"It will definitely take a lot of effort."
"So, set out immediately and try to make it quick... We still have a lot to do after this!"
When he finished speaking, Qin Feng gave a look, having a villager hand the confiscated leather armor and Bone Blade to Diablo. Then, he stepped aside to clear a path, letting Diablo leave.
"Yes."
"My Lord."
Diablo nodded in acknowledgment, took the armor and weapon from the villager, and turned to set off for his village.
Once his figure had completely vanished into the heavy darkness outside the dungeon, the villager who had handed over the equipment turned to Qin Feng, his face full of doubt as he asked:
"My Lord, letting him leave just like that... won't it cause problems?"
Qin Feng gave a faint smile.
"It's fine."
"He's one of us now."
...
When Diablo staggered back to the Poison Arrow Tribe, a silver edge had torn through the ink-black canopy of the sky. A fish-belly white was seeping from the tear, spreading like faint ink on rice paper.
At the eastern edge of the forest, the cold mist had not yet dispersed, and dewdrops condensed on pine needles were rolling down their length.
Above the treetops, a few threads of gold had quietly hooked onto the uneven branches, looking as if they were about to submerge the entire gloomy forest in the molten gold of the nascent sun.
He found the two warriors of his tribe who had escaped from the Lord's Hall and told them everything he had experienced in the dungeon. He didn't hide the fact that Qin Feng possessed the powers of "Mind Control" and "Enchanting the Heart."
Then, Diablo clearly laid out the stakes, hoping the two would declare their own thoughts and stances.
Should they continue to fight Qin Feng to the bitter end?
Or should they let go of their hatred and completely submit to him, in exchange for a path to survival for their Ratman Tribe?
The two Ratman Warriors had completely opposing opinions.
One of the Ratman Warriors felt that the blood feud for the Bakadi Leader must be avenged.
Furthermore, as a Ratman Tribe of the forest, they shouldn't submit to a human Lord, even if he was a Divine Chosen Lord who had suddenly "descended from the heavens."
The other Ratman Warrior, however, believed Diablo's choice was the correct one.
The most capable adult warriors in their tribe were now just the three of them. The rest were women, children, and recently matured young warriors with little combat experience.
If the Withered Leaf Tribe wanted to conquer them, they would surely kill all the pups in the village to ensure the continuation of their own pure bloodline and the stability of their tribe's foundation. Then they would have their male clansmen sow their seeds anew with the female Ratmen of the Poison Arrow Tribe.
Although adult warriors like Diablo might survive, they couldn't escape the fate of becoming cannon fodder. They would be driven into the depths of the most treacherous miasmic swamps in the Northern Forest to hunt Giant-Eyed Venom Spiders that had devoured smaller Ratman Tribes, or forced to enter the Forbidden Forest, home to a thousand-year-old Tree Demon, using their own flesh and blood to carve out a safe hunting path for the warriors of the Withered Leaf Tribe.
"Think about it!"
"Just the three of us, plus seven greenhorns who haven't even gone through their coming-of-age ceremony, how could we possibly stop a full-scale invasion from the Withered Leaf Tribe?"
"And while this human Lord is an Alien Race, and he won't see us forest Ratman Tribes as his own people... he definitely wouldn't kill all our tribe's pups just to continue his own bloodline!"
"So, even if we all become slaves, we can still guarantee that the pure bloodline of the Poison Arrow Tribe will continue!"
"At least our bloodline won't be wiped out by those damned Southern Rats!"
"And have them dig up our ancestors' graves!"
The other Ratman Warrior abruptly crushed a stone shard under his claw and roared fiercely:
"Become slaves?!"
"Diablo just crawled his way back from inside the human city walls!"
"Ask him!"
"What's it taste like, having an iron chain around your neck while you're forced to dig up Stone?"
"And what about this: your future offspring, your bloodline, for generations to come, will be used as livestock by those two-legged humans! What does that taste like?"
That Ratman Warrior slammed his Bone Spear into the ground, its tip making the dark soil crumble and fall away.
"The way I see it!"
"We might as well fight to the death, even if it means mutual destruction!"
"Even if we drag the entire Poison Arrow Tribe into the grave with us, we have to let those ancestors in the Hall of Heroes see that we are valiant warriors who died on our feet!"
To this, the other Ratman Warrior was clearly disdainful. His whiskers even twitched violently in a sneer.
"Hmph!"
"Valiant warriors?"
"Easy for you to say!"
"Then why did you tuck your tail between your legs and run straight back to the village when the Bakadi Leader was breathing his last?"
"Why didn't you just throw yourself onto the enemy's blade back then?"
"Now *that's* what I call valiant!"
The Ratman Warrior who advocated fighting to the death was suddenly at a loss for words, his sharp claws digging deep marks into the dark soil.
"I... How should I know?"
"Maybe that human Lord used some kind of Magic!"
He jerked his head up, his scarlet eyes turning bloodshot.
"Right!"
"He must have been up to something!"
"What was it? Spiritual Control!"
"And Thought Enchantment!"
"It must have been those Evil Arts that made me lose my nerve for a moment!"
'Enough!'
"Oh, come on! Blaming it on some bullshit Evil Arts and Magic! You were clearly scared shitless! What kind of crap excuse is that?"
"Weren't you scared shitless too?"
'I said, enough!'
"Yeah, I was! That's why I decided to submit, so that our other tribesmen can live!"
"You call being a slave 'living'?"
'I said enough! Didn't you hear me?'
"So you're saying it would be better for our Poison Arrow Tribe to be completely wiped out by the Withered Leaf Tribe?"
"At least it's better than being livestock..."
Diablo suddenly slammed his claw on the stone table. With a dull THUD, the bowls and plates jumped off the surface.
His scarlet pupils suddenly contracted, and the tip of his tail whipped back and forth in fury. His voice, like rolling thunder, boomed through the cave:
"Both of you, SHUT UP!!!"
The two Ratmen were arguing until they were red in the face. Suddenly seeing the murderous glint in Diablo's eyes, they didn't even have time to react before they felt a tightness on the backs of their necks.
The next second, their heads were viciously slammed onto the stone table. The dull THUD sent dust trickling down from the cave ceiling.
With beads of blood seeping from their foreheads, they stared in terror at Diablo's arms, veins bulging.
'Damn it! What's going on? Why has this kid's strength suddenly grown so much?'
Diablo's scarlet pupils were locked onto the two of them, his claws digging deep into the grain of the stone table. His eyes were filled with determination.
"The Bakadi Leader is now dead!"
"He also left no heirs!"
"According to the traditions of our Poison Arrow Tribe, among the remaining Archer Warriors, whoever is the strongest becomes the next Poison Arrow Leader!"
"Therefore... I am now your Ratman Leader!"
"You must all listen to me!"
The Ratman Warrior who advocated fighting to the death suddenly raised his voice, his whiskers standing on end in fury.
"Damn you!"
"You damned bastard!"
"Did you get some kind of benefit from that human Lord?"
Diablo admitted it freely.
"Yes!"
"That's right!"
"He made me stronger!"
"But even without the boost from this mysterious power, my strength has always been greater than yours—and not just by a little bit!"
Hearing this, the other Ratman Warrior—the one who advocated for submission—said nothing, because he knew it was true. Diablo had always held back during their usual training. He never cared about others' opinions or evaluations, nor had he ever thought of coveting the position of Poison Arrow Leader.
Otherwise, if Diablo had just been a little more serious and displayed his full strength, he would have undoubtedly been groomed by Bakadi to be the next successor for Poison Arrow Leader.
"Ka, Dongzhua, as your new leader... I have now decided to lead the entire Poison Arrow Tribe in submitting to that human Lord!"
"If."
"If this decision does not lead our Poison Arrow Tribe to a better future!"
"I will personally shatter my own skull and offer it as a sacrifice to our ancestors in the Hall of Heroes, to become a sinner and a failure, spat upon by them for eternity!"
"Do you two understand?"
'Father... I'm sorry... In the end, I failed to hold fast to my resolve to focus on my training... I have touched so-called worldly power... But! No matter what! I will not let the mistake the Bakadi Leader made tonight happen ever again! The Poison Arrow Tribe, our former home, the source of the blood flowing in our veins, the place that raised me... from now on, I, Diablo, will protect it all!'
[Notification: You have successfully occupied a village. The "Village Management" module is now available!]