Old Ni's eyes narrowed slightly. 'Its stats are almost identical to mine.'
Behind him, Uncle Zan didn't remain idle.
He planted his feet firmly, muscles tightening as he raised his sword once more and used his (Shockline Slash) B-ranked skill.
A straight, compressed wave of cutting force tore through the air, aimed directly at the Dire Wolf's exposed side.
The beast sensed it instantly.
With a furious roar, it twisted its body mid-fight and slammed its claw into the incoming attack. The force dispersed violently, smashing against the cave wall and sending shards of crystal scattering across the ground.
The Dire Wolf turned its head briefly, eyes burning with rage as it glared toward Uncle Zan.
Old Ni didn't give it the chance to pursue, as he stepped in and unleashed a series of precise slashes with each one of them aimed at joints, tendons, and vulnerable angles.
The Dire Wolf countered fiercely, claws and fangs moving in deadly coordination as it pushed back just as hard.
Blood splattered across the stone floor as both of them were hurt in the process.
Old Ni's hand was torn open by a claw strike, blood streamed down his arm. At the same time, a deep cut ran along the Dire Wolf's rib.
The Dire Wolf suddenly leaped backward and slammed its paws into the ground.
Crack!
The stone floor fractured outward as the beast launched itself forward again with an extremely fast speed.
Old Ni crossed his sword defensively.
Boom!
The impact sent him sliding several meters back, his bare feet carving long grooves into the stone. He steadied himself just in time as the Dire Wolf followed up, jaws snapping as it aimed to tear apart the old man's throat.
Uncle Zan gritted his teeth and used another (Shockline Slash) B-ranked skill.
Another compressed strike shot forward.
This time, the Dire Wolf chose to evade as it twisted sharply to the side, the blade of force grazing its flank and carving a long line into the cave wall instead.
The beast howled in fury, and its movements became more violent.
Yet even so, Uncle Zan's repeated attacks served their purpose, as the Dire Wolf could no longer focus solely on Old Ni.
Each time it committed fully, it had to account for the unseen pressure slicing toward it from afar.
Ash watched everything in silence.
His expression was calm, as he wanted to see the real fight between 4th Ranks.
However, just as he was enjoying the show, he was taken aback by the sound of the notification that suddenly chimed in his mind.
A translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes.
[Ding! You have received a side mission.]
[Objective: Get out of the encirclement of five 4th Rank Beasts or ???]
[Failure: Death!]
[Reward: ???]
His pupils instantly shrank together with his heart.
'A whole FIVE 4th Rank Beasts? Are you fucking kidding me?'
Without hesitation, Ash stepped forward and spoke sharply.
"Old Ni, end it NOW!" Ash's voice was low with some urgency. "There's an emergency."
Old Ni's eyes flickered for a fraction of a second. "I'll try my best, Tribe Lord."
Without waiting for long, he looked at Rokhan, who had already looked at him with a frown.
"As I said earlier, there's an emergency," Ash said coldly. "Give me your word that the Mirefang Tribe will join the Ragh'Tal Tribe. Only then do we have a chance of getting out of here alive."
"Huh? What are you talking about? I've told you that you need to prove—"
"Shut up and listen to me!" Ash interrupted in anger as he continued. "There are FIVE 4th Rank Beasts waiting outside this cave. The only way we survive is if I can use my power to upgrade someone to the 4th Rank!"
"But still—"
"Fine." Ash's eyes turned icy. "I'll prove it. But remember this—if you dare go back on your word, you'll understand the consequences."
He then turned and called out a name. "Mira!"
"Yes, Tribe Lord!" She stepped forward a little bit annoyed.
"Prepare yourself." He said and instantly ordered the system in his heart. "Upgrade her rank to 3rd Rank Warrior!"
[Ding! 100 Tribal Points have been successfully deducted.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host! Mira has successfully broken through to the 3rd Rank Warrior.]
As the notification ended, Ash deliberately staggered and dropped to one knee, feigning extreme exhaustion.
Meanwhile, a surge of energy erupted from Mira's voluptuous body.
Everyone present was shocked, especially those from the Mirefang Tribe. Rokhan was left stunned and opened his eyes widely.
"What are you waiting for?!" Ash panted haggardly and said in anger as he glanced at Rokhan.
Rokhan came back to his senses and sighed softly.
"I, Rokhan, as the Tribe Lord of the Mirefang Tribe, pledge allegiance and agree to merge under the Ragh'Tal Tribe." Rokhan kneeled on one knee as he put his right hand in front of his chest.
The other warrior from the Mirefang Tribe also followed suit.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host! You have subjugated the Mirefang Tribe!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 5,000 Tribal Points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 50,000 System Points!]
[Ding! First-time tribe subjugation bonus activated — rewards doubled!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 5,000 Tribal Points!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 50,000 System Points!]
Looking at the reward, Ash sighed softly as he thought that he would at least be able to get out of the danger.
He then checked his points once again before making the best plan for his current circumstances.
[Tribal Points: 13,483] [System Points: 159,000]
He raised an eyebrow and swept his gaze at Kargan, Harold, Rokhan, and the other 3rd Ranks from the Mirefang Tribe while standing up slowly.
"Ash, are you alright?" Mira instantly helped him stand up, thinking that the reason why he became like this was because he upgraded her rank and pushed himself even when he had reached his limits.
"I'm fine now." Ash smiled, then knitted his eyebrows, as he had a lot of options of which one to upgrade at the moment.