"So Ivren, in his anger went mad and decided to decimate the legion of the gods." Nico thought about this fantastical story the people of Rosen cooked up. "But before he could do it, he was imprisoned in the deepest part of the underworld being tortured again and again by the warden of death – Nikoros."
According to one of the older residents, when the battle that ended in the imprisonment of the warrior god took place, the blood of Ivren spilled over the humans he killed. The blood resurrected and transformed them into another breed of humans.
The "Ivre'ga" which means, "blood of Ivren", now reborn saw Ivren's memories prior to the attack. They also witnessed the warrior god's last moments as hundreds of celestial spears punctured his body – all while wailing "My children! My children!"
To the humans who were killed – no, the Ivre'ga's ancestors, seeing their god descend was an experience like no other, and when he wept for them, they embraced his anger. And knowing how the other gods manipulated their father into mass murder, filled all who were reborn with blood boiling wrath.
Nico thought about it. The Ivre'ga of the past were demigods. They had a portion of the warrior god's actual strength – different from blessings. If their story were any like the truth, and that the Ivre'ga were superhumans, why did they become nomads so few? This puzzled Nico for a few days. He wanted to find out but the people he asked were reluctant to tell him.
The inquisitiveness of Nico bore fruit in increasing his practical skills while also learning about other things. In between hunter trainings, Nico spent time learning foraging skills, which meant identifying various plants and trees for food and other uses.
His teacher was the same old woman who took care of him while he was injured.
"You're bothered about something?" asked the old woman. Her name was apparently, Iselda.
"I have a question about your people, but everyone refused to answer. Past is past they say." replied Nico.
"Well, try asking me. I'm the oldest person in this tribe and I love answering questions."
Nico asked about why the Ivre'ga were so few if they did have abilities surpassing normal humans. Iselda's face fell. After a few seconds, she resolved to answer.
"I understand why they did not answer. Its a sore topic for our people, but I guess there's really no harm in you knowing." replied Iselda somberly.
"The answer is simple, child. When the gods noticed that Ivren's children were a cut above the rest, they sent celestial armies to purge us."
Nico's eyes went wide. The gods literally decided to smite them.
"We were almost annihilated. Well, almost." the old woman showed a good-natured smile.
"We, the descendants of those who were able to hide, have been in hiding for thousands of years. And every time an Ivre'ga tribe is discovered – human armies under the direct supervision of a celestial representative will ride us down."
"And so, we decided to separate – live unnoticed and become a distant memory to Rosen Grande."
Nico was saddened. What a fate.
The conversation ended there. Despite Iselda's willingness to answer, it seemed that even retelling that part of their history was near taboo.
One day, Nico sat underneath a large Acacia tree after training hard in broad daylight. He mused about earlier events.
Rumio had taught him how to use a bow, a weapon, he found enjoyable to use. He was trash at it, but he'd been able to hit the training dummy at least once every few days. Rumio appeared to be getting frustrated but reigned himself in. Nico had noticed this, but what could he do. He wasn't rich enough to try most combat sports in the Philippines. And archery was a sport for the elites.
Spear training, however, went by smoothly. Maybe because ever since he was a child, he'd been fascinated by the spear. Whenever he played war games with his friends, he'd always choose a long stick and pretend it was a spear. The reach was good, and since he didn't want to get hurt – its long range also helped.
Of course, he was crap at it, but he was able to follow the training more closely than he did using the bow.
"There may be hope for you, yet." said Rumio as he floored Nico for the nth time since they began training. "A spear is a trustworthy companion in battle. But a bow is a hunter's friend."
"And we are going on a hunt!" Rumio showed a large toothy grin. The training continued.
At night, Nico would play with Fenrir. He tried to teach the cub a few tricks but since they'd created a kind of empathy link, Fenrir would do just that in one try and flawlessly.
"You're so smart. How come you ended up being chased by those scary wolves?" Nico stared at the cub's large red eyes. He suddenly felt sad and realized that the cub was projecting its emotions. He may not know the reason, but he knew enough to comfort the little thing.
There it is again!, Nico thought as he petted the animal. "This world is so well made that I think this is so real. I have to snap out of it."
Nico opened his menu once again and checked the date. He'd arrived in Rosen Grande on the 1st of June. 15 days have already passed since then.
"There's no need to hurry. I don't know much about this world yet." He opened his map. He'd realized one thing. Whenever he learned about his surroundings, the more detailed the map got. For example, when he learned about the different plants around the forest, different colored dots corresponding different plants started littering the map. When he understood all there was to know about a plant, the dot then became an active icon. This means that it could now be toggled and selecting it shows an option called "analyze" Pressing the "analyze" button shows all important details about the plant such as maturity percentage, hydration, toxicity, and health.
Having discovered this feature, Nico became a bit fearful. This was kind of OP wasn't it? Hopefully, no one from Rosen finds out that their AI gave a broken skill to the least qualified candidate.
He imagined suddenly being nerfed to oblivion and that wasn't good for his future.
Another week passed by with the training getting progressively harder. Nico also felt that his physical abilities were becoming better. He could also move a bit faster and endure longer.
He also spent more time studying his surroundings, thereby increasing the detail and information the map could give him.
"As usual, I'm tasking you to catch us dinner." This was a task devised by Rumio to assess Nico's hunter skills. "You've yet to kill us a rabbit. Let's hope your luck is better this time."
Nico nodded. He'd learned how to spot game clues. He also discovered that the map helped him determine the probable location of animals depending on how many clues he finds. For his current task of catching a hare, he needed to find 3 sets of tracks before a trail could be established by the help of the map. The map could show several possible directions and he'd have to deduct which way based on other clues he could find.
"What do you see?" asked Rumio, impressed at how fast Nico assimilated the theory behind hunting. Granted, he still couldn't catch any animal – and he'd prohibited the use of Fenrir. Nico had tried to cheat once by using the ultra-smart cub to determine the location of a hare. They'd found one only after a few minutes. To Rumio, this was an amazing advantage – but relying on the wolf could spell disaster for Nico in the future. He needed to learn properly.
"Two sets of hare prints. These are still fresh. Maybe a few hours old." said Nico quietly. "Aha, the third set – now, which direction did it go?"
Nico glanced left to right and stared at the direction slightly to the left. Nico began sneaking. He wasn't particularly good at it yet, but for a beginner, he wasn't bad. The map track disappeared signaling Nico to find another set of prints or clues. He did so after a few minutes and the track were re-established. Rumio wasn't surprised. The way Nico was going on about it was exactly as he taught him. The only thing that unsettled him even after seeing it for so many times already, was how quick Nico decided on a direction.
The certainty to which Nico took his steps were akin to a seasoned hunter. His find rate increased day by day and for the past 3 days, he'd found an animal they were following only a few minutes. The man was a tracking genius, thought Rumio.
"There." Nico whispered. Rumio saw a hare feeding a about 15 meters away from them. This distance was nothing to Rumio and his bow, but it was a different story for Nico.
"Remember what I taught you." responded Rumio. "Sneak quietly, draw your bow and arrow quietly and wait for the perfect timing."
Nico nodded.
Leaving Rumio behind, Nico started sneaking closer and closer till he was about 10 meters away. At this distance, Nico was confident he wouldn't miss. Taking a deep, quiet breath. He drew an arrow from his quiver, loaded it by the bow's string and pulled.
The air was shuffling softly to the right. He adjusted his aim.
"Good." Mumbled Rumio. "Stay calm and loose."
As if on cue, Nico lost the arrow, and it flew straight towards the hare's body. The arrow hit the hare's backside, but it wasn't enough to prevent it from escaping. It had run away. Nico cursed, but it wasn't the end.
"Its leaving a trail of blood. I'll be able to find it again." Nico up and ran.
"Good shot but you need more practice." Said Rumio who now ran next to Nico.
The two men followed the trail of blood. They saw the hare again, only this time, it was in between the jaws of a large forest wolf. And the wolf was staring them down.
"goddammit." cursed Nico. "Again with wolves?!"