Chapter 6

Unable to focus on too many things simultaneously, Hakon discarded [Dash]. It was too complex and drained most of his concentration to use and maintain. A single mistake and the Skill would fail, he’d cough up blood, and the Wind Wolves would pounce on him on all sides.

He focused on his bone dagger and [Combat Awareness] instead. The Wind Wolves skulked around him, their snarls ringing in his ears, yet they didn’t strike immediately. The monsters took their sweet time, waiting for him to make the first move instead. But Hakon waited, head flicking left and right until a smaller Wind Wolf let out a deep growl.

It shot toward Hakon, moving like the wind, yet it was nowhere near as fast as he remembered the Wind Wolf he’d fought a few cycles ago. Even the mature one he’d just killed had been much slower than expected.

He took advantage of that, analyzed the monster’s movement pattern, and struck out. The bone dagger carved a deep gash into the wolf’s front leg and would have inflicted a more severe wound if the other Wind Wolves hadn’t joined their brethren in time. Three monsters came to their brethren’s aid in time, forcing Hakon to rush to the side.

Fangs and claws whipped past him as he made a berth around them. He knew [Combat Awareness] flooded his senses with information, but the result was magical. The Wind Wolves failed to hit him, and he even managed to swipe the bone dagger across one of the larger wolves’ snouts.

It yelped right as a message from the Ancestors materialized. Hakon willed the message to fade until the end of battle and hurled the bone dagger at the bleeding wolf. His free hand had already reached for one of his handaxes, and his other hand soon followed as soon as the bone dagger struck in the monster’s neck. It didn’t kill the wolf right away, the throw too weak, the angle not quite right, and his momentum off.

Recognizing the mistakes, Hakon’s handaxes raked across the closest Wind Wolf side and neck before he kicked it down, opening a path to the very same wolf he’d just used as a practice dummy. It had retreated to the back to lick its wounds, but ended up with an axe lodged in its skull a moment later.

A satisfied grunt later, Hakon retrieved his sword. Wielding the sword in one hand and the remaining handaxe in the other, he was ready to dispatch the last threats.

They eyed him more vigilantly than before, the little intelligence they had finally recognized that he was not the weak prey they thought he was. Carrying two weapons felt natural as Hakon closed the distance, yet the sense of wrongness thumbing in the back of his mind was stronger than before. He blocked an incoming claw swipe with his sword, twisted the blade, and created an opening for his axe, wounding the monster’s leg. It was no severe wound but the Wind Wolf was limping, its greatest strength taken away.

He adjusted to the aid granted by Enhanced Comprehension as much as he could afford, but it was too much for him to handle. [Combat Awareness] flared up just in time as he twisted his upper body to escape the wolf he’d cut first, and rammed his sword into its chest. Swirling around, his arm cleaving down, splitting the second wolf’s skull with a sickening crunch. Most of the axe blade disappeared in the wolf’s skull and needed a good pull to retrieve.

Hakon didn’t bother with that and let go of the axe, his attention on the last wolf. It was already injured, its side torn open, blood gushing from the deep cut in its neck, but it was not yet dead. A swift approach and one slash later, that was no longer the case: The monster’s head thudded to the ground, the rest of its body following shortly.

The heated battle came to an end. His enemies died, their failure to claw and bite him following into their grave.

“I did it!” Hakon exclaimed, eyes lingering on the Wind Wolves. It was merely a small pack of five, but they were mature and would have easily preyed on him – or just about anyone else – before the Rite. Even right after the Rite, nobody would have escaped the Wind Wolves unscathed.

“Astrid excluded…and maybe Ulfar.” He relented with a grunt, pointedly ignoring that Björn and Bloodbearers would have won regardless. They’d be wounded, but their wounds would have healed rapidly, their physical Ancient Powers enhancing their natural regeneration.

That does not matter. I survived. Although it was nowhere near a flawless fight, Hakon was satisfied – for now.

The next fight will be better. He thought several messages popped up, confirming that he did well enough.

[Dagger Mastery has been recognized. Skill generated. Level adjusted to proficiency.]

[Skill [Throwing] has been learned.]

[Axe Mastery has been recognized. Skill generated. Level adjusted to proficiency.]

He felt like [Combat Awareness] was close to the next Level and that he’d soon have enough experience to level up himself, but that did not diminish the excitement of his gains in the slightest.

If anything, his gains affirmed once more that the Ancestors hadn’t forgotten him.

“Please accept the flesh and blood of my foes as tribute, oh Great Ones.” He intoned, leaving the Wind Wolf carcasses for them to claim – after retrieving his weapons.

The bodies disintegrated as he departed bringing a smile to his lips, but he slowed momentarily, eyes narrowed, as something brushed past him.

What was that?

The sensation disappeared at once, and he resumed his journey, smiling, feeling as though the Ancestors were watching.

His first hunt after awakening was a success. The result far surpassed Hakon’s expectations, but it only pushed him to expect more of himself.

[Combat Awareness]. A powerful Skill that contributed greatly to his overwhelming victory. His father never mentioned the Skill to him, which urged Hakon all the more to learn and understand it.

His fight with the chieftain rewarded the Skill, which now aided him to perceive the battlefield much easier. It was like his senses improved in battle now that he earned [Combat Awareness], but that was not enough for Hakon. He wanted – no, needed – to understand the inner workings of the Skill.

“I read Father’s movements during the spar. Anticipated his attacks. Tried to strike the weak spots.” Hakon mused quietly, head drumming from all the thinking, “My movement was better as well. Like I knew where I had to stand…or where I should not stand. The Wind Wolves were simple to dispatch. It was almost too simple. They attacked together, but I…I knew where they were and could react faster than normally. Their attacks were slow. Not too slow to evade easily…” Yet that was exactly what he did.

His ability to assess and adapt to the situation at hand increased rapidly in battle. Hakon’s perception was unlike anything he remembered, yet it only lasted until the end of battle.

The prodding in the back of his head grew more intense, and he expected the Ancestors to send a message. But [Combat Awareness] did not reach the next level just like that. It would have been too simple.

“One more fight.” Hakon calmed his excitement, his attention shifting to [Dash]. The movement Skill had helped him in the battle as well, but it was too dangerous to use blindly. It was not like Hakon disliked the Skill, yet the dangers it carried in combat were not that simple to overlook. The Skill’s complexity and how easily it could fail.

His father and other Barbarians would beat him for thinking badly about the Ancestors’ gifts. Good thing they couldn’t read his mind. Unfortunately, Hakon could not stop reading his own thoughts either. They bothered him more and more as the big words he learned the night before carried ideas and thoughts he would have never dared to think. Not before he awakened Enhanced Comprehension, at least.

But now that he did awaken, his Ancient Power of The Mind, things had changed. Everything had changed. He was free to think and to imagine. For the Ancestors rewarded him generously for his creativity.

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Deep in thought, Hakon almost missed the rustling bushes to his right. His guard was up once more, and he prepared for yet another bloody battle, only to be faced with a mass of wiggling roots and vines.

“What even is that?” Hakon narrowed his eyes at the plant, but didn’t close in on it. Moving plants were usually a sign of trouble. His father told him enough stories of plants that ate great warriors. Some poked the greatest of warriors, breaking their skin before depositing spores inside them…eating them inside out.

His father’s stories may have been used to scare children, and might as well not be true, but it was best to avoid amalgamations of the forest. After all, even the greatest warriors respected the dangers of the forest.

His venture carried the young Barbarian deeper into the forest. More unique plants met his eyes, and he took it upon himself to avoid all those that appeared like Barbarian-swallowing things. The tree-sized mushrooms he found were not all that dangerous but there were carcasses near them, so he avoided them as well. Especially since those carcasses didn’t show any signs of physical wounds.

His mind was rattling as he roamed the forest, making sure to avoid the territories of the strongest monsters – or those he knew about – while also ensuring he’d avoid spots where monsters could strike him by surprise. The latter was not all that easy as the nature around him seemed more alive and flourishing the deeper he ventured.

He was sure to have entered the forbidden lands when something wreathed around his heart. It felt heavy all of a sudden, and the pain he’d experienced from using mana resurfaced. And that while he wasn’t even using mana. It was just there, pressuring him, making him feel like he had to turn around and leave.

The sensation was eerie, yet Hakon seemed to have forgotten about the forest’s danger as he continued onward.

I don’t care. I need power. He repeated in his mind over and over again like a mantra of some sort. His peers could be taught. They had methods and techniques to help the young awakened Level quickly and gain certain Skills – Skills tied to their Ancient Power – relatively quickly. To regain the upper hand, he had to take a risk.

And that he did. Hakon ventured through the forbidden lands for what felt like an eternity before something caught his attention.