CHAPTER 98

Boom!

Crash, crash-

Rumble!

"Catch that crazy bastard!"

"Catch him? Just fry him alive!"

"You bastard! Stop right there! I said stop!"

In broad daylight, an unexpected game of tag was taking place in the middle of a black snowfield.

Even the Western Rat Tribe and the Mad Dog Tribe , known for being the fastest among the beastmen tribes, couldn't catch a single human!

It was driving them insane.

The mere fact that they couldn't catch a single human was a disgrace in itself.

But the fact that this human had infiltrated their tribe, wreaked havoc, and was breaking through them head-on added insult to injury, surpassing disgrace and turning into utter humiliation.

Especially when the tribe's most renowned fighters were knocked down, their minds went completely blank.

The bigger problem was—

Boom, boom, boom!

"How is this possible...!"

"How is a human using Body Strengthening Art!"

The sight of a human performing the Body Strengthening Art, a technique that only the rarest bloodlines among the beastmen could master, was utterly bizarre to their eyes.

Bang, bang, bang-bang-bang-

Rumble-

"Argh!"

"Ugh!"

Every time he swung his fist, the beastmen were sent flying like baseballs hit by a bat.

The resulting shockwaves completely demolished the crude straw huts, already barely holding together.

In the end, the area Elric passed through was a complete mess, to the point where the phrase "a chaotic battlefield" didn't even begin to cover it.

Some of the elders had to clutch their necks and collapse under the extreme stress.

Whether it was magic or Body Strengthening Art.

That blond human was truly beyond their comprehension.

The beastmen had mostly encountered humans who were slave hunters moving in groups.

"I'll kill you...!"

"He's trying to escape! Block that path!"

Just as several beastmen were burning with rage.

The blond man, Elric, who could be considered the root cause of all this chaos, was slightly narrowing his brows.

'Even after all this, he still hasn't shown up?'

Elric had rampaged through a total of six villages so far.

These were places he had identified based on information gathered through over thirty resets.

And each one had a 'close' connection with Tiger King Yul.

A human had personally wreaked havoc in such places, repeatedly demonstrating the Body Strengthening Art, so it was about time for a reaction....

Elric was thinking of moving to the next village, wondering if the rumors hadn't spread enough yet.

Suddenly, he felt a chilling sensation run down his spine.

"…!"

It was something indescribable.

Since mastering the Preta Sense, it was now screaming louder than ever!

Instinctively, Elric stopped his forward charge, changed direction, and rolled his body onto the ground.

Boom!

Something hit the spot where he had been standing just a moment ago with a loud crash.

'I almost had to reset...!'

Elric looked towards that spot, cold sweat dripping down, realizing how close he had come to disaster.

"…Vel?"

Would King Velence look like this if he grew older and bulked up?

A giant over two meters tall, with a vibrant look of someone in their early thirties. Yet, his face bore an uncanny resemblance to the features of King Velence.

Thus,

Elric realized that this was the person he had been searching for.

-My name comes from the great Tiger King Yul. Like Tiger King Yul, my father named me with the hope that I would revive our crumbling royal family.

King Velence had once said these words to Elric while on their way to the Temple of Flowers.

Now that Elric had met him, swept away Fury's spies, and firmly grasped absolute power once more.

He had said this with confidence, vowing to stand against Fury's ambitions and revive the royal family.

But it seemed it wasn't just the name that was the same.

How could someone from 400 years ago look exactly the same?

'Is bloodline really this terrifying?'

Tiger King Yul.

The great progenitor of the Tiger King family and the first leader of the beastmen alliance.

400 years ago, he rose from the Black Snowfield, uniting the cities of various beastmen tribes, commanding monsters at will, and becoming a great lord of the north, instilling fear in the empire. He was now standing right in front of Elric!

"Ho? Your senses are sharper than I thought. What are you? Are you really human?"

Sniff, sniff!

Tiger King Yul wrinkled his nose and sniffed Elric for a moment, then tilted his head in confusion.

"You definitely smell human. But I can't figure it out. I heard that human magic branches into many paths and seeks various mysteries, like our Body Strengthening Art. Is the magic you've learned one of those?"

Even with just a few words, Tiger King Yul displayed considerable knowledge about humans.

'Judging by the current situation, this must be before Tiger King Yul formed the beastmen alliance... Even so, to have such insights means he must have been monitoring beyond the great wall for a long time.'

Elric, unsure of how Tiger King Yul would react, deployed his magical armament, preparing himself.

At that moment, a strange light appeared in Tiger King Yul's eyes as he sensed the strong mana scent emanating from Elric.

"Tiger King, Yul!"

"Why are you here...!"

The beastmen surrounding Elric and Tiger King Yul gasped in shock.

Although they were numerically superior, their faces showed intense tension.

No, it was an emotion far beyond that.

Fear.

"Why? Have I come to a place I shouldn't be?"

Tiger King Yul narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings.

As his gaze met theirs, the beastmen flinched and involuntarily took a step back.

The corner of Tiger King Yul's lips curled up.

As if he expected this.

A smile bordering on a sneer.

For a moment, the beastmen's faces flushed red with anger, but no one dared to retaliate.

'As expected, his presence is... formidable.'

Elric felt the pressure from Tiger King Yul as well, but since he wasn't facing it head-on, he could deflect it slightly to the side, allowing him to relatively calmly observe him with his Mind's Eye.

In the Mind's Eye, Tiger King Yul appeared as a tiger.

A massive tiger, the size of a house.

He was swishing his tail as if he had found an amusing toy, but there was something about that nonchalance that tightened the observer's heart even more.

'Fortunately, it doesn't seem like he's at his peak power yet…. Well, it makes sense, since this is before the establishment of Anthromorph. He hasn't made a name for himself yet.'

It was said that at his peak, Tiger King Yul surpassed even the current era's 5th-chain, 'Superior' level.

But right now, he appeared to be at the level commonly referred to as 4th-chain, the 'Master' level.

Or more accurately, somewhere between Master and Superior.

Moreover, in terms of actual age, he seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties at most.

'Even so, if I confront him head-on, I'll be crushed instantly. It was the right decision to stir up the enemy tribes rather than those affiliated with Tiger King Yul.'

Elric had never touched the tribes under Tiger King Yul's command. His goal was to gain Tiger King Yul's favor quickly, not to incite hostility.

Of course, just stirring things up would have led them to think it was just another slave hunter, so he intentionally showcased the Body Strengthening Art.

His plan was based on the belief that if the records of Tiger King Yul's deeds were true, he was a curious and adventurous person.

And fortunately, it seemed that the goal was precisely hit.

Tiger King Yul was now standing facing the beastmen who had been chasing Elric.

It almost looked as if he was protecting Elric.

'No, this feels more like a local thug scaring off the other bullies.'

While Elric was thinking this, Tiger King Yul growled.

"If you're not going to fight, then get lost."

The beastmen were all breaking out in cold sweat and hesitated, but a few mustered the courage to shout angrily. Of course, their voices trembled noticeably.

"Hey, Velence! Are you siding with the humans now?"

"Do you think you'll get away with this unscathed?"

"Humans are the enemies of us beastmen! If you defend him, you'll be considered one of them! Are you willing to turn all beastmen against you?"

It was more like a public condemnation.

But

"Yes."

Tiger King Yul was very confident.

"I think I'll be fine."

"W-What...?"

"I said I'll be fine. Or what are you going to do about it?"

"..."

"..."

The beastmen were left speechless, their mouths agape, unable to respond to Tiger King Yul's audacity, calmly claiming he wouldn't be affected even if he turned all beastmen against him.

"So go ahead and come at me. Alright?"

King Velence gestured with his hand, indicating they could attack any time.

In the end.

"...Let's go back."

"B-But!"

"I said let's go back! Report this to the higher-ups and remain on standby until further orders!"

The beastmen had no choice but to tuck their tails and retreat slowly.

The fighters among them were furious about letting the human who had wrecked their tribe go, but with Tiger King Yul watching them, they couldn't react and just turned away.

Elric was inwardly quite surprised.

'Even though I've barged into enemy territory, no one dares to confront him. Just what kind of person is he...?'

At that moment, Tiger King Yul turned his gaze back to Elric.

"Thank you for..."

"Skip the thanks. Now, you."

As Elric straightened his posture to show respect, Tiger King Yul grabbed him by the collar and pulled his face close, baring his fangs in a menacing smile.

A somewhat ferocious smile.

"Do you know me? How do you know my name? And how do you know about Body Strengthening Art?"

It was as if that smile belonged to a tiger, the king of the mountains.

"Why aren't you answering? Or can't you?"

"You need to... let go of me first...!"

"Hmph!"

Only after Elric tapped on Tiger King Yul's fist and made a choking gesture did Tiger King Yul release his grip on his collar.

However, his fierce tiger eyes remained firmly fixed on Elric.

As if ready to crush his skull if he attempted to escape or did anything foolish.

"Cough, cough! I barely survived."

"You might actually die right here. Now, speak quickly."

Elric quickly nodded, realizing that he might have to restart his plan if he made one wrong move.

"I'm an orphan."

"What kind of nonsense is that...!"

"My parents were slash-and-burn farmers who had to flee to the Black Snowfield due to heavy imperial taxes. They struggled to have me, and then they were killed by demons. A beastman saved me when I was on the verge of death as a child."

Thanks to having thought beforehand about how to explain himself if they ever met, he could spin a plausible story smoothly.

A blatant lie that Mephisto or Sean would surely have seen through.

"He said that in this harsh place, I needed at least one or two ways to protect myself."

"So the martial art you just displayed is what you learned?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"What is that beastman's name?"

"My master said he forgot his name long ago and never told me. In fact, he never fully accepted me as his disciple. It is only in my heart that I call him my master."

Tiger King Yul stared intently into Elric's pupils for a long time, as if trying to discern whether he was lying.

***

The "Demon Encyclopedia" mentioned beastmen to some extent, much like it did with Deathworms.

They weren't classified as demons, but they were considered 'harmful' to humans to a similar degree.

The part that Elric remembered most clearly from the description was this:

[Beastmen: While they typically appear human, their essence is closer to that of wild beasts.]

[They possess much greater strength and keener senses than ordinary humans. Those known as 'fighters' can hear the heartbeat of their opponent and discern muscle tension with their sharp eyes.]

[They gather various pieces of information to assess their opponent's condition and formulate strategies.]

The statement about discerning tension with their keen senses.

This implied that they could detect lies to some extent.

'In the Academy, creating lie detector magic tools is extremely challenging, yet these guys have been doing it as naturally as breathing for 400 years....'

So, Tiger King Yul, with his far sharper senses than ordinary beastmen, could detect lies even more accurately.

However, Elric was confident he wouldn't be caught.

'All I need to do is control my blood flow artificially.'

Sean and Karl often said he was terrible at acting.

But there was one thing they reluctantly admitted he was the best at, even while shaking their heads.

His shameless face!

"...It seems you are indeed a 'brother.'"

Brother.

This was a term used among those who had mastered the Body Strengthening Art to refer to each other.

Even if they didn't share blood, they followed the same lineage so they were emotionally considered brothers.

In other words, it meant Tiger King Yul was acknowledging Elric.

At least for now, since he couldn't find anything particularly suspicious.

However, his eyes still looked fierce.

As if he would immediately cut off Elric's head at the slightest sign of suspicious behavior.

"Thank you for believing me."

"I'm not believing you because you're human. I'm trusting the heavenly bond that the Body Strengthening Art creates."

Heaven.

In their language, the concept of 'Heavenly God' was the highest god commonly worshiped by the beastmen.

And

As expected, the words Elric had been hoping for soon came out of his mouth.

"So, brother, do you have a place to rest in this harsh land?"

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