The Hero Becomes the Duke's Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 181

Originally, the serpent divine beast Jormungandr was an enormous and magnificent creature, towering like a mountain.

The scales covering its massive body shimmered with a white light, reminiscent of the soft glow of moonlight, while its eyes gleamed with a golden hue, like an additional full moon in the sky.

Because of this, it was also known as the "Serpent that Swallowed the Moon."

Now, however, it was no more than a tiny and adorable little snake, small enough to befriend an earthworm.

The serpent divine beast Jormungandr spoke.

*"That mammal, or rather, that human who wielded that foul energy appeared before me as well, just as the cat mentioned."*

The serpent divine beast, too, had been overpowered by that mysterious stone, leaving it helpless.

The serpent divine beast continued speaking.

*"That stone steals our fundamental power, our divinity. And I saw something."*

*"What did you see?"*

*"I saw that cursed stone containing the power of other divine beasts as well. And it wasn’t just one human wielding that foul energy. There was a group of them."*

*"A group?"*

*Hisssss,* the tiny white snake flicked its forked tongue.

*"A group of warriors attacked me. Black fur and the stench of filthy beasts... It was definitely the Black Tiger Tribe."*

*"Wait, what? What did you say, snake? The Black Tiger Tribe?"*

The cat divine beast was shocked.

*"Why would those who live in the western forest be here?"*

*"How should I know, you foolish cat."*

*"Kyaak! Who are you calling foolish!"*

While the kitten and the baby snake bickered, Aden focused on the mention of a new term.

*"The Black Tiger Tribe, huh..."*

As the name suggested, the Black Tiger Tribe was a clan of black tiger beastmen.

This southern great forest was divided into the eastern and western forests, with the vast plains in the center, known as the "Bone Rock Plains."

Unlike the eastern forest, which developed under the leadership of shamans and beast tamers, the tribes in the western forest had a more combative nature, focusing on strength and warrior training.

*"The Black Tiger Tribe resides in the western forest, a tribe of tiger beastmen who are quite aggressive and have become the dominant force in the western forest."*

*"How do you know so much, Dragonslayer?"*

It was impossible not to know.

In the future, during the war with the Anguis Magic Tower Kingdom, the Black Tiger Tribe would lead the Great Forest Alliance, and the "Great Chief" who headed the alliance would be none other than the chieftain of the Black Tiger Tribe.

*"Great Forest Alliance, Chaos, divine beast hunting, the Black Tiger Tribe..."*

As the keywords came together, the puzzle started to fit.

Aden's eyes grew cold.

*"Could it be that the Black Tiger Tribe has joined forces with Chaos? To become the Great Chief?"*

If so, everything made sense.

The reason for attacking the divine beasts was clear.

*"The Black Tiger Tribe is already the ruler of the western forest, but not the eastern forest. They must be eliminating the divine beasts to bring the eastern forest under their control as well."*

Unlike the western forest, the eastern forest heavily depended on the protection of the divine beasts.

So, with the divine beasts gone, it would be easy to dominate the eastern region.

*"On the other hand, for Chaos, it would have been a good opportunity to acquire the divine beasts as valuable offerings. They could also manipulate the Black Tiger Tribe from behind to their advantage."*

With their interests aligned, it was only natural for them to form an alliance.

This could only mean one thing.

*"The war between the Magic Tower Kingdom and the Great Forest... Could that have been orchestrated by Chaos too?"*

Aden's hand clenched, the veins bulging as he gripped his fist tightly.

The Magic Tower Kingdom and the Great Forest had always been in conflict for a very long time.

So it was only a matter of time before war broke out.

When the war eventually did occur in his previous life, most people reacted with a "just as expected" attitude.

Even Aden hadn’t anticipated this.

The possibility that Chaos might have been involved in that war had never crossed his mind.

*"The Great Forest War only happened because the Great Chief unified the tribes."*

The chieftain of the Black Tiger Tribe, who would soon be called the Great Chief, Kaan.

He unified the previously scattered tribes of the forest under the banner of the "Alliance," effectively bringing all the tribes of the Great Forest under one rule.

No matter how much the massacre by the Magic Tower Kingdom's wizards acted as a catalyst, the war wouldn’t have occurred if the Great Chief hadn’t unified the forces of the Great Forest.

*"Wait, wizards?"*

As he followed his train of thought, he suddenly paused.

*"Could the massacre by the wizards also be related to this incident?"*

It might be speculation, but the possibility was there.

Of course, the inhumane acts committed by the wizards of the Magic Tower were not limited to that incident alone.

Many wizards regarded the beastmen of the Great Forest as mere animals, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to capture beastmen for magical experiments or use them as targets to test their magical achievements.

But considering the centuries-old history, these incidents occurred sporadically, about once every decade.

However, the timing of that incident shortly after Kaan, the chieftain of the Black Tiger Tribe, unified the Great Forest was too coincidental.

There had to be some hidden secret behind that event.

*"It seems this situation is becoming more complicated than I thought."*

*"So, what are you planning to do now?"*

*"First, I need to save the other divine beasts quickly."*

Now that he knew the Black Tiger Tribe of the west had formed an alliance with Chaos, the eastern forest would need the power of the divine beasts to avoid being conquered by them.

There was even more reason to protect the divine beasts now.

*"I dislike mammals."*

The serpent divine beast Jormungandr spoke.

*"Mammals are filthy, noisy, and so greedy that they can’t be satisfied with even the smallest thing. That's why I despise them."*

Then, with its golden eyes shining brightly, the creature added,

*"But I despise the mammals who dare to disrespect our divine beasts, who foolishly overstep their bounds, even more. I will surely purge them."*

The serpent's cold-blooded eyes gleamed with intense murderous intent and resolve.

*"Extend your hand to me."*

Aden extended his hand in response to the request.

The serpent divine beast then slithered up Aden's right arm, coiling around his wrist.

*"It might sting for a moment, but don't be alarmed. I’m not trying anything suspicious."*

*Crunch.*

With those words, the serpent divine beast sank its fangs into Aden's wrist.

Aden considered protesting, wondering what the creature was up to, but since he had *Mandokbulchim*, he decided to wait and see.

<-You have obtained the 'Blessing of Jormungandr.'->

Just as the cat divine beast had bestowed a blessing upon Aden, the serpent divine beast now did the same.

[Blessing of Jormungandr]

[The blessing bestowed by the divine beast Jormungandr, the ruler of White Cloud Mountain.

-The recipient's five senses will be greatly enhanced.]

Coiled around Aden's arm like a bracelet, Jormungandr hissed as it flicked its tongue.

-"I will go with you. If it means I can eliminate those filthy tigers and that abominable corpse, I will help you."*

-"Well, if that's the case."

Aden shrugged.

He wasn’t sure how much help this "bracelet snake" would be, but since he had already received an advance payment, there was no need to refuse.

And so, the serpent divine beast Jormungandr joined the party.

Aden looked around at his companions: Lowe, Unknown, the cat divine beast, and the others.

-"Let's move on to the next place."

The next destination was the forest at the southernmost part of the eastern great forest, where the "Silver Wolf Tribe" and their divine beast resided.

* * *

In the eastern forest, there were dozens of divine beasts and various tribes.

However, among them, there were four beings that could truly be called "divine beasts," possessing proper divine spirits.

The Red Cat of the North.

The White Snake of the East.

The Blue Bear of the West.

The Silver Wolf of the South.

Among these, the three divine beasts, except for the White Snake, which had no tribe to care for it, each protected a specific tribe.

Naturally, these tribes became the strongest in the eastern region of the Great Forest, also known as the eastern forest.

And currently,

At a rocky mountain located in the eastern forest.

*"Grooooaaar!"*

The guardian divine beast of the Blue Bear Tribe, *Cheongung*, roared with its wounded body.

*Thud!*

The gigantic Blue Bear, *Cheongung*, which was over 10 meters long, collapsed as it breathed its last breath.

*Thud.*

A man in a black robe sat atop one of the rocks on the rocky mountain.

"Hoo. Even though they're just husks without their divinity, hunting them continuously is quite exhausting."

"Thank you for your hard work, Shaman Caliph."

A warrior of the Black Tiger Tribe gulped down his saliva.

Not only him, but all the other warriors of the Black Tiger Tribe looked at the man in the black robe with a mix of reverence and fear.

"The more I see, the more terrifying he is."

To the tribes of the southern great forest, divine beasts were absolute beings to be revered.

But one day,

This mysterious shaman, who visited the Black Tiger Tribe's chieftain, changed everything.

They looked at the enormous corpse of the dead bear divine beast, *Cheongung*.

*Cheongung* was originally the divine beast of the eastern forest, wielding tremendous power.

Normally, the earth and rocks beneath the bear’s feet would have become weapons, crushing them into a heap of flesh.

But when this black shaman took out a mysterious "stone," the divine beasts one by one had their power drained away, unable to manifest their abilities.

A divine beast that couldn’t use its powers was just a large animal.

The warriors of the Black Tiger Tribe, who had grown even stronger after receiving power from the shaman, were able to bring down *Cheongung*.

Despite having ruled as a god for centuries, the divine beast easily had its power sealed by this man's eerie sorcery, leaving them to finish it off.

"It's terrifying."

They couldn’t help but feel reverence towards this man.

And at the same time, a sense of pride emerged.

"We are a tribe that kills gods."

Their chieftain had already proven this by killing the guardian divine beast they had worshiped until now, the "Black Tiger that Summons Thunder," and taking its power.

We don’t need gods anymore.  

We will become the greatest tribe, one that kills gods and wields their power.  

And thus, we will unify the Great Forest under the name of the Black Tiger Tribe.  

Beyond the Great Forest, we will seize the lands of the north as well.  

In the minds of the Black Tiger Tribe, that great future was vividly painted.

‘To achieve that, this shaman is essential.’

This foreign shaman, who wielded the power of black energy.

Just looking at him made their hair stand on end with fear and unease, but now that unease had turned into reverence.

"So, is there only one divine beast left?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

The shaman in the black robe turned his head and asked, to which the Black Tiger Tribe warrior nodded in response.

"The divine beast of the Silver Wolf Tribe in the southern forest, 'Eunrang,' who bites the sky, is our last target."

"It strikes me now, but these divine beasts sure have grand names. 'The Black Tiger that Summons Thunder,' 'The Serpent that Swallowed the Moon,' and so on."

"An empty vessel makes the most noise, doesn't it?"

"Puhaha! Yes, you're right! That’s quite an amusing saying! Hahaha!"

The man laughed heartily for a while, finding the warrior’s metaphor to his liking.

Then, seemingly refreshed, he stood up and dusted off his robe.

"Let’s get going then."

"Aren’t you going to rest a bit more?"

"Since there’s only one left, let’s just finish it off quickly. Hehehe."

While Aden’s group was heading south,

The Black Tiger Tribe and the Chaos Warlock's group also began moving south.

Who would reach there first?

No one could tell.

****

Meanwhile,

At the rocky mountain, where only the corpse of the dead bear divine beast and some nondescript rocks remained.

"Wahhh, waaaah...! I won’t forgive youuu! I will avenge youuu! Waaaah!"

A baby bear cub, hidden among the cracks in the rocks,  

The surviving remnant of *Cheongung,* crawled out, crying loudly.