Chương 32: Chapter 28

The next morning, Hakon woke up refreshed. Rays of sunlight slipped through the cracks in the hut's roof, bathing his face in warmth. He got up from the bed and stretched his body with a calmness he didn't know he possessed. Not after spending half a fortnight in the wild and a Fracture.

"The Crawling Expanse." Hakon mused to himself. It had been a painful few nights, but the Fracture was one of the few reasons he reached the 1st Ascension. The other reason was his Ancient Power. Maybe his endurance played a role as well, but so be it.

"I did it." He stepped out of his room, his gaze drifting across the hut's interior. Nothing had changed in his absence. The shelf and its scrolls were still there, and so was just about everything. The only new addition, if one could call it that, was the Maulaxe Crusher. It rested against the wall at his room's entrance.

"You are awake." His father's looming presence reached Hakon before his voice did. He turned to the chieftain.

"Father." The chieftain motioned to his son.

"Follow me."

"A spar?" Hakon asked, but his father shook his head.

"A demonstration." They reached the back of the hut shortly afterward. Several servants could be seen tending to the greenery, pulling weeds from the training grounds and polishing the weapon stands.

"You wield uncommon Skills. Some I am unfamiliar with." The chieftain started, "Even the Shaman appeared surprised about your Runeskin, as well as the Ancestors' decision to aid your recovery, but also some of your Skills. Show them to me." Hakon narrowed his eyes at his father but proceeded. He retrieved the first weapon and triggered [Weapon Mastery]. In the next few minutes, he demonstrated his proficiency at wielding a wide variety of weapons. The chieftain remained unmoving as he watched.

Even when Hakon revealed a proficiency with certain weapons his father did not train him with all that much, he remained silent. Hakon added a second weapon to the demonstration, triggering [Two Weapon Fighting]. Another minute passed before something in the corner of his eye flashed. [Combat Awareness] activated instinctively, and he twisted to the side. A stone barreled past him, missing him by a hair's breadth, but [Combat Awareness] was still active and warning him.

Mana pumped into his legs as he burst to the side, escaping a barrage of pebbles thrown at him with the force to crush a Barbarian's skull. Evading them was only the beginning. Using [Evasion] to guide him, Hakon evaded more projectiles. He skidded to the side, twisted his body until it felt like he was falling apart, yet it was to no avail. The more he evaded, the faster the incoming attacks grew, and it wasn't long before Hakon could no longer escape them.

Once evasion alone was no longer enough, he combined [Two Weapon Fighting] and [Weapon Mastery], his weapons flashing around him in quick and precise movements to block several strikes. At last, he accelerated with [Circulation], once more strength, speed, and flexibility were required. [Combat Awareness] screamed at him suddenly when a pebble coated in a crimson hue cut through the air too fast to be evaded. [Mana Sense] active, he felt a sudden rise of danger.

The mana within the pebble was of a destructive nature and would cause serious harm, so Hakon poured mana into his blades. Activating [Mana Infusion] to guide the process, he forced mana into the blades. They vibrated, seemingly resisting the process, but a faint hue of mana oozed from them as the blades cut through the air and the pebble. A crack echoed in Hakon's ears as the first blade crumbled and clattered to the ground, which was quickly followed by another crack.

A second mana-imbued pebble came barreling at him, and he carved through it as well, but his second blade paid the price. It too fell apart. Spinning around, Hakon faced the chieftain, his body lowered, [Sensory Expansion] and [Flow Observation] activating to analyze his movements. However, the chieftain was done. He stood opposite him with a calm expression, looking like he had never left his position. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

"You already fused your weapon Skills." He noted rather than asking.

"I did." Hakon had no reason to lie to his father.

"I also acquired [Two Weapon Fighting] and a lot more useful Skills."

"I can see that. How many Skills do you have?" The chieftain tilted his head.

"From what I can tell, you do have more than ten Skills already. You have [Pain Tolerance] and Skills resembling [A Giant's Recovery], [Battle Spirit], [Lifeblood Augmentation], and one of my Runeskins." Hakon certainly had more than ten Skills. Checking the Ancient Scripture, he counted a total of 26, which did include the fused Skill. If not for fusing his Skills, he would have exactly 30 Skills, and that sounded ridiculous.

"I have more than 20 Skills already." He revealed, earning a raised eyebrow in response.

"That's a lot. [Weapon Mastery] and [Two Weapon Fighting] take time to acquire. Half a fortnight is nowhere near enough under normal circumstances." The chieftain rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Even if you entered a Fracture, you should not have been this fast."

"Could it be his Bloodline?" He muttered to himself, either not realizing that Hakon could hear him or simply not caring. The chieftain looked at him once more.

"Your Ancient Power?" Hakon nodded slowly, bringing the faintest hint of a smile to his father's lips.

"Tell me your Saga, son. Don't leave anything out, starting from the Rite. Even if you believe I know what happened, tell me everything!" That was not a request. It was an order, and Hakon complied with a racing heart. It was the first time someone asked him about his Saga, and he would be a fool not to share it. May the Ancestors be listening. He intoned in his heart before reciting all that had happened since the Rite. Not even a moon had passed since then, but he had a lot to tell. And he did so pridefully.

Retelling his Saga took longer than expected. Morning had given way to noon by the time he finished telling his father about the Battle of Generation from his point of view. Hakon was not particularly proud of his storytelling ability, but it improved considerably as he leaned into the prodding in the back of his mind. Enhanced Comprehension helped him reduce the redundancy in his Saga.

It guided him through the tale, making sure it stayed engaging and action-packed, yet still emphasizing the importance of his Ancient Power. For Enhanced Comprehension does not require combat and bloodshed to earn the Ancestors' grace. The chieftain listened intently. He interrupted Hakon only when his son struggled, asking about his gains, how they came to be, and to show him all the other things he had acquired.

He returned the Acidic Beetle Totem to Hakon and inquired about his Runeskin, which led to yet another quick demonstration. The chieftain had to punch Hakon a few times to charge Hoard Impact. He did so without hesitation, which led to a level increase of [Pain Tolerance]. They didn't charge Hoard Impact to the fullest, but only enough to trigger the Runeskin. They did so, unleashing a beam the width of his pinky at the chieftain.

The damage it dealt was not worth mentioning when used against a Barbarian at the 5th Ascension, but the chieftain seemed impressed anyway.

"Ulfar survived a fully charged blow of that?" he mused to himself.

"His Behemoth Blood is strong." To say that after watching the Battle of Generation and severing Ulfar's arm did not sit quite right in Hakon's mind, but he listened to his father anyway.

"I don't believe Ulfar will do anything stupid. Not if honor and the Ancestors' guidance still carry meaning in his heart. But if they no longer mean anything to him…" The chieftain stared Hakon deep in the eyes.

"Kill him. If he dares to attack you, you need to be strong enough to end him. In one strike, before he can harm the tribe or burn through his Ancient Power. Because if he does, this–all of it–will be as problematic as Pearot's aggression." Hakon raised a brow at his father. He did not think Ulfar would attack him openly. Ulfar may be a problem, but the Ancestors watched the Battle of Generation. Going against their will would result in a worse punishment than death.

He would no longer be allowed to feast with the Ancestors. His Saga would be forfeited, and all that is promised to their greatest warriors would be stripped away. No matter how ambitious and angry Ulfar was, Hakon did not think he was in any danger. Not as long as he was in the tribe. In the wild… that might be different.

"I think he's more likely to leave the tribe. Join Tribe Pearot." Hakon shrugged, before guiding the conversation to a more interesting topic.

"Tribe Pearot… how much of a problem are they?" It was the first time the chieftain talked this much with Hakon. Before the Rite, their conversations had been short and one-sided. He had never been good enough in his father's eyes. But that had changed. His rapid growth made his father curious. His victory in the Battle of Generation earned him praise and attention. He was no longer the same man he used to be. He was a warrior, one worthy of the older generation's respect.

His father understood that, and he treated him in kind. So he told Hakon all he needed to know. About the past, the present, and the future that awaited him. And when he was done, everything had changed. Life no longer felt the same, yet his father behaved like he always did. Almost.

"Now, go read, or whatever you have to do to grow stronger." He said with utter calmness. It was far from perfect, but hearing his father say that meant the world to Hakon.