Chapter 35: Camp

*Roar...*

A strange roar suddenly echoed throughout the giant settlement.

In the Blackstone tribe, countless giants’ faces changed instantly. Men, women, and children alike grabbed their weapons, scanning their surroundings, trying to locate the source of the beast’s roar.

Several strong giants shot out from their tents, each holding their personal weapons, also looking around warily.

Deep within the Blackstone tribe, a massive dragon stomped on the ground, each step causing tremors, exuding wild energy.

The first to react were the gathered giant warriors.

"Chieftain, could it be that the Titan seal left by our ancestors has been broken?" Elder Rendall gripped his spiked club, his face filled with killing intent as he stared at the cave entrance, asking Chieftain Clymene.

"Elder, the seal hasn’t been broken. I’m not sure what’s going on!" Clymene held a massive weapon in her hand, a giant hammer even larger than Rendall’s spiked club.

"Why is there a beast’s roar coming from within the Blackstone tribe, and so close by?"

"Could it be that something has gone wrong in the trial grounds, and some ancient beasts have escaped?"

Rendall’s guess wasn’t unreasonable, but Clymene remained silent.

To be honest, Clymene was a bit worried about her brother.

Judging by that roar, it was definitely a beast of hero-level strength, stronger than even her.

*Boom... Boom...*

At that moment, heavy footsteps approached, and the ground trembled more violently.

"Not good, sound the horn! Full alert!" Clymene shouted, giving the order as she and Elder Rendall charged forward with their weapons.

*Boom! Boom!*

A massive, scaly dragon with a single horn on its head appeared, staring intently at the charging Clymene and Elder Rendall.

*Roar...*

The Abyssal Dragon let out a roar at the approaching enemies but didn’t make any further aggressive moves.

Clymene and Elder Rendall were momentarily overjoyed, thinking they had an opportunity, and sped up their charge.

However, just then, a lazy voice came from behind the Abyssal Dragon.

"Sister Clymene, Elder Rendall, are you here to welcome me back?"

As the voice spoke, the Abyssal Dragon took two steps forward, revealing Orion, who had been hidden behind it.

"Orion!"

"O-Orion!"

The one who spoke clearly was Elder Rendall, while Clymene was in disbelief.

Orion had been behind the Abyssal Dragon, but at that moment, he climbed onto its back, stood tall, and gripped his trident. Bathed in the slanting sunlight, he looked down at all the tribe members who had come to support him.

"Sister, Elder, I’m back!"

*Roar...*

At the same time, the Abyssal Dragon let out a long roar.

No one knew how long the silence lasted, but the depths of the Blackstone tribe remained quiet for a while.

Then, someone started it, and the next moment, all the giants began chanting Orion’s name.

"Orion!"

"Orion!"

"Dragon!"

"Dragon!"

"…"

Standing before the Abyssal Dragon, Chieftain Clymene and Elder Rendall’s expressions shifted from disbelief to shock, and finally to unparalleled excitement.

"It’s Orion!"

"It really is him! My brother is incredible!"

Orion raised his trident high, and the Abyssal Dragon, connected to him by their bond, immediately raised its head and roared again.

Once the cheers of the giants had quieted down a bit, Orion jumped down from the Abyssal Dragon’s back and approached his sister Clymene and Elder Rendall.

Clymene was overjoyed and hugged Orion tightly. "Orion, well done!"

Clymene was even more excited than Orion had expected, hugging him and slapping his back hard. But because Orion was shorter, her large breasts pressed directly against his face.

On the other side, Elder Rendall didn’t get as close to Orion. Instead, he stared in awe at the massive Abyssal Dragon, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"Chieftain, with Orion and this dragon, our giants will fear no race in this forest."

"With it, we can hunt even more prey!"

Hearing Elder Rendall’s words, Orion suddenly realized something.

With the Abyssal Dragon, whether for hunting or waging war against other tribes, it was a tremendous asset.

"Hahaha... My dear brother, I’ve already decided. Tomorrow, I’ll personally visit the succubus tribe!"

Orion scratched his head and chuckled at her words.

Elder Rendall also laughed heartily.

---

That evening, Orion was invited to the Blackstone tribe’s exclusive council tent.

Inside the tent, Orion met with his sister and all the members of the council of elders.

"Orion, the council has unanimously voted to grant you a seat among the elders, with all the privileges that come with it!"

This time, Orion didn’t refuse, as it was something he had expected.

Giants were a race that revered strength. In the tribe, unless one held a special profession or status, almost everything could be resolved through power.

This included the right to claim women.

---

Three days later, Orion left the Blackstone tribe alone.

Although he already had a hundred pet beast pills, they were merely supplementary food for the Abyssal Dragon.

The Abyssal Dragon’s appetite was enormous, and Orion needed to take it out to hunt for itself.

This time, Orion was traveling alone. His sister Clymene had already led a hunting party out a day earlier.

During this hunt, Clymene would also visit the succubus territory to propose the marriage alliance.

This was Orion’s second time entering the Black Forest, and compared to the first, he was much more confident.

Orion didn’t summon the Abyssal Dragon immediately, as its aura and massive size would scare away all the nearby prey.

Holding his trident, Orion moved swiftly through the forest, heading toward more distant areas.

Whenever he encountered weaker beasts, Orion would personally take them down, throwing his trident to kill them.

When he came across elite-level beasts, he would release the Abyssal Dragon to feast.

During this process, Orion also collected a large number of furs and crystal cores.

---

The following night, Orion didn’t choose to hide in a cave. Instead, he prowled through the forest, searching for a rare type of prey.

The *Bagbird*.

The Bagbird was an elite beast, an omnivorous bird with a gentle temperament that rarely initiated attacks.

Though it was a bird, the Bagbird didn’t fly high. Its feathers allowed it to glide short distances at low altitudes.

Orion was searching for the Bagbird because its stomach had an incredible ability to contract, allowing it to store food a hundred times its own size.

To Orion, this was like a small portable storage bag, a rare and valuable item, far superior to the one he had obtained before.

In the Black Forest, Bagbirds were extremely rare, and the area Orion was in was one where they had been spotted before.

The forest at night was even more lively than during the day.

Orion moved through the dense forest, listening carefully, searching for any sign of the Bagbird.

However, instead of finding a Bagbird, he stumbled upon the camp of some unexpected guests.

Orion hid behind a large tree, peeking through the branches to observe the camp ahead.

---

Deep in the forest was a small, makeshift giant camp.

"At dawn, we need to leave this area as quickly as possible, Brogan!"

Brogan was a giant, part of the Ironbone giant branch in the Black Forest.

The Ironbone giants’ territory was on the other side, bordering the Blackstone giants’ land.

Orion’s tribe, the Blackstone giants, were part of the Stoneheart giant clan.

Though the Ironbone and Blackstone giants were of the same race, they weren’t as close as one might imagine. They had their own territories and didn’t interfere with each other.

"Kael, are you scared?"

Brogan was the elder leading this Ironbone hunting party. According to the tribe’s priests, this winter would be even harsher, and Brogan wanted to gather more prey. He also hoped to hunt a Bagbird.

So, they had taken the risk of entering Blackstone territory.

"Brogan, don’t pretend you don’t know this is Blackstone territory. If they find us, we’ll be in serious danger."

Inside the tent, Elder Kael and Brogan sat across from each other, their opinions clearly divided.

"I know it’s dangerous!"

"But Kael, don’t you want to hunt more prey for the tribe?"

Brogan tore off a large chunk of beast meat, his attitude slightly arrogant, clearly not taking Kael’s concerns seriously.

"Brogan, there’s plenty of prey in our own territory. Everyone knows why you’ve come here."

"Kael, we’re already here. What’s the harm in staying a few more days?"

"Brogan, do you want to provoke a conflict between the two tribes? Have you forgotten that the mighty Tiger tribe was defeated by the Blackstone giants?"

"Ha! Kael, don’t try to scare me with that. A conflict between the tribes... well, that’s only if the Blackstone giants can find us!"

Just as Brogan finished speaking, a scream rang out from outside the camp, followed by the sound of a giant collapsing to the ground.

"Ah... Enemy attack... Enemy attack!"

Brogan and Kael exchanged a glance and shot out of the tent, rushing toward the source of the commotion.

At that moment, Orion’s cold, bloodthirsty voice echoed through the forest, resounding throughout the Ironbone giants’ camp.

"This is a warning, giants of the Ironbone tribe!"

"Leave your prey and get out of this area, or face the consequences!"

Orion’s words caused Brogan and Kael’s faces to change instantly.

At the same time, the Ironbone warriors woke up, their faces filled with fear and tension.

Brogan and Kael exchanged a quick glance, and Kael stepped forward, shouting into the surrounding forest.

"Fellow giants of the Blackstone tribe, we’ve entered this area by mistake. Please lower your weapons, and we’ll leave immediately."

Orion, hidden behind a massive tree, heard Kael’s words but frowned.

Kael had agreed to leave, but he hadn’t agreed to leave the prey behind.

"Leave all the prey, or face death!"

Orion’s cold voice rang out again, but this time, Kael didn’t respond.

Because in the brief moment Orion had been thinking, Brogan had already slipped into the forest from behind the tent, searching for Orion’s location.

It was clear that Kael was stalling for time.

Brogan had entered the forest for two reasons: first, to scout how many Blackstone warriors had come, and second, to find an escape route for his tribe.

And with this second goal in mind, Brogan quickly realized that there were very few Blackstone giants around—so few that none were visible.

In other words, the Blackstone giant who had warned them was alone, or part of a small group.

This realization immediately calmed Brogan’s panicked heart, and his killing intent surged.