LEVEL EVERYTHING UP in my Eldritch Tribe

Lyerin stood tall as the final glow of the magic circles faded, the remnants of his chant still hanging in the air like an electric charge.

The world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what would come next. And then, out of nowhere, Lyerin smiled—a slow, sinister smile that sent chills down the spines of everyone who watched.

That smile grew wider, and before anyone could react, his laughter erupted, echoing through the sky.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The laughter was maniacal, wild, and uncontrollable.

It reverberated across the Stonehooves Tribe, bouncing off the stone structures and filling the air with its unsettling sound.

The girls—Corora, Sophia, Cornelia, Maria, Elena, Lydia, Fiona, Emily, and Natalie—stood in stunned silence.

They had seen Lyerin accomplish impossible feats before, but this... this sounds sinister.

They exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to make of Lyerin's sudden outburst.

Corora took a hesitant step forward, her voice trembling as she whispered to herself, "What... what is happening? Why is he laughing like that?"

Sophia, always the more composed of the group, gripped her sword tightly.

"This doesn't feel right," she muttered under her breath, her eyes never leaving Lyerin's figure. "Something is off. Something's about to happen, and I don't like it."

The rest of the tribe—the men, women, and children—stared at Lyerin in awe and fear.

Many of them had revered him, seeing him as their leader, their protector. But now, that laughter was something else.

It didn't belong to the Lyerin they knew.

Some began to murmur among themselves, uncertain of what to do, while others simply watched, frozen in place.

"Lyerin has gone mad!" one of the older tribe members whispered, shaking his head in disbelief.

"No," another said, her voice barely audible, "he's not mad... but something is wrong. I can feel it."

…

Meanwhile, far above the world, the six-armed shadows that had been observing Lyerin with amusement and disdain grew silent.

Their mocking expressions faded as they watched him closely, trying to decipher what he was up to.

"What is this?" one of them murmured, its many arms folding in contemplation. "That chant... it was unlike any spell I've ever heard."

"It is unknown to us," another shadow replied, its voice filled with suspicion. "What is this human planning?"

A third shadow, larger than the others, leaned forward, its six arms moving in a rhythmic pattern as it studied Lyerin from a distance.

"I thought he was simply stalling, buying time with those powders. But this... this laughter, this chant... it reeks of something far more dangerous. Could it be that we underestimated him?"

"Underestimate?" the fourth shadow scoffed, though there was a note of uncertainty in its voice.

"He is but a human. No matter what spell he chants, no matter what trick he uses, he cannot stop the inevitable. The Minotaur will awaken, and it will destroy him and his tribe."

"Yet still, I wonder..." the first shadow trailed off, eyes narrowing as it gazed at Lyerin.

"There is something we do not understand. He is too confident, too calm in the face of such a powerful creature. Does he know something we do not?"

The six-armed shadows fell into a contemplative silence, their mocking tones replaced with a cautious curiosity.

Lyerin was no longer a mere human in their eyes; he had become a puzzle, a variable that they hadn't accounted for.

…

On Earth, the Asura girl hovered above the planet, her presence ethereal and shimmering.

Her eyes were wide with confusion as she watched Lyerin's laughter echo through the realm.

She had anticipated many things—fear, panic, desperation—but laughter? This made no sense.

"What... what is he doing?" she asked aloud, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

She had been so sure that Lyerin was just another overconfident human, doomed to be crushed beneath the unstoppable force of the Minotaur.

But now, as she watched him laugh with abandon, a sinking feeling settled in her chest.

"Does he know something?" she whispered, her hands clenched into fists. "What is he planning?"

The Asura girl floated there, bewildered, as she continued to watch Lyerin with a growing sense of dread.

…

Back in the Stonehooves Tribe, Lyerin's laughter finally subsided. He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling as he composed himself.

His gaze swept over the crowd—his tribe, his warriors, the women who had come to fight beside him.

They all looked at him with a mixture of fear and awe, their uncertainty palpable.

"Listen well, my people!" Lyerin's voice boomed, cutting through the tense silence. "You wonder why I laugh? You wonder why I stand here so confidently in the face of this beast?"

He pointed down at the slumbering Minotaur, its body still and motionless beneath him.

"I'll tell you why. This Minotaur... this creature of rage and destruction... was never the threat you thought it was."

Corora, who had been standing closest to Lyerin, felt her breath catch in her throat.

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly. "You said it grows stronger every time it is defeated... that it cannot be stopped."

Lyerin smiled at her, a glint of something dangerous in his eyes. "Yes, it grows stronger. But what you don't understand is that I never intended for this Minotaur to be my enemy."

The crowd fell deathly silent. No one moved, no one spoke.

Lyerin raised his arms, gesturing toward the sleeping beast.

"You see, I was never interested in merely defeating this creature. I have no need to prove my strength against it. What I was truly after... was something much greater."

His voice lowered, dripping with an eerie excitement.

"The Stonehooves Tribe, my tribe, has always had a spirit, a creature bound to it as its guardian. But our current spirit is weak, lacking any true potential for growth.

"Its abilities are mediocre at best, and it holds no future in the grand scheme of things. That's why I never upgraded or leveled it up, and kept it to level one."

He paused, letting his words sink in. The crowd remained silent, hanging on every word.

"At first, I was planning to find a new spirit and replace our current spirit. But now, thanks to this game, thanks to this unexpected game... I have found a new opportunity. I will do something that I'm sure everyone wouldn't forget!"

Lyerin threw his head back and laughed again, the sound of his madness filling the air.

"Do you understand now? I will show all the races involved in this game what true terror looks like! They will see the limitless potential of humanity! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled.

Lyerin stopped laughing and looked down, feeling the shift in the earth.

The Minotaur, still covered in the glowing runes of his spell, stirred. Its massive body began to twitch, and a low rumble escaped its throat.

Lyerin's smile didn't fade.

If anything, it grew wider. He turned to the girls and the rest of the tribe, his voice sharp and commanding. "Everyone, get back. Now."

Corora's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"Get back at least one hundred kilometers!" Lyerin shouted, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Run now, unless you want to be crushed!"

The tribe stared at him, frozen in place. For a moment, no one moved. They were too shocked, too overwhelmed to react.

Lyerin's patience snapped. His voice roared with fury, "RUN NOW!"

The tribe scattered in all directions, sprinting away as fast as they could.

The girls followed suit, their faces pale with fear as they rushed to put distance between themselves and the awakening beast.

Lyerin stood alone now, his gaze fixed on the Minotaur.

The creature's eyes snapped open, glowing with a terrifying, primal energy releasing as it opened its mouth!

"ROOOAAAAARRRRRR!!!"

Its roar shook the heavens.

And Lyerin above it... just smiled.