Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Kshar took his stance again.

Blood dripping from his shoulder fell into the mud.

Thump.

Excitement came before tension.

The Lizardman chief I had faced hundreds of times through a monitor was now right in front of me, actually swinging his tail.

‘After the tail comes the bite.’

The sequence I had taught chiefs when raising a Lizardman tribe came back to me exactly.

Kshar twisted his head, opened his mouth wide, and lunged.

Swoosh.

I stepped to the side, and yellow teeth snapped at empty air right in front of me.

Clack!

‘Next comes the spear.’

As expected, the bone spear came for my side.

I deflected it with my spear shaft and stepped back.

Hissing spread from the swamp’s edge.

[Interpretation]

“The chief’s tail, teeth, and spear all missed. That hairless one knows how the scaled tribe fights!”

Uoooooh!

Cheers erupted from the tribe members behind me.

Pantelun raised his fist and shouted.

“Ruler! Keep pushing! None of his attacks are reaching you!”

Kshar’s yellow eyes trembled.

[Interpretation]

“How are you dodging everything! How does one without scales know the spear of the scaled tribe!”

“After the bite comes the spear. I’m telling you, I can see the whole sequence.”

Kshar slammed his tail hard against the mud.

Then he pulled his tail far back.

If he meant to swing it, his right leg should have dragged through the mud first.

But his leg didn’t move.

‘A feint.’

He was pretending to swing his tail while thrusting the bone spear first. It was a trick a cornered chief always tried at least once in the game.

I twisted my body, and the bone spear grazed past my side.

The young Lizardman who had opposed the duel couldn’t hold back and shouted.

[Interpretation]

“Chief! Even your feint was read! What is that hairless one!”

I adjusted my grip on the spear shaft.

‘I’ve fought your kind longer than your own chief has.’

Graaaaaah!

Kshar roared and charged again.

This time there was no sequence.

Tail and bone spear came at me randomly. He had abandoned his pattern and was trying to overwhelm me with brute force.

‘He’s getting desperate.’

Boom!

When the tail struck my spear shaft, both my arms went numb.

He definitely had the advantage in strength.

Even so, I laughed despite the numbness in my arms. Chiefs who relied only on strength never lasted long in the game either.

“Ruler! Don’t take his tail head-on!”

At Pantelun’s shout, I nodded and stepped back.

I targeted the red point on Kshar’s left shoulder that Vital Point Detection was showing me.

The moment Kshar raised his bone spear high, that shoulder opened up.

Smack!

The spear shaft struck the wound on his shoulder precisely.

Kshaaaak!

The bone spear flew from Kshar’s hand and stuck into the mud.

Grrrrrr!

Valkas raised his great spear and roared.

[Interpretation]

“The scaled one dropped his spear! Ruler! Now!”

But Kshar didn’t retreat after losing his weapon.

He lowered his body and threw his entire torso at me.

I had expected it, but with my ankles sunk in mud, there was no time to evade.

Boom!

His massive body slammed into my chest.

I was sent flying backward and crashed into the mud. Fishy soil filled my mouth.

“Ruler! Are you all right!”

I heard Pantelun about to rush in.

“Don’t come! This is an oath-bound fight!”

I shouted as I spat out mud.

My ribs hurt.

But hot energy rose from deep inside my body. It was the Berserker trait.

‘This isn’t enough to finish me.’

I planted a hand in the mud and stood.

[Remaining Descent Time: 6 minutes]

Kshar was also getting up from the mud. Confusion showed in his yellow eyes.

[Interpretation]

“You can still stand? Even a warrior of the scaled tribe would be unable to rise for a while after taking that.”

“Your chiefs always try to finish things with a body slam after losing their weapon. I knew it was coming, so I could take it.”

Kshar bared his teeth and hissed. But the sound was much weaker than before.

Whoooosh!

Cold wind blew across the swamp after sunset.

Kshar’s arms and legs had visibly stiffened. He had spent all his strength on the body slam, and now his body was being hit by the cold wind too.

The old Lizardman closed his eyes and muttered.

[Interpretation]

“Even a chief cannot endure standing out of the water that long in a swamp after sunset.”

Kshar stood on trembling legs and rasped.

[Interpretation]

“Not yet. A chief of the scaled tribe does not kneel!”

I aimed the spearpoint beneath Kshar’s chin.

‘This ends now.’

I kicked off the mud and charged.

Kshar swung his tail, but it was slow.

I slipped past the tail and drove the spear shaft upward beneath his chin.

Crack!

Kshar’s head snapped back, and his massive body fell flat into the mud.

I flipped the spear and drove the spearpoint into the mud beside Kshar’s neck.

Thrust!

There was only enough space for one finger between the spearpoint and his scales.

Kshar’s yellow eyes looked down at the spearpoint.

Trembling traveled up the shaft. I couldn’t tell whether it was Kshar trembling or my own arms.

“Submit. I have no intention of killing your people.”

[Interpretation]

“You will not kill us? The law of the Scale Oath says the victor takes the loser’s head.”

“I don’t need your head. What I need is you and your people.”

The swamp fell completely silent.

The Lizardmen, once 240 strong, as well as the humans and orcs, were all looking at Kshar.

I couldn’t relax the hand gripping the spear. If Kshar refused here, everything would start over.

After staring at the spearpoint for a long time, Kshar slowly lowered his tail into the mud.

[Interpretation]

“By the Scale Oath, I, Kshar, and the small tribe shall serve Lee Junhyeok as chief.”

At that moment, the old Lizardman was the first to lower his bone spear into the mud.

[Interpretation]

“We offer our scales to the new chief. Everyone, lower your spears.”

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Bone spears fell into the mud one after another. Even the young Lizardman who had opposed the duel lowered his spear while grinding his teeth.

Ding!

[Scale Oath Victory]

The Lizardman Small Tribe has submitted.

Racial Composition: Humanity 100 / Orcs 9 / Lizardmen 175

Population: 109 → 284

Ding!

[Empire Quest: Foundation of the Empire]

▸ Subjugate 3 races: Complete ✓

▸ Reach a tribe population of 300: 284 / 300

▸ Possess 5 Awakened individuals: 2 / 5

‘284 people.’

Only 16 remained until the population requirement for the Empire Quest.

Only then did my chest grow hot. I had won this fight hundreds of times in the game, yet this single victory was far more exhilarating.

Uooooooooh!

Graaaaaah!

The humans and orcs erupted into cheers together.

Pantelun ran through the mud and dropped to one knee.

“I knew you would win, Ruler. Pantelun never doubted you for even a moment.”

“Your face was completely pale earlier.”

Pantelun lowered his head with an embarrassed expression.

Then the young Lizardman who had opposed the duel approached. Hostility still remained in his eyes.

[Interpretation]

“I will honor the Scale Oath. But one day, I will break your spear and reclaim this swamp.”

“Come anytime. But until then, learn how to hold a spear properly from Pantelun first.”

Pantelun looked the young Lizardman up and down, then struck the ground with his spear shaft.

“Come to the training ground before sunrise starting tomorrow. If you’re late, I’ll tie up your tail.”

Kshar touched his neck as he got to his feet.

[Interpretation]

“New chief. I will tell you one thing. Once the great tribe learns of this, they will come to sweep away this entire swamp.”

“The group that split away had 240, so the main tribe must be several times larger. When that happens, I’ll just subjugate the great tribe too.”

Kshar stared at me, then made a hissing sound.

It was laughter.

Grrrr!

Valkas approached with his great spear resting on his shoulder.

[Interpretation]

“Ruler. As promised, if you tear off the scaled one’s tail and bring it to this body, I will make you a necklace.”

Kshar flinched and pulled his tail behind his body.

“We’re the same tribe now, so leave his tail attached.”

Valkas lowered his great spear with a disappointed expression.

[Interpretation]

“A shame. That tail would have made a good necklace.”

I turned toward Kshar.

“Kshar. Take care of the injured first. The humans and orcs will help treat them, so build huts by the water and let them rest.”

[Interpretation]

“You will treat the scaled tribe who were your enemies? I have never seen such a chief even in the great tribe.”

“We’re not enemies anymore. I take care of my tribe.”

Kshar silently placed a hand over the scales on his chest and bowed his head deeply.

It felt strange that the ones who had been pointing spears at me moments ago were now my tribe members.

[Remaining Descent Time: 2 minutes]

There wasn’t much time left.

“Pantelun, help Kshar tend to the injured. Valkas, guard the swamp with the orcs.”

“I obey!”

Grr!

The two Awakened pounded their chests side by side.

Kshar and the old Lizardman also lowered their tails into the mud and bowed their heads.

Vwoom!

My heart thumped heavily as white light covered my vision.

____________

When I opened my eyes, I saw the white door of the restroom stall.

There wasn’t a single speck of mud on my clothes.

‘I’m back.’

It was hard to believe that I had been swinging a spear in the mud just moments ago.

When I left the restroom and returned to the restaurant, an employee approached carrying a takeout bag.

“Sir, we packed your meat. It may have cooled down a little. Would you like us to reheat it?”

“It’s fine. I think even cold meat will taste good today.”

Holding the shopping bag in one hand and the takeout bag in the other, I left the restaurant.

The moment I stepped onto the escalator, a notification sounded.

Ding!

[Achievement Accomplished!]

★ First Scale Oath ★

You have subdued the chief of another race through a duel.

▸ Reward: +250P

▸ Current Points: 280P

‘280 points.’

I decided to think carefully about where to spend them after getting home and opened the observation screen.

In front of a hut by the swamp, a human woman was wrapping hide cloth around a Lizardman’s shoulder. Beside her, an orc was handing smoked meat to a young Lizardman.

In the background, Pantelun was already teaching the young Lizardman how to hold a spear.

The Empire Quest window’s Awakened 2 / 5 caught my eye.

‘Next comes the Awakened.’

A smile kept escaping me the entire ride down the escalator.

There Is Primitive Humanity Inside My Body

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Webjung

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