Lyerin stepped out of the shelter, breathing in the air that now felt a bit different after the surge of excitement from earlier.


    However, something unexpected caught his attention.


    As soon as he moved beyond the threshold of the shelter, he saw a towering stone statue in the distance—the one representing his Stonehooves tribe—begin to shift its gaze.


    The stone eyes glowed ominously, locking onto him with an unsettling intensity.


    A sudden Ding! echoed in his mind as the familiar system notification appeared before his eyes:


    [ The host will lose all authority in the tribe if the host leaves the areas covered by the tribe''s domain.


    [ Please issuemands to your tribe members before attempting to depart. ]


    Lyerin clicked his tongue in irritation.


    The Borgias Family''s panther mana that had temporarily bolstered him was all but drained now, leaving him as a Ninth Stage, Second Cycle Mana user in the unforgiving environment of the ruined magical world.


    His body felt significantly less powerfulpared to when he had the panther mana coursing through him, but what annoyed him more was the audacity of the system still binding him under such restrictions.


    Even after all of this, they still dare to treat me like a mere mortal? he thought, his eyes narrowing in frustration.


    He crossed his arms and smirked, with his usual arrogance bubbling up.


    "So, I can''t leave without losing control of my tribe, huh?


    "Not a problem.


    "I had anticipated this very scenario already."


    Lyerin knew that the system and the forces controlling this ruined world were never simple, and he had nned ordingly. His fingers found their way to his mouth, and he let out a piercing whistle.


    Wehoweeeet!


    The sound sliced through the air, reverberating across thendscape, and with it came the unmistakable tremors from deep underground.


    The earth beneath their feet began to shake violently, sending everyone into a fresh wave of panic.


    The girls and the newly integrated members of his tribe clutched at each other, terror written across their faces as the ground seemed to rumble with some hidden, monstrous force.


    The crowd erupted into exaggerated, frantic screams.


    "What''s happening now?! Are we under attack again?!" Fiona shrieked, her eyes darting wildly around the clearing as if expecting a new enemy to materialize out of thin air.


    "Another beast! What now? What are we going to do?"


    always on m|vl|e|mp|y|r


    Maria''s voice was breathless with panic, her hands trembling as she backed away, only to bump into Lydia, who had already sunk to the ground, too overwhelmed to stand.


    "Are we going to die? Are we going to die?!"


    Emily was nearly in tears, clutching at the edge of her cloak as though it could somehow protect her from whatever monstrous threat was approaching.


    "I knew it! I knew we shouldn''t have trusted him!" one of the new tribe members yelled, pacing frantically. "We''re all going to die here! First, that cursed message about fighting for Earth''s survival, and now this! We''re doomed!"


    "Enough!"


    Lyerin''s voice boomed over the chaos,manding immediate silence. His presence alone was enough to halt their terrified ramblings, though their wide-eyed panic remained.


    "Don''t be so noisy," Lyerin scolded, his tone carrying a mixture of amusement and authority. "They''re ours."


    "O-Ours?" Corora stammered, her voice shaky but curious. She, too, had been caught off guard by the tremors. "What do you mean, ''ours''?"


    "The Mana beasts of our tribe," Lyerin exined coolly. "I just told them to fetch something."


    The ground continued to tremble, but this time the fear in the crowd shifted to confused awe.


    Slowly, out of the shadows of the surrounding forest, the enormous figures of the tribe''s Mana beasts emerged.


    Massive, muscr creatures with hooves—goats, ibex, sheep, and other hoofed beings, but all with an air of terrifying eldritch power.


    Their horns gleamed like polished bone, and their eyes glowed with otherworldly light.


    "They''re… they''re the same ones, aren''t they?" Sophia whispered, her eyes wide. "The same ones that took us to the dungeons before?"


    "But why do they look so different?" Lydia asked, her voice tinged with both fear and curiosity. "They''re… they''re stronger, more terrifying. I can feel it just by looking at them."


    "They surpassed the threshold of the third cycle," Lyerin said simply, his eyes glinting with pride as he watched his beasts drag something behind them through the dirt. "That''s why they look different now. Stronger. They''ve evolved."


    The girls exchanged nervous nces.


    The sheer power radiating from the beasts was undeniable, and though they were supposedly allies, the ferocity in their glowing eyes made it difficult to feelpletely safe.


    "They''ve… evolved?" Corora whispered, more to herself than anyone else.


    The notion that these already fearsome beasts had somehow be even more dangerous was a hard pill to swallow.


    Lyerin, however, was already focused on what the beasts were dragging.


    He watched closely as they hauled enormous shapes through the dirt—hulking figures with gnarled, greenish skin and grotesque faces.


    The creatures were half-unconscious, their massive bodies battered and bruised from the confrontation with the Mana beasts.


    Lyerin''s lips curled into a grin. "Finally," he said, his voice tinged with excitement. "Some forest trolls I can beat up."


    The crowd stood in stunned silence, staring at the captured trolls in disbelief.


    The creatures were monstrous, standing twice the height of any man, their bulging muscles rippling beneath their rough skin.


    Yet they had been dragged here like mere animals, defeated and humiliated by the beasts Lyerinmanded.


    Corora was the first to break the silence. "T-Trolls? You''re going to fight those things?"


    Lyerin nced at her, amused by her disbelief. "Fight? No," he said, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward, flexing his biceps casually. "I''m going to break them."


    The trolls, groaning in pain, struggled weakly against their bonds as Lyerin approached.


    Despite their immense size and strength, they were no match for the raw power of the Mana beasts who had captured them.


    "But they''re… they''re huge! And dangerous!" one of the neers blurted out, unable toprehend how Lyerin could be so nonchnt about the situation. "You''ll get yourself killed!"


    Lyerinughed, a deep, rumbling sound that sent a shiver down the spines of those around him. "I''ve fought worse things than trolls," he said, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "Besides, they''re already half-dead. Consider this a warm-up."


    Without another word, Lyerin lunged forward, his speed and strength catching everyone by surprise.


    He mmed his fist into the side of the nearest troll''s face with such force that the ground beneath them shook.


    The troll let out a pained roar, but Lyerin didn''t stop.


    He delivered blow after blow, his fists connecting with brutal precision, until the troll copsed, unconscious and defeated.


    The crowd watched in awe and horror as Lyerin made quick work of the trolls, his movements fluid and controlled, as if he were merely toying with them.


    Despite their size and strength, the trolls were no match for him.


    When thest trolly motionless at his feet, Lyerin wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to face the crowd. His smile was wide, almost predatory.


    "Now," he said, his voice filled with satisfaction, "let''s get to work. We''ve got a war to win."