Chapter 108: The Young Ninjutsu Fox

Winigo rushed forward, performing a forward roll to dodge his opponent's whip-sword. Before the enemy could summon their guardian spirit, he reached out and grabbed their shoulders.

*Sparrow Drop: Swift!*

The man in black was hoisted up by Winigo, launched into the air, and slammed down hard, accompanied by a sudden shower of sparks. Winigo hopped back easily, watching the man struggle to crawl back up.

"Just like me... born in darkness, dying in darkness, silent and still," Winigo sneered, rolling his shoulders.

He suddenly leaped into the air and flung three shuriken.

The man in black growled, lashing out with his whip-sword in a series of arcs to deflect the shuriken.

"Too slow," Winigo snorted.

In the opening between his opponent's movements, Winigo spotted a fatal flaw. The previous impact had clearly cost the man his composure, and his severe injuries had deformed his form, presenting this perfect opportunity.

A fatal opening!

*Ninjutsu Ultimate: Flash!*

A single strike, aiming straight for the vitals, executed at full power without a shred of mercy!

*Whoosh...*

A gentle breeze blew past, and everything fell silent once more. Only the crackling of the flames remained, accompanied by the faint popping of half-burnt wood.

There were still survivors nearby, but they were completely paralyzed with fear.

Thanks to Hida's rampant arson, the camp had been transformed into a sea of fire. The giggling little pixie delighted in setting ablaze anything that moved, watching them get swallowed by the flames and burned to ashes without the slightest remorse.

The pixie had no concept of good and evil; she simply found it amusing.

The only reason there were survivors left was that Hida had grown bored. Before Winigo issued a new command, she floated lazily in midair, swinging back and forth while looking for interesting targets.

Unfortunately—or fortunately for the Cult of the Bleating Goat—there was nothing left here to catch Hida's interest.

"Camp One cleared," Winigo said quietly, looking around. "Hida, let's go."

The pixie giggled and appeared on Winigo's shoulder. Ramen shook its body and began to ascend.

"Hey, wait for me to get on first, you bastard!" Winigo said, caught between laughter and tears.

***

Three days, six different characters, twenty-six raids, twenty-six camps destroyed, four hundred and fifty-six dead, and eighty-five severely wounded—such was Winigo's record.

During this period, surrounded by the fear and hatred of his many enemies, Winigo had accumulated enough "experience" from the numerous battles to reach level 38.

At this level... in other words, nearly half of the dreaded ultimate knights under the warlords—who were considered the strongest class of human warriors—could no longer defeat Winigo in a one-on-one duel.

"This isn't enough, it's not enough!" Winigo blustered during a core meeting at Prism Manor. "How can enemies of this caliber satisfy my fantasies? How can my magnificent world of fantasy waste its imagination on such dregs? I want stronger enemies! Stronger!"

"Like the High Council?" Marin asked.

"That wouldn't be profitable," Winigo shook his head. "However, the warlords are a good target."

"Have they gotten involved too?" Marin asked, puzzled.

"The Cult of the Bleating Goat, the warlords, the Silver Helms, the Dragoons, the Fire Crossbowmen... their interests align for now," Winigo said. "Behind them is a powerful mastermind. Maybe my guess is wrong... but he will bring change to this world."

"Good or bad?" Sophie asked.

"Change is neither good nor bad. It is simply an opportunity," Winigo replied. "All we need to do is seize it."

"By the way, the strange creatures you brought back are doing well under our care," Marin reported. "Those seeds have an incredibly short growth cycle; they're practically monsters. Once sown, as long as they get enough water and sunlight, they take over the entire plot like crazy. Now, the wasteland behind Prism Manor is covered in those vines."

"What about the fruit?" Winigo asked.

"Like moldy bread," Marin grimaced. "It tastes terrible, but it's not poisonous, and it's very filling."

"Are the vines themselves tough enough?" Winigo asked.

"Quite tough, but... what's the point?" Marin asked, confused.

"Weave them, soak them in oil, dry them, coat them with fireproofing agents, and dry them again. Repeat this several times," Winigo explained. "Lightweight yet sturdy rattan armor and shields. That is the purpose of those vines."

"What about the harvested leaves and other leftovers?" Marin asked.

"Those short-legged, hairless beasts eat anything, right?" Winigo said. "Our scraps, the discarded leaves, trash scavenged from the town—they can eat all of it."

"Yes, we had to build high stone walls to keep them contained. It's truly bizarre; how have these beasts, who possess nothing but an appetite, survived to this day?" Marin complained.

"Is their meat edible?" Winigo asked.

"It doesn't taste great, but it's decent if made into jerky," Marin replied. "Oh, and they can even eat ore powder. Afterward, thin metal plates grow on their skin. Quite convenient."

"A perfect waste disposal system," Winigo marveled. "This is the true strength of Nua. What about the other seeds and young livestock we have in smaller quantities?"

Marin checked his notes and replied, "Those Arbor-Turtles with trees growing on their backs grow slowly, but they are highly resistant to heat and drought, and they can gather water sources in the desert. The wood from the trees on their backs is hard and straight, suitable for making bows. Other than that, there's nothing special."

"Desertification control," Winigo nodded. "A pity we don't have many."

"We haven't figured out the rest yet; we'll have to experiment slowly," Marin sighed. "The Cult of the Bleating Goat isn't entirely useless. To think they actually possessed such treasures."

"Keep monitoring the breeding program. What about the intelligence network? Any results?" Winigo asked.

"Given the current scale of Prism, we can rely on others' intelligence networks for now," Marin answered. "However, I've planted the seeds. In time, they will grow into a proper network."

"Good. Find out if there are any other targets lately. I'm going to rest now." Winigo waved his hand, irresponsibly dumping all the work onto Marin.

"You really are something..." Marin smiled.

Soon, through connections in the Smugglers' Guild, Marin found a potential target. A group of dangerous individuals wearing black-and-red cloaks had traveled from Silver Bay Town to Free Haven aboard a small, fast vessel provided by the Smugglers' Guild. They had then vanished from the smugglers' sight.

Vanished?

"Interesting," Winigo's interest was piqued. "Leave the other matters to the rest of you. I'll investigate. Oh... right, Wolf Princess, come with me."

"Why are you taking her and not me?" Little Hanny jumped into Winigo's arms, tugging at the corners of his mouth as she demanded loudly.

"Probably because she has a dog's nose..." Winigo thought about it and offered a reasonable explanation.

Little Hanny was satisfied, while the Wolf Princess gratefully swiped at Winigo with her claws.

== A youth riding a whale ==

Only with the Wolf Princess's help could the search even begin. Winigo and Arkana started their search from the Smugglers' Guild's secret harbor. Arkana quickly picked up some unusual scent traces.

"A scent like sulfur... powder," the Wolf Princess said with certainty. "This way."

"Warlord mages? Many of them prefer to use sulfur powder to aid their fire magic to achieve maximum destructive power," Winigo said, looking in the direction she pointed. "Over there? That's the direction of the Wind Elemental Portal."

To Winigo's satisfaction, the scent indeed led all the way toward the Wind Elemental Portal. The Wolf Princess bounded happily ahead, leading the way. She seemed highly excited; it appeared the training over the past few days had left her feeling rather cooped up.

"Arkana, be careful," Winigo called out from behind.

The Wolf Princess skidded to a halt and turned around. Just as she was about to speak to Winigo, her ears twitched, and she let out a threatening growl toward another direction.

"Who's there?" Winigo asked.

At the exact same moment, a crimson fireball slammed violently into the area the Wolf Princess was facing. Although Winigo was asking, he did not hesitate to attack. His method was simple: having Hida set the place on fire.

The roaring fireball burst forth with a screech, only to vanish into thin air a split second later. On the ground that should have been empty, five figures now stood.

"Silver Helms?" Winigo frowned. "And warlords?"

"Kid, you recognize us?" The speaker was a middle-aged woman dressed in red. She was not beautiful, but her figure was exceptionally voluptuous. Combined with her revealing, provocative red attire that exposed far more than it concealed, she made onlookers swallow hard.

The Wolf Princess glared at her, filled with envy, jealousy, and hate as she instinctively patted her own flat chest.

"Arkana, there's no need to compare that," Winigo whispered.

"You use a sword too?" A burly man behind the middle-aged woman took a step forward, staring at Winigo.

"A sword... I have one of those too," Winigo replied cryptically. He slowly drew a cold, gleaming blade from behind his back.

*The Famous Blade: Plum-Nightingale Venom!*

"Should I be glad that in this world, there is no distinction between single-edged and double-edged blades...?" Winigo muttered to himself. "Greed and resentment, jealousy and hatred, all are food for the Plum-Nightingale Venom. The sword is meant for cutting! In my hand..."

*Character selected. Analysis complete... Reconstruction beginning. Divine energy injected. Level 30 Genjuro Kibagami, reconstruction complete!*

Genjuro Kibagami, the Hanafuda Swordsman of Rancor, who followed the brutal philosophy of "slaying with the sword"—an exceptionally dangerous swordsman!