Chapter 196: The Judgment of Kings

Kellar mentally requested a detailed breakdown from the system regarding the source of such a point fortune. Immediately, an uninterrupted cascade of notifications flooded the screen, scrolling upward at high speed:

[Hunting & Combat Reward Log]

[Metallic Centipede slain by a tribe member - 50p]

[Metallic Centipede slain by a tribe member - 50p]

[Armored Metallic Centipede slain by the tribe Shaman - 150p]

[Fire Beetle slain by a tribe member - 25p]

[Fire Beetle slain by a tribe member - 25p]

[Fire Sparrow slain by a tribe familiar - 100p]

[Fire Sparrow slain by a tribe familiar - 100p]

[Green Eagle King slain by the tribe Shaman - 500p]

[Green Eagle slain by a tribe member - 25p]

[Green Eagle slain by a tribe member - 25p]

Kellar watched as the list recorded thousands of enemy kills from the massacre at the fortress and the giant eagle hunt.

"So evolution points are granted for the prey we kill?" Kellar whispered to himself, scrolling through the log.

He reviewed every corner of the interface, but found nothing indicating that any invention, tool, or technological breakthrough had yielded a single point of that sum.

This revealed a distinction in the system’s logic: evaluations were completely separate. The tribe’s evolution and combat points depended on their offensive capability and the extermination of threats, granting immediate-use resources and skills. On the other hand, infrastructure growth and development were managed through direct quests that granted structural upgrades, technologies, and milestones.

Kellar tightened his grip on Ignis’s reins and formed a smile as he stared toward the horizon.

"I see how it works now..." Kellar thought with resolve. "So now I have a clear way to get everything I need..."

Understanding how to gain more points without depending solely on quests, Kellar purchased the skill. He selected the option in the shop and confirmed the ten-thousand-point transaction.

In that instant, something in his brain seemed to go pop. There was no massive download of information or strange words, but a sensation settled into his perception. It felt as though a dormant sense had awakened inside his inner ear.

Eager to test his new power, he cast a glance around him. However, he had no subjects to test it on: Ignis was already his familiar, meaning he naturally understood the bear’s thoughts; Freyja had vanished into the forest shadows as she always did, and being his familiar as well, she wouldn’t serve the purpose.

There were no other animals along the trail. The march of hundreds of men and wagons kept wild beasts miles away, so Kellar refocused his eyes on the floating panel to see what else he could buy with his remaining fifteen thousand points.

He scrolled through the shop’s catalog, dismissing advanced machinery and schematics. No complex power tool was of use without electricity, and the tribe had not yet generated it. He was still short by fifty Tech Points in the development tree to unlock engines and basic power grids.

"I hold the power of lightning..." Kellar thought, watching sparks crackle between his fingers, "but I cannot use my own mana to power machines. They would overload, and it would drain me. Let me take it one step at a time."

Ignis ground to a halt abruptly, planting a heavy paw against the dirt that snapped Kellar out of his trance. Looking up, the Shaman saw that the entire column had frozen, with soldiers and civilians crowding the edge of the trail, pointing toward the horizon with faces drained of color.

Kellar commanded Ignis to push toward the vanguard. As he parted the crowd and peered into the distance, the breath caught in his throat.

Emerging from the depths of the river bordering the crocodile forest, a monster raised dozens of thick tentacles into the sky.

"Holy shit..." Kellar muttered, his eyes wide in disbelief. "It has to be over five hundred meters tall..."

The first thought that flashed through his mind was a mythical kraken, but the idea made no sense. They were alongside a river basin; no matter how wide and deep the river was, it shouldn’t be capable of harboring something of that scale. The giant monster began to stand. The tentacles were merely its face; its body stretched for several kilometers beneath the water like a living mountain range as it unleashed a roar that shook the earth under the tribe’s feet.

The creature unleashed gigantic pillars of water toward the firmament, trying to strike an incoming threat descending from the clouds. However, the shadow of an even more terrifying monster cleaved through the sky.

A giant dragon clad in crimson scales dove straight down, opening its jaws to release an inferno. The divine flame blanketed the vast expanse of the river, flash-boiling tons of water and sending a pillar of white steam surging into the heavens, shrouding everything in a scalding haze. Though the sight lasted for a split second before the vapor blanketed the landscape, everyone witnessed the winged beast unleash that strike—a display of raw power that rendered everything else insignificant by comparison.

"Good God..." Kellar whispered, swallowing hard with a dry throat.

All around him, warriors fell to their knees, dropping their weapons as they stammered out prayers to invoke the Bear God’s mercy.

Lennis approached Kellar’s mount with slow steps, his hands shaking as he stared at the steam cloud.

"Master..." Lennis asked, his voice cracking, "do you think this is why our calamity happened? Could it be that the king of these lands went out to hunt, and the terrified beasts fled their burrows just to save themselves?"

Kellar stared at the mist-shrouded sky and tightened his grip on his mount’s fur.

"It is a strong possibility," Kellar said with absolute gravity. "I would run too if that beast so much as twitched a muscle."

Suddenly, rumbling from the depths of the river and rattling the bones of everyone present, a guttural roar echoed through the scalding steam.

To the rest of the tribe it was merely a monstrous bellow, but in Kellar’s mind, thanks to his newly acquired skill, the sound translated with absolute clarity:

"Sovereign! What have I done to unleash your wrath?"

There was no answer. Only an agonizing screech that pierced through the mist before being cut short, followed by absolute silence.