Chapter 31-40 A Worthy Opponent (Patreon)

Chapter 31

A Worthy Opponent

Perhaps Karath’s improvement had been nothing more than a coincidence.

With that thought in mind, Roberto decided to increase the pace slightly.

In truth, what Roberto had shown Karath until now could hardly be called swordsmanship. He had merely swung the branch around at a playful level.

Roberto might have been unable to use one leg properly, but even if the leg had been completely missing, an adult orc would still have been no match for him if he fought seriously.

The moment Roberto increased his speed, his branch struck Karath’s body once more.

Thwack!

“Ghk.”

Karath had believed he was finally beginning to understand Roberto’s movements, but the unexpected blow forced a quiet groan from him.

His eyes remained focused.

After some time, he once again began reading Roberto’s attacks well enough to block them.

Their branches continued crossing for a while.

“Hah!”

With a sudden shout, Roberto struck the side of Karath’s branch and sent it flying from his hand.

“That is enough for today.”

Roberto smiled at Karath’s devastated expression.

He looked refreshed, as though exercising after so long had finally cleared his head.

“Tch. I was almost able to hit you once.”

Karath muttered regretfully after spending the entire spar being beaten.

“Challenge me again tomorrow if you are disappointed. It is almost time for you to return, is it not?”

“Just wait until tomorrow, Roberto!”

Karath delivered the threat like a third-rate villain from a cheap novel, then departed.

“Heh. What an amusing child.”

Roberto laughed as he watched Karath’s retreating back.

He did not even realize that he had just described a monster as amusing.

After that first spar with Roberto, Karath challenged him every day.

Thwack!

Every day, he was beaten.

Even so, he never stopped challenging him.

Part of the reason was his unwillingness to lose, but more importantly, Karath enjoyed sparring with Roberto.

Every evening, he returned to the settlement covered in bruises and replayed the paths of Roberto’s attacks inside his head.

He imagined different ways to counter them, then returned the following day to test his solutions.

Thwack!

Roberto would usually turn Karath’s counter against him with the skill of an experienced swordsman.

However, as that process repeated, countless tactical exchanges naturally became engraved in Karath’s mind.

The lengths of their arms and branches.

The slightest twist of the wrist, shoulder, or waist.

From those small details, Karath learned to read an opponent’s intent and predict the next movement.

The experience felt like playing a fighting game.

The only problem was that Karath was using his actual body instead of controlling a character on a screen.

That made it even more enjoyable.

On Earth, Arnold had been so physically clumsy that he avoided sports whenever possible.

Here, everything was different.

Karath’s body moved exactly as he imagined, making combat even more satisfying than playing a game.

He had fought the other orcs many times, but those battles possessed a different nature.

The orcs enjoyed bold clashes built upon overwhelming physical power.

Roberto was teaching Karath what technique and tactical exchanges truly meant.

For Karath, who had used modern martial arts knowledge to defeat older and larger orcs, it was a refreshing shock.

Around a month after their first spar, their branches crossed again.

Tap!

Whoosh!

“Hahaha! What do you think of that, Roberto?”

Karath had finally reached a level where he could fight Roberto on nearly equal terms.

Of course, Roberto was still leaning his lower body against the enormous tree and fighting with only his upper body.

“You still have a long way to go.”

Roberto appeared to enjoy their increasingly even matches as much as Karath did.

A pleased smile rested upon his lips as he swung the branch with renewed enthusiasm.

They continued exchanging attacks for some time.

“I should probably return soon.”

Realizing it was time to go back to the settlement, Karath lowered his branch.

“Hmm. Is it already that late?”

This time, Roberto was the one who looked disappointed.

“Hahaha. Do not worry. I will return tomorrow. You should be more concerned about finally taking a hit from me.”

“You are still far too inexperienced, child.”

Roberto laughed openly at Karath’s playful provocation.

Leaving that laughter behind, Karath returned to the settlement.

Chapter 32

The Final Lesson

The following day, Karath was eagerly preparing to meet Roberto when Delina’s stern voice stopped him.

“Karath, people have been saying that you sometimes disappear from the settlement lately.”

Karath froze.

“Hahaha. That cannot possibly be true.”

To avoid his mother’s piercing gaze, he displayed an innocent smile appropriate for his physical age.

“Hmm.”

Delina continued staring at him, but even her eyes could not easily penetrate the shameless expression Arnold had perfected through years of adult life.

“Karath, your mother knows that you are exceptional. That is not merely something she says because you are her son. Everyone in the settlement knows it. Even so, you must not behave recklessly.”

“I understand, Mother.”

“Most importantly, you must never leave the settlement. No matter how curious you become, the world outside is dangerous.”

“Heh heh. Do not worry. Karath would never do anything so dangerous.”

“Haa. Very well. You are intelligent, so your mother trusts that you understand without needing to hear more.”

Like many mothers, Delina ultimately chose to trust her child.

“Yes! You can trust Karath, Mother!”

Like many children, Karath intended to betray that trust.

Today was the day he would finally settle his accumulated debt.

Three months had passed since he first met Roberto, and they had been sparring with branches for nearly a month.

For the past two days, Karath had fought him almost evenly.

During the previous day’s match, he had already devised a method to defeat Roberto.

Today would finally be the day he repaid every blow he had endured during the previous month.

Ignoring his mother’s warning, Karath waited until the tribespeople’s attention weakened, then slipped over the stone wall as usual.

“Perhaps it is because autumn has arrived, but everything feels strangely desolate.”

He had traveled the same path for three months.

Perhaps the weather was affecting him.

Perhaps Delina’s warning remained in his mind.

Whatever the reason, the familiar forest path felt unusually bleak.

The sensation disappeared when he spotted Roberto leaning against the ancient tree.

A smile spread across Karath’s face.

“Roberto! Today, Karath will finally...”

The smile vanished the moment their eyes met.

Roberto was staring at him with the same killing intent he had shown when they first encountered each other.

“Did something happen?”

Karath asked cautiously, confused by Roberto’s sudden change in attitude.

Whoosh!

Instead of answering, Roberto threw the longsword he had always kept inside the hollow.

“Pick up the sword, Karath.”

After throwing it, Roberto pointed the thick branch he used during their usual spars toward Karath.

It was a familiar stance.

However, the murderous intent surrounding Roberto made it feel completely different.

Unlike during their previous matches, Roberto was no longer leaning against the tree.

He stood firmly upon both legs.

“What is this? You are joking, right?”

Karath could not understand the situation.

“If you refuse to raise the sword, then I will attack first.”

Roberto did not answer his question.

He launched himself forward.

Calling the movement a charge did not properly describe it.

The instant Roberto pushed off the ground, he was already directly in front of Karath with the branch swinging toward him.

Whoosh!

The attack carried such terrifying force that Karath threw his entire body aside to evade it, even though Roberto held nothing more than a blunt branch.

“Damn it!”

Karath did not understand why, but Roberto appeared completely serious.

He could not simply allow himself to be killed because his teacher had suddenly decided to fight in earnest.

While diving aside, Karath seized the longsword Roberto had thrown.

He raised it just in time to block the next strike.

A sharpened steel blade collided with a wooden branch.

Under ordinary circumstances, the branch should have been cut apart.

Clang!

Instead, a powerful metallic sound rang through the forest.

Karath stared in shock.

Something translucent surrounded Roberto’s branch.

Karath did not understand what the energy was, but it radiated a sharpness capable of cutting flesh.

Clang!

Clang!

Perhaps because of that energy, the branch remained completely undamaged despite repeatedly colliding with the longsword under tremendous force.

The branch and the strange translucent power were not the greatest problem.

Roberto’s body moved at an absurd speed.

Slash!

The branch approached so quickly that Karath could barely follow it with his eyes.

Those attacks could not be compared with anything Roberto had shown during their previous spars.

Could the difference between using one leg and both legs truly be this overwhelming?

Fortunately, the paths of Roberto’s strikes still resembled the movements Karath had already learned.

That familiarity was the only reason he remained alive.

Clang!

“Ghk.”

Even so, Karath was gradually reaching his limit.

Clang!

Roberto’s branch struck the flat of the longsword.

The impact forced Karath’s arm aside.

Before he could recover, the branch rested against his neck.

The translucent energy still flowed around it.

Blood trickled down Karath’s skin where the energy touched him.

The flesh of his neck had been cut even though the branch had done nothing more than make contact.

Karath stood motionless.

If Roberto applied even a little more force, his head would be severed.

Karath did not understand how the situation had reached this point.

Only ten years after arriving in this world, his life seemed destined to end again.

He refused to accept it.

Even with death already pressed against his throat, he desperately searched for a way to survive.

Before he could find one, Roberto lowered the branch.

“Karath, never trust a human carelessly.”

After leaving him with that single warning, Roberto retrieved the longsword Karath had dropped and walked away.

Karath remained silent.

Had Roberto truly done all of that merely to deliver a warning?

“You could have said it with words, bastard.”

The curse escaped Karath naturally.

Even so, Roberto’s warning had been engraved deeply into his mind.

Roberto raced through the forest at tremendous speed, using mana to strengthen his movements.

He had acted so suddenly partly because he wanted to warn Karath.

However, there was a more important reason.

Karath was a genius unlike anyone Roberto had encountered, even among humans.

Teaching him had become so enjoyable that Roberto feared he would eventually reveal everything he knew.

Worse, he would probably teach it gladly.

Watching Karath absorb every lesson had given Roberto an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

However, Karath remained an orc.

He was a being who could someday bring harm to humanity.

Roberto feared that if he stayed any longer, he might even teach Karath the secret mana training method passed down through his family.

In truth, Roberto was the second son of a knightly house.

His family had once ranked among the kingdom’s most prominent nobles.

However, an ancestor who valued chivalry had been slandered by the central nobles, and the family had been driven into a remote province.

Even after losing its former status, the family’s culture had remained unchanged.

Roberto had grown disgusted with that suffocating atmosphere and abandoned his home.

They were now merely provincial barons, and as the second son, Roberto had little reason to remain attached to the family.

Perhaps blood could not be denied after all.

Without realizing it, Roberto had accepted an orc as his student simply because Karath had saved his life.

He had followed his family’s teaching that every debt must be repaid.

Karath’s absurd talent had also played a large role.

In the end, this mission had failed.

Roberto briefly recalled why he had entered the Grimwood Mountains.

A dungeon was hidden somewhere within the mountain range, not far from this area.

His group had been hired to locate and explore it.

While searching, they encountered a monster of overwhelming strength.

Every one of Roberto’s companions had died, and only he had barely escaped.

He could resume searching for the dungeon now that his body had recovered.

However, Roberto had no intention of accepting another assignment related to the Grimwood Mountains.

It was not because he had been traumatized by nearly dying.

That experience, combined with the time he spent reviewing his swordsmanship while teaching Karath, had allowed him to break through a wall that had blocked his progress for years.

Rather than trauma, the Grimwood Mountains had given him more pleasant memories than painful ones.

Even so, Roberto never intended to return.

He did not want to kill his student with his own hands.

Roberto had not taught Karath everything, but the young orc was still the first student he had ever instructed.

At the same time, Karath was a monster who might one day threaten humanity.

Live well, Karath.

Roberto silently bid farewell to the student he would never see again.

After receiving Roberto’s final lesson, Karath never crossed the stone wall again.

Instead, he returned to leading the training of the settlement’s children.

He also continued reviewing everything Roberto had taught him during those three months.

Scratch. Scratch.

Karath repeatedly traced the human characters and words across the dirt.

“Hup!”

He trained while replaying Roberto’s terrifying speed from their final battle inside his mind.

Roberto had called himself a mercenary.

He was neither a knight nor a noble.

If an ordinary mercenary possessed that degree of combat ability, Karath could not imagine how many powerful humans existed in the wider world.

Humans considered orcs monsters.

To survive against them, and more importantly, to survive within the terrible monster-infested wilderness of the Grimwood Mountains, Karath needed to become stronger.

As he continued training, four years passed like an arrow.

Chapter 33

The Bloodclaw Mark

Fifteen years had passed since Karath was reborn into this world.

When he first opened his eyes here, the orc settlement had been primitive in every sense of the word.

Over the past fifteen years, however, many things had changed.

The nearly useless wooden palisade had been replaced by a sturdy stone wall, though it stood only around two and a half meters tall.

They had intentionally avoided building it higher. A wall rising above the surrounding forest would attract the attention of monsters.

Had Karath truly wanted to, he probably could have raised the wall much higher during the past five years.

The village also possessed a well that provided the tribespeople with a stable source of drinking water, along with soap that helped maintain their hygiene.

Most of those changes had been introduced by Karath.

He had begun transforming the settlement little by little when he was eight years old.

The effects of those changes were now becoming clear.

In the past, so many orcs died each year that the tribe’s population remained almost unchanged despite the large number of children born.

Because of the improvements Karath introduced, however, the number of deaths each year had fallen dramatically.

As a result, the settlement’s population had grown considerably over the past five years.

Nearly one hundred and fifty orcs now lived there.

A settlement that once held only around one hundred people had increased its population by half.

The well and soap were undoubtedly the greatest reasons for that rapid growth.

A stable source of clean drinking water, combined with soap capable of removing harmful filth, had greatly reduced the chances of newborns dying from their weak resistance to illness.

In the past, two out of every three children died before reaching the age of five.

Now, roughly eighty percent survived.

For a primitive tribe, it was an extraordinary survival rate.

The orcs themselves knew nothing about the connection between the well, soap, and their improved health.

They simply celebrated and declared that their ancestors were watching over them.

Karath did not particularly mind.

His goal had always been to improve the tribe’s hellish living conditions, not to receive their praise.

However, the changes he could create had begun reaching their limit.

As an underage orc, Karath could only do so much.

He was forbidden from traveling beyond the settlement, so every improvement had to rely entirely upon the materials available inside the village.

Soon, that restriction would disappear.

“Karath, go to sleep early tonight. Tomorrow is an important day.”

His coming-of-age ceremony would be held the following morning.

Tomorrow, Karath would officially turn fifteen.

After completing the ceremony, he would finally become a full member of the tribe.

Delina watched him with a complicated expression.

Her face revealed both confidence in the abilities he had displayed since childhood and worry for the son who still seemed young in her eyes.

“Do not worry.”

Karath answered her with a confident smile.

The following morning, he opened the wooden door of the earthen house and stepped into the settlement with a light stride.

Creak.

The ceremony was called a coming-of-age ceremony, but it was not a large tribal event like the Harvest Festival or the Prophecy Festival.

The tribe did not gather every child turning fifteen that year and conduct their ceremonies together.

Each child underwent the ritual individually on the day of his or her fifteenth birthday.

In that sense, it was closer to a family occasion than a celebration involving the entire settlement.

At least, that was how Karath remembered it.

“Oh. Our future chief has finally emerged.”

“Krahahaha! We are expecting great things from you, Karath!”

Then why had every orc in the tribe gathered in front of his house?

“Ahem.”

Karath coughed awkwardly and stepped forward.

The tribespeople opened a path for him.

Following it, he soon arrived before a comfortable earthen house.

It belonged to Kairin, the current shaman of the Bloodclaw Tribe.

Creak.

As soon as Karath reached the entrance, the wooden door opened and Kairin revealed her face.

“You came early.”

“There is no reason to delay something like this.”

Karath answered with a relaxed smile.

“Krahahaha! We will hear the future chief screaming soon!”

“Karath’s scream? Now that is something worth waiting for.”

The adult orcs who had gathered to watch the ceremony laughed mischievously.

Most of them were older boys who had once trained under Karath before undergoing their own coming-of-age ceremonies.

Those bastards.

Karath decided he would deal with them once his ceremony ended.

He had been holding back only because he was still underage and they were adults.

“Come inside.”

Perhaps Kairin had heard their teasing.

She smiled faintly and led Karath into the house.

The interior possessed a peculiar atmosphere.

Since inheriting the position of shaman, Kairin had lived alone in a small house.

Although it was still an orc earthen dwelling, it felt subtly different from an ordinary family home.

Most notably, a fire pit stood in the center of the room.

Because of that, the chimney was located inside the house rather than being attached to the ondol system like those in other homes.

A fire was already burning in the pit, apparently prepared for the ceremony.

“You may cry out if it becomes too painful.”

Kairin lifted a rod that had been resting above the flames.

Karath merely smiled and shrugged.

Perhaps amused by his confidence, Kairin exposed her orc tusks in a faint grin before beginning to chant carefully.

“Hmmm.”

“Hmmm...”

Karath could not tell whether the sounds were humming or an incantation.

As she continued, something translucent slowly emerged from her mouth.

It was the same mysterious energy Karath had first witnessed when he was eight, and had continued seeing during every ritual since.

When he had asked the adults about it at the age of ten, the entire settlement had erupted into confusion.

Being able to see the energy meant that someone possessed the talent to become a shaman.

Normally, anyone capable of seeing it would be chosen as the next successor.

Fortunately, Kairin, who was seven years older than Karath, had already been selected and trained as Garlik’s successor.

Karath had also been identified by prophecy as the future chief.

Because of those circumstances, the matter ended as little more than an unusual incident.

Still releasing the translucent energy, Kairin continued chanting with a slightly unfocused gaze.

Then she pressed the heated rod against Karath’s powerful body.

He had already undergone his second maturation and developed the build of a typical adult orc.

There was no precise way to measure his height, but he was clearly taller than one hundred and eighty centimeters and shorter than one hundred and ninety.

His shoulders were broad enough to resemble two copies of Arnold’s former body placed side by side, and thick muscles covered his heavy frame.

Sizzle.

Karath clenched his teeth.

Possessing a powerful body did nothing to reduce the pain of being burned.

A male had his pride.

He refused to scream, especially after hearing the bastards outside joking about it.

Without realizing it, his mind had apparently become thoroughly influenced by orc values.

Whoosh.

As Karath endured the pain, the translucent energy flowing from Kairin’s mouth wrapped around the burned flesh.

The agony quickly faded.

Sizzle.

The moment the pain disappeared, Kairin pressed the heated rod against another part of his body.

The ritual continued.

Again and again, the rod burned his flesh, and the strange energy wrapped around each wound.

Cold sweat flowed across Karath’s body as the pain repeated, but he remained silent.

Kairin was sweating far more heavily than he was.

She had to continue burning the markings into his skin while releasing the energy without pause.

“Haa. It is finished.”

Looking considerably more exhausted than when the ritual began, Kairin finally lowered the rod.

“You drew it beautifully, right?”

Karath asked with a playful smile.

Kairin answered with a weak laugh.

“Not beautifully. I made it impressive.”

“That is good enough.”

“Did it hurt?”

“Something like that is nothing.”

Despite the sweat covering his entire body, Karath dismissed the experience casually.

The first stage of the coming-of-age ceremony was receiving the mark of the Bloodclaw Tribe from its shaman.

In simpler terms, he had been tattooed as an official member of the Bloodclaw gang.

Having completed the entire process without releasing a single scream, Karath proudly stepped out of the shaman’s house.

“Oooooh! Karath truly did not scream even once!”

“Krahahaha! Perhaps he fainted because the pain was too intense!”

“Krahahaha! You were the one who fainted during your ceremony!”

“Who said that? I endured it just like Karath!”

The moment Karath emerged, the watching orcs began shouting over one another.

“Krahahahaha!”

Just wait until the ceremony is over, you damned bastards.

Keeping the thought to himself, Karath laughed loudly and strode proudly toward the next location.

Chapter 34

The First Hunt

Karath soon arrived before the largest earthen house in the settlement.

It belonged to Grild Bloodclaw, chief of the Bloodclaw Tribe.

“Welcome, Karath.”

Age had left Grild somewhat thinner than before.

Of course, by human standards, he had merely gone from resembling Ronnie Coleman to resembling Dwayne Johnson.

The chief smiled with what orcs considered gentleness.

“Today, Karath Bloodclaw will prove himself as a warrior of the tribe!”

Karath’s voice thundered across the settlement.

“As chief, I command it! Today, Karath Bloodclaw shall prove himself as a warrior!”

Grild answered with a roar equally powerful and held out a stone axe.

Karath grinned.

“I will return.”

He accepted the weapon and walked toward the settlement’s main gate.

The second and final stage of a Bloodclaw coming-of-age ceremony was simple.

Karath had to hunt prey with his own hands and bring it back.

The creature he returned with would prove his worth as an adult warrior.

Grild watched Karath walk through the main gate set into the stone wall he had designed and helped construct.

A peculiar expression appeared on the chief’s face.

“You seem worried, Chief. Keh heh heh.”

Jark, now visibly aged, laughed beside him.

“Karath’s strength is beyond question, but hunting is different, Elder.”

Grild admitted his concern honestly.

More precisely, he was not worried about Karath’s safety.

He was worried about the result of the hunt.

Karath had proven his combat ability long before reaching adulthood.

From childhood onward, he had been the strongest fighter among the underage orcs.

He had never been satisfied with that.

Around the age of ten, Karath suddenly began training alone in various unfamiliar ways.

Before long, he started challenging adult orcs to fights.

A vast difference existed between children who had spent their lives brawling inside the settlement and adults who regularly fought monsters in the forest.

Naturally, Karath lost repeatedly.

Even so, he never stopped training or challenging them.

Eventually, he began defeating adult orcs.

By the age of thirteen, once his physical growth had progressed far enough, no one in the settlement remained capable of defeating him.

That was one reason Grild Bloodclaw still held the position of chief.

The strongest orc in the settlement traditionally became the tribe’s leader.

Grild had reached an age when others would soon begin calling him an elder, and even without considering Karath, he was no longer the tribe’s strongest warrior.

Yet no one challenged him.

Once Karath became an adult, the position of chief would belong to him anyway.

There was little reason for another orc to claim a seat whose next owner had already been decided.

Karath would simply take it from them after completing his coming-of-age ceremony.

His combat ability at the age of fifteen was beyond dispute.

Even so, hunting and fighting were separate skills.

“No matter how exceptional Karath may be, this is still his first hunt,” Grild said.

“Keh heh heh. Many orcs return from their first hunt with little to show for it.”

“Yes. It would be troubling if the future chief returned empty-handed.”

“Galon accompanied him, so everything should be fine.”

During an orc’s coming-of-age ceremony, one adult warrior always accompanied the newly matured hunter.

The reason was simple.

They needed to prevent the young orc from becoming lost and failing to return to the settlement.

Finding one’s way through a wild forest was extremely difficult.

For an orc leaving the village for the first time, returning without guidance was nearly impossible.

Orcs already struggled to survive long enough to reach adulthood.

Losing one to the forest on the day of the coming-of-age ceremony would have been an unacceptable waste.

Tradition required the young orc to complete the hunt alone whenever possible.

However, if something went wrong, the accompanying adult could secretly catch a rabbit or another small animal and offer it to the child.

“Still, everyone in the village is expecting something impressive,” Grild said. “Returning with a rabbit would be disappointing.”

“Keh heh heh. Karath will surely manage on his own.”

Jark had watched Karath closely since the hide-and-seek incident years earlier.

His voice contained absolute confidence in the young orc.

“Chief, how about making a wager?”

“A wager on what Karath will bring back?”

“Exactly.”

“That sounds entertaining. Krahahaha!”

Jark’s confidence allowed Grild to forget his worries and laugh.

“I will wager the necklace around my neck that Karath returns with a Black Cobra.”

Jark pointed toward the necklace he wore.

It had been made from the fang of a Black Cobra he hunted during his prime.

Unless it was still a juvenile, an adult Black Cobra measured at least three meters in length.

The one Jark had killed had been an enormous creature nearly five meters long.

By choosing it, Jark compared Karath to himself at the height of his strength.

He was also expressing his hope that Karath would surpass his prime by a great distance.

“Krahahaha! That is a bold wager, Elder. In that case, I will wager that he returns with a Horn Boar.”

“Chief, Karath already killed one when he was eight!”

“He only trapped it behind an obstacle. He did not defeat it with his own hands. Finishing a Horn Boar personally would still be valuable experience.”

“Are you not being rather stingy, Chief?”

“Krahahaha! I will simply offer a larger prize. If Karath returns with a Horn Boar, I will wager my position as chief!”

Jark stared at him.

“What use is wagering a position that will belong to Karath soon anyway?”

“What did you say, Elder?”

“Ahem. Nothing.”

Grild still remained chief, even if he intended to step down soon.

Jark quietly turned away from his stare and addressed the tribespeople.

“You all heard us! We are wagering on what Karath will bring back from his first hunt! The chief has offered his position as the prize, so everyone should join with a worthy wager!”

He had shouted mostly to redirect Grild’s attention.

“Oooooh!”

“Then I wager on a rabbit!”

“You lunatic! Do you think Karath will return with nothing more than a rabbit?”

“Krahahaha! Even Karath must fail occasionally. If he does, we will have something to mock him about!”

“Keh heh heh. I will choose a gorilla! Karath should be able to kill one without difficulty!”

“Hmph. This is still his first hunt. Returning with a deer would already be impressive. I wager on a deer!”

The most promising young warrior in the settlement.

The child destined to become a great chief.

The boy who had transformed the village since the age of eight.

What creature would Karath return with after his first hunt?

Naturally, every member of the tribe was interested.

One after another, they joined the wager and began naming different animals and monsters.

Some chose weak creatures such as rabbits and deer as a joke, or because they believed even Karath might struggle during his first hunt.

Others trusted him enough to choose dangerous creatures such as Horn Boars and gorillas.

“Ogre!”

The absurd shout drew every orc’s attention toward one place.

Delina stood there, gazing at the others with unmistakable pride.

“I wager the skull and hide of the ogre my husband killed that Karath will return with an ogre!”

The moment she spoke, every adult orc remembered the same warrior.

Garthon, Karath’s father.

The hero who died protecting the settlement fifteen years earlier.

“Krahahaha! Karath might truly be capable of killing an ogre!”

“Of course! Consider whose son he is!”

Every gaze returned to the gate through which Karath had departed.

What would he bring back as the first prey of his adult life?

A ceremony that should have been a small family occasion had somehow become a greater source of excitement than either the Prophecy Festival or the Harvest Festival.

Chapter 35

Tracks Beyond the Gate

It had been a long time.

That was Karath’s first thought after leaving the settlement.

Nearly four and a half years had passed since his final meeting with Roberto, and he had not gone beyond the village walls once during that time.

Of course, orcs were not supposed to leave the settlement at all before turning fifteen, but Karath decided that detail was not worth considering.

Perhaps because he had crossed the stone wall every day for three months to visit Roberto, he felt little fear despite finally entering the forest again.

Now he needed to find something to hunt.

The absence of fear did not make hunting familiar.

It was an unknown field that Karath had never experienced in either of his lives.

Fortunately, he was fully aware of his ignorance.

The first step toward learning was recognizing what one did not know.

Karath willingly accepted that he knew almost nothing about hunting and had spent considerable time questioning the adult orcs in preparation for his coming-of-age ceremony.

His uncles had shared many stories and lessons from their own experiences.

The first was simple.

Move farther away from the settlement before hunting.

The patrols constantly searched the land around the village.

They did not examine every bush for small creatures, but any animal of reasonable size discovered nearby would be killed immediately.

Finding large prey close to the settlement would therefore be difficult.

Look for traces.

As Karath traveled farther from the village, his gaze moved continuously across the forest.

He was not looking around thoughtlessly or because he feared encountering a monster.

He was searching for signs of prey.

Footprints pressed into the soil.

Claw marks left upon trees and bushes by passing animals or monsters.

Scars where horned creatures had struck their antlers against trunks.

Karath had gathered all kinds of advice for this day.

As he walked, he inspected the surroundings for any trace matching the descriptions he had heard.

“Hmm.”

After putting some distance between himself and the settlement, Karath discovered what appeared to be an animal’s footprint.

Until now, he had only heard such tracks described in words.

This was the first time he had seen one, so he could not be certain that it truly belonged to an animal.

Karath casually glanced behind him.

Uncle Galon was following at a distance.

The adult accompanying someone during a coming-of-age ceremony existed only to guide the new hunter back to the settlement.

He was not permitted to help with the hunt or offer advice.

That was why Karath had asked his questions in advance.

However, there was no rule against simply looking at Galon’s expression.

To Karath, who had once survived the merciless world of business, the primitive orcs were terrible liars.

They had almost no ability to conceal their emotions.

After living among such straightforward creatures for fifteen years, Karath could usually understand what they were thinking from their faces alone.

Galon’s expression confirmed Karath’s suspicion.

Using the direction of the tracks, Karath predicted the animal’s movement and continued forward.

He repeatedly located new traces, checked Galon’s reaction, and adjusted his path.

After following the trail for some time, Karath finally spotted its owner beyond the undergrowth.

Brown fur covered its body, and its alert eyes shone brightly.

The tracks belonged to a deer.

Karath studied the wind and approached through the bushes as quietly as possible.

Once he reached the proper distance, he launched himself forward.

He did not release a battle cry.

Reducing the prey’s response time by even a fraction of a second increased his chance of success.

He could celebrate after killing it.

The deer noticed him too late and jerked violently in alarm.

If anyone needed an image representing absolute shock, its current expression would have been perfect.

Its reaction, however, came a moment too slowly.

Whoosh!

Karath charged like a tiger, swinging the stone axe toward the deer.

The animal twisted sharply and attempted to flee.

“Hup!”

Karath adjusted the force moving through his body and changed the axe’s direction to follow it.

Altering a full-powered swing in the middle of the motion placed tremendous strain on his muscles.

Crack!

The effort paid off.

The stone axe slammed into the deer’s side.

The strength produced by Karath’s massive body, combined with the axe’s destructive power, crushed the animal’s ribs and tore through its flesh as though striking a sponge.

“Haa.”

Karath released a quiet breath after bringing down the deer.

So this was hunting.

The actual fight had ended in an instant.

Moving without revealing his presence and maintaining constant tension in case the deer noticed him and fled had been far more difficult.

Without the stealth he had practiced through years of hide-and-seek and the advice of the adult hunters, the attempt might have failed.

The same was true if he had never met Roberto.

Reading an opponent’s next movement from the smallest change in its body was a skill Karath had learned through their month of sparring.

Drawing upon everything he had learned, Karath approached the deer and finished it.

Then he carried the corpse to Galon and held it out.

Galon stared between Karath and the deer with obvious confusion.

“Please carry this for me, Uncle. Karath intends to search for larger prey.”

“Karath, the companion is not allowed to assist with the hunt.”

“Yes. Karath will complete the next hunt alone as well. You only need to carry the prey already killed. There might be too much for Karath to carry later.”

Confusion spread across Galon’s face.

He seemed to be considering whether carrying the corpse violated tradition or remained acceptable because the hunt itself was already complete.

“Give it to me.”

After some thought, Galon extended his hands and accepted the deer.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Karath grinned and resumed walking through the forest.

He had secured insurance.

At the very least, he would not return empty-handed and humiliate himself during the ceremony.

A deer was respectable enough to preserve his dignity.

Now he could search for something larger.

Karath continued deeper into the forest.

He discovered several more traces and followed them from place to place.

Then he stopped.

Blood covered the ground ahead.

Something had been hunted nearby.

That meant a predator was close.

Two possibilities passed through Karath’s mind.

He might have found the large prey he wanted.

Or he might be approaching a monster far beyond his ability to handle.

Karath released a slow breath.

He concealed his presence as much as possible and advanced carefully.

Crack!

The sound of breaking wood came from somewhere ahead.

A battle was taking place nearby.

Karath moved cautiously toward the noise.

When he reached the source, he saw two enormous creatures fighting.

One was a massive wolf.

The other was a towering monster Karath recognized immediately.

A troll.

Chapter 36

Break Its Head

Karath had occasionally seen troll corpses brought back by the settlement’s hunters.

It was one of the monsters that appeared frequently in the fantasy novels and games of his former world.

The creature stood roughly as tall as the village’s stone wall, perhaps slightly taller.

It was around one and a half times Karath’s current height.

Its shoulders and overall build were equally enormous.

However, anyone familiar with fantasy stories knew that a troll’s true danger did not come from its size.

It came from its regeneration.

Slash!

The claws of the gigantic wolf raked across the troll’s side.

Blood flowed from the wound for only a moment before stopping.

Looking more carefully, Karath saw bloodstains and hardened scabs covering several parts of the creature’s body.

They were injuries caused by the wolf that had already begun healing.

The regeneration was not so absurd that the troll could instantly recover from a sword cutting through its flesh, as some novels depicted.

Even so, it remained unnaturally powerful.

Because of that regenerative ability, the giant wolf was struggling despite being nearly equal in size.

The troll ignored injuries that would have forced another creature to retreat and continued attacking relentlessly.

Wounds covered the wolf’s body.

The battle would end soon.

Karath had reached a crossroads.

He could ambush the troll the moment it finished the wolf.

Or he could escape while the two monsters remained occupied with each other.

The adult hunters occasionally killed trolls and brought their corpses back to the settlement.

Every one of them, however, had said the same thing.

A troll was dangerous prey that required three or four orc warriors working together to defeat.

Karath might have been the strongest orc in the settlement, but attempting to hunt one alone could still be reckless.

Thump.

Thump.

His heart pounded fiercely.

Karath had spent fifteen years living as an orc.

The blood within him demanded battle.

Crack!

The troll’s thick wooden club smashed into the back of the wolf’s skull.

Karath recognized the perfect opportunity.

He moved without hesitation and charged toward the troll from behind.

He needed to finish it with one strike.

Considering the troll’s size and regenerative ability, attacking the limbs or torso would accomplish little.

A weapon like Roberto’s longsword might have given Karath more options, but all he possessed was a stone axe.

There was only one way to defeat the creature with it.

“The head!”

He had to crush its skull in a single blow.

The troll released a hideous roar.

Perhaps it had developed an instinct for danger while surviving inside the monster-infested forest.

Just before Karath’s stone axe struck the back of its skull, the troll twisted its body.

“Damn it!”

Karath had already leaped into the air to reach the head of a creature much taller than himself.

Changing the axe’s direction completely was impossible.

Crack!

Instead of striking the troll’s skull, the axe smashed into its shoulder.

The monster screamed in pain and swung its opposite arm toward Karath.

Whoosh!

Karath landed and immediately threw himself sideways.

The troll’s forearm passed over his head with enough force to tear through the air.

Even while rolling across the ground, Karath kept his eyes fixed on the creature.

The attack had not been completely wasted.

Karath had swung with enough power to crush the troll’s skull.

Although the axe struck its shoulder instead, the impact caused the creature’s right arm to hang unnaturally.

The shoulder had either been dislocated or shattered.

Unfortunately, Karath’s stone axe had also broken.

The stone blade survived the collision, but the thick wooden handle had snapped apart.

The troll’s damaged shoulder made its attacks easier to evade.

Its enormous reach and strength remained terrifying.

Even with one unusable arm, its blows were far more dangerous than those of Karath’s uncles.

Compared with Roberto, however, it was painfully slow.

During their final battle, Roberto had moved so quickly that Karath had struggled to follow him even with his eyes.

The troll was nothing like that.

Karath could not allow the fight to continue for long.

Even if the creature seemed slow, his own stamina was not infinite.

Once the troll’s right arm recovered, avoiding its attacks would become considerably more difficult.

He needed to decide the battle immediately.

“Hah!”

Karath discarded the broken axe handle.

Gripping the remaining stone blade in his right hand like a jagged rock, he charged.

Whoosh!

The troll swung its left arm as he approached.

Karath lowered his upper body, slipped beneath the attack, and stepped even closer.

The troll immediately raised the same arm to cover its face.

Its right arm still could not move properly, so it relied upon the limb it had just swung to protect its most vulnerable area.

Despite its limited intelligence, the monster had developed that instinct through years of survival.

Unfortunately for the troll, Karath was no longer aiming for its head.

“Die!”

He slipped past a kick and moved deeply inside the creature’s reach.

Then he drove the stone blade into the center of the troll’s body.

More precisely, he struck the most precious area beneath its waist.

Crack!

Stone collided with flesh and produced a brutally heavy sound.

The troll released a weak, deflating groan.

Its eyes bulged as far as they possibly could, and foam gathered around its mouth.

Both legs pressed tightly together.

The monster brought both hands toward the injured area, even forcing its still-damaged right arm to move.

Apparently, that region was an important weakness even for monsters.

Karath did not lower his guard.

Regeneration was the defining trait of a troll.

No matter how much pain it displayed, the injury might heal quickly.

Could regeneration even restore that?

Karath had no idea whether the troll’s ability applied there as well.

Regardless, he had no reason to wait and discover the answer.

“Hraaaagh!”

While the troll remained bent over and clutching itself, Karath leaped toward its face.

“The head!”

He smashed the stone blade into the monster’s features.

“The head! The head! The head!”

Karath struck without pause, shouting with each blow as he continued pounding the troll’s skull.

Thud!

Thud!

Crack!

He did not stop until something finally shattered and the creature’s head collapsed inward.

Chapter 37

The Wolf Cub

“Rokta!”

The moment Karath completely crushed the troll’s skull, a victorious roar escaped him.

The battle had ended quickly, but a single mistake could have cost him his life.

Thump. Thump.

Even now, his orc blood continued surging violently through his pounding heart.

That was only natural.

Even the settlement’s experienced hunters and warriors needed three or four fighters working together to kill a troll.

Karath had won relatively easily because he ambushed it while it was distracted by the wolf and destroyed one of its shoulders with the first strike.

Calling such a tactic cowardly in this savage forest would have been nothing more than arrogance and foolishness.

Karath proudly enjoyed his victory.

Whimper.

A faint sound suddenly reached his ears.

Lowering his guard in a forest like this could be fatal.

Karath immediately pulled himself from his excitement and turned toward the noise.

The corpse of the wolf lay nearby, its skull shattered by the troll’s final blow.

Could it still be alive?

The creature’s head had been completely crushed. Surviving an injury like that should have been impossible.

Whimper.

Yet the quiet sound continued coming from beside the corpse.

Karath approached cautiously.

Whimper.

Pant. Pant.

Beside the dead wolf, he discovered a small pup crying helplessly.

Of course, it was only small compared with its enormous parent.

The pup was already around the size of a small dog from Earth, such as a Maltese or poodle.

The moment Karath saw it, a single thought entered his mind.

He had struck gold.

Orcs and wolves belonged together.

Just as fantasy knights were expected to ride horses, an orc should naturally charge into battle upon a wolf.

Even the name filled Karath’s chest with excitement.

Wolf Rider.

Unfortunately, that image existed only in games and novels.

Not a single orc in the Bloodclaw settlement rode wolves.

Karath had reluctantly abandoned that particular fantasy long ago.

Now, however, hope was whimpering before him.

Stories often claimed that animals raised by humans from infancy would not harm them.

Earth had also produced many real examples.

If Karath cared for the pup from now on, perhaps it would recognize him as its master and follow him.

If it refused to obey, he could always turn it into wolf stew.

Karath quickly organized his thoughts.

A kind smile appeared upon his face, at least by orc standards, as he approached the pup.

“Come with your older brother, little one.”

He spoke gently and reached out to pick it up.

Whimper.

The pup continued crying as it stared into his eyes.

Perhaps it had not recovered from the shock of watching its parent die.

Its entire body trembled violently in Karath’s hands.

The poor creature had witnessed its parent being killed directly before its eyes.

How terrible that must have been.

Karath stroked its head sympathetically.

The pup began trembling even harder.

After killing the troll, Karath and Galon prepared to return to the settlement with its corpse.

Bringing the giant wolf as well would have been ideal, but dragging both creatures back was too dangerous.

The troll and the wolf were both enormous.

Each weighed nearly as much as a cow.

With their extraordinary orc strength, Karath and Galon could have forced themselves to carry both.

However, if another animal or monster ambushed them on the way home, they would be unable to respond while each was burdened with such an enormous weight.

They therefore abandoned the wolf and took only the troll Karath had personally killed.

Karath carried the wolf pup in one hand while he and Galon hauled the troll’s corpse toward the settlement.

“Waaaah!”

“Are you insane? He brought back a troll?”

“Galon must have helped him! How could he kill that alone?”

The tribespeople had spent the entire day passionately debating what Karath would bring back from his first hunt.

The sight of the troll produced all kinds of reactions.

Delina had wagered that her son would return with an ogre, but even she had done so mostly to express her hope that Karath would continue Garthon’s legacy.

Not a single tribesperson had wagered on a troll.

The result was so far beyond their expectations that no one even noticed the wolf pup Karath carried.

Thud!

When Karath and Galon dropped the troll’s corpse onto the ground, the immense weight produced a vibration that seemed to shake the earth.

Silence briefly spread among the orcs who had been shouting moments earlier.

Galon stepped forward.

“This troll is the proof of today’s sacred coming-of-age ceremony. I, Galon Bloodclaw, swear upon my honor as a warrior of the Bloodclaw Tribe that Karath hunted it alone!”

Galon had heard the tribespeople’s doubts from the moment they entered the settlement.

He had spoken to eliminate them.

“Waaaah!”

“He truly killed that alone?”

“As expected of Karath!”

Orcs did not lie or twist their words.

Karath was the obvious exception.

When an orc placed his honor as a warrior behind a statement, there could be no falsehood.

The tribespeople immediately abandoned their doubts and erupted into admiration.

The village warriors occasionally returned with trolls.

Karath’s father had even killed an ogre, a monster far more dangerous than any troll.

However, Garthon had defeated an ogre that attacked the settlement with the assistance of every available warrior.

The victory had also required the deaths of Garthon and several other adult orcs.

Karath had accomplished something no one in the settlement had ever achieved.

He had killed a troll alone.

More astonishingly, he had done it during the first hunt of his coming-of-age ceremony.

Chapter 38

The Right to Rule

Galon Bloodclaw had accompanied Karath during the ceremony.

After completing his duty, he was summoned to the chief’s earthen house for a private conversation.

“Krahahaha! You are certain he truly killed that troll alone?”

Grild laughed heartily as he questioned him.

“Yes, Chief.”

“Krahahaha! The tribe will feast well tonight!”

Grild looked thoroughly satisfied.

Orcs believed that eating a powerful monster allowed them to inherit some of its strength.

The amount of meat mattered, but the strength of the prey carried even greater significance.

A troll represented regeneration and survival.

To the orcs, few meals could be more nourishing.

As the hunter who killed it alone, Karath would receive the most important part, its heart.

Whether Karath actually enjoyed eating hearts did not concern the chief.

Naturally, every orc should love them.

“Krahahaha! How did he manage to kill such a terrifying creature?”

Galon recalled everything he had witnessed that day.

It had truly been Karath’s first hunt.

Even Karath might struggle during his first attempt.

Galon had expected as much.

Yet Karath had successfully hunted a deer without any assistance.

As his companion, Galon had not been permitted to help.

He intended to allow Karath to conduct every hunt alone.

Then Karath charged at a troll.

While following him through the forest, Galon reached the site where the troll and Giant Wolf were fighting.

The sight immediately filled him with uncertainty.

A single orc could not kill a troll.

Even during Grild’s prime, when he had been the strongest warrior in the settlement, victory in a one-on-one battle with a troll could not be guaranteed.

Karath might currently be the tribe’s strongest orc, but this was his first hunt.

He had never fought a troll before.

Galon wondered whether he should stop him.

Before he could speak, Karath charged the troll as it finished off the Giant Wolf.

For the first time in his life, Galon found himself completely unable to decide what to do.

According to tribal tradition, he needed to allow Karath to complete the hunt alone.

However, a troll was not a creature one orc could defeat.

It required several warriors attacking together.

Should Galon intervene?

Or should he respect the ceremony and remain still?

The two possibilities collided furiously inside his mind.

Before Galon reached a decision, Karath moved.

“Die!”

Crack!

The jagged stone in Karath’s hand smashed into the troll’s most precious area.

“Ghk.”

The memory alone caused Galon to release an involuntary groan.

He pressed his hands and legs protectively toward the center of his body.

Regardless of species, any male could sympathize with such unimaginable pain.

“Why are you doing that?”

Grild stared at Galon in confusion.

“Ahem. About the way Karath killed it...”

Still sitting in that protective posture, Galon explained the battle.

“A-as expected of Karath.”

Grild’s face turned pale.

He also brought his legs tightly together.

Karath had displayed extraordinary boldness since childhood, but Grild had never imagined he would use such an unreasonable hunting method.

The older chief soon regained control of his expression and posture.

“Something is strange. You said a Giant Wolf was fighting the troll alone?”

“I was about to mention that as well, Chief.”

“Hmm. We will need to strengthen the patrols.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Wolves lived in packs.

The enormous Giant Wolves of the Grimwood Mountains were no exception.

That was why hunting them was even more difficult than hunting trolls.

Individually, a Giant Wolf was weaker than a troll.

Two ordinary orc warriors could usually defeat one.

Since Giant Wolves traveled in packs, however, hunting them often required every warrior in the settlement.

A severely injured or diseased wolf could occasionally be abandoned by its pack.

A wolf caring for a pup would not be left behind under normal circumstances.

Only one explanation remained.

A monster, or a group of monsters, powerful enough to destroy or drive away an entire Giant Wolf pack had appeared nearby.

Even the combined warriors of the Bloodclaw Tribe could not guarantee victory against a full pack.

If something capable of scattering such creatures had entered the surrounding forest, then the settlement itself could be facing a crisis.

“We will gather everyone this evening and decide what to do about the patrols. Before that, bring Karath here.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Having completed his report, Galon bowed and left the house.

A short time later, Karath arrived.

“You summoned me, Chief?”

“Krahahaha! Come inside, Karath.”

Grild smiled broadly at the sight of the young orc who would carry the tribe’s future.

The worries created by Galon’s report seemed to disappear the moment Karath entered.

Grild’s legs still moved somewhat closer together.

“What is the matter?”

Karath tilted his head, unable to understand why the chief was suddenly sitting so carefully.

“Ahem. I called you here to settle something that has been postponed for far too long.”

Grild spoke with a dignified voice.

He had been considering this matter since Karath was eight or nine years old.

“Karath, as you surely remember, you carry the destiny of becoming the great chief of our tribe.”

It was time to transfer the position of chief to Karath.

“Then tell me. When do you intend to challenge me?”

Leadership of an orc tribe was inherited through battle.

The orc who defeated the previous chief became the next chief.

Grild therefore questioned Karath with a solemn expression.

His hands remained carefully folded over his most vulnerable area.

Chapter 39

One Year Until the Challenge

“When do you intend to challenge me?”

Grild stared at Karath with a dignified expression.

Both his voice and face carried the full authority of a chief.

Why were his hands folded so carefully over his lap?

Was something itching?

The thought briefly entered Karath’s mind, but he kept his expression serious and answered calmly.

“Karath does not intend to challenge you yet.”

“Everyone in the settlement already knows that you are the strongest, Karath.”

Karath shook his head at the chief’s insistent encouragement.

“Strength alone cannot solve everything. Karath has only just become an adult. He does not yet understand exactly how the elders organize patrols or conduct hunts. If Karath became chief under those circumstances, he would be unable to give proper orders.”

Karath had considered the matter for a long time, so the explanation flowed naturally.

“But you have directed the adults during construction projects since you were a child.”

“Karath could do that because he personally observed the work while giving instructions. Patrols and hunts are different. It is difficult to understand them without participating personally.”

“Ahem.”

Grild coughed, looking disappointed by Karath’s firm refusal.

When Karath first received the prophecy that he would become chief, he had feared Grild might try to eliminate him.

He now knew better.

Grild sincerely wanted to surrender the position.

Even so, the time had not yet come.

Karath understood better than most how much suffering could be caused when someone unfamiliar with practical work became a leader.

During his military service, he had once served as a squad leader beneath a newly commissioned ROTC second lieutenant who knew almost nothing about field operations.

Later, after joining one of the largest game companies in America, he had watched developers suffer beneath planning and marketing departments that understood almost nothing about creating games.

More importantly, Karath still needed to explore the forest.

That was the greatest reason, though he did not tell Grild.

Objectively, the Bloodclaw Tribe remained at a Neolithic level.

The earthen houses and soap were merely unusual advancements within an otherwise primitive society.

To raise the settlement to something resembling the Iron Age, Karath needed to discover iron ore or another material that could serve the same purpose.

He might also search for silkworms capable of producing cloth, deposits of rock salt, or other resources the orcs could not recognize but he might.

He needed to find something hidden within the forest that only a person with modern knowledge could identify.

If Karath became chief and simply ordered the tribespeople to search for such things, they would have no idea what he meant.

They had never seen them.

Karath needed to locate the first example with his own eyes and hands.

Admittedly, he had never personally seen iron ore, silkworm cocoons, or rock salt either.

However, he at least understood what they were, making him far more likely to recognize them than the other orcs.

Once he found one example, he could show it to the tribespeople and tell them to search for similar objects.

Finding something no one had ever seen was difficult.

Finding more of something already known was much easier.

Karath fell silent.

It was still difficult to ignore the chief’s pleading gaze.

The orc who had once seemed endlessly powerful had grown smaller with age.

He was nowhere near frail, but his great body had clearly diminished.

Karath felt guilty about forcing someone approaching the age of an elder to continue carrying the responsibility.

After living together for fifteen years, he had become attached to Grild.

“Give Karath one year, Chief. After spending that year learning about the forest, Karath will challenge you.”

“Ahem. Very well.”

After promising Grild a single year of delay, Karath left the chief’s house.

The settlement outside resembled a lively rural festival.

Everyone was excited by the prospect of filling their stomachs with troll meat, a rare and supposedly nourishing meal.

“Hup!”

The women butchered the troll and the other animals brought back by the hunters.

“Krahahaha! Son, you must eat plenty of troll meat if you want to become a brave warrior like Karath!”

The uncles laughed as they filled the heads of their five and six-year-old children with nonsense.

For some reason, the sight reminded Karath of his own childhood and filled him with warmth.

Whimper.

A quiet cry came from beside him.

The wolf pup Karath had placed on the ground before entering Grild’s house staggered toward him on weak legs.

“You must not have eaten for several days.”

The pup had already looked exhausted when Karath found it.

Judging by the way it could barely walk, it had probably gone without food for some time.

Karath picked it up and approached the women butchering the meat.

“Aunt Gerina, may Karath have some meat?”

“Of course! You brought back an entire troll today. You should eat as much as you want!”

Gerina had apparently assumed Karath was requesting food for himself rather than the pup.

Since Karath also needed to eat, there was no reason to correct her.

Crack.

Slice. Slice.

Using a stone blade with her usual skill, Gerina cut into the troll’s flesh.

“Delina must be so happy. Her son has grown wonderfully.”

“Exactly! Karath is younger than my son, but mine is still so weak. Why could he not grow as impressively?”

One of the women began praising Karath, and the others immediately joined her, criticizing their own sons while comparing them to him.

Karath had become the child every other mother wished she had.

“Heh heh. Delina did nothing special. It must all be thanks to the ogre heart his father left behind.”

Delina redirected the praise toward Garthon, who had died protecting the settlement.

Despite her words, pride filled her eyes as she looked at Karath.

“That is right! Delina ate an ogre’s heart while she was carrying Karath!”

“Karath, could you bring back an ogre next time instead of a troll? Perhaps my son would grow like you if he ate its heart.”

The women continued chatting.

Apparently, gossip among middle-aged women transcended both species and historical eras.

“Do not ask a child to do something so dangerous! Ogres are terrifying. Besides, if Karath kills one, the heart obviously belongs to him.”

Gerina intervened on Delina’s behalf and handed Karath the meat.

It was not ordinary meat.

She had given him the troll’s heart.

“You hunted it alone, so the most important part naturally belongs to you.”

Cold sweat formed on Karath’s skin as he stared at the blood-filled red organ.

It looked as though it might begin beating again at any moment.

Fifteen years had passed since Karath became an orc, but he still did not enjoy raw meat.

The other orcs did not particularly enjoy eating it raw either.

Through experience, they understood that meat from anything other than freshly killed prey could be dangerous.

Even fresh meat carried parasites and disease in the wilderness, but the tribe had not discovered that much.

Their instincts and accumulated experience had at least taught them that cooked meat was generally safer.

Certain body parts associated with their primitive beliefs were exceptions.

The heart of a powerful monster was one of them.

Until now, Karath had eaten only the meat the adults distributed to the children, which was almost always cooked.

He had completely forgotten one important tradition.

The hunter who killed a powerful monster was expected to eat its heart raw.

Sweat trickled down Karath’s back.

Whimper.

The wolf pup in his arms made another faint sound and pulled his attention downward.

Drool flowed from its mouth as it stared at the heart.

“Thank you. Karath will enjoy it.”

An idea occurred to him.

Karath accepted the troll’s heart and quietly moved toward an isolated corner of the settlement.

“Here.”

He held it out to the wolf pup.

The creature attacked the heart with such energy that it was difficult to believe it had been weak moments earlier.

Chomp. Chomp.

Slurp.

“You certainly eat well.”

The pup devoured the troll’s heart as though possessed by starvation.

Once it finished, it already seemed to have recovered some strength.

It panted, wagged its tail, and looked up at Karath with bright eyes.

Pant. Pant.

Woof! Woof!

The way it pressed against him reminded Karath of the dog that had lived on his grandmother’s farm during Arnold’s childhood.

“Good. From today onward, your name is Buddy. Understand, Buddy?”

He gave the wolf the same name as that long-dead dog.

Woof! Woof!

When Karath called it Buddy, the pup barked and nodded as though it understood.

Chapter 40

The Wolf Joins the Hunt

The following morning, Karath greeted Delina as usual and left their house.

Woof! Woof!

Buddy emerged from the small shelter beside the entrance and ran toward him with his tail wagging.

Karath had built the structure from scraps of wood the previous evening.

Since a wolf lived inside, perhaps calling it a doghouse was inaccurate.

He would eventually need to replace it with a proper earthen wolf house.

The tribespeople showed little concern about Karath raising a Giant Wolf pup.

They seemed to believe he would handle the matter somehow.

Perhaps this was the power of the trust he had accumulated over fifteen years.

“Buddy, it is time to eat.”

Karath gave the pup some cooked meat left from the previous day’s feast, then walked toward the well.

The tribe’s veteran warriors and several older boys Karath had grown up with were gathered there, washing themselves with soap.

They were the hunters and scouts assigned to leave the settlement that day.

“Karath, are you prepared?”

Goldin, the oldest orc among those gathered, questioned him.

“What is there to prepare?”

Karath had successfully completed his first hunt the day before, but that had only been part of his coming-of-age ceremony.

Today would be his first time hunting as an official member of the tribe.

“Krahahaha! Trust me, Karath. I will teach you everything.”

Kaden laughed boldly and spoke with complete confidence.

On the day Karath first began fighting the other children, Kaden had become the seventh victim of his winning streak.

At the time, Karath had assumed Kaden was large simply because he was three years older.

After Kaden completed his second maturation and became an adult, Karath realized that assumption had been wrong.

Kaden was unusually enormous even by orc standards.

He stood around fifteen centimeters taller than Karath, and the difference in their shoulder width and overall mass was even greater.

The villagers sometimes joked that Kaden, rather than Karath, must have eaten the ogre’s heart.

His nickname was Half-Ogre.

Unfortunately, his mind appeared to be half-ogre as well.

“What could Karath possibly learn from you?” Krog asked as he approached. “You charge forward without thinking and frighten away half the prey.”

“Would you like me to charge at you instead?”

Kaden growled at his younger cousin.

Krog ignored him as though listening to a dog barking and walked over to Karath.

“Take care of Karath today.”

“Karath should be saying that. This is his first time.”

“If you were bad at something merely because it was your first time, Karath would not have beaten Krog so badly during their first fight.”

Krog laughed at Karath’s attempt to act modest.

He had spent more time with Karath during childhood than anyone else.

Perhaps because of that, his manner of speaking had become the most similar to Karath’s.

Compared with the other orcs, he sounded almost human.

“Krahahaha! Everyone seems to be getting along. The preparations are finished, so shall we leave?”

After confirming that every warrior had finished washing, Goldin shouted enthusiastically.

The group began walking toward the main gate.

Pant. Pant.

Buddy naturally followed behind Karath.

“Wait here, Buddy.”

Karath stopped and looked down at him.

The pup only wagged its tail and continued panting.

When Karath resumed walking, Buddy followed once more as though nothing had happened.

Realizing ordinary words would not be enough, Karath glared down at the wolf and growled in a low, threatening voice.

“Follow Karath and you will die.”

If Buddy barked in the forest, the sound could attract monsters.

It might also alert prey and cause it to escape.

Karath therefore spoke as severely as possible.

Instead of retreating, the pup stopped panting and stared up at him with clear, intelligent eyes.

“You must not make any sound inside the forest. If you do, Karath will throw you to the monsters.”

There was no reason a wolf should understand him, but Karath found himself continuing the warning.

Buddy remained completely silent and merely nodded.

Karath stared at him.

Could this creature truly understand speech?

“What are you doing? Are you coming or not?”

The other hunters had already begun passing through the gate and called back to him.

“Karath is coming.”

With no other choice, Karath rose and followed the group.

Buddy trailed behind him again.

This time, the pup neither panted nor barked.

It moved with careful, quiet steps.

Karath watched it for a moment before deciding to allow it to come.

Somehow, he felt that Buddy would not cause trouble.