Chapter 102 - EPISODE 102 – KARAVAL (2) (1/2)
Terms used in this chapter:
Weight class – a measurement weight range for boxers in boxing.
Flyweight – weight division in boxing for boxers who weighed between 48.98 – 50.80 kg.
Heavyweight – weight division in boxing for boxers who weighed 90.71 kg and above.
Marten – a slender-bodied carnivorous mammal of the weasel family that lives in the northern hemisphere.
Ecological disturbance – a force of nonbiological or biological origin that brings about mortality/death to organisms and changes in pattern in their territorial behavior in the ecosystems they inhabit.
If the Great Storm tribe inherited the blood of the Winter Elves, one of the ancient elves, then the Blade Song tribe inherited the blood of the Hyjal Orcs, one of the ancient orcs.
‘Just as I thought.’
The Great Storm tribe or the Gentle Snow Breeze tribe that they had met so far were somewhat different from what the people of the northern part of the Sälen Kingdom thought of as “barbarian.”
The barbarians were like large, fierce, and wild beasts.
This was their prejudice, but the Blade Song tribe resembled what the northerners thought of barbarians in many ways.
‘Because the Blade Song tribe or the Angry Bull tribe were the ones who led the invasion every time in the first place.’
It had always been the Angry Bull or the Blade Song tribes who directly fought against the Jackdaws for hundreds of years.
‘But it’s a little different.’
In the game, they looked more like beasts or monsters than ordinary orcs, but at the present, they looked more like humans than orcs because they had not been corrupted.
Their heads were larger than ordinary humans, and they had large bodies and broad shoulders. Their upper bodies were larger and bulkier than their lower bodies that it looked like an inverted triangle.
They looked like orcs up to this point, but their faces were different. The tips of their ears were a little sharp and their overall appearance was masculine and bold, but their faces itself were clearly that of humans.
‘And gray skin.’
The clearest proof that they possessed the blood of the Hyjal Orcs.
“Nine Blades greets Gentle Snow Breeze.”
Their leader, Nine Blades, courteously greeted her with a raucous voice.
One way or another, for him who was born and grew in the wild lands, the wild gods were beings they worshipped and respected.
“Welcome, Nine Blades.”
Gentle Snow Breeze smiled at Nine Blades whose hair was tied into nine braids as if to reflect his name. The wild god then glanced at Sun Song.
“You are Sun Song.”
“It’s an honor to meet Gentle Snow Breeze.”
Sun Song politely bowed and greeted her.
And Cordelia stared at such Sun Song with narrowed eyes.
‘Umm…doesn’t he seem to be better than the one in the game?’
‘Somehow.’
Because in the game, he was literally a raving beast.
Compared to then, his personality seemed calm, and he was a little smaller in size. Or more like, his height was the same, but his muscle mass was different.
‘He’s still big.’
He was roughly 2 meters tall.
In addition to the characteristics of the Blade Song tribe whose upper bodies were greatly developed, his shoulders, arms, fists, and so on, were much bigger than a normal human, making him look larger than he really was.
“Eueue…it’s not fair. Their weight classes are incomparable.”
Cordelia let out a very small groan.
And she was correct.
Aside from being six years older, Red Wind was basically no match for his weight class.
Red Wind’s height was in the lower 160’s.
She only weighed 40kg since she inherited the lightness of the elves.
On the other hand, Sun Song seemed to be around 150kg, so their fight was more like a fight between a flyweight and a heavyweight.
It was unfair.
Everyone who saw it could tell that it was an unfair match.
“But that’s why we can do it too, right?”
Cordelia nodded at Jude’s words.
It wasn’t just Sun Song who could take advantage of this notion of unfairness.
“That’s right. Let’s show them unfairness too. Let’s show them the power of capitalism.”
“Something seems to be wrong with your words…but then again, it doesn’t sound very wrong.”
Jude grinned before he and Cordelia watched Sun Song again.
Red Gale was greeting Nine Blades.
“It’s not as bad as I thought, huh?”
“Because they thought of each other as rivals. If he was a real rival… he would hate seeing Red Gale’s sickly appearance.”
Just as Jude said, Nine Blades had a very bitter expression when he saw the weak Red Gale, and he was furious at the west – or to be exact, the Angry Bull tribe and Haraken.
“The alliance itself will work out well.”
“The remaining question is, who will lead it?”
If Nine Blades’ tribe gained supremacy, the fight against the demon followers could even lead to a fight against the northern part of the Sälen Kingdom.
“Let’s believe in Red Wind.”
“Yes, and the power of capitalism.”
Cordelia nicely smiled as her canines glistened, and Jude looked back at Red Wind.
***
Karaval traditionally started in the late afternoon, and supposedly came to an end when the sun set.
“It’s time… I guess we should start.”
As Gentle Snow Breeze stared at the sky and spoke, Violent Avalanche who was sitting next to her also nodded.
In fact, the chieftains and warriors of various tribes had already gathered.
The venue of the fight was in the field where Jude and Cordelia had ‘cleared away’ (because they had burned it down).
An arena was built by driving stakes into the ground to mark the area, and colored flags that symbolized each tribe were also set up, creating a fairly decent stage.
“Here they come.”
The first one that appeared was the Blade Song tribe.
The group headed to their place in the north before sitting down, while their opponents, the Great Storm tribe, naturally sat down in the south.
“Everyone’s excited.”
The faces of the Great Storm tribe and the Blade Song tribe were filled with tension, but not for the other tribes.
The other tribes couldn’t enjoy it because the nature of the alliance would change depending on which tribe wins, but the overall atmosphere was still close to a festival.
“Because it’s Karaval.”
Violent Avalanche nodded at Gentle Snow Breeze’s words.
Karaval.
A violent custom of determining everything through a duel.
But if one thought about it a little seriously, Karaval was rather the violence to prevent brutal violence.
‘Because it ended conflicts between tribes through a one-on-one fight.’
It was obvious that if two tribes directly fought each other, much blood would flow.
Death, killings, and loss of possessions.
If such a thing was repeated in the wild lands that was already difficult to live in, the only thing left was the annihilation of both sides.
So Karaval was created.
It was measure that allowed the tribes to accept the results and minimize the damage at the same time.
‘Therefore, it’s not just a one-on-one confrontation.’
Because Karaval was a substitute for wars between tribes.
It was a means to show off the capabilities of the entire tribe.
Our tribe can train such a strong warrior.
Our tribe can strengthen a warrior to this extent.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fine Snow and Clear Snow beat the drums to announce the opening of the Karaval.
The ferocious chieftains and warriors suddenly yelled out cheers around the arena, and the Gentle Snow Breeze tribe gave their enthusiastic support too.
“Gentle Snow Breeze and Violent Avalanche are here to witness this event! I hereby declare the beginning of the Karaval!”
“Uoooooooahh!”
The atmosphere heated up as hundreds of people cheered at the same time.
Gentle Snow Breeze and Violent Avalanche had flushed faces at the heated atmosphere.
The children of the wild lands were also excited and happy as they were influenced by the wild gods who took care of them.
And so were Fine Snow and Clear Snow, who became excited too.
Although Fine Snow was usually serious, he was laughing with lively eyes before he shouted as he pointed to the Blade Song tribe with a drumstick.
“Warrior of the Blade Song tribe! Sun Song!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Uwooooooaaaah!”
The whole field shook with the loud cheers of the Blade Song tribe.
And Sun Song came forward. His outfit was completely different from when he first entered the land a few hours ago.
“Woah! Isn’t that a purple marten’s leather?! They say that it can block any blade despite it being leather!”
“Wow! They have such a precious item?”
“After all, the Blade Song tribe are incredibly wealthy!”
Smiles spread on the faces of the Blade Song tribe’s warriors, including Nine Blades, as the tribal chieftains and warriors chattered when they saw the marten leather clothes Sun Song was wearing.
“That isn’t all though? Look at that bracelet. That’s obviously Murmur black steel. It’s an equipment that grants superhuman strength to its wearer!”
“Woah! That means the Blade Song tribe defeated a Murmur!”
“You are right! It is as you have guessed. It’s a feat worthy of the Blade Song tribe.”
Nine Blades shrugged his shoulders and everyone from the Blade Song tribe cleared their throats.
But it was still not the end.
“What he’s wearing on his neck is Bardo’s Light. Have you heard of it?”
“I’ve heard of it. Isn’t that a mysterious gem that can only be collected by luck from the bodies of Bardo, which are hard to catch and see?”
“That’s it. It’s a very precious, expensive, and amazing item that bestows its wearer a mysterious power.”
“As expected of the Blade Song tribe. But how do you know all these things?”
“I’m a little knowledgeable.”
In fact, the Blade Song tribe had dispatched a storyteller to intentionally create such an atmosphere.
“Kyaa…look at Sun Song’s imposing body. The purple marten leather garments he’s wearing, the Murmur’s Steel Bracelet, and Bardo’s Light Necklace!”
“His equipment is overwhelming.”
“Is this even a fight?”
Roars of laughter spread, and Nine Blades’ smile deepened.
“How much money did they spend for today?”
The use of various expensive equipment was not just to boost Sun Song’s fighting power.
It was to show off the power and wealth of the Blade Song tribe to the various tribes, and to inform to the world that the Blade Song tribe was the rightful tribe to lead the alliance.
“Of course, his performance is excellent too.”
Even if he didn’t have those equipment, Sun Song’s physical abilities were overwhelming. It was even boosted by his expensive equipment, so Red Wind was no match for Sun Song no matter how hard she tried.
“Haha, I guess the other side would be coming out now.”
“Poor thing. If she had come out first, she wouldn’t look so awkward.”
“You’re right. I feel so sorry for her.”
It was clear that she wouldn’t be a match for Sun Song no matter how hard they adorned her with items.
She must have done her best to adorn herself, so how could they not feel sorry for her now that she was being ridiculed?
“I heard that Red Wind was a young girl, so it’s really pitiful.”
“Would she be crying even before the fight begins?”