Sakeer's gaze locked onto the three Frogmen riders, each perched atop a multi-headed water serpent, charging straight at him.
Without hesitation, he signaled the two Archangel Flames, who had just finished wiping out the purple worms, to advance.
Roar!
Screech!
The multi-headed serpents let out guttural bellows, their voices mixing with the Frogmen's shrill cries as they clashed with the summoned Angels.
Yet—
One of the serpents managed to break through the onslaught, lunging directly at Sakeer.
Atop its massive heads, the Frogman warrior glared down at him, then let out an arrogant shout—
"Intruder! The great warrior shall feast upon you!"
Sakeer's eyes turned icy.
"I've always hated creatures that immediately think of eating people."
He raised his palm, fingers tensing as arcane energy surged.
Magic Arrow!
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three glowing arrows of pure magicshot forth, slamming into the multi-headed serpent's left forelimb knee.
Bang!
The serpent let out a pained bellow, its legs buckling beneath its weight.
Its massive body, previously barreling forward at full speed, collapsed—
SPLASH!
It crashed into the swamp with a thunderous impact, sending mud and water flying in all directions.
Bang!
The Frogman warrior atop the serpent was flung into the air, unable to control his fall.
He crashed into the mud ten meters ahead, his landing carving a deep crater in the swamp.
"Damn it!"
The Frogman scrambled from the murky puddle, its thick hide slick with filth.
His fist-sized dark brown eyes narrowed as he spat,
"Accursed intruder! The great warrior shall—"
Swish!
Before he could finish, another Magic Arrow whizzed through the air.
Boom!
The projectile pierced his chest, carving out three bloody holes in his resilient flesh.
Sakeer's eyes flickered with mild surprise.
It didn't pierce through completely?
Did Frogmen have magic resistance?
But then—
He froze.
Under his gaze, the wounds on the Frogman's chest began to heal at an alarming rate.
The torn flesh sealed itself, the gaping holes shrinking—
Within moments, the damage was gone.
Sakeer frowned.
Their regeneration isn't as powerful as an ogre's… but still, this is absurd.
He had never heard of Frogmen possessing such resilience.
『New Skill Detected: Partnership Contract I』
『Requirement: Basic Profession – Beast Tamer』
『Current Conditions Not Met』
A system notification flashed before his eyes.
『Genius Profession Detected – Requirement Override Successful』
『Skill can now be learned – Consume 1 Skill Point?』
Sakeer's eyes gleamed.
Another Beast Tamer skill.
The previous skill, Beast Anger, had sounded underwhelming, not worth wasting a skill point on.
But this?
The Frogman's ability was proof of its value.
He quickly accessed the detailed description of the skill.
Skill: Partnership Contract ICost: None (Cooldown: 1 hour)
Effect: Form a close partnership with a non-hostile monster.
The user can borrow one ability from their partner, and vice versa.
Only one ability can be exchanged per activation.
The partner pays the cost for using the ability.
(Once chosen, a partner cannot be removed unless they die.)
Sakeer quickly analyzed the situation.
If I'm right…
His eyes flickered to the fallen multi-headed water serpent.
Despite its injuries, it still hadn't recovered.
Meanwhile, the Frogman before him, who had been severely wounded moments ago, had already healed.
The connection was clear.
The Hydra Water Serpent must have the ability to "increase its own healing speed."
And right now—
The Frogman was using that ability.
Which meant… the serpent itself couldn't regenerate.
Sakeer's lips curled into a smirk.
"It hurts! It hurts!"
The Frogman winced, clutching its chest—though the pain was already fading.
Then—
Its expression twisted into a smug grin.
With mocking confidence, it straightened its chest, showing off its fully healed wounds to Sakeer.
"Accursed intruder! Kneel and beg for mercy!"
"If you do, this warrior might grant you a painless death!"
It screeched, baring its sharp teeth—as if showing off its regeneration.
Sakeer's expression remained unmoved.
"I wonder if you can regenerate after being chopped into pieces."
The Frogman's grin faltered.
Its oversized eyes darted to either side, and its body stiffened.
Then—
Whoosh!
Two Archangel Flames reappeared, flanking it from both sides.
Their flaming swords descended—
SLAASH!
The Frogman was sliced apart in a flash.
Splurt!
Blood splattered across the swamp, its body falling into several dismembered pieces.
Guess even fast regeneration can't bring a severed body back together.
Sakeer shifted his gaze, then pressed a hand onto the head of the Barghest.
"Partnership Contract."
The Barghest let out a low growl, shaking its head slightly—
But obeyed.
Sakeer smirked.
"Let's go."
As he walked forward, he felt something new.
A subtle connection, as if an invisible bond had been formed between him and the Barghest.
A deep, intuitive understanding of its abilities filled his mind.
"Interesting… On the surface, it's a two-way contract."
"But in reality—it's a one-way contract that completely favors the user."
The connection between Sakeer and the Barghest had become noticeably clearer.
Commands were transmitted with precision, and at the same time, he could forcefully activate the Barghest's Chain Whirlwind ability.
However—
The reverse was not true.
The Barghest couldn't issue commands or establish a connection with him.
Everything was still fully controlled by the user.
"So this is the difference between a Beast Tamer and a Druid?"
Sakeer muttered to himself.
A pity.
The Partnership Contract only allowed for one contracted monster at a time, and in retrospect, using it on the Barghest felt like a waste.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
With a Frogman leading the way, Sakeer continued advancing deeper into the Great Wetland.
As expected, more Frogmen and large swamp-dwelling monsters began appearing.
But—
The two Archangel Flames cut through every threat with ease.
Nothing stood in his way.
Gradually, the muddy swampland, once dotted with dense weeds and sparse trees, began to thin out—
Ahead, a dense forest loomed.
Then—
"Stop!!"
A frantic, panicked voice rang out from within the trees.
Sakeer's instincts sharpened.
With a subtle signal, the Barghest halted, its ears perked, body tensed—
Eyes locked ahead.
From the forest's shadows, a slender figure emerged.
A Lizardman—
Or at least, it looked like one.
Unlike typical Lizardmen, this one's black eyes lacked the serpentine pupils characteristic of its kind.
Strange…
Sakeer's brows furrowed.
A Lizardman? Here?
Deep within the Great Wetland?
That was unexpected.
Wait—
His eyes narrowed slightly.
There was something off about this encounter.
Does this Lizardman… know me?
The fear and panic in the creature's gaze didn't resemble that of someone encountering a stranger for the first time.
It looked like someone who had already heard stories about him—
And was terrified of him.
"I—I'm not a Lizardman… I'm a Cave Lizardman."
The creature flinched, instinctively shrinking back.
Despite the fear gripping him, he still mustered the courage to correct Sakeer's assumption.
A Cave Lizardman?
Sakeer's gaze flickered toward the sharp spikes adorning the creature's head.
That was unusual.
Then—
"You know me?"
His voice remained calm, his expression unreadable.
The Cave Lizardman visibly trembled but held his ground.
Instead of answering, he took a deep breath, clenched his sharp teeth, and forced himself to speak.
"My master sent me with a message."
"You must not kill the Frogmen."
The words rang out with forced defiance.
Then, in a more biting tone, he added—
"Don't think that destroying the Lizardman tribe makes you invincible. Leave the Great Wetland immediately."
As he uttered the final command, his entire body trembled.
He dared not lift his gaze, knowing all too well what this human was capable of.
He had witnessed it firsthand.
The Lizardmen tribe had fallen to him.
Sakeer's eyes darkened, a piercing sharpness flashing in his gaze.
This wasn't just speculation anymore.
He knows.
This Cave Lizardman was aware of what had happened in the Lizardman tribe.
Which meant—
His master knew, too.
"Who is your master?"
Sakeer's tone turned cold.
The Cave Lizardman's body stiffened, but he didn't hesitate.
"Naturally… the Witch-sama."
"The ruler of these forests and wetlands!"
The moment he uttered that name, his demeanor shifted.
As if merely mentioning her gave him a sense of security—
His voice grew steadier, even a little prideful.
Sakeer's eyes flashed in recognition.
Twin Witches.
He had heard of them before.
But what truly surprised him was this revelation—
The Twins had knowledge of the Lizardman tribe's destruction.
And somehow—
This Cave Lizardman did too.
Sakeer was certain.
I've never seen him before.
Then how?
"All-Race Charm."
Sakeer didn't waste time speculating.
With a flick of his fingers, an enchantment spell activated.
The Cave Lizardman barely had time to react before his consciousness faded—
His body stiffened, his eyes glazed over—
And he began walking toward Sakeer in a daze.
At the same time—
The Frogman guide beside him snapped out of its trance.
Whoosh!
An Archangel Flame's wings flared, and in an instant—
Its flaming sword cleaved downward.
SPLIT!
The Frogman was cut clean in half.
Blood splattered.
It didn't even have time to scream.
Sakeer turned his gaze back to the Cave Lizardman.
"Tell me—how do you know all this?"
His voice was calm—but undeniably commanding.
The Cave Lizardman, now fully under the enchantment's influence, spoke freely.
And Sakeer finally understood everything.
This wasn't just a random survivor.
The Cave Lizardmen were masters of deception.
This one had infiltrated the Lizardman tribe, posing as one of them—
Living among them.
And when the Twinsstole the Lizardman's treasure, it was another Cave Lizardman who had secretly fed them information, ensuring their success.
Sakeer's eyes glinted as he took the black-gray ring from the Cave Lizardman's hand.
A magic artifact.
It allowed a Cave Lizardman to disguise themselves as a Lizardman.
"I mistook it for lingering magic fluctuations at first…"
He twirled the ring between his fingers, his mind piecing things together.
And suddenly—
Things just got a whole lot more interesting.
The Twins weren't just subhuman creatures.
They were far from foolish.
Yet—
Sending this Cave Lizardman to warn him?
That was a mistake.
If they knew I wiped out the Lizardman tribe…
Why would they provoke me like this?
Unless—
They wanted me to come.
Sakeer's gaze lifted toward the depths of the forest.
His eyes flickered coldly.