Foreleg Reinforcement
A small fragment rested in Jip's hand. It was an engraving of a stag beetle's sawblade.
"Gasp!"
"C-Captain! That's……."
The ones who reacted most strongly to the fragment were none other than the Uhua Night Insect Squad members.
It was only natural.
'Even if it's single-use, it holds the same power as our own token.'
Whoever received it could make any request or commission, just once. Even if it meant jumping into a pit of fire.
"That's too much!"
"Please reconsider."
Their worried protests were understandable for that very reason.
"Tch."
At that moment, the silent Jip clicked his tongue lowly. His left eyebrow twitched.
That was the face he made when he was truly pissed.
"Have you all thrown away every shred of conscience?"
Whoosh—.
Jip unleashed a fiery aura as he bellowed at the Uhua squad members.
"Think about it! Who led this mission? It was us, the Uhua Night Insect Squad."
His voice rose higher and higher.
"But what did you do? Block some Poison Centipede soldiers for a moment? You call that even a speck of contribution to this mission?!"
"Ahem……."
"……."
The Uhua squad members fell silent as if their mouths were glued shut with honey.
"Listen! Without Aleck here, this mission would've hit a wall. Have you even thought about what would've happened then? We'd have become the continent's laughingstock—rootless wanderers strutting around on Chung Hak Gwan's name. Today, Aleck defended our honor."
Jip, who had been shouting, slowly scanned the squad members.
The Uhua members couldn't even meet his eyes and bowed their heads.
"On top of that! Did any of you volunteer to go into the Poison Mire? It was so ridiculous I was ready to charge in alone. But that thing that popped out? I couldn't have stopped it. If I'd gone in, I'd have lost and died for sure. Aleck saved my life."
"We were short-sighted."
"We're sorry."
"Ha, you idiots! Still so dense to the end? Apologize to Aleck, not me!"
Jip's bellow reached its peak.
Under his blazing intensity, the squad members shrank and turned to me, begging forgiveness.
"Forgive us. We were narrow-minded."
"We didn't even consider your contributions."
"We were rude to our benefactor. We're truly sorry."
I raised my hand, telling them it was fine.
'This wasn't what I wanted an apology for.'
Honestly, their reaction of thinking the token was too precious for me didn't hurt my feelings. Knowing the token's value, I understood their sentiment all too well.
"I'm really fine. And I'm grateful you think so highly of what I did."
"Whoa……!"
"His heart is as vast as his talent."
"A heroic standout from the mantis clans has emerged."
Was it because I truly didn't mind? My words were sincere, and everyone gathered here sensed that authenticity.
And the result?
Unintentionally, I'd become a broad-minded great talent as well.
"Hahaha, my eye for people never fails."
As if he'd never shouted, Jip laughed heartily and extended the fragment to me again.
"Take it! It's yours."
"Thank you. I'll gladly accept."
I took the fragment without hesitation.
Jip was a man who would ascend to Ultimate Body and become the Night Insect King in the future. By then, not just the Uhua Night Insect Squad, but most night insect soldiers would follow him.
The chance to command that massive force unrestricted, even once? Of course I'd take it.
"With that fragment, whenever you call on us, we'll drop everything and come running. Keep it safe."
"A precious item. Thank you."
I expressed my gratitude as if I hadn't known its purpose.
Jip boomed with laughter and clapped my shoulder.
"By the way, what's your drinking limit like?"
'Drinking limit…….'
Ever since I'd started enjoying alcohol in earnest, I'd never gotten drunk while drinking. Sure, there was that unfortunate(?) incident when I passed the warrior exam in this life, but that's beside the point.
Now that my body had fully transformed into a Megaera Mantis, I couldn't get drunk even if I tried.
"Not sure. I've never gotten drunk."
"Kuhahaha! What confidence. We should have a real showdown sometime."
Jip took my words at face value as bravado, not believing them.
"I'll show you my limit in person."
'Hmm.'
A memory of Jip suddenly surfaced.
Proud of his tolerance, he'd ended up drinking with me just like this…….
'And crawled on the floor.'
That's when he earned the nickname not Night Insect King, but Earth Insect King.
He never suggested drinking with me again after that.
I had a feeling he'd earn the same moniker this time too.
"Sure, sounds good."
I grinned and replied to Jip.
* * *
The story of Aleck single-handedly dismantling one of Craig's supply depots spread rapidly across the continent.
"Craig's getting hit hard."
"What happened?"
"The Amar King Centipede clan is at war with Chung Hak Gwan, Sama Battleground, and others. Apparently, one supply depot got raided by a young mantis from Sama Battleground."
"Alone?"
"Yeah. Word is he soloed it—broke the Poison Mire formation in one move and made thousands of Poison Centipedes tremble!"
"Ah……?"
"And that's not all! They say he flew like a dragonfly, dominating the skies!"
Aleck's tale grew more exaggerated with each retelling.
Of course, some factions seemed to be fanning the flames to sway public opinion.
"Aleck's supposedly a secret weapon Sama Battleground prepared decades ago?"
"Craig's Four Heavenly Kings—one of them, Duraan the legion commander, fell to this Aleck guy! Rumors say he'll go for Craig's head soon!"
"Whoa! So Aleck's an Ultimate Body absolute powerhouse?"
"Nah, not quite. Some say he's not even a young mantis……."
"What? Like some ancient legendary species?"
"Haha, that's nonsense. Point is, a monstrous expert from Sama Battleground is shaking the continent!"
* * *
"What? The fifth supply depot got raided? What does that mean?"
Craig furrowed his brow at his subordinate's report and asked again.
"Well…… rumors say a secret weapon from Sama Battleground appeared."
"Secret weapon?"
"Yes. An insane powerhouse from Sama Battleground supposedly destroyed the depot alone. Even Duraan, who was captured, lost to him……."
"Ha! Ridiculous. Sama Battleground's secret weapon."
Craig let out a hollow laugh, not even getting angry at the absurd rumor.
"So. You think it's true?"
"Not entirely, but there's some truth to it."
"Kuhuhuhu, those bastards……."
Craig exuded thick killing intent as he thought of the mantises.
"Their moves and responses are too quick. Like they predicted every step……."
That was why he'd suppressed them, keeping their growth in check.
It was because of their innate, boundless potential.
Look at them now. The rumor's truth was unverified, but every time, one such monster popped up.
"Call Gehaz, Kine, and Yuraan."
Craig summoned the four pillars supporting Amar King Centipede. No, now three pillars—the legion commanders.
"Yes! Gehaz reports."
"Yes! Kine reports."
"Yes! Yuraan reports."
"We greet the great Lord Craig!"
Two men and one woman. All Ultimate Body absolute powerhouses bowed before Craig.
"I've called you for full-scale war. Gehaz, Kine—you two lead your legions and strike Chung Hak Gwan with me."
"Understood."
Gehaz and Kine replied immediately. They had already prepared thoroughly to assault Chung Hak Gwan.
"Then what about me……?"
Yuraan—the sole woman, the last absolute powerhouse of the Poison Centipede clan—looked at Craig with confusion.
She'd prepared assuming she'd join the war on Chung Hak Gwan.
"Yuraan, you have a separate task. Take down Kun of the Shinseon Butterfly clan and destroy Sama Battleground."
"……!"
Her eyes flashed murderously at Kun's name.
Duraan was her only brother.
When she'd heard he'd fallen to Kun, she'd barely suppressed the urge to rush to Moon Paper Forest.
'He truly understands my heart.'
"Yuraan obeys the command."
She reaffirmed her resolve and accepted the order.
"Order doesn't matter—Kun or Sama Battleground. But Sama Battleground must be utterly annihilated. And…… this young mantis Aleck is making waves? Bring me his head."
"Yes!"
She bowed again. She tilted her head slightly at the order to fetch a mere young mantis's head—not even a king mantis—but dismissed it as trivial.
'I'll leave him to Sahan.'
* * *
After parting with Jip, I headed straight to where Ultio had formed her cocoon.
Thanks to capturing the supply depot ahead of schedule, I still had time before meeting Katt.
"Ultio, you've grown a lot."
The cocoon, unseen for so long, had grown even larger.
Hatching was imminent at a glance.
Bzzz.
Placing my hand on it, I felt a faint vibration.
Did she recognize me? I stroked it and spoke to Ultio.
"I brought elixirs and inner cores for you. Make sure to eat them after hatching."
I neatly laid out the items from the Sama Treasury before the cocoon.
Bzzzzz!
The cocoon vibrated again.
Good—she understood my intent.
"Then molt healthily. See you soon."
I stroked the cocoon once more, meticulously cleaned up to ensure no one would find Ultio's hidden cave, and emerged.
"Now then……."
Finally, time to meet Katt.
I gazed toward the meeting spot, eyes gleaming.
Katt had said through Merne that he'd obtained a map of Megaera Mantis fossil fragments' locations.
Collecting them all would awaken an even more perfect Megaera Mantis power.
'And the first one I need is.'
My head and eyes turned downward to…….
The forelegs.
The mantis's strongest weapon, more reliable than any treasure.
I had to complete them first and foremost.