The gigantic serpent—the ruler of the forest and a spirit beast—fixed its gaze on the enemy that had trespassed into its territory.
Its scales rattled with a chilling sound, trembling as its slit pupils burned with savage hostility.
Under normal circumstances, it would have snorted at the intruder’s presence and swallowed them in a single bite.
But this time, it could not.
Because the opponent before it was an existence on the same level as itself.
At the outer edge of the forest, it found itself facing the massive Tianjiasan, the ruler of the adjacent region that bordered its own territory.
That creature was blatantly trying to encroach on this side’s domain.
To the serpent, this was incomprehensible.
Why?
Until now, they had divided their territories cleanly and coexisted without provoking each other.
Ordinary beasts fought constantly because of their raw feral instincts, but spirit beasts were different.
They had transcended their species by a vast margin, becoming distinct existences altogether—and because of that, they could sometimes think more deeply and calmly than humans.
Precisely because it was such a being, the serpent could not help but feel perplexed by the current situation.
In Tianjiasan’s sudden appearance without any prior signs, there was no hostility directed toward it.
Instead, the creature was filled with fear, clearly desperate to escape the situation as quickly as possible.
Fear?
That Tianjiasan—another spirit beast on the same level as itself—was afraid?
The serpent understood even less.
Then its senses picked up four humans following behind Tianjiasan.
A group consisting of two men and two women.
Humans appearing was not strange. Recently, humans had been showing up near this forest quite often.
Of course, since it was not the serpent’s own territory, it had not paid much attention. It might be unpleasant for the spirit beast ruling that area, but that was all.
What raised questions was why Tianjiasan was with them—and why, compared to other human groups, their numbers were so small.
Hiss.
The serpent flicked out its tongue.
A serpent spirit beast could read the “taste” of particles floating in the air through its tongue.
Through that, it could discern emotions, a rough condition, and even the power an opponent possessed.
That was why the serpent had instantly realized that Tianjiasan was gripped by fear.
Hiss!
After assessing the human group, the serpent spirit beast flinched in shock.
Not a single one of those humans could be taken lightly.
One reeked strongly of water, as if their body itself were made of it.
Another was human, yet carried a mixture of countless different beastly scents.
One of the women emitted a cold, sharp metallic smell.
Yes. Up to that point, it could still accept it.
The real problem was the long-haired man standing there—Ludger Cherish.
The serpent’s scales shuddered violently.
If the initial tremor had been born of anger, this one was pure fear.
The serpent spirit beast wondered: was that thing... truly human?
It bore the shape of a human, but the power it possessed was absolutely not human. It surpassed that boundary by such an unfathomable margin that even a spirit beast like itself could not begin to estimate it.
It was the same instinctive tremor one felt when facing an overwhelmingly powerful apex predator—one so strong it defied comprehension.
Still, the serpent was the ruler of this place. It had survived countless brushes with death to rise to the rank of a spirit beast.
Just because it encountered a powerful enemy did not mean it could immediately tuck its tail and retreat.
Tianjiasan looked at the serpent spirit beast with a pitiful gaze.
Yet at the same time, there was understanding in its eyes.
Yes. It could not be helped. Had it not thought the same way itself?
If anything, Tianjiasan felt even more wronged. At first, it had stormed over in anger, thinking another spirit beast from outside had crossed over—only to find a “monster” like that instead.
But it could not persuade the serpent spirit beast. One way or another, Tianjiasan was also in an unavoidable position.
“That one, huh.”
Ludger muttered as he stepped forward.
Tianjiasan awkwardly sidestepped and yielded the space.
Watching that, the serpent frowned, glaring at Tianjiasan as if to say, You’re a spirit beast—have you no pride?
Even after receiving that look, Tianjiasan simply turned its head away, pretending to know nothing.
That reaction left the serpent spirit beast more flustered than anything else.
“Hm. If it’s a spirit beast, no wonder even a snake is this huge.”
Ludger calmly observed the serpent spirit beast.
Its red scales gleamed with luster, and from head to tail it looked to be over thirty meters long.
A serpent of a size you would only see in a giant monster movie. Its face was vicious, and horn-like protrusions grew atop its head, making it resemble an Eastern dragon.
Naturally, being a snake, it would have venomous fangs—and as a spirit beast, it would wield lethally potent poison far beyond that of ordinary serpents.
“And judging by how you roughly gauged our level, it seems you have some way of assessing an opponent’s strength as well.”
The serpent stared at Ludger. Its instincts screamed at it to lower its head at once, but a spirit beast did not move by instinct alone.
Sometimes, even when one knew retreat was the correct choice, there were moments when retreat was impossible.
The serpent spirit beast sensed that this was one of those moments.
Ludger read its resolve and fighting spirit.
“As a guest who barged in uninvited, I won’t go too far.”
Hisssss!!
The serpent spirit beast opened its jaws wide and lunged straight at Ludger.
* * *
Ssss.
The massive serpent spirit beast moved through the forest like a surging wave, slipping between trees as it advanced.
Each time it did, trees were knocked down, carving out a path. Any sections that weren’t fully cleared were ground away by Tianjiasan using its forelimbs and scales.
The serpent spirit beast had charged at Ludger with great show—but the battle ended in less than thirty seconds.
In truth, it could not even be called a fight.
The outcome was more overwhelming than a young boy playing with a rhinoceros beetle.
In the end, the serpent spirit beast submitted to Ludger and was assigned the role of clearing a path through the forest.
The serpent spirit beast lamented quietly to itself, wondering how things had come to this.
But it could not be helped. In a world ruled by the law of the jungle, the moment one was caught by a stronger being, one’s fate was ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) sealed.
In those brief thirty seconds, the serpent suffered humiliation and pain it had never experienced even after becoming a spirit beast.
If it tried to think positively, at least it could be grateful that it had not died.
Hiss.
There was just one thing it did not like.
Of all things, why had they pulled out its teeth?
They had not removed its venom fangs, at least—but taking its teeth bare-handed was simply bewildering.
Still, teeth removed were teeth removed, and the serpent spirit beast had no choice but to do as Ludger ordered.
If there was any consolation, it was that there was another companion beside it in a similar predicament.
They had once been neighbors, wary of each other due to their adjacent territories—who would have thought they would come to empathize with each other so deeply like this?
The sorrowful gazes of the serpent spirit beast and Tianjiasan spirit beast intertwined in midair.
Kuwaaaak!
At that moment, a roar warning of danger erupted from afar.
The sound was so thunderous that the forest trees swayed violently, birds flapping into the air.
Once again, it was a warning cry emitted by a spirit beast.
The serpent spirit beast recalled who lived in that region.
A gigantic gorilla. A creature fused with trees, its entire body covered in hardened bark.
But just because it was wood did not mean it could be underestimated—its skin was tougher than most metals.
In terms of sheer size, it did not lose to the two spirit beasts present, and with its agility—leaping from tree to tree—and ability to wield weapons, it was an extremely troublesome opponent.
That gorilla spirit beast had sensed the two spirit beasts invading its territory together and reacted.
Soon, with a cracking sound, trees toppled, and the massive gorilla revealed itself.
It beat its chest with both fists like a drum.
It was a clear warning: take one more step and it would not be tolerated.
The serpent spirit beast and Tianjiasan spirit beast looked at each other.
As their eyes met, both flinched at the same time.
Their uneasy gazes shifted toward Ludger.
Ludger was currently looking at the gorilla spirit beast with interest.
Kwaaaak!
Unaware of that, the gorilla spirit beast continued pounding its chest, doing its best to seize the initiative.
But it did not take long for it to realize something was strange.
Kwack?
It had thought the two spirit beasts were going to attack it together, but the reaction felt oddly lukewarm.
Even though it had appeared, they were just staring blankly.
Rather than hostility... how should it put it?
They were looking at it with pity, which made it all the harder to understand.
Only then did the gorilla spirit beast realize that the two spirit beasts were accompanied by a group of humans.
Casey asked Ludger,
“Don’t tell me... again?”
She looked slightly unsettled, having realized what Ludger was about to do.
She knew spirit beasts were dangerous, but after what she had seen twice already, she could practically see what was coming next.
Veronica felt the same way.
“Uh, well. At this point, instead of feeling tense, I almost feel sorry for the spirit beasts.”
Spirit beasts were strong enough that even master-ranked knights could not help but tense up around them.
In terms of situational peculiarity and pure physical output alone, it was possible for a spirit beast to kill a master-ranked knight.
And yet, encountering one in the forest and feeling pity instead of tension.
Veronica seriously wondered if something was wrong with her head.
Hans looked down at the snake’s tooth he had received from Ludger, then at the gorilla, and then back at Ludger.
“Boss... don’t tell me?”
Ludger did not answer. Instead, he flashed a crooked grin and stepped forward toward the gorilla spirit beast.
The serpent and Tianjiasan jumped in surprise and hurriedly moved aside.
The gorilla spirit beast looked even more puzzled.
The rulers of the region were afraid of such a small human?
And why were they looking at it as if it were pitiful?
The gorilla spirit beast’s ferocious gaze turned toward Ludger.
Its face twisted as it poured out unrestrained fury at the small human.
How dare a puny human step forward before me?
The gorilla spirit beast raised its fist, resolved to smash Ludger flat in one blow.
Ah.
The serpent spirit beast and Tianjiasan spirit beast watched the gorilla’s judgment with pity.
At the same time, they felt relief.
Because another comrade was about to be added.
* * *
Oooh, ooh!
The gorilla spirit beast, blood streaming from its nose, lay flat before Ludger, begging.
The fight had been easy. The surroundings were devastated, and the gorilla spirit beast had been beaten utterly one-sidedly by Ludger.
Even the scorched terrain around them was the result of Ludger hurling the gorilla spirit beast around like a toy.
Only then did the gorilla spirit beast finally understand.
Why that crafty serpent and the prideful Tianjiasan were working together.
Why they were shrinking back, watching the mood of that small human so carefully.
The gorilla spirit beast endured the throbbing pain in its gums.
Its teeth had been cleanly shattered by Ludger’s magic.
“You guide us too.”
The spirit beast immediately understood what Ludger meant.
And it also understood why the other two spirit beasts had come this far.
But the realization came far too late.
Thus, another spirit beast was added to Ludger’s group.
Now numbering three, the spirit beasts exchanged glances.
They had realized that Ludger’s group was heading deeper into the forest.
The deeper one went, the stronger the spirit beasts that existed there.
Predators they would normally never want to trespass upon lightly.
But could those predators really be stronger than this small human?
The three spirit beasts exchanged looks and nodded at the same time.
They had transcended their species with mana, possessing reason while still retaining the instincts of beasts.
And those instincts told them clearly—
This human would not stop until he reached the center of the forest.
And along the way, a great many spirit beasts would end up joining him.
Kkaeeeeeek!
From far away came a cry like a chicken being slaughtered.
It was a call that sent a chill down the spine by instinct, even among fellow spirit beasts.
But now that the three had become one group, their reaction was lukewarm.
Soon, a massive bird with an enormous beak appeared, running across the forest on two legs.
It looked like a mix between a reptile and a chicken, and its size was considerable.
It too was one of the dominant rulers of the surrounding region.
In particular, its ability to turn prey into stone just by looking at them was truly threatening.
Upon appearing, it glared at the three spirit beasts.
The three spirit beasts returned its gaze with eyes full of pity.
Kkaek?
The creature tilted its head, as if it could not understand.
The gorilla spirit beast waved a hand at it, patting the spot beside itself.
It was a gesture telling it to come over on its own.
Before falling victim to the unknown danger that had come from outside, it was the best advice one spirit beast could give another:
Kneel first, while you still can.