Pioneer Lord: I Have Conquering System

"We didn’t get to slay a Giant Dragon, but these bandits showing up is a good way to blow off some steam."

All the Beastman Barbarians were eager for a fight. Zat, in particular, hoisted his Double-Bladed War Axe onto his shoulder. "I’ve almost forgotten how to use this War Axe."

"It’s been too long since I’ve stretched my legs."

Orak cracked his neck and gripped two blood-red war axes.

He was a battle-hungry sort. When facing the Giant Dragon Corps earlier, he’d been appointed temporary commander, so he hadn’t yet personally slain an enemy since arriving at High Cliff Castle.

The Silver Dragon Maiden, who had grown up on Dragon Island and seen little of the world, trembled. ’These are all such vicious, ruthless people!’

Even after coming to the Wilderness, she had never fought or killed. She had simply used her reputation as a Giant Dragon to raise a Subordinate Corps and had Gorgon collect treasures for her.

The Lord was also curious to see what kind of bandits dared to tweak the tiger’s whiskers.

Having failed to slay a dragon, everyone was holding in a bellyful of frustration.

"Heh, a few dozen Lizardmen and a few hundred Vassals. When did High Cliff Castle become such a nobody? Now even every Tom, Dick, and Harry dares to block our path. How novel."

The Lord raised a spyglass to his eye, clucking his tongue.

A group of Lizardmen in ragged Leather Armor and holding Curved Sabers were ordering their Kobold and Goblin Vassals to place logs and stones across the road, setting up a barricade.

This setup was clearly meant to block the carriages.

Wilderness Bandits usually used this tactic when robbing passing caravans, waiting for the caravan to send people to clear the logs before swarming them.

It was a dirty tactic, but admittedly, very effective.

Unfortunately for them, they had picked the wrong opponent.

"Three hundred heartbeats." Levi simply held up three fingers.

The impatient Beastman Barbarians grinned fiercely and swarmed forward. A single group charge sent the small Bandit Corps into a terrified, chaotic rout.

In Lord Li’s eyes, they couldn’t even be called opponents—they were just experience fodder.

Aside from the few dozen Lizardmen who had some semblance of fighting strength, the remaining goblins and kobolds were like straw, easily cut down in droves.

The Beastmen’s javelins were terrifyingly powerful. Now all at Tier Five, their Throwing skill had reached the Transformation Realm. At a range of forty paces, they were perfectly accurate.

The very first volley took down a number of bandits equal to their own. The strongest Lizardmen were turned into bloody pincushions in the blink of an eye. With the fall of their leader, a total collapse followed in an instant. The remaining goblins and kobolds wailed and scattered in all directions.

The Beastman Barbarians gave chase, cutting them down from behind. Except for a few who were exceptionally agile and escaped with their lives, all the rest were slain. Defeating this Bandit Corps had taken less than one hundred heartbeats.

Just then, Levi, who was watching from atop a carriage, suddenly grabbed a javelin and took aim at the fastest-fleeing goblin.

This goblin had been the first to run when the tables turned. It was now at least three hundred paces from the caravan, barely visible as a tiny black dot in the distance.

’Has he gone mad? What threat could a throw from this distance possibly pose?’

Sophia, standing nearby, suspected the human had lost his mind from winning so much money off her.

Although she was a Giant Dragon, she knew a thing or two about humans. With their feeble power, the absolute best they could do was throw a javelin eighty paces, and whether it hit anything at that range was pure luck.

Three hundred paces, nearly four hundred... only a Giant could possibly throw that far, and even then, a hit wasn’t guaranteed. After all, at that distance, a humanoid figure was no different from an ant.

Strangely, however, one of the human’s subordinates stood with his arms crossed, looking on expectantly, his face full of confidence in his Lord.

’Could it be...’

’Impossible. Absolutely impossible!’

The Silver Dragon Maiden quickly shook her head. Unless it was Hercules reborn, that distance was an unbridgeable chasm for any human.

Levi drew back, pulling his shoulder to gather power. Every muscle in his body coiled into a single, divine force as he abruptly spun and threw.

Except for Zat, who had seen his boss throw before, everyone else was slightly stunned—especially Orak, the old Beastman who prided himself on being worldly-wise, and Sophia, the Silver Dragon Maiden.

The power of this throw was undeniable. Orak swore he had never in his life seen such a terrifying javelin toss.

The sonic BOOM it made as it tore through the air reminded him of a time long, long ago. It was during a long-overdue dry season. All the crops had withered and died. The half-grown boys of the Tribe were so thirsty they drank animal blood. Under his leadership, the tribesmen had prayed day and night for the Gods’ mercy until, finally, on a moonless, starless night, the first low rumble of thunder echoed across the heavens.

’Even the Silver Dragon Maiden beside me couldn’t withstand a hit from that!’

The eye could barely follow the javelin’s trajectory. In the span of two blinks, it crossed over three hundred paces and viciously impaled the goblin to the ground.

’No wonder that boy Muto regards this human as a god, his words filled with nothing but worship and awe. He even said this human was the War God reborn.’

’Before, I just thought it was a joke, that every leader had to create a title for themselves to build up their reputation and solidify their rule.’

But now, Orak was completely and utterly convinced. Nearly four hundred paces, felling a fleeing goblin with a single shot. "Terrifying" was no longer enough to describe it. Only the work of a god could explain it!

The Silver Dragon Maiden’s cherry-red lips parted in a small ’o’. She looked as if she had just seen the Undead.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

’A human threw an iron javelin over three hundred paces? This isn’t some Giant using the Transformation Technique, is it?!’

The Lord’s suddenly sharp voice yanked her brutally from her daze.

"You’d better not be thinking of backing out of our deal!"

Levi said with a chuckle, "I can’t stand people who go back on their word. And as it happens, I’m just a little bit powerful, so when I come to collect a debt, I don’t always know my own strength. It would be a shame if I accidentally hurt you and ruined the trust we’ve worked so hard to build."

Sophia was genuinely frightened. She shrank back, and to be honest, that thought had indeed just crossed her mind.

After all, they had only made a verbal agreement, and she couldn’t be sure this human truly just wanted her for labor.

What if it was all just talk to keep her compliant? Maybe he’d just sell her off the moment they arrived at their destination.

And all she had to do was wait for a moment when no one was paying attention and the Bed Crossbows were put away. Then she could cancel her Transformation Technique, revert to her Giant Dragon form, and fly high into the sky to escape this terrifying place.

But now, that single throw had scattered all those thoughts to the winds.

She’d probably be shot down the instant she took to the sky.

No wonder this human didn’t restrict her movements, as long as she stayed within a certain distance. It was all because he had the power to back up his confidence.

’Dragon Slayers are so scary!’

Sophia wailed internally, personally experiencing why her Dragon Race elders both hated and feared Dragon Slayers.

No wonder even those powerful Dragon Race elders were sometimes captured by humans. If human Dragon Slayers were all this strong, it would be useless even if that old woman—her mother—showed up.

Sophia felt her throat go dry and numbly nodded her head.

’I’m probably never going to escape...’

Seeing the "Join Party" request, which had vanished moments ago, reappear before him, Levi nodded in satisfaction.

He hadn’t expected to bind this silver dragon to his side with just a few words. Only the carrot and the stick could keep this timid, trouble-averse Silver Dragon Maiden from getting any funny ideas.

After his little "reminder," there shouldn’t be any more problems.

All the Beastman Barbarians were cheering, even more excited than Levi himself. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The stronger their boss was, the more honor they felt by association.

Enjoying the endless stream of flattery from the crowd, Levi simply clasped his hands behind his back and gazed toward the horizon.

’Back when I first escaped from Kolon, I took down two members of an elite Cavalry Corps from four hundred paces. A mere three hundred paces is nothing.’

’Though, hitting two of them back then was unexpected. I can only say it was all thanks to Damon’s assist in knocking them into the air.’

’But a hero doesn’t boast of his past glories. I’ll just have to rely on Zat to brag about my past exploits to everyone else.’

’After all, it would be so beneath me to talk about it myself.’