Chapter 39: Digestion (2)
Chapter 39: Digestion (2)
"So, you’re saying you brought back nothing?"
In a remote area some distance from Arhan’s village, a chilling voice echoed from within a dilapidated shack hidden by towering trees. The owner of that voice was a decrepit old man. His face was a map of deep wrinkles as he reclined in a creaking rocking chair.
"Y-yes. He said... he said there was n-nothing to give me. He looked at me like I was a leper."
"Hmm. I dressed you in such a pitiful state to maximize human sympathy, yet it was all for naught. Stirring human emotion is truly a difficult task. A pathetic orphan, a beggar’s appearance, a starving young girl—I thought those three factors would be enough."
"I-I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."
In front of the old man spitting those cold words stood a girl, bowing her head piteously in apology. Stained with patches of dust, she looked so gaunt that she seemed ready to snap at the slightest touch.
"Still, you’ve learned something useful. I thought it was a deserted village, but it turns out there is a human staying there. Moreover, contrary to the rumors of monsters or another Black Mage having already claimed the territory, it’s just a single girl who knows a bit of swordsmanship..."
The old man chuckled, tapping the arm of his chair with a finger.
"Based on the eyes I’ve scattered, she is a 「Sword Walker」 at best. I should clear her out quickly and establish a new Labyrinth there. I was getting tired of this filthy shack anyway. I’d like to wash with hot water for the first time in a long while."
"T-then, will you forgive me...?"
"No. Even if you obtained good information, you failed to carry out the task I originally commanded, did you not?"
The old man leaned forward slowly and snapped his fingers. At that, the girl, who had been bowing her head, was jerked upright by an invisible force. The old man scanned her with cold eyes.
"My command was to bring back something to eat—and you failed. Therefore, you must be punished for that failure. My child, that is the way of a wizard."
"Ah, ah..."
"Let us starve for just one more week. I was just becoming curious about what phenomena occur in the body of a child who has starved for over ten days. I intend to conduct magical research by dissecting you, piece by piece."
At the old man’s words, the girl’s pupils shook violently.
As tears welled in her eyes, the old man reached out a wrinkled hand and stroked her hair. Then, he spoke in a benevolent voice.
"Why that face, Hailyn? When I am finished speaking, you should offer your thanks."
As the old man stroked her hair, the girl, Hailyn, forced her lips into a smile, ignoring the trembling of her body. That was the only thing she could do in front of the old mage.
"Y-yes. Th-thank you."
All to stay alive.
"If you starve well for a week, I will let you eat that girl who chased you away. I’ve been curious. What phenomenon occurs when a human swallows another human whole without cooking them? And what emotions would they feel...?"
Hailyn could only continue to smile despite the horrific words poured upon her. She cursed her tragic fate for falling into the clutches of this terrifying Black Mage.
*
I built a fire and heated 「Wildness」. Heating and eating this obscenely large sword was a grueling task in itself. Just lifting it with both hands was a struggle, and its size made it impossible to put into my mouth all at once.
「It is as if you have caught a great beast and are roasting it whole for a feast.」
"I have to eat it all by myself, so isn't this torture rather than a feast?"
「Wildness」, the sword said to have been used by an Orc in his lifetime, was far too large. I doubted if even renowned knights could swing this thing. It was astonishing that this was a blade made to be used as a weapon. At this size, it seemed more like something crafted as a religious symbol or an ornamental piece for a statue.
"Phew."
After heating the sword in the fire, I broke it into manageable pieces. Then, I slowly placed a shard of 「Wildness」 into my mouth. The fragments of the sword went wild inside my mouth, and a terrible, stabbing pain surged through me.
"Ugh."
Since I couldn't swallow it all at once, I had to endure this pain continuously—chewing, swallowing, picking up another piece, and repeating the process. It was twice as painful as any sword I had consumed before.
"Ugh, damn it."
My throat felt torn, my tongue was pierced, and my entire body felt as though it were being incinerated from the inside, as if I had swallowed a ball of fire. It felt like my brain was boiling and about to melt, but I had to endure. I gritted my teeth and held on to my consciousness. Even as the blue sky turned yellow and the bright sunlight grew dim, I persisted. I doggedly chewed and swallowed every last fragment of 「Wildness」.
I felt like I had been thrown into a blast furnace alive. A boiling pain invaded everything from my stomach to my intestines, my heart, my brain, and even my eyeballs. Every time I breathed, I had the illusion of flames flickering in my vision. I clenched my fists so hard that my fingernails dug into my palms, drawing blood. With every hair on my body standing on end, memories began to surge forth along with the heat.
Memories of the sword’s former master, which were not my own.
『There is no paradise in the place you flee to.』
『Those words guided my entire life.』
*
There is no paradise in the place you flee to.
Those words guided my entire life.
"Berik!"
My mother gave birth to me under the scorching sun on the Great Plains adjacent to the Sky Mountain Range. My mother was a brave Orc warrior, and she wished that the first thing her child heard upon entering the world would not be a groan of pain. Thus, without the help of a midwife, she gave birth to me while drenched in sweat under the sun, biting her lips shut.
"Berik, my son."
My mother wished for her son to become a brave warrior. It is the dream of every Orc mother. Therefore, she overcame the pain of childbirth with a clear mind and welcomed my face with a smile, without a single scream. It was a great feat. However, nature was harsh. Perhaps because she gave birth in such a poor environment, or because she was of an advanced age, or perhaps because her destined lifespan was simply short, my mother passed away not long after giving birth to me.
To the side of the Ancestor’s Soul.
"It is alright, Berik. She will be with us."
The words of the Shaman who led the funeral provided me no comfort. How could she be with us when I could no longer be held in her arms, eat with her, or hear her words of love? While the other Orcs danced stoically, I harbored doubts.
I felt the same doubt when my brothers died bravely facing the monsters of the Great Plains, and when my friends recklessly challenged Imperial Knights to duels and were brought back dead.
Contrary to the wishes of my mother, who endured such pain to give birth to me, I was an Orc who was not like an Orc. I was afraid of death. Therefore, I could not be brave. An Orc who is not brave is a contradiction in terms. Thus, everyone despised me.
"Berik! You again, chwik!"
An Orc should not have doubts.
A warrior is one who stands tall against even the most powerful enemy and accepts death with composure. To be an Orc is to be able to face the world to protect one's kin. I could not do that. So, everyone called me Cowardly Berik.
"Did you run away from a fight again, Berik?"
I fled from a Giant Wolf, I trembled in silence before a giant made of rock, and when my friends were beheaded after losing their proud challenges to knights, I merely lowered my head and kept my mouth shut instead of seeking revenge. Because I was afraid of death.
So, I once asked my father.
"Father! Are you! Not afraid! Of death!"
My father was a brave Orc warrior and a man respected by many of our kin. My father’s back, which I had watched since I was a child, was always large and dependable. The fangs he showed when he laughed were also magnificent.
After asking that question, I thought my father would scold me sternly. Or perhaps he would despise me as a shameful son. But he did not.
"I, too, am afraid of death, Berik."
He simply spoke to me kindly.
"They say we go to the side of the Ancestor’s Soul, but no one knows what lies beyond. Being pierced by a spearhead is painful, and sometimes catching a plague and having a fever and coughing all day is miserable. If even those things hurt, I fear how painful death will be. I am afraid when I face monsters, and when I face knights clad in iron armor. I often feel terror, wondering if I might be defeated."
He whispered words to me that he would never say outside.
"So, I understand that you are afraid, my son."
My father, who honestly whispered his fears, looked even larger than usual that day.
"However, we must not flee, even if we are afraid."
"Why is that?"
"Because there is no paradise in the place you flee to."
My father’s heavy words pierced my heart and lodged themselves in a corner of my chest.
"Even if a terrifying monster appears before your eyes, even if an innumerable legion descends upon you, even if thunder and lightning strike, there are moments when you must not run away."
"..."
"Because only then can you protect the precious ones living behind your back."
My father’s eyes were blue and straight.
Like the infinite sky one looks up at from the Great Plains.
"You will understand someday. Because you, too, are a fine Orc, my son."
"..."
"Until that time comes, you may hide behind my back. That is why I never flee and always fight at the very front with my axe. So, do not be discouraged, my treasure."
Having said that, my father set out with his axe.
My father’s back as he walked with dignity was broad and dependable as always. I still cannot forget my father’s back as I saw it then.
And that night, my father passed away while stopping a Monster Wave that occurred near the Great Plains. That was the last time I saw my father’s back.
It was a night of thunder.
Since it was a day when many of our kin had departed, the funeral was grand. After the ceremony to honor the spirits ended, I went to find the exhausted Shaman. Amidst the noisy wind and rain, the old Shaman was looking at me with a subtle smile for some reason.
"What is it, coward?"
At that moment, the words I had heard from my father filled my head.
"I... I want to have my coming-of-age ceremony!"
There is no paradise in the place you flee to.
"I will fight too! At the very front, with an a-axe."
There was no longer a dependable back to hide me.
"Like my father!"
One cannot be a boy forever.
One cannot run away forever.
Once childhood is over, one must step out into the world. Even if it is frightening, it is something that must be done.
"You have finally become an adult."
On the night the lightning struck, I completed my coming-of-age ceremony. Into my body, the soul of the greatest warrior I knew was inherited. My father, who was greater than anyone.
"You are now a proper warrior, Cowardly Berik."
As the years passed, my body grew remarkably large. The body inherited from my father and mother, both great warriors, grew without stopping. It was massive even compared to other Orcs, and my large body came to harbor powerful strength. I held a different blade instead of an axe. A giant sword, befitting a giant body that could protect other kin at the very front.
A sword larger and thicker than anyone else’s on the battlefield, forged with the will never to flee. A blade that depicted my life—a life that would stand and face the high waves and falling lightning without retreating.
My 「Wildness」.
From a certain point, my kin began to call me this:
Great Warrior Berik.
As time flowed on like that, another Monster Wave descended upon us.
*
"Hmm."
Since staying in the village with the small gladiator, Arhan, Seol-yoon’s daily routine was simple. Waking up in the morning, light stretching followed by a light jog, and then sword training. There were no special amusements in this village, and Seol-yoon was someone who had devoted her entire life to the sword, leaving no room for hobbies.
While going through a similar routine today, Seol-yoon’s eyes were drawn to the mansion located on the high ground. It had already been three days since Arhan returned from his long journey. Yet, Arhan had not even shown his face, let alone trained, remaining shut away in the mansion.
"Is something wrong?"
Though she was indifferent, Seol-yoon was still human, so she was starting to worry about Arhan. Hadn't he been bedridden for a long time, groaning alone, even after fighting as Petel’s Proxy Warrior last time? Even at a glance, his body was as fragile as glass. Since he had gone on a journey with that weak body, he might have caught a cold.
It’s bothering me.
Seol-yoon could not just pass by a sick person. Those were not words spoken out of mere courtesy, but were closer to an actual trauma remaining in Seol-yoon. The events she experienced in her hometown had left her with several scars. Ultimately, unable to shake off her distracting thoughts, Seol-yoon decided to visit Arhan’s mansion herself.
And then.
"Huff, huff—"
Seol-yoon witnessed an astonishing sight.
"What... what happened to you?"
"Ah. What brings you all the way here? Did something happen?"
"No, well. You hadn't come out for three days, so..."
"Has it already been three days? You must have been worried. As you can see, I was absorbed in training."
The small-statured boy Seol-yoon knew was no longer there.
"I’m sorry. I was completely distracted."
Arhan was now significantly taller than Seol-yoon.
His shoulders had broadened, and the muscles filling his body were densely woven like fibers. It was as if he had skipped his growth period and become an adult all at once. Arhan’s body was forged like a warrior who had survived numerous battlefields. With muscles like steel.
"I’ll explain later. I can’t afford to waste a single minute or second right now."
The boy had become a man.
*
「Name: Wildness」
「A crude and thick greatsword used by the Orc Great Warrior Berik.」
「It is so large and heavy that it is impossible for most people to even lift.」
.
.
.
「Consumption Effect」
「You acquire Berik’s swordsmanship and the warrior’s physique.」
「The body is forged to be suitable for the Orc Great Warrior Berik’s swordsmanship.」
「The current physical ability has too large a gap with the physical ability the sword’s former master possessed.」
「The forging is carried out ‘strongly’ so that digestion can proceed smoothly.」
.
.
.
「A body with steel blood flowing through it becomes stronger the more it is hammered.」
「Hammer your body constantly while digestion is in progress.」