The Rise of the Black Plain

As brutal as Minos' proposal was, it was common practice in the Spiritual World.

When two sides engaged in a confrontation, especially one between beings of different races, it was very common for the winners to devour the bodies of the losers.

Beasts did this to other beasts of different races and to humans, and humans did it to beasts.

But there were cases of beasts of the same race devouring their rivals, which was more common among beasts. Even cases of humans devouring other humans existed, although very rare.

When Minos suggested this, his group didn't find it so strange, and soon, the mercenaries there were setting up large bonfires, some of them already cutting up the corpses, removing the useless parts, and quickly preparing the edible ones.

You didn't have to be a spiritual cook to know how to prepare a barbecue!

Cooks were chefs who could enhance the nutritional and spiritual quality of the food, increasing not only the flavor but also the spiritual richness of meals.

They weren't entirely necessary to prepare a minimally tasty feast. Anyone with a bit of spice and a minimum of knowledge about meat and its preparation could prepare a satisfying barbecue.

In less than ten minutes, three large fires were blazing with long skewers of snake meat, while the men of Minos' group had already destroyed the remains of the creatures killed by their group.

The smell of the meat gradually permeated the air, bringing the delicious smell of barbecue miles away from where Minos' group was.

The beasts in the area noticed this and naturally looked in that direction, with several creatures of different species salivating at that hard-to-resist smell.

Gulp!

A giant toad at the edge of a pond near the tree-covered area sniffed it and noticed the distinct smell of snake flesh.

'It looks like some snakes have died at the hands of human experts.' He thought to himself.

Barbecuing was a human practice. Beasts usually devoured the bodies of their enemies without any preparation.

By smelling the distinct smell of barbecue, that creature and several others nearby knew it was humans' deeds.

But no one dared to approach them at first. To dare to light a fire and grill the flesh of the snakes of the tribes that were in the vicinity of this area would require a great deal of courage or strength.

Even a member of one of the tribes of these dead beings realized what was happening and broke into a cold sweat with fear but also anger at these humans.

Devouring enemies was a common practice, but it was a sign of extreme disrespect, a way of saying that one side was superior to the other, etc.

By doing this openly, Minos' group was provoking the two snake tribes that had attacked his group.

'Damn you! You'll pay for this, you bastards! I'm going to report this to the tribe!' A weaker snake that was nearby left in a rage and went back to his home to bring this information to his people.

...

On the other hand, inside the tree where Titus was doing his experiments...

Sensing a distinct odor in the air, Titus immediately stopped what he was doing with his guinea pig and looked toward Minos' group.

'This smell...' He recognized the scent of specimens from rival tribes of the Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe and became immediately curious.

You couldn't tell the level of the dead just by smelling the barbecue. Even though these corpses and the enemies who were probably preparing to devour them at that moment were likely to be strong, it didn't mean these creatures would be so strong that they would scare this old fox.

With his curiosity and the chance to perhaps steal one of the corpses of these beings, Titus clenched his fists in his humanoid form and walked slowly toward the exit of his tree.

'I will spy on this group. If they're weak, maybe I can get new guinea pigs from different races.' He thought to himself as he left the place.

...

Meanwhile, enough time had passed for the meat to roast, and everyone in Minos' group was tasting the meat of the snakes they had eliminated a few moments ago.

The flesh of these beasts was delicious. However, it didn't taste so unique. Like many meats in this world, snake meat tasted like chicken.

However, like the meat of Sages and Demigods, it was the most delicious chicken-flavored meat that anyone in that group had ever tasted.

As they ate with gusto, not at all disgusted that they were eating individuals they had just fought, Minos' group chatted among themselves.

"What are we going to do now? This tribe won't let this go unanswered." One of the mercenaries commented.

As frightening as their act was, it was customary for a group that had been insulted in this way to first test the enemy's strength before giving up on revenge because the other side was so terrifying that it would devour them.

Devouring enemies after a battle was a simple act of threat. It meant something like, "If you attack me, I will devour you. Stay away from me or risk destruction."

But one would always test the level of the one making the threat because there was always the risk that a weak group was behind it.

Minos then said. "The tribes that attacked us aren't that strong. The weakest is at the same level as the Nine-Tailed Fox Tribe. The other one is a bit stronger and should have mid-level Demigods. However, the chances of either of them coming after us are slim.

Even though we're in an area without an owner, this area belongs to the Phoenix Tribe's sphere of influence. If a level 94, 95, or 96 elder from a tribe unfriendly to the Phoenix Tribe enters this area, the observers of such a race will take action."

Minos knew the races of the Continent of Beasts well, especially the difficulties of some races and the differences in the spiritual wealth of the territories on the continent.

The Continent of Beasts was not a single entity. What's more, certain races had their own characteristics that made it more difficult for their members to progress in certain environments.

Being in a rich environment wasn't everything!

Take the case of the women of the Flowers Kingdom in the Central Continent. Even though they were in a high-level location near the two strongest states on the continent, that state only had a level 93 Demigod as its leader.

...