28
Chapter 28
The Tribe Alliance returned after completing the subjugation.
"Chief, what kind of blessing is it?"
"Is it a blessing only the Chief receives?"
The Barbarian Warriors, gathering around Totem No. 1 for healing, looked at Kanto with curiosity.
"I don't know. If it's given, it's given. Why does it matter what it is or if I'm the only one getting it?"
Despite his words, the corners of Kanto's mouth refused to drop.
This guy, is he really that happy? It's not even that big of a deal.
"Hahaha! Chief Rake, look at this! I'm the first to be blessed."
"Shut up before I kill you."
"Hahahahaha!"
Even in the face of Rake's chilly death threat, Kanto's laughter didn't fade.
Maybe it's because he thinks he's been chosen by me, but he's brimming with confidence. Usually, he would've been intimidated.
"What's going on?"
"Well, they say Chief Blue Moss is going to receive a blessing. A very rare one that only one person can get."
"Poor Chief of ours; she followed Lord Mallak around everywhere, only to be beaten to the punch."
"How tragic."
The Barbarian women were whispering a short distance away from the altar.
Seriously, ladies. I can hear everything. How is it that I can hear your whispers so clearly?
Rake, who has even better hearing than I do, must have heard it too, as her body trembled.
If I drag this out any longer, Rake's blood pressure is just going to spike.
- Chief Kanto. Come before me and receive the blessing.
"Yes!!!"
Kanto answered thunderously and stepped confidently in front of Totem No. 1.
His shoulders were squared with pride.
[Would you like to bestow the blessing 'Berserker's Aura' upon the Believer 'Kanto'?]
Click.
[The blessing 'Berserker's Aura' has been bestowed upon the Believer 'Kanto'.]
Click.
A god bestowing a blessing upon a believer with just two clicks.
I can't help but wonder if this is a bit too lacking in divinity and solemnity.
Thank goodness only I can see this button and the status window.
"Oh... oh! I can feel the power surging!"
Kanto made a scene, boasting to the other warriors.
I mean, he doesn't even know what the blessing is, so why does he feel a surge of power? Is this the placebo effect?
- The blessing bestowed upon you is 'Berserker's Aura.' It is a blessing containing the spirit of one called the strongest warrior. He mastered the art of growing stronger in the heat of battle. No matter how disadvantaged you are, if you refuse to give up and keep fighting, you will grow stronger and stronger.
Of course, that's all complete nonsense. But you need this kind of 'storytelling' to make it look impressive.
"Berserker's Aura! To think I can keep getting stronger while fighting! This is clearly the greatest blessing! Thank you, Lord Mallak!"
Kanto slammed his head into the ground as if he were about to perform a full kowtow.
- Forget the gratitude, just test the blessing.
Actually, I'm the one who wants to see it. Usually, you can't really get a feel for what a skill or blessing does just by reading the description.
I need to see specifically how he gets stronger.
"Who will spar with Kanto, son of Find and Ulla?!"
"Me."
"Who is it!"
Kanto ignored Rake and turned his head toward the other warriors.
At least he knows his place.
"Even if you're the Chief, I can't stand your arrogance. I, Dodo, son of Tutu and Lulu, will be your opponent."
Thud! Thump! Whack!
"Gah~!"
"Next!"
The milk-chest youth was beaten soundly and sent flying.
He was never a match for Kanto to begin with; I wonder what gave him the confidence to jump in.
"How boring! If you're confident in your skills, all of you come up here!"
Is this guy drunk? What's he going to do if he gets thrashed like the Beaver Demon?
"Hmm."
Several warriors exchanged glances. Then, with a nod, they stepped forward toward Kanto.
It was five strong warriors, including Denjo and Una.
"Five of the top warriors! This will be more than enough."
The altar had turned into a training ground.
For now, should I turn off the Totem of Healing? If he keeps getting healed, it'll be hard to gauge the effect of the Berserker's Aura.
They're only using fists, so it shouldn't be a problem.
"Hya!"
"Yah!"
The five of them lunged at him all at once.
"Urgh!"
He managed to block at first, but as expected, he couldn't handle the numerical disadvantage and continued to take effective hits.
Denjo's tanking, Una's surprise attacks, and three other warriors grabbing and dragging him down.
Kanto had become a freak getting gang-beaten by a group of Power Rangers.
Still, he holds up well, perhaps because his endurance is naturally high. He's proving that those bulging muscles aren't just for show.
"Aaaah!"
Kanto, who had become a human punching bag, let out a shout and threw one of the warriors by the arm.
His speed was noticeably faster than before. Is the medicine—no, the blessing—finally kicking in?
"Power! I can feel the power surging!"
With that, he shook off Una, who had been clinging to his left arm.
If you say you feel power surging after getting beaten to a pulp, you just look like a masochist.
Clearly faster and stronger than when he started, Kanto pushes forward, blocking the attacks of the other four.
The warrior he had thrown tried to come back and stop him, but it was impossible.
"Gah!"
Three warriors tried to grab and subdue Kanto, but instead, all three were lifted up and slammed into the ground.
I thought the physical abilities would increase slowly and marginally, but that wasn't the case at all.
"Urgh!"
Now more than 1.5 times stronger than usual, Berserker Kanto delivered a kick to Denjo's shoulder, knocking him out of the fight.
"Guh!"
He then took down Una, who had been using a hit-and-run strategy. He didn't just knock her down; he punched her in the stomach, leaving her breathless.
Even for a spar, is it really okay to punch a woman in the stomach?
Well, she's a warrior, not just a woman, right?
I flinched for a moment, still bound by the common sense of Earth.
Right, for true gender equality, one must treat everyone as a warrior regardless of sex. Una is a warrior, so she must have trained her abs.
The Barbarians watching didn't seem to have any objections either.
"Lord Mallak! Did you see! I, Kanto, am utilizing the blessing you bestowed perfectly!"
- Impressive.
"I feel myself getting stronger the more I fight! My body is still overflowing with power!"
I think I heard him mutter "If it's now..."
Uh, Kanto. Don't look that way. You can't beat her with that level of blessing.
"Chief Rake! I challenge you to a spar!"
Please, just stop...
"Aaaagh!"
"Stop whining and get up. Let's see how strong you've actually become."
My friend... know your place.
***
The time had come to practice the Zombie Control blessing.
Currently, two corpses of worshippers lay before the altar. One had been a farmer, and the other a soldier.
These were the ones I had asked Paya to collect.
Even though the monsters had mutated, they didn't look much different from humans. It was repulsive, but I could bear it. I'd already seen plenty of death.
I used Zombie Control on the farmer first.
Let's see... he can stand up well, and his hands move too.
His left eye was damaged, so his vision was impaired, but this was usable enough.
Now, shall I try the soldier?
Hmm... he doesn't move well. It feels a bit more burdensome.
What could be the difference?
Weight class? Not a huge difference. Time since death? Likely similar.
They're both male, so I can't check that. Intimacy with the user... that's nonsense.
Because he was a soldier, his physical abilities were superior? That's the only thing that makes sense.
The soldier's body would have been more trained than the farmer's.
But what does physical strength have to do with Zombie Control?
Since it's a shamanic power, does physical ability even matter?
...A fact I had forgotten suddenly came to mind.
I'm possessed inside a game.
Even if this world isn't actually a game, there's a high probability that this status window is a perk bestowed upon me by a transcendent being.
In games, it's a natural law that moving stronger entities requires more resources or proficiency.
From what I've seen so far, this status window has been faithfully following game logic.
Perhaps the same applies to this Zombie Control blessing.
That means even if I get a strong corpse, I won't be able to control it easily.
I should use points to raise the grade of the blessing.
- Hmm.
Today's schedule is over. Should I try attacking the village again tomorrow?
If I leave too long of a gap between attacks, the demons might notice and prepare, or they might spread Devil's Sight everywhere. George actually struggled because of that.
The Snail Demon was tucked away in a village more remote than others, so it seemed to pass quietly, but the two demons I dealt with today had adjacent villages within a few kilometers.
I think there were about three; I'll have to subjugate them all.
[Corrupted Power Knight: Newbies, you should read through the community posts carefully.]
[Full Play: It's best to leave the caves within three days. The Infected are weak anyway.]
[If Use President's Power: If we hadn't played the game in the first place, we wouldn't be suffering...]
[I Trusted the Monkey Uncle: That Kimchi Man Die bastard... surely... he's not a 'feminist', is he?]
I fell asleep while browsing the community, which was noisy with people welcoming the newbies.
The next day, while searching the area after defeating three low-tier demons with the Tribe Alliance warriors.
"You ignorant barbarians! Get back this instant! This is the domain of Archmage Harry Francis Winston!"
I encountered a situation I hadn't expected.