Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: The Ancient Scarab
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The Lizardmen trudged through the wasteland, gnawing on grubs.
As Star Reader had said, after ten days a lake appeared, reeking of hot decay.
It was barren land, and the water undrinkable.
Fortunately, Rakrak had loaded jars full onto Manun's back, and some water remained in them. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After walking another half month, a steep mountain path emerged.
Low shrubs appeared, and some edible things were visible, but it was still desolate.
Fortunately, there was a drinkable spring.
With their drinking water exhausted, Rakrak ordered the jars filled from the spring. The rest scattered busily to fill their growling stomachs.
There were root plants and shriveled small beasts.
The water buffaloes, now somewhat accustomed to trailing the group, eyed their surroundings warily as they nibbled dry grass.
Rakrak summoned Star Reader.
"Just three more days inside?"
"Probably."
"You're less certain now."
"The stars' positions don't change. But the land does."
Rakrak nodded in agreement.
If the drought lingered, the vegetation wouldn't be lush, so they'd need to press deeper. If rains had come, they'd encounter grass sooner.
Rakrak worried about the buffalo herd.
Dragging them along had exhausted both the warriors and the beasts. They followed well now, but that also meant they were wearing down.
'Need to feed them properly soon.'
Over the month crossing the wasteland, the god had not abandoned the tribe, as expected.
Several minor miracles had occurred, averting dangers each time.
But the god hadn't fed the buffalo herd its fill.
Rakrak judged this not as something the god couldn't do, but simply wouldn't.
'As the god cares for us, we must care for the herd.'
Rakrak had no clever solution either.
They could only keep to the straight path they'd walked so steadily.
The only conclusion was that further delays were unacceptable.
Rakrak supervised the drake Manun until the water was loaded.
Manun was ravenous and, without other warriors present, lunged at fellow Lizardmen.
But with Rakrak alone, it lowered its eyes and behaved.
One sound thrashing lingered in the lizard's brain.
Jaol brought a plump root plant for the starving Rakrak.
Rakrak shook his head.
"Would you make chief of one who can't fill his own belly?"
Jaol tapped the ground twice with her tail tip.
A gesture of mild dissatisfaction.
"No tribe leaves its chief to starve."
"The whole tribe hungers. How can the chief eat alone?"
"Fine. Then we'll share."
Jaol split the thick root and offered half to Rakrak.
Rakrak, leaning against Manun, took it. He bit off half whole and shoved the rest between Manun's jaws.
The dozing Manun drooled at the intrusion and gulped it down greedily.
Jaol tapped the ground with her tail again. Rakrak offered an excuse.
"This one needs strength to carry the water jars, doesn't it?"
"That's true, but..."
Jaol trailed off. Rakrak blinked.
"Something else?"
"Yes."
"Speak freely."
"Rakrak."
"What?"
"It's time you found a mate."
The root caught in Rakrak's throat, but his Lizardman's wide gullet let him force it down.
He coughed unbecomingly all the same.
Rakrak hadn't spared a thought for a mate in years, consumed by survival, the tribe, and the god. Jaol's words flustered him.
"...Ah, a mate?"
"If you haven't given it much thought, how about me?"
Rakrak was male, Jaol female.
He knew finding a mate was vital and tried not to answer carelessly or indifferently.
But having steeled himself, he realized he hadn't chosen what to say.
Fortuitously, another matter demanding attention arose.
The group murmured at the entrance to the mountainside path.
A warrior ran to Rakrak.
"What is it?"
"Baldies."
"How many? What color?"
"About twenty. Green. Big builds."
"Baldies" was what Lizardmen called smooth-skinned races—humans, elves, even orcs and goblins.
Jaol spoke.
"Orcs. Armed?"
"No. All exhausted. Only two or three warriors. Our warriors have them surrounded. Awaiting the chief."
Not dire from the report, but Rakrak followed the warrior to the orcs.
They were a small, scrawny bunch.
Rakrak stepped forward.
"Who's your leader?"
"Me. Let us pass."
"If you wanted quiet passage, you shouldn't have approached us. Why the commotion? After our food?"
The orc leader looked perplexed.
Rakrak figured his guess was right.
With their large group, they might've thought to snatch food and flee.
But surprisingly, the orc leader dropped his weapon and bowed low.
"Sorry. We didn't mean to cause a stir. We were desperate. Wanted out of there fast."
"Why?"
Rakrak gazed beyond the slope.
Desolate, but no obvious issues.
Star Reader said such canyons continued three more days, but they'd endured this far—they could manage that much.
Plus, the changing terrain brought sparse edibles.
The orc leader said,
"There's a monster beyond that hill." ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rakrak had intended to punish any guilt the orcs bore, but saw no need.
Jaol suggested confiscating their goods, as wasteland custom dictated.
Rakrak refused.
Instead, Jaol shared some food with them, as Rakrak had with Manun.
Unaccustomed to such welcome, the orc leader bowed repeatedly, forehead to ground.
Rakrak let him.
"This isn't free. Tell me everything about the monster."
"Of course. In detail, accurately."
The orcs had lived nearby.
They couldn't venture deeper into the mountains due to stronger races and predators there.
Compared to the wasteland, though, the area offered reliable foraging—for a band of thirty orcs, no issue.
"But one day, that monster appeared."
It had a hard carapace and crawled belly-to-ground on many legs like a bug. By the orcs' description, over twenty meters long.
Seong-un knew at once.
'An Abomination.'
Lost World's lore: the "old gods" abandoned the planet.
But while gods vanished, the races that served them and their creations remained.
Abominations were among those creations.
Simply put, giant field bosses. Risk the hunt for commensurate rewards.
'Problem is, they're tricky at low civilization levels.'
The reason was straightforward.
Abominations were the gods' handiwork.
Thus, their stats included a divinity level.
'Insane inflation. Not dungeon-bound, so not maxed, but factoring base stats and specials, even D+3 makes it stronger than a possessed Rakrak.'
An even fight risked injuring Rakrak; otherwise, warrior losses.
'Hint a detour?'
But pressing that was tricky.
The group Rakrak led—and the herd—were fading.
Rakrak shared Seong-un's thoughts and called Star Reader.
"Can we go around?"
"Other paths exist."
"How long?"
"Back to wasteland, skirt the range eight days."
Rakrak shook his head, displeased.
"Can't flee without even seeing the foe."
Jaol interjected.
"True. But if it looks unfavorable, retreating is wiser."
Rakrak nodded.
Not everyone needed to go.
He ordered a few warriors to guard the group and rest well.
Rakrak set out with one orc to guide them to the monster, Jaol, Yur, and ten warriors.
Seong-un confirmed the Abomination's position via the bug swarm he'd deployed ahead of Rakrak's arrival.
Seeing it directly revealed its name.
'Wondered what it was... an Ancient Scarab.'
Called a scarab, but it resembled a centipede.
Fifteen meters—shorter than the orcs claimed, but hardly small.
Elongated body wrapped in rigid exoskeleton. Venom fangs in its maw.
Half-ruined stone structures clung to the shell—relics proving ancients had worshipped this creature.
Thick moss on those structures betrayed its age. 👹 ABOMINATION STATUS 👹 🦾 Ancient Scarab (Abomination Lv. 9) 💪 Strength: 120 (+D3) 🧠 Intelligence: 12 (+D3) 🤝 Sociability: 4 (+D3) 🦷 Scarab Fangs ✨ Forgotten God's Blessing (Unknown) 'Strong.'
As expected, divinity level +3. Base strength 120 made it stronger than even a possessed Rakrak.
The scarab itself couldn't match natural beasts like dragons, but absent an ancient drake of similar age or a "giant"-sized mutant, it was unbeatable.
'Better if it were physically frail despite heavy specials...'
Though Seong-un couldn't see their stats, Rakrak and his warriors cowered at the sight of the Ancient Scarab coiled in the valley below.
Yur muttered,
"It shakes the ground from here just moving. Shouldn't we run?"
The orc leader said,
"It's sleeping now. That's snoring."
Seong-un thought the Lizardmen's fear was for the best.
If some losses were inevitable, fewer was better.
Retreat was an option.
Rewards tempting, but unavoidable.
'If I controlled everything, maybe. But I can't shove a terrified Rakrak into battle.'
Then Jaol spoke.
"We have the advantage, Tribal Chief."
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