Chapter 45

Blue mist, fueled with sparks so potent they smelled of power, filled the clearing as the Terror Deer herd disintegrated. Other than a few antlers, which had been removed as trophies of their first hunt together, everything had been sacrificed to the Ancestors.

Spilled intestines and the pools of blood snaking through the clearing dematerialized alongside the carcasses, leaving only small specks from the blood Eren, Björn, and Hakon had shed during the battle.

“That… was amazing,” Eren exclaimed between ragged breaths.

“A herd of Terror Deer,” Björn said, all while smiling through the pain. He glanced back to Hakon, his smile widening. “You picked worthy prey. The Ancestors are excited.”

As he spoke, the blue mist dissipated. Traces flowed toward Hakon and his friends, filling them with energy. It was nowhere near as potent as the energy provided in the Fracture, but Hakon embraced the sensation nonetheless. Eyes closed, he focused on the mana mass lodged deep within him. It tremored ever so slightly, making him think that his next Level was nearing.

If there was one thing he had noticed about the mana mass, it was that it grew alongside him. Its tremors and growth spurts were usually directly related to level-ups.

“Of course, the Ancestors are excited. They’re watching the rise of the next Warlord, after all,” Astrid murmured, but the others could hear her. Their heads turned to her, and they stared at her with mixed emotions. Hakon let out a grunt, while Eren nodded in agreement. Björn just smiled, his emotions hidden behind a mischievous smile.

“What? The era of the next Warlord is coming, and I am not going to bet my life on others.” Astrid turned to the others. “The tribe has already accepted him as the Successor, but that is not enough. War is coming.” She shook her head. “No, we are already at war.”

Even if Tribe Taskur had not yet been involved in the war, Hakon couldn’t help but agree. They were already at war. Tribe Pearot and the aggressive acts of the other tribes in recent cycles had been a statement. They were already at war, even if the younger generation couldn’t see it just yet.

“One step at a time,” Hakon called out loud enough for everyone to hear. “We should recover first.”

Björn leaped to his feet at that, his war axes at the ready. “I am ready!”

As if to highlight his lie, the worst wounds burst open from the sudden movement. Björn was trying hard to ignore the blood flowing down his chest in streams, but the corners of his lips twitched.

“I can see that. Totally fine.” Hakon grimaced. He conjured a small mana sphere, which he compressed and reinforced with the little mana he’d recovered, and released it at Björn, hitting him right between his brows.

More surprised than hurt, Björn let out a groan and stumbled back. Tripping over a root, the Blessed warrior fell onto his butt. All the while, more of his wounds tore back open, showing quite clearly that he was, in fact, not ready to barge into another fight.

“Proper recovery is important. If you fail to recover properly, you won’t be able to give your best in combat. And that is disrespectful to your opponent and thus an affront to the Ancestors,” Astrid spoke eloquently, using big words Hakon hadn’t heard before.

Still, the message was clear. Even Björn, who looked more confused than anything, nodded in understanding.

That gave them the time to take care of yet another important point: to discuss their earlier fight. As frustrating as it was, even to Hakon, some part of their fight against the Terror Deer herd had been even more frustrating than a battle review. He made sure to tell Björn that his charge into the herd had been reckless and foolish, and pointed out all the other things he’d noticed.

While nobody seemed particularly happy to get called out like that so shortly after their first successful hunt together, they didn’t stop him. Instead, they stared at him as he spent quite some time analyzing the battle and what everyone could have done better.

“As expected from the Successor,” Björn muttered, but his voice wasn’t mocking or anything like that. He sounded genuine, if a little frustrated about getting called out like that, which surprised Hakon.

“Expected?”

“You are great, Successor,” Eren called out, sounding almost excited. “I will fight better next time!”

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Astrid nodded seriously. He had the least advice for her, but Hakon caught her trying too hard to learn [Flow Control] and [Dash]. She had yet to learn either of those Skills, which was mostly owed to a simple problem–force of habit. Part of the reason was probably also that Hakon wasn’t the best teacher and that Astrid didn’t like to expel impurities when he was present, but the habits she had acquired in the short time since she’d awakened were difficult to get rid of.