Chương 78: B2 Chapter 1

The silver moon drifted beneath the dark forest's endless canopy, marking the course of time. Warriors who could barely stand now walked through the tribehold again, though many carried fresh scars and wounds that would never fade. The pyres no longer burned, yet whenever eyes drifted toward the distant mountains, silence lingered. Even now, the broken peak towered above the horizon like an open wound upon the realm itself.

Crimson rivers of liquid death still pulsed down its fractured slopes, glowing faintly through the night and filling the sky with smoke and ash whenever the mountain stirred. Hunters returned to the forest once more, children wrestled in the dirt as though nothing had happened, and the sounds of metal colliding with metal reverberated through the tribehold from dawn until deep into the night. Life had resumed, yet beneath the familiar rhythm, everything had changed.

Two moons ago, the Shaman returned to Tribe Taskur to initiate the Rite. He called upon the Ancestors and bestowed their gifts upon the tribe's young warriors. The night of the Rite ushered in a new era. An old, forgotten prophecy returned, promising the rise of a new Warlord and bloodshed. Blood flowed through the rivers of time and death, yet it was not the blood that changed. It was still red and hot as it flowed down the Barbarians' blades.

A young Barbarian, graced with the Power of the Mind, initiated the change. He went out of his way to grow stronger and earn the Ancestors' approval when everyone told him failure was all that awaited him, and that he did. He grew stronger, bested those gifted with Blessings and Blood Powers, but also those bestowed with legendary Powers. He fought, struggled, and emerged victorious. He was Hakon Taskur, son of the strongest living Barbarian, Chieftain Ragna, the one and only warrior at the 5th Ascension.

Taking on his father's mantle, he could have forsaken the Power of the Mind, yet he did not. Hakon leaned into his Ancient Power to tread a path no Barbarian had walked before him. And he was proud of it. Challenges, torture, and losses marred his path, though they never stopped him. They shaped him and made him into the person he was, preparing him for the greatest of challenges – Tribe Pearot. They fought and killed each other. However, the tribes survived.

Unlike the other tribes destroyed or usurped by Tribe Pearot, Tribe Taskur survived, rescued by the chieftain. But while they survived, they also failed. Tribe Pearot still stood, their escape either a fluke or the will of the Ancestors, and they were certain to return with newfound strength. As for the broken mountain, it contained a terror not even the bravest of Barbarians dared to mention.

Mana flowed out of his Core in small streams and, with a little nudge, surged into the channels that spread throughout his entire body. Slow, repetitive motions and mental prods pulled the streams through the channels, creating constant, never-ending movement. Hakon took a deep breath, eyes closed, yet still able to see and perceive all that happened around and within him. Mana pressed against his channels' insides like a cold breeze, yet it felt as though he basked in the sun's morning light at the same time.

[Natural Regeneration]. An ordinary Skill, granted by the Ancestors for his efforts, flowed through him, its potency intertwining with mana's natural properties, adding warmth to the persistent, overwhelming heaviness weighing on his body. The weight never faded, yet it felt a little easier as the warmth continued to spread through the rest of him. The moons hanging high above were soon to drift beyond the horizon, yet it was just one more night. Another day that would pass without results.

[Uninterrupted use of Natural Regeneration [95%]] Or perhaps not. Maybe the Ancestors would forgive his failure. How long had it been since he last tried to upgrade [Natural Regeneration]? Hakon did not count the nights, yet the last time he failed was burned into his mind. It was an accident – foolish, really. The moons had drifted through the night sky as they always did, yet last time, they distracted him enough to make a small mistake, which snowballed into a problem big enough to make him fail.

Unable to preserve enough mana to fulfill the Skill Upgrade's requirements, he was forced to stop, his heart as heavy as his mind. But now he knew better. He was prepared, with his mana expenditure lowered to a bare minimum. Nonetheless, his head burned and concentration nearly slipped several times throughout the night. To counter the inevitable, Hakon had practiced and improved his understanding of [Aether Spiral].

The Skill, a customized version of [Mana Meditation], made it possible to absorb ambient mana while still doing other tasks. It may not have been as efficient as [Mana Meditation], according to the human woman, but it was definitely as mentally draining. To Hakon, however, the advantages far outstripped the downsides. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Combined with [Split Focus], he could fight while recovering mana all the same. Perfect, really…

well, almost. His mind was heavy, his head feeling as heavy as a thousand Barbarians, and it only grew worse the longer he used multiple Skills that all drained his mind. It was torture, and yet another reason he failed last time. [97%] Hakon would not fail this time. He had enough mana left in his Core, and his mind could take more punishment if it had to. But that was not necessary. Not this time. [98%] Time seemed to crawl as the Ancient Scripture ticked upward.

It was only a matter of time, yet the closer the goal was, the more he struggled. He felt his mind nearly shut off, his channels screamed at him from the constant movement of mana, and his body neared its limits as well. But Hakon never stopped. He clenched his muscles and poked his fingers with a small dagger to stay awake and focused. Just as the thin mana streams swirling through his channels trembled, some fizzling out even though Hakon had tried to preserve them, the Scripture updated again. [100%] Hmm?

He was sure he was mistaken. One number was missing, or had he simply missed it?

"Scatterbrain?" Hakon muttered to himself quietly, his eyes fluttering open to materialize the Ancient Scripture as a whole before him. [Upgrade Natural Regeneration– Conditions have been met 1) Pathway Purity exceeds threshold. (51%/50%) 2) Level requirement has been met [20/20] 3) Uninterrupted use of Natural Regeneration [100%] 100%. He exhaled.

"Thank the Ancestors." Then he immediately triggered the Skill Upgrade. Only then did he stop using [Natural Regeneration], the weight bearing down upon his mind fading into the distance. His eyelids were heavy and threatened to snap shut, his head was a scrambled mess that dared Hakon to do something stupid, and his channels were set ablaze like nasty, festering injuries. Despite that, Hakon smiled. He had done it. He accepted the Ancestors' challenge and crushed it with flying colors.

The pair of Scriptures depicting the two Skill Upgrades granted for [Natural Regeneration] faded away, though it appeared that the upgrade with the harder requirements, the one Hakon had chosen to complete, lingered a little longer. The corner of his lip curled upward as the Scripture disappeared, replaced by a short line. [Upgrade initiated. [Natural Regeneration Lv. 20] upgraded to [Vitality Stream – Tier-1]] Warmth assaulted Hakon's insides even before he finished reading the message.

It came from his Core, swamped his channels, flesh, and intestines in the vicinity, and expanded rapidly until his entire body succumbed to it. There was no pain, only a soothing, accommodating embrace that held him so tightly he doubted it would ever disappear. It was there for him and promised to stay as it flowed through his sore channels, mending them. It reached further – deeper – and grasped things Hakon didn't even realize had been bothering him.

He craned his neck as the warmth in that area transformed into a slightly uncomfortable heat. The heat flowed away and reached other regions spread throughout his body, yet the slight pressure that had always been pressing against his neck was no more. His hands clenched into fists, and a savage grin formed on his lips. [Vitality Stream] joined [Adaptive Resilience] as his second passive Skill. As unexpected as that was, it was great nonetheless.

Hakon leaned back, staring at the starry sky above even as the warmth of [Vitality Stream] reached his head. It flowed subtly and accommodatingly, as if trying to avoid hurting him by all means. The embrace was hot, and it kept growing hotter, burning away the weight, guiding him, helping him in ways he couldn't help himself. It was everywhere, and if it was anything like [Adaptive Resilience], his new Skill would become one of his strongest. For [Adaptive Resilience] already felt like his strongest Skill nowadays.

In a way, [Adaptive Resilience] felt like an Ancient Power such as Giant Blood. It made him more durable, yet it did not only affect his physical endurance. The passive Skill made him more resilient toward just about everything. Hakon froze and his throat tightened as a pair of stars flashed silver like eyes. The eyes of the gargantuan creature that rose from the mountain a moon ago. It hadn't been seen ever since, yet the image of the scaly, monstrous, yet all the more majestic creature flashed before his eyes.

A massive head clad in silver scales, an elongated snout, and horns that seemed to pierce the sky itself. A pair of eyes turned toward the battlefield of Tribe Pearot and Tribe Taskur, silver locking right onto him. Pain seared through his chest at the mere memory, and [Vitality Stream] could do nothing to mend it. That creature… it tried to kill me. It wanted to crush Hakon's very being. His…' spirit', if the Skill the Ancestors bestowed upon him was connected to that in any way. [Spirit Forging].

The Skill was still a mystery. Using it didn't do anything except hurt worse than taking a blade to the stomach. It knocked him out cold for days when he first used it. Since then, it sat idly in his Ancient Scripture, waiting for him to use it again. Hakon's hair stood up on end. Both the Skill and the gargantuan creature were things he failed to understand. Not even Enhanced Comprehension aided him. It was just as clueless as he felt. Yet, it showed him one thing; he was too weak.

The creature made it clear that he was nothing. He had to grow stronger, to survive, but also to fight Tribe Pearot. They may have escaped the fight, but the war had yet to end. Hakon needed to ascend, but the Ancestors demanded a greater challenge from him even when he'd already fought and killed warriors at the 2nd Ascension. What more could the Ancestors want from him than that? A feat of much greater magnitude. That was what they wanted from him.

Hakon had grasped that as well, and he was more than willing to give it to them. But to do so, he needed to grow stronger in a different way. He had to use his head, and maybe a few scrolls. The savage smile on his face grew wider, excitement bubbling in his chest.