Dwarf Tribe (3)

Sayo Princess's presence was ferocious. Her aura seemed to surpass even S-rank.

Kim Jehyun immediately activated Dragon Eye to check her information.

'S+ grade.'

Confirming Sayo Princess's grade, Jehyun's eyes turned serious. She was no pushover. If he got careless, he might even end up on the losing side.

"You're that bastard who ran away back then."

Sayo Princess, radiating chilling killing intent, spotted Alvis and her eyes gleamed.

"If you'd run, you should've kept running... Did you crawl back thinking you could rely on that human beside you?"

"Kuh, where are the tribe members?!"

Alvis ground his teeth at Sayo Princess's words and shouted.

"They're working for me. Since you've walked back in on your own two feet, you'll labor for me for the rest of your life."

Sayo Princess's response was ice-cold. At her treating him like a slave, Alvis's eyes rolled back in fury. Suppressing his explosive rage, he whispered low to Jehyun.

"Human. Just like we talked about—I'm counting on you."

Jehyun nodded at Alvis's words. As discussed earlier, he'd handle the Sayo soldiers Sayo Princess had brought. Right on cue, the Sayo soldiers encircled and approached Jehyun and Alvis.

"Don't worry about this side."

With those words, Jehyun unleashed magic on the Sayo soldiers. That was the signal.

Alvis charged straight at Sayo Princess.

"Uwaaaah!"

With a roar like a monster's scream, he hurled himself at her.

'If I can just embed Thunder Dragon's Fang in her body...'

With that thought, one hand went to the Thunder Dragon's Fang at his waist, while the other pulled a palm-sized orb from his bosom and flung it at Sayo Princess.

Flash!

A blinding flash bomb engulfed the battlefield.

Alvis's plan was to toss the flash orb while she was off-guard, steal her vision, and stab Thunder God's Fang into her during the opening. 'Just once—that's all it takes.'

If he embedded it, the special option of Thunder God's Fang would activate, shredding her from the inside. No matter that she'd built a second tower, this would crumble it.

'Got her!'

With Sayo Princess momentarily blinded and frozen, Alvis reached right in front of her. Her bare waist was exposed before his eyes.

'...!'

Alvis drew ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Thunder Dragon's Fang and thrust it at her abdomen.

Clang!

'Huh...?'

Alvis's face twisted in shock at the rebound from his hand. Sayo Princess's bare upper body was now covered in tough scales.

"You filthy worm..."

Furious at showing an opening to Alvis, Sayo Princess whipped her tail and smashed him away.

Thud.

"Guhk."

Alvis took the tail strike, let out a weird yelp, and crashed into a nearby massive boulder. His body slumped against it. His chest rose and fell faintly—he'd just passed out, not dead.

'Damn...'

Jehyun, who'd watched it all, clicked his tongue inwardly. Good plan, wrong opponent.

—Still, impressive for a young dwarf. Alkasha rated Alvis's courage highly. A B-rank charging an S+ wasn't for just anyone.

Jehyun could shrug off her killing intent easily, but for a mere B-rank like Alvis, her gaze must have felt like a frog before a snake.

"You'll not die easy after harming my children again."

Sayo Princess ground her teeth, glaring at each of them, and sentenced Jehyun.

In the brief moment Alvis attacked, Jehyun had wiped out all her Sayo soldiers. Sayo Princess panicked at first—unaware he'd be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this strong—then rage followed.

'His power feels barely A-rank.'

She eyed Jehyun, muttering inwardly. A-rank power, yet this combat prowess? A fleeting doubt crossed her mind, but she shelved it and glared at him.

Enchantment.

One of her strongest abilities. A pentagram magic circle formed in her pupils, dragging the target into hallucination.

'Your blood will be mine especially... Huh?'

Thinking Jehyun hallucinating, she approached—then her eyes shook like an earthquake. He looked far too calm.

The messages floating before Jehyun's eyes.

Sayo Princess's abilities were mostly status ailments. But Jehyun's resistance was sky-high. To afflict someone based on dragon dignity with S+ power was laughably insufficient. He was her perfect counter.

"Y-You... How?!"

Her face trembling, Sayo Princess triggered Petrification next. But it failed too.

Seeing the message, Jehyun's lips curled up. Most of her abilities wouldn't work on him. Victory was decided.

Rooooar.

Jehyun unleashed his dragon aura at full power. A massive wave spread, dragon power descending on the surroundings.

"Th-This aura..."

Shiver.

Sayo Princess recognized it, her pupils quaking violently.

"A g-great one, how... Guh, kuhk."

She couldn't finish. Jehyun's Dragon Fear crushed her mind.

"Kiyaaaaak!"

Clutching her head, Sayo Princess screamed. Jehyun looked puzzled watching her.

'It works this well on an S+?'

He'd just used it to debuff her stats initially. The reaction exceeded expectations.

—Primarily because she's a 'Sayo Tribe' member.

Sayo Tribe. Tracing their origins, they stemmed from snakes. Snakes fell under reptiles. At the pinnacle of reptiles: dragons.

—Dragons hold overwhelming dominance over same-lineage kin. That's why your dragon power hit her extra hard.

'Ah, no wonder the Sayo soldiers were so easy.'

Jehyun got it instantly.

—And second, inheriting up to the sixth legacy elevated your dragon dignity further. From the start, her odds against you were near zero.

Even with the second-wall gap between them, this disparity arose. Jehyun rediscovered how mighty dragon power, rooted in species superiority, truly was.

"I'll send you off painlessly."

Jehyun formed a lightning spear in his hand and hurled it at her heart.

Kaboom!

With thunder's roar,

The quest completion message appeared. Smiling at the success, Jehyun approached Sayo Princess's corpse.

—You're not thinking of collecting her soul, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠are you?

'Yeah.'

Sayo Princess neared SS-grade. She crumbled pathetically before Jehyun's cheat-like power, but in a major city, she'd be an instant disaster. Especially terrifying for those below her tier.

'Hope Soul Collect works...'

As an S+, success odds seemed under 50%. He activated it anyway—win some, lose some.

Whoosh.

Sayo Princess's life flashed before Jehyun's eyes. Fifth child of the Sayo Queen. Pushed out in sibling turf wars, she gathered followers here to build strength. Then she discovered something amazing.

'What? There's a poison vein here?'

A massive poison vein ran through. She'd opened its entrance, condensing poison energy within. A bit more, and she'd complete her poison core, transcending to SS-grade.

'Good thing I wasn't late.'

SS vs. S+ was worlds apart. Ten S+ couldn't touch one SS. If she'd hit SS, even Jehyun with dragon power couldn't guarantee victory.

'That's why no poison energy.'

Explained skipping Intangible Poison—poison core completion was imminent. She'd come to eliminate them early to avoid interference.

'Alright, Princess Sayo. Follow me.'

Jehyun commanded her soul. As a sub-species to dragons, she'd obey.

'I... obey.'

Sayo Princess prostrated fully. Spot on. Radiant light burst from her, white thread linking to Jehyun.

With the system alert, Jehyun opened his eyes. Alkasha, waiting beside, asked immediately.

—How'd it go?

"What do you think?"

—...That reaction means success. As a Sayo child soul, figured it'd work first try.

Jehyun chuckled at Alkasha's feigned nonchalance. Her cover trembled faintly.

'Cute.'

As Jehyun smirked at Alkasha, a system message appeared.

'What?'

Jehyun startled at the sudden quest. Poison energy rampage out of nowhere.

'The spot where Sayo Princess absorbed it—now it's bursting since she's gone.'

Her absence let the vein's energy go wild. Jehyun stored her corpse in inventory, levitated unconscious Alvis with mana, and dashed deeper into the canyon.

Not far, poison energy erupted.

'Where are the dwarves?'

Jehyun expanded his senses max. His aura blanketed everything. First time at full spread—massive info flooded in, head pounding like splitting.

'Kuh, where... Found 'em!'

Clutching his dizzy head, he bolted east.

Amid it, unupgradable Mental Power rose by one via stat points. Eyes sparkling at the method, he shelved it—rushed toward the dwarves' senses.

En route, he lightly dispatched confused Sayo soldiers mourning their princess, reaching the target: a schoolyard-sized space with lined temporary forges. Stronger Sayo soldiers than before guarded the entrance.

"Shaaa!"

Spotting him, they flicked tongues and approached—but...

'Thunder Bird.'

Jehyun tasked Thunder Bird with them and headed inside.

Kyaaak.

Ignoring their screams, he bellowed at the forges' center.

"Dwarves! Gather here now!"

His shout, laced with dragon aura, echoed. Forge doors flew open, dwarves pouring out. Recognizing him, they gaped in awe.

"A g-great one..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Beards quivering, they prostrated—but Jehyun stopped them, ordering evacuation. No time for formalities.

"Follow me out now."

Dwarves swarmed behind him via the quickest path out.

Fwoooosh!

As the last exited, a massive poison surge shot skyward from the canyon center—visible to the eye.

"Hah, huff."

Even from afar, the chill poison aura was immense.

"Th-Thank you, great one."

Realizing he'd saved them, they knelt sincerely, bowing deeply.

"Enough. Who's the chief here?"

Satisfied at the quest reward popup, Jehyun sought the tribe chief.

"M-Me."

The burliest dwarf stepped forward, face strikingly like Alvis's. Obviously father and son.

Then, Alvis on the ground groaned awake.

"Ugh, uuum."

Alvis, coming to, saw tribesfolk faces above. Dreamlike daze as he rose and ran to his father, Albad.

"F-Father!"

Hugging him, Alvis choked out sobs.

"I-I thought I'd never see you again..."

Looking up at Albad, he murmured. But Albad looked awkward—like a puppy needing to poop from childhood memories.

"Father, why..."

As Alvis puzzled aloud, Jehyun's voice whispered in his ear.

"So you're the chief's son."

"Human!"

Alvis jolted—unaware the unnamed human was there. Freshly awake, he hadn't scanned around.

'Come to think, what about Sayo Princess?'

Last memory: his Thunder Dragon's Fang swing. Assuming mutual destruction, he figured Jehyun finished her and saved the tribe.

"You did great, human! Huge help."

Alvis beamed proudly at Jehyun. Watching, his father and other dwarves paled.

"Y-You mad bastard!"

Albad cursed unwittingly, smacking Alvis's head—then prostrated flat before Jehyun.

"G-Great one! My failure in raising him. Spare him and punish only me..."

Not just Albad—all dwarves prostrated. Alvis finally sensed something off.

'Gr-Great... one? N-No way...'

Realization dawned. The human smirking mischievously before him—his true identity.

Alvis's pupils quaked like an earthquake, a perfect expression of his shock spilling from his lips.

"Ch-Chief's... daughter?!"