"
Whoosh—!
Monta hurled it skyward.
'How far is that thing gonna go...?'
If it were sand, it might've survived, but this rocky ground near the canyon was hard stone.
Boom—!
Crunch!!
A gruesome snap echoed as the falling orc's neck vertebrae crumpled.
...Gotta treat Monta right...
Karack and Batu needed no explanation.
Karack had already bisected one orc, and Batu's arrow was lodged in a fleeing one's skull.
"Good. Nice and clean."
I pulled the orc molars from the ground and collected them.
Ugh... seriously, why the hell are these tattoo materials...
This secured level 3 materials for all the captains.
"Head back. Let's wrap here before more orcs swarm."
As I turned to go,
"...Kel Bark. Over there."
Batu pointed sharply at the horizon.
A hazy dust storm was rising like a tempest.
Looking closer, a luxurious carriage was racing wildly, wheels nearly shattering, pursued by twenty armed cavalry.
"What the hell?"
I narrowed my eyes.
It wasn't a common merchant wagon.
This was a noble's ornate carriage!
And the pursuers weren't barbarians either.
Shiny steel plate armor, standardized longswords and crossbows.
Delker gripped his spear tighter.
"Central Continent types."
"Mercenaries? Or regulars?"
"Movements are too sloppy for regulars. Private mercenary band. They reek of blood—pretty skilled ones."
Daring to stir up trouble in my territory.
Border law violation.
Gottta pay taxes to hunt in someone else's turf.
Plus, that carriage? Stinks of money.
I grinned, drawing Kel Kar from my shoulder.
"Central Continent folk. Been a while since we had visitors."
Karack licked his lips.
"We taking 'em?"
I smiled back.
"Obviously. This is our land. Who lets invaders walk free?"
"Ooooh!!"
My heart pounded with my men's cheers.
This was the thrill right before fun began!
Barbarians plunder!
Couldn't be a barbarian chief without trying a raid.
Now fully barbarian to the bone, I nearly drooled at the word 'plunder.'
Yes, for barbarians, plundering was survival—and a dopamine-bursting pastime!
The captains cheered too.
They'd been itching for action.
"Monta, you guard the molars here. Lose 'em, no dinner."
"Yes! Monta will protect 'em! I'll sit on 'em so no one takes 'em!"
"Rest of you, follow me! Let's go!!"
Leap—!
Me and the four captains launched off the dune.
Plunder!
This is freaking awesome!
Thud thud thud—
Dromas kicked up dust as they charged.
The carriage drew nearer.
I spotted a mercenary at the pursuit's front aiming his crossbow at it.
"Stop there! Hit the wheel! We need her alive for the bounty!"
Twang—!
The bolt grazed the wheel.
The driver screamed, yanking the reins. The carriage wobbled, on the verge of flipping.
A do-or-die moment.
Boom—!!
A massive shadow plummeted from the sky like a meteor into the pursuers' midst.
Whoosh—
A sandstorm blinded the mercenaries.
"Hiiing?!"
Horses reared in panic.
The sudden intrusion threw the mercs into chaos as they pulled their reins.
"W-what?! Monster?!"
As the sand cleared.
I rose slowly in Sandport-sourced sleek leather armor, greatsword slung over my shoulder.
And at my sides.
Urkan with his massive shield, Delker aiming his spear, Karack with twin axes, Batu drawing his bow—they landed, radiating suffocating killing intent.
A squad of well-equipped giants.
An alien, terrifying sight, like a mercenary legion dropped in the desert heart.
"W-who are you!!"
The mercenary captain yelled in panic.
Too well-armed for barbarians, too huge and savage for continentals.
I brushed off the dust, lit a cigarette, and looked up at him.
Flick—
"Who?"
I leveled Kel Kar's tip at his throat and declared.
"The zone manager, assholes. You pay tolls on my turf."
Edel Kel Bark, newbie barbarian chief.
The moment of my heart-pounding first plunder.