Chapter 25. The Deal (6)

Yeonwoo's eyes hardened.

He recalled the traces of players he had seen at the entrance of the den. It seemed to be a continuation of the kidnappings that had taken place there. They must have gathered the captured humans here.

A place where humans were confined like livestock.

Though his face was hidden by a mask, his insides were boiling with rage.

Hargan's nest was literally the nest where the Lizard King Hargan and Queen Taragan resided. Moreover, since they had newborns, the creatures were in a state of extreme aggression. They often hunted players to feed their hungry offspring.

The remains of the corpses were what was left after Hargan's offspring had feasted on them.

In short, this human farm was a storage of food prepared to be given to the offspring whenever they were hungry.

'Is it the same here as on Earth? Ultimately, are all places where people live the same?'

He had often seen similar scenes in Africa.

Scenes of powerless people being tied up and used as slaves.

Brainwashing children to hold rifles, giving suicide bombs to the elderly, and using women as objects of sexual gratification—there were many scenes more horrific than this.

This was not much different.

The only difference was that the perpetrators were not humans but Lizardmen.

In terms of content, there was no difference.

No, it might even be a very common custom among the Lizardmen.

'Treating pigs like humans or treating humans like pigs. Is there any difference?'

Shouting for help, but it was the same as a cow shedding tears as it was led to the slaughterhouse.

Yeonwoo calmly assessed the situation.

'If I rescue them, I won't be able to obtain the crown the female has.'

Most importantly,

The players here had brought this crisis upon themselves.

In the world of the tower, where the law of the jungle was a common sense, those who sought to become gods had overestimated their abilities without fully recognizing their own strength.

"The female might appear at any time. We need to hurry and find the bastard, so you should hide your body first."

Just as he was about to turn and call Doyle,

Doyle remained rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

Yeonwoo, suspecting something, turned to look at Doyle.

Although he had judged Doyle to be rational and skilled at emotional control, he recalled the expression on Doyle's face when he saw the traces of the players at the entrance.

Sure enough,

His expression was rigid, and his tightly clenched fists were trembling.

"Brother, aren't you angry?"

Doyle clenched his fists. His distorted gaze turned to Yeonwoo.

"Angry?"

"Yes, angry. Can you really remain unaffected by such a scene?"

Yeonwoo inwardly clicked his tongue.

Is youth really something that can't be helped?

"I'm human too. If I weren't angry, I wouldn't be human."

"If so, how can you be so calm...!"

"But if we try to save them, Khan will be in danger."

"..."

Doyle's expression hardened.

Yeonwoo turned around.

"Don't forget. Khan is now fighting fiercely to hold Hargan's ankle. He can't face Hargan alone, and the longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes."

"..."

"Judge the priorities first. If you can't make a rational decision and act recklessly, I'll leave here too. Whether you live or die."

Doyle bit his lower lip.

A myriad of conflicts flashed across his eyes.

Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes as he watched Doyle.

In the conflict between reason and emotion, he saw the faces of his old comrades.

'Trauma? PTSD, perhaps.'

PTSD, commonly known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

A mental illness that lingers after witnessing or experiencing a major event.

Some switch must have been triggered.

Doyle's past was unknown, but it was clear that he had experienced something similar, and the situations from that time kept holding him back.

"..."

Finally, after a brief silence,

Crack!

Doyle slapped his own cheeks with both hands.

Red handprints appeared on his previously pale skin.

His eyes, filled with anger, were now deeply sunken.

With a determined gaze, he looked up at Yeonwoo again.

"I'm sorry. I was shortsighted."

At that moment, Yeonwoo realized that Doyle had suppressed his trauma and chosen Khan.

This decision would likely have a significant impact on the worldview Doyle would build in the future.

"Let's get back to it quickly. Khan is probably waiting for us."

Just as Doyle was about to move towards where the female was,

'Wait a moment.'

Yeonwoo suddenly had a good idea.

Hargan and Taragan had created the human farm to feed their offspring.

Could he use this to his advantage?

"Wait."

"Why?"

"I just had a good idea. Can we modify the plan a bit? If we do it right, we might be able to save the people too."

"..."

Doyle's eyes widened.

Although he had chosen Khan as his priority, he had been heavy-hearted about leaving the people behind.

If they could save them too?

His eyes sparkled with hope.

"I need the fire beetles you showed me at night."

Under the mask,

Yeonwoo smiled coldly.

* * *

Queen Taragan was seething with anger.

"Humans! How dare humans appear here!"

She swung her club forcefully, smashing the head of a nearby Lizardman.

The guard who had come to report was suddenly killed, but no one tried to stop Taragan.

When she went into a hysterical fit, even Hargan couldn't control her.

They knew that it was better to let her be, as it would cause less damage.

"My offspring! They're after my offspring!"

Taragan had a compulsion that humans would target her offspring.

Therefore, she, who was even stronger than her husband, had to step in to repel the intruders.

The guards, well aware of this, tensed up and answered that they would do so.

If the offspring were even slightly injured, their heads could be smashed.

Boom!

Boom!

The ground shook violently each time the 3-meter-tall, larger-than-Hargan body moved.

Just then,

Someone suddenly blocked Taragan's path.

A white mask. Burning eyes.

It was Yeonwoo.

He held an unknown leather bag in his right hand.

"Human, I'll kill you!"

Taragan roared at Yeonwoo, who had boldly appeared before her.

A fierce killing intent spread throughout the nest, but

Yeonwoo smiled and said,

"Hey, Lizard Queen."

"What!"

"Do you like fireworks?"

"What...!"

As Taragan thought Yeonwoo was talking nonsense and tried to stomp on him,

Yeonwoo suddenly threw the leather bag he was holding into the nest where the offspring were.

Taragan instinctively sensed danger and quickly swung her club to break the bag in mid-air.

With a loud "bang," red powder spread like a fog, filling Taragan's vision.

The powder from the countless monsters he had defeated in the Frost and Flame Room.

"Doyle!"

Following Yeonwoo's signal, Doyle, who had been hiding in the corner, quickly guided the fire beetles towards the powder.

A violent explosion enveloped Taragan.

Boom!

Screams!

Yeonwoo and Doyle kicked off the ground with all their might, without waiting to see who would move first.

"Raaaah! You bastards!"

After the explosion,

Taragan, using her strength to push through the flames, turned her head.

One of her eyes was shattered, and her upper body was severely burned, but she didn't feel the pain.

Her urgency to protect her offspring from the humans overshadowed everything.

She rushed to the nest as quickly as possible, but Yeonwoo and Doyle were already there, eliminating the guards and snatching the offspring one by one.

Especially, Yeonwoo, like when he threw the bag, grabbed an offspring in full view of Taragan.

With a cold laugh, he slit the offspring's throat with his greatsword.

Swoosh!

"Aaaaah! Human! How dare you! How dare you!"

Taragan's eyes completely rolled back.

Completely losing her mind, she charged like a bull.

Her mind was filled with the single thought of tearing Yeonwoo to pieces.

Boom!

"Since you treated humans as mere livestock."

But Yeonwoo started to retreat, grabbing another offspring.

He thrust his greatsword into the struggling offspring's neck. A terrible scream echoed throughout the nest.

"You should be aware that you could end up the same way. Don't you think?"

"Let go of them! Human!"

But Taragan didn't hear a word Yeonwoo said. Her eyes were fixed on the slowly dying offspring as she pursued Yeonwoo.

When Yeonwoo threw the dead offspring to the ground,

As Taragan lunged forward to grab the offspring,

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

The traps they had pre-set triggered a series of explosions far more powerful than the previous one.

The ground split, trees burned, and the area was engulfed in a sea of fire.

In the inferno, Taragan suffered the pain of her limbs being torn apart.

"Raaaah! Human! Human!"

If the usually meticulous Taragan had been in her right mind, she would have noticed the traps long ago.

Many of the traps were not well disguised due to the hasty setup.

But where was a mother who had lost her mind over her offspring's death?

Moreover, Taragan's obsession with her offspring was extraordinary.

Yeonwoo had exploited this, and Taragan had no choice but to fall for it.

"No! My offspring! My offspring!"

Even in the inferno, Taragan managed to survive. Her body was covered in burns, but she was still desperately searching for her offspring.

But Yeonwoo and Doyle still had three offspring in their hands.

Continuing to move, when the last remaining offspring was about to die, Taragan was caught in the last trap and met a glorious end in the flames.

Boom!

Yeonwoo thrust his greatsword deep into the throat of the dying Taragan, severing her life.

"The relationship between humans and monsters is nothing more than this."

[A boss monster, Taragan (Lizard Queen), has been defeated. Additional contribution points have been awarded.]

[500 contribution points have been obtained.]

[The morale of the Lizardmen has dropped. Hargan's nest has entered a state of panic.]

The message of successfully defeating Taragan appeared.

Yeonwoo felt a sudden wave of fatigue.

'Have I used up all the powder I brought from the Frost and Flame Room?'

Even though he relied heavily on the traps, maintaining the distance from Taragan and leading her to the target point was no easy task.

One mistake or if Taragan regained her senses, everything would have been for nothing.

'If Doyle hadn't detonated the fire beetles at the right time, it would have been difficult.'

For a plan conceived and executed on the spot, their coordination was quite good.

"Brother!"

At that moment, Doyle ran up to stand beside Yeonwoo.

He still had an incredulous look on his face as he stared at Taragan's corpse.

Considering the hardships he and Khan had endured when they first attacked Hargan's nest, this was an unbelievable achievement.

It was hard to believe that the powder from the monsters they had found in the dungeon could produce such results.

He looked at Yeonwoo with a mix of admiration and respect.

His judgment in battle, his ability to devise a strategy, and his skill in executing it.

But whether he noticed or not,

Yeonwoo nodded towards the corpse.

"Take the crown first. We need to hurry to Khan."

Doyle nodded and approached Taragan. She was still holding the dead offspring in her arms, burned to death.

It was undoubtedly a touching maternal love, but

Doyle's gaze was cold.

As Yeonwoo had said, the relationship between humans and monsters was one where they could only kill each other.

He was once again painfully reminded that in the world of the tower, the weak were eaten.

Yeonwoo narrowed his eyes as he watched Doyle collect the crown from Taragan.

'I need to come back here after everything is over.'

Even in death, Taragan still exuded a strong aura.

Though not as powerful as when she was alive, Valtor's vampiric sword could absorb some vitality from a dead body.

If he could absorb such a powerful creature, it would significantly boost his abilities.

'Maybe even create a new skill.'

As Yeonwoo's eyes sank deeper,

Doyle pulled out the crown and clutched it tightly. His hand trembled with excitement.

Yeonwoo turned to where Khan was.

With the addition of himself and Doyle, they should be able to capture Hargan.

He planned to collect the contribution points and Hargan's corpse as well.

* * *

Just then,

"Raaaaah! Taragan! Taragan!"

With a loud roar, Hargan suddenly appeared around the corner.

He had run over after hearing the explosion, and his face was distorted.

Khan also ran up behind him.

He must have been in a fierce battle alone.

His face was exhausted.

But he quickly understood what had happened from the explosion marks around him.

He smiled, indicating approval, and gripped his sword tightly again.

His exhausted face regained its vitality.

And,

Swish!

He moved with renewed strength.

Yeonwoo and Doyle, as if on cue, moved simultaneously.

Now they were three.

Even without the traps and despite being a bit tired, they were at a level where they could capture Hargan.

Whoosh!

Just as three sword winds were about to slash Hargan, who was distracted by Taragan's corpse,

Yeonwoo sensed something strange.

His heightened senses suddenly sounded an alarm.

The creature was dangerous!

A passage from the diary came to mind.

Hargan was smaller and weaker than Taragan. Yet, he became the leader of the Lizardmen because of a unique skill.

...Heat Wave, it was called.

The unique skill, Heat Wave, that made capturing Hargan difficult for his brother and Team Artia.

A hot aura swirled around the scimitar Hargan tightly gripped.

A heat wave was about to erupt!

"Get back!"

Yeonwoo, who was running forward, quickly retreated. Khan and Doyle, sensing something was wrong, each turned at a right angle to move away from Hargan's range.

Hargan then forcefully slammed his scimitar into the ground.

Boom!

The ground split and sank, and heat waves and flames erupted wildly.

The inferno instantly covered the entire nest, further devastating the area already half-destroyed by the traps.

'Damn!'

Yeonwoo crossed his arms to shield his face and was pushed back by the shockwave.

His heightened senses were overwhelmed by the heat, and he couldn't feel anything.

He had no idea where Khan and Doyle had gone.

Whoosh!

After the heat subsided, Yeonwoo could barely see through his crossed arms.

'What happened?'

The nest where Hargan had been was completely destroyed.

The red flames and thick black smoke seemed to explain why he was called the Lizard King.

If he had been even a step slower and got caught in it,

He wouldn't have left a trace.

It was a scene that made his blood run cold.

And,

Yeonwoo could clearly see

"Taragan! I will avenge you!"

Hargan, holding Taragan's and the offspring's corpses, howled to the sky.

Crunch!

With tears in his eyes, he bit into Taragan's neck without hesitation and began to eat her.

Cannibalism.

He was trying to absorb Taragan's power.

A detail not mentioned in the diary.

[A boss monster, Hargan (Lizard King), has used the skill 'Feast' and successfully stole Taragan (Lizard Queen)'s power.]

[Attempting mutation.]

[Phase 2 has been activated.]

Boom!

An earthquake and heat wave swept through the area again.