The journey is rather smooth; at least… in the beginning.

But this is life.

Many unexpected things happen.

Since my luck isn't particularly stellar, and I have a knack for getting myself involved in rather dangerous events, it is no surprise that something out of the ordinary occurs every now and again.

Thus, seeing the wave of Magivores approaching my group comes as no surprise to me.

'Cadre 2 Magivores led by a Cadre 3 leader, huh?' I sigh to myself as I watch the Magivore Beast Tide.

The plumes of dust that dance in the air, as sand particles swirl around their colossal bodies make their speed apparent in real-time.

Judging from their direction, it seems they migrated from the Western Area of No Man's Land. A Beast Tide of this scale also isn't normal, which means there must have been a trigger.

'Was a stronger Magivore born? Or… could it be caused by humans?' My thoughts immediately proceed to Kalakuta.

Is he involved somehow?

Perhaps he has begun hunting Magivores en masse for his ambitions?

Or maybe he is searching for us…

Either way, I should find the cause of this Beast Tide if I am to guarantee the safety of the King and the rest of the princes I left in the Sanctuary.

Just to be safe, I suppose.

'As for the Beast Tide itself…' My eyes narrow as I watch the creatures get nearer.

The Desert Wyrm grows nervous, and it shows in its sluggish new movements. These several unknown Magivores are intruding on its territory, so it's only natural that it wishes to retaliate.

But no.

'Although it is a Cadre 4 Magivore and should be able to win against this horde, that would consume too much time and would also be a waste of potential resources.'

I smile to myself.

There is a better way of doing things.

I command the Desert Wyrm to stop, and so it slows down its advance. I climb down from its colossal scaly body and step on the black sand.

Then, not too long after, the carriage door swings open and Enryndral steps out with an anxious expression on his face.

I smile at him and tell him not to worry.

"You're about to witness something interesting…"

It'll be good if he sees this.

After all, a sufficient display of this kind of strength will allow me to make decisions without being questioned in the slightest.

I aim for that kind of relevance among these people. It's also for their own benefit.

I watch as the Magivores draw closer, and once they reach an acceptable range, I step forward—ahead of the Desert Wyrm and the carriage.

I stand before all.

In the middle of my allies and incoming enemies.

Then, I raise my hand towards the horde.

"Submit."

Instantly, the dust begins to settle and the group slows considerably.

My authority, the definition of my existence, compels them to hearken to my commands and enter into a grinding halt.

This is the power of a Leviathan!

Existential Compulsion!

Despite their numbers being in the hundreds, these Magivores still submit to me with no difficulty at all.

Even the Desert Wyrm, a Cadre 4, did the same relatively easily.

I imagine that I would find immense difficulty achieving the same ease with a Cadre 5 Magivore. My confidence in that department is weak since I have never achieved such before.

But regardless—

"See?" I turn towards Enryndral, a calm smile on my face. "I told you not to worry."

The handsome man now has a dumbstruck expression on his face. Although he is usually composed, I can't help but feel he looks like an idiot at the moment.

It is a little hilarious.

But I suppose this is actually the normal reaction to absurdities like this

In fact—

'Even disregarding the power to control time, this ability alone is too divine.' I sigh deeply, staring at my own two hands and at the group of Magivores that now bow before me.

They all have deep gray hides and appear to be jackals. However, they also possess horse hooves and long necks like that of giraffes.

I have never seen beasts like these before.

But that doesn't matter.

'Existential Compulsion is indiscriminate. As long as the Magivores are within range and have lower existences compared to mine, I can control them without problems.'

This brings the difficulty of commanding a Cadre 5 Magivore into perspective.

Such terrifying creatures have very similar existential definitions compared to Witness Leviathans.

I have, however, seen two Leviathans command them.

Ciel and Zarius.

They did it, so it should be possible, right?

I am not sure.

After all… Ciel had a bond with the Crimson Direwolf Emperor, according to the ways of the Vey'lithars, so that must have had an influence in her control of the lower-ranked Magivores.

In fact, Ciel already confessed to me that she used the authority of the Cadre 6 Direwolf to command his lesser kin with greater efficiency and distance.

But what about Zarius?

What trick did he use to control the Thorn Overseer Vine?

'Maybe he didn't exactly control it, but had a mechanism that allowed him to control its growth?' I ask myself quietly.

Yes… That makes a lot more sense.

Maybe the Thorn Overseer Vine was sealed and he could simply release it.

He had planned to unleash its power in a highly populated area, but changed his mind and used it to attack me instead.

'I guess I should probably give up on trying to control a Cadre 5 Magivore until I am at least Rank 2.' Although slightly dejected, I am still invigorated by the prospects of my power.

It is one that allows a Leviathan to appear as a god among men.

Even Druids do not possess this level of ease when it comes to commanding Magivores. If they do succeed, perhaps through the aid of an Armament or Potion, it is sure to come at a great cost.

Brad's sacrifice remains my greatest example.

'Please return to the carriage, Lord Enryndral." I tell the dazed man warmly, my eyes twinkling with delight.

"Tell the others that they have nothing to fear."

Yes.

He ought to spread the word.

I already know that my powers are beyond the comprehension of these Northern Empire people, but that is precisely the point.

They need to rely on me.

Surrender their will to my command.

'Now, for the investigation…' I approach the group of surrendered Magivores and closely observe their bodies for any injuries that appear man-made.

I see none.

Instead, they seem to have been attacked by wild animals—likely rival Magivores.

I don't see any severely wounded one among these Hooved Jackals, which means they left the liabilities behind.

I imagine they even feasted on them—cannibalizing to ensure the survival of the stronger ones.

Such a thing isn't uncommon in the wild.

'But should I be satisfied with just this?'

My eyes narrow.

I can't afford to make a detour to investigate the Western Area of the Desert, but ignoring it might lead to a detriment down the line.

I have to make a choice.

'If I could communicate with Magivores, this would be a lot easier…'

I sigh.

In the end, I choose to take a detour just to make sure we aren't caught off-guard by the enemy.

It will take a lot more time than I would like, but it's a necessary precautionary method.

Yet—

'Even though we followed the Hooved Jackals to their former residence and found the instigators—rival Magivores—there was nothing out of the ordinary, huh? A waste of time…'

Although frustrated, I calm myself and take control of the new horde of Magivores so I can investigate them as well.

I quickly find that they also have injuries on their body.

That means they also fled from somewhere else. It makes sense that they would suddenly intrude on another territory and forcefully take it over, causing the retreating creatures to form a Magivore Beast Tide.

The weird thing, though, are the injuries of these Magivores.

Ah, I should describe them.

I also don't know these species, but I'll call them Scorpion Spiders. Just as the name implies, they appear like a cross breed of spiders and scorpions.

They also have a good number of Grade 3 Magivores with them, and their stingers grant them a greater range of attack compared to the Hooved Jackals.

The latter were outmatched and stood no chance from the start.

These Desert Scorpions also have pitch black bodies, giving them a perfect camouflage in No Man's Land.

Their bodies naturally blend with the black sand that covers everything here.

'So what could have attacked them like this?'

I can't help but silently ponder, realizing I'll have to make another detour. Strangely, the wounds don't seem to be inflicted by humans, neither does it appear to be from Magivores.

No Man's Land is our only territory.

Even if this ends up being a wild goose chase, I have to confirm its safety.

So, after spending many weeks on the journey, traveling from one place to another, we finally reach the root of the problem.

—A Special Resource Point.

The vast field is crimson black, with hot smoke rising from its vast territory. The soil itself seems to be boiling, bubbling with a strange heat.

And then, growing on the surface of this clearly uninhabitable place, are what appear to be blades of grass.

However, upon closer inspection, they are more than that.

They're Special Resources!

'Are those… Dragonmints?!' My eyes widen in surprise. 'They fit the description well. Sharp-leaved green herbs growing near dragon lairs or scorched fields…'

Dragonmints have many uses, and are core ingredients in making Fire-based Potions.

The most interesting part is their Rank.

'Rank 3 Special Resources. We found a Rank 3 Resource Point!'

I have never seen such before.

Even in real life, the Randalorion Kingdom only has two Resource Points, one of which is Rank 2.

I have also only ever found Rank 2 Resource Points in No Man's Land.

Until now, that is.

'Looks like this journey wasn't fruitless in the end. It did waste our time, but I'm glad I pursued the matter.'

As for the mystery behind the chain of events, the culprit is clearly this Special Resource Point.

'Based on what I can observe, it hasn't been here for very long. In fact, the influence is still spreading. If I had to guess, the Special Resource Point appeared very recently after accumulating the special essence it is made of for so long. But it appeared in the middle of the Scorpion Spider Territory, causing the strange injuries I saw on them.' I think to myself, satisfied with my conclusion.

The burns they sustained must be due to the scorched fields, and the slashes on their bodies come from the Dragonmints, which have sharp tips and durable bodies.

They require special methods to be harvested.

Thus—

'The Scorpion Spiders fled and disturbed the Hooved Jackals, who then charged towards us. The chain event has been resolved.'

In that case, the mystery is solved.

We can return to our mission, and now that we have an additional Special Resource Point within our territory, the fallen Empire's bargaining power just increased.

We now have three discovered Resource Points in this forsaken wilderness.

This is good.

Makes things easier for our negotiations.

"Okay. Let's go to the sea now."

The Magivore army moves under the command of my voice and we make our way to the vast sea far south.

It is our final barrier—the obstacle that separates the Northern Continent from the Central Plains.

But there is no need for concerns.

Not only do we have the means to build a vessel that can traverse the relatively short distance, but we have Magivores that can serve as our dispensable guards in case of any adverse event in the sea.

If our luck is bad, we'll encounter a storm.

In that case, we'll just have to brave the seas and reach our destination.

No matter what!

'I can see it clearly…' My eyes open wide as I catch a glimpse of the brilliant rays of the sun and look far ahead into the horizon.

'This is the way to pass this Trial Scenario!'

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