Sakeer's gaze lingered for a moment on the lifeless body nailed to the ground by two spear staffs, their crossed shape forming a silent, solemn marker.
With a flick of his arm—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two Principality Peace hovering above flapped their wings, quickly ascending into the sky. Within seconds, they had risen to a height of nearly a hundred meters.
Above—
"Caw! Caw!"
A flock of vulture-like scavengers circled the battlefield, their sharp beady eyes locked onto the fresh corpses below.
Drawn by the stench of blood, they had been waiting patiently for their feast.
But then—
WHOOSH!
The two Principality Peaceshot into the flock like arrows.
"SCREEE!"
The vultures shrieked in terror, their wings flapping wildly as they scattered in all directions.
High above, the Angels swept their gaze across the sky, as if searching for something. But after a moment, finding nothing but fleeing scavengers, they descended back toward the battlefield.
"Just a common wetland beast after all?"
Sakeer's brows furrowed slightly as he checked his attribute panel—
No new information appeared.
Strange.
Earlier, he had sensed intermittent fluctuations in the sky. Faint. Almost imperceptible.
But now, he was certain—
It had only been a passing monster.
As long as it wasn't one of those beings from the Azerlisia Mountains, he had nothing to worry about.
"Ever since I maxed out [Valkyrie], my perception seems to have improved considerably."
He muttered this to himself, deep in thought.
As more of his professions reached their full potential, he began noticing hidden enhancements that went beyond passive abilities and stat boosts.
For example—
[Sword Master] had granted him an unparalleled mastery of swordplay.
[Magic Swordsman] had given him deeper control over magic.
These weren't things listed on his Stats panel—
Yet, they were undeniably real.
Snap!
Sakeer snapped his fingers.
In response, the two Principality Peace dissolved into shimmering white light—
And with them, the two spears piercing Zaryusu Shasha's body vanished.
THUD.
The corpse collapsed onto the wet ground.
"Whew..."
Sakeer exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the cold air.
The weapon in his hand, Frost Pain, emitted a chilling aura, numbing his grip slightly.
Even just holding it, he could tell—
This weapon wasn't compatible with him.
"This better not be like the 'White Dragon Bone Armor'..."
His eyes narrowed as he examined Frost Pain, its ice-blue blade engraved with dark runes.
With a hint of anticipation, he activated his magic—
"Item Identification."
A pale blue glow spread over the weapon.
[Item Identified]
Item:Magic Equipment – Frost Pain
Level:Advanced (31–40)
Restriction:Lizard-like Races & Superior Beings
Attributes:Slashing | Cold
+52 Physical Attack
Passive: Increased Frost Damage
Passive: Gain [Lower Rank: Cold Resistance]
Active Ability – "Ice Burst"
Unleashes a powerful frost blast, instantly freezing targets in front of the user. (Uses: 3/day).
Description:A strange weapon, crafted from enchanted ice.
Sakeer sighed.
"Another lizardman-exclusive weapon, huh?"
Just like the "White Dragon Bone Armor", Frost Pain was a magic weapon restricted to lizardmen.
That armor, at least, had a curse mechanic that he could bypass—though it meant its defensive power was greatly weakened for him.
But Frost Pain?
It was a weapon that fit his aesthetics perfectly.
But he couldn't use it.
"Out of the four great treasures of the lizardmen..."
"Only the 'Great Wine Pot' and the missing 'Cauldron' seem usable."
He shook his head, then casually stored Frost Pain in his inventory.
Even if he couldn't wield it, it was worth keeping.
Raising his head, Sakeer stepped over Zaryusu Shasha's body.
The blood-soaked ground squelched beneath his boots as he continued forward.
Behind him, his summoned Barghest and Crusch Lulu followed.
As a third-tier Faith Magic Caster, Crusch Lulu likely knew more about magic than any of the warriors he had faced.
And that knowledge interested him.
The corpses of the lizardmen warriors lay scattered across the battlefield.
Sakeer didn't bother collecting them.
His inventory was already filled with ogre corpses.
And besides—
The lizardman race hadn't been completely wiped out.
If the bodies suddenly disappeared, it would raise suspicion.
For now—
He simply walked onward.
Toward the Dragon Tusk Tribe.
Night.
A deep, oppressive darkness hung over the wetlands.
Scavenging vultures circled above, their sharp talons scraping against the air. Below, giant wetland worms slithered through the mud, while other lurking monsters prowled the outskirts of the Dragon Tusk Tribe—drawn by the feast of corpses scattered across the battlefield.
The lizardman dead were plentiful.
A banquet of flesh laid out in the open.
Yet, despite the overwhelming stench of blood and decay, none of the monsters dared to approach the tribe's borders.
They knew.
Something within the Dragon Tusk Tribe was far beyond their ability to provoke.
Swoosh!
A faint whistle cut through the air.
A vulture, blissfully tearing into a half-devoured lizardman, suddenly jerked—a thin projectile piercing its skull before it slumped over, lifeless.
Then—
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Dozens of silent shots followed.
Covered in mud, their eyes lifeless and cold, a group of surviving lizardmen emerged from the shadows.
They moved cautiously, crawling low to the ground—a calculated, delicate movement.
One by one, they gathered the corpses of their fallen kin, carefully passing them to the rear, where others took them away.
Through it all—
They did not make a single sound.
One lizardman briefly lifted his head, casting a cautious gaze toward the heart of the Dragon Tusk Tribe.
His expression—
A mix of fear and resentment.
Then, as if terrified his glance had been noticed, he quickly bowed his head and resumed his silent task.
There was a presence here.
One they could not afford to anger.
Inside the Dragon Tusk Tribe
Deep within the Dragon Tusk Tribe, inside a spacious wooden house, a cluster of candles flickered, their dim glow illuminating the room.
These weren't ordinary candles—
They were crafted from sacred animal fat.
Ordinary lizardmen were not allowed to use such things.
These candles were reserved for priests, only lit during sacrificial ceremonies.
In the corner of the room, a Barghest stretched lazily, its body shifting slightly as if remembering an old wound.
A deep gash once marred its side, inflicted by a lizardman wielding a heavy sword.
Yet now, not a single scar remained.
That warrior had been strong.
But its master—
The Barghest tilted its head, pondering, then let out a soft huff as it curled up once more.
Its master was stronger.
Sakeer remained motionless, seated in the center of the room, eyes closed.
He was immersed in a unique state of perception.
A new skill now etched into his soul—
[Skill Acquired: Heart Eye (Martial Arts)]Cost: None
Effect: Increases evasion rate and grants awareness of attacks outside the user's field of vision.
"If combined with Brain's Domain, the effect would be even stronger..."
Sakeer's eyes snapped open, his expression thoughtful.
This skill nearly eliminated the chance of being ambushed.
A martial art of extreme practicality.
Besides Heart Eye, he had also obtained the defensive martial art "Fortress", but he refrained from learning it.
There existed a higher-tier version.
Wasting skill points on the lower-tier version wasn't worth it.
Among Zaryusu Shasha's other skills, Sakeer had also acquired a mid-tier class—
[Sword Expert]
Yet, he felt no particular interest.
"Mid-tier professions aren't worth my time."
However, if he remembered correctly, Zaryusu Shasha had also possessed a basic crafting profession—
[Sage]
A class likely acquired due to his expertise in fish farming.
An auxiliary profession, meant for production, not battle.
A pity.
Yet, the [Sage] class wasn't exactly rare. Many humans also possessed it.
Beyond martial arts, Sakeer had also gained a new magic—
[Composite Elemental Summon: Wetland Elemental Spirit]
Ever since he had discovered summoning magic could be stored in scrolls, he had been deeply interested in it.
It was a resource in disguise.
Unfortunately—
The lizardman version of summoning magic was highly restrictive.
Only one type of spirit could be summoned—
The Wetland Elemental Spirit.
However, what truly caught Sakeer's attention was the rarity of composite element summoning.
Ordinary summoning magic allowed users to summon single-element spirits.
But composite summoning—
It fused two elemental types into a single entity.
For example—
The Wetland Elemental Spirit was a fusion of water and earth.
By learning Elemental Summoning, Sakeer had also unlocked a new base class—
[Summoner]
A class belonging to the "Wild" Magic Caster system.
"Summoners should have abilities that enhance their summoned creatures."
Unfortunately—
"Genius Traits only serve as a backdrop."
Sakeer glanced at his attribute panel.
Among the professions granted by Crusch Lulu, he had also gained access to—
[Spirit Shaman]
A mid-tier summoning class.
Yet, rather than this mid-tier class, Sakeer found himself more intrigued by something else.
"Why hasn't the dragon class appeared?"
Sakeer's brows furrowed in mild confusion.
He had ordered Crusch Lulu to use all of her abilities—
Yet, not a single mention of a dragon-class profession appeared on his panel.