Shaman

"What? I'm supposed to become a Shaman?"

Solam stared at the old man in shock. He didn't actually dislike Shamans. After all, he'd come here from another world, so he was curious about magic and the like. But he knew the old man had always wanted to become a pure-blooded warrior. That wasn't unusual, since becoming a warrior was every boy's first choice in Avalon. He also knew how stubborn the old man was. Granny Karom had tried to persuade him countless times over the years, and they'd had plenty of arguments. So why had he given up now?

The old man didn't say anything when he saw Solam's astonished expression. He only let out a long, dejected sigh. Seeing his expression, Granny Karom took over.

"Can't be helped. You awakened Berserk so early."

"Is it bad to awaken Berserk early?" Solam had never heard that before.

"Of course it is. You know where we Avalon Orcs came from, right?" Granny Karom replied firmly, then asked Solam about the origins of the Avalon Orcs.

"I heard from Aunt Solari that our ancestors came to Avalon under the leadership of the prophet Garul to escape the Chaotic Evil ancient Orc gods. That's how we became the Avalon Orcs."

"That's not wrong, but it's not quite accurate. Orcs weren't divided into Avalon Orcs, Black Orcs, and War Orcs like they are now. In the past, Orcs were savage and chaotic. Most of them were dull-witted, foolish, and brutal. It wasn't until thousands of years ago, when the prophet Garul appeared, that he changed the Shamanic Doctrine and led our ancestors out of that chaotic way of life. That led to the great division among the Orcs. We in Avalon inherited the prophet's legacy and kept the Shamanic Doctrine he left behind. Some Orcs also escaped the chaos and embraced the will of the God of War, Kampas. They became the War Orcs. The Orcs who refused to change their way of life instead turned to evil gods after all the Orc gods fell. Those became the Black Orcs."

Granny Karom began recounting some distant history.

(The Black Orcs were usually dark gray or green-skinned. They were Chaotic Evil, and the Orcs who rampaged across the continent, looting and killing, were mostly their kind. The War Orcs had reddish skin and worshipped the God of War, Kampas. Influenced by the prophet, they too had abandoned the Orc gods, but instead of embracing the new Shamanic Doctrine, they had been taken in by the God of War. They had now established their own kingdom on the grasslands between the Dragon Mountains and the Giant's Belt Mountains in the southeast of the continent. The Avalon Orcs, meanwhile, had yellowish skin, somewhat like the Asian complexion Solam remembered from his previous life.)

"But what does that have to do with my awakening Berserk?" Solam asked Granny Karom, puzzled.

"Of course it has something to do with it. The prophet Garul discovered that the Orcs' chaotic nature was largely due to our talent—Berserk. This talent gave us great strength, but that ferocious power also affected our minds. The more we indulged in it, the more we lost our reason. The prophet saw this, so he improved the old Shamanic Doctrine and helped us escape the influence of our rage. Otherwise, the other races would have looked down on us forever. You should know that, in ancient times, the other races didn't even consider us intelligent beings. They lumped us in with Ogres and Goblins, and saw us as monsters." Granny Karom explained.

"Our Avalon Orcs were blessed by the prophet long ago. Once we reach adulthood, our minds can resist Berserk's influence, so it won't cloud our judgment. With training, our warriors can even reach a higher level of Berserk—Calm Berserk. They retain Berserk's power while keeping a clear head. But accidents still happen. Sometimes an Orc who hasn't come of age is provoked and enters Berserk too early. Unable to resist its influence, these children go into Berserk more and more often. Eventually, many of them go mad and die in a frenzy. That's why we never tell you children about Berserk. We're afraid you'll try this power without understanding the danger."

Damn, this was serious. Solam hadn't expected that sneaking out to hunt would have such severe consequences. He was confident in his self-control, but who knew how bizarre this world could be? What if he slipped up and went insane? At least, that was what Solam thought had happened to those who couldn't withstand Berserk's aftereffects. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine. Still, he could just make sure not to use Berserk from now on. Solam was confident he had enough self-control for that.

"Then I can just not use Berserk from now on, right? That should solve the problem?"

"Heh. Forget the fact that you'd be unable to use Berserk. Would you still count as an Avalon warrior? Besides, if you were in real danger, could you truly control yourself? If you couldn't resist Berserk's influence, your temper would become harder and harder to control. Eventually, you might fly into a rage just because the weather was bad."

The old man cut in coldly. That made sense. To Orcs, Berserk was a warrior's most important means of fighting magical beasts and spells. It didn't just increase a warrior's strength and constitution; it also improved his resistance to magic.

Without that ability, an Orc warrior was practically half as strong. Otherwise, how did you think Reginald Tomya of the ancient Bloodaxe Clan had fought his way in and out of the devil army three times? If he hadn't had the extraordinary magical resistance granted by high-level Berserk—Calm Berserk—the devils' spells would have blasted him to pieces long ago.

That was why warriors in Avalon who couldn't use Berserk were considered an inferior version, not true warriors. This was the most important reason the old man had finally given up on Solam becoming a warrior.

"...Then if I become a Shaman, can I escape Berserk's influence?" Solam asked. He wasn't particularly attached to becoming a warrior, but he couldn't help feeling frustrated about giving it up for this reason.

"Of course. A Shaman can resist Berserk. The prophet Garul himself was obsessed with Berserk when he was young, but in the end, he escaped its power by taking the path of a Shaman."

"If I become a Shaman, can I still become a warrior? If a Shaman's power can resist Berserk's influence, then couldn't I control it?"

"In your dreams. Once you become a Shaman, you'll lose the ability to use Berserk altogether. As for why, the prophet passed down the Shamanic Doctrine to eliminate that power. Why would he let you have another chance to use it?" Kramsh spat at Solam.

"Uh..." Solam scratched the back of his head, having just been mocked by the old man.

"Ahem!" Granny Karom cleared her throat, interrupting their exchange. "Ram, are you willing to become a Shaman? Your own wishes are important. If you can't truly accept the Shamanic Doctrine during the ritual, it won't succeed."

"Of course I'm willing. I don't want to go crazy." Solam had no objection to becoming a Shaman anyway. Besides, becoming one didn't mean turning into a frail Mage. He could still carry an axe around and chop people up. He'd seen Granny Karom chase the old man all over the place with her heavy flail. A Shaman was a warrior who could use magic but couldn't enter Berserk. That wasn't entirely accurate, but it wasn't too far off.

"Good. Then let me tell you more about our Shamanic Doctrine..." And with that, she launched into a lengthy explanation.

Shamans were the spiritual leaders of clans and tribes. They communed with spirits and the elements, and could foresee the future. In dark times, they guided their people through hardship. Many mistook their wisdom and composure for a peaceful nature. In truth, when challenged, Shamans possessed great power to deal with those who disrupted the natural order.

Shamans believed that all things had spirits. They could communicate with the earth, fire, storms, and water, and did so as equals. The Shamanic Doctrine taught them to save the dying and heal the wounded, and to cherish life. Thus, Shamans would not kill other living beings unless it was to fill their bellies, and they would avoid killing young creatures unless absolutely necessary.

They were still much better than Druids, though, since they didn't lose their powers for violating their doctrine. But Shamans were stricter than other spellcasting classes in one respect: they couldn't fall into chaos. The moment a Shaman did, they would lose their powers. But they weren't too concerned with good and evil. As long as they didn't disrupt the natural order, it barely mattered. A Shaman could kill countless people, but if they tried to destroy the world, they were out of luck.

Avalon's Orc Shamans were divided into several types. One type was the Spirit Shaman, who specialized in communicating with spirits. These Shamans could converse with spirits throughout the world and soothe souls. Like Buddhist monks in Solam's previous life, they could deliver restless spirits and bring them peace.

These Shamans excelled at healing and beneficial spells, and could also cast curses (turning someone into a frog, for example). Most importantly, they could summon Heroic Spirits. A Spirit Shaman could let a Heroic Spirit possess them, greatly increasing their strength and combat skills. For instance, although Granny Karom was in her sixties, once she summoned a Heroic Spirit to possess her, she could toy with a prime warrior like Solam's uncle.

And that was with the old woman only at level 17. If she could break through level 20 and reach the legendary tier, she could summon Heroic Spirits to descend directly, manifesting one to three legendary spirits and turning the fight into a group brawl. So facing a legendary Spirit Shaman was generally like facing several legendary opponents at once.

However, it was very difficult for a Shaman to reach the legendary tier. Spirit Shamans could also perform rituals to communicate with spirits and get answers to certain questions, or even obtain prophecies about the future. But the future was unknowable; even the gods couldn't predict it accurately, let alone Shamans. Their predictions were usually unreliable.