"It tastes so sweet…so tasty. I want to suck on it more…."Ren suckled on the source of the delicious milk.
"Wait a minute, what the h.e.l.l am I sucking?!"
Ren opened his eyes and much to his horror, found himself suckling the udders of the gigantic mammal that looked like an oversized Yak.
He was there in the middle of a herd of at least two to three hundred Yaks.
They were all sleeping.
"How in the world did I end up here?"
Since Akjan was too tired and fell asleep, none was left to keep track of his sleep walking. Due to Ren"s sleepwalking, the only reason he woke up in his bed most of the time was because Akjan would track him down and take him back to his bed, all without waking him up.
That was probably the reason why Ren was not aware of having sleepwalking problems.
Looking around, he saw the familiar form of his pet.
Fanghead apparently took a clue from his master and was using three of his heads to suckle milk from Yak udders while sleeping.
"Oh no, if the Yaks wake up, it will be a disaster. Fanghead will be fine; he is a hydra after all. But if they wake up and run for it, I will end up being squashed to death!"
"Come to think of it, why Fanghead and I are here in the first place?"
Ren couldn"t have known that while Akjan tended to him, he ended up unconsciously borrowing some of her mana, which may have contributed to her getting sleepier.
And after he started to sleep walk, his pet Fanghead found him, and Ren, still in an unconscious state, ended up teleporting both of them to a random location, which just happened to be in the middle of a large herd of Giant Yaks.
These Yaks were far larger than the ones in the human world, and while they were herbivores, that did not mean they were any less dangerous to outsiders.
To a Demon Lord, they were no threat, but to a demon who was far weaker than average like Ren, they were a danger that needed to be avoided.
Ren tried his best to make as little noise as possible.
Just as he almost managed to get away from the herd, Fanghead woke up and ended up seeing Ren.
"Please Fanghead, do not…."
With a bright smile on its six heads, the hydra yawned so loudly that anyone within hundred meter vicinity could hear it. Rather than a yawn, it was closer to that of a roar of a mighty dragonian beast.
"…make any loud noises"
Immediately, all of the Yaks woke up and started their rampage.
Ren proceeded to run for his life.
The sound of hoofs and loud grunting was enough to scare Ren if it came from one Yak, just imagine his terror when more than two hundred were chasing him.
"FANGHEAD, HELP!"
His pet tried to do just that, running after the Yaks, trying to catch up and save his master, but he unintentionally only made the situation worse.
Now the Yaks were not just chasing Ren but were also running away from the monstrous Hydra.
"Why is my life always like this!"
Ren was crying as he kept running.
This couldn"t get more ridiculous.
It was as though the misfortune followed him every step of the way.
Before the Yaks could drive their long, sharp, and pointed horns through his body, he managed to jump and hold on to the branch of the first tree in his sight.
Yaks were now running underneath him as he held on to the branch for his dear life.
But unfortunately, the branch was too weak and ended up snapping, causing Ren to fall.
Ren closed his eyes, preparing to be squashed to death underneath the hooves of these mighty beasts.
But strangely, the death did not come.
Instead he found himself on the back of one of the largest Yaks in the herd, and unbeknownst to Ren, their leader, Alpha Yak.
At the very least, he was not going to get squashed soon, but the more he rode on the back of the Alpha Yak, the more he wanted to throw up.
In no time, they ended up entering the Karatengu clan"s territory.
"I must stop them before they end up causing ma.s.sive amount of destruction upon my clan…but how?"
Nothing he thought of was of use.
He was not armed, and he could not use magic, at least he didn"t think he could.
But maybe, he already had what he needed.
Demon Lord Mode.
By using Absorption he should be able to enter that realm reserved only for the mighty, even if it is imperfect and only temporary.
Activating Absorption required calm mind and unbending willpower, both hard to obtain while riding on the back of a wild Yak and being scared to death.
Yet, somehow, Ren managed to activate the skill of Absorption, concentrating the energy he gathered upon his right hand, he proceeded to deliver a chop to Alpha Yak"s neck with his hand.
Alpha Yak"s entire body went limp.
Considering he was using Absorption, it was almost as if a Demon Lord gave the Alpha Yak a good and precise smack, rendering it unconscious and falling down, sending Ren flying forward.
Luckily, Ren ended up landing on water.
Apparently the Yaks ended up getting far enough into Karatengu clan"s territory to reach the lake.
Completely wet from head to toe and dizzy all over, Ren proceeded to lie down on Alpha Yak"s soft fur and use it as a pillow.
"Whatever, I don"t care anymore, just squash me down if you want to"
None of the Yaks did that.
The herd simply thought that the Alpha Yak found a good grazing area and simply went to sleep, which is why they calmed down and proceeded to graze and sleep to their heart"s content.
* * *
With the concerned Shaula Tengu consulting Master Korgan and Sento Draco on the matters of possible food shortage in the nearby future, they heard a strange sound coming from the outside.
"What is that noise?"
Korgan Karatengu manifested his wings and proceeded to fly to the location of the commotion.
Following him were Sento Draco and Shaula Tengu, discussing the matter of food shortage. But as soon as their eyes caught sight of the picture around the lake, their voices fell silent.
What they saw was a little shocking.
"Never mind, it seems like Young Master already resolved the issue."
Sento ended up whispering.
A herd of at least two hundred if not three hundred Yaks, was grazing near the lake.
The biggest one of them, obviously their alpha, was sleeping.
A very familiar demon was resting upon Alpha Yak"s body, using the fur as a makeshift pillow.
"Inconceivable"
Master Korgan muttered, in awe of the sight that was before his eyes.
When the Yaks saw them coming, some of them proceeded to attack Master Korgan.
Master Korgan proceeded to subdue them by suppressing them with his willpower.
While willpower could be used to control mana and chi, it could also be used to suppress the wills of those whose will is much weaker than that of the user.
That skill worked particularly well on wild beasts and weaker monsters.
As Master Korgan reflected his willpower upon the entire herd, all of the Yaks ended up frozen still before falling flat on their bellies, at Master Korgan"s command.
Such was the power of a Demon Lord, mere beasts, no matter how many, would be easily suppressed by his willpower.
Using his magic, Master Korgan proceeded to bind the entire herd of Yaks under Master-Familiar contracts, not an easy endeavor since there was so many of them, requiring Sento Draco to step in and aid him.
Together, they succeeded in binding the entire herd of Yaks under contracts.
For a moment, a collar appeared underneath each Yak"s neck before disappearing.
Each and every one of the Yaks was under Master Korgan and Sento"s control.
"Wow, that really took a lot out of me" Master Korgan was panting.
"No kidding, with so many of them, it took two of us to get the job done" Sento was worn out too,.
Even for a Demon Lord, establishing contracts with so many beasts, required extraordinary amount of mana and control.
For two Demon Lords, it was possible to bind so many beasts, but it was not an east endeavor, not at all.
"Master Korgan, what is the meaning of this?"
Shaula looked around, and her eyes caught sight of Ren.
He was sleeping.
"Master Ren, could you explain…"
"Tsss, Shaula, please, just let him sleep. He deserves it."
Master Korgan encouraged Shaula to let Ren keep napping.
"Ok" Shaula muttered.
Now three of them sat down, admiring the view of a lake and countless Yaks around it.
"Magnificent isn"t it? I can"t believe he did it while we were all sleeping. But this is an excellent solution."
"Master Korgan, I don"t understand"
"Yaks are a superb source of fur, meat, milk, and by extension cheese. And there are so many of them, now there is no need to worry about anyone starving for a while."
"Wait! Master Korgan, are you saying that this is Young Master Ren"s solution to the food shortage?"
"Exactly" Sento answered.
"And from the looks of things, he thought much further ahead. Just fifty Yaks would have been enough for the clan, but he brought more than two hundred. That could only mean that he is planning on having more demons join or possibly have allies that are dependent on food and resources. Many clans are at the brink of shortage and due to frequent conflicts between them, many will reach a point of starvation and subsequently desperation. And when they are at their weakest, Young Master"s clan shall have the most plenty, putting his enemies at his mercy. Simply brilliant!"
"I thought he was avoiding me because he was working on a secret plan or because he had no plan and was simply trying to avoid me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that he could have planned out everything and was only waiting to reveal his solution. This is beyond impressive"
Shaula could only express her admiration to the foresight of her leader.
"Grandson, you have done well"
Master Korgan pulled out a soft blanket out of his storage ring and proceeded to drape Ren with it.
Looking at Ren, Master Korgan couldn"t help but affectionately pat his grandson"s head.
"I am so proud of you. Sleep well, my grandson. You deserve some rest for your efforts"
* * *
Ren woke up after a long nap only to see Master Korgan, Sento and Shaula drinking tea among countless Yaks that seemed to be everywhere.
"No more Yaks, please, no more Yaks…"
Ren was a little traumatized after almost being trampled by death by these mighty beasts.
Needless to say, he did not eat beef for the next couple of weeks.