Chapter 20: Golden Wolf Tribe?

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Golden Wolf Tribe?

[ ULTIMATE DEVOURER SYSTEM (STATUS) ]

​[ Name: Kronor De Volcan ]

[ Age: 7 (39) ]

[ Race: Human (Base) ]

[ Title: None ]

​[ HP (Health): 100 / 100 ]

[ Miasma (Mana): 60 / 60 ]

[ Satiation (Hunger): 55% (Balanced) ]

​[ Strength (STR): 45 ]

[ Agility (AGI): 42 ]

[ Vitality (VIT): 32 ]

[ Intelligence (INT): 27 ]

[ Willpower (WIL): 25 ]

​[ SKILLS ]

• Web Weaver (E), Water Breathing (E), Aquatic Camouflage (E).

​[ INNATE SKILLS ]

• Adult Soul (Passive), Photographic Comprehension (Passive).

​[ SYSTEM SKILLS ]

• Absolute Absorption (Active)

---

​These were Krono’s stats after 6 months of hellish training under five Platinum Dragon Hunters.

​The 45 points of strength and 42 points of agility were equal to four times that of a regular human, making him one of the strongest Bronze Rank Hunters there is.

​So, in essence, despite being branded as a Bronze Rank, his true power was at Silver Rank, just like the Golden Lion.

​Back to the present.

​As the Golden Lion was halted, he quickly activated his [Web Weaver] to unleash strong spider webs that effectively bound its maw, so that it couldn’t use its sonic boom ability anymore.

​The Golden Lion could only make muffled sounds, so it desperately tried to use its claws for a dangerous swipe after pulling back.

​But in the next second...

​Slice!

​Its paws were cut off by a flash of a black iron sword.

​Bang!

​After that, Krono kicked the lion with a leg stomp that felt like a truck slamming into its ribcage.

​The lion howled in agony while rolling onto the ground.

​Without any delay, without any mercy, Krono calmly brought his iron sword to pierce its heart.

​But he was careful not to damage the core around the ribcage.

​Not every monster had a core, but this one looked mature enough to bear one.

​So, Krono couldn’t afford to be careless in the slightest.

Meanwhile, Celine, Arden, and Felix were still sprawled on the damp forest floor, their minds completely failing to process the scene unfolding in front of them.

​The ringing in their ears from the sonic roar had barely faded, yet the towering, apex predator that had nearly wiped them out seconds ago was already a mutilated corpse.

​Arden, who had previously called the boy a "meat shield" and told him not to cry for his mommy, sat frozen in the dirt. His broadsword slipped from his trembling fingers, landing with a dull thud.

His mouth went wide, and his eyes practically popping out of his skull as he stared at the severed golden paws lying in the mud.

His mind felt short circuited.

​"H-He... he cut through its armor... like it was nothing...What kind of monster is this kid?!

​Celine had both hands clamped over her mouth, muffling a terrified gasp.

The gentle, apologetic smile she had offered the "lost child" back at the carriage depot felt like a absurd memory.

The boy standing over the slaughtered beast wasn’t a child. He was a seasoned, blood-soaked veteran trapped in a seven-year-old’s body.

​Felix swallowed hard as a cold shiver ran down his spine.

​"I knew it.I knew he was the heir to an illustrious house! But even then... to kill a beast nearing on Silver Rank in less than three seconds? What kind of hellish training did this boy go through?!"

Krono was fully focused on claiming his prize. His blood-stained hand reached deep into the precise cut near the beast’s heart, searching for the magical core he had read about in the texts and studied under his teachers.

​Suddenly, something warm and solid brushed against his fingertips.

​His deep eyes lit up. The object was roughly the size of a fist, humming with so much dense mana that it practically felt alive.

​Without a second of delay, he carefully extracted it using the flawless harvesting method Aurora had taught him.

​Soon, a brilliant, fist-sized yellow gemstone was pulled into the open air, casting a warm glow over the lion’s slaughtered corpse.

Krono’s smiled after seeing it. He knew exactly how valuable this was. Once his system devoured it, his stats were going to increase exponentially.

​But, of course, he couldn’t absorb it right here. Celine, Arden, and Felix were still watching his every move in stunned silence.

​He was just about to slip the glowing gem into his pocket when a loud shout froze him in his tracks.

​"Stop right there!"

​Mildly annoyed by the sudden angry voice, Krono turned around.

​"Huh?"

​He blinked in surprise as a tall, handsome youth with flowing golden hair marched into the clearing, radiating haughty arrogance.

​The voice and temperament clearly hadn’t belonged to Celine, Arden, or Felix.

It came from a completely unfamiliar young man. Three other heavily armed underlings carrying silver-tipped spears followed closely behind him, acting as his personal guard.

​Stopping just a few paces away, the golden-haired youth glared down at Krono as if he were looking at an impudent street child.

​"Little bastard! How dare you lay your filthy hands on my monster core!" he barked.

Krono, despite being smaller, stood up courageously.

​"Your core? What are you saying? How can this be your core when I hunted it down?"

​The young man scowled even more:

"Mongrel, this whole region and all of its properties belong to the Golden Wolf Tribe. And the lion you just killed is one of our sacred deities. You will be punished for this horrendous crime," the young man said righteously, showing two rows of wolf-like fangs.

​Krono became a little shocked and confused. From the looks of it, this golden-haired young man was a beastfolk.

​Felix came forward wearing a frightened face.

​He started whispering near Krono’s ear, "

"Krono, don’t fight! He’s Ceylon, the favoured son of Tribe chief Alakai, from the powerful golden wolf tribe. We didn’t tell you before, but this territory is completely under their control. We thought they were busy performing a major tribal ritual today, which is why we rushed in to poach the lion so urgently. But it seems they were alerted anyway. And now, we have no choice but to hand over the core and beg him to spare our lives!"