Chương 34: 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 The nearly useless wooden palisade had been replaced by a sturdy stone wall, though it stood only around two and a half meters tall.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.

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"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.