Chapter 530 The Underground World Is This Dangerous?

Few people knew that Vito, known as the Cunning Barbarian, had once been a common strategist known only as Vito the Cunning.

Through his research, he broke through the limits of his bloodline and successfully became Extraordinary.

His body swelled with newfound strength, and people began to remember his barbarity more than his cunning.

Vito was well-qualified to speak on the nature of power. He had learned a great deal from the Prince, enough to understand what the world on the next level up was like.

Thanks to his outstanding competence and Extraordinary status, Vito had secured his position as Prince Hoffman’s most trusted subordinate—a fact he had always taken pride in.

The journey into the underground world was not a smooth one. A light from the ceiling above guided their way, but visibility was low. They carried torches, fumbling forward, their vision limited to the small area just ahead.

It wasn’t Vito, the sole Transcendent among them, who first sensed that something was wrong. It was the warhorses of the Cavalry.

The warhorses grew restless, pawing at the ground and snorting.

Normally well-trained and loyal, the mounts now began to circle uncontrollably in place.

These animals wouldn’t be this agitated even if they ran into a mountain black bear or a savanna lion.

“We have enemies, my lord!”

“Prepare!” Vito was extremely cautious. He narrowed his eyes, peering into the distance. The sound of approaching hooves was unconcealed, a low rumble that grew steadily louder as they charged in his direction.

‘They have cavalry, too!’

He knew that by the time he could hear them, it was too late to hide or launch a preemptive attack.

Vito’s expression faltered when the approaching group came into view.

They weren’t Cavalry. They were monsters—half-man, half-horse—wielding crude bows or spears, completely unarmored.

“Form ranks!” Vito was not a natural cavalry commander. Compared to his usual efficiency and diligence, directing a battle was a difficult task for him. Still, he understood the basics of Cavalry tactics.

The centaurs ahead carried bows, meaning they were likely mounted archers. On this flat terrain, a heavy cavalry charge at close range held a clear advantage, especially since the enemy was charging headlong toward them with no fear of death.

There was still enough distance between them for the Cavalry to build up speed.

“Charge!”

Vito roared.

A centaur drew its mighty bow. An arrow flew with a WHOOSH and struck a cavalryman, but it only managed to dent his plate armor without piercing it.

A dense, precise volley of arrows rained down, striking the armor with a CLATTERING sound like a hailstorm.

But the armor held against the assault.

Only a few unlucky men were struck by arrows that found the gaps in their plate armor, and even they only sustained light wounds.

Seizing the opportunity, Vito’s heavy Cavalry had built up to a full charge.

The sound of hoofbeats layered upon hoofbeats until the entire area seemed to shake with a continuous, thunderous RUMBLE.

At such close range, with both sides charging head-on, it looked as if the centaurs were opening their arms to willingly impale themselves on the lances of the Cavalry.

“Aaaah!”

“NEIGH!”

Screams and neighs filled the air as the two charging forces collided at high speed. Hooves flew, and a great many fell.

The unarmored centaurs crashed into cavalrymen clad in full plate, their warhorses protected by barding. It was flesh against steel, and the centaurs were thrown into utter chaos, a tangle of flailing limbs and falling bodies.

Swarms of centaurs went down, and those behind them who couldn’t stop in time tripped over their fallen comrades.

Still, some centaurs recovered quickly, raising their weapons to strike at the cavalrymen.

“Reform!” Vito shouted immediately. “Don’t get bogged down in a melee!”

In his limited experience with war, he had seen firsthand the terrifying power of a heavy cavalry charge. Getting entangled in a melee was foolish. ‘Sit on a horse and draw a Longsword to hack at the enemy? I doubt my men are better at close-quarters combat than monsters who are literally part horse.’

‘My men’s greatest advantage is their full armor—absolute superiority in equipment!’

‘As long as we can charge, we can tear through anything!’

‘Getting bogged down by the centaurs would be like sinking into a quagmire.’

The Cavalry obeyed his every command. Without hesitation, they pulled on their reins, wheeling their horses about. The formation scattered to evade the encroaching centaurs, then rapidly reassembled into a standard wedge formation for another charge.

The centaurs scrambled to their feet in a panic. Faced with a disciplined, heavily-armored cavalry force, they were completely disorganized.

Some of the more stubborn centaurs raised their weapons, wanting to give chase and continue the fight.

“ROAR—!!”

A sudden roar echoed from the distance.

The Centaur Leader, Beck, paled. “This is bad. It’s the Scorpion-tailed Lions!”

Those creatures weren’t very intelligent, but they weren’t stupid. Under the overwhelming might of “that great lord,” they had chosen to submit. Plus, with the centaurs hunting for them daily, the Scorpion-tailed Lions were living a life of ease.

But they knew full well who they could push around and who they couldn’t.

The Burrowing Dwarves, for example, were little more than unfulfilling snacks—small, bony, and not very chewy, only good for an occasional bite.

Ogres and Giants were big, lumbering brutes with thick hides and tough flesh. The Scorpion-tailed Lions couldn’t defeat them and generally left them alone.

Only the centaurs were obedient and would bring them food. If no other prey was available, the centaurs themselves could be eaten to stave off hunger.

Just a moment ago, the centaurs had been tending to the Scorpion-tailed Lions. When they detected the intruders, they had come to hunt them, planning to bring the kill back as food for the lions or perhaps toss it to the ogres.

They hadn’t expected to run into such a tough opponent in this defensive battle.

Having waited a long time for the centaurs to bring their meal, the Scorpion-tailed Lions had now charged over themselves.

Ten ferocious lion-like monsters with bat wings and scorpion tails glided in, landing with a spray of dust.

The advantage Vito’s side had just won crumbled the instant the Scorpion-tailed Lions descended from above.

The warhorses grew even more agitated, confirming for Vito that it wasn’t the centaurs they had feared from the start, but these far more terrifying lion-beasts.

“ROAR!”

The Scorpion-tailed Lions were furious. No wonder their food was late—someone was bullying their keepers!

They tentatively extended their claws, scorpion tails raised high, poised to strike like venomous scorpions.

They crept closer to their prey, ready to attack!

Even as a Transcendent, Vito felt a chill crawl up his spine. His heart hammered uncontrollably in his chest. He knew the odds of his survival were slim.

“More idiots!”

“You’re the idiot!”

“I wasn’t talking about you!”

The bickering was accompanied by a heavy THUD, THUD, as something massive approached. Vito’s pupils constricted.

They were a group of massive, nine-foot-tall figures. Their skin was coarse and their movements were slow, but the sight of them made the terrifying Scorpion-tailed Lions tuck their tails between their legs like dogs. Vito instantly knew who was stronger.

Unlike the few Scorpion-tailed Lions, these creatures were numerous, like a series of high walls. They exuded immense pressure, yet Vito found himself breathing a sigh of relief.

‘I should be able to survive this.’

“The idiot wasn’t talking about me, hahaha! The idiot said you’re the idiot, hahahaha!”

“I! DI! OT!”

At the front was a two-headed monster. Its left head was arguing with its right, and they had now come to blows.

They attacked each other, which meant one head would punch their shared stomach, and then the other would do the same.

To an outsider, since they were a single body with two heads and one stomach, it looked as though they were masochistically pummelling themselves.

And with every blow, both heads would feel the pain and cry out, yet they continued to harm each other with tireless glee.

“You’re the idiot!”

“No, you’re the idiot!”

Vito grew increasingly tense. Without him realizing it, his troops had been surrounded by underground monsters that outnumbered his Soldiers several times over. Every single one looked vicious. In fact, besides the centaurs, all the others looked extremely dangerous.

‘I doubt my Soldiers’ swords could even break their skin.’

The circle was gradually tightening.

“I think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding!” Vito raised both hands to show he had no hostile intent.

Although his Soldiers still gripped their weapons tightly, and the toppled centaurs were all injured.

“I come from the surface. I serve the local lord, Prince Hoffman. I would like to meet your leader.”

‘Vito’s mind raced. For a group of monsters with such disparate levels of strength and intelligence to coexist so peacefully, even helping one another, there could only be one explanation: a stronger power ruled over them all.’

‘A stronger power suppresses all disharmony, just like Prince Hoffman. Although Vito felt this method was flawed and would allow many troubles to fester—like the current state of affairs, riddled with problems—he had to admit it was the most reliable approach.’

Suddenly, all noise ceased. Even the two-headed giant stopped its bickering and fell silent.

The Scorpion-tailed Lions drooped their wings and lay meekly on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.

The centaurs, in contrast, raised their heads with a smug look that said, ‘We’ve got powerful friends.’

‘Did these monsters actually understand me?’

Vito’s heart skipped a beat. He was about to say more when he saw the ranks of monsters part automatically. A humanoid figure in armor walked through. ‘It’s probably a person,’ Vito thought, ‘though I can’t be sure what sort of beings live down here.’

When he got a clear look at the figure, Vito was instantly certain. This was no Transcendent. This being was in a realm above the Extraordinary.

In his many years following the Prince, he had seen quite a few similarly powerful individuals. It was a leap in one’s Life Level.

Of course, without exception, every one of those powerful individuals Vito had seen had been torn to shreds by the Prince.

‘It seems they can be reasoned with. This isn’t the worst-case scenario.’

“My lord, my deepest apologies for intruding upon your territory.” Vito waved his hand, signaling his Cavalry to lower their weapons at once.

They had no chance of victory before, and the arrival of this individual confirmed it. Vito was certain that even with ten times the number of Cavalry, they would be no match for this person.

What Vito didn’t expect, however, was for the figure to say, “Follow me. The master wishes to see you.”

Vito: “!!”

‘For such a powerful being to submit and serve, their master must be even stronger.’

‘This underground world is this dangerous?!’

He was confident that the Prince was the strongest, but if he could avoid provoking another powerful being, he would much prefer to resolve this amicably.