As Genji waited for the hunters to finish, he noticed them draining the excess blood into thick water flasks. It was a strange detail since they were unusually attentive to the blood, treating it as a precious commodity despite having no apparent use. As far as Genji could tell, they weren't vampires or anything similar that would require blood as food.
Nonetheless, he let them do their thing and signaled Bruce to not expose his blood control. Until he could better understand this world, Genji would rather not display such an eye-catching ability. After all, most people would perceive the trait as evil and demonic.
Once they finished, the group hoisted the heavy carcasses onto their backs, and they began retracing their path. Following their lead, Genji fended off some stray animals and soon approached a moderately sized settlement.
The place had a nomadic style, consisting of leather tents pitched around a communal campfire, drying racks full of jerky, and a pit lined with woven mats for storage. Additionally, there was a foldable fence containing domesticated poultry, companion dogs, and six-legged pack animals that would carry their belongings during immigration.
A shallow river also flowed nearby, providing clean water and a place to wash their basic necessities. It was a peaceful place, full of life and activity as its inhabitants carried out their everyday tasks.
As they got closer, a few friends waved to the returning hunters, welcoming them from a successful hunt. A few curious looks were cast Genji's way, but no one stood up to intercept him. After handing off the loot, the team leader brought Genji to the biggest tent where they met the tribe chief.
After explaining his purpose, the chief agreed to show Genji their history records. But when Genji obtained them, he had a bewildered look on his face.
"What's this?" He asked, looking down at the rope filled with random knots.
"Our records," the old chief replied, prompting Genji to raise his brows in doubt.
"You're kidding, right? Don't you have written records?"
"No," the old man shook his head, "In our tribe, we use knots to tell our past. The big ones represent a major event, the elaborate ones an impactful one. The positions represent time, and the intricacies record the details. Take this one, for example. It has three flairs of a bull, so it represents a stampede."
Genji scrutinized the knot the chief indicated, but all he discerned was a roughly tied loop. No matter how he used his imagination, he couldn't see the "flairs of a bull," let alone three of them. He was completely illiterate at knot reading.
'This is going to be harder than I thought,' he sighed, realizing why the tribe was so willing to reveal their records. Unless someone could decipher their system, it would take a mind reader to actually understand this key. This was not even mentioning that every tribe would have their own methods, making it impossible to apply one approach to another.
"If you want, I can translate for you. I'm normally available after tribal dinners," the chief offered with a sly grin, content with the addition of another strong warrior. Although he might not stay for long, Genji would provide valuable assistance during his stay. After all, it would be impolite to do nothing when he's asking them for a favor.
"Fine, you got me," Genji said, acknowledging the trick.
Next, the chief arranged accommodations for Genji by introducing him to a hunter living alone. "This is Ugali. You can sleep in his tent tonight."
Genji gave an appreciative nod, and the chief returned to his duties. Ugali led Genji to his tent and set up a sleeping mat for him. Then he began sharpening his weapons while making some small talk with Genji.
"I heard you are a powerful inscribed warrior," Ugali started. "What's it like getting an inscription?"
"Don't know. I never got one."
"You don't have an inscription?!? You're still in the tempering realm?" Surprise seeped into Ugali's voice. "Then you must be very talented."
"Before that, can you describe these realms that you're talking about? My tribe used different names for them so I'm not exactly following right now."
Ugali gave Genji a strange look when he heard the obvious lie, but he obliged nevertheless. He didn't have anything else to talk about, and this information was readily available anyway. There was no harm in reciting it.
After half an hour of explanation, Genji summarized the information into the following parts.
In this world, the natives divided the powers into five levels, each encompassing a massive power gap. The first realm was the Young Warrior, which granted the warrior enough strength to lift small boulders, but nothing too exceptional. Most of the time, they would help out with tribe labor but rarely participated in combat.
Following the Young Warrior realm was the Mature Warrior realm, reserved for individuals who had ventured beyond the tribe's borders and successfully hunted a beast. Given the perilous nature of this task, the tribe mandated that fighters attain physical mastery before joining a hunting party.
This is because the fighter's strength would double when they reached this point, providing them with the bare minimum strength to survive the wilderness. Based on this description, Genji assessed this to be the 20-point milestone, which has the same phenomenon upon meeting.
From there, the warrior would immerse themselves in the blood of the beasts, extracting the latent power within to supplement their training. This method allowed them to fortify their physique and explained the hunters' collection of blood.
Once this training peaked, the warrior would enter the Tempering realm, characterized by their bronze skin and steel-like muscles. Normal beast blood would lose effectiveness at this point, and progress would slow down significantly. For this reason, the Tempering realm was once considered the limit of this world, only dethroned when people conceived the unorthodox path of inscriptions.
By injecting beast blood into their bodies, warriors can unlock the potential of external lineages to accelerate their advancement. However, as outlined in the world introduction, this approach comes with significant drawbacks, as their bodies become tainted with various powers.
While these powers are similar enough to prevent the warrior's body from breaking down, their differences become significant obstacles to further progress. Hence, they would fall into a vicious cycle of injecting more blood for diminishing returns, with each session leaving its marks on the body.
With time, people refined this procedure, blending the blood with other substances to reduce risks during injection. Moreover, they devised methods to improve the aesthetics of these marks, transforming them from ugly blemishes to pleasing tattoos.
Hence, this stage became known as the Inscribed realm, where strength is evaluated by the number of tattoos. The more inscriptions a warrior bears, the stronger they are.
However, there is one exception to this principle: the classification of geniuses. These are warriors who stayed in the tempering realm and meticulously perfected their bodies, refining their lineage to its utmost limits before taking the irreversible leap.
However, this isn't the only way to achieve such a feat. Those fortunate enough to possess a powerful background could acquire the blood of a mighty beast as their first injection, optimizing their prospects. Essentially, one was considered a genius as long as they could release far greater combat powers than their peers, regardless of their methods.
Thus, the title of "genius" is cheapened by how easily it is to achieve, virtually spitting on the hard work of the deserving. This was quite common since few warriors from powerful tribes would hone their lineage for future generations.
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After all, why would they take such an inefficient path when an easier one was available? In their minds, it was far more effective to become the tribe's main combat power and provide better opportunities for their descendants.
Overall, the Inscribed warrior realm has a huge variation in power and requires the consideration of numerous factors to accurately gauge one's strength.
Then there is the Awakened realm, a practically legend-like existence among all warriors. These fighters can exhibit power beyond any inscribed warrior and go toe-to-toe with some of the weakest beast kings.
The method for advancing to this realm is unknown to Ugali, but its difficulty cannot be denied. Less than 20 people have reached this point in history, and out of which, only 6 are in the present era.
Notice that "present era" only means they're currently alive, not accounting for their age. Due to their increased strength, they also gained a higher lifespan, with the oldest among them being 187 years old, and the average being 107.
'Those are oddly specific numbers. I can't tell if he's making them up or if they're actually keeping track.'
"So what about you? Are you in the tempering realm?" Ugali asked again.
"By your description, yes. But my tribe never dabbled in inscription carvings."
"How strange. I didn't know people still followed the traditional methods."
Genji did not comment and allowed Ugali to change the topic himself. They spent the next few hours like this, pausing only when a tribesman called everyone for dinner.
Stepping out of the tent, they followed the stream of people and gathered at the campfire. As they approached, the servers handed them a plate consisting of roast meat, squash, and pumpkins. Taking their food, they found a seat and enjoyed the uplifting dances performed by the tribe.
The sound of vibrant drums and hollow percussion accompanied the occasion, giving the meal a festive mood. When asked about this, Ugali explained that they gather like this every day to show their appreciation for living another day.
"This is the only meal when we can come together," he elaborated. "During this time, we foster our kinship and get to know each other's day. To relax and enjoy the simple things in life."
Halfway through the meal, the tribe chief stood up to make a welcoming speech for Genji. "Although he might not stay with us for long, we hope to show our hospitality and kindness to our fellow man. Thank you."
Then the audience erupted into loud cheers and enthusiastic applause, demonstrating their cordiality. The chief stepped down, and warriors soon approached Genji to socialize.
Then the audience erupted into loud cheers and enthusiastic applause, demonstrating their cordiality. The chief stepped down, and warriors soon approached Genji to socialize. After a few polite exchanges, everyone finished their meals and returned to their tents to rest.
Genji closed his eyes to the crackling of the smothering fire and the chirping of insects, allowing himself to drift into slumber. But before he could fully embrace his rest, he heard a light commotion from the tent next door.
It was faint at first, sounding like the rustling of cloth, but it quickly increased in magnitude. Then, a chirpy moan was heard, prompting Genji to open his eyes in doubt.
'What are they doing this late at night? Shouldn't they be asleep?'
Genji soon got his answer when these cries took on an erotic tone and the gasping of breath followed. Eventually, the moans became screams of ecstasy as the woman stopped holding back her voice.
"Can't they tone it down? How are we supposed to sleep like this?" Genji asked Ugali, who was also awakened by the commotion.
"You'll get used to it. It happens a lot around here."
"Really?"
"Yeah. In this tribe, a man's bragging rights depend on his partner's volume amidst the cover of darkness. If she can wake everyone up, it shows that he's skilled in the arts and we will soon welcome a new generation."
'Okay, I've seen a lot of strange customs, but this one takes the cake.'
As if agreeing with him, Astros let out an annoyed cry, expressing discontent with the noise.
"You and me both, little guy," Genji said, stroking the ferret's head. "You and me both."
A few minutes later, Genji left the tent and sought out a remote location away from the obnoxious neighbors. While he could go a few days without sleep, Astros was different. As a newborn, he needed abundant food and sleep to develop healthily.
"Sleep. I'll make sure no one disturbs you," he said, sitting down against a boulder.
Astros let out a thankful yip and curled around Genji's neck. Once Astros's breathing mellowed out, Genji drew [Jaguar] and began applying his newly developed poisons.
The following morning, the chief apologized for the disturbance. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how loud we were. Is there anything I can do to make your stay better? Maybe a separate tent?"
"It's alright. If you want to make it up to me, free up more time in the evenings," Genji replied. "Ideally, I'd like to avoid inconveniencing you for too long."
"Very well," the chief sighed, realizing his oversight had diminished Genji's willingness to stay.
After the tribe ate breakfast, a few experienced hunters gathered at his location with a few teenagers. "Do you want to join us? We're bringing our younglings to experience the wilderness," they asked, aware that Genji would be a sturdy safety net for unexpected situations.
Genji considered the proposition for a few moments and agreed. This was a great opportunity to understand how the natives operated. "Do you have a specific destination?"
"We're heading for the Yellow Field Where Buffalos Roam," they answered. "It's just downstream from White Rock That Overlooks Flowers."
The corner of Genji's eye twitched when he heard these location names. They were quite a mouthful, typically not used by most people, yet the tribesmen embraced it as their culture.
"Fine, let me get my horse." Genji stood up and found Bruce, who was sleeping in an enclosed pen. Upon seeing him, the nightbane demonstrated aggravated eyes, complaining about his unfair treatment since their arrival.
'It's not fair. Why do I have to stay in here while you get to eat all that delicious food? Don't you know how hard that is for me?'
"I'm sorry, but the tribe isn't comfortable with animals roaming their settlement. They only allowed Astros because he's small and manageable. Bear with it for now; I'll try to get you out tonight."
Bruce gave a gloomy neigh and followed Genji back to the group. Then they set off for their destination. Due to this being a learning trip, it didn't take long to reach the White Rock That Overlooks Flowers.
But contrary to its name, the area contains no flowers; only barren soil eroded by wind and rain. The only remaining resemblance was the limestone boulder near the center.
"When our ancestors first settled here, the area truly matched its name. But it became like this after generations of over-harvesting. Now it stands as a testament to its former beauty and a reminder to respect nature," a hunter explained to Genji and the teens.
His voice carried a somber tone, almost reminiscent of past mistakes. In his recollection, this place once produced captivating flowers with valuable medicinal properties. Now, he recounts this memory as a cautionary tale for future generations. The only hope is that they heed his words and take the lesson to heart, lest they repeat these mistakes.
They continued onward and soon entered the Yellow Field Where Buffalos Roam. This time, the description matched the setting, further emphasizing the previous contrast.
"Go. Work together to hunt 8 buffalos. Remember: no more, no less, or you will fail this test," an adult instructed the teens. "We'll step in if there's any danger, but otherwise, you're on your own."
The teens understood the assignment and split into groups. As they jogged into the distance, Genji asked, "Why eight? That seems oddly specific, and you're very strict about it as well."
"Because that's all we need to feed the tribe. We shouldn't take more than that," the man answered.
At this moment, Genji realized this trip wasn't about experiencing life as a hunter, but about imparting life values to the next generation. Every part of this trip was designed to emphasize that overarching theme.
"Your tribe is really dedicated to long-term sustainability," Genji commented.
"You will be as well once you realize a moment of shortsightedness can cause countless hardships for your descendants. Since this issue will eventually come up, we might as well take action to prevent it. After all, if we don't start the tradition, then who will?"
"True. People often don't change unless they have something to lose. But by then, they would already have lost too much."
"You seem knowledgeable about this."
"I've experienced a lot," Genji answered.
They talked for some more time until the teams returned with their prey. True to the adults' instructions, they had hunted exactly eight buffalos.
"Good job. Now I'll teach you how to skin them," one hunter said, approaching a carcass with a stone knife. Then, he demonstrated the process, stopping occasionally to explain the key details to them.
"Do you all understand?"
"Yes!" The teens replied.
"Then do it."
Two hours later, the group returned to the tribe with some roughly skinned buffalos and poorly processed hides. A few even had holes throughout, a testament to the novices' clumsiness.
Nevertheless, they wore content expressions, having completed their first hunt and earned their first clothing. Although this wouldn't qualify them as mature hunters, it was at least a step toward that goal.
'I wonder how clean it would be if I used cutting intent to remove the skin,' Genji mused to himself. 'It's definitely feasible given my current control.'
Once they handed off the carcasses to the chefs, the hunters guided them to the next step of processing the hide. Tying the leather onto a wooden frame, they took a scraping chisel to clean off the attached tissues to create a creamy white surface.
From there, they would leave it to dry over the next few days before applying a solution made of animal brains and fat. They would also remove the fur at this step if the hide was intended for everyday use, but they skipped this step for simplicity today.
Then they would stretch the hide through various methods, depending on its properties. They would create a trampoline for the kids to jump on if it was thick and tough. Otherwise, they would pull it around a pole, carefully working every angle to ensure an even spread.
Next, they would smoke the piece to seal the pores, making it more resistant to moisture and insects. For this exercise, the students had to gather their own wood ahead of time to ensure they had dry fuel for the day.
This is typically the last step in the process, but there is an optional step of further softening the cloth by working it with a smooth rock. If they did everything correctly, and the weather was in their favor, they would have a finished product in a week. It was a tedious process, but it made them more appreciative of what they had. In a way, it was another teaching moment.