Global Game: Developing a Knight Clan-Chapter 40: Demon Beast Mountain Range, Unihorned Demon Bear
The sun sank in the west, its lingering glow bathing the entire Demon Beast Mountain Range and the surrounding Desert Jungle.
The raw, natural scenery was breathtaking in its magnificence.
Looking down from high above, it was as if molten gold was pouring forth, transforming the entire world into a sacred, golden palace and kingdom.
At this moment, within this sacred kingdom, a Giant Dragon soared through the sky, continuously swooping low and kicking up howling gales.
Lince was now learning the hard way that mountains are much farther than they appear.
During his previous two play sessions, he had never taken the time to carefully observe what kind of place this area he was in truly was.
But things were different now.
Using the Giant Dragon’s flight, Lince gazed out from high above, and the sheer vastness of the Western Border Wilderness had already left him shaken.
Looking down from above, the entire Wilderness was surrounded by dense, towering, ancient trees.
Using the Swamp Territory as a reference point...
With his Extraordinary vision, Lince could clearly see that the entire Swamp Territory was completely encircled by a primeval jungle.
Moreover, to the east of the Swamp Territory’s jungle, facing the Demon Beast Mountain Range, lay a vast grassland where he could even see numerous lakes and rivers.
On the grassland, there were numerous herbivorous Tierless Demon Beasts, their herds so large they were visible even from this distance. And in that same direction, at the blurry edge of Lince’s vision, he could just make out a long, tall city wall built along a border where there was human activity!
Clearly, the Human Race’s territories in that direction were under considerable pressure from the grassland’s Demon Beasts.
To the west of the Swamp Territory lay an even more expansive primeval jungle, stretching out seemingly without end.
Lince had initially thought the mountain range he’d seen earlier was the Demon Beast Mountain Range, but he had greatly underestimated its true scale.
After spending about an hour of in-game time to approach the mountain range, Lince was dumbfounded.
Because far beyond this supposed Demon Beast Mountain Range, another, even taller and more continuous mountain range faintly emerged!
The peaks of that distant range, shrouded in mist, seemed to pierce the heavens. It gave the impression that the entire world on the Human Race’s side was trapped within a giant cage.
The magnificent sight left Lince speechless.
’Is *this* the real Demon Beast Mountain Range?’
Lince looked shaken as he sighed to himself.
’As expected of a world with Extraordinary Power! Who knows how many powerful Demon Beasts are hidden in a mountain range of this scale.’
’And the Western Border Wilderness, compared to the entire Demon Beast Mountain Range, is like a single hair on an ox—utterly insignificant.’
One could only imagine, if the Demon Beast Mountain Range was this formidable, then the Human Race that withstood the pressure from the Demon Beasts was clearly no pushover either.
’I wonder just how prosperous and powerful the Three Great Empires of the Human Race are!’
Lince was filled with awe, and he took the opportunity to rein in his swelling arrogance.
’So what if I’m a Tier Four Peak Giant Dragon?’
’In a world like this, keeping a low profile is the only way to survive!’
If the situation weren’t so dire, Lince wouldn’t be taking such risks. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t resort to aggressive, idle-farming methods to rapidly expand his forces.
After all, if he could have played it safe and steady, focusing on his own strength would have been the best path.
’So what if I have a ton of Low Tier Magical Beasts?’
’They might be able to overwhelm Middle Tier enemies with sheer numbers, but if a single High Tier foe appeared, these Low Tier Magical Beasts would be wiped out and scattered to the winds.’
After all, this was the Extraordinary World, a place where individuals capable of taking on an army of a thousand existed.
’Without personal strength, everything else is meaningless.’
’I’m being forced into all of this!’
Of course, the aggressive approach wasn’t without its benefits.
Not to mention the benefits he’d already seen. If this aggressive strategy succeeded, he knew the rewards from the game would be even more generous.
Therefore, no matter what, Lince had to take this risk.
The Giant Dragon soared through the sky, now extremely close to the first, smaller mountain range on the outskirts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range—the same ’tall mountain range’ that was visible from the Swamp Territory.
This range was long and narrow, stretching on endlessly like the wall on the human border. It seemed to be the first barrier, a natural defense for the Demon Beast Mountain Range.
Once he arrived, Lince didn’t need to actively search for a Middle Tier Magical Beast.
The Rock Steel Giant was soaring at a low altitude of just over a hundred meters, close enough to the ground that it had already attracted the attention of a nearby Middle Tier Magical Beast.
An invader in its territory was something a Demon Beast’s instincts would never allow it to ignore. Furthermore, in this area, the Lord of every territory was a Middle Tier Magical Beast.
Even though Lince’s Rock Steel Giant possessed Dragon Might, its aura was merely Tier Four. As a fellow Middle Tier Magical Beast, the local Demon Beast would never retreat upon first sight.
What’s more, Middle-Low Tier Magical Beasts might not even know what a Giant Dragon was.
Therefore, the Middle Tier Magical Beast here would instinctively perceive Lince’s Dragon Might aura as a provocative display of Magic Power.
And so, a Unihorn Bear Beast living on the outskirts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range suddenly let out a great roar at the Rock Steel Giant in the sky.
The roar carried an Air Cannon imbued with Magic Power that shot straight toward the Rock Steel Giant.
However, Lince simply had the dragon bank to the side, easily dodging the creature’s initial, probing attack.
And this, in turn, successfully triggered a game scenario.
[Battle Scenario Triggered!] 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
[Your character has entered the territory of the Unihorned Demon Bear on the outskirts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range.]
[Please select an option for how to proceed.]
[Option 1: Ignore the Unihorned Demon Bear’s provocation. Leave and continue searching for a new, suitable Demon Beast to form a contract with.]
[Option 2: Defeat the Unihorned Demon Bear. Will you make it your servant, or is simple submission enough?]
[Option 3: As a Giant Dragon, your majesty cannot be provoked. As punishment, you will slaughter all Entry Tier Magical Beast servants within its territory and then leave.]
There were three options.
The last option left Lince speechless.
’A Giant Dragon’s majesty? Kill all the servant beasts in this Unihorn Bear’s territory? How bored would I have to be to do that?’
Besides, Lince didn’t have much game time left.
That saying about mountains being farther than they seem was no joke. He had been flying at full speed the whole way, and the journey alone had already taken about an hour and a half.
He still had to fly back. He couldn’t afford to use up all his game time and suddenly log off out here.
At that moment, looking at the roaring Unihorned Demon Bear on the ground and the data panel that appeared in his vision, Lince made his decision.
[Demon Beast: Unihorned Demon Bear]
Lifespan: 192 Years
Strength: Tier Four
Body Type: 5.8 meters
Growth Level: 38%
Potential: ★★★
Bloodline: Strong Demon Bear (Middle Tier)
Attribute Affinity: Dark
Skills: 1. Sound Wave Cannon, 2. Giant Power, 3. Dark Energy Erosion
Lord: Number of Demon Beast servants unknown (Defeat and subjugation required)
Territory: Outskirts of the Demon Beast Mountain Range, approx. 107 sq. km.
This Unihorned Demon Bear was the perfect opponent for Lince to test his strength against. If possible, he would just make it submit. That way, he could save his last contract slot and see how long the loyalty of an uncontracted Demon Beast would last.
And so, a dangerous glint appeared in the Rock Steel Giant’s eyes as it gazed down at the Unihorned Demon Bear.
In the next instant, Lince completely unleashed his Dragon Might Skills.
"ROAR!!!"
It opened its maw, and a dragon’s roar cascaded down. Empowered by the Dragon Might Technique, frenzied Magic Power instantly began to ravage the forest below.
At the same time, the Rock Steel Giant dove down!
