Minori stepped out of the wooden hut, the cool, damp air brushing against his face as he breathed in deeply, clearing away the lingering haze in his head.
The Lizardman tribes' magic and skills were almost entirely derived from primitive, faith-based systems. Even so, Minori found certain concepts intriguing. While their actual spells were too low-tier to be of practical combat use, the magical theories and rituals offered him valuable insight.
Some of the more advanced systems could replicate the same effects with greater efficiency—but for someone like Minori, who had yet to undergo any systematic magical training in this world, even this tribal knowledge was worth absorbing. It was, in its own way, a shortcut.
"Green Claw, Razor Tail, Red Eye… so now, it's a united front of three Lizardman tribes,"
Minori muttered as he leaned against the doorframe.
The Dragon Fang Tribe was deathly silent, as though nature itself was holding its breath.
Step—
The old priest of the tribe stepped outside, dull-eyed and slow. In his hand was a rough map, sketched on stretched leather using charcoal and pigment. He handed it to Minori.
It was a memory-drawn layout of the nearby regions, showing the positions of the other three tribes in relation to Dragon Tooth. The Green Claw Tribe was the closest.
"Assuming they haven't done anything stupid, the three tribes should have allied by now," Minori said, eyeing the map with a faint smile.
It wasn't arrogance. On the contrary—what came next required serious consideration. A misstep could mean real danger.
Zaryusu Shasha of the Frozen Fang. Chief Kyuku Zuzu, clad in the ancient White Dragon Bone Armor. And Crusch Lulu, capable of casting Tier 3 divine magic.
Even with two summoned Fire Archangels, Minori estimated less than a 20% chance of victory if it came to direct confrontation.
And that wasn't even counting the combined force of over 300 Lizardman warriors—elite fighters, many tougher than standard human soldiers—and their priest-magicians.
If he were an ordinary third-tier caster, he'd already be retreating.
But his eyes glinted with quiet excitement.
Not to mention the potential rewards.
Crusch Lulu alone piqued his interest. Not just for her magic, but her lineage.
She wasn't an ordinary Lizardman, but an ancient variant—an Awakened Species. Her class structure was special: "Summoner," "Spiritual Shaman", and one more that even Minori couldn't clearly identify.
[TL: Translations varied: "Dragon Tamer," "Draconic Apostle," "Markbearer of the Wyrm"… All different interpretations of the same mysterious class.]
Whatever it was, it was tied to dragons. Bloodline-related, likely racial.
If it turned out to be a basic or advanced class, Minori definitely intended to learn it. He was curious whether racial-locked or bloodline-exclusive classes could be obtained through his own system.
Fwoosh—
A flash of white light streaked across the sky and descended in front of the hut. A Fire Archangel hovered midair, flames wreathed around its divine form.
"They're here," Minori said as he looked up.
Half a kilometer from Dragon Tooth Tribe, the three tribal leaders stood at the frontlines.
Zaryusu Shasha had not yet joined them, but the remaining three were present: Chief Kyuku, Shasryu Shasha, and Crushe Lulu.
Behind them were several priest-class Lizardmen and a well-equipped force of 300 warriors.
Kyuku wore armor entirely made of bone, exuding a pale metallic gleam. Shasuryu carried a massive sword nearly two meters in length. Crushe Lulu was veiled in straw garments, obscuring her entire form.
"Is the human still inside Dragon Fang?" Crushe Lulu's voice was low, barely above a whisper.
"Our scouts never lost sight of him. He hasn't left," Shasuryu replied.
"Then it's settled. No chance of him running." Kuzuzu's muffled voice emerged from within his bone helmet.
The others knew his voice distortion came from the magic of the armor he wore—the "White Dragon Bone."
"Let's confirm it." Crushe Lulu raised her arms. Magic flowed through her, and a circle of emerald light formed before her palms. "Summon Beast: Sky Hawk."
Bang!
A flash of light, and a hawk half the height of a man emerged. With a screech, it soared into the sky.
Moments later, it was circling above the Dragon Fang Tribe.
On the road within the tribe, Minori walked forward with the Lizardman priest and Kuro by his side. He looked up as the hawk passed overhead.
"Magic summons… huh?" he narrowed his eyes.
He remembered the first time he used "Wild Transformation"—he had taken the form of a hawk. The movement patterns, the aura—it was familiar.
"Natural Beast Summoning," he muttered with disinterest.
Summoning magic in this world came in six branches: Angel, Undead, Demon, Elemental, Beast, and Follower.
Of them, Beast-type was the weakest in raw combat power. But its diversity and ease of use made it valuable in the right hands.
Since learning that summoning magic could be leveled without skill point investment, Minori had planned to master another type after Angelic.
He remembered some Lizardman casters also used hybrid-elemental summoning magic. That could be useful.
Back on the field, Crushe Lulu described what the hawk had seen. The human had not moved. The army could proceed.
"Confident bastard," Shasuryu Shasha sneered, drawing his greatsword.
"Let's… make him… regret," Chief Kyuku growled, fingers scraping against his armor with a screech.
"Advance!"
The army of 300 Lizardmen marched forward in unison, weapons drawn.
At the same time…
A second force of 100 Lizardmen moved through the swamp's rear paths, silently circling behind the Dragon Fang Tribe.
At their head—Zaryusu Shasha, wielder of the enchanted blade "Frozen Fang."