Perhaps because of this world's special nature, the Communication ability had taken on a new function. After using it, Solam discovered that he could communicate with Frostfang directly through his thoughts. For example, if he wanted Frostfang to bring him the clothes beside him, he only had to picture the thought in his mind and use the Communication ability. Frostfang would understand him naturally, without Solam needing to say a word.
Just as Solam was enthusiastically using his new ability to give Frostfang orders, Granny Karom and Aunt Solari came in. Aunt Solari was carrying an entire roasted Thunder Beast leg.
"I knew you were awake. How are you feeling? All right?" Granny Karom went straight to sit beside Solam's bed.
The moment Solam saw the roasted Thunder Beast leg, it completely captured his attention. He couldn't think about anything else. He was starving. He hadn't really noticed it while experimenting with his new ability, but now that he saw that fragrant roasted leg, every other feeling disappeared from his mind. There was only one: hunger.
Granny Karom knew what was going on as soon as she saw Solam's expression. Until he'd eaten his fill, he wouldn't be able to say a thing. Besides, the child had never suffered like this in his life. He hadn't eaten in three days. Granny Karom felt awful for him, but for the sake of his future, she'd had to steel herself.
"Quick, give him the food. Look at those eyes—he's like a hungry wolf, all green and glowing."
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Solam snatched the roasted Thunder Beast leg from Aunt Solari and wolfed it down.
"Slow down, slow down! Honestly, nobody's going to take it from you. Don't choke." Aunt Solari watched him anxiously and sympathetically from the side. As she spoke, she handed Solam a cup of milk tea, afraid he really would choke.
"Mm... mm..." Solam didn't even lift his head. He kept his head down and stuffed the meat into his mouth as fast as he could.
"Phew... I'm finally alive again." Solam downed the milk tea in his hand, then leaned back on the bed in satisfaction. "I thought I was going to starve to death."
"You've had a hard time, but there was no other way. Spirit Communion Rituals have always been like this." Granny Karom patted Solam's head to comfort him.
"By the way, Granny, did my ritual succeed or not?"
"Mm, it did. Not only did it succeed, it went better than expected." Granny Karom was clearly delighted.
"What do you mean, better than expected? And anyway, am I a Spirit Shaman or an Elemental Shaman?"
"You can check for yourself." Granny Karom didn't answer directly. "You can meditate now and use Observe Attributes to look at your own stats. Then you'll know."
Solam followed the method Granny Karom had taught him and used Observe Attributes on himself. (It was similar to a basic skill in a game; anyone who changed classes could use it.)
Name: Solam Sakmi Sacklair Tomya (from now on, he'll be referred to as Solam)
Race: Beast Elf (a cross between an Orc and an Elf)
Strength: 14 Intelligence: 18 Constitution: 14 Agility: 10 Perception: 16 Charisma: 13
Class: Elemental Shaman (Level 1) Warrior (Level 4)
Spells: Level 1 Elemental Pacification (similar to a soothing prayer, but for the elements; basically useless), Level 1 Elemental Surge (similar to Magic Missile)
Talent: Elemental Totem (soulbound): Fire (Level 1) Water (Level 1) Earth (Level 1) Air (Level 1)
Oh, his Perception and Charisma had both increased by one. He hadn't expected the ritual to have that effect. Solam was a little taken aback.
"What's this Elemental Totem? You've never mentioned it before, Granny." Solam noticed the Elemental Totem talent on his status sheet and asked Granny Karom curiously.
"Hahahaha! This is wonderful news!" Granny Karom wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she laughed with delight and began explaining the origins of the Elemental Totem to Solam.
As everyone knew, Shamans used totem poles to enhance the effects of their spells. Many Shamans used large totem poles as weapons, especially Elemental Shamans, who relied on totems much more than Spirit Shamans did. Many of their spells required totems to cast, so Elemental Shamans made lots of small totem poles to carry with them, just in case.
But the Elemental Totem talent could replace those totem poles and help with casting, while also increasing the power of an Elemental Shaman's spells. It was like a Mage gaining the ability to cast spells without material components—it was absolutely amazing.
And that wasn't all the Elemental Totem could do. Shamans who possessed it could cast a special spell called Elemental Avatar after reaching Level 15. It let them become completely elemental, making them immune to physical attacks and allowing them to attack enemies like an elemental creature. Most importantly, this spell was more like a talent; it didn't cost any energy to use.
Until now, this talent had only ever been heard of in legends. No one had actually possessed it. For it to appear in Solam now, he'd truly hit the jackpot.
Granny Karom was beside herself with joy. She'd gotten her wish and made Solam a Shaman, but seeing Chieftain Kramsh's resentful old face every day had still made her feel a little guilty. She'd been afraid Solam might not become an outstanding Shaman. That would have ruined Solam's future, and she'd never have been able to hold her head up in front of that old man Kramsh again. Now that Solam had the Elemental Totem talent, his future was limitless. How could Granny Karom not be thrilled?
There was one downside, though. She was a Spirit Shaman herself. That was fine in the early stages—after all, she'd been a Shaman her whole life. Though their schools differed, she might not have eaten pork, but she'd at least seen pigs run. Teaching Solam would be easy enough.
But they belonged to different schools, and their methods of training would diverge more and more as he advanced. She'd still have to find Solam a teacher. A Shaman's master wasn't all that important, since Shamans mainly relied on their own understanding, but having a teacher would help him avoid many wrong turns early on.
That wasn't something to worry about right now, though. For now, they should celebrate! Every Shaman was important to a clan, so whenever someone became a Shaman through the Spirit Communion Ritual, it was a great occasion—one that absolutely had to be celebrated in grand style.
Three years later
Lava Mountain, the Forge Clan's settlement, lay among the hills south of Avalon. There were many active volcanoes here, and Lava Mountain was one of them. The volcano wasn't very active, and at its base was a huge volcanic fissure. Through it, the Forge Clan could lower a crucible into the river of lava below and fish out molten metal, like they were fishing.
Orcs weren't much good at mining, so this slightly absurd method was their only way of collecting metal. The river of lava was quite rich in metals, though, so the Forge Clan's annual "harvest" was decent. It could meet the basic needs of all the Avalon Orcs, but only just. Anything more was wishful thinking.
Beside a volcanic forge, a young man with white hair swung a massive hammer, striking a glowing-hot battle axe in a steady rhythm.
The young man looked completely different from the other Orcs. For one thing, his appearance stood out: he had a pair of silver eyes and features more human than Orcish.
Then there was his build. He stood 1.9 meters tall, with a well-proportioned, muscular body. But next to the hulking brutes around him, all of whom were over 2.2 meters tall, he might as well have been a cripple.
Still, judging by the ease with which he swung that enormous hammer, he was no weakling.
Just then, a tall old Orc with white hair and beard walked over. Black tattoos covered both his arms and his torso.
"Ram, you sure have it easy. Your little brother's only three, and you're already making a weapon for him." As he spoke, the old man tossed another battle axe toward the young man.
"Holy crap!" The young man quickly dropped what he was holding and caught the battle axe. "Hey, Uncle Blackhand, are you trying to kill me? Can't you see I'm busy?" The young man looked up and started complaining at the old Orc.
This young man was none other than our protagonist, Solam. As for why he was here, that went back two years.
After Granny Karom had taught him for a year, she found him a new teacher: the Uncle Blackhand standing before him. He was an Level 18 Elemental Shaman, Black Tasta Blacktooth Mobrick, and an exceptionally skilled blacksmith. He was also incredibly sharp in business and always drove a hard bargain. Since he was especially ruthless when naming his price, everyone called him "Blackhand." Solam's grandfather had been fleeced by him, too. Everyone called him "Blackhand" so often that they'd forgotten his real name.
"Tch!" Blackhand clearly wasn't impressed. "Cut the nonsense. Here, I've reforged your battle axe. Damn it, I had to use up all the rare metals I'd spent years collecting to make this thing for you."
Solam turned the battle axe over in his hands, inspecting it from every angle. His imitation Bloodfire battle axe had been completely transformed. A faint red glow shimmered across its dark, gleaming surface. Looking closely, he could see thin red lines, like veins, running across the axe. It had gotten heavier, too. He hadn't tested it yet, but the chill coming off its blade told him it was definitely razor-sharp.
"Don't act like I swindled you. A bet's a bet. You're the one who insisted on betting with me, old man."
After Solam came to the Forge Clan, he'd gotten bored and introduced some gambling games from his previous life, like pai gow and poker. They'd taken the whole Forge Clan by storm. Uncle Blackhand here was known as the gambling king of Lava Mountain, but he'd never gambled with Solam. For one thing, Solam thought Blackhand was his teacher and felt awkward about gambling with him. For another, though the Forge Clan Orcs liked to gamble, they weren't very good at it. It wasn't any fun. So after teaching them the games, Solam didn't play much himself.
Eventually, somehow, Blackhand heard that he had to beat Solam before he could truly call himself the gambling king of Lava Mountain.
So Blackhand, determined to earn the title, kept pestering Solam for a grand showdown. In the end, Solam couldn't stand the nagging and had no choice but to accept.
As for the result...
Before you continue