Chương 57: Chapter 50

A lot of his Skills improved. Hakon also managed to level up to 17, which was an extraordinary feat. Then again, most of his gains were expected. Not only did he depend a lot on Enhanced Comprehension to improve, but the fight against several experienced warriors at the peak of the 1st Ascension and one Barbarian at the 2nd Ascension must have excited the Ancestors enough to reward him and his people generously. They nearly died, yet instead of succumbing, they survived and grew from the harrowing experience.

Then again, Hakon knew that he and everyone else would have been killed if they hadn't pushed Hoard Impact to its limit before attacking the Pearot Barbarian. The Major Runeskin had been filled to the brim, fueled with far more force than when he fought against Ulfar. However, no matter how pleasant the improved Skills and level-up were, his curiosity shifted to yet another Scripture. [Skill compatibility has been detected. Do you wish to integrate [Two Weapon Fighting Lv. 10] into [Weapon Mastery Lv. 17]?] Hakon read through the Scripture thrice before making a decision. Of course, he wanted [Two Weapon Fighting] to merge with [Weapon Mastery]! That way, by improving [Weapon Mastery], his Two Weapon Fighting would improve naturally even if the Skill was to improve from intense training with two-handed weapons like Crusher. [Skill integration has been completed. Skill [Two Weapon Fighting Lv. 10] has been removed from the Ancient Scripture.] Integrating one Skill into another was not all that different from Skill Fusion. It was also why fused Skills were so powerful; all individual components used in the fusion would grow no matter how little they were used. Also, fused Skills were regularly much stronger than the individual parts. In [Weapon Mastery]'s case, the improvement was all too obvious. It enhanced his skills with all weapons, after all.

Even though Hakon rarely wielded a bow in the past, he was sure it would come naturally to him thanks to [Weapon Mastery]. While that didn't mean he'd need it, knowing he was a master of all weapons–in some way–was enough to instill raw, unfiltered confidence deep inside him. Last but not least, fused Skills could grow more than others. Most ordinary Skills would never surpass Level 20.

[Weakness Detection] and [Mana Sense] had already surpassed that level, but Hakon recognized that it grew increasingly difficult to improve them. Still, they were unique Skills and could grow given enough time and effort. The same would never happen with [Sword Mastery] or other similar Skills. To further improve them, they would have to be upgraded.

His father hadn't mentioned Skill Upgrades often before, but Hakon had learned a little bit about that himself, if [Flow Control] and its upgrade to [Circulation] were, in any way, similar to other Skill Upgrades. So why is there no Scripture for [Pain Tolerance]? He wondered as the young warriors around him split up.

Some rushed toward the camp to loot it, others retrieved the superior weapons and a few armor pieces some Barbarians wore, while another group tended to their comrades' corpses, preparing them for the journey back to the tribehold. Focusing on his Ancient Scripture a little while longer, Hakon guessed that neither [Evasion] nor [Combat Awareness] were regular Skills, unlike [Pain Tolerance]. Then again, they had all reached Level 20 and none of it resulted in a Scripture depicting a path to upgrade any of them.

Not even [Pain Tolerance], which was most definitely a regular Skill among Barbarians. Are [Evasion] and [Combat Awareness] regular Skills? He'd have to find that one out, which shouldn't be too difficult by paying more attention to both Skills. If their level improved, he out would have no problem. If not… In that case, Hakon would have to figure out how to initiate their Skill Upgrade or learn more about possible Skill Fusions. Skill Fusions. His father did not tell him all too much about that phenomenon.

He only ever mentioned two Skill Fusions he wished for Hakon to inherit. [Weapon Mastery] was one of them. The other was… What was it again? It took him a moment to search his dusty memories, but he found what he was looking for.

"Resistances." He grimaced, only now realizing why he'd subconsciously changed the Ancient Scripture to isolate Resistance Skills from his other Skills. It was because they were also part of the whole 'Skill Fusion' talk his father had with him many, many cycles ago. Fusing and upgrading Skills was something he would have to start paying attention to sooner rather than later. Now, however, it was time to return to the tribe. After having recovered a little, Hakon felt a lot better.

He caught his peers packed with weapons, armor pieces, and other items they'd foraged from the camp. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Hakon let out a faint chuckle at the sight before joining the remaining warriors at the camp, but not before offering the dead as a tribute to the Ancestors. Blue mist rose from the corpses of the ten Pearot Barbarians as they dispersed.

The process was slower than it would have been with regular monsters, but that only made it more magical in his eyes. The Barbarians' tough bodies, covered in scars and fresh wounds, dispersed into mist. Their fresh blood was the first to evaporate. It swirled around the dead and was the first to rise into the sky and join the Ancestors. Not long after, the rest of their bodies followed, turning fresh wounds and old scars into written passages of blue mist that told the Ancestors all about their descendants' lives.

But not all of the mist dispersed. Some coalesced, forming pristine, azure-colored cocoons speckled with star-like structures. They were beautiful, but Hakon put the marvelous sight aside once he had taken it in and entered the camp. He didn't expect to find much, but it was completely ransacked, telling him one thing: his peers were as good at fighting as they were at looting.

Some were holding a hind leg in one hand, its crust crispy, juice flowing down their chins as they took mouthwatering bites, all while their other arms were filled to the brim with trophies and other valuable goods. The small campfire in the center crackled quietly, the flames dying slowly. Beside it, Hakon found something the young warriors hadn't bothered collecting. Several packs had been emptied, the contents sprawled all around the camp.

Some things had been collected, but they left behind flasks and other items. Not much, but the few things that remained were rather interesting. The scrolls he found certainly were. Old parchment, now sprinkled with mud and flattened by a herd of young, wild Barbarians stomping around. To the young warriors, the scrolls meant nothing. Most couldn't even read. To Hakon, however, they were a treasure. They had to be, given that no Barbarian would bring scrolls to a hunt, let alone a mission in enemy territory.

Not without a good reason. Hakon bent down to collect the scrolls and removed as much dirt as he could before stuffing them into his empty pouches. When he couldn't find anything else of use, it was time to return to his people. Speckles of blue mist hung in the air even now, but the Pearot Barbarians were nowhere to be seen. Instead, Hakon found Astrid collecting some things. Totems. His eyes narrowed at the sight of his friend stuffing one totem after another into a pack.

Astrid must have noticed him because she looked up to meet his eyes.

"The Ancestors rewarded us for our glorious victory." She offered a bright smile, making Hakon's heart beat a touch faster. Seeing her like this, covered in blood, her hair pulled into a messy bun, was one thing, but the brilliant eyes that burned within her small frame worked wonders. They did things to Hakon he didn't expect to be possible. Stepping closer without a word, Hakon's gaze lingered on the small-framed, feisty woman for a moment that felt like an eternity.

Once he had seen enough and Astrid raised an eyebrow at him, he turned to the pack and used Inspection. [Silverheart Treant Totem Runeskin – Silverheart Armor (Lesser)] [Ambereetah Totem Runeskin – Swiftness (Minor)] [Gale Wolf Totem Runeskin – Monstrous Claws (Minor)] [Crimson Orc Totem Runeskin – Bestial Rage] Only four totems. Then again, they had only fought against ten opponents, in a single battle at that.

Taking that into consideration, four totems were a lot, even more so with their rank being relatively high. The Silverheart Treant Totem was the worst, being a Lesser Runeskin, but if he recalled correctly, the Silverheart Armor was decently powerful. Combined with a suitable Ancient Power and fitting skills, it could be nurtured into a powerful Runeskin. The Minor Runeskins were surprising and appeared relatively useful. Swiftness would help warriors like Teraq make up for their slowness.

Herculean Strength would become several times more potent when combined with Swiftness. Monstrous Claws would ensure that a warrior always had weapons on them, but Hakon didn't consider it all that useful in most cases. His fists were just as powerful, especially if augmented with [Reinforcement] and mana constructs. That left them with one normal Runeskin. It was the best, and that showed.

Bestial Rage resonated in Hakon's heart–not because he wished to bind it for his next Runeskin, but because it felt familiar, similar to some of the skills Barbarians could acquire. The same could probably be said about Swiftness. It was likely not all that different from [Dash] or a similar, more advanced skill. Interesting. He rubbed his chin, which Astrid took as her cue.

"Do you want them? You know, you deserve to keep them as trophies more than anyone," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. The young Barbarians around him slowed, their expressions distorting momentarily, but nobody said anything. They knew she was right. If not for Hakon's plan, they would be dead now, their bodies sacrificed to the Ancestors.

"Give them to the others. I don't need these trophies. Not when they can help my people grow stronger." His words brought smiles to their lips, and Hakon felt the way they looked at him change even more than it had over the last fortnight. Before the Battle of Generation, they had been willing to ridicule him. After it, they had grown uncertain. Power ruled everything in their world, and Hakon had shown that he wielded the strength needed to stand at the very top, but it hadn't made sense to them at the time.

Training together provided sense where there had been none, and the Barbarians' opinion changed once more. And now… now that he had helped them win a battle they ought to have lost, and had given them his trophies to strengthen them even further, they had grown to not only trust him. Trust was just the beginning. The really important part was the seed of loyalty that bloomed deep within them. It was not nearly enough to compare to the loyalty the chieftain had earned over the cycles, but Hakon was getting there.