Tharok's Point of View
"Damn it… These things are hard to kill."
One of my companions' irritated voices echoed through the stone tunnel.
"My sword barely damages them…"
Several frustrated growls followed.
Even Sara looked annoyed.
I stared at one of the metallic cores we had obtained recently. Dust and fragments of rock still clung to its surface.
These creatures were troublesome.
Very troublesome.
If all five of us fought together, we could defeat them relatively quickly. The real problem was something else.
"They're not appearing alone anymore…" one of the gorilla warriors growled as he adjusted his grip on his hammer.
That was exactly the issue.
At first, we encountered isolated enemies and could easily surround them. But the farther we moved from the entrance, the more common it became to find groups of two or three creatures patrolling together.
And that changed everything.
To defeat them without wasting too much Origin Energy, we needed to:
isolate them,
bring them down,
and extract their cores quickly.
But when they had support, the fight became far more dangerous.
Sara slammed her mace against a rocky wall in irritation.
"At this rate, the profits will be miserable. We're risking too much for too little."
One of the warriors immediately nodded.
"She's right. If we keep avoiding groups and only hunting isolated ones, we'll return with almost nothing."
"And what do you suggest?" another replied with annoyance. "Waste our energy recklessly?"
The tension between them started to rise.
I sighed.
"I have an idea."
Everyone looked at me.
"Out of habit… I always carry chains and hooks when entering dungeons."
Sara frowned.
"And how would that help?"
The others seemed to think the same.
I pulled one of the coiled chains from my backpack and raised it slightly.
"These things are strong… but they're slow and heavy."
One of them responded quickly.
"We already know that."
I shook my head.
"Yes, but I think we've been fighting them the wrong way."
I crouched and quickly drew on the ground using a fragment of stone.
"If we try to destroy them directly, we'll waste too much energy. But if we can knock them down… exposing their cores will become much easier."
They started paying closer attention.
I continued explaining.
"We surround them. Wrap chains around their legs and arms. Then we all pull together."
One of them hesitated.
"They're really heavy."
"I know," I replied. "But they don't seem agile. Once one falls… it takes a while for it to stand back up."
I remembered something I had seen long ago in Exuvia.
A massive tribe fighting similar creatures by using the enemy's own weight and balance against them.
At the time, I hadn't thought much of it.
Now I did.
I kept talking.
"Once they fall, one of us strikes directly at the core before they can stabilize themselves."
Silence followed.
Then one of them slowly started smiling.
"…That could work."
Another burst into laughter.
"Nothing to lose by trying!"
Sara observed the drawing for a few seconds before nodding.
"Fine… let's do it."
Sara's Point of View
We hid behind rock formations while observing our prey.
Two humanoid creatures slowly patrolled through the tunnel.
One of my companions whispered,
"Ready…"
I nodded while gripping my mace.
Tharok observed both creatures' route before speaking quietly.
"I'll lure one away. You prepare to trap the other."
Then he stepped out of cover.
The creatures reacted immediately.
Their bodies trembled as crystalline plates grew over their arms.
They roared.
Tharok didn't fight directly.
He provoked them.
He dodged the first attack and began running through the tunnel while one of the creatures chased after him heavily.
"I'll bring it back in a minute!" he shouted before disappearing around a corner.
We moved immediately.
The others threw chains around the remaining creature.
The monster roared violently and tried to advance toward one of them, completely ignoring the others attacking it.
Just like always.
They focused obsessively on a single target.
That was what made our strategy work.
"Now!"
The chains tightened.
The creature lost its balance and crashed heavily onto the rocky floor.
The impact echoed through the tunnel.
My turn.
I ran toward it while adjusting my grip on the mace.
One of my companions crouched while another climbed onto his back.
They improvised a small platform.
I jumped onto them.
Then launched myself forward using the full weight of my body.
The mace struck the metallic core directly.
CLANG!
The orb was blasted out of the creature's chest and rolled several meters across the ground.
The rocky body immediately stopped moving.
All of us froze for a second.
Then—
"HAHAHA!"
"It worked!"
"It actually worked!"
Laughter echoed through the tunnel.
Even I smiled.
It had been absurdly effective.
"Quick!" I said. "Remove the chains before Tharok returns!"
We moved hurriedly.
Moments later, heavy footsteps echoed through the tunnel again.
Tharok returned while dodging attacks from the second creature.
"Ready!" one of the warriors shouted.
We repeated the exact same strategy.
And it worked again.
When the second creature finally collapsed, several warriors immediately surrounded Tharok.
"You're a genius!"
"HAHAHA! This is going to make us rich!"
"How did you even think of this?"
Tharok let out a small embarrassed laugh while scratching the back of his neck.
"To be honest… I copied the idea from a tribe in Exuvia. They were huge, and the monsters in their dungeon were similar to these."
"HAHAHA!"
"When you come to Rasganorte, you have to visit my tribe!"
"Yeah, you'll be our honored guest!"
I silently observed the scene.
He was unbelievably good at connecting with people.
He always had been.
Charismatic.
Intelligent.
Strong.
Others became comfortable around him almost immediately.
And that…
That was exactly what had interested me about him from the very beginning.
I slowly stepped away while they continued laughing and talking.
Once no one was paying attention to me, my expression darkened.
"If only your mindset were different…"
I clenched my teeth.
I truly had believed he could become what I needed.
Rogan's perfect successor.
Someone capable of leading the tribe.
Someone strong enough to dominate others.
And I…
I would have stood beside him.
But Tharok was too soft.
Too sentimental.
Too much like his mother.
Even dead, she was still ruining everything.
I slowly shook my head.
I had wasted too much time waiting for him to change.
And now…
It was too late.
I silently opened the system.
"System, contact Captain Drakar."
[Request approved.]
[Initiating communication…]
A screen appeared before me.
The massive saber-toothed tiger stared at me from the other side.
"Speak."
"Captain… in approximately two hours, the poison should take effect."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't you say he would simply pass out?"
"Yes, but the problem is the others. I doubt they'll let me take him once it happens."
Drakar let out a deep laugh.
"HAHAHAHA… now that is unexpected."
I frowned.
"That idiot is too good at socializing."
The captain kept laughing for a few more seconds before calming down.
"Fine. I'll go personally."
I sighed in relief.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I'm simply fulfilling my part of the agreement with the alliance."
The communication ended.
I stayed silent for a few seconds before looking back at Tharok.
He was still laughing with the others.
Happy.
Completely unaware of everything.
My eyes slowly hardened.
"Enjoy this moment while you can…"
I clenched my fist.
"Because it will be the last happy moment you'll ever have."