Chapter 118
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: How to Flip the Domino (2)
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“Bibong!”
Thud-quaaang—!
A mighty roar echoed through the air.
Even fiercer impact sounds boomed like thunder.
The result was utterly destructive.
“……Krwooo?”
Megalania’s head snapped around.
Over ten teeth shattered and flew out from its gaping maw.
It was only natural.
Bibong’s body length was 100 meters.
Even without the tail, it was nearly 80 meters.
Plus, its plump, rotund build.
Its weight approached a staggering 3,000 tons.
That monstrous mass was loaded into a single front paw punch.
And that wasn’t all.
In that punch, Bibong had poured in his very soul.
It was his heartfelt sincerity for his first love, Bangul, who was watching his back.
“Bibong! Beaver-bibong! Bibong!”
Kwaang! Thud-quaaang! Kwaaaang!
Left paw, right paw, left paw.
Three 3,000-ton punches rained down in a whirlwind flurry.
Each time, Megalania’s entire body flailed upward like an ankle sock caught in a typhoon.
“Koo, kuweeeek!”
A scream burst forth involuntarily.
Counterattacking was out of the question.
Megalania’s body length was a mere(?) 50 meters.
Its weight was only about 700 tons—a quarter of Bibong’s.
“Bibong!”
Thud-quak!
Bibong’s front paw struck once more.
“Koweek!”
Five punches had already landed.
That alone had plunged Megalania into a serious groggy state.
Then came Bibong’s finisher against the reeling Megalania.
“Beaver-bibong!”
Crunch!
He clamped down on Megalania’s scruff with his massive front teeth.
Lifted it bodily.
Swung it.
Let go.
Whoooosh—!
The 50-meter, 700-ton behemoth soared dozens of meters into the air. No, it was launched. It sliced through the wind for a full 400 meters.
Then it crashed down.
Kwaaaang—! Kukuwa!
Megalania’s massive body gouged a trench dozens of meters long into the ground as it slammed in.
With that, Megalania had lost most of its fighting strength.
“Kr, krrrr…… Kuweeeek…….”
The battered Megalania barely rose.
It trembled from head to toe in a state where survival itself was a miracle.
Around that Megalania stood six more of its kind.
They were the rest of the pack.
But even they couldn’t bare their fangs recklessly.
The one just smashed into the ground was the leader of the pack.
“Kr, kuweeeek! Kuwek!”
The wrecked leader Megalania finally turned tail.
It tucked its rear and fled eastward with labored steps.
With the leader fleeing, the rest of the pack followed suit.
“Beaver-bibong! Bibong!”
Bibong let out a victory roar.
As he did, he subtly glanced westward.
There stood Lloyd’s group.
More precisely, Bangul perched on Lloyd’s shoulder.
‘Bibong, beaver-bibong…….’
He desperately hoped she’d seen how cool he was.
Bibong cleared his throat awkwardly.
Lloyd could only give a wry smile at the sight.
‘That guy’s laying it on way too thick.’
It was painfully obvious.
No wonder he was still single.
But that’s what made him endearing.
Lloyd felt a slight sense of kinship(?) with Bibong.
“Bangul?”
“Bangul!”
“I’ve got a favor to ask. Could you shake your tail for Bibong just once?”
“Bbangul?”
“Just to boost his morale a bit.”
“Bangul!”
Bangul bobbed her round head with a nod.
Truth be told, Bangul didn’t dislike Bibong.
Not romantically, of course, but as a fellow fantasy beast friend.
“Bangul! Bbangul!”
Good job, new friend.
Bangul gently lifted her plump tail and wagged it.
Ding-a-ling, a clear chime rang out.
Bibong, who’d been panting roughly from the intense punches, broke into a pinkish, beaming smile.
‘Hmm, perfect.’
With an appropriate reward given, it was time for Lloyd’s business.
“Everyone, wait here a moment.”
He had the whole group hold position.
He walked eastward alone.
Beyond the settling dust.
Hundreds of orc warriors stood murmuring.
Lloyd raised his voice toward the burliest orc warrior among them.
“Long time no see, Chieftain!”
“Mm, kuik?”
The largest warrior, Iron Sand Orc Tribe Chieftain Akuysh, twitched his ears.
In truth, he was quite flustered.
A string of sudden events had unfolded.
‘What’s going on now, kuik.’
Recent monster raids had battered their village one after another.
Akuysh had stood firm against them all.
Today was no different.
A savage pack of Megalania.
Six of the beasts, no less, and he’d been fighting them head-on.
To keep his orc warriors from losing heart or retreating, he’d roared from the front lines and hurled javelins.
Then suddenly, something charged in from behind with tremendous momentum.
It thundered past them.
One strike spun a Megalania’s face around.
It even bit one, lifted it, and hurled it beyond the village perimeter.
‘What the hell was that, kuiik?’
Not content with thrashing a fearsome Megalania, it threw it away.
And it looked like a massive beaver-like monster.
His eyes bulged.
Then, a familiar voice came from behind.
‘That sounds like Lloyd, our tribe’s honorable but kinda frail human warrior, kuik.’
A kind but slightly dim(?) guy.
That was Chieftain Akuysh’s memory of Lloyd.
Recalling that, he turned his head.
And spotted Lloyd walking toward them.
“Ha ha, kuiik?”
It’s my friend.
A smile came naturally.
Chieftain Akuysh grinned, baring his massive tusks.
Worms of tendons writhed across his bulging pectorals.
“What brings you here, friend? It’s dangerous today. Especially for a frail friend like you—best head home, kuik.”
“Dangerous? You mean the monsters?”
“That’s right, kuik!”
Akuysh shook off his laugh and hefted his axe.
He pointed it at Bibong, standing firm to the east.
“Monsters keep pouring in these days. Today it was Megalania. Now an even bigger one showed up. Very dangerous, kuik.”
“Oh, you mean that guy?”
“That’s right, kuik.”
“That one’s fine. It’s mine—I command it.”
“……What, kuik?”
“Dead serious. Name’s Bibong.”
“…….”
Commands a monster that sends Megalania flying in one hit.
What kind of friend is this?
Chieftain Akuysh felt a bit overwhelmed as he asked,
“So what brings you here? Come to fight alongside us, kuik?”
“Something like that.”
The joy of reunion could wait.
First, the reason for his visit.
“I imagine it’s been tough lately. Locust moths, Mastodons, and now Megalania today. Quite the ordeal, right?”
“Puhung! Good days for a workout, kuik!”
“Of course. But do you know what caused this mess?”
“No idea, kuik!”
“That’s why I’m here.”
To tell you the cause and the solution.
Lloyd smiled brightly.
In fact, from now on, he planned not only to stop the monster domino effect but also launch a counterattack on the Sultanate that started it.
♣
The counterattack proceeded without hitch.
The Sultanate, culprit of this crisis.
Lloyd first detailed their misdeeds to Chieftain Akuysh.
Naturally, Akuysh was furious.
No, all the orc warriors were outraged.
They all eagerly joined the operation.
“The plan’s simple. For the next few days, we’ll aggressively attack every monster lurking around here indiscriminately. Bibong will lead the assaults, of course.”
The orc warriors would intimidate the monsters, already terrified by Bibong’s attacks.
Like herders driving them.
Pushing all monsters eastward.
“One key thing to remember: It’s okay to hurt them. But try not to kill—let them live.”
“Why, kuik?”
“That way, rumors spread among the survivors. Then—”
“Then, kuik?”
“The whole horde of monsters that’s been charging from the east will reverse direction. Just like they came here. They’ll head east instead. Flipping the domino’s direction.”
“That’s, kuiik!”
“Got it?”
“No. Too complicated, kuik!”
“Anyway, the Sultanate’s western border will be in chaos.”
“I like it. Let’s do it now, kuik!”
……And so, the operation began that very day.
No real pangs of conscience, either.
The flipped monster domino direction.
The Sultanate’s western border would take the hit.
Fortunately(?), that border had no civilian areas.
‘Their western border is barren. No territories or villages. Just troops garrisoned to defend it.’
So no innocent civilians would suffer from this counterstrike.
And being a fortified border force, casualties would be minimal.
‘They’ll be spinning their wheels fending off the monster hordes. Plus, the Sultanate’s higher-ups will take notice.’
If they can trigger a monster domino.
We can respond in kind.
So provoking a monster domino invites equal retaliation.
Lloyd wanted to implant that awareness in the Sultanate’s leadership.
‘That way, they won’t dare try this nonsense again.’
Like nuclear deterrence.
If the enemy has nukes?
You hesitate to use yours.
A stern lesson: You don’t own that weapon exclusively.
That was the true aim of this retaliatory op.
“No need to hesitate, everyone. Let’s begin.”
They launched right away.
Bibong and the orc warriors, Haviel and the White Lancers too.
Everyone shone in action.
They combed every inch of the nearby wilds.
At the sight of a single monster hair, they charged en masse and raised hell.
Beat, cajoled, snapped, threw, roared, menaced.
Every monster they caught fled east in panic.
Six days passed like that.
By then, not a single monster lurked nearby.
Word had spread among them, driving them the other way.
Mission success.
“Whew, so here’s the thing.”
After successfully flipping the domino.
In the heart of the orc village, nearly reduced to rubble by monster raids, Lloyd proposed to Chieftain Akuysh.
“Call me hesitant to say this, but how about relocating your village while you’re at it?”
“Relocate? Kuik?”
“Yes.”
Toss, toss. Lloyd threw thorny weed branches into the crackling bonfire.
“I know your ancestral home is precious. But think about it. As this incident showed, it’s too open—way too vulnerable to defend.”
“But we’re strong, kuik.”
“I know. That’s why I’m suggesting a move—to make you even stronger.”
“What? Stronger, kuik?”
“Yes.”
“How, kuik?”
“Truth is, I’ve wanted to bring this up for a while. I built you that Stone Ice Storage early on, but this wasteland’s food situation is abysmal. It’s a shame. Nutritionally, it’s terrible for building muscle.”
“……What? Muscle, kuik?”
At ‘muscle,’ Chieftain Akuysh’s eyes lit up.
The other orc warriors around the fire perked up too.
Perfect.
It’s working.
Lloyd suppressed a rising smile and continued.
“You need good rest and good food. As important as exercise for muscle growth. You know that, right, Chieftain?”
“Mm, yes, kuik.”
“That’s it. Frankly, I can’t help but feel sorry. You and your warriors, bound by tradition, missing out on bigger muscles—a tragic reality.”
“Bigger muscles, kuiik?”
“Yes.”
“How, kuik?”
“Not as hard as you think. Well, I don’t share this with just anyone, but care to hear?”
“Tell me now, kuik!”
“Alright. Look over there.”
Lloyd raised his hand.
Pointed at the Eastern Mountains spread like a screen.
“Deer with glossy coats bounding through meadows. Plump boars rolling in flower fields. Up high, mountain pigeons and pheasants flap away. Imagine that. Tender, vigorous pigeon breast. The juicy throb of pheasant meat.”
“Ku, gulp, kuik.”
“Yes, exactly. And not just that. Streams teem with fish swimming half-water, half-flesh. Pristine mountain springs crawl with crayfish. One fat, egg-filled crayfish, steamed whole—where do you think all that protein goes?”
“Muscle, kuik!”
“As expected of the Chieftain. How do you know so well?”
“So you’re saying relocate to the Eastern Mountains, kuik?”
“Obviously. And get this—it doesn’t even violate your traditions?”
“How, kuik?”
At ‘tradition,’ Chieftain Akuysh flinched.
Lloyd stabbed right at the weakness.
“Think about it. Your ancestors were muscle legends, right?”
“Of course, kuik!”
“So what would they want for their descendants?”
“Muscles! Exploding muscles, kuik!”
“Exactly. I knew I could count on you. So wise without me spelling it out.”
“So you’re saying our ancestors would want us eating hearty and boasting massive muscles, kuik?”
Hesitation flickered in Akuysh’s eyes.
Of course, he knew game abounded in the Eastern Mountains.
He even sent warriors there occasionally to hunt.
But dispatching a few warriors over days of travel versus moving the whole tribe into lush forests—the efficiency was worlds apart.
“B-but our ancestral home…… kuik…….”
“They’d be thrilled.”
“If we get massive muscles, kuik?”
“Naturally.”
Lloyd’s subtle whisper.
That temptation tickled Akuysh’s muscled inner ear.
It pierced the desires of the warriors huddled around.
And forced a decision.
“Fine! From today, our tribe’s new home is the Eastern Mountains. Lead us, kuik!”
……Thus, the Iron Sand Orc Tribe undertook a lightning relocation.
Just what Lloyd had hoped for.
‘Bibong as Capua Lake’s resident guardian. Now the orc tribe in the Eastern Mountains. Two barriers shielding our territory from the east.’
Plus, if trouble hit the territory?
Asking the orcs for help would be far easier.
‘Physical threats are finally done—done.’
Lloyd was certain.
The physical dangers threatening his honey pot territory—next to financial woes—were all neutralized at last.
His steps back to the barony felt endlessly light.
‘Just one thing left.’
He thought.
The task he’d longed for.
Finally, time to pay off all remaining loans with the construction fees from the capital.