Chieftain of the Endless Plains
Starting the 9th Floor Trial.
The 9th Floor Trial is ‘Lead the tribe to settle down, cultivate crops, and increase the tribe's population to more than 100 people.’ Complete settlement, farming, and population growth in any order.
I blinked my eyes open to find myself standing in the middle of some vast plain. My outfit was a shabby, crude fur wrap made from animal hides. Endless primitive grasslands stretched out around me, with a horizon that seemed to go on forever. The air was crisp and clean when I inhaled, and the sky was a brilliant, clear blue.
And surrounding me were about fifty young men and women gazing at me with looks of utter devotion.
That's right. I'd become the chieftain of a small tribe.
"...Huh. Where the fuck is this?"
"Chieftain? Why are you suddenly acting like this?"
"Hey, where are we? This ain't Korea, right?"
"Korea? What's that?"
"...Korea... Korea is... uh... What the hell was Korea again? ...Ah, so this is some kind of knowledge and common sense restriction. Fucking annoying."
Every time I tried to explain what Korea was, my mind went blank, thoughts evaporating, words dying in my throat. The more I pushed, the hazier it got—like Korea was slipping away into nothingness.
"Pardon? Knowledge and common sense restriction? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Forget it. Never mind. Trying to explain just gives me a headache. Just tell me where the hell we are."
"This is... a place with lots of grass."
"Fuck. I can see that, dumbass. I mean, like, where is this place?"
It was obvious at a glance—this was grassland, full of nothing but grass. Hardly any trees, just wide-open plains. The kind of land sheep or cows would love.
"Uh... it's a place with lots of grass."
"Haa... fuck... Fine. You're rarer than a smart retard..."
One of the tribe members under me tilted his head, clearly not grasping what I was saying or asking. He just mumbled that since it was a place with lots of grass, and the chieftain suddenly couldn't understand that, muttering to himself.
With the horizon stretching endlessly and not a single mountain in sight... this sure as hell wasn't the Korean Peninsula, where mountains covered 70% of the land. Back home, no matter where you looked, there was always a damn hill or peak. Here, it was the opposite.
Not starting on the Korean Peninsula... Where the fuck am I, then?
I'd have preferred to kick off civilization there if possible.
Maybe check the local geography or constellations to figure out my position and head to the Korean Peninsula?
...Huh? Korean Peninsula? Constellations? What the hell were those again?
Forgot. My memory was fuzzy. Felt like something important, though.
"Fuck it, whatever. Just clear the trial. Settle down, farm, get the tribe to 100 people. But settling down on the Korean Peninsula... Ah, what was that again?"
Kept hitting mental blocks from somewhere. No helping it. I'd settle in this 'Korean Peninsula' place instead of here. Start with what I could do.
"Alright. Farming first. Hey, you—know how to farm?"
"Farming? Sure, I know how. Plant seeds and water them."
"No, fuckhead. I know that much, moron. I mean the real shit—like fertilizer, plowing, transplanting rice, furrows... ...Huh? What're those?"
"Chieftain, what's wrong with you? You've been weird all day."
"Haa... Never mind. Hold on a sec."
I realized I needed some history or info on this tribe. So I bought virtual memories and experiences from the system.
Guess I didn't buy Diablo for the 8th floor. ...Eh, no real need anyway.
It flowed in like watching a long movie—the virtual memories and experiences from the 8th and 9th floors. That's when I finally got why that tribe member kept calling it a 'place with lots of grass.'
That was literally the name of this region among us tribe folk.
Who the fuck named it like that? So goddamn confusing.
According to the 9th floor virtual memories and experiences, I was the chieftain of these 50 people. It was my job to lead them and keep them fed.
"Hmm. Got it. Classic tribal society. We split off from a bigger tribe due to disease and food shortages, huh."
"Pardon? Ah, yes. That's right. The plague hit, so to survive, us young ones left the big chieftain's tribe to pioneer new lands and find a better place."
"Yeah. I get it now."
A small group of young tribe members who broke off from a larger tribe to solve disease and food issues. That was our reality. And the reason I was chieftain of this fledgling tribe? Simple—I was the son of the old big tribe's chieftain.
"Chieftain, we're hungry."
"Chieftain, should we scout the area?"
"Chieftain, give us your orders."
"Chieftain..."
"Chieftain...?"
"Chieftain...!"
"Shut the fuck up! Everyone, quiet down!"
I wasn't some natural-born leader. But I couldn't just let the tribe I'd inherited go to shit. And in this ancient era, I had the most important thing: raw power.
My pure base abilities, stats, and skills are fully applied here. ...Meaning no one in this place can beat me.
With Awakener Level 22 strength, I could dodge bullets if I saw the gun. Over Level 20 was comic-book hero territory, so these regular tribe grunts were no match at all.
"Hey, anyone dissatisfied with how I've been running things—step up. I'll give you a shot personally. Beat me, and you're chieftain."
I decided to crush their morale right from the start. Especially the men—needed them fully submissive. 'Cause I was gonna work 'em like dogs.
And dudes with dicks always need a clear pecking order established by force early on to keep the group stable.
Fifty young men and women, neatly paired twenty-five each—twenty-five hot-blooded young bucks. Give 'em a challenge, and of course they'd bite.
"Chieftain! Don't regret saying that!"
"Me too! I'll challenge you!"
"I wanna be chieftain too! You've been spouting weird shit, I don't trust you!"
"Fine, you fucks. All of you, come at me. Anyone pissed off, wanna be chieftain, or just challenge me—bring it."
Out of the twenty-five guys, twenty charged. Fists and kicks flew. And they all got wrecked.
Dodge left, punch. Feint right, step back, roundhouse kick. No weapons—just bare fists and feet—but I evaded everything, then countered with one-twos and kicks.
Even if these ancient-era dudes trained their bodies decently, they were still normies. Nowhere near my level.
"Urgh... I never knew our chieftain was this strong..."
"Kuh... Chieftain... when did you get so powerful...?"
"Guess it's 'cause you're so big... Chieftain's too strong..."
"Kuhuhu. You worthless shits. Train harder and try again. Challenges welcome anytime."
I swept my gaze over the tribe's females. The young women in my tribe stared at me all dreamy-eyed.
Strong man gets many women. A universal truth from ancient times to now.
"From now on, all the women in our tribe are mine."
"Ehh!? ...W-what!?"
"No way, Chieftain!"
"Chieftain! I didn't challenge you...! Let me be with Young-soon!"
"Jealous? Beat me then. Come at me."
"““...W-what!”””
The twenty-five young men's vibe turned ugly. Looked like they might shank me in my sleep. So I eased up a bit.
"...But stand out, and I'll give you a woman. Bring food, raid another tribe and win, and you get one. Especially—kill men from other tribes, and I'll give you that many women."
"...Oh, I see. If it's like that... Fine. Accepted."
Simple-minded fucks. Promise women for merit, and the complaints vanished. Some even itched to raid other tribes—earning glares from the women and those guys alike.
Men's gripes died down, but now the women grumbled. Said they weren't objects. But women naturally submit to the strongest male. If they don't listen, smack their asses. They'll obey after that.
No laws here against hitting women, no human rights bullshit.
"Good. While I spend time loving our tribe's women, you men—all of you—go scout. Hunt anything you find on the way."
"““...Got it, Chieftain.”””