The sun rose once again in the early morning hours. Acki woke up while no one else was awake. After stretching, he stepped out of his tent and began to yell.

“Morning, everyone! Wake up now!” he shouted commandingly.

Slowly, everyone began to wake up, their groans echoing through the camp. As always, Thorin was the first to emerge from his tent, looking proud with a smile. He faced Acki and spoke.

“Good morning, Chief.”

Acki was a little stunned; he hadn’t expected to be called “Chief.” He continued with his morning routine, not paying too much attention to it.

“Good morning, Thorin,” he replied.

One by one, the others emerged from their tents, stretching and groaning as they greeted him all at once.

“Good morning, Chief!”

Acki looked surprised. He didn’t expect everyone to address him so formally. He responded, “What’s with this 'Chief' calling? I don’t remember telling you guys to call me that.”

All the exhaustion seemed to fade from their faces at his question, and they grinned. Asha stepped forward to explain.

“Well, since we officially have a name, everyone thought that our leader—you, Acki—should have a title. We all had a say in it, and we decided on 'Chief.'”

Acki's face drained; he hadn’t expected that at all. “Don’t you think that’s a bit over the top? Some of you are older than me…” he said, still stunned.

Asha looked proud as she spoke, “None of us sees you like that, Acki. To us, you’re a hero. You’ve earned our respect, and we owe you our freedom. We know ‘Chief’ might not be enough for someone like you, but it’s our way of acknowledging you as our true leader.”

Acki was even more stunned. The appreciation and recognition from his team made him feel good inside. He was on the verge of happy tears but held back, not wanting to appear weak. He stood tall and smiled seriously.

“I appreciate every single one of you. I accept the title you have given me—I will try my best to be the leader you all deserve.”

Everyone smiled and cheered, happiness filling the air as Acki stood proud.

“Alright, enough chit-chat! It’s time for morning exercises!” Acki declared.

Everyone suddenly wore the same sluggish expression and groaned loudly (except for Thorin, who seemed excited).

“Oh, come on! Stop with the groaning! No one gets strong by being lazy!”

They all groaned again in unison, “Yes, Chief.”

“That’s more like it! Now, get to work!” Acki ordered.

As the morning went on, Thorin worked the hardest, while Asha showed significant progress. Viora and Crimson were also seen pushing themselves harder than ever. When training ended, Acki decided to test Crimson, just as he had tested Thorin. He announced that the exercises were over and that he needed a party of three to go hunting.

“Alright, I need a party of three to go hunt. And before anything, Thorin, you can’t go hunting today.”

Thorin looked disappointed. “Oh, come on, Chief! Why not?”

“I’ll need you to help me with something else,” Acki replied.

Though Thorin was still bummed out, he agreed.

Acki focused on the current task. “Alright, Crimson, today you’ll be the leader of the hunting party.”

Crimson looked shocked; he hadn’t expected Acki to remember his name. “Uh, me…?”

“Yes, you! Now choose two others from the group who aren’t Thorin.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Crimson looked nervous, worried he might mess everything up. “Well, I guess those two will do.”

“Great! Now remember, you’re the leader of this group, so make sure you don’t disappoint,” Acki instructed.

Crimson, still looking nervous, wiped a drop of sweat from his brow. “Yes, Chief.”

As Crimson prepared to go hunting, Acki took Thorin aside to talk.

“Hey, Thorin, come to my tent. We have something important to discuss.”

Thorin, eager to know what it was about, rushed after him. “I’m coming!”

Once inside the tent, Acki spoke. “Thanks for coming.”

“No problem. So what’s the issue at hand, Chief?”

“Well, it’s more of a concern than anything,” Acki said, scratching the back of his head.

Thorin looked puzzled. “What’s concerning you?”

“I want to see how Crimson does on his hunt.”

Thorin, a little surprised but mostly confused, replied, “But why? Do you think he’s too weak to hunt? If so, why didn’t you just let me go hunting like usual?”

Acki gave him a knowing glance and said, “It’s mostly a test to see how he handles leading and his overall strength.”

Thorin furrowed his brows even more. “Alright then… But what’s your concern?”

“I need you to look after the group while I observe him,” Acki clarified.

“Uh, Chief, I’m honored, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Thorin responded.

“Relax! I know you’re more than capable. Besides, I really need you to do this,” Acki reassured him.

Thorin smirked. “I understand. I’ll do it.”

Acki smiled in response. “Great!”

When they exited the tent, Thorin stood taller and more proudly.

“Alright, Crimson, it’s time for you guys to go hunt,” Acki announced.

Crimson nervously replied, “Alright, Chief…”

As the group left, Acki kept a close eye on them, waiting for the perfect moment to follow. As they ventured into the forest, Acki exchanged a look with Thorin, a signal that he was about to go after them. Thorin didn’t hesitate; he looked back at Acki with a confident expression, assuring him that everything would be fine.

The group entered the forest, and Acki jumped from branch to branch, observing them closely. Crimson, feeling extremely nervous and unsure how to lead, recalled his days as a farmer. He remembered how animals relied on their sense of smell and tracked footprints to navigate. Acki watched with a smirk, thinking that Crimson wasn’t half bad, although his leading skills needed significant improvement; he was too anxious and lacked confidence.

After two hours of hunting, the group emerged from the forest with three pigs along with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Acki returned to his spot unnoticed, as everyone celebrated their successful hunt—someone finally found some fruit. The group walked through the crowd to reach Acki.

Crimson looked nervous and scared.

“Chief, is this enough?” he asked.

Acki smiled, “That’s just the right amount.”

Crimson's worries faded as he thought Acki might have been disappointed in their catch.

As the morning went on, they enjoyed a hearty breakfast, filling their bellies and wearing smiles on their faces.

Acki stood up and spoke, “Alright, everyone stand up! It’s time to continue the journey.”

The group groaned loudly.

“Oh, quit being lazy for once!” Acki said jokingly.

They startled their travel, with Acki leading the way as always. Asha stood unusually close to Acki, while Thorin kept a watchful eye on them.

Thorin chuckled, plotting a mischievous question. “So, Chief, what’s your type in women?” he smirked.

Unfazed, Acki responded, “I like a woman who fits my ideals—someone strong, loyal, and compassionate. And, well, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t appreciate a curvy figure as well.”

Asha blushed at his admission.

Thorin surprised that Acki had opened up, looked at him incredulously. “Damn, Chief, I didn’t know you had such specific preferences for women!”

“Well, it’s more of what I prefer, but I wouldn’t mind something different either,” Acki replied.

Thorin had an idea and an evil smirk crept onto his face. "So… would you say Asha fits your type?"

Asha froze, embarrassed by the question but also curious about Acki's response. Acki’s composure faltered; he nervously scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to answer.

“Well… uhh… you see, that’s kind of personal. I’d prefer not to answer,” he said, looking worried.

Asha, staring straight ahead, showed no signs of her inner turmoil. In her mind, she was panicking.

*At least he didn’t say no! But he didn’t say yes either. Oh, why is this so hard?* she fretted inwardly.

As they traveled, they covered a significant amount of ground in just a few days. One member of the group spoke up, breathlessly, “Hey Chief, are we close?”

“Yes, we’re close—just an hour or two of walking, and we’ll be there,” Acki assured them.

“Damn, Chief! We’ve been traveling for days, and we’re just getting close. Where even is this place?” Thorin asked, intrigued.

“It’s a special place. I have a lot of memories there. It’s where I spent most of my training and childhood,” Acki replied, his face reflecting a small frown as the tone in his voice grew somber, recalling the days he spent training vigorously with Ian. “I wonder if the shed is still there; it’s been years since I’ve been back.”

Suddenly, Acki heard the sound of horses in the distance galloping toward them.

He turned around, his mood shifting as he grew serious.

“GROUP UP IN A CIRCLE NOW!” he yelled in a commanding tone, causing the group to panic and quickly form a circle. Thorin was taken aback by Acki's sudden shift in demeanor.

“What’s going on, Chief? Are we in danger?” Thorin asked urgently.

Acki felt a cold sweat trickle down his brow as he scanned the forest. “It’s bad… someone is coming toward us at an insane speed,” he replied, his expression concerned.

Just then, a voice broke out from behind Acki and the group.

It was a man on a pure white horse, staring intently at Acki.

“I am impressed with your abilities, Acki,” the man said with a cocky grin.

Acki quickly turned around, adopting a fighting stance as both Thorin and Crimson did the same.

“Who are you?” Acki demanded.

“I am Edrik Valshar, a knight lieutenant sent to locate stolen merchandise from an individual named Acki. I assume that’s you,” Edrik replied.

Puzzled, Acki responded, “Merchandise? You sure are cocky talking about my friends like that.”

Edrik looked at him with disdain. “You call those peasants your friends? How disgusting.”

Raging inside but trying to maintain his composure, Acki shot back, “Oh yeah? So why do you want those ‘peasants’ so badly? They’re not anyone important.”

Edrik: You’ve stolen some of the most valuable merchandise in the world. Didn’t you realize what you were stealing? You must be the dumbest bandit I’ve ever encountered.

Acki had snapped he couldn’t hold his anger anymore.

Acki: I've had enough of your crap… you’re dead.

He jumped into the air, still not using his Soul Weapon. He swung his fist at Edrik, but he blocked easily with his sword, grinning smugly.

Acki: I’ll kill you for insulting my friends.

Acki swung his fist again, his rage building, but Edrik blocked it easily.

Edrik: You sure are a feisty one.

Acki snapped.

Acki: EVERYONE MOVE BACK! Thorin’s in charge until I’m done!

His voice was sharp and commanding.

Thorin: YOU HEARD THE CHIEF! MOVE BACK!

The others quickly stepped away, giving Acki room.

Acki: Now that they’re out of the way, I can finish you.

Edrik smiled, his eyes shifting in an unsettling way.

Edrik: Let’s see you try.

He chuckled