Thud!

Vikir found himself pinned under a enormous palm.

Not human strength indeed, definitely.

As Vikir had thought, the palm of DOrdume currently pressing down on his entire body was not human.

As large as a bed, rough and thick scales sticking out on the back of the hand, sharp nails resembling hooks, and beyond the thin claws spread between the five thick fingers, there were black scales and yellow-burning pupils visible.

A Crocodile.

DOrdume had revealed a monstrous appearance, as if a mixture of human and crocodile.

I dont particularly like this appearance with my uniform torn.

DOrdume muttered, revealing his terrifying teeth.

Meanwhile, Vikir looked at DOrdumes beast-like appearance and thought.

The rumor that the 5 guardians of Nouvellebag were not entirely human, was it true?

Beastfolk. Humans with mixed genes of various animals.

They were treated as humanoid races like orcs, dwarves, and elves, possessing high intelligence and often appearing similar to humans, allowing coexistence with humans.

However, when their emotions reached extremes, they transformed into a monstrous appearance mixed with animal features, leading to discrimination and a dwindling population.

A crocodile-type beastfolk This is rare.

Vikir dug through the soft soil on the ground and swiftly escaped from DOrdumes palm.

DOrdume pursued Vikir, revealing his teeth.

A long and thick tail protruded from his black uniform and lashed out like a whip.

Crash!

The rocks behind collapsed entirely.

Vikir plunged into the space left by the tails passing and swung the BDISSEM chain at DOrdumes side.

However

Clang!

DOrdumes skin was already filled with thick and tough scales and plates.

This was why Vikirs punch had caused no damage earlier.

You stand no chance against me.

DOrdume said, driving the spiral aura still rotating around his forearm into the ground.

Quake-Clang-Clang-Clang-Clang!

A tumultuous storm of devastating blows seemed to erupt from beneath the ground.

Rocks, soil, sand, lavaall turned into fine particles within this whirlpool.

Moreover, the sulfur gases around were sucked towards the core of the storm, igniting flames, boiling the surrounding atmosphere madly.

Krrrrrrr-Clang!

Explosions and pulverization. Prisoners and guards alike were astounded, trembling in fear from afar at the sight, as if a god of destruction had descended.

And Vikir too made his decision.

Ah, this wont do.

Facing an opponent wearing the BDISSEM chains, even if he died and revived, he wouldnt be able to win.

If it hadnt been for the stats accumulated from the Abyss, he would have been torn apart long ago.

In that case, how about this

Vikir deftly dodged the incoming blows and retreated.

The destination was the steep slope where Vikir had been pushing rocks just a moment ago.

As DOrdume crawled up to the middle of the slope following Vikir.

Tock-

Vikir kicked out all the pre-prepared stones.

Then, flames ignited and roaring, gigantic rocks began to pour down with a deafening crash!

Clang!

The fiery rocks rolled down the slope at a furious speed, engulfing DOrdume.

Understanding the terrain is basic in combat.

Vikir had a habit of always surveying the surroundings for terrain features in preparation for battles.

He had done so during the red and Black Mountains fight with Madam Eigth legs, during his time in the orphanage, and now in Nouvellebag at level nine.

However

You underestimate the guardians of Nouvellebag, rookie.

DOrdume showed no fear even in the face of a rock that rolled right up to his nose.

Ugh!

Taking a deep breath, DOrdume raised his swollen forearm high.

And then

Crash!

He shattered the rock with a single blow.

The powerful fist followed by a whirlwind of blades not only smashed the rock into pieces but also ground and pulverized it into a cloud of dust.

Woo-oooo!

The guards watching from afar cheered for DOrdumes tremendous prowess.

However

Good shit. What else you got? Bring it on.

Vikir kicked a few more boulders on the slope.

Rumble-

Bigger rocks than before started rolling down the slope.

A drop of sweat finally formed on DOrdumes forehead.

Argh!

If he retreated here while his subordinates were watching, it would damage his reputation as a guardian.

As Vikir intended, DOrdume found himself in a situation where he had to break all the rolling rocks with brute force.

Bang! Clang! Clang-clang!

DOrdume successfully smashed three rocks in succession with great momentum.

But it seemed the fourth rock was a bit too much

Crunch-

He could only break about half of it.

Hit by the remaining rock fragments, DOrdume was thrown backward and impaled on the lava spikes below the slope.

Splash! Hiss-

The lava pool, boiling at an insanely high temperature beyond common sense, swallowed DOrdume whole.

The guards who had been cheering moments ago froze in shock.

A strange silence began to spread throughout the entire labor camp.

At that moment.

Boom! Bang!

The surface of the lava pool shattered, and something large and sharp shot up from below.

It was DOrdume, the battered figure, jumping up in a rage from head to toe.

The uniforms provided to the guards had basic fire-resistant properties, but seeing how tattered DOrdumes uniform had become, it seemed he had suffered serious burn damage.

Arrgh! You! Ill kill you!

DOrdume, consumed by extreme anger, seemed to have lost sight of everything.

Just looking at his muscles, which had swelled to more than double their previous size before falling into the lava, made it evident.

At that moment

Stop. Thats enough.

Vikir raised his hand.

Taking advantage of DOrdumes momentary pause, Vikir quickly made a proposition.

Aight, Im done. Spare me.

?

DOrdume momentarily doubted his ears.

Criminals confined to Level Nine usually had immense pride.

So, when they caused a riot, the only way to suppress it was through execution.

But?

I cant beat you, thats for sure. Maybe if I used aura. Anyway, I dont want to die like this. If you spare me, Ill accept any punishment. Ill work diligently in labor from now on.

Only now did DOrdume and all the other guards understand what Vikir was saying.

Goodness, a prisoner from Level Nine was surrendering! Why cause a riot in the first place if you were going to do this!

What This is ridiculous!

As DOrdume was about to erupt in protest, Vikir subtly shifted aside.

By the way, Ive been gradually weakening all the stakes during our labor work.

!

If you dont spare me, Ill reset all the work Ive done so far to zero.

Besides the stakes he had kicked out just now, Vikir had done countless other tasks involving stakes.

If all the rocks on the scaffold above were to roll down, the workload for the entire Level Nine area could reset to zero.

Thunk-

DOrdume gritted his teeth so hard they might break.

Even if that vile creature decided to flee, they might eventually catch him, but the damage would be too great.

With many subordinates watching and other work sites halted, there was no way to continue the commotion.

Fine. If you surrender, Ill spare you from execution.

Yessir..

Only after receiving DOrdumes public promise did Vikir descend from the slope.

As Vikir came down, countless guards who had been standing beside DOrdume rushed forward and restrained Vikir with multiple layers of BDISSEM shackles.

Clank, clank, clank

DOrdume walked up to the kneeling Vikir.

And then

Thwack!

With all his might, DOrdume struck Vikirs face with his fist.

Thud Thud

Looking down at the bloodied and sprawled Vikir, DOrdume snorted.

Take him to solitary confinement. For three months, no, make it a hundred days.

Yes! A hundred days in solitary confinement is practically execution.

A lieutenant nearby nodded.

Eventually, numerous guards crowded around and dragged Vikir away with the BDISSEM chains.

Thus, Vikir collapsed to the ground and disappeared into the depths of unconsciousness.

The commotion is over! Resume the labor!

DOrdume turned his head and shouted.

But

Neither the guards nor the prisoners moved, all staying still, quietly observing.

At that, DOrdume shouted again.

Whats going on! Resume the labor immediately!

Then, Kirko, crawled forward and spoke in a hesitant voice.

Uh, sir Major. Im sorry to say this, but theres no labor to resume, sir.

What?

DOrdume furrowed his brows as if asking what nonsense it was.

Then Kirko cautiously raised a finger and pointed behind DOrdume.

?

Curious, DOrdume turned his head to see the scene behind him.

A collapsed mountain. Shattered rocks. Deeply excavated earth.

The excavation had progressed so much that there was nothing left for the prisoners to work on.

As DOrdume sweated profusely and raged, it was because the destruction work had progressed overwhelmingly fast, leaving nothing for the prisoners to do.

! ! ! !

Veins seemed to bulge on DOrdumes forehead as he realized he had single-handedly completed the prisoners daily workload.