Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Lesson 33. Star of Jade - 3
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Thank goodness everyone was already gathered for the banquet.
Troops were mobilized and deployed at an astonishing speed.
"They're coming from the west! Those filthy intruders reeking of stench are heading west!"
"Kill them all! Smash them to pieces!"
"They dare eye our sanctuary while we're hosting esteemed guests...?"
Not just the beastkin with savage strength like wolves, tigers, and gorillas, but even those descended from seemingly docile animals like woodpeckers, rabbits, and squirrels were burning with rage.
The beastkin swarmed through the sky like a massive flock of migratory birds.
From towering trees to other trees, they leaped branch to branch without a second thought, racing forward at breakneck speed.
"Let's wipe them out without mercy! The banquet comes after!"
"Awooooooo!"
"Graaaaaawr!"
Leading the charge, of course, was Chieftain Canid.
Ban Yu-won, momentarily dazed by the swift assault of tens of thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of warriors, soon realized one key fact.
"Huh."
Every single beastkin charging west alongside the chieftain was male.
Just looking at Slothy, who managed the forest's barriers, or Lucia, who had moved at speeds surpassing his perception earlier, it was clear female beastkin weren't any weaker...
As if reading his doubt, Slothy explained.
"Males defend against outsiders. Females protect the village. Beastkin tradition."
"Sure, guarding home base is important, but leaving this many behind seems excessive..."
Was that why Lucelle, dragged off by Lucia earlier, hadn't returned?
...Or was something happening that kept her from coming back right now?
"...Huh? Hold on."
Forcing aside the stray thoughts about Lucia's remedial lessons, he finally noticed the change in Slothy.
"Why are you talking so fast?"
"Sloths speed up twice. First: when it's time to fight. Right now."
Looking at her again after hearing that, he could indeed see two fluid concepts—'Activation' and 'Rampage'—thickly intertwined, flowing through her entire body.
She accumulated some kind of power by moving slowly in daily life, releasing it in emergencies to unleash abilities beyond her natural limits.
That explained her usual slowness and heavy sleeping, maybe.
...No, even that felt off somehow.
Even now, speaking quickly, she showed no sign of running herself—instead, pulling nearby branches to craft what looked like a ride. He watched her with a subtle expression when—
"Hitting on one beast the moment another vanishes from sight? Is that it, Ban Yu-won?"
Dokgo Yeon had snuck up behind him, her voice colder than dry ice.
Ban Yu-won flinched but forced a casual tone.
"Who's hitting on who? You've been off since earlier. What's up? If something's bothering you, just say it straight."
He'd only grumbled lightly at her prickliness.
"Eek!"
Suddenly, she whipped around, scowling at him.
But he had done nothing wrong and had no intention of taking her ire lying down, so he stood his ground this time.
Sensing that, Dokgo Yeon rarely faltered, fumbling for words before—
"Ah."
"...?"
Slothy had finished her ride—a swing big enough for four or five—and turned back, as if asking if they'd join. Dokgo Yeon let out a soft sigh and muttered quietly.
"It's nothing. Let's go."
"...Right. This is for us to ride, Slothy?"
"Yeah."
He'd considered riding Lilith, but—honestly, he was curious about that wooden swing too. So the two followed Slothy's lead.
Surprisingly, the wooden chair glided swiftly along the woven branches, faster than the other beastkin.
"Swinging tree-to-tree on branches, huh... Ah."
Feeling like Spider-Man web-slinging between buildings, Ban Yu-won glanced at Slothy beside him. Her long golden hair fluttered in the wind as she stared blankly ahead, and a thought struck him.
"You said females guard the village, but you're an exception?"
"Female... Ah. If there'd been a male Sloth Sovereign, I could've rested."
Sloth Sovereigns were too elite to sit out battles, it seemed.
Nodding in understanding, Ban Yu-won noticed Slothy's gaze lingering on him.
"...What?"
"Come to think of it, first time being treated like a girl."
She stared at him, replying nonchalantly.
Ban Yu-won recoiled in horror.
A quick glance at Dokgo Yeon confirmed she wasn't thrilled.
"Saying it like that makes it sound like I was hitting on you. Cut it out."
"Courtship? That was courtship? Can't understand human ways."
"That's what I'm saying—no."
The bizarre exchange ended as their wooden swing halted midair.
His view suddenly cleared, and Ban Yu-won realized why.
"Block them! Don't let them cut the trees!"
"Shatter the Wolf Fangs' teeth today! Finish them!"
The intruders advanced low, chopping and felling trees.
Wolf Fang beastkin desperately held them back.
Watching, Ban Yu-won thought:
Beastkin territory is the treetops.
So their turf wars start with logging?
He voiced the guess, and it was spot on.
"Uproot my trees, plant theirs. Steal territory."
"Like Go with trees as stones, huh."
Or Othello, maybe.
But this method was... incredibly...
sloppy.
"Making that grumpy face again."
Dokgo Yeon smirked, reading his realization.
"Keep trash-talking, and I'll get sulky, you know? How do you plan to deal with that?"
"But you're going to do something dirty."
"Yeah, fair point."
If it was fair critique, not petty insult, he'd accept it.
Ban Yu-won leaped from the swing, landing on a branch sprouting from a nearby tree.
Trees were too dense for big familiars like Levi or the machine minions to maneuver.
Not ideal for Stormblade either, with all the obstacles.
Small ones like Tike, Lilith, or Eve could shine, but deploying them wouldn't drastically shift the battle.
"Cover me for now? Ram any dangerous ones."
[Got it, Master!]
Lilith replied spiritedly for the group, then shifted to a Tike-like form.
She had polymorph like Eve, sure—but the quality outdid Eve's. Impressive.
[I get perfect buffs for all machine forms! And... firepower too!]
Lilith extended a thick cylindrical barrel mid-body, unleashing a prolonged laser... no, lightning bolt, sniping an approaching beastkin.
[How's that!]
"Perfect."
Her spaceship evolution was so flashy it overshadowed, but she'd absorbed 95th Floor's everything—including its overflowing lightning power.
Her magic had evolved to yokurei power, superior to Eve's yokki or Tike's sevenfold demon cannon in raw destruction.
"Tch..."
—Kreee, kreeek.
Eve and Tike bristled at Lilith's show-off.
Like she was bragging after he'd fed her everything to power up.
Rivalry ignited; Eve polymorphed like Tike, and the trio opened fire.
—Boom!
—Bang! Bang-bang!
—Kaboom!
Lilith's edge was inevitable, but Eve and Tike's sniping was overkill for regular beastkin.
In moments, the horde charging Ban Yu-won's group was annihilated. Even Wolf Fang warriors couldn't ignore them now.
"What the hell is that? Artifact?"
"No idea, but it's insane! Can't let guests steal the show—press on! Keep them off Wolf Fang soil!"
"Those guys... Ha, Union! Union Academy!"
Then the enemies clocked his identity.
Outsider was obvious from non-beastkin looks, but Union Academy specifically?
Answer:
'Tied with Ryu Cheol-myeong after all. And hitting now... real-time comms, maybe.'
Hah. Ban Yu-won scoffed.
If Ryu had attacked personally, it'd be scary at least.
Believing weak, numerous minions burdened by terrain could take him? Ryu's foresight was trash.
"Alright, friend-or-foe sorted."
"You were still figuring that out? You?"
Dokgo Yeon landed beside him on the branch, tilting her head at his mutter.
"Ah, not that kind."
Differentiating Wolf Fangs from invaders was easy.
But separating trees under Wolf Fang control from invaders' required finer scrutiny of tree concepts.
"Ah— I get what you're planning, but can you? She said sloths rule the trees."
"Doing what?"
Slothy joined them, casual pace belying swift hands—branches from surrounding trees extended, ensnaring or impaling invaders, showcasing her terrifying power.
"Watch."
He widened his eyes, unleashing his divine authority.
Since completing the Origin Sword, golden mana flowed precisely under his control with every use.
Concentrating in eyes and mouth, it lent him a holy glow.
"What... are you doing?"
Slothy asked again, voice laced with awe and faint dread.
As a Sloth Sovereign, she'd instinctively grasped it?
"Uprooting trees."
Ban Yu-won thrust both hands skyward.
Distinctions complete.
The border between tribes.
Feeling the beastkin savagery as they clashed fangs and claws, defending their trees, toppling foes'...
Ban Yu-won extracted concepts from every invader tree along the border.
Battlefield froze.
"――――?!"
Soundless screams shook the forest.
No matter how Sloth Sovereigns communed and controlled trees, without turning them into monsters, they were just trees.
If he could conceptualize and absorb bullets flying at him, why not stationary trees?
Possible since awakening divine authority, maybe.
"No. Without wider All-Reading Eyes range, recovering concepts from spread-out trees at once would've been tough."
Calmly gathering surging golden concept-strings, he murmured.
Beastkin from both sides stared, fur bristling in shock. Amusing.
"Wh-what is this..."
"Our trees..."
Most invaders plummeted, losing footing.
Wolf Fangs were stunned too, but noticing only enemy trees vanished, they swiftly regrouped to defend theirs.
Invaders, hating ground-touch, screamed and wailed, scrambling onto Wolf Fang trees—only to be repelled unitedly, forced to desperate retreat.
"It's him—that guy's stealing our trees—!"
"Call Ureuk! Without Ureuk..."
"Y-you... Yooooou—!"
"Know your enemy, know yourself: a hundred battles, no danger."
Feeling all battlefield hatred converge, Ban Yu-won murmured calmly, smirking.
Enemy territory trees' concepts still flowed to his hands, roots and all.
"Wanted to beat me? Set a proper stage, Ryu Cheol-myeong."
War hadn't truly begun.
Perhaps after it ended, the Star of Jade would need a new name.