Grizmar stomped in place, his heavy footsteps cracking the ground beneath him like it was nothing. “Happy? You better be! Do you even realize how pissed off the others were when you decided to be bait for the monster tide without telling anyone?!”

Fennel chuckled, completely unfazed by the towering presence of his hulking friend. His sharp teeth glinted in a sly grin. “Yeah, yeah, Grizmar, save the lecture for later. Right now, I’m just glad to see you.”

Grizmar growled low in his throat but didn’t respond.

Instead, he hoisted a massive tower shield effortlessly, planting it firmly in front of him as he squared his shoulders. His stance was steady, unshakable, and exuded raw strength.

Was this one of Fennel’s party members? A beastman as imposing as Grizmar, with his bear-like features and sheer size? If so, I suddenly felt a lot better about our odds.

The spiders didn’t hesitate. As if drawn by some invisible force, they swarmed toward him with a singular focus, tear him apart.

They leaped from the webs and the ground, mandibles clicking as they dove at the towering beastman.

The shift in attention was immediate and total. Every single spider that had been pressing in on us now redirected its attention toward Grizmar, who stood firm.

I glanced at Fennel, worried about the outcome about to happen. “That guy—he’s one of your party members, right? All the spiders are on him now! He’s about to take the full assault! We need to help him!”

Fennel turned to me with a look of pure confusion, almost like I’d just said something absurd. “Grizmar? Help him? Leon, don’t lose sleep over that fat oaf. Those spiders couldn’t hurt him even if they attacked all day.”

“What?” I blinked, confused.

Fennel smirked, his lion-like ears flicking with amusement. “Grizmar’s from the Stonehide Tribe. You know, the beastkin who are built like literal tanks? His inherent ability, Savage Protector, makes his skin tougher than most armor. They’re famous for it. Trust me, he’s fine.”

Upon hearing that Grizmar was a Stonehide tribesman, everything clicked into place.

Of course, Fennel wasn’t worried. Why would he be? Savage Protector was one of the most overpowered inherent abilities out there.

You could call the Stonehide Tribe the most sought-after tankers in the existence of Dungeon End. Adventuring parties would practically sell their lifelong savings to have even a low-tier Stonehide tribesman on their team.

Savage Protector was a beast of an ability. The more enemies nearby, the less damage the user would take—it scaled directly with the danger of the situation.

https://i.imgur.com/fXZSht8.png [https://i.imgur.com/fXZSht8.png]

[Savage Protector - Inheritance]

[Savage Protector enhances the user's durability in high-pressure combat scenarios by reducing incoming damage in proportion to the number of nearby enemies. The greater the surrounding threat, the stronger the damage reduction effect becomes, allowing the user to endure overwhelming odds without faltering.]

[This inheritance is unique to the Stonehide Tribe, renowned for their exceptional resilience and unyielding strength.]

[Usage: Primarily used to absorb aggro and protect allies in large-scale encounters.]

Combine that with any other abilities the user might have, and you’d have someone who could walk into a battlefield and come out looking like they’d just taken a stroll in the park.

Watching Grizmar in action, it was clear he wasn’t just any Stonehide. The way he taunted every spider in the area toward him with that earth-shaking roar? it was skill.

Curious, I turned to Fennel, who was watching the scene with amusement. “That roar of his,” I asked, “was that a taunting ability?”

Fennel smirked and nodded. “Yep. Grizmar’s roar isn’t just to be loud—it’s called Savage Roar, an area-of-effect taunt. It’s the kind of skill every Stonehide dreams of having but almost no one gets. Grizmar’s a freakin’ prodigy. It’s basically his bread and butter.”

Most Stonehides ended up with decent but basic skills—since skill acquisition where relatively random. But an area-of-effect taunt like Savage Roar? That was rare. Extremely rare.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

https://i.imgur.com/8vVDLdj.png [https://i.imgur.com/8vVDLdj.png]

[Savage Roar]

[Savage Roar unleashes a powerful roar that taunts all enemies within a large radius, forcing them to direct their attention and attacks toward the user. This skill is accompanied by a primal, intimidating presence that momentarily overwhelms weaker foes.]

[The taunt effect overrides any other threat priorities, compelling enemies to focus solely on the user for a duration. The range and effectiveness of Savage Roar scale with the user's mental stats, increasing the radius and the duration of the taunt.]

[Usage: Primarily used to control the battlefield by drawing enemy attention away from allies, allowing for strategic positioning and attacks without interference. Ideal for tanking large groups of enemies and protecting vulnerable party members.]

“That’s insane,” I muttered, watching Grizmar slam his shield into the ground, sending a spider flying as it tried to leap onto him. The other spiders didn’t hesitate—they rushed him relentlessly, but it was like watching a storm batter against a mountain. No matter how many came at him, he stood firm, unshakable.

“Yeah, insane’s one way to put it,” Fennel replied with a grin. “Grizmar’s the Stonehide Tribe’s golden boy."

As I watched Grizmar effortlessly hold the attention of dozens—no, hundreds—of spiders, I felt a mixture of awe and relief. Awe at how absurdly sturdy he was, and relief that he managed to appear at such a critical moment.

As I watched Grizmar stand there, unshakable against the swarm of spiders, a thought struck me.

If he was such a reliable tank—capable of drawing the aggro of an entire horde—why the hell did Fennel end up being bait for the monster tide back on the second floor? Something didn’t add up.

“Hey, Fennel,” I called, glancing at him as I gestured toward the mountain of a man currently holding the entire spider swarm at bay. “If Grizmar’s this good at tanking, why did you have to play bait for the monster tide instead of him?”

Fennel scratched the back of his head, his ears twitching slightly as he gave me a sheepish grin. “Fair question. He’s a damn good tanker, no argument there. But, uh… we’re still kinda a fresh party. Our setup’s not perfect yet, y’know?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Fresh party? What does that have to do with anything? He’s clearly built for this.”

“True,” Fennel admitted, glancing over at Grizmar, who was currently smashing a spider into the ground with his massive shield. “But here’s the thing: Sewer Crawlers have this property where their bites inflict poison. Not just any poison, either—the slow, stacking kind. It’s nasty, especially in swarms.”

“Grizmar’s Savage Protector makes him damn near undented against direct hits, but it doesn’t do squat against damage-over-time effects like poison. Those Crawlers? They would’ve shredded him with poison stacks before we could even think about getting out of there.”

“So, you decided to risk yourself instead?”

Fennel shrugged, his expression nonchalant. “I’ve got speed and agility. They couldn’t pin me down long enough to do any real damage. Plus, it bought enough time for the rest of the party to escape. Grizmar wouldn’t have lasted as the bait. He’s tough, but even he has his limits and weaknesses.”

I nodded slowly, It made sense.

Grizmar’s strength lay in taking hits head-on, not dealing with the insidious effects of lingering damage. Fennel, with his speed and evasive skills, was clearly the better choice for a situation like that.

Now that I thought about it, there were so many skills, inheritances, and combinations out there that could completely overwhelm me if I ever had to fight someone like Grizmar.

The idea of building my own army of slimes was amazing on paper, and honestly, it was great in practice too. But seeing someone like Grizmar in action made me realize there were just too many variables that could tip the scales against me.

Take Grizmar, for instance. The guy could tank an army of slimes without breaking a sweat, as long as their numbers weren’t ridiculously overwhelming. His Savage Protector ability alone meant that the more slimes I threw at him, the less effective they’d be. And with Savage Roar pulling all the aggro, my slimes wouldn’t even be able to spread out their attacks. They’d be drawn straight to him like moths to a flame, and by the time they managed to break through his defenses—if they even could—his party members would’ve already wiped them out.

I’d been focusing so much on my slime potential strengths that I hadn’t fully considered their weaknesses—or how easily someone could deal with them.

Grizmar and Fennel were reminders of what was out there—of how deadly even a small, cohesive team could be.

Grizmar, in the middle of tanking, let out an annoyed growl. His tower shield slammed into the ground with a resounding thud, scattering a few of the spiders attempting to crawl over it.

“Oi!” he bellowed. “You planning on helping anytime soon, or are you just gonna stand there chatting like it’s break time?!”

Fennel, who had been leaning slightly against a nearby tree, ears twitching with a smug grin, gave an exaggerated shrug. “You’ve got it covered, big guy. I mean, look at you—absolute fortress. Why mess with perfection?”

Grizmar’s eyes flared with irritation as he swung his shield, sending a spider hurtling into the nearest tree with a sickening crunch. “Yeah, perfection. Real perfect having dog-sized spiders trying to gnaw my face off! They’re not exactly tickling me over here!”

Fennel finally straightened up, his grin not fading for a second. “Alright, alright. I was just letting you show off a bit. Can’t have my new friend here thinking you’re too humble.”

Grizmar grunted, his shield bashing another spider into pulp. “Save the jokes for later. Either start clawing or I'm leaving!”

I couldn’t help but snort at the exchange, though I quickly schooled my face back into something resembling seriousness when Grizmar’s glare briefly turned in my direction.

“Relax, Grizmar,” Fennel said, stepping forward and flexing his claws. “I’m on it. Besides, wouldn’t want you hogging all the fun.”

Fennel darted past him with a laugh, slashing into a spider mid-lunge.

I watched the two of them in action, and for a brief moment, I was struck by just how well they worked together—even if they argued like siblings.