This battle yielded a huge amount of experience, and the Beastman Barbarians, who had already accumulated plenty from the last few fights, all met the conditions for promotion.

A full twenty-one Beastman Barbarians could be promoted from the Tier Three soldier, ’Beastman Warrior,’ to the Tier Four ’Beastman Warrior.’ Muto, what’s more, could be promoted from the Tier Four soldier, ’Beastman Warrior,’ to the Tier Five ’Giant Axe Guard.’

They were the same men, but the overall increase in their Tier elevated High Cliff Castle’s military strength by an entire echelon.

The effect of each Level increase for the system’s soldiers was immense. Forty Tier Three Beastman Warriors and forty Tier Four Beastman Warriors were two completely different concepts.

The former could be considered decent in the Wilderness, but the latter were strong enough to establish a firm foothold.

However, Levi didn’t have the spare money to upgrade them at the moment, so he had to put it off for now.

The attacking Jackal Wolfmen had been dealt with, but the crisis wasn’t over.

A group of Jackal Wolfman women and children watched the events unfolding from their tribal territory, their eyes filled with hatred.

Compared to the robust male Jackal Wolfmen, who stood two blades tall, these women and children were much leaner, standing less than 1.8 blades tall.

But if they were to take up arms, they could still cause considerable trouble.

Levi sent thirty Beastmen to watch over the Jackal Wolfman women and children, while the remaining ten began stripping the equipment off the Jackal Wolfmen.

Soon, a pile of tattered Leather Armor and Metal Weapons was stacked in front of Levi.

For the barren Wilderness, this equipment was considered quite good. But the Beastman Barbarians, already armed with Fine Steel Weapons and Fine Steel Javelins, now wouldn’t give it a second glance.

Levi wasn’t the type to substitute quality goods with inferior ones, so he sold everything directly to the system store, earning a total of fifty-one Gold Coins.

Now flush with cash, Levi immediately upgraded the Beastman Barbarians one by one, spending nearly three Gold Coins in the process.

What Levi hadn’t expected was that upgrading Muto from a Tier Four Soldier to a Tier Five Soldier would actually cost fifty silver coins!

While the individual cost wasn’t high, Levi knew his army would only grow larger in the future.

Once he had thousands of them, every single promotion would cost a fortune—an unavoidable expense.

Levi couldn’t help but sigh. ’He had a long and arduous road ahead of him.’

He also stripped the Cavalry Heavy Armor from the Jackal Wolfman leader’s body and stored it in his System Space.

The suit of Cavalry Heavy Armor was only slightly worn, with no visible damage. It was worth sixty Gold Coins in the system store, making it a fairly decent piece of gear.

Upon arriving at the Jackal Wolfman Tribe, he found that over a hundred women and children had already been herded into an open area by the Beastman Barbarians.

There were about a hundred female Jackal Wolfmen and some thirty cubs.

There wasn’t a single elderly Jackal Wolfman among them, a stark reflection of the Wilderness’s cruelty.

The elderly, unable to contribute to the Tribe, were often exiled or killed by the Jackal Wolfmen to prevent them from becoming a burden.

Levi stroked his chin, pondering how to deal with the Jackal Wolfman women and children.

’If I let them all go, they might become a future enemy for High Cliff Castle, though the probability is low.’

’But slaughtering them all seems overly cruel.’

’Forget it. I’ll kill them all.’

’Those who accomplish great things don’t sweat the small details, and mercy has no place in warfare.’ Levi understood these principles.

His brief hesitation was merely a flicker of compassion, a remnant of his upbringing in his past life in Huaxia.

"Huh?"

Just as he raised his hand to order the Beastman Barbarians to execute the Jackal Wolfmen with their javelins, his gaze swept over one of the cubs, and he froze.

[Name: One-Eye]

This was a short Jackal Wolfman, less than 1.3 blades tall. Its light gray skin was covered in spots, and a sparse, short mane ran from the top of its head down to its tailbone.

One of its eyes was milky-white and devoid of light, clearly blinded by some unknown cause.

What surprised Levi was that a name had actually appeared above its head.

He remembered that the only reason he knew Zat was a Heroic Unit was because a name had appeared over his head.

That was how Levi had learned that individuals identified by the system as Heroic Units would have their names displayed above their heads.

"You, come here."

He looked at the one-eyed Jackal Wolfman cub.

In an instant, all the other Jackal Wolfmen parted to make way for it. Levi was surprised to see looks of schadenfreude in their eyes.

Clearly, this one-eyed Jackal Wolfman was not well-liked within the Tribe.

"M... My Lord."

It came before Levi, trembling, and spoke in halting Common Tongue.

Although Jackal Wolfmen seemed cruel and bloodthirsty, their Wisdom was no lower than that of humans. It wasn’t unusual for them to speak the Common Tongue.

Standing less than 1.3 blades tall, it looked like a harmless puppy before Levi, who was 1.8 blades tall.

To say nothing of the Beastman Barbarians glaring menacingly nearby.

"Look up at me!"

The one-eyed Jackal Wolfman cub slowly raised its head. In its one good eye, Levi saw fear, and even a trace of admiration.

The only thing missing was hatred. This was clearly not normal.

While there was little familial affection among Jackal Wolfmen, Levi had slaughtered all the able-bodied members of its tribe. It should have felt at least some hatred for him, the butcher of its kin.

"You don’t hate me for killing your kin?" Levi asked.

To his surprise, the Jackal Wolfman cub began to tremble all over. This wasn’t the trembling of a painful memory being touched upon; it was a sign of excitement.

"My Lord, I’m not from this Tribe. I was captured by them. They killed my mother. After they brought me here, I was tortured day and night, and they were the ones who blinded my eye. I couldn’t be happier that you killed them!"

Its Common Tongue grew more fluent as it spoke, its expression animated with excitement.

Levi scrutinized the young cub. Its eyes were filled with profound gratitude, and its expression didn’t seem feigned.

’Is this Jackal Wolfman a cunning fox, its thoughts too deep to fathom? Or is it telling the truth?’

’The former seemed far more likely.’

"What is your name?"

"My Lord, my name is One-Eye," it said.

SWISH!

Levi drew his Treasure Sword.

It jumped in fright, trembling like a leaf, but it still looked directly at Levi.

’It had seen this human kill the impossibly powerful Jackal Wolfman leader with a single sword strike.’

’To die at the hands of such an expert would be an honor.’

But the sword only rested on its shoulder, hesitating to fall.

Just as it was feeling confused, the human before it spoke in a solemn voice.

"I, the Lord of High Cliff Castle, a Baron of Exploration, and the future King of the North, hereby bestow upon you the name of Hogg. Are you willing to fight for me?"

First came disbelief, which then transformed into profound, ecstatic joy.

"I am willing! I am willing!"

Having been fascinated with human customs since it was young, it had learned from a human captive that this act was called a "bestowment," a very noble ceremony.

[Jackal Wolfman Hogg requests to join your party. Do you agree?]

And upon receiving the request to join, the faintest hint of a smile touched Levi’s lips.