Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Horrified Hamsuke.
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Hamsuke stood in silence, watching yet another monster village reduced to ruins before his eyes.
By now, he had grown accustomed to his new master's relentless massacres across the Great Forest of Tob.
The same, however, could not be said for the trembling demon snake beside him—one of the three rulers of the forest, the Demon Snake of the West, Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun.
Indarun had noticed Lioro's overwhelming power shortly after the slaughter began in the western forest. Realizing resistance was futile, he surrendered immediately. Lioro accepted his submission, using him as a guide for the region.
With two of the three great rulers now serving him, Lioro's extermination of the monsters proceeded with chilling efficiency.
"M-Master… are you planning to kill all the monsters?"
The demon snake's voice wavered as he gazed upon the smoldering remains of a kobold village, decimated by Hollow Purple.
Lioro turned to him, his expression indifferent.
"I'm leaving many alive," he replied, pointing to the scattered survivors—less than ten percent of the original village.
Indarun swallowed dryly, his scales twitching in fear as he stared at Lioro.
"What was your name again, snake?"
"I-It's Ryraryus Spenia Ai Indarun, Master…"
"That's too long."
"T-That—"
"From now on, you'll be called Fang."
Indarun—now Fang—blinked in stunned silence, unsure how to react.
"Take me to the next monster gathering, Fang."
"R-Right away, Master…"
Rubbing his hands together in submission, Fang quickly guided Lioro and Hamsuke to the next village.
After flattening several more goblin and kobold settlements under Fang's lead, Lioro arrived at a vast lake.
A sense of déjà vu washed over him.
"This place seems familiar…" he murmured.
"Master, this is where the lizardmen live," Fang informed him.
Lioro's eyes glowed.
"I remember there being five tribes?"
"Yes, Master. The Green Claw, Dragon Tusk, Red Eye, Small Fang, and Razor Tail tribes."
"Which one is in front of us?" Lioro asked, gesturing at the wooden huts in the distance.
"I can't tell from here, Master…" Fang admitted, rubbing his head.
Lioro touched his chin, glancing at the sun. There were still a few hours before sunset—enough time to wipe out all five tribes.
"Let's go meet the lizardmen."
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Dragon Tusk Lizardmen Tribe
"I see an intruder!"
A loud clanking rang throughout the village as the guards spotted Lioro, accompanied by Hamsuke and Fang.
Within moments, over two hundred lizardmen gathered, including two druids.
A towering 2.3-meter-tall lizardman stepped forward, a crimson insignia on his chest, gripping a massive halberd.
"I am Zenberu Gugu, Chieftain of the Dragon Tusk Tribe! State your purpose, human!"
His sharp gaze flickered between the two creatures beside Lioro, lingering on Hamsuke. A wave of unease crawled up his spine as he tightened his grip on his weapon.
Lioro's eyes briefly swept over the crowd before he asked in a calm voice,
"Have you gathered all your tribesmen?"
A sudden chill crawled down Zenberu's back. He gritted his teeth and barked, "What do you mean by—"
Before he could finish, Hollow Purple pierced through his body, disintegrating his abdomen instantly.
The lizardmen froze, their minds struggling to process what had just happened.
『Experience gained: 1963』
Lioro guided Hollow Purple with surgical precision, weaving through the village, cutting down lizardmen in droves.
"Argh!"
"What is this?!"
A volley of arrows and tier-one shark stone spells hurtled toward him.
Hamsuke casually swung his tail, swatting away the projectiles like mere flies.
Seeing their attacks prove useless and their kin slaughtered before their eyes, the two druids collapsed to their knees, crying out in desperation.
"Human mage! Spare us!"
Hollow Purple silenced them.
A handful of lizardmen attempted to flee. Lioro turned to Fang.
"Capture them."
"Yes, Master…"
Fang slithered forward, activating invisibility.
[The Second-tier magic "Invisibility" has been discovered. It requires a basic magician profession and a level requirement of 8-14. The current conditions are not met…]
["Genius (Magician)" profession has been activated. Transformation successful. The learning conditions are met. Do you want to consume 1 skill point to learn it?]
Invisibility was useful.
'Yes.'
[Learned magic "Invisibility." 1 skill point spent.]
The knowledge of the spell instantly imprinted itself in Lioro's mind.
As the massacre neared its end, Lioro approached the ten remaining survivors, who trembled under Fang's grasp.
"P-Please, mighty one! Spare us!" a young lizardman pleaded, shielding his younger brother.
"You have a treasure?" Lioro asked flatly.
"Y-Yes! A pot that produces endless wine!"
Lioro raised a brow. "Wine?"
The lizardman trembled but pushed forward.
"W-We will give it to you! Just let us live!"
Lioro considered this for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
Hope flickered in their eyes.
"Go fetch the treasure and tell me where the other tribes are. Then I'll let you go."
The young lizardman hesitated but, seeing Lioro's blank expression, quickly ran toward the chieftain's house. Moments later, he returned, struggling to carry a massive wine pot.
Lioro studied it with interest. The pot was nearly as tall as he was.
"Hamsuke, come here."
Hamsuke tilted his head before stepping forward.
The moment he did, Lioro stepped on his face and jumped onto his back, peering inside the pot.
"M-Master! Why did you hit Hamsuke's nose, that you did?!"
Hamsuke whined in protest.
Lioro ignored him, pulling off the cloth covering the pot. Inside, it was filled to the brim with cheap-smelling wine.
A familiar panel appeared before his eyes.
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Item: Magical Items•Utility•Great Wine Pot
Level: Common (No Level Restriction)
Restrictions: None
Effects: Magical Wine Production
Passive: Generates low-quality wine by spending magic.
Introduction: A legendary artifact among drunkards, this pot never runs dry, though the taste leaves much to be desired.
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Lioro stared at the pot. So this was the fabled artifact of drunkards.
Turning back to the lizardmen, he asked, "Tell me where the other tribes are."
The young lizardman bowed his head and hurriedly gave up their locations.
Lioro nodded and waved his hand.
"Alright. You're free to go."
The survivors exchanged nervous glances before cautiously getting up. Taking slow steps at first, they soon broke into a full sprint, vanishing into the forest.
Lioro stored the wine pot inside his prop box and continued toward the next lizardman village.