∼ DAY 87 ∼

At the top of the crown of a majestic tree behemoth, I overlooked the sea of green that was the thick canopy of the wild and untamed jungle beneath. Sighing, I couldn't help but feel astounded by the sheer size and magnitude of it all. Not only was the jungle massive from the outside, but actually venturing into it and attempting to explore it just made seem all that larger.

Even though over the last four days where I've traveled into the jungle, both alone and with others accompanying me so that they could get some bountiful experience, I've barely managed to scratch the surface of what it had to show and offer.

For example, in my numerous incursions, I've discovered an endless variety of curious beings inhabiting the jungle, and I've even begun to meet D-ranked wild monsters and beasts residing within the deeper parts of its core.

In fact, with all that ripe prey, I've gained a whole three levels over just the last four days, quite something to be honest. With those, I've brought my level to a solid fifteen.

However, that was not to say that those levels were easy to get. When you consider that I was on more than one occasion flocked by swarms of massive carnivorous wasps each with the power-rank of weak D-, which had almost taken me down right then and there, to then say that it had been a dangerous venture would be an understatement.

And that was not even mentioning the various other dangerous beasts who could on their own threaten even me.

So I was becoming more and more surprised at the various things this jungle was spitting out. From an abundance of EXP and food to mystical and magical materials like herbs and other valuable things. I even found a particularly interesting grove of trees that grew bark that was as tough as steel with the wood of their trunks themselves were even sturdier than that.

If my ramshackle tribe managed to find a proper way to harvest them, bring them back to the settlement safely, and then prepare the materials, we could be building some real sturdy and resilient buildings. We could even use the valuable material for tools, weapons, and such. The possibilities were endless with the jungle at hand.

Cut short, this basin truly was a paradise for any newly budding force or faction, from the overabundance of materials to the opportunistic fortunes laying hidden for anyone to discover.

Another thing of note was that I had traveled back to where my fight against the pyromancer had taken place to check up on that terrifying magical flower. But it seemed that nothing had changed since it last attempted to burn me to ash and sod.

But after having witnessed the Great Orc Mage's interest in the flower just before attacking him, and the innate overwhelming mana signature that it possessed, I knew that this flower must be some incredible treasure of some sort or another. I just had to find some way to figure out what it was and how I was to go about using it.

With that point of interest noted down in the back of my mind, I remembered back to other times where I had discovered noticeable things. Such as the pit where Mia and I had found our cores and had an untimely meeting with those depraved ghouls.

"What might be hiding down there?" I couldn't help but wonder curiously.

Neither I nor Mia did ever get to explore the place again after everything that had happened afterward of our departure. But I didn't doubt for a second that there might be something waiting down in those tunnels. However, whether it would be good or bad, I didn't know.

Promising myself that I was going to revisit the special locations and points of interest I've discovered in my short time in this world, I conjured my wings and took to the air.

***

Back at the tribe, I smiled at the sight of all the new developments steadily come into fruition. It hadn't taken long for the hundreds of orcs with an inordinate amount of physical strength to tear down the entire ruined settlement. So with that, construction was already in full swing.

After having taken counsel from Darkan and Lily, I got a basic understanding of what our tribe needed to sustain itself and thrive. We needed a whole slew of things that was everything from a smithy, to a skinner's hut. There were also an endless amount of roles from hunters to defenders and to a laborforce, so our plate was quite stacked with things to sort out.

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Up until now, only six orcs and barely a hundred hobgoblins had taken non-combative roles. Since almost all the greenskins that had decided to migrate were warriors coupled with the fact that greenskins had a general inclination to become warriors rather than strictly workers, we were woefully short on people who could take up proper vocations for the tribe's infrastructure.

Although any greenskin, warrior or not, was a decent labor force and wouldn't shy away from hard work, especially when the command came from someone like me, they weren't specialized or experienced workers. As mentioned before, I needed actual blacksmiths, architects, planners, and a variety of other important roles so the tribe could function properly.

Here in the basin that was our paradise, we had almost everything and lacked only one thing. Manpower.

So the question was; where would we get others? Although there was a veritable sea of greenskins ripe for the picking here in the lowlands all around us, there was one pretty big obstacle stopping us from brute-forcing our way out of this problem. The warchiefs.

Controlling many different vassal clans including their own massive ones, the warchiefs had the ability to mobilize millions of greenskins. And even though mere orcs or their higher evolved chiefs weren't necessarily any serious threat to me, having to contest against an endless number of greenskins like that, I wouldn't stand a chance, and neither would my small tribe. Quality against quantity could only take me so far.

As such, going around snatching tribes and clans under the noses of warchiefs, incurring their ire and wrath, definitely wasn't the optimal way to go about things here.

There was also a way to go about things where we could try to make greenskins willingly join my side as the promise of power that my blood has would entice any who learned of it, but thinking the consequences of that plan over, one big problem quickly arose with that strategy too.

And that was the fact that if word got out that I had such ability and influence, I didn't doubt it for a second that I would be getting hunted down by some insanely powerful individuals within the day.

With those two ideas thrown into the garbage, I had to figure out another way that could work for our oddly problematic but favorable situation.

Also bringing this issue up with Lily and Darkan, we decided to enact two different plans. First, we were going to travel to Ruela and Freen's clans to get more information about greenskin conduct, the lowlands, and how we might go about getting more people.

Secondly, we were going to travel to a monster city.

After my first experience with Maldrak, I had been very hesitant to venture to another monster city. But from what little I have learned so far, Maldrak and an actually civilized monster city were two wildly different things.

One was barely more than a massive clan of barbaric monsters and the other was practically like a human city. Well, at least in terms of order and structure... But essentially, Maldrak were tribes of greenskins playing civilized and the other was actually civilized which made a lot of sense when I thought back to how the city worked and how cutthroat the laws were.

Anyways, with that in mind, I had assembled a team for our incursion to the greenskins chiefs and the nearest monster city.

It ended up being Me, Mia, Bob, and a squad of twenty or so orcs. The three of us didn't actually need any guards, but having twenty handy warriors at our disposal might prove very useful in the coming journey.

For those remaining to take care of the tribe, Darkan and Lily were going to oversee everything, making sure that it stayed well defended and managed. With Darkan being the voice and day-to-day administrator, Lily would be the head of the military and general management which should quite well together as she had the power and experience to do so.

Strolling into the ramshackle town, I stopped at the, for now, temporary skinner's hut. It was nothing more than a shabby workplace at the treeline with an erected cloth canopy at the moment, but the hobgoblins working there at least got the job done.

Loading off the various beast corpses I've collected in today's trek into the jungle, I sighed. Without my [Ring of Holding] it would've been impossible for me to bring all these beasts back with me. For me, it was practically a godsend as I kept finding interesting things I wanted to bring back to the tribe.

If there was one thing I was disappointed about the ring though, that was the fact that it didn't stop food from spoiling. Time apparently traveled the same inside as outside the spatial storage tool. However, beggars couldn't be choosers.

Satisfied that we had more than enough food and animal material to keep everyone busy and well-fed, I instructed the workers to get to skinning beasts and preserving the meat, then I was on my merry way.

As I entered my tent, I was suddenly pulled out of my string of thoughts as I saw Mia stumbling sluggishly to her feet. Flashing to her side, I held her up before she fell back down. Upon seeing Mia's state, I couldn't help but feel an onset of guilt.

As I had been the reason for why she was like this...

With my emotions showing clearly on my face, Mia smiled tenderly, lifting a hand to caress my cheek.

"It's okay." She said sweetly as I laid her back down on our bed with me.

"But..." I tried to protest as I looked into her red gem-like eyes, only to be cut off by a kiss.

What had happened to her was that over the last few days, I've tried something that had been laying in the back of my mind for a long time. Since the EXP I needed for each level kept rising for each level-up, I looked for different and more efficient ways of obtaining it.

As such, I thought; why not use Siphon regularly?

Through previous experience, I've noticed that when I drink blood and use Siphon is actually two different processes. I needn't use Siphon every time I drank blood, and with a mere thought, I could turn it off.

But seeing as I had a more than willing partner that would share her blood with me as the experience was not only pleasurable for me but also her, we indulged ourselves.

After the first day, Mia was just fine so I thought that this might just really work. However, once the second day turned around, after me having drunk her blood a second time, she started showing sudden fatigue.

We originally just guessed that it had simply been due to the blood loss as she was well within a few hours again after having gotten something to eat. So after tuning down how much I drank, we continued to the third day.

But this was where it went bad.

Losing all strength and stamina, Mia was barely able to stay conscious for a few hours. Although the amount of blood in her body was clearly more than enough to sustain her as any normal person, it was obvious that something else was wrong with her from the use of Siphon on her multiple times.

It was then to my horror that we realized she had lost four whole attribute points in three different categories and she had even lost a level.

Since then, Mia had been steadily getting better over yesterday and today, but it still filled my heart with regret upon seeing what I had done to her, however accidental.

"Silly master, I'm going to be fine," She muttered as I cradled her gently against my chest. "It's not your fault, so stop moping."

I knew that she was right and was trying to cheer me up, however, that didn't stop my heart from croaking with guilt. But for her, I pushed through and smiled back, just gently laying on our bed as I stroked her hair.

If there was one thing I would never wish to do in this world, that was to hurt those who I cared for.