Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 38: The Verdant Tyrant Lion

CH38 The Verdant Tyrant Lion

***

It took Alex five days to get the lay of the land within the inner rim of the forest.

Here, carnivores and all-around deadly beasts were aplenty.

The inner rim was a true hotbed of nature—a place where only the strongest, the fittest, and the most cunning survived.

It took a special breed of creatures to endure here, and Alex was learning this first-hand.

He discovered multiple early Class 3 beasts—the pinnacle strength of this Subspace—within these inner regions.

These beasts hardly moved, having carved out territories for themselves within the forest’s depths.

Any creature wandering into their domain was either a subordinate under the Class 3 overlord’s command, or prey.

Alex had to be extra careful moving within these territories, as even leaving behind a trace could lead to a colony of beasts hunting him down.

However, with the elevated risks came hearty rewards.

Using his Spirit Sights, Alex easily found and harvested multiple rare or even extinct resources at almost every turn.

His Nullcore orb was filling quickly.

Of course, he hadn’t forgotten his objective: to find a creature bearing a simple singular Ancestral Marking.

Unfortunately, he had yet to find one that fit his criteria.

While that goal was proving elusive, Alex’s main mission—improving his comprehensive combat experience—was progressing nicely.

Every spell he fired was soon followed by the death throes of a suffering beast.

[Pentavile Centipede: extremely poisonous, used to make Body Strengthening potions for trainee warriors.]

[Verdwind Raptor: an aerial bird of prey with strength close to late Class 2. Its Wind-nature Beast Core is highly sought for inscriptions and enchantments.]

[Duskhide Boar: reaching maturity at peak Class 2, with potential into early Class 3. Both parts are prized by forgesmiths and alchemists.]

The OmniRune Core’s bestiary entries struggled to keep up with how quickly Alex was sneaking up on and killing these beasts using optimum methods.

He found the combination of Featherflight Spell and Body Strengthening Magic worked well to lighten his steps, thread through harsh terrain, and reduce his presence to unsuspecting prey—all of which soon fell at his hands.

Of course, his high kill rate was because Alex carefully chose his targets.

He only engaged beasts he had a high chance of slaying quickly.

After all, he needed to kill them, harvest the parts he wanted, and leave before other beasts were drawn by noise or the smell of blood.

Alex’s hunting skills had improved so much that if he met the Crystal Stag again, he would no longer struggle to put it down.

”I have enough Beast Cores. The Nullcore is almost full. There’s no need to push further into the core regions,” Alex mused.

He decided, ”I should begin heading back. The closer I am to the portal location, the better.”

With a satisfied expression, Alex started his journey back towards the outer rim.

He still hunted and foraged with the aid of Spirit Sight but to a noticeably lesser degree.

---

Roar~

About two days north of the outer rim, a powerful roar echoed through the nearby forest.

The roar made Alex’s eyes burst with pain.

Using Spirit Sight, he traced the roar’s source to the east.

Climbing the tallest tree nearby, Alex scanned the distance.

Three miles away, he saw the beast responsible.

It was a Verdant Tyrant Lion.

Judging by its Mana source, the Tyrant Lion was about to breakthrough to Class 3—in fact, it was about 80% through the process.

Alex narrowed his eyes as he observed the scene unfolding below.

The Verdant Tyrant Lion was being besieged by a number of beasts. He recognised several as grunts belonging to neighbouring Class 3 overlords, while others were Class 2 beasts native to this region of the forest.

It seemed the current overlords didn’t want a new competitor rising in their backyard. Likewise, the other Class 2 beasts were unwilling to submit to a future tyrant who would rule over them.

Alex contemplated for a moment before making his decision.

If a new overlord was born here, it would trigger a reshuffling of the beast population within the inner rim. That meant unpredictable movement, territory shifts, and greater risk on his way out.

It was best to nip this problem in the bud.

Besides—one less Class 3 was one less existential threat to worry about.

He slipped behind a tree and watched, patiently.

True to its title, the Verdant Tyrant Lion was mowing down its challengers with brutal power. Its roars thundered, and its claws tore through flesh like paper. One by one, the other beasts fell beneath its onslaught.

Yet despite their numbers, the siege was disorganised—every beast attacking on instinct, failing to cooperate or exploit any tactical advantage.

Where they failed, Alex would not.

He remained hidden, quietly preparing a spell. He would wait for the perfect moment to strike.

The Tyrant Lion’s eyes turned red with unrestrained bloodlust. The scent of blood drove it mad—it began to burn its own reserves to wipe out all opposition.

It succeeded. Dozens of beasts lay dead around it.

But victory came at a cost.

Its body trembled with fatigue. Even so, the lion paid no mind. As long as it completed its breakthrough, its Mana would be replenished.

Unfortunately, it failed to notice the wicked human lurking in the shadows.

Just as the Verdant Tyrant Lion weakly lay down to begin its Class 3 ascension, the temperature around it suddenly spiked.

Before it could react, a massive sphere of flames descended from the sky.

Special Fusion Spell: Inferno!

The blast incinerated the beast on the spot.

The explosion shook the nearby forest, carving a wide crater into the terrain. The air crackled with residual heat and soot.

Alex let out a ragged breath, his body trembling from Mana fatigue.

He stumbled toward the scorched carcass, carved out its Beast Core, and quickly harvested a few intact body parts.

Luckily, the explosive spell had scared off any scavengers.

He didn’t linger.

---

Two days later—marking two weeks since entering the Subspace—Alex finally reached the boundary of the inner rim.

He was just about to cross it when the sky suddenly darkened.

Something’s wrong.

Alex looked up, and his expression twisted in horror.

From seemingly nowhere, a colossal winged tiger had appeared in the sky above—without triggering a single warning from his Spirit Sight.

Roar!

A deafening roar echoed across the forest, rattling trees and sending flocks of birds fleeing into the air.

The shockwave alone made Alex’s knees buckle.

Beasts across the entire region, many of them deadly predators themselves, trembled in fear. The forest stilled.

Alex watched in horror as the creature, seven metres high and tens of metres long, casually glided overhead. Every beat of its wings was like a thunderclap. It snatched prey from the forest with terrifying speed, swallowing them whole in one gulp.

There was no question—Alex had zero intention of fighting something like that.

Instead, he ducked into the underbrush, hiding with bated breath.

A short distance away, he saw the creature devour a pair of Bloodsilver Leopards—beasts known to be at the pinnacle of Class 2.

The winged tiger opened its maw and casually swallowed one of them whole.

Then it paused... and turned its head.

Its gaze drifted—straight toward him.

Alex’s heart froze.

He had a sinking feeling the beast was aware of his presence.

Sure enough, the moment the OmniRune Core finished analysing the creature, the beast’s glowing crimson-purple eyes locked on to his hiding spot.

[Bladefanged SkyTiger – Class 3 apex predator. Extremely dangerous magic beast. Confront with caution. Escape advised for anyone lower than Elite Rank (Class 4)!]

’F*ck me...’

***