Chapter 4

004.

The chief’s tent, shrouded in darkness.

A biting wind seeped through gaps in the roughly tanned leather, making the torchlight flicker.

Beneath that light, Zakan, chief of the Northern Rock Tribe, sat alone.

“…….”

The face of one man surfaced in Zakan’s mind.

Izak.

A man slightly smaller than the other tribe members, with an appearance unbecoming of a warrior.

An inconspicuous fellow who had not even left a distinct memory in his mind.

Had Izak always been like that? A small question planted a seed of doubt in Zakan’s mind.

Eyes filled with certainty, and the spirit to boldly make demands without avoiding his gaze.

And above all, someone who had created food from dead land where no life could grow.

‘Wisdom.’

Zakan rolled the unfamiliar word around in his mouth.

Wisdom was an unfamiliar concept to barbarians.

Thoughts that could not pierce a monster’s hide were nothing but distractions, and worries that could not solve hunger were luxuries.

A world where strength was law and survival was truth.

That was why Zakan swung his sword and strove to protect the tribe.

But.

Zakan turned his gaze toward the enormous greatsword resting in one corner of the tent.

His father’s keepsake and the symbol of the chief.

That sword might be able to cut down monsters, but it could not cut down hunger.

‘Am I…… tired?’

The thought suddenly came to him.

He was still young. No, he was still a child.

Even by barbarian standards, he was too young to serve as chief.

But the previous chief, his father, on the night when the ‘Red Moon’ rose.

Had been torn apart horribly while holding back wave after wave of magical beasts.

Not only his father, but the tribe’s seasoned warriors and wise elders had all vanished like dew that night.

The only survivors were immature, unseasoned youths like himself who still had much to learn from adults, and children who needed protection.

Zakan had no choice but to assume the position of chief, but strength alone was not enough to lead a tribe.

‘I don’t know.’

The hunger grew worse by the day, and he could not figure out what to do about the situation.

Then, at that moment, Izak had created potatoes.

That fellow had performed a miracle said to be possible only for mages.

If the ancestral god had truly bestowed wisdom upon him.

Had his father’s spirit sent the ancestral god to compensate for his own shortcomings?

“…….”

Zakan’s eyes sank deeply.

His thoughts tried to continue one after another, but the simple thought process peculiar to barbarians struck a wall.

For the first time, Zakan felt frustrated.

Wisdom. Perhaps he himself was the one who desired it most desperately.

“Come in.”

Casting aside his thoughts, he spoke quietly toward the presence outside the tent.

Zakan did not yet know that the small miracle Izak had created was beginning to bring a slight change to his life.

.

.

.

After being summoned by the chief, I stood there extremely tense.

‘Why the hell did he call me?’

I was anxious. Could he perhaps be suspicious of me?

According to L.O.C.’s setting, a barbarian chief was an absolute ruler.

‘Calm down, Kang Jin-ho. You’re the hero of the tribe right now. You multiplied the potatoes fourfold.’

I swallowed dryly and steeled myself.

For now…… I should try to appear as polite and intelligent as possible.

I was no longer a simple barbarian, but a wise farmer barbarian possessed by the ancestral god.

- Come in.

Zakan’s voice came from inside the tent.

Good. I’m going in as politely and intelligently as possible.

[Failure! Barbarian Spirit resists polite speech and behavior.]

“Chief! I came!”

But regardless of my intentions, something completely different came out of my throat.

- Bang!

Good grief.

Before even waiting for a response, my body violently kicked aside the leather curtain and charged inside.

My footsteps were thunderous, and my voice was bold.

‘No, damn it! Why is my body moving on its own! Is Mental Strength 10 still not enough? Is this some kind of probability game?’

I screamed inwardly, but outwardly I looked like the most insolent rogue under heaven.

This damned trait. Barbarian Spirit!

Was it because I still had not adjusted to this body?

Fortunately, Zakan did not so much as twitch an eyebrow at my rude entrance and simply stared at me with a frightening expression.

“You came.”

I tried to sit quietly in front of the chief, but my body dropped heavily onto the floor and sat cross-legged.

Zakan stared at me.

It was scary.

Just when that heavy silence became difficult to endure, Zakan opened his mouth.

“Izak. Did the ancestral god give you wisdom?”

“Yes.”

When I nodded briefly, I saw Zakan’s eyes tremble greatly.

What is he thinking?

Again, he said nothing.

After silently staring for a long time at the greatsword propped up in one corner, he spoke with a deep sigh.

“Then, Izak. Will you manage the household?”

Huh? What did he say?

Household? Whose household……? Why would I……?

‘No way…… because I grew potatoes so well. He covets my genes…….’

My imagination shot off in a bizarre direction.

“The tribe’s internal affairs. Will you handle them?”

Only then did I understand.

So he didn’t mean that kind of household.

I felt awkward for no reason, but Zakan, unaware of my misunderstanding, continued with a serious expression.

“The chief blocks enemies and hunts. But counting and leading the tribe makes head hurt.”

He tapped his temple with a thick finger.

“My father said this. A tribe needs two pillars. One is the chief who protects the tribe, and the other is the shaman who fattens the tribe.”

“Shaman…….”

“Our tribe has no shaman.”

For some reason, Zakan’s voice sounded lonely.

‘Come to think of it, there were no adults in this tribe.’

Only cheerful, reckless boys and little barbarian brats. Was that why they did not know farming?

For a moment, I thought Zakan must have suffered quite a lot among these muscle-brained barbarians.

He stared directly at me.

“Izak. You received wisdom from the ancestral god. Barbarians lack wisdom. You made life bloom from dead land.”

“…….”

“You become shaman of our tribe. Become my brother and take care of what lies behind me. I will trust you and swing my sword.”

In a way, this seemed less like an offer and more like an earnest request.

I stared blankly at him for a moment.

According to the original scenario, I was destined to be nothing more than Tribe Member Number 23 or something, thoughtlessly swinging an axe until I died.

And now the chief was offering me the position of second-in-command.

Shaman.

The one responsible for the tribe’s wisdom, presiding over rituals, and filling the chief’s absence directly beneath him.

‘No reason to refuse.’

Life would become much easier if I became the shaman.

More importantly, I would no longer need the chief’s permission to put my survival plans into action.

A grin spread across my face. This time, it was not forced, but a genuine smile.

“Good. I’ll do it.”

At my acceptance, Zakan’s expression noticeably brightened.

He hesitated for a moment, then abruptly stood and carefully patted my back.

“Good decision. Then from now on, you are the shaman of the Northern Rock Tribe.”

……Isn’t the procedure way too simple?

I had not been expecting some dazzling appointment ceremony, but I had not expected it to be this simple either. While I stood there bewildered, Zakan rummaged beneath his bed.

Then he held something out to me.

It was an old wooden box covered in dust.

“What is this?”

“The previous shaman left it behind. Only one who becomes shaman may possess it. Now it is yours.”

Zakan held out the box again.

At that moment, my heart began pounding again.

‘Inheritance……!’

The rules of games.

The chief’s treasures or the legacy of a predecessor always contained hidden items or skill books.

There might even be a spellbook inside.

Or perhaps gold coins from an ancient empire? A special artifact? The tribe might look destitute now, but maybe it had once been prosperous?

‘At last, my chance to get carried by equipment!’

I accepted the box with trembling hands.

It was heavy. This weight. Gold? Were there gold bars inside?

“Open it.”

At Zakan’s urging, I carefully opened the lid.

Creeeak- The rusted hinges screamed as the lid opened.

I looked inside the box with eyes full of anticipation.

“…….”

And I was speechless.

What is this?

Irregular slashes and holes of unknown meaning had been carved into thin, crudely made pieces of bone.

Honestly, it looked like junk.

“What is this?”

“Time.”

Zakan pointed with a thick finger at the holes pierced along the edges of the bone pieces.

Small stones tied with leather cords hung from each hole.

“Barbarians do not remember. Yesterday’s fullness is forgotten by today’s hunger. We live today.”

His eyes sank deeply amid the wavering shadows of the torchlight.

“But someone must remember. When the Red Moon rises, when white snow falls. The shaman ties knots on this bone and counts the days.”

Only then did I realize what this crude object was.

A calendar.

Barbarians who had nothing left but instincts ruled by wildness.

It was a primitive counting device designed to let people who felt neither reason nor need to think intuitively understand dates.

One stone meant one day, and a thick knot meant one month.

And the hole painted red…….

‘The Red Moon…….’

The day disaster began.

Even I, who knew this game well, had not forgotten.

Before the Great Famine, we first had to survive the Red Moon that came periodically.

“Now you record it. Izak. You protect us.”

I silently nodded and accepted the bone piece.

Slowly examining its knots, I counted backward from the location of the last knot Zakan had recorded to today.

The calculation was simple, so a modern mind could interpret it quickly.

‘April 30th.’

A chill ran down my spine.

If my memory was correct, dates and seasons in this world passed similarly to those on Earth.

The first snow fell in October, and by November, the full-fledged ‘White Winter’ began.

A great catastrophe that froze all living things to death.

Then, just as I had thought when I first arrived in this world, only about six months remained until winter.

‘It’s tight. And we also need to prepare for the Red Moon.’

I swallowed dryly and looked at the primitive calendar in my hand.

It was not the gold, treasure, or magical item I had wanted, but perhaps I had gained something even more important.

A sense of time.

And a deadline for the approaching future.

“Understood.”

I gave a brief answer as I tucked the bone piece into my clothes, then left the chief’s tent.

_____________

Three days later.

I worked hard to assess the tribe’s household situation.

Red Moon or Great Famine, we first had to eat and survive right now.

Making my faint hopes completely meaningless…… the barbarians really were dirt poor.

The empty warehouse in the center of the village, without even a door or guards, truly was everything they possessed.

- Chief! No secret warehouse? No food chief hid?

- None. Barbarians do not hide.

So I had to endure three hellish days.

The incorruptibly honest Chief Zakan had nothing, and until the potatoes I planted grew, I had to suck my fingers along with the rest of the tribe.

One or two rabbits brought back by the hunting party were nowhere near enough to fill the stomachs of 40 people.

And even that was only if they managed to catch any.

‘Hungry…… so hungry.’

And this unnecessarily huge body was horribly inefficient.

The hunger that came crashing over me was so intense that I genuinely feared I might starve to death.

After enduring it, the promised time finally arrived.

“Harvest!”

At my shout, the barbarians rushed in.

Crack! Thud! The earth overturned, and treasures hidden beneath the soil poured out.

- Ding!

A clear, cheerful system notification rang out.

[Acquired 20 F-rank Potatoes. Cumulative Potato Harvest has reached 100. Next Harvest Goal: 500.]

[Crop Understanding <​Potato> has increased. Current Understanding: 20%]

Yes! That’s it.

It felt like my hunger and exhaustion disappeared without a trace.

When I harvested the second potato stalk, another message window appeared.

[Rank Increased! You have harvested an E-rank Potato for the first time.]

[Achievement Accomplished! First Barbarian! You are the first barbarian to harvest an E-rank crop. Experience acquired.]

[Title Acquired! ‘Maybe You’re Actually Good at Farming?’ acquired. Stat Point +1, Fame +1, Strength +1]

‘Gasp.’

An E-rank potato!

The plump potato in my hand.

This was not F-rank, but an E-rank potato.

Apparently, when my Understanding of potatoes reached 20%, the potato rank increased as well.

Then what kind of potato would appear once I understood potatoes 100%?

Farming…… is so much fun!

On top of that, my Strength increased just from farming.

“Potato wizard! Exciting.”

The barbarians cheered happily every time potatoes appeared.

And with their cheers as background music, I enthusiastically harvested potatoes until only the last one remained.

[Level Up! You have reached Level 3. Lv.2 -> Lv.3]

[Stat Point +1 from leveling up. Class Skill Proficiency has increased.]

[The number of available Cultivation Slots has increased. 5 -> 10]

‘Oooh……!’

I clenched my fist.

I’m growing fast.

This is what progression is all about.

Happily, I looked at the E-rank potato, far larger and heavier than an F-rank potato.

“Izak! Extremely big potato.”

Malko and the other barbarians cheered while holding up the E-rank potatoes.

Today’s harvest totaled 110 potatoes: 20 F-rank potatoes and 90 E-rank potatoes.

A complete bumper crop.

Just as I was enjoying the harvest with the barbarians, the bushes rustled and the hunting party returned.

As expected, Zakan was at the front.

An enormous barbarian a full head taller than even the large warriors.

A scrawny raccoon hung over his shoulder.

‘Tsk. They wandered around all day, but it looks like they barely got anything.’

Zakan trudged over and stopped in front of us.

His gaze landed on the pile of more than 100 potatoes forming a small hill on the ground.

I swallowed dryly. I had gotten a little more used to him…… but that guy is still scary.

But Zakan said nothing and merely stared at the pile of potatoes before slowly raising his head.

“…….”

Without a word, he gave the tiniest nod.

‘What was that just now……?’

Zakan tossed the raccoon beside the pile of potatoes, then walked toward his tent while pretending not to care.

Huh.

A smile spread across my lips without me realizing it.

Did he just praise me?

Still, it did not feel bad. To be honest, it felt pretty good.

I picked up the raccoon Zakan had left behind and an E-rank potato, then shouted thunderously.

“Tonight, we eat until our stomachs burst!”

“Waaaaah! BARBARIAAAAN!”

The cheers echoed through the canyon.

Had I already started thinking like a barbarian too?

There were a few problems with that, but for now, I was hungry, so let’s eat first.