Ch.108108. The New Continent (6)

After the somewhat tense first meeting with the reptilian humans.

[So, you’re saying you were shipwrecked from a distant land and fell upon this territory?]

“That’s right. ····But I’m surprised you believe me without much suspicion?”

[Haha. You don’t understand. What would be the benefit of such an elaborate lie? Besides, we ourselves possess certain ancient legacies, so it’s not entirely unbelievable.]

As a result, through conversation with these reptilian humans—or Reptilians, as they call themselves—I was able to clear up the misunderstandings between us and understand each other’s circumstances.

“········Earlier, you mentioned you came out to investigate the disappearance of magical beasts in this area?”

[That’s correct. ····Perhaps this has something to do with you?]

“Indeed it does. I needed the carcasses of magical beasts to build a vehicle to escape this jungle. Is that a problem?”

[A problem…. I don’t think so. Everything will likely resolve itself with time.]

The reason they ventured outside was for investigation.

During my process of modifying the Tarasque, I hunted a large number of intermediate primitive magical beasts for materials, and upon discovering this, the Reptilian tribe set out to investigate, concerned that an external predator might have approached the vicinity.

Therefore, even when I asked if my actions had caused any problems, the Reptilians went so far as to joke that this alone wouldn’t cause any issues.

Come to think of it···· what was an anomaly to them—the disappearance of intermediate primitive magical beasts—was actually like rain during a drought for the Reptilians who were struggling to survive.

According to the warriors, intermediate primitive magical beasts were dangerous enemies and predators to the Reptilians, and in practice, the Reptilians hunted lower-grade primitive magical beasts.

Now that the ecosystem’s large predators (intermediate primitive magical beasts) had mostly been hunted down,

it was obvious that the number of prey (lower-grade primitive magical beasts) would increase····· and this increased number of prey would bring abundance to the Reptilian tribe.

······Considering the resilience of the primitive jungle’s ecosystem, the population of lower-grade magical beasts would probably normalize within a few months at most.

Anyway, after completely clearing up the misunderstanding, the Reptilians and I engaged in some minor conversations, during which I was able to gather some information about this new continent.

I learned that the Reptilians grow various crops using methods similar to hydroponics, and among these crops are cocoa···· as well as what appear to be sweet potatoes and peppers.

Although the Reptilian civilization might appear quite primitive on the surface, in reality, its attention to detail is not far behind any advanced civilization.

And that the Reptilians’ magic users are called shamans who use primitive rituals or wild magic.

[Usually, even exchanges with nearby tribes are life-threatening endeavors. ·····One wrong move could lead to annihilation.]

“Annihilation?”

What particularly puzzled me was this mysterious statement from the leader of the Reptilian warriors, as I couldn’t understand why he would mention the possibility of being annihilated.

While various intermediate primitive magical beasts are formidable opponents, the intermediate warrior Reptilians before me could certainly handle them, and this holds true even for the Blood Saurus, presumed to be the apex predator.

So when I openly expressed my confusion with a questioning look,

the warrior, despite his reptilian face, showed an expression of mixed emotions and slight fear······.

[········It, it exists.]

“It?”

[Yes. The most evil, most vicious, most powerful magical beast. ········The Tzompantlus.]

The warrior Reptilian, terrified by merely mentioning the name, barely managed to utter the name of this magical beast, “Tzompantlus.”

Just by speaking its name, the warrior Reptilian trembled violently as if gripped by intense fear.

All the warriors, who hadn’t even flinched when exposed to the aura I was emitting for intimidation, were now reacting this way just from hearing or speaking a name.

What kind of being could elicit such a reaction?

While curiosity rose within me···· I had no desire to probe the wounds of those who reacted so intensely.

So I tried to set aside my curiosity about this “Tzompantlus” entity····.

But the Reptilians observing me seemed to have different thoughts.

[······Are you curious about ‘it’?]

“Hmm? Ah, no, that’s not it. It’s just···.”

[····You’re being considerate because you saw that we can barely speak of ‘it.’ It’s alright. We’ve gained something thanks to you···· I’d appreciate if you’d consider this our repayment.]

“······Thank you, warrior.”

With an expression full of determination to overcome deeply rooted fear, the brave warrior began to methodically explain about the “Tzompantlus.”

[It is···· the magical beast most feared by us Reptilians. It’s also the apex predator ruling this nearby jungle.]

“·····Apex? I thought the Blood Saurus was the apex predator?”

[Blood Sau···· Ah. That one is certainly a powerful magical beast, but it doesn’t compare to this one. The level of malevolence is different.]

‘········To that extent?’

The Blood Saurus. That magical beast I first encountered in this jungle···· was, in my opinion, as powerful as the Queen Cave Worm among all the magical beasts I had encountered so far.

It wasn’t that it had special abilities, but rather it excelled in fundamentals. The Blood Saurus is a case where a magical beast focused on fundamentals has acquired sufficient specs.

Without special abilities, there’s no straightforward way to defeat it, meaning unless you overwhelm it with raw power, there’s no way to hunt it.

And yet, something more vicious than the Blood Saurus?

“····This might be impertinent, but could you explain in more detail?”

[Of course, of course. I’ll tell you as much as you’d like.]

Thus, these Reptilians, unable to shake off my curious inquiry, finally opened up after deep contemplation.

[The, Tz, Tzompantlus····resembles the Blood Saurus, but among us, its danger level is considered several times higher. It possesses intelligence not much different from our own.]

‘········Interesting.’

Intelligence at the level of a sentient being. If that’s the case, I can somewhat understand their overreaction.

Even goblins, merely the size of children, are considered highly dangerous solely due to their seemingly low yet actually high intelligence, and this applies to other highly intelligent creatures as well.

However···· there’s something not quite right about such a reaction based solely on this.

Since highly intelligent magical beasts are actually quite common, it feels strange if this is the only reason.

[·······There’s more than just high intelligence.]

And my suspicion was confirmed by the words the warrior Reptilian struggled to utter.

[The Tzompantlus is highly intelligent, but it only uses that intelligence maliciously. It’s also incredibly persistent, never letting go of prey it has set its sights on.

It mimics voices to lure prey, or instigates fights to exhaust them before devouring them.]

“········.”

[It’s ferocious and gluttonous. A monster that indiscriminately antagonizes everything in sight. Despite having high intelligence that would enable conversation, it simply surrenders to its desires and tries to devour everything.]

“By gluttonous, you mean····”

[Literally, it tries to eat everything in front of it. It doesn’t discriminate between any kind of food. It also has the characteristic of immediately growing stronger the more it eats, which further intensifies its gluttony.]

To summarize the warrior Reptilian’s subsequent explanation, the Tzompantlus is originally an intermediate magical beast with the characteristic of growing stronger the more it eats.

As a result of this trait combined with abnormal physical abilities derived from an inherently abnormal metabolism, it possesses physical capabilities that can rival some high-grade magical beasts.

Additionally, the Tzompantlus has regenerative abilities and immunity stemming from its high metabolism, and due to its abnormally developed muscles, it boasts an incredible durability that’s unbelievable for a living creature.

The answer to how they survive against such a creature with this behavior pattern quickly became clear.

The Tzompantlus falls asleep after a period of predation to absorb what it has devoured, and then awakens again after a certain time, exhibiting a unique ecological pattern.

And as I learned about several other special abilities possessed by the Tzompantlus, a brilliant idea suddenly occurred to me, which I immediately voiced·····.

[········That’s insane.]

“Would this be possible? Just tell me that.”

[Possible····it might be, but good heavens. To think of doing such a thing·····.]

Seeing that even the warrior Reptilians couldn’t deny my suggestion, I inwardly smiled with joy and sent a thought message to my animal companions.

[Everyone, prepare for the hunt! I’ve found an attractive prey!]

It seems I might obtain an unexpected harvest.