Chương 48: Chapter 41

Moving through the thicket was a simple task. Even if the wild belonged entirely to nature and its tendency to create dangerous monsters and plants, it was not all that difficult to avoid life-threatening situations–if one didn't run around like a rhino in heat. Neither Björn nor Eren were trying all too hard to keep their voices down. Even though Eren had been more vigilant at first, being around Björn brought out sides of him Hakon would have preferred to keep sealed shut.

The sounds they created should have been more than enough to attract monsters, but none attacked. Astrid pointed out a few lone predators stalking across the wide tree branches hanging overhead. Hakon located a few more monsters roaming around. However, the difference in strength was enough to force them into retreat. As mindless and ferocious as monsters were, their senses were advanced enough to recognize a losing battle when they saw one.

Since no monster bothered the group, it should have been easy enough to reach the deeper and more dangerous parts of the forest. Alas, avoiding the most dangerous plants using [Inspection] while making sure not to mention them to anyone was a nuisance. Still, it was necessary considering the way everyone reacted when Hakon first mentioned poisonous plants. It would have been ridiculous if it hadn't also been so annoying.

Their reasoning was sound: they wanted to grow stronger and learn and improve [Poison Resistance] as quickly as they could. However, they could have done that later, after the hunt. But it was neither Eren nor Björn's attitude toward the poisonous plants that frustrated him most. Astrid was the most irritating. She continued to munch on the plants, marveling at their taste and texture. Björn, being the fool he was, had to try a bite, resulting in him losing consciousness.

At least Eren had been smart enough to avoid that particular plant after seeing what it did to a Barbarian at the 1st Ascension. Working around his team's behavior and their repeated loss of consciousness, Hakon watched out for enemies. When Astrid told him she would wake up Björn and protect the group, he left and merged with the surroundings, using [Silent Steps] and [Stealth]. Roaming the wild without anyone slowing him down made everything easier.

Hakon smoothly wove through the thicket, ignoring some plants with weak poison even as their thorns scraped across his skin, and searched for their first targets. When he didn't find anything after a quick search in their immediate surroundings, Hakon used [Tracking] for the first time since his return from the Overflowing Fracture. His proficiency was nowhere near as high as it could have been, but his perception spread out as he activated a few more Skills.

Bursts of [Mana Sense] and [Sensory Expansion] helped him find the tracks of a few monsters. He found a disturbance in the mana nearby and looked up to see a leaf-furred panther skulking toward him. It was deadly silent and pounced at him as soon as he looked up, but it was already too late. Pumping mana through his veins, Hakon jumped into action. Clutching Crusher tightly, he swung it around. No special Skills were required, as Crusher's flat side barreled toward the target, hitting it square in the side.

The monster's bones let out a series of overlapping cracks as they caved in. A moment later, the panther no longer leaped at him. It was flung through the air and crashed into a nearby tree trunk. The tree creaked and its bark shattered as the monster smashed into it, but that was all. The panther thudded motionlessly to the ground.

"I offer you thy body. Its blood shed in your name." Hakon intonated, sacrificing the monster carcass to the Ancestors. Nothing happened at first, making him wonder if the beast had somehow survived, but it soon dissolved into blue mist. Turning back to the task at hand, Hakon searched for their first true target. A target worth hunting. It took him a little longer to find what they were looking for, but the clearing was exactly what they needed.

Towering trees blocked the view behind the river slicing through the back of the clearing, but Hakon saw enough to return. [Proficiency gained. [Tracking Lv. 4] improved to [Tracking Lv. 5]] [Proficiency gained. [Tracking Lv. 5] improved to [Tracking Lv. 6]] [Proficiency gained. [Tracking Lv. 6] improved to [Tracking Lv. 7]] [Proficiency gained. [Silent Steps Lv. 7] improved to [Silent Steps Lv. 8]] [Proficiency gained. [Silent Steps Lv. 8] improved to [Silent Steps Lv. 9]] Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. [Proficiency gained. [Stealth Lv. 3] improved to [Stealth Lv. 4]] [Proficiency gained. [Stealth Lv. 4] improved to [Stealth Lv. 5]] [Proficiency gained. [Inspection Lv. 6] improved to [Inspection Lv. 7]] [Proficiency gained. [Inspection Lv. 7] improved to [Inspection Lv. 8]] As pleasant as the Scriptures displaying his improvements were, they started to get on his nerves–not because he did not acknowledge the Ancestors' rewards, but because the Scriptures blocked his view too often these days. Some Skills were hard to Level, which made their Scriptures all the more valuable, but other Skills like [Reading], [Running], and many others were much easier to Level. That included [Tracking], but also Skills like [Throwing].

Hakon considered the reasoning behind the Skills' Levels and how they improved, but he could only assume that it was somehow related to his knowledge, experience, and mana control. [Mote of Light], for example, leveled quickly because he had Skills like [Mana Manipulation] and [Mana Shaping] that helped him adjust his mana's frequency, appearance, and the amount of mana used to maintain and use the Skill.

Without them, Hakon would still be able to learn and improve [Mote of Light], but it would have been a lot harder than it had been. That's not important right now, he chided himself, yet he made a mental note to change the Scripture, just like he'd changed the Ancient Scripture. Since the latter was possible, the former should not pose any trouble either. But that was a task for later.

Finding his way back to the others didn't take long once Hakon knew where he was. The chieftain wouldn't like what he was doing, and he did not think for a second that the Shaman would approve of his actions either, but the Ancestors didn't seem to mind. If anything, it felt like the Ancestors pulled him to the forbidden lands. That was where he found the Overflowing Fracture first, and where the herd of monsters was waiting for them. It was the perfect place to grow stronger.

Darting back to the others, Hakon stepped around a large stone protruding from the ground in utter silence. Astrid's eyes narrowed, and she tensed up. Her hands shot toward her daggers in an instant, only to pull away when their eyes met. Her eyes narrowed further, and she couldn't help but check him from head to toe. When she didn't see anything amiss, Astrid turned to Björn and punched him in the stomach, waking him up.

While Björn struggled to decide whether he wanted to curse or breathe, Eren stared at Hakon with wide eyes. He had many questions but asked none, and the glimmer in his eyes suggested that Eren knew what was going on. Or he was simply making guesses and wondering if he was right. He probably was, if he thought that Hakon did not follow the generic path of the Barbarians. He trod his own path instead.

"Found a group of grazing monsters." Björn jumped to his feet when he heard that.

"A worthy group?"

"A herd of blood-drenched monsters," Hakon said. The herd was not the kind of monster he intended to fight, yet it was enough to practice and grow stronger together. The others understood that as well, bringing a smile to the Blessed warrior's face. Astrid nodded, satisfied, and unsheathed a set of shortswords. Then, as she prepared to leave for the hunt, something about her felt… different. Mana poured out of her. It raced alongside her fingers and wreathed her weapons' edges.

That wasn't all too different from [River of Blood]. The Skill coated her blades' edges with the energy granted from Blood Fury. But her mana was not crimson like Blood Fury. There was a green touch to the blades as mana coated their edges. Astrid caught him staring at her and smiled vibrantly. Enjoying the situation, she walked past Hakon and followed Björn, who charged back into the wild.

"At least he knows where to go." Hakon grunted, shaking his head when Björn let out a guttural roar. There was no time to come up with plans or share them with warriors like Björn. That, among other things, wouldn't be any different with the other Barbarians. Some were more patient and did not rush out like that, but the gist wouldn't change. It was a problem he had to solve or learn to exploit if possible. Hefting Crusher, Hakon followed the trail Björn's charge had left behind and caught up to him.

Astrid and Eren were beside him, their attention drifting left and right to take in the scenery around them, while Björn pushed further ahead, clutching a large war-axe in each hand.

"We're on forbidden grounds." Astrid hissed and spun around on her heels to face Hakon.

"We are." The difference was not hard to tell. The forbidden lands were different. There was a weight to the air all over the forbidden lands. The atmosphere was eerie, and it was almost like their connection to the Ancestors was not as firm as it should have been. Either of those factors was noticeable, but only if one was highly perceptive. Neither Björn nor Eren had sensed anything, yet Astrid noticed it almost immediately. She'd caught on even faster than he would have.

"Great," Björn called out, breaking Astrid's eye contact with Hakon as she turned to the Blessed warrior. He noticed the look she threw his way and continued walking deeper into the forbidden lands anyway.

"I don't care." Of course, he did not. Even if the Shaman considered this land cursed, it was still a perfect place to grow more powerful. After all, Barbarians rarely entered the areas the Shaman pronounced cursed. As for those who did, they had greater challenges to face. Most would cease to exist in the forbidden lands, which only confirmed the Shaman's decree, but they were Barbarians. And Barbarians were born to challenge the impossible, even if it meant going against the Shaman.

The Ancestors can always stop us, Hakon told himself, knowing that they would never. If anything, it was almost like they wanted their descendants to break the Shaman's decree. Regardless of their intentions, it was time to slaughter a herd of bloody monsters.