Chapter 164
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Lesson 33. The Jade Star - 4
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As the trees began to be uprooted, the invaders lost their minds and rampaged wildly.
However, with the Wolf Fang Tribe standing firm in their territory, the resistance from those who had lost their footing was limited.
Moreover, once Slothy, the Sloth Sovereign, began fully manipulating the trees within the territory and shaking off the parasites clinging to them, they could no longer hold out.
"Kugh, run, run away—!"
"But where to?"
"That guy's coming! He's coming!"
It would be ideal to just stand there and suck them all in, but his Authority still had a range limit.
So Ban Yu-won pushed off a tree branch and leaped into the air.
Stabilizing himself effortlessly with the concepts of flotation and flight, Ban Yu-won's form slicing through the sky evoked the rare birdfolk among the beastkin.
At the same time, an ever-increasing amount of the Wood concept was being drawn into his widely spread hands.
"Ah, aaaah—!"
"Demon, a demon! The demon is cursing our tribe...!"
"Don't come closer, don't come...!"
Who was it that invaded first, and now they were telling him not to come?
Snorting derisively, by the time he uprooted every tree within nearly a kilometer ahead, the invaders finally had nowhere to go and plummeted to the ground.
And then, in a perfectly natural flow.
—Thud thud thud thud
It came.
A massive worm burst through the earth, swallowing several beastkin in the area whole, and countless Forest Worms of all sizes began swarming!
"Kwaaaagh!"
"Kuh... Fall back! Retreat!"
"We can't fight both the worms and the enemy... Run, run away!"
The horde of Forest Worms drawn by the vibrations boasted a ferocity incomparable to the single one Ban Yu-won had faced earlier.
Ban Yu-won watched the hellscape expand in real time as he uprooted trees along the beastkin's escape routes.
"The more trees get pulled up, the freer the worms move."
—Normally, tree roots block the worms' movement. But you've removed them perfectly, so that's what happens. It's a rare sight even here, wouldn't you say?
"No one pulls trees up as cleanly as I do."
Ban Yu-won agreed with Cellon's words.
It wasn't for nothing that the beastkin were so obsessed with trees.
—Don't stay too long. These aren't the main force.
"Yeah."
Ban Yu-won collected as much of the Wood concept as he could one last time, then flew over the beastkin who were buried in Forest Worms, thrashing, wailing, and cursing him, returning to the Wolf Fang Tribe's territory.
"Son-in-law!"
Right after he landed lightly on a tree branch.
Canid, radiating ferocious aura from head to toe amid the battle, leaped onto the branch as if he'd been waiting for his return.
"What did you do to the trees?"
"We can replant them. But first, we need to take some measures here..."
The Wood concept condensed in Ban Yu-won's hands was now so dense it emitted a blinding glow.
"So, should I plant them?"
"Hmm, better to leave them like this for now. We have more than one enemy to fight."
"Figured as much."
Ban Yu-won stored the concept entirely into a Code Core and tossed it into his Inventory, then checked the battlefield.
With all the trees in the area conceptualized, a barren wasteland line now stretched across the forest.
The thousands of beastkin who crossed that line were being punished by the Forest Worms in real time, and as the vibrations intensified, more worms swarmed in—their survival odds approaching zero.
On the other hand, thanks to Ban Yu-won's swift intervention, the Wolf Fang Tribe had almost no casualties.
There were quite a few wounded or fallen trees, but Slothy was diligently moving between them, healing the trees.
"Can you use that ability easily, son-in-law?"
"Not exactly. But a little rest, and I'm fine."
This was his first time exercising his Authority on such a massive scale since awakening it, but thanks to the mental growth from completing the Origin Sword, the aftereffects weren't severe.
A short break, or even a sip of Blood Brew, would suffice for recovery.
"I see, I see."
"Is there something you want to ask me?"
"Quick on the uptake, good. I want to build a fortress."
He said fortress, but it didn't mean walls.
A natural fortress—a wasteland where Forest Worms would automatically deal with any enemies crossing the line.
Canid wanted to isolate their territory until the crisis passed.
And that meant...
"Are there multiple tribes hostile to you? Or rather, how many beastkin tribes are on this star to begin with?"
"How much did Lucelle tell you?"
"Up to the part about that psycho constellation bastard making contractors in other tribes besides you to control them."
"Then you've heard most of it. There are about two more tribes our size on this star, and right now those two have allied to attack us. Plus, these dimensional pirates have unified all the smaller tribes into one massive force."
It was a situation even more dire than the Three Kingdoms era.
No wonder they were throwing a banquet in the middle of this!
"Not much leeway in the situation, so... let's start right away. This width should be fine, right?"
"A bit shorter would work."
"Got it."
"I know it's not something done in a day. Do what you can and come back. That alone will help immensely."
"Sure."
Ban Yu-won let out a light sigh and snapped his fingers.
Eve, Lilith, and Tike—his familiars who always guarded him—spread out at intervals.
Others might not get it, but it was actually a terrifying sight.
Because all these familiars shared his Authority and acted as terminals to wield it.
Canid said it couldn't be done short-term, but Ban Yu-won planned to complete this natural fortress in one day.
"Let's head out now."
"Wait, take Slothy with you."
"Huh?"
Just then, having finished tending the trees, Slothy floated over to them.
She swung in like Tarzan on an elastic tree vine.
Impressed by her skill, Ban Yu-won watched as Slothy stared at him blankly and tilted her head slowly.
Very, very slowly.
"Ah, she's back to slow mode now that the fight's over."
"It's amaaazing..."
"What's so amazing?"
"Eeeeverything..."
Can I hit her?
"Take her as escort. No one in our territory can threaten Slothy."
"No need... She's fine."
"Slothy, our precious guest—please attend him properly without rudeness. It might be a fateful connection for you too."
"Hmmm..."
Ban Yu-won wanted to refuse outright, sensing the chief's sly scheme to offload his village's problem spinster along with marrying off his daughter.
"Hnnng."
But Slothy, who had ignored him completely at first, now nodded with a pleased expression.
Then, with surprisingly quick movement, she climbed onto his back.
"Hey."
"It's coooold..."
"Save your energy now so you can fight if needed. Show some consideration."
With the chief chuckling, Ban Yu-won just shrugged.
The heavy yet soft weight and sensation on his back weren't bad, honestly.
"I'll be back before nightfall."
"The forest at night is even scarier. Slothy will let you know when it's time."
Ah, so that was another reason for sending Slothy.
Ban Yu-won glanced at the Forest Worms devouring the beastkin below, then turned to Dokgo Yeon, who had retreated after some light skirmishing, and asked.
"Wanna come along?"
"Yeah, let's go together."
"Huh."
He'd asked politely, expecting her to skip such a hassle.
But Dokgo Yeon leaped lightly to land beside him, as if she'd been waiting for the question.
She felt strangely unfamiliar today, and as Ban Yu-won stared at her, she met his gaze calmly.
"What?"
"Uh... Nothing. Having you along makes it reassuring."
"Obviously."
"Then we're off."
Seeing Dokgo Yeon swiftly join the group, Canid looked clearly dismayed, but Ban Yu-won ignored it and launched forward.
Eve, Lilith, and Tike were already ahead, uprooting trees with the Authority.
With four of them wielding it efficiently, they carved out a hundreds-of-meters-wide wasteland path—like paving a road through forest in a sim game.
"To think of something this brutal."
"We can replant anytime, so it's an eco-friendly tactic."
"Yeeees..."
Slothy, riding Ban Yu-won's back with a drowsy expression, naturally joined their conversation.
"Tooootally..."
"No, it's not."
"Whaaaat eeeelse...?"
"Her thought process seems a bit off."
"That's not the only thing weird about her."
Wait, did she call my face weird earlier because I don't look beastkin-like?
Ban Yu-won shook his head in disbelief.
"Hmmmm..."
Meanwhile, Slothy pondered his non-beastkin words for a while, then watched the forest road expand in real time and nodded decisively.
"Thiiis pooower..."
"With this ability."
"Iii won't haaave to wooork eeeasy..."
"I won't have to work."
Suddenly, Slothy's grip on his shoulders tightened.
Ban Yu-won felt her internal concepts activate, different from before.
"Let's mate."
"Why say that word so fast?"
"The sloth speeds up twice..."
"Isn't the second time swimming?"
"What's swimming?"
Yeah, she's probably never swum in her life.
Nodding in understanding, Slothy pushed against him like fanning flames and said.
"Not swimming. Mating."
"Didn't want to resolve that earlier foreshadowing like this."
But he got the gist.
With him around, she wouldn't need to do her Sloth Sovereign duties—so marry him and dump the rest on him.
Feeling Dokgo Yeon's intensifying pressure beside him, Ban Yu-won replied firmly.
"Sorry, but I'll leave this place once the special activity ends."
"Fine. Males work, not our kids. We play together."
"Aha, so that's why mating."
Seek superior males for superior offspring.
For beastkin tribes with assigned roles, producing heirs to carry on roles was crucial.
His Authority wasn't limited to Wood, but Slothy reacting positively was predictable.
'Well, Lucelle liked me too for being a good earner.'
Ban Yu-won nodded, gaining deeper insight into beastkin instincts.
But understanding and accepting were different.
He was just an ordinary Earth guy hesitating over Lucelle and Mira already.
If he took Slothy, he'd have already taken those two by then...
"Sorry, I'm not that easy. Appeal more."
"Okay, show lots of ability."
So, equal opportunity—appeal with skills.
Ban Yu-won nodded again with a wry smile.
Dokgo Yeon was glaring darkly beside him, but he'd pretend not to notice for now.
True to his word, before nightfall, he succeeded in creating the wasteland natural fortress encircling the Wolf Fang Tribe's territory.