Seven years later...
Muria sat idly on a tree branch, looking down at a group of black-haired, blue-skinned humanoid creatures playing below. Their playful voices and laughter indicated they were just children, full of innocence and joy.
"Ull, come down and play!" one of the children called out, her voice feminine. She was a young female from the Ikkon tribe.
"No thanks!" Muria rejected the invitation without hesitation. He now looked just like these black-haired, blue-skinned beings, with only a few differences—he was taller and stronger than them.
"You guys play without me. Don't worry about me." After replying, Muria stood up from the branch, stretched, and walked along the tree trunk, crossing a vine bridge. After a series of twists and turns, he entered a treehouse suspended dozens of meters above the ground.
"Ull, why are you back so early today? Did you have fun?" A female Ikkon, who was busy polishing tree resin, looked up and greeted Muria with a warm smile as soon as he entered.
"It was okay!" Muria responded half-heartedly. This was his current body's mother. "I want to go to the Great Elder's place to read some books. I'll be back before sunset!"
"Alright, you go ahead."
With that brief exchange, Muria turned around and left. He had come back just to inform his mother.
"Ull!" After he left, a hint of worry appeared on the face of Hida, the female Ikkon polishing the resin.
Even though giving birth to her son had been a painful and exhausting process, and she had experienced a long period of weakness afterward, it didn't affect her love and concern for him.
At first, she was proud of her son because, at birth, he had the strongest physique ever recorded in their tribe.
However, as her son grew up, Hida began to be troubled by a nagging concern. It was about her son.
Her son, Ull, was highly unsociable. He hardly interacted with children his age and had yet to make a true friend. It wasn't the fault of the other tribe members—this issue stemmed from Ull himself.
Many children had invited him to play, but Ull always seemed uninterested. After going twice, he stopped joining them altogether.
Now, Hida knew that the only reason Ull even went out to join the other children at all was to satisfy her wishes, so she wouldn't worry too much.
...
"Sorry, I really can't relate to those kids." After leaving the treehouse, Muria glanced back and sighed softly. Though he had the body of a child, his mind was that of a seven-hundred-year-old creature.
"Ull, off to read at the elder's place again?" Not far from the treehouse, Muria ran into an adult male Ikkon carrying a wooden bow on his back. The Ikkon smiled and greeted him.
"Yes! Uncle Tak, are you going hunting?" Muria responded and asked in return.
"Yeah, my kid wants to eat four-eared rabbit meat. I'm heading out to get some!" Tak smiled back.
Muria watched as Tak whistled, summoning a featherless, vividly patterned four-winged bird with a wingspan of nearly thirteen meters. Tak climbed onto its back, and the bird skillfully dodged branches as it took to the sky.
Watching Tak and his bird become a mere dot in the sky, Muria continued on his way, familiar with the path. Along the way, he greeted every Ikkon he met, appearing sunny and sociable.
Eventually, Muria walked across a vine bridge suspended over a hundred meters high and entered a large treehouse built within the crown of an ancient tree. This treehouse was more than ten times the size of his own home, the largest in the tribe where he was born.
"Ull, here to read again?" An old, frail Ikkon elder turned slowly to face Muria. His eyes, despite the dim lighting in the treehouse, were exceptionally bright.
"Yes, Great Elder!" Muria bowed slightly to the elder, who wore a robe woven from bright feathers. Though Muria's true age far exceeded this elder's, in this life, he was just a young, curious Ikkon. "Sorry to bother you again."
"Not at all. It's rare for any Ikkon to have an interest in reading the records of our ancestors. No, rare isn't even the right word—there's almost no one. I'm glad you come here every day. At least you keep me company while reading," the elder said with a chuckle.
"As long as there are still books I haven't read, I'll come every day," Muria replied honestly. His words carried another meaning: once there were no books left, or once he had finished reading them all, he wouldn't come anymore.
"Hahaha! Go on, little Ull!" The Great Elder laughed heartily. "This room full of books will keep you busy for a long time."
"Mm!" Muria walked deeper into the room, heading to a bookshelf where he selected a book and sat cross-legged on the floor, flipping through the pages.
To be honest, calling this stack of leaves bound together with twine "books" was a bit of an insult to the word. But they were, indeed, the only record-keeping materials he could find in the entire tribe, and they reflected just how primitive the civilization of this world was.
Since his birth, Muria had never left the tribe, but he had already pieced together a general understanding of his current situation.
He had been born into a near-primitive, wilderness world, and so far, he had only encountered the Ikkon tribe—a species of sentient beings whose civilization remained at a rudimentary, tribal stage.
The Ikkon lived in a way that closely resembled the primitive humans Muria remembered. They had no knowledge of metalworking or smelting. Their weapons were crude: wooden bows, spears, and stone tools—all crafted from whatever materials were available in their surroundings.
Their textiles were similarly undeveloped. The fur clothing Muria wore and the feathered robe of the elder standing before him were clear examples.
In terms of architecture, the treehouse Muria now sat in represented the pinnacle of Ikkon construction—a structure perfectly integrated with the trees, built without harming the tree itself.
As for art and philosophy, these concepts didn't seem to exist in Ikkon culture at all. All in all, the Ikkon civilization had barely begun, remaining at a very primitive level.
Initially, Muria thought the Ikkon's stagnation was due to their recent evolution into their current form. He figured they were still in the early stages of developing their civilization.
However, after reading these simple tree-bark books and learning about Ikkon history, Muria quickly discarded that notion. He discovered a key piece of information: the tribe had been established for over three thousand years, and even at its inception, the Ikkon had lived in this same primitive manner. In other words, their way of life had remained unchanged for over three millennia.
This baffled Muria. Three thousand years with no change, no technological progress—such a thing was almost beyond belief. Yet it had happened, right before his eyes.
After realizing this, Muria began to contemplate the reasons behind the Ikkon's stagnation. He also recalled something his grandmother, Arista, had told him before he left: "This is a very peaceful world."
The excessive peace was the real reason the Ikkon civilization remained frozen in time. This world was simply too kind to the Ikkon.
Before arriving here, Muria had worried that his initial weakness in this new life would put him in danger, forcing him to use his true power.
But upon his arrival, he quickly realized how misplaced his fears had been. His surroundings were extraordinarily peaceful, with no threats or dangers. Throughout his growth, he felt no pressure from his environment.
He had enough food every day, could sleep until he woke naturally, and never had to fear any outside creatures. There was almost nothing to worry about.
No fear of hunger, no fear of extreme weather, no real danger. The climate was mild year-round, and resources were abundant. In a way, this world was like a paradise.
But because of that, the Ikkon civilization had stagnated. They had no motivation to advance because they had lived in comfort and peace for too long, with no real challenges to face.
A typical Ikkon child could grow up carefree, playing to their heart's content. Once they reached adulthood, they would naturally learn enough skills to feed a small family within their tribal territory.
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