Butterfly Nymph's Tribe.
Just like what one would expect from the tribe of a weak race, the situation inside the Butterfly Nymph's Tribe was quite pitiful.
Their homes were merely erected tents made from sticks, vines, and leaves that they gathered in the forest. It was unknown whether such tents could even withstand the rain.
It wouldn't be surprising if a moderately strong wind could carry their homes away.
This tribe was also a small one. Their numbers were just around fifty to sixty members, including the young and the old.
Each and every one of them looked tense for a reason.
Just a few days ago, the tribe's Chief, the strongest warrior in the tribe, a high-level Transcendent, died at the hands of a ferocious beast.
The Chief's existence was the only thing that was preventing the tribe of nearby lizardmen from attacking the Butterfly Nymphs.
Now that the Chief is dead, the lizardmen definitely wouldn't let them off. In the Dragonspine Forest, it was survival of the fittest.
Countless small tribes are formed and eradicated every day. Only when one's fist was large enough could a tribe ensure survival.
"Chief Wyden, you finally returned! We were afraid something bad had happened to you!" One of the butterfly nymphs heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Wyden return.
Their situation is already not looking optimistic. If their new Chief, the son of the former Chief, who is currently the tribe's strongest fighter, also met a bad end, then they don't have a chance to survive the night.
"With our tribe facing danger, I will not let anything bad happen to me" Wyden replied before issuing an order.
"Gather all the Transcendents in our tribe, I have an announcement to make related to our survival."
With Wyden's prestige, everyone was willing to listen to him, whether it was the young or the old.
From the very start, Wyden showed great power and wisdom. Everyone even believes he could grow stronger than his father. As such, when the former Chief died, they automatically treated him as the new Chief despite his young age.
With his order, out of fifty to sixty members in the tribe, only fifteen gathered. They are the only transcendents in the tribe, which was a pitiful number.
"Iruline" Wyden called out, and Iruline stepped out while opening a pouch made from plant fibers, showing the ten Blood Boiling Mushrooms inside.
Without even a word yet from Wyden, the atmosphere immediately grew tense. The nymphs recognized what those mushrooms were, and with Wyden gathering and showing them, they already understood what his intentions were.
"Our tribe is currently facing great danger. From the information we gathered, the lizardmen will attack us tonight. Unlike us, the lizardmen still have a high-level Transcendent, and the number of their early to mid-level Transcendents is also higher than ours."
"In the face of this great danger, I am willing to sacrifice myself. I planned on eating these mushrooms, ready to face death, but unexpectedly, there is still hope of survival for me!"
The nymphs around were curious about what Wyden meant by hope. Isn't it well-known information that all who eat a Blood Boiling Mushroom would die?
"Iruline and I met a Nature Spirit today, a Mushroom Spirit to be exact. It was the one who grew these mushrooms, and we made an agreement."
"The Mushroom Spirit bestowed these ten mushrooms on us, and although the Spirit cannot guarantee it, whoever will eat these mushrooms might be able to survive after"
"These Blood Boiling Mushrooms are connected to the Mushroom Spirit; it can control them to some extent."
Wyden explained, and every nymph looked at him and Iruline with envy. As butterfly nymphs, they have always revered and shown great respect for nature.
While nymphs are often viewed as spirits of nature as well, their connection to nature is not as close as that of Nature Spirits.
While there are twisted Nature Spirits, there are more kind and gentle spirits. There are a number of instances when these kind Spirits helped various weak tribes.
As such, all of them have an innate respect and sense of worship for Nature Spirits, especially one that even has the heart to help them.
The Butterfly Nymphs are unafraid of death as long as it is for the sake of the tribe. They had already readied themselves to die after seeing the mushrooms. Wyden's words made them even more willing to risk their lives.
"Chief, we are willing to eat these mushrooms!"
"I already braced myself for death. Now that there is at least a chance that we will not die, I am even more willing!"
"For the tribe's survival!"
Seeing his brave tribesmen, Wyden was filled with both joy and bitterness. He is touched by their bravery, but on the other hand, it felt like he was sending them to their deaths.
"Good. And to pay for the Nature's Spirit generosity, we are to sacrifice the corpses of our fallen enemies to the gracious Spirit!" Wyden announced, and the nymphs were startled for a moment before accepting it.
There is no free lunch in this world. At the very least, it would be the corpses of their enemies and not their own brethren that are more acceptable.
—-
The sun sets and the moon replaces it, signaling the start of the night. Inside the Butterfly Nymph's tribe, all able-bodied men and women were holding their weapons tightly.
Their weapons were simply long wooden poles, but these simple weapons at least gave them a sense of security.
At the very least, with weapons in hand, they do not need to fight bare-handed.
At the edge of the tribe's territory, a group of lizardmen arrived. The weapons of these lizardmen are all crudely made, but they are better than the nymph's weapons.
The lizardmen's weapon of choice was spears. The handles were made from wood, while the sharp tips are made from beasts' fangs tightly tied with vines.
The lizardmen have green skin and long tail, looking really ferocious and wild. Whether it be in weapons, numbers, or morale, these lizardmen clearly looks superior compared to their enemies.
"Chief, the Butterfly Nymph's tribe are just ahead. Hehehe, finally, we would conquer them!" One of the lizardmen said to the one leading this group.
Their Chief was bigger and more muscular compared to the other lizardmen. He is also stronger, reaching the high-level of the Transcendent Rank, just a step away from reaching the peak of the rank.
With their superior numbers and strength, it was only a matter of time before they conquer this tribe. Once that happens, the Chief's prestige in the tribe would be even higher.
Not to mention, the women of Butterfly Nymphs are really beautiful. They are the perfect slaves.
"Hahahaha! With their paltry strength, they dare resist us, lizardmen?! Truly courting death!" The Chief lizardman laughed loudly and his people followed along.
Their bodies craved blood and the sense of conquer.
In the Dragonspine Forest, there are many lizardmen and their personalities are cruel and ferocious. They derived pleasure from tormenting others.
If not for the fact that the Chief Lizardman was afraid of getting injured and being plotted against by his own people, he would have fought against the nymphs long ago without the need to wait for the nymph's chief to die.
But now, the wait is over. Without the protection of a high-level Transcendent, there is nothing in this tribe that he needs to be afraid of!
"Lizardmen, follow me! Charge!" The Chief shouted loudly and the more than thirty lizardmen charged at the Butterfly Nymph's tribe.
Do not underestimate these thirty lizardmen. While the nymph's tribe does have a population of fifty to sixty, less than twenty of them are Transcendents while the rest are ordinary nymphs.
Even an early-level Transcendent can kill multiple ordinary people easily. As such, while the lizardmen are fewer in terms of numbers, they are superior when it comes to the number of transcendents.
All thirty of them are transcendents. If not for the need to leave some tribesmen to guard their territory, they could gather more than thirty lizardmen
With the chief's loud battle cry, the Butterfly Nymphs are naturally alerted. Their grip pn their weapons tightened.
Seeing the enemies, Wyden didn't hesitate and he bravely charged at them. His wings unfolded as he jumped in the midst of the enemies.
Butterfly Nymphs have wings but their wings are actually not strong enough to enable them to fly. The most they could do was float or use their wings to propel their speed.
Still, their wings gave them an advantage and with the element of surprise, Wyden managed to use his wooden pole to smash the head of a mid-level Transcendent of the lizardmen.
As of the moment, aside from the lizardmen's chief, the ones that posed the greatest threat to the nymps are these mid-level Transcendents that could fight against two or three early-level Transcendents at once.
Sneak attack can only succeed once and since that is the case, Wyden opt to kill a mid-level Transcendent to give his clansmen a higher chance of survival.