Lyle's sharp gaze locked onto three frogmen charging toward him atop snarling multi-headed water serpents. With a flick of his fingers, he gestured to the two Flame Archangels who had just finished roasting a long purple swamp wyrm.
"Cut them off."
The high-pitched screeches of the frogmen mixed with the serpents' guttural roars, but they were soon drowned out by the whooshing of burning blades. One serpent was intercepted. Two were blocked. But the third surged forward unimpeded, baring its fangs as it lunged at Lyle.
Perched atop the beast's head, the lead frogman threw back his head and bellowed, "Invader! A mighty warrior will feast upon your flesh!"
Lyle's eyes narrowed. "I've never liked the kind that keeps threatening to eat people."
His hand lifted. Fingers curled, and a shimmer of mana surged forward.
"Magic Arrow."
Three blinding bolts of arcane light streaked through the air.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Each one slammed into the water serpent's front left leg. The joint cracked with a sickening crunch.
Crash!
The great beast wailed in pain and stumbled. Its massive body pitched forward and slammed into the murky swamp with a thunderous splash. The frogman atop its head was sent flying, flipping twice in midair before crashing face-first into the muck ten meters in front of Lyle, leaving a crater in his wake.
"Urgh… damn you!"
The frogman, built like a leather bag stuffed with bricks, clawed his way out of the pit. His brownish eyes, each nearly the size of a clenched fist—were now bloodshot with rage.
"You filthy invader! A mighty warrior shall—"
"Magic Arrow."
Lyle wasn't in the mood for long-winded swamp monologues.
Another bolt shrieked through the air and slammed into the frogman's chest. Three searing punctures tore into his torso, right through the rubbery skin.
"Huh. Didn't pierce all the way through."
Lyle frowned slightly.
This thing had some decent magical resistance. Odd for a frogman.
His eyes narrowed further as he noticed something strange. The bloody holes in the frogman's chest… were closing.
Not at a troll's pace, no. But still alarmingly fast.
Since when could frogmen regenerate?
A system prompt pinged in his mind.
[Skill Detected: "Companion Pact I"]
[Required Class: Beast Master (Base Class) – Not Met]
[Unique Trait 'Genius' Activated. Requirements bypassed.
Eligible for immediate learning. Spend 1 skill point?]
Lyle's gaze flickered.
Another Beast Tamer skill.
He had dismissed the last one—"Beastial Fury"—because it sounded like something that made animals bite harder. Not exactly exciting.
But this? This was different.
The frogman's regeneration was clearly linked to this skill. He'd bet money the creature was borrowing the healing power of the multi-headed water serpent.
He skimmed the skill description:
[Skill: Companion Pact I]
Cost: None (Cooldown: 1 hour)
Description: Form a close bond with a non-hostile magical creature. The user may temporarily access one of the companion's abilities, or allow the companion to use one of theirs.
Only one party may use an ability at a time.
The cost is paid by the one whose ability is being used.
Note: The pact cannot be canceled unless the companion dies.
---
Lyle's eyes darted from the recovering frogman to the floundering serpent still struggling in the mud. He remembered now—multi-headed water serpents had a passive regeneration buff.
The frogman had hijacked the serpent's healing.
Which explained why the beast itself hadn't recovered yet.
A small groan echoed through the swamp.
The frogman, now standing proudly, puffed out his chest—blood still smeared on his skin, but healing underneath. "You see?! This is the might of a true warrior! If you beg for mercy now, I may grant you a painless death!"
Lyle tilted his head.
"I wonder if you'll still regenerate after being cut into little pieces."
The frogman blinked. Then blinked again. Its wide eyes slowly shifted left and right… and saw the two Flame Archangels had flanked him on both sides, swords of fire raised.
Shluk!
The twin blades came down.
Frog confetti.
The swamp went quiet except for the crackling of the flames.
Apparently, being able to regenerate didn't help much when your body was diced into quarters.
Lyle turned back toward his ever-loyal spectral beast and placed a hand on the hound's head.
"Companion Pact."
The ghostly dog let out a low growl, twitching as mana surged between them.
"Move out."
Lyle's voice echoed inside the creature's mind. Obediently, the hellhound trotted forward, eyes glowing faintly red.
Interesting.
Though the skill claimed to be "mutual," it was really a one-way street. Lyle could sense the bond—tight, solid, clear. Commands could now be transmitted directly through thought. And, more importantly, he could tap into the hound's abilities at will.
He could now use its Chain Cyclone attack like it was his own.
The dog, however, couldn't do the same to him.
"This really is the difference between a Beast Master and a Druid," Lyle muttered.
A shame, though.
Only one pact at a time. Using it on the hellhound felt like a bit of a waste. Still, the added control was useful.
Led by the freshly mind-linked hound, Lyle pressed deeper into the swamp. As the terrain shifted, the monsters grew larger. More frogmen appeared, armed and aggressive, but none could withstand the fiery onslaught of the twin archangels.
Dense grass began to thin. The sparse trees gave way to a looming wall of dark forest.
Then—
"Stop!"
A frightened voice rang out from the trees.
Lyle halted instantly. His hellhound growled low, sensing something unfamiliar.
From the forest emerged a thin figure—humanoid, scaly, and reptilian. But not quite like the lizardmen Lyle had seen before.
Its eyes were black and slit like a snake's, filled with fear as they locked onto him.
"Lizardman?" Lyle frowned.
That was… unexpected. He didn't think any of them had survived this deep into the wetlands.
Wait a second.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
This one recognized him.
That much was obvious from the sheer terror radiating from its hunched posture.
"I-I'm not a lizardman," the creature said quickly. "I'm a tunnel lizard!"
Tunnel lizard?
Lyle's gaze rose to the spiny ridge atop the creature's skull.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked coldly.
"My master told me to warn you," the tunnel lizard stammered, "you're not allowed to kill any more frogmen."
The nerve.
"Don't think destroying the lizardman tribe makes you king of this swamp," the creature added, baring its teeth.
"Leave. Now."
The creature shook as soon as the words left its mouth, not daring to meet Lyle's gaze.
He knew exactly what had happened to the lizardmen.
So this thing had seen it.
Lyle's voice turned icy.
"Who is your master?"
"The Witch. One of the Twin Witches," the tunnel lizard said quickly, puffing up as if the name itself was enough to stop a blade. "She rules this part of the swamp."
Twin Witches?
Lyle blinked.
He hadn't expected them to know about the lizardman massacre.
Nor had he ever seen this tunnel lizard before.
"All Race Charm."
Lyle decided to skip the guessing games. A pulse of mana swept out. The tunnel lizard froze, then turned glassy-eyed as it stumbled forward toward him.
Behind him, the frogman guide—finally freed from the charm's lingering effects—let out a confused croak.
Shlak!
One of the archangels swooped down and cleaved the frogman cleanly in two.
Lyle faced the tunnel lizard. "Tell me everything."
Under the effects of the charm, the creature spilled everything.
It wasn't the only tunnel lizard working for the Twin Witches.
Apparently, others had been sent to infiltrate the lizardman tribe—able to shapeshift using enchanted rings, pretending to be one of them.
The one that betrayed the tribe, who passed information during the heist of the sacred relic… was another tunnel lizard.
Not this one.
Lyle examined the ring he pulled from the creature's clawed hand. Black-gray. Arcane. Meant for disguise.
"Hmph. I thought the magical signature I felt during the raid was strange."
This changed things.
The witches weren't just acting like backwoods swamp cultists. They were planning. They had spies.
But then again…
Sending this idiot to bark threats at him?
That was stupid.
They knew he had wiped out an entire tribe.
They wanted him angry.
So why provoke him?
Lyle looked up, eyes narrowing as he peered into the shadowy forest beyond.
"They don't want me to leave," he said aloud.
"They want me to walk right in."