Thunder Giant Lizard

Leiluo and his group followed the surviving warrior all the way to a valley.

"Chieftain, this is the place. The old chieftain and our brothers were attacked by Thunder Lizards that suddenly appeared when they passed through here." The warrior's voice caught in his throat. "If I hadn't been so useless and fallen behind, I could have been with them."

"Enough. It's alright now. If you hadn't survived, who would lead us here to avenge them?" Leiluo patted the warrior's shoulder. "Follow me. Prepare to enter the valley."

As he spoke, Leiluo drew the battle axe from his waist and took the lead into the valley. The orc warriors he had recruited followed without hesitation.

Saxi saw the remaining warriors looking toward him. Though he felt uneasy, his loyalty to the old chieftain still drove him to follow.

Seeing Saxi move, the others entered the valley behind him as well.

Although Leiluo had entered first, it did not mean he was fearless. On one hand, he wanted to leave an image of courage and fearlessness in the minds of the warriors led by Saxi. On the other... how many times did he have to say it? Aside from warriors, Leiluo's small tribe did not have a single member of any other profession, much less scouts, who were rare even among orcs as a whole.

As they walked, the orc warriors behind him gradually caught up with Leiluo. Just as he relaxed, an enormous roar rang through the entire valley. Its sheer force made even the rocks tremble.

Other than Leiluo, everyone in the party was shaken so badly that they staggered about. Even Saxi, who was in better shape than the rest, saw stars and found his legs trembling.

Leiluo had no time to worry about the others. Gripping his axe, he ran forward, wanting to see what kind of being could produce such an overwhelming roar. Thunder Lizards could never make a sound like that. His cheap old man might not have died in some Thunder Lizard riot at all—he may have encountered something truly terrifying.

But after only a few steps, Leiluo saw a herd of Thunder Lizards charging in his direction. From the look of it, they had not discovered intruders and were not rushing to defend themselves. They were being driven away by the creature that had roared.

It was too late to run back. Nor could Leiluo let the lizards rush past him. His orc warriors probably had not yet recovered. If this herd got through, not only would his hundreds of bundles of pelts go down the drain, but all the tribe's fighting strength would be buried here as well.

By then, no matter how strong Leiluo was, there would only be two possible outcomes: he would either become a warrior of another tribe or join the wandering orcs of the wasteland.

In that split second, Leiluo made his decision. He planted his left foot, swung his axe forward with his right hand, and the few Thunder Lizards running at the front were instantly beheaded.

The moment he steadied himself, the battle axe in Leiluo's hand shifted again. He braced it against his arm like a shield, then lunged forward. The headless Thunder Lizard corpses were wedged between Leiluo and the charging herd like filling in a sandwich.

Fearing that Leiluo might be in danger, Saxi, who had suffered less severely, hurried forward. Yet the moment he arrived, he witnessed an astonishing sight.

A single orc held several headless lizard corpses before him with an axe, while the Thunder Lizards charging behind them crashed into the barrier as though they had struck solid bedrock, unable to advance an inch. Those in front could not move, while those behind kept rushing forward. Countless Thunder Lizards trampled their own kind to death.

During the moment Saxi stood there in a daze, the Thunder Lizard herd finally came to a stop. Unable to move forward, they scattered in all directions, leaving behind a field of corpses.

Seeing Leiluo slumped beside the Thunder Lizard corpses, Saxi finally snapped out of it and hurried over to check whether he was injured.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little drained." Leiluo rolled his shoulder, startled by what he had done himself. At first, he had merely wanted to slow the herd's momentum. But when he stopped them, it had not felt nearly as difficult as he had imagined. In the end, he had not only blocked their charge, but suffered nothing more than the weakness that came after overexertion, with no further aftereffects.

The warriors behind them had also shaken off the discomfort caused by the roar and gathered around. Aside from the warriors Leiluo had recruited, the others learned from Saxi that Leiluo had accomplished all this alone. They stepped forward to salute him, thanking their new chieftain for saving their lives. In their hearts, they truly accepted this young new chieftain.

Looking at the fervent gazes of the warriors, an incomparable sense of pride welled up in Leiluo's heart. Being admired by others really was an amazing feeling.

"Chieftain Hall activated." Just as Leiluo was basking in it, a system notification pulled him back to reality. Seeing the surrounding warriors busy collecting the spoils, Leiluo quietly opened the interface.

Chieftain Hall (Activated)

Tax Fee (500/month)

Storage (0/500)

Upgrade Population (156/1000)

It really was exactly like Heroes of Might and Magic. So damn stingy. Still, at least he would no longer have to save up pelts every month to recruit soldiers.

Though he had cursed the miserly Chieftain Hall more than once in his heart, the five hundred storage slots truly delighted Leiluo. He had everyone pile the spoils in front of him, then waved a hand. The loot was neatly placed into the storage slots, already sorted into separate stacks. Although miscellaneous items like torn lizard hides, intact lizard hides, and lizard meat took up nearly a hundred slots, Leiluo had five hundred slots. Not only did he not mind, he secretly praised the system for sorting everything so meticulously.

Who knew whether Leiluo would still praise the system's meticulous sorting after discovering that the storage would never expand and was permanently limited to five hundred slots?

Once everything was settled, Saxi suggested returning to the tribe. They had gained far too much today. Nearly a thousand Thunder Lizards had trampled one another, leaving behind more than a hundred corpses. This time, not only did they have goods for trade, they would not even need to trade for winter food. They could exchange for weapons blessed by shamans at the trading fair to strengthen the tribe. Those blessed weapons were painfully expensive—a single Silver Tier weapon blessed by a shaman cost more than a hundred bundles of pelts.

But Leiluo rejected Saxi's suggestion. After gaining a deeper understanding of his own strength during the lizard stampede, he decided to venture deeper into the valley and see what sort of being could drive so many Thunder Lizards away.

"But, Chieftain..." Saxi tried to argue once more.

"Don't worry about me. If you lack the strength, wait for me outside the valley." Leiluo patted Saxi's shoulder and ran deeper into the valley without looking back.

Saxi was left standing there in a mess, the corner of his mouth twitching. What the hell? Sure, you're strong. Sure, you're the chieftain. But don't I have any pride? Who said I was worried about you? I'm worried about our winter food! So what if you have spatial equipment?

Of course, Saxi could only think those thoughts to himself. Watching Leiluo's receding figure, the strongest warrior beneath the old chieftain could not help feeling dejected. One day, he had actually become a burden. With a wave of his hand, Saxi listlessly led the warriors out of the valley.

Though they did not want to admit it, their strength only allowed them to pray for their chieftain outside the valley.

Leaving everyone behind, Leiluo sprinted onward.

When he reached an area filled with traces of battle, Leiluo stopped. Charred trees, Thunder Lizard corpses marked with deep claw marks—every sight stirred his curiosity.

Thunder Lizards were highly united creatures, yet this beast had made them abandon the corpses of their own kind and flee. Its strength was obvious.

But the more it was like this, the more excited Leiluo became.

The stronger someone was, the more they desired greater strength. Thunder Lizards had not revealed Leiluo's limits, and he had been looking for a stronger opponent to test himself against. This powerful being should be ahead.

He tightened his grip around the battle axe, licked his lips, and continued onward.

Sure enough, before long, Leiluo spotted a lizard five or six meters tall, lightning occasionally crackling from its mouth.

"A Thunder Giant Lizard!" Leiluo was shocked.

As the ruler of the Thunder Lizards, legend said that every Thunder Giant Lizard possessed a Thunder Stone within its body. It was this Thunder Stone that granted Thunder Giant Lizards the power of lightning, allowing them to release lightning spells from their mouths. Though Thunder Giant Lizards evolved from Thunder Lizards, even among such a vast population, they were pitifully rare. Yet every one of them possessed at least Heroic Rank strength. There were even rumors that the legendary Thunder Giant Lizard King possessed Master Tier strength.

What kind of creature could kill Thunder Lizards right in front of a Thunder Giant Lizard and drive it mad enough to use its lightning power so frantically?

At last, the Thunder Giant Lizard stopped casting lightning spells. Looking at its heaving back and the white vapor spilling from its mouth as it panted, Leiluo knew that the Thunder Giant Lizard had grown tired from using its lightning power so wildly.

At that moment, the beast on the other side of the Thunder Giant Lizard's spell attacks finally revealed itself.

Watching it shake off the black residue covering its body and reveal the gray fur beneath, Leiluo was still uncertain. But when the beast let out the earth-shaking roar Leiluo had heard upon entering the valley, he knew for certain. It had to be it!