This would ensure its descendants, like itself, would far surpass their kin and become overlords of the Wilderness.

With a powerful leader, their race wouldn’t be like the black oat grass of spring, which boomed and busted in a yearly cycle.

Decades ago, their Tribe’s Warriors had numbered only in the hundreds. Under its leadership, they had continuously expanded and grown, and now they were a large Tribe of several thousand.

This was why Tikli deeply understood the importance of a powerful individual.

Take Gus’s Centaur Race, for example. They had once been so weak they could only act as bandits in the Wilderness, raiding wherever they went.

But with the birth of a Centaur favored by the Centaur God, the Centaur Race had grown strong in an unimaginable way.

His giant hooves could shatter rock with ease. His innate control of the Thunder Element allowed him to chase the sun and race the lightning. The Arrows he loosed were like thunderbolts in a downpour, striking fear into all hearts.

He was strong—so strong that Tikli felt a single glance from him would reduce it to a pile of charred ash in the next second.

That was precisely why it craved the Primordial Blood Crystal so desperately.

If it devoured the crystal and purified its Bloodline, it too might awaken an elemental ability and pass that Power on to its descendants.

In fact, every powerful Tribe from the depths of the Wilderness had gathered here for the Primordial Blood Crystal.

Tikli couldn’t help but recall its childhood, its mind gradually drifting away.

"Where are we?"

Levi asked in a low, muffled voice. He was surrounded by a crowd of Barbarians who stood around eight and a half feet tall. He himself was just over six feet. Looking around, all he could see was a sea of exaggerated pectoral muscles that even Iron Armor couldn’t conceal.

"We’re at the bottom of the slope. Most of the Pigmen are positioned halfway up," Masha replied. She was using the two decorative horns on the Lord’s helmet as handholds, acting as a lookout tower.

From her elevated vantage point, she was the only one who could clearly see what was happening outside.

"Can we sneak past the halfway point?"

Levi asked.

The Barbarians were brave and powerful, but attacking from below would drain more of their stamina. Not to mention the enemy had Catapults, though they couldn’t be used at such a close range.

But there were definitely Giant Stones on the slope. If those were rolled down, besides him and Zat, probably none of the other Barbarians could withstand a direct hit.

Therefore, it was best to sneak up on them before launching the attack.

"It’ll be difficult, but we can try," Masha said, frowning.

After all, the Snow Mirror Technique wasn’t some advanced Magic. If they got too close, the chances of being discovered were high.

Fortunately, although these Pigmen were on patrol, they were quite lazy. Some were even wrapped in animal hides, napping in the snow.

"Then there’s nothing more to say. Keep advancing. We’ll charge only when we’re discovered," Levi declared.

Getting this close was already beyond his expectations. Every extra step they took from here on out was a bonus.

After all, without Masha leading the way, if they had just charged straight in, they would have undoubtedly endured several volleys from the Catapults.

At least now the Barbarians wouldn’t have to block hard boulders with their bare bodies.

At the Lord’s request, the Barbarians did their best to clear a path, allowing Levi to reach the very edge of the magical shroud.

After just one glance, he decided on their route.

"We’ll sneak up from the west. Quietly up the slope. No talking."

The group of muscle-bound giants moved like teenage girls learning ballet, tiptoeing up the slope.

From here, they could already see the silhouettes of the three Catapults at the top of the slope. A few Giants were nearby, hauling Giant Stones up to them.

PFFFT~

A sudden muffled sound cut through the silent, snowy night. It was jarringly out of place.

"What was that?"

A drowsy Pigman snapped awake, looking cautiously toward the source of the noise.

But under the moonlight, there was nothing there—it looked just like the rest of the snow-covered ground. It cautiously picked up the blade it had stuck in the snow and walked over.

MEOW~

A cat’s meow suddenly rang out.

The Pigman breathed a sigh of relief and stopped in its tracks. A cat... my ass.

’How could there be an animal like that in a godforsaken place like this?’ It remained still, then turned around, opening its mouth to shout "Enemy attack!" But when it did, no sound came out.

’Huh, why am I suddenly so short?’

it thought, as its vision went black.

"You little bastard. I knew you wouldn’t buy it."

The Lord flicked a drop of blood from his Holy Sword, sneering at the headless corpse that had fallen to the ground.

Only then did the body seem to register what had happened. Blood began to spurt from the neck, dyeing the white snow crimson and filling the air with a foul, coppery stench.

"You idiot! You can’t even hold in a fart. How are you ever going to accomplish anything great?" Turning around, Levi laid into Zat, who was scratching his head with a sheepish grin.

"Boss, it’s just... I ate too many roasted radishes tonight," Zat said, looking aggrieved while poking his index fingers together.

He had, however, learned a valuable lesson: never bet on a fart being silent!

Masha’s face was deathly pale. It was the first time in her life she had witnessed firsthand how fragile life was. With just a single swing of a longsword, a large head had been sent tumbling into the snow.

The goriest thing she had ever seen until now was her mother killing a chicken back home.

"How are you feeling?"

The Lord lifted her down from his shoulders.

Masha just shook her head without a word. In the bright moonlight, her face was as pale as if it had been soaked in water for a day and a night.

"Hey, the first time I killed someone, I was vomiting and had diarrhea too. Don’t hold it in. Just let it out."

She might have been fine if he hadn’t said anything. But as soon as the Lord spoke, the image of what had just happened flashed through her mind, and Masha could no longer hold it back.

She bent over and began to dry-heave.

"Tsk, tsk." Levi shook his head.

In truth, he was lying. The first person he had killed after coming to this world was the brothel manager who had tricked his predecessor and nearly sold him into prostitution.

Levi remembered it clearly. He had used his agile skills to sneak into the courtyard at night. The guy was in his room counting the money he’d gotten from selling Levi’s predecessor to the brothel.

He had walked right in, lopped off the dog’s head with his sword from behind, and then, having been hungry all day, had heartily enjoyed the freshly prepared meal on the table. After eating his fill, he had brazenly looted all the money and left the city, making a run for a neighboring town.

To be honest, he had been scared, sure. But then he remembered he had the Power to kill several bulls with a single punch, and the fear vanished.

As for being disgusted? Back home during the New Year, Levi had always been the one to butcher the pig. Anyone who’s killed a person knows that, honestly, the two acts are pretty similar. It’s just that one of them is your own kind.

"The tactic is simple. First, we charge up and take the top of the slope. Then, we’ll loose three volleys of Javelins, followed by another charge. Leave every last one of these pathetic bastards here for me!"

Levi commanded swiftly.

The slight commotion had already drawn the attention of the Pigman guards, who were beginning to converge on their position.

Luckily, they were already very close to the top. They could charge up there in the span of a few dozen breaths at most.

"Charge!"

The Barbarians stopped hiding. Some seventy of them charged up the mountain with their Lord.

They instantly collided with the approaching Pigmen, and in a flash, a whole swath of Pigmen were cut down.

One had to understand, even Berserk Minotaurs could only trade a few blows with the Barbarians, let alone these Pigmen who were barely over seven feet tall.

Masha was stunned by the sight.

In her imagination, war was a struggle where soldiers from both sides fought and died, trading lives for lives.

But now...

Only the Pigmen were falling. These Beastman Guards of High Cliff Castle were like hardworking old farmers, harvesting the straw before them with scythes.

The battle was completely one-sided.

The Lord didn’t even have to lift a finger. He just stayed by Masha’s side, protecting the group’s only Caster.

"So, what do you think? My men are the elite of the elite, the ace of aces. I don’t even need to get involved to deal with a bunch of small-time losers."

The Lord stood with his hands on his hips, looking smug. He had the grand air of a general surveying his domain.