Lizardmen Migration
My body's recovery was just about complete.
By channeling all my mana into regeneration, at least the external wounds had healed cleanly.
But there was one small problem…
All the energy I'd stored up in Gluttony up until now had been completely depleted.
I hadn't exactly been hoarding energy by devouring everything in sight, but even so, I'd accumulated nearly a year's worth over time—and using it all in one go made me realize once again just how formidable Charlotte had been.
And yet, I beat an opponent that strong.
A swell of pride rose unbidden within me.
Just as Charlotte had said, maybe it was time to live with that pride from here on out.
Which brings us to the problem at hand: my energy shortage…
I hadn't really noticed it before, but now that my reserves were bone-dry, maintaining this body took an absurd amount of caloric energy.
Now I get why Righty was always whining about being hungry.
With a body this massive, it was inevitable.
In that sense, I threw myself into hunting for a while.
Shuttling between the Desert Zone and Forest Zone, I hunted down every monster and hunter in sight—anything whose presence I detected.
In a single day, the number I'd taken down easily surpassed a hundred, to the point where no other lifeforms could be sensed in the labyrinth for a good stretch.
And even after devouring that many, I was still hungry.
Is this it…?
I sensed it abruptly, right after finishing off a group of hunters.
Hunting any more than this is going to cause problems.
Even if I'd focused mostly on monsters over hunters, wiping out so many in such a short time would only draw unwanted attention.
Things were already precarious as it was; if I kept targeting hunters, the Association would surely catch on to something.
And it's already chaotic enough out there.
Thanks to Charlotte's dying words, Amy and the other Lavie en Rose guild members might keep quiet about the incident for now, but those in the know would already be aware of her death.
That meant the Association and government would be in an uproar, and if word of me reached them amid all that?
…They'd send a massive subjugation force, nine times out of ten.
The bigger the commotion, the less likely they'd let something like this slide.
They might even connect the dots to Charlotte's death and me.
Considering that, indiscriminately hunting hunters despite my hunger had been a bad move.
So I needed to exercise some restraint…
[Hun─gry……]
…Yeah. Like we could hold back.
Still, from now on, I had to stop killing hunters outright.
“Kyaaak—!!”
“W-what is that monster?! A variant?! At least A-rank…!”
“R-run—!!!”
“Report to the Association! It's a variant…!”
I forgot I was supposed to stay hidden.
Oh well.
This would be the absolute last time.
Whether I won or lost against Charlotte, Lisa had told me to come straight to her once the fight was over—but I had no intention of indulging her.
The outside world was in turmoil, so she'd be busy too, but that wasn't my problem.
Besides, with energy so precious right now, I saw no reason to waste it on Inhwa's Art just to meet her.
It felt liberating to move in my true form after so long, anyway.
In that sense, it was about time to head back.
To Suli and Snow.
To the "home" where my family awaited.
Of course, before going home, there was one quick stop.
The 18th floor. I visited the Lizardmen village.
Having released my aura well in advance and approached leisurely, Wise Scale was already there to greet me.
[Decide on that thing I hinted at last time?]
[We decided. We follow Nix.]
Wise Scale declared it boldly, his resolve firm. I quietly scanned the other Lizardmen behind him.
Led by the three Lizardman Triplets, every Lizardman who'd come out to greet us nodded firmly.
It seemed solid.
The plan's origins traced back to when I'd tried to rescue Suli's friend.
Suli had gotten a great playmate in To Soon-i now, but before that, the Lizardmen had been the top candidates for her subordinate.
Distance and other issues had made it impossible back then, but circumstances had changed.
Still, I had no intention of dragging them along without their consent, so on my last visit, I'd casually suggested they think it over—and thankfully, they'd all agreed.
[I see. Who's leaving? Is this everyone?]
[Whole village moves together. Rest packing.]
[…Fast.]
I nodded once, impressed by their swift action, and glanced at their numbers.
[…A little over 30? Definitely fewer than before.]
Two years ago when they'd set out, there had been 70 or 80—more than halved now.
It hit me just how many hardships the Lizardmen had endured in that time.
After they'd finished packing, we left the village.
With numbers like these, we were bound to attract attention, but I didn't care.
I had no plans to exit the labyrinth anytime soon, and once we left the upper floors, who knew when we'd return.
Even if a fuss kicked up, it should all blow over by the time I came back.
With that in mind, there was no reason not to hunt hunters along the way.
Righty was thrilled.
The original plan was to leave the 18th floor quickly and exit the Forest Zone fast, but things changed a bit.
Right after departing the village, the Lizardmen pleaded earnestly.
They wanted to give the wolves a thrashing.
They'd apparently suffered a lot.
I understood completely, so I gave the okay.
And since it might be tough for the Lizardmen alone, I lent a hand.
I didn't have hands in my true form, of course.
Lefty gleefully went on a rampage.
By the end of it, the 18th floor wolves were wiped out.
Should've done better when it mattered.
This was all on them.
On the way out, I didn't forget to grab Surprise Bird eggs.
Despite eating plenty over time, nothing beat these delicacies.
I had to bring some for Suli and Snow.
I asked the Lizardmen to collect as many as possible.
The Surprise Birds went berserk, of course—but after seeing what happened to the wolves, they quieted down.
Some even offered their eggs voluntarily.
No, you don't have to…
You're being so polite it makes me feel bad.
Didn't you treasure your eggs like your lives…?
You can just lay more?
Well, that's true, but…
It felt a bit off all around, but I took what was offered.
It was too much to carry without the Lizardmen.
[But Nix.]
[What is it, Wise Scale?]
[What if eggs rot on way?]
[…….]
I hurriedly doubled back and grabbed two pairs of Surprise Bird couples.
The ones who'd volunteered their eggs earlier.
No, I'm not eating you now that I've changed my mind…
I just need an infinite refill station.
Don't cry.
Lay eggs well, and I'll guarantee a comfy life.
And so, exactly 34 Lizardmen and two pairs of Surprise Bird couples left the 18th floor with me.
Several hunters freaked out at the sight of us, but they wouldn't report to the Association.
Righty had worked hard.
Leading 39 monsters including myself, we descended the floors steadily.
That was mid-sized raid party numbers for hunters.
In group-combat heavy zones like the Plains, maybe not—but up here, any monster or hunter we met would panic.
I'd originally planned to hunt everything in sight to fill up, but as the descents continued and the kills piled up, I started letting some go.
Righty seemed full anyway.
He'd eaten a ton.
We moved quickly and reached the 28th floor Desert Zone by sunset.
And ran into a pretty big issue.
[N-Nix…! C-Cold…!]
“Zzz…! Zzaaa—!!”
The Lizardmen shivered en masse from the cold.
Right—Lizardmen were reptiles, after all.
They were cold-blooded through and through.
I hurriedly lit a fire with magic.
Only then did the trembling Lizardmen look relieved.
Sorry about that.
[Um… us cold too…]
[…Don't you have feathers?]
[W-well, that's…]
No helping it—I lit a fire for the Surprise Birds too.
[U-um…! F-fire too close—?!]
[Ah, my bad. Sorry. Got a sudden chicken craving and…]
The Surprise Birds flapped frantically.
No, really an accident.
Righty cast the fire magic, so maybe a bit of bias slipped in.
More worrying, though.
For now, I could make fire or ice, but our final destination—the Snow Mountain Zone—was dozens of times colder than here.
No need to mention the Plains or Lava Zones we'd pass through.
The birds aside, can the Lizardmen adapt…?
It'd be great if they got resistance skills, but new skills were rare for monsters other than me.
Whether all the Lizardmen could acquire them was highly uncertain.
Guess we'll move slowly.
First, they needed time to acclimate.
Thinking ahead to the other zones, this Desert Zone made a perfect training ground.
And I should raise their ranks while we're at it.
Wise Scale was C-rank, the three Triplets D-rank.
Borderline for surviving the Snow Mountains, but for real life ahead, they needed more growth.
The rest were all E-rank, so definitely.
They were barely To Soon-i level.
Looking at them now, To Soon-i seemed surprisingly strong.
On par with Lizardmen and Surprise Birds.
Was it the lower floors?
But seeing her get bullied by Suli daily didn't make it seem that way.
To help the Lizardmen adapt, I adjusted our pace accordingly.
Ice magic by day, fire by night.
Monsters we met en route? Lizardmen handled them to build experience.
No immediate results, but starting with Wise Scale, the Triplets began picking up resistance skills one by one.
Pretty satisfying.
Why were Wise Scale and the Triplets crying, though?
Did Lefty bully you?
Or Righty smacking his lips?
Either way, tell me—I’ll discipline them…
No.
They were just overwhelmed by my hardcore training.
Tears welled up from finally earning resistance skills after that hell.
What was the problem?
I even found perfect opponents, healed when they were about to die.
Seemed flawless…
Problem wasn't lack—it was excess.
Back in my day, we toughed it out no problem.
What? Rest time?
Never heard of it.
Sigh… back in my day…
Their intense reactions forced a schedule tweak.
Including the other Lizardmen, even the Surprise Birds fervently praised Wise Scale and the Triplets.
Was it that bad…?
Seeing the Lizardmen tear up in admiration made me a little guilty.
Yeah, I'll reflect on it.
With that vibe, we kept descending the floors.