Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!

The moment they clashed, a thunderous roar erupted.

"Kill—!"

The commander of the City Guard, though lacking experience in real war, was no ordinary man. He hadn't earned his position through luck or favors.

"Shields!"

A chorus of shouts rang out in response.

Clang…

Despite it being their first true battle, the City Guard—Beastfall City's elite, proved their worth. Their training had been nothing short of brutal, and when the commander bellowed his command, every battalion leader, centurion, and squad captain moved instantly, relaying the order. The soldiers raised the round shields strapped to their left arms, locking them into place with near-perfect unison.

Before the West Gate, two hundred thousand City Guards formed an iron wall—shields interlocked like dragon scales, becoming a fortress of flesh and steel. They turned the gate into a tortoise shell, shielding the last of the civilians behind them.

This was the formation they had drilled into muscle memory, day after day, until it no longer needed thinking.

The remaining hundred thousand soldiers drew the long spears slung across their backs. Some even took spears from the shield bearers in front, slotting them through gaps between shields with practiced coordination.

Boom—!

The first wave of Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers hit.

A million stampeding beasts—unstoppable by human strength alone—slammed into the shield wall with terrifying force. Spears impaled scores of monsters, but their job was done: they'd broken the formation.

The shield wall shattered, and chaos erupted as the rest of the beasts surged into the breach.

"Reinforce!"

Clang!

Those who could still stand didn't retreat. At the command, they raised their shields once more, dug in their heels, and ignored the monsters now flooding past them. They entrusted their backs to their comrades behind.

"Mangle!"

Swish, swish, swish—

Dozens of Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers that had broken through were mangled within moments. The coordinated counterattack was deadly—but not without cost. The City Guard sacrificed hundreds to plug the breach.

By now, most civilians had safely entered Beastfall City. Only a few stragglers remained outside the gate.

"Open Four!"

Clang!

At once, a portion of the shield bearers dropped their shields and shifted formation. Four transparent lanes opened amidst the iron wall. From outside, the charging Sand Badgers surged toward these inviting gaps—only to be met by a deadly welcome party.

Swish, swish, swish…

The City Guard's long spears and short blades tore into them with precision.

Less than five miles away, Ethan was frozen in awe.

The City Guard's fluid movements, their unshakable formation, their ruthless efficiency—it left him speechless. Despite the terror on their faces, they executed orders with mechanical discipline.

He'd once bragged that he could take the city himself. Watching this… his confidence cracked.

High above, on the city gate tower, City Lord Regis watched Ethan intently.

At the West Gate, only two outsiders had joined the battle—Ethan and Uncle Jed. The other three gates had been left to the City Guard alone.

The young man who had leapt first from the thousand-foot wall now stood deep in enemy ranks, his strikes growing more frenzied with each kill.

What struck Regis most was Ethan's odd behavior. After killing a monster, Ethan would slice off the tip of its tail and tuck it into his spatial pouch. The sight made the old City Lord chuckle.

A real money-grubber…

Before descending, Ethan had asked Ormund in detail about the Pincer-tailed Sand Badgers. Their monster cores were hidden in the tips of their tails. With no time to dissect them mid-battle, this was his solution: harvest now, sort later.

Uncle Jed, after regrouping with Ethan, had been assigned to logistics. Clearing the battlefield wasn't as glorious as fighting, but he wasn't as fast as Ethan when it came to killing monsters.

"I say, Inugoro, you want to go down?"

Ormund, perched on the wall, tilted his head as he spoke. Inugoro was beside him, eyes locked on Ethan's figure below.

Ethan was a blur, moving so fast it was hard to track. He carved a wide four-meter circle around Uncle Jed, killing anything that stepped into it. Meanwhile, Uncle Jed just grumbled in frustration—he hadn't landed a single blow. He trudged around with a leather bag, picking up the severed tails Ethan left in his wake.

Even then, he couldn't keep up with Ethan's pace.

"Huh?" Inugoro blinked, caught off guard by Ormund's question. Before he could react, Ormund's large paw clamped down on his shoulder—and they soared into the clouds.

"Ahhh—!"

A massive white tiger, more than thirty meters long, burst from the city wall. Its fangs gleamed like polished blades, and to everyone's surprise, it had enormous wings that beat the air like thunder.

In an instant, it crossed the battlefield and flew above Ethan.

Then—

"Ahh—!"

A figure plummeted from its claws, landing right beside Uncle Jed.

"Holy—! It's you! You scared the hell outta me!" Uncle Jed's spear was already at Inugoro's throat.

Tears welled in the young man's eyes. "Uncle Jed! Ormund's a monster! He dropped me from a hundred meters up! I almost died!"

Uncle Jed roared with laughter and reached out to pull him up. "He is a monster. He's a tiger, not a man. Don't take it personally. Since you're here, make yourself useful!"

He tossed Inugoro an empty spatial leather bag.

Inugoro flinched at the comment but wisely held his tongue. If Ormund heard someone call him a monster again, he might do worse than drop him from the sky.

With help at last, Uncle Jed relaxed a little. He even found time to practice a few spear moves and snatch up any stray tails Ethan missed.

On the wall, Regis squinted at the scene below. "Greatfang Tiger Tribe? And with wings… now that's interesting."

Ormund flattened a wave of Sand Badgers with a single swipe. One roar, and another group exploded into fragments. His speed was terrifying—several times faster than Ethan's.

Watching this, Ethan's blood boiled. 'No way I'm being outdone by a mount!'

But if he fought like Ormund, there'd be no bodies left to harvest. He gritted his teeth and made a decision. Fine. I'll wait till the end to collect. If anyone tries to take my loot, I'll smash their face in.

"Uncle Jed, Inugoro, follow me!"

As Ethan shouted, his form blurred. He bolted toward Ormund.

"Ormund! Catch!"

With one hand, he grabbed Uncle Jed's shoulder. With the other, he reached for Inugoro.

But Inugoro, in his usual luckless way, was bent over digging for tail tips. Ethan missed his shoulder… and grabbed his waistband instead.

"Off you go!"

With a hurl, he tossed them.

Rip!

Uncle Jed landed cleanly on Ormund's back. But flying through the air with him… was a pair of torn pants.

They fluttered like a tragic butterfly, caught in the wind and rain, doomed to fall.

Ethan froze.

He turned back slowly… and there was Inugoro, still crouched over, digging. Completely exposed.

"You… You… Why do you still have a tail in human form?!"

Ethan was dumbfounded. A dark, dog-like tail wagged behind Inugoro.

"Uhh… There was a slight problem during transformation…"

Inugoro squatted lower, using one hand to cover himself and the other to protect his pride.

"…Off you go!"

Ethan grabbed his tail.

Whoosh—

"Owwww! Ow ow ow—!"

Inugoro tumbled through the air, howling as tears flew from his eyes.

Up on the wall, the crowd exploded into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Look, it's that Underworld Hound kid!"

"Yeah! I know him—Inugoro!"

"Too funny! Streaking in the sky like that!"

"Tsk tsk, look at that pale white butt—very nice…"

The last comment came from a pale scholar-like man, whose eyes glittered disturbingly. He nearly drooled as he watched Inugoro fly.

Everyone around him recoiled in horror, stepping back instinctively.

"Brutes," the man muttered, dabbing his mouth with a pink handkerchief.

Inugoro, with his heightened senses, heard every word.

"Ethan… I hate you!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he landed with a thud on Ormund's back. He burrowed into the tiger's fur, refusing to move.

"Hey, kid," Uncle Jed called out, "how long are you planning to stay naked?"

Inugoro didn't answer. 'Do you think I want this? I only had one pair of pants!'

"Are you dumb?" Jed added. "Just transform back into your true form!"

At that, Inugoro's eyes lit up.