I woke up early in the morning. Today, I'd like to leave a little earlier than yesterday to go fight, because the next village is a little farther away. Before leaving, though, I wanted to check on Fiara’s research into magic cores. I just can't help but be curious about them. It’s only monsters that have them, right? Why do we have them, and what are they for?

I find the corner where Fiara was working the night before. There are a bunch of tablets stacked up around one pelt she was sitting on, and another she was using as a blanket. She must have stayed up late researching again.

She keeps skipping meals and staying up late like this. I've been obsessed with things before, and I know what mania feels like. It’s not a bad feeling, and a person can get a lot done, so I’m not inclined to stop her from doing this. But if she keeps it up, she’ll be as skinny as I am soon. She’s nearly there already.

Maybe I should give her another minute to sleep, so she’ll have energy to fight today.

As I'm thinking that, I see that Varoon is awake. He seems to have just come back from relieving himself outside the wall. I actually have a lot to ask him about after seeing his status.

So, I walk up to Varoon to ask about his apparent Golden Boar ancestry, but he opens his mouth first, completely derailing me.

“Vyra. What was yesterday about?”

I startled and stopped my feet from approaching any closer. “What about yesterday? Was there something strange?” I questioned back.

He turned to face me squarely, “You didn't fight at all. Were you looking down on the enemy because they weren’t trained fighters?”

“What? No,” I can't follow his intention. “I wanted the others to gain some combat experience and Magic Power. It’s no good if there are only a few strong people and the rest are weak. You can do skirmishes like that, but War is out of the question.”

He shook his head back and forth. “The same amount of Magic Power can only do less if you spread it out that much. Besides, do you think they would be able to hold against a strong enemy just because there are a lot of them?”

“Well, I hadn't really intended for them to have to,” I muttered.

“Your strategy is too defensive. You're trying to manipulate and draw out the battles so the weak troops can somehow win against a stronger enemy. That’s all wrong.”

“It’s wrong? I don't...” my neck suddenly feels stiff, so I rub at it. “But, if it’s war, you have to be prepared for a long, drawn out battle, right? It isn't something that finishes quickly.”

Varoon reached out and rapped on my forehead with his knuckles, causing me to flinch and take a defensive posture. He looked down at me and let out a sigh through his nose.

“I know it’s your personality. You wouldn't have such amazing healing and defensive skills if you didn't think that way. But you're wasting your offensive power. Listen, sister, your image of war should be this.” Varoon took a strand of my chin-length red hair between his fingers and pulled it forward so I could see it. “As the leader, your whole body should be dyed this color by the time the battle is over.”

He released his grip and rested his arm at his side. I chewed the inside of my lip in contemplation.

“So, what are you saying? I should just run in and massacre the enemy so the others don't have to fight?”

“Yes. It would be easy for you. Two people died yesterday when they didn't even need to take the field. Strong people will become strong even if you don't baby them like that. Don't expect that they won't be able to take care of themselves just because you don't force them to see the fires of war.”

“But it would be bad if they grew complacent and dependent on me. If I ever died, all the progress we made would disappear, and the Magic Power I hoarded would go to the enemy or simply vanish.”

“The next generation will have to take care of that themselves. If you want to win a war, you have to be stronger than the strongest opponent. Wipe out the small fries as quickly as possible, claim their power, and kill the enemy leader with your strongest attack. It doesn't need to be any more complicated. The enemy will outmatch you if you give them time by being defensive.”

And that’s when I realized what kind of place I was living in.

Varoon knows what he’s talking about. He’s been at war on the side of the Expansionist Orcs for half a year already. What he’s saying is definitely how they do it, and the enemy has roughly the same strategy. Everyone focuses on powerful attacks and defensive skills are rare. Because killing the enemy faster means you obtain their Magic Power, everyone is focused on making that happen.

And that kind of thinking doesn't seem to stop with matters of war.

Hoard all the power to yourself, and just let the next generation deal with the mess after you die…

If I don't do it that way, I may meet an enemy that can't be defeated by skilled numbers. I may need that raw strength to protect my people. But forcing future generations to start from scratch… is why we haven't moved forward as a species.

By now, I'm trembling slightly, and my fists are clenched at my sides. Varoon notices that I'm agitated, and his face becomes a bit nervous. His eyes are uncertain, like he wants to prepare for a tantrum, but he isn't sure if I'm going to lash out or cry.

Finally, I control myself, and I let the tension leave my shoulders. I am a chief, and a former twenty-four year old adult; I can handle this much.

“Humans and octopuses,” I murmured.

Varoon tilted his head. “What?”

I slammed my hand onto my chest proudly and spoke with force. “In my last life, I was a human. In that world we were the dominant species--no, the only species with true civilization! No other living thing on that planet could even come close to what we built. Then, there was the octopus. It's an intelligent beast, capable of learning, using tools, and solving new problems. If they had grouped up, there’s a good chance they would have stood beside humans as fellow civilized creatures. But the octopus passes none of its accomplishments down. Every generation has to start over from nothing.”

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I lowered my volume and intensity and glared, not particularly at my brother, but he was the one receiving it.

“How many strong and intelligent monsters have there been? How many amazing Orc Lords, and brilliant Orc Magic casters? And yet, I was born in a small village of hunter-gatherers, who didn't even know how to farm. And there exists not a single city nor any written records from our ancestors.”

If all of the effort I'm putting in now were to just vanish, I wouldn't be able to stand it. Who knows how long it might be until people I love are reincarnated into this world? It has to be able to accommodate them at that time, even if I'm no longer around.

“I will be adjusting the strategy from yesterday,” I said much more calmly. “It's true that people died unnecessarily. However,” I hesitated, encouraging a prompt from my brother.

“However?”

“If I play things the same way everybody else does, isn't it too predictable?”

Varoon sighed and shook his head. “You do what you want. I was just trying to warn you.”

I don't think he expects much from today’s battle. I'll do my best to prove him wrong.

Now then, I think I'll wake up Fiara and ask about her research.

“You shouldn't stay up so late,” I chided the messy-haired girl.

She moaned groggily, rubbing her eyes. “Chief,” she murmured.

“So tell me about the magic cores. What have you learned?”

Almost Immediately, the fatigue seemed to leave her face and her eyes became brighter.

“Chief, it's amazing!”

I tilted my head, my thoughts turning quickly. “Could it be you found a way to use them in Magic Engineering?”

But she shook her dark brown head vigorously. “Yes, but the Humans are wasting these things by using them for something so simple!”

I sat down across from her and folded my legs. “You have my attention.”

“It's true that they have both the magical insulating and conducting properties which would be ideal for Magic Engineering, but they have both, you understand?! Both!”

She saw the look of “Yeah, so?” On my face and smiled at my ignorance. With her finger, she traced a simple circle and square into the dirt.

“Usually, you think of something either being good at letting things pass, or good at keeping things from passing; either a conductor or an insulator. When something does both, it's because two things that were good at either were combined. But this,” she held up a magic core. It was light blue, with a crystalline structure, and about the size of her thumb. “I can't see it as anything but one substance, yet it’s simultaneously a conductor and an insulator!”

“What do you mean? Practically, what does something like that look like?” It's hard for me to wrap my head around.

“It's an intelligent substance,” Fiara grinned. “Depending on my intentions, I can pass Magic Power straight through it, I can put more Magic Power into it, or I can take Magic Power out of it. And I can do any combination of those things at once. Additionally, when I put Magic Power inside, I can decide whether the magic core should absorb it, or hold it in place within its structure.”

“That's so strange. But you said you figured out how the humans make magic tools out of them?” That's what I originally wanted to know, after all.

“I did. Watch this.”

Fiara took the magic core she was holding and started to put Magic Power into it. She didn't allow the core to absorb the power, and it stayed suspended inside the crystal in the shape of the Spell Pattern for . That’s the spell she uses whenever I ask her to conjure water for some purpose. It starts out in a shape for defending, mostly from fire based attacks or projectiles, then loses its form and becomes normal water.

The Magic Power making up the Spell Pattern seemed to fizzle and vanish, leaving a hollow of the same shape in the structure of the crystal. Fiara smiled at the instantly created Magic Tool.

“That’s all it takes. Now, you just put magic power into that structure and you have a perfectly working Magic Tool. But it’s so wasteful!”

“What's so wasteful about it? It seems pretty convenient.” For Magic Tools to be made so easily and so quickly… I don't doubt Fiara’s analysis, but I also completely understand why Humans do it this way.

“Well, from a Magic Engineering standpoint, it means you can only create Magic Tools for spells the creator can cast themselves. Ideally, you should be able to make a Magic Tool for any spell that you can design a CSP for.”

“Then, from another perspective, the Humans are only using one of the functions a magic core is capable of, which is storing Magic Power in the structure. They aren't using its ability to absorb Magic Power, they aren't extracting the Magic Power already held inside, and they’ve barely touched on its insulating properties!”

“Absorb the Magic Power inside the core?” That detail caught me. Some sixth sense, probably developed in my progress-oriented home world, is telling me that there’s potential there. “Fiara, don't come to the battle today. Stay here and continue your research.”

She tilted her head and frowned. “Chief, is that okay?”

As much as Fiara loves her research, she knows how important this war is, and wants to contribute. Seeing that from her makes me smile.

“It’s fine. Find someone trustworthy to experiment with. I want to know about the absorption and extraction of Magic Power from magic cores, including the ones still inside of living Monsters. If we found a way to freely share Magic Power between us, it would be invaluable.”

Fiara nodded, combed her messy hair back, and put her hat on. “As you wish, chief. I'll have the answers for you by tonight.”

Good. I have absolute confidence that Fiara will manage it.

***

I've gathered my army once again, but it isn't to measure their auras. With the war strategy changing, it will be hard to base contribution on just that. Instead, I'll be announcing the change in strategy, and my plan for today.

“We will be splitting our forces in half. Half of you will go back to the village from yesterday and bring back anything useful. One slave will go with you as a guide, and you may take as many wagons as necessary.”

“The rest of us, including all the Magic casters and our strongest fighters, will go to assault the next village. This time, I will be participating actively. I will lead by offering them the chance to surrender. If that fails, I will wipe out as many as I can with one attack, and then the rest of you can charge in to finish them off.”

There were no disagreements with my strategy today either. These guys would let me know if I was making a horrible mistake, right?

After the group splits, we move out. During the march, I experimented with until I found many related statistics, assigned them values, and created a formula for the skill to use. From those, a new category was born, called Contribution. I set everyone’s totals to zero, dated the day I became chief, and now I can see a running total of their Contribution since then. It includes everything I could think of that could inspect and that contributed to the village. A few examples are basket weaving, pot making, gathering water, firewood, and food, various agricultural tasks, various hunting achievements, successful parenting, war contributions, guard duty, test scores, cloth making, and cooking. There’s more. It’s literally everything I could think of. If there was anyone who invented a new game that people liked, even that’s in there.

I think is my weirdest skill. Getting it was the easiest thing ever, but it’s listed as a rare skill, meaning not a lot of people currently possess it. Which is probably good, because it seems to be able to look up any statistic I want to know. It can't tell me the story of a person’s life, but I can dissect it piece by piece one statistic at a time. And it's a skill that can be reprogrammed with relative ease. I even proved today that I can add new categories.

So my question is, why hasn't knowledge of spread? Why isn't it the most sought after skill ever? My list of things to do is already too long. I might just have to push this research over to Fiara. As if her plate isn't already full. I need more capable people, seriously. I haven't even found time to learn how to fly properly. I just run around and use my wings as blunt weapons to hit people. It’s sad. What am I, an ostrich?

Well, the target village entered the range of