The cold winter day when I left, the smile of my adoptive mother, Sophia the Great Mother, as she saw me off, was warm.
Yet I could feel the quiet sorrow hidden beneath that warmth—the reluctance of sending me away.
“My son, Geum Taeyang!
My child born of my own heart has returned!
A miracle has happened to this mother!”
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Three years later, upon spotting my triumphant return, the Great Mother came running with her herb basket, her smile radiant like sunlight.
“Haha!
Great Mother!
Running like that in front of so many people doesn’t suit you!
Please walk slowly!”
Sophia Barbara, a woman of the Mohican barbarian tribe, possessed beauty and a figure worthy of being called a peerless beauty.
Yet that was only a small part of her.
Already in her early twenties, she carried the dignity and aura of a Great Mother of the tribe.
Even so, she charged toward me like a child.
I quickly spoke up to calm her.
“What could be more dignified than a mother welcoming her child?
I missed you so much, my precious son!”
Whoosh!
“Yes!
I missed you too, Mother!”
Yet the Great Mother refused to stop and enveloped me completely in her voluptuous body.
‘Kuh, this is it!
This is Mama’s embrace!
Thank you, Main Developer!’
The skin of the young she-wolf Athena had been truly fantastic.
That was why I understood the appeal of younger women.
But the embrace of a fully ripened milf was on an entirely different level.
I had already noticed while she ran: the Great Mother’s breasts were easily twice the size of Athena’s.
Right now, what filled my chest was her overflowing maternal love—and the sheer, heavy mass of a barbarian cow’s udders.
“I see.
So you went swimming in Cargo Lake with Athena after so long?
Well done, Taeyang.
Those who come from afar are said to wash away misfortune by entering the lake.”
“It seems the effect is already working.
I got to see you the moment I entered the village.”
“Hohoho!
Living among civilized folk has made you quite the smooth talker, our Taeyang!
Do you know, Taeyang?
Athena marked the days on the stone slate, waiting only for your return.”
“Really?
Athena did that?”
“N-no!
That never happened!
Mother is lying!”
Athena, the Great Mother, and I headed toward the central tent, the chieftain’s dwelling.
Along the way, the three of us shared a truly family-like conversation.
“It’s a shame, Great Mother.
To think I have to leave again right after seeing you.”
“You know how it is.
This season always keeps me busy with the tribe’s children.
So don’t feel bad.
We’ll see each other again this evening.
We still have so much time ahead, like the open blue sky.”
However, the Great Mother would not enter the central tent with us.
She would head instead to the outer tents of the Gaia tribe residents.
“You’ll be there for a long time once you go.
The conversation here will probably finish first, so tell me where you’ll be.
I’ll come find you.”
“Would that be better?”
The Great Mother had spent her life caring for those who had just settled in the tribe, as well as the sick, the elderly, and children.
Right now, she was finishing the last of her tasks before sunset.
Even so, those remaining tasks would easily take two hours, meaning she wouldn’t return until after dark.
“Then let’s meet later, son.
Have a good talk with the chieftain.
And Athena, don’t get sulky with him, all right?”
“I won’t anymore!
That was ages ago!
It was before I became Tessadar!”
The Great Mother left with a benevolent smile.
When I had gone to the academy, there had been a cold war between the chieftain and Athena.
Apparently, it still lingered.
After seeing her off, Athena and I announced our presence at the central tent and stepped inside.
“Kuhahaha!
I heard the Great Mother’s bright voice and our daughter’s unusual cry, so I wondered if it might be so—and indeed, Geum Taeyang, you were with them!”
Conan Barbara, chieftain of the Gaia tribe and leader of the Mohican people, greeted us from his seat upon the Gruman, the seat of authority.
‘As expected, he lives up to the nickname White-Haired Siakan.
Even past fifty, his body is…’
Though similar in height to me, his muscles were far more imposing.
With his white hair and beard, he gave off a kindly impression at first glance, yet facing him felt like standing before Galatea’s giant tiger, Siakan.
The real Conan Barbara, not the one stored in my memories, was exactly that.
“I offer my greetings upon my return, Chieftain.
Blood follows the chieftain.”
I bowed with far more decorum than I had shown Grandfather Gandalf.
“Blood follows the chieftain” was a mark of respect given by warriors to their chieftain.
I had received my warrior title the year I turned nineteen.
“Good.
Welcome back, Geum Taeyang!
My son!”
Step.
Step.
Step.
The chieftain rose from the Gruman, descended the platform of the chieftain’s altar, and slowly walked toward me.
“Whoa!
You’re almost as tall as me now?
I was worried about you living among civilized folk, but your physique and eyes carry even more of a warrior’s presence than three years ago!”
Thud!
He came within a meter and grabbed both my shoulders.
He was testing my strength.
‘He’s strong.
Stronger than Athena, who inherited Tessadar.’
Of course, he was also unconsciously displaying his own power.
Beyond the hands gripping my shoulders, I could feel the battle prowess of Conan Barbara, chieftain of the Gaia tribe and the strongest warrior of the current Mohican people.
‘[Eye of the Transcendent]’
So I immediately activated the Eye of the Transcendent.
Special Abilities: [Mana Body Enhancement], [Mana Step], [Tyrant’s Fist], [Fighting Spirit Aura]
Special Item: [Paewangchammado]
Race: Barbarian | Position: Chieftain of the Mohican Gaia Tribe
Age: 54 | Height: 190cm | Weight: 115kg
Trust in Me: 90/100
‘Terrifying.’
The moment I saw the combat level listed after his name, I nearly broke my poker face.
‘A+ is rare even in the Empire.
No wonder he tried to unify the Mohican tribes and become Great Khan.’
Character illustrations & later chapters: