Free Web NovelChapter 358: Troop Leader
Jayden dismissed the glowing text with a thought. He slowly rolled his neck, the joints popping like gunshots, and looked around the clearing at the twenty groaning, disoriented Earth Smashers picking themselves up.
Then, he moved.
He broke the sound barrier three times over. The sonic boom shattered the earth where he had just been standing. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
He appeared in front of the first beast. With a casual, almost bored swipe of his right hand, his claws cleaved through the Smasher’s thick neck. The beast’s head detached entirely, spinning into the air on a geyser of blood.
He didn’t stop. He blurred to the second beast, driving his bare hand straight through its armored chest, shattering its sternum, and ripping its heart out through its back. Then he moved to the third, then the fourth, then the fifth, killing all of them in the most brutal way possible.
Squarc. Slash. Crunch.
It was a massacre. Armed with the physical strength of a giant and the speed of sound, Jayden became an invisible god of death. He tore through the twenty D-Rank beasts effortlessly. Limbs were severed, chests were caved in, skulls were crushed under a single boot step.
And the whole thing took exactly ten seconds.
When Jayden finally stopped moving, he was standing in the center of the meadow. Around him lay the mutilated, butchered remains of twenty Earth Smashers. There wasn’t a single drop of sweat on his brow, though his claws and forearms were painted red. His feral eyes glowed with a terrifying, unquenchable fire.
He turned his gaze to the white leader.
The Smasher leader was frozen in sheer, unadulterated horror. It stared at the carnage—its strongest warriors wiped out in the blink of an eye—unable to comprehend the god-like power radiating from the creature before it.
Jayden let his aura loose entirely.
The atmospheric pressure in the clearing multiplied by a hundred. The white leader choked, its eyes bulging as it was forced to its knees, gasping desperately for air that felt as thick as concrete. Up in the trees, several of the weaker, low-level Earth Smashers began to foam at the mouth, their hearts giving out as they suffocated to death from the sheer weight of Jayden’s presence. They dropped from the branches, hitting the ground with heavy thuds.
Jayden walked slowly toward the kneeling leader, his claws dripping.
"I wanted this to be an honorable fight," his voice was completely inhuman—a layered, demonic growl that vibrated in the beast’s very skull. "I wanted no bloodshed at all. But you forced my hand. You decided to be uncivilized."
He sighed, a hot puff of steam escaping his razor-lined jaws, and gestured lazily to the horrific carnage around them.
"Look at what you caused," Jayden snarled coldly. "Because of your cowardice, your subjects have been slaughtered. More are dying in the trees right now. And you... you will join them."
The beast violently shuddered. Tears of genuine terror welled in its eyes. It slammed its head against the dirt, bowing completely.
"Mercy!" It rasped, its gravelly voice trembling. "I was fool to cheat. Please, spare my live! Will submit. Will serve."
Jayden stared down at the groveling giant. The bloodlust roared in his ears, begging him to take its head, but his tactical mind easily overrode his feral instincts. Killing it now would be a massive waste of potential. The beast was rare, incredibly intelligent, and commanded a functional army of beasts. It was an unparalleled asset.
"Look at me," Jayden commanded.
The beast slowly, fearfully raised its head.
"I accept your submission," Jayden said calmly. "But first..."
Swish!
Jayden’s arm moved, and three razor-sharp claws sliced cleanly diagonally across the beast’s left eye.
The Smasher shrieked in agony, clutching its bleeding face and stumbling backward.
"That is the punishment for your deceit," Jayden stated coldly, wiping his claws on his pants. "The next time you try a stunt like that, my claws will be striking your neck instead."
The beast swallowed its screams. It forced itself back onto its knees, lowering its head even further into the dirt. "Thank you for sparing my life. Will make up for my sins. Will serve you until last breath."
Jayden smirked, his feral features twisting into a terrifying grin. "Good."
Then a system prompt popped up in his line of sight.
[Taming Requirements met]
[Would you like to tame: Earth Smasher (C-Rank)?]
[Yes / No]
Jayden selected yes. The system chimed instantly.
[You have tamed an Earth Smasher]
Jayden didn’t waste time. He opened the pack tab, assigning the beast to his SubPack immediately.
[C-Rank Earth Smasher leader has been added to the Twin Crescent Pack]
[Pack members: 8/10]
[+2% Permanent Stat Boost has been added to all stats for adding one new pack members]
[Pack slots left: 2]
Jayden dismissed the system screen with satisfaction. Then he turned to the Smasher leader.
"Rise," he commanded.
The massive white beast stood up. Blood poured from its slashed eye, but Jayden’s strike had been perfectly calculated; the cut was superficial, leaving a deep scar without destroying the actual function of the eye.
"You are now a member of my pack," Jayden declared, projecting his voice so the remaining horde in the trees could hear. "You are my servant. Which means I now hold direct command over this entire troop."
The beast bowed respectfully. It then turned toward the tree line, beating its chest with one fist, and unleashed a series of booming, chattering barks to its surviving subjects.
The horde, suddenly reinvigorated as Jayden subtly pulled back his suffocating aura, erupted into a frenzy of howls and screeches. They jumped from branch to branch, beating their chests in a primal display of worship and absolute submission to their new alpha.
"Troop is in master’s command now," the white beast rumbled, turning back to Jayden. "We will serve."
"Excellent," Jayden smirked. "Here is your first order. Begin hunting. Scour every inch of this forest, every single day. Kill any beast you find, and stockpile their corpses in a secure location until I return. You will do most of the killing, and you will coordinate the hunts. I am leaving you in charge of this territory."
"Your wish is command," the beast bowed.
It turned back to the horde and let out a deafening roar. Instantly, the trees shook as dozens of Earth Smashers mobilized, moving through the canopy and across the forest floor in perfect, militaristic unison, marching deeper into the wilderness like an army going to war.
"The hunt begins, Master," the beast said.
"Indeed it does," Jayden smiled. "I have to leave now, but I will be back soon. You better have a mountain of corpses waiting for me when I return."
The leader nodded. "Will not let master down."
"I know you won’t," Jayden said. He looked at the giant ape thoughtfully then he continued. "I’m going to give you a name," he murmured. "Since you possess a level of intelligence far beyond your kin, it’s only appropriate you have one."
The beast knelt. "Will gladly bear whatever name master bestows upon me."
Jayden thought for a moment, letting the perfect moniker coming to mind. After a while, he found one.
"Cain," he muttered. "From now on, your name is Cain."
Before the beast could even speak, the system screen suddenly popped up.
[Alert! Pack Member ’Earth Smasher (C-Rank)’ has been renamed to ’Cain’]
Jayden blinked in mild surprise. The System had actually registered and updated the custom name. He didn’t know it could do that.
"Then I am Cain," the beast rumbled, a strange sense of pride in its gravelly voice. "And Cain will serve master for as long as Cain lives."
"Yes, you will," Jayden smirked. "Now, go. Lead the hunt. I expect excellent results."
Cain bowed one final time before turning and bolting into the dense brush, moving with terrifying speed to join his troop.
Jayden watched him disappear into the shadows. With a heavy sigh, he willed his Partial Lupine form to drop. The massive muscles compressed, the fur receded, and his jaw shifted back into its human structure.
He stood in the clearing, normal once more, and looked down at his clothes. His t-shirt and jeans were completely shredded, soaked in blood, and caked in dirt. He stripped them off, pulling a fresh, casual outfit from his spatial inventory.
"That was the last set of normal clothes in my inventory," he muttered, adjusting his jacket. "I better restock when I get back."
He looked out at the path where Cain and his army had vanished and let out a long, exhausted yawn, stretching his arms above his head until his spine popped.
His mission was a success.
He now had a uniquely powerful C-Rank beast and an entire private army of more than fifty Earth Smashers farming Exp for him passively. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
Jayden stuffed in his pockets and turned away from the carnage and began to walk out of Jade City forest, finally heading home.
