King Of Limbo

Garu still seemed a little unsure, but since she and she alone were in agreement, he was forced to set aside his reservations and concur.

"Follow me, please. We have much to tell."

She waved them over and started moving as quickly as her aging frame would allow toward a hut.

…

When she was inside, she pulled out maps made of beast skin that showed a variety of territories and started to explain what each marking on the map meant.

Aron would ask her to pass over the map so he could see it clearly before taking as many notes as he could because, considering how securely they were stored, he knew he probably wouldn't be given them.

Since the map was so big and his memory wasn't photographic, he could only for the moment concentrate on dominating the adjacent territories.

He might come back and make a replica properly at a later time once he got rid of this Tlaloc persona in a convincing manner, after all, he knew this village was weak now.

Although there were weak people in this hamlet, it was impossible to say the same for the others.

The other villages would be on high alert if it simply disappeared without a trace, just as they would be if he outright took the map.

The best approach to learn the information was to sneak in and make a copy on another day when few people were aware of what was going on.

…

Aron had a good understanding of what to anticipate within a 100-kilometer radius by the time he went.

He then headed for his hut, just like many other Panthera. They were free to enjoy their partners after the ceremony or simply relax before the hunt started.

Aron had intended to simply act like he was taking a break, but when he got to his hunting spot, he was met by an odd sight.

Ohtli and Ohtlizi were both resting on the ground fully naked. He recognized them at once and knew what they were up to.

For such races, inbreeding was typical. Even if they weren't explicitly banned like in certain societies, most intellectual races like his own didn't typically engage in such behaviors.

Aron, who was aware of how DNA functioned, did not see any advantages to inbreeding, believing that it would only produce inferior kids.

However, he wasn't the woman's father, and he didn't think beings that frail could become pregnant.

He cautiously stripped before approaching them, and then the mating ritual began.

…

"Tlaloc, it's time for us to go!"

After some time had passed, Garu finally entered the doorless hut after approaching it from the outside.

He was soon met with the sight of Ohtlizhi firmly mounted on top of him, riding his protruding manhood.

"Already?" Ohtli asked, her disappointment clearly obvious on her face.

When Aron heard it, he immediately came to a stop, lifted Ohtlizi off of him, and started getting dressed even though he hadn't climaxed.

He didn't have strong enough sexual impulses as he did while he was in Pesia.

"Then, let's go."

He only had to choose the most suitable moment during the quest to vanish with the knowledge he had acquired.

"Good luck."

"Yes, Good Luck."

As the guy they believed to be Tlaloc departed the cabin with Garu, both the mother and the daughter wished him success.

After leaving it, they proceeded to the front of the settlement, where a group of other Panthera were gathering, each holding a spear.

Many of them appeared more submissive and fearful when they saw Tlaloc, and the air was thick with terror.

"Receive the Talar!"

The previous Nnanga soon reappeared, carrying a stone bowl in one hand, and approached a warrior.

She then smeared some thick, dark stuff to the Panthera's forehead as he bowed his head.

One by one, this pattern continued until it was Aron and Garu's turn. He didn't question this practice and merely tried to appear as unconcerned as he could, imitating the behavior of Garu nearby.

"To a good hunt!"

Before turning away from the village and running towards the hill farther into the valley, the Panthera all raised their spears at the same time and called out in unison.

Howl~

Once more adhering to the peculiar pattern, Aron was leading the Panthera and was even in advance of Garu.

….

Back at the cliff wall, where Rose and the others had taken refuge, Jin and Jagu were lying on the ground, heavily perspiring and coated in sweat.

"Another draw… I'm done for today." Jin said, heaving a long sigh.

"Do you even know when the day ends and begins?" Jagu moaned and raised his gaze to the heavens.

The two would occasionally spar against one another to test whether they were improving since they had nothing else to do but practice the techniques they already possessed.

This is how I tell days around here: "The day ends when I'm exhausted and the day begins when I'm relaxed." Jin smiled and gave a shrug.

He delved into his now-soiled clothing and pulled out his leather wine pouch, shaking it while scowling.

Dammit, if I keep going like this, we won't even know whether there are taverns here.

"You're the only species I'm aware of that so desperately wants to poison their bodies." Jagu threw in.

Jin laughed and shook his head since he couldn't argue with it. "Truly a one of a kind race. So do you feel yourself getting stronger?"

As soon as he asked Jagu this, his smile quickly disappeared and his voice became more serious.

Jagu looked at his furry hands and clenched them before slowly rising to his feet. His entire body hurt. "I have, the change right now is small but if I continue practicing I should become far greater. Given how faster you're becoming each time we fight I take it it's the same for you?"

Jin gave a direct response and merely laughed aloud. Who knows; ever since Aron arrived, nothing has made sense. What do you think Aron wants out of life, say Jagu?

…

A group of Panthera could be spotted gently roaming through the tall grass in pairs back in the open grassy valley.

They were in a formation that, when viewed from above, resembled, for the most part, the point of a spear.

"Something is wrong… we should have come across Valley Roamer by now." Garu sighed and cocked his head up a bit, but he couldn't see anything.

Aron didn't participate in the talk and instead stayed on guard, prepared to defend himself or run depending on the circumstances.

Rustle~

He abruptly shifted his head to his right, where another pair was moving. "What's wrong?"

He inquired but received no response, which made him frown before extending the range of his senses to a thirty-meter radius. His eyes widened as a result, and he stood up. not attempting to conceal anymore.

"We're encircled!"

Aron gave a sincere and urgent warning, but he was also stumped.

His senses had never failed to pick up on a presence when it was nearby, sometimes through scent, sound, or mana changes, since he left Argos' library.

But this time, something had almost imperceptibly entered his area of influence. 'Either it's a creature adept in camouflage or… it's just that more powerful than me.'

The first person to respond to Aron's admonition was Garu, who stood up with their backs to one another.

"I can't see anything?! What is surrounding us? How many are there?" Garu questioned in a panic after quickly scanning his surroundings but finding nothing.

"Just one." As he held up his spear and threw it into the air at a 45-degree angle, Aron spoke in a dreary tone.

This confused Garu, we it perhaps in the distance?

Splurt!~

"Kreeeeek!"

His questions were shortly answered as the spear struck something in the air and a greenish fluid appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"What…."

The air surrounding them and a portion of the sky appeared to be fogging up in the following instant, but what happened next surprised them all.

The blurring became a dark tint that solidified, exposing the enormous beast that had been around them.

Numerous tendrils were hanging from the section that appeared to be its skull and were attached to the exoskeleton's armored corners of the circular mouth.

Aron had focused his senses to a thirty meter radius, yet its body extended for many meters beyond that.

Tack~

It created a proper circuit around Aron and the Panthera as its numerous huge, thin, sharp-edged legs moved in a spooky synchrony silently.

"Attack!"

One of the Panthera felt the impulse to charge towards a part of it while Aron continued to quietly examine it, giving the others the confidence to do the same.

Howl~

They rushed into various parts of the beast without hesitation, but Aron stood still and tried to identify it.

'It clearly belong to the Scholopendridae family but what Genus is it!'

Aron searched his legacy ring's indexes in vain for this creature, which was not listed anywhere.