Chương 41: Chapter 36

The next morning, Hakon left his home for the first time since the Battle of Generation. He spent the night reading the old scrolls, which rewarded him with several levels in [Reading] and a more in-depth understanding of several complex words. [Fatigue Resistance] worked excellently. While it did not decrease the amount of sleep he needed, the Skill ensured that he was not as quickly exhausted.

This applied both mentally and physically, which helped him recover from physical training without affecting his studies too much. Tales of the first Warlord, the Ancestors, and the Zeldron were cryptic at best. A Shaman had to have written them, since Barbarians rarely learned to write. Hakon could not write either. His mother wanted to teach him, but he was more interested in training and reading. I could learn how to write. He mused to himself, even though he knew his time was better spent elsewhere.

It wouldn't help anyone if he learned how to write. Reading, on the other hand, allowed him to understand the Sagas the chieftain had told him about. The scrolls depicted the greatest era of the Barbarians, the Divine Beasts' wrath, and the other races' greed, even if it was fragmented. The only notable details were about the war from before the current chieftain was born. It was a great era, one of bloodshed and chaos, yet not all was as pleasant as the chieftain and the Shaman always said.

As much blood as the Barbarians shed for the Ancestors, the war was still coming to an end with their side losing. Hakon had to make a lot of guesses because many details were missing, but the rise of the Warlord was likely the only, possibly one of multiple, reasons they were still alive and not enslaved as of today. The old scrolls never mentioned who started the war or when it started. They primarily focused on bloodshed. At least, that was how it read, until the Divine Beasts and Humans combined their forces.

A gargantuan silver terror was mentioned, one that was said to live in the dark forest's mountains even now, though Hakon highly doubted that. The older Barbarians hadn't mentioned anything about a silver Divine Beast, let alone its wrath. Whatever. Hakon's attention returned to the old scrolls. The Divine Beasts and Humans combined their forces, and a war that had once been led by multiple forces changed forever.

The tribes were either removed from existence or pushed into retreat, and it would have continued until the last of the Barbarians had been killed if the Ancestors hadn't intervened. The intervention part, the details revolving around it, were not described in the scrolls. A gaping hole adorned the scroll where the author must have spoken about the Ancestors and all they did to protect their descendants.

Regardless, the result never changed; the Warlord emerged from the Ancestors' wombs and united the eight tribes that survived the longest to fight back as one. And that they did. What happened next? Hakon had the exact same thought the night before, but he couldn't find the answer no matter how hard he searched. The Barbarians were not united anymore, and the reason for that was as obvious as the rise of the sun and the brilliant light of the moons.

Once the Warlord, the strongest of all Barbarians, joined the Ancestors to feast with them, many tried to lay claim of his status. Following the path of the Barbarians, they fought and shed blood to determine the strongest living Barbarian. They failed. Hakon combed through the scrolls in his father's possession throughout the night, but he only found the Saga of the chieftain's predecessor. And even that told him little about the past.

All he learned was that the united tribe split up into its eight original tribes after cycles of conflict. It did not directly mention it; however, it was clear to him that the inability to declare a new Warlord was the crux of the problem. What did not help in that situation was the Divine Beasts, humans, and other races' fled into their own land. They avoided the united Barbarians, too afraid to keep fighting.

Their disappearance was a disaster laying in wait, as the lack of a united enemy created space for 'new' enemies' to rise. The Tribes began to fight amongst each other once more, eager to show the Ancestors that they were worthy enough to rise to become the next Warlords. But did they really flee? Hakon wondered about the Divine Beasts and other races as he left the hut.

Divine Beasts hadn't been sighted for dozens of cycles, and it had been many cycles since the last humans dared to step into the Barbarians' territory, but did that really mean they were afraid of them? The scrolls depicting Sagas, tales, and things he didn't quite understand yet told Hakon enough to know that they lost the war. No matter what others said, dozens of tribes, each numbering in the thousands, had been eradicated.

And even if those clans wouldn't have claimed more land than Tribe Taskur's current territory, the united clans would have covered the entirety of the forest and spread even further, enclosing the distant mountain range as well. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The mountain range… was one of them really there?

"Is there really a Divine Beast near the mountain range?" He muttered to himself and froze when the air around him changed. It trembled and weighed on Hakon as he called out 'Divine Beast', and the feeling did not disperse for many heartbeats. The dark forest as well as the mountain range must have once belonged to the Barbarians but that was no longer the case. Now it was a place filled with danger and death. The further one ventured, the greater the threats awaiting.

And, within the mountain range, somewhere, a terror was laying in wait. He did not want to believe it, yet he did. It was there, whether he wanted it to be or not. We are pathetic. Hakon cursed, his fingers itching. He wanted to forget all that he had pieced together the night before, but it wouldn't leave his mind. It was etched deep into his head, reminding him that he, just like everyone else, thought they were the strongest even when they weren't. Is that why humans have not come to raid us anymore?

Because we're too weak for them? He grumbled, stepping through the tribehold. Hakon headed slowly to the training ground, but his mind was not yet focused on training. It was dragged down a spiral of thoughts that wrecked his mind.

"No!" He shook his head.

"If we were too weak for humans, they would have come to us already. Are they afraid?" That sentiment didn't sit right with him. The chieftain never labeled the human attackers as 'frightened chickens.' He even respected them, as much as a Barbarian could respect those he crushed effortlessly. The prodding in the back of Hakon's mind grew stronger the more he thought about the past.

Enhanced Comprehension was trying to tell him something, but even though he knew that was the case, it was impossible to tell what the humans had wanted or why they had returned once before he was born. The truth eluded him no matter how much he thought about it. He needed more information to find out the entire truth, and he would get the answers soon enough. Now, however, a few idiots were waiting to get their skulls caved in. Neither Björn nor Astrid were at the training ground.

Hakon expected them to be there when he arrived, but it appeared most young warriors were not particularly interested in training early in the morning. The sun hadn't risen high above the horizon when Hakon arrived at the training ground. Despite that, it was late enough for everyone to be focusing on training.

"Are the others in the wild?" Hakon asked the first warrior who looked up to him.

"You come. Are you not afraid?" The Barbarian chuckled, putting his massive two-handed axe aside.

"Do you think I should be afraid, Teraq?" Hakon narrowed his eyes.

"You didn't answer my first question." Teraq flashed a toothy smile, revealing several gaps where teeth had once been.

"Don't know. You awakened The Mind. The Mind is weak."

"Is that what you saw during the Battle of Generation? If so, what does that say about you and all the others? Did you even win one fight?" Teraq's smile cracked, and his hands clenched into fists.

"Astrid was strong. Too strong. But you, you look weak." Anger bubbled in his chest. It was still under his control, but Hakon thought the Battle of Generation changed everyone's impression of him. Letting his gaze drift across the training ground, he realized that was not the case. Some, those he fought directly a few days ago, diverted their gaze or even lowered their heads a little. That, however, was about it. No more than eight young warriors were present at the training ground, and he fought two of them.

The others had varied reactions to his appearance. Two warriors, Teraq included, wore mocking expressions, clearly not believing that someone wielding a power of The Mind was strong enough to defeat them. How they came to that conclusion after he defeated Ulfar, Hakon couldn't tell, but he never really understood how their minds worked. To show them, he had to fight them. And that was fine. He was ready to beat them, after he figured out what the others wanted.

Inspecting everyone present, including their strength, Hakon wasn't sure whether he was supposed to be happy or insulted. Some of the young warriors looking at him like predators weren't even at the 1st Ascension. Even the Scripture of Teraq was nothing short of insulting. [Barbarian – Low Threat (1st Ascension)] Putting aside the stark difference in strength, Hakon couldn't help but be curious.

"Do you – either of you – really think you can defeat me? Wasn't the Battle of Generation enough for you?" He asked the group, his eyes never landing on Teraq, which infuriated him. Just like he wanted.

"You can talk, but can you fight? I don't believe it!" Teraq grunted.

"I challenge you!" Hakon raised an eyebrow at the Barbarian, only to turn around when the sound of light footsteps rang out from behind. Astrid stepped into the training ground, her gaze never leaving his side.

"I might have hit Teraq too hard on the head," she said evenly.

"He missed most of the Battle of Generation, maybe all of it." That did not excuse the Barbarian's disrespect before the Ancestors. Not only was he tarnishing Hakon's honor, but he openly disregarded the Ancestors' decision to crown him the Battle of Generation's victor, and Astrid knew that. She did not seek an excuse for Teraq either. It was more of an apology for the trouble she had caused him–if only barely.

"Will you kill them, or do you want me to call for a Healer?" Astrid asked without an ounce of emotion.

"Neither." Hakon snorted.

"I think they forgot what it feels like to feel pain."

"And pain is weakness leaving the body." Astrid completed, rolling her eyes. Exactly, and they were weak. Hence, they had to hurt a lot.