As I woke up in the chief's hut—which now temporarily belongs to me—I stretched and muttered,
"Damn... Elder Bern has one heck of a curiosity. But I can say—he's a genius when it comes to learning. He catches everything I teach him so easily. Maybe he has a natural talent for blacksmithing."
I stood up and washed my face with water.
Then I stepped outside the hut.
I was surprised to see villagers waiting outside, their eyes fixed on me with curiosity and tension.
Dries and Aries (the bone-mask-wearing brother) approached.
Dries spoke firmly,
"I brought you all the warriors of the tribe."
I looked ahead and counted—30 male warriors and 20 female warriors.
I addressed them with a commanding tone,
"I know you people are not used to me being your chief.
But I want you to be strong—not just to defeat orcs—but to defeat any race in the world."
All eyes were fixed on me.
Then, I raised my new spear made of Meric—its surface glowing faintly.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"Dries," I asked, "what do you call this energy?"
He replied,
"We call it... glowing energy."
I raised my voice,
"From now on—we will call this energy Aura."
'Well, I wanted a term for humans—and one of my students back in the day was an anime lover. I saw something like this on his TV... they used the term aura.'
I turned back to the warriors,
"Repeat after me—what will we call this energy?"
Everyone responded in unison,
"Aura!"
I retrieved the Aura and stood tall.
Then one of the warriors stepped forward and asked,
"I heard that you are stronger than the chief. But how can we believe you?"
Dries clenched his fists.
"How can you question my father's judgment?! You will—"
I raised a hand to stop Dries.
"Dries, it's okay. They want to know if they can trust me. Some of the warriors weren't present during that moment."
I stepped forward.
"Everyone—come at me together."
Gasps and murmurs erupted. The challenge stunned them.
Dries looked shocked.
"Chief, you want everyone to attack you?"
"Yes," I said confidently. "And it's an order from your chief."
Some warriors stepped forward, doubtful.
"Well, Chief, even though you can use glow—ah, Aura—but still... taking on the full tribe's warriors is arrogance."
I looked at them sharply.
"Well, if you were trained warriors, the story would be different.
But right now—you're cubs trying to gang up on a full-grown lion."
We fought.
As expected—I defeated them.
One by one, they collapsed, panting, bruised, and wide-eyed.
I stood firm and said,
"Well... this should clear all doubt against me."
As they stood up slowly, I continued,
"Now I will give you specific instructions—and you will follow them."
I began conducting physical tests—running, high jump, and weightlifting using a large boulder.
After the tests, the warriors sat on the ground, exhausted and resting.
I called out,
"Four of you—three male warriors and one female warrior—come forward."
They stepped out and stood before me.
"You will be my scouts."
They glanced at each other, confused.
"I selected you because you are the fastest and have strong legs.
You are best suited to scout. I will train you how to move in the forest, how to communicate silently, and more.
Also, I will teach you Arnis martial art."
I presented them with four long knives.
"You will only learn how to fight with knives."
They accepted the knives, their eyes filled with resolve.
"Okay, you four—go back."
Then I turned to the remaining 27 male warriors.
"I will teach you the Spartan fighting style."
Elder Bern arrived, accompanied by several helpers, carrying shields, swords, and spears.
I smiled,
"Elder Bern—you did a good job. These weapons are well made."
Elder Bern bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Chief. But I have some questions regarding certain weapons..."
I interrupted,
"Elder Bern, this is not the right time to discuss that.
How about you take some rest? You stayed up all night making these weapons."
He lowered his head, regretful.
"Okay, Chief... but when you're free, please come to my hut."
He left.
I sighed to myself,
'Over-enthusiasm is sometimes bad for humans... please take some rest, Elder Bern.'
Then I turned back to the warriors.
"So... where was I?"
Dries replied quickly,
"Spartan fighting style."
"Right," I nodded. "Spartan fighting style.
I will teach you how to fight in groups and in formation.
So take a spear and round shield."
As they moved to grab the gear, a female warrior stepped forward.
"Chief—what about us?"
I turned to the 19 female warriors.
"For the remaining 19 female warriors—I will teach you the Viking fighting style."
One woman asked,
"Why are we not learning the Spartan fighting style?"
I grinned.
"Because... I want to see Valkyries."
The female warrior blinked, confused.
"What, Chief?"
I laughed.
"Well, it's a joke."
They looked at me with puzzled expressions.
'Ah... they don't even know what a joke is.'
I coughed to reset the mood.
"Well, the training you did earlier in tribe history is quite different compared to males.
Your body language is different—so you are more suited for Viking fight style."
One of the women responded,
"Understood, Chief."
I looked at them, thinking silently,
'Well... that's a lie. Spartan fighting style is designed for males only. But I don't want to tell them that.'
I continued,
"So all women warriors—take the sword and shield."
They also grabbed their gear and stood ready.
I called over,
"Dries, Aries—come here."
They stepped forward.
"I will teach you both different fighting styles.
But for now, you two go and inspect the Jetu Mountain Range.
Tell me if you find another unique metal. Also, I saw a unique tree that had thread-like fibers on it—bring some of that too."
('Maybe I can create a bow...')
They replied in unison,
"Yes, Chief!"
They left.
I turned to the gathered warriors, eyes blazing.
"From now on—I will train you in your respective fighting styles.
When I train you—you will obey my every order.
If I change your name—you will accept it.
If I give you an impossible task—you will do it.
If you feel pain—I will give you more pain.
What you eat... what you do... what you remove—will be decided by me.
Do you understand?!"
I shouted.
They replied in unison,
"Yes, Chief!!"
'Haha... I always wanted to be a drill sergeant.'
I turned to the four scouts.
"My dear scouts—run the path I designed until I tell you to stop.
If you stop—you will not get food or water."
They looked at each other in horror.
I turned back to the group.
"All male warriors—do 1,000 push-ups.
All female warriors—do 1,000 squats.
If you stop in the middle—you start over from the beginning."
They stared at me like I was some kind of demon.
I grinned darkly.
"So... let's begin our fun."