The Lizardman Triplets and the Hunter Horde
One of the four lizardmen who had survived from the past had evolved into a C-rank Lizardman Shaman, inheriting the name of Wise Scale.
The other three had grown into Lizardman Great Warriors, reaching D-rank.
Unlike the one who took Wise Scale's name, these three had no names of their own, so I ended up giving them some.
After much deliberation, I made my decision.
The smallest one would be 'First'. The medium-sized one 'Second'. The biggest 'Third'.
Together, the Lizardman Triplets.
I know.
It sounds way too half-assed...
I'm well aware, so quit snickering, Left.
If you're gonna laugh that hard, why don't you try coming up with some!
Left clamped his mouth shut, as expected.
He couldn't do it anyway...
We're all one body, so our naming sense is bound to be similar.
In any case, the Lizardman Triplets—now dubbed First, Second, and Third—seemed thrilled with their new names.
They were hopping around in a clumsy dance of joy, which filled me with a swell of pride as their namer.
But why were the other lizardmen starting to slink toward me?
Do you guys want names too?
Thirty of you?
Impossible.
Don't you Surprise Birds look all droopy and disappointed like that.
Weren't you moping about being dragged here against your will just a bit ago?
Talk about a quick turnaround.
That night, the Lizardman Triplets evolved.
They were still Great Warriors, but I could definitely feel the growth.
To me, it was like their tails had gotten just a tail's length longer.
Anyway, congrats.
So stop crowding in, all of you.
I told you, thirty names is too much.
And Wise Scale, sneaking in there—you already have a fine name, don't you?
The previous Wise Scale would weep.
No, even with that sad face...
I steeled my nearly swayed heart.
No matter what, naming over thirty was out of the question.
Unless they were fine with something like No. 1, No. 2, No. 3.
Wise Scale and the lizardmen all tsked in unison.
What the hell are these guys...?
We pushed leisurely through the Desert Zone like this.
By now, more than half the lizardmen had picked up the heat resistance skill.
The rest were getting there too—no more need for fire or ice to keep them going.
Surprisingly, the Surprise Birds adapted the fastest.
All four had the skill now and were living comfortably.
Right seemed a little bummed.
He'd been eyeing chances to roast and snack on them on the sly.
Were they quick learners thanks to survival instincts?
A solid theory.
Deep into the night, we ran into a massive horde of undead.
We'd bumped into them now and then since entering the Desert Zone, but never in such numbers.
Roughly a hundred strong.
Leading the pack was an A-rank monster, a Skeleton Caster—the kind that evolves into the infamous Lich.
Mixed in among them were occasional Ghouls and Wraiths. Not quite Lich-level, but they'd be a real headache for hunters.
Perfect sparring partners for the lizardmen.
Wise Scale and the Triplets freaked out, but I brushed it off coolly.
They had to handle that much to call themselves proper monsters.
Now go fight.
"Don't talk nonsense," Left snarled, lunging dramatically for my throat.
No choice—I handled it myself.
Undead meat tasted like crap, so I left it all behind.
But when my energy started running low later, I had no option but to chow down.
The sour, fermented kimchi tang hit me hard, nausea surging up.
Still, I forced it down.
After that, the lizardmen kept their distance from me for a while.
Guess I reeked.
Unlike the Forest Zone's bounty, the Desert Zone had jack for decent food.
Undead everywhere, and amorphous types like Sandmen were basically sand lumps.
Scorpions were all shell, barely any meat.
Sand Worms were edible at least, but for some reason, they were scarce.
There'd been tons when we passed through before...
Have to fall back on orc meat from the Plains Zone?
As I mulled that over, a predation opportunity arrived sooner than expected.
Floor 41.
The Desert Zone's final floor. Most lizardmen had heat resistance down pat, and we were just about to exit.
We'd barely reached the gate to Floor 42 when a group of hunters emerged.
About sixty or seventy, back from an expedition—lightly geared for quick travel.
Perfect chance.
"Mo-monster?!"
"...Lizardmen? How'd forest-dwellers get all the way here...?"
"Weird, yeah, but no big deal. Ranks top out at E, maybe C for the stronger ones. Let's wipe 'em quick and head up. We'll report it to the Association."
"...Hold on, something's off...! Dodge—!!!"
"Wha-what...? What the hell is that monster?!"
Shaa───!!!
Eight A-rank hunters.
Half the raid was C-rank, but they were no match for me, obviously.
I took the higher ranks; the rest went to the lizardmen.
The lizardmen held their own impressively against hunters of similar rank.
Even though I'd handled the leaders and the majority.
They put on a fight worthy of my satisfaction.
All that training had paid off.
Wise Scale and the Triplets shone brightest.
The four formed a tight formation, fighting like pros, and crushed eight hunters of equal rank in a decisive victory.
And surprisingly, the Surprise Birds punched way above their weight.
These guys... I'd sensed it before, but they're sharp.
They knew exactly who to prioritize.
With the hunters down, we feasted like kings for the first time in ages.
I collected all their orphaned gear too.
No idea when I'd surface again, but it'd fetch a good price at the Black Market later.
A few pieces went to the lizardmen for use.
As humanoids, they handled weapons competently enough.
They could have them.
Item bags from the hunters made transport a breeze.
A few lizardmen evolved after the fight.
Wise Scale advanced to a B-rank Dragnuyt.
Worth celebrating.
We partied hard for the evolved ones—Wise Scale included—and arrived at Floor 42, the Plains Zone, amid the revelry.
We were greeted immediately by the zone's signature brutal weather.
Yeah, better bail from here fast.
The lizardmen, experiencing the Plains Zone's wrath for the first time, were utterly dumbfounded.
Gale-force winds like constant storms, plus thunder and lightning—it was enough to rattle anyone.
Exactly like my own reaction on first entry. Kinda amusing.
For their sake, we'd push to escape quick.
Not that the Lava Zone was a picnic.
We wanted out fast, but it wasn't easy.
Alone, I could've slinked through with Stealth, but with this many, quiet travel was a pipe dream.
The lizardmen's overall low ranks drew monsters from everywhere, but they took one look at me in the group and turned tail.
Naturally, I hunted them down and devoured every last one.
Orc meat's pretty tasty.
With it happening nonstop, we ended up traveling with our power on full display.
Strutting openly scared off the small fry.
Problem was, it started drawing real heavy hitters instead.
Hunters caught wind of my unrestrained aura and swarmed.
That's why I'd kept it muted till now...
No helping it—more hunter blood on my coils.
Plains Zone raids were group-heavy, so parties numbered fifty-plus easy.
My aura pulled multiple united raids, totaling a whopping three hundred.
Seeing the teeming mass felt like being a high-rank boss from some video feed.
Not a feeling—I was a high-rank monster.
Lots of A- and B-ranks among them, and even one S-rank.
We were properly cornered.
Like with Charlotte, time for a real scrap.
First, lizardmen to safety.
Surprise Birds, you can fly—handle yourselves.
With the lizardmen secured, the hunter battle kicked off.
My first true mass brawl since turning monster.
One against three hundred.
They really pushed me.
Even if their ranks were below mine, sheer numbers made it grueling.
Really drove home the hunter-monster matchup dynamic.
Hunters were monster-slaying specialists, no doubt.
Under the S-rank's command, their movements were insanely coordinated.
Like a single organism, flowing seamlessly.
One side dodged my strikes while another counterattacked—endless hit-and-run hell.
Whenever I geared up for a sweep, that front-line S-rank was right there checking me.
This hunter was no slouch.
Never committing to a head-on thanks to rank gap, always with backup.
Ignore him, and he'd buzz like a persistent fly.
Infuriating.
I'd wanted to conserve energy, but no dice.
All that hoarded power, about to burn through it here.
Unfair.
"Guh... kuhuk...!"
The S-rank, run through by Left, spewed blood.
Even after his comrades fell, he'd fought solo to the bitter end before collapsing.
Crunch—gulp.
Left swallowed him whole.
With that, the long battle wrapped.
And my energy reserves? Drained dry.
Still unfair.
But the sheer volume filled us up fine.
Normally just Right would've gorged, but too many—so Left and I dug in hard too.
Honestly tougher than Charlotte.
Bone-deep lesson in how terrifying a coordinated mega-raid could be.
Charlotte was one-on-one focus; here, threats everywhere.
Without my trusty duo, I'd have faltered bad.
No Weakling Extermination or Magic Eye for weaker crowds? Might've been my loss.
Massive feast.
Recouped about three-fifths of what I'd burned.
Stats ticked up a hair—not a bad haul.
Reunited with the lizardmen, we headed downward again.
After mulching that horde, flaunting aura drew no more challengers.
Other monsters had no reason to tangle with someone stronger.
Smooth sailing from there—we finally hit the Lava Zone.