"Alright, Ul, if you're really stronger than an adult Ikon, then conquer a Gale Horse right now!"
Batu, sitting on horseback, pointed to a herd of Gale Horses wandering on the plains ahead as he spoke to Muria. The so-called Gale Horses referred to the six-legged horse-like creatures that Batu was riding.
"Hmm!" Muria, who had been waiting for a while, jumped off his warhorse and headed toward the grazing herd. He wasn't used to overly close physical contact with others, even if the person was his father.
"Gale Horses, Blue Creek Beasts, ha!" As he approached the herd, Muria chuckled. "These two creatures seem tailor-made for Ikon people, they've already become standard for any adult Ikon."
As Muria neared the herd of a thousand Gale Horses, they continued to quietly graze, treating him as if he didn't exist.
"Again with this!" Muria smirked at the sight, then looked up at the sky. Throughout the journey from the tribe to this grassland, he hadn't encountered any attacks. Even though they had passed through the territories of carnivorous creatures, as long as they didn't provoke the beasts, nothing bothered them, just as his father had said.
"I better just pick a mount first! No point overthinking." Muria's gaze swept over the herd. In a herd this size, there was bound to be a leader, guiding them. So, he began searching for the herd's leader.
"Got it!" It didn't take long for Muria to spot the herd's king, towering over the other Gale Horses.
Boom! Muria bent slightly, then his body stretched out and vanished from his original spot. A few blades of grass spun in the air from the force of his movement before gently falling to the ground.
"Ul!" Seeing Muria's clear target, Batu and some of the other Ikon people called out in alarm, trying to stop him.
Indeed, while it was true that Ikon people wouldn't be attacked by other creatures unless they provoked them, once an Ikon made a move, everything changed.
Neigh!
A deep, powerful sound echoed across the plains. Muria ignored the shouts behind him and had already mounted the Gale Horse king, firmly gripping the two antennae extending from its head.
When the sun reached its peak, the exhausted Gale Horse king trudged back toward the waiting Ikon, Muria still on its back.
"Ul, why did you..." As Muria had expected, Batu began to nag like a concerned mother, complaining incessantly in front of him.
Muria listened with a smile, sensing both the worry and the pride in his father's voice.
"Father, I've conquered a Gale Horse. We can begin the hunt now!"
...
As the sun was about to set, a hunting party that had left the Tulan tribe at dawn returned, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, to their homeland, now illuminated by a faint light.
Almost every Gale Horse in the hunting party carried one or two large prey, a testament to their success.
"Batu, your son is truly a genius!"
As they neared the tribe, one of the Ikon people couldn't help but exclaim to Batu, a sentiment he had repeated several times that day.
Although Batu had heard similar praise so many times that his ears were practically numb, he still couldn't help but smile, showing his gleaming white teeth.
Muria, overhearing the compliment, showed little emotion. He felt it was only natural.
This hunting trip, originally intended to show Muria the world, familiarize him with the environment, and teach him hunting skills, had turned into a personal showcase for him as soon as he decided to display his abilities.
At first, to maintain his disguise, Muria shot two arrows from the black bow Batu had acquired for him. The first missed, and the second only wounded the prey.
But from the third arrow onward, Muria gave up pretending. He revealed his true skills, hitting his mark with every shot, without fail, killing with a single arrow.
The result was that the Ikon people, including his father, who had originally come to protect him, were reduced to mere spectators, astonished by his prowess.
"Ul, put down your prey and come with me! We're going to see the Grand Elder!" After entering the tribe, the successful hunting party immediately attracted the attention of many Ikon people.
But Batu, uninterested in the attention, called out to Muria and climbed a tree nimbly, carrying prey larger than himself.
"Oh!" Muria dismounted, calmed his uneasy mount, and followed Batu up. The Gale Horse was still nervous in this unfamiliar place.
...
"Grand Elder!" Soon, Batu, carrying the enormous prey, led Muria into the Grand Elder's treehouse, bowing respectfully.
"Ah, Batu and Ul, what brings you here?" In the dim treehouse, the elderly man, who had been dozing in a chair, opened his bright eyes, smiling warmly as he looked at the two Ikon before him.
"Grand Elder, please look at this prey! Ul killed it!" Batu said with barely concealed excitement, pointing to the prey at his feet.
"Hmm!" The slightly hunched old man now took a closer look at the prey before him, and his face showed a hint of surprise.
The head of this Night Wolf appeared to have been crushed by some blunt force. Judging by the cracks, it seemed that an Ikon had used their fist, but such power was beyond the reach of an ordinary Ikon.
"Is this..." The Grand Elder looked up at Batu.
"This happened when I took Ul hunting. He killed it with his fist!" Batu turned to point at Muria, who stood behind him.
"Grand Elder!" Muria cheerfully greeted the elder when their eyes met. Unlike Batu, who was tense, Muria seemed perfectly at ease.
"Ul, did you really kill this?" The Grand Elder pointed at the Night Wolf's shattered skull.
"Of course!"
"In that case, show me the power you used to kill it."
"That might not be a good idea," Muria scratched his head.
"Don't worry, Ul, the Grand Elder was once a Bagda," Batu reassured him.
"He was, but not anymore. I'm old now, but I should still be able to handle one punch from you. So, go ahead, don't hold back."
"Alright then!" Hearing the elder's words, Muria no longer hesitated. He walked over and threw a standard straight punch.
As he punched, two faint white lines, glowing softly, appeared on his wrist. Though the light was dim, in the dark treehouse, it was particularly noticeable.
"As expected, haha!" The Grand Elder caught Muria's fist, and bright white patterns, more intricate and vibrant than Muria's, lit up on his hand.
...
Moments later, Muria, holding a bark-bound book, walked out of the Grand Elder's treehouse alongside Batu, who couldn't suppress his joy.
"Father, I'm going back to study the Bagda training method." Muria raised the bark book and said to his father.
"Alright, alright, go study. Your mother and I will bring your dinner to your treehouse later." Batu, overflowing with joy, could hardly contain himself, especially after hearing the Grand Elder say that his son would definitely become a real Bagda before adulthood.
"Mm!" Seeing that his father was likely eager to share the good news with others, Muria sighed softly and left.
...
"Sigh, not having high expectations was the right approach. This training method is so crude!" In his treehouse, Muria sighed quietly after reading through the Bagda training method given to him by the Grand Elder.
To Muria, it was like a grown man looking at the scribbles of a three-year-old. However, despite its simplicity and roughness, it was highly useful for Muria.
The hardest part wasn't going from one to ten thousand, but from zero to one. With this training method that allowed him to utilize the abundant energy stones around him, Muria's power would grow explosively.
...
Five years later, Muria had been in this world for twelve years, and his body had grown to match that of an adult Ikon. In terms of strength, however, he was on an entirely different level.
"Grand Elder!" The tall, muscular, yet sleek Muria entered the treehouse, greeting the now more hunched elderly man.
"Ah, it's Ul! How has your training been going? How much stronger have you become?"
"See for yourself!" Muria, dressed in animal skins, didn't move, but brilliant white patterns appeared all over his body, illuminating the entire dark treehouse.
"Good! You've become even stronger. It seems I underestimated you five years ago!" The Grand Elder, now bathed in the glowing patterns from Muria, laughed. "So, what brings you here today?"
"Grand Elder, I wanted to let you know that I plan to leave for a while. I'm not sure when I'll return." Muria retracted the glowing patterns, returning to his usual appearance.
"Where do you plan to go?" The Grand Elder asked, puzzled.
"I want to challenge the Bagda of other Ikon tribes in the Ayale Great Forest!" Muria revealed his plan.
After optimizing the Bagda training method given to him, Muria had reached its limit. His entire body was now covered with light patterns. He needed to find a new path; his current strength was far from enough.
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