"Yes!"
A short while later, a warrior whose exhaustion was plain to see appeared.
His whole body was covered in sweat and dirt, his clothes were torn, there were scratches on his face from branches, and his feet were full of blisters.
His breathing was rough, and his legs trembled.
It was clear that he had run for several days without rest. He could barely stand.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were dry and cracked. His cheeks were hollow, and his cheekbones stood out. It was obvious that he had neither eaten nor slept properly.
"Chieftain...."
Swift Wind tried to kneel, but without strength, he collapsed where he was.
His body tilted forward, and he barely kept himself from falling by planting his hands on the ground.
"Swift Wind!"
Solid Rock shouted.
Concern flashed across his face.
"Bring water!"
Soon, someone brought a waterskin.
Swift Wind gulped the water down.
Water ran down his chin, but he did not care.
His throat moved with each gulp, and the waterskin was half-empty in an instant.
"Chieftain, this is terrible."
Only after drinking water did Swift Wind barely manage to continue.
His voice was hoarse, and his chest heaved each time he spoke.
"Speak."
"The Tiger Tribe is preparing for war."
Swift Wind's voice trembled.
"Blood-Soaked Claw is training the warriors himself."
"What kind of training?"
"They train every day from morning until sunset."
Swift Wind answered.
"Spear throwing, swinging stone axes, formation training.... The warriors had set up straw scarecrows and kept practicing stabbing and cutting them."
Swift Wind continued, gasping for breath.
"Every scarecrow had the Peregrine Tribe's mark drawn on it."
The village stirred.
The excited mood of the feast froze in an instant.
The laughter vanished, and fear appeared on the people's faces.
Someone put down his meat, and the children burrowed into their mothers' arms.
The air around the campfire grew heavy, and the cheerful atmosphere from just moments ago completely changed.
"War...."
"Is the Tiger Tribe really going to invade?"
"What do we do?"
Whispers could be heard here and there.
The people's voices were filled with fear.
"How many are there?"
I asked calmly.
I consciously put strength into my voice so it would not shake.
"Thirty-five warriors alone."
Swift Wind answered.
"And... there is also a rumor that they formed an alliance with another tribe."
"Another tribe?"
"Yes, the Viper Tribe to the south."
Swift Wind's face grew even paler.
"If the two are combined, they have more than fifty warriors."
"How do you know that?"
"I counted them myself."
Swift Wind answered.
He explained while counting on his fingers.
"There were at least thirty-five warriors holding spears, perhaps even as many as forty. The chieftain of the Viper Tribe came to the Tiger Tribe village."
Swift Wind continued while gasping for breath.
"I saw it myself. The two seemed to be making some sort of promise. The two chieftains clasped hands, and the warriors cheered."
A chilling silence settled over us.
Our warriors numbered twelve. The enemy had more than fifty.
More than four times as many. No, nearly five times.
Judging by numbers alone, there was no way to win.
"It's over...."
Someone muttered. His voice was full of despair.
"Are we all going to die?"
"What about the children?!"
Fear spread quickly.
The women hugged the children tightly, and the men looked at one another with pale faces.
Only the campfire flames continued to flicker.
Even the children who had been happily tearing into meat earlier now began to whimper in terror.
"When do you think they will invade?"
I asked calmly.
If I wavered now, the entire tribe would collapse.
I kept my voice low, but spoke clearly.
"I think they will move within fifteen days."
Swift Wind answered.
"Blood-Soaked Claw told the warriors."
"What did he say?"
"He said, 'Fifteen days from now, we will sweep away the Peregrine Tribe.'"
Swift Wind's voice trembled.
"He also said, 'We will kill every man and make the women and children slaves.'"
Fifteen days. There was no time.
Two weeks. Fourteen days. We had to finish all preparations within that time.
Calculations ran quickly through my mind.
Building a smelting furnace, smelting bronze, making weapons, training the warriors.
There was a mountain of work to do.
"Understood. You did well."
I nodded.
"Go rest. Eat meat, wash properly, and sleep deeply."
I spoke while patting Swift Wind on the shoulder.
"If not for you, we would not have been able to prepare. Thanks to you, we gained fifteen days."
"Thank you, Chieftain."
Swift Wind withdrew. Two warriors supported him and took him to a pit house.
His feet dragged along the ground, but he still wore an expression of relief at having fulfilled his mission.
Fear showed on the villagers' faces.
"Wh-What do we do...."
"Are we all going to die?"
"The Tiger Tribe is merciless."
A woman spoke in a trembling voice.
She held a young child tightly in her arms.
"They said they kill us even if we surrender."
"We have to run!"
"Yes, let's flee beyond the mountains!"
"What about the children?!"
"We need to save at least the children!"
The commotion grew louder. Fear spread like a plague.
The people looked at one another in terror.
Someone began to sob, and the children trembled in fear. The confusion grew greater and greater.
I rose from my seat.
"Everyone, listen."
I put strength into my voice.
I drew power from deep within my chest and shouted loudly enough for the entire village to hear.
The people looked at me all at once.
Their trembling eyes turned toward me, the crying stopped, and the commotion quieted.
The campfire light shone on my face, and beneath that light, I looked straight at the people.
"I know you are afraid."
I spoke while looking around at the people.
"But if we run, it is over. We cannot abandon the land our ancestors built. If we flee, where will we go?"
I asked.
"There are other tribes beyond the mountains too. But will they accept us? No."
I spoke firmly.
"We will become slaves or be driven out. No one will want to take in more starving mouths."
The people nodded.
They knew that I was right.
"But, Chieftain, there are too many of them...."
An old man spoke in a trembling voice.
"We are twelve, and they are fifty. How can we win?"
"Numbers are not everything."
I spoke firmly.
"Think of the bear today. The bear was far larger and stronger than us. But we won. Why?"
I looked around at the people.
"Because we used wisdom."
"That is right!"
Solid Rock shouted.
"The Chieftain found its weak point, and we worked together!"
"Within fifteen days, I will make new weapons."
I declared.
"Powerful weapons that the enemy has never seen. Weapons stronger than wood, harder than stone, and impossible to break with any weapon."
"Is that possible?"
A woman asked.
She was holding a child, and hope and fear were mixed in her eyes.
"You heard how we killed the bear today."
I looked at her as I spoke.
"Trust me. Until three days ago, I was dying."
I struck my chest.
"But now, I have brought down a bear. The ancestors gave me strength and wisdom. With that wisdom, I will protect our tribe."
I spoke firmly.
"It does not matter whether the Tiger Tribe comes with fifty men or a hundred. We will have stronger weapons."
The fear slowly cleared from the people's eyes.
Their trembling stopped, their heads rose, and hope returned to their gazes.
"I believe in you, Chieftain!"
Solid Rock shouted. He clenched his fist and stood.
"If you say you will do it, Chieftain, you will certainly succeed! I will follow you with my life on the line!"
"Me too!"
Running Deer followed. He sprang up and shouted.
"You brought down a bear, Chieftain. The Tiger Tribe is nothing!"
"I will believe as well!"
Fierce Eyes said.
"I will follow you, Chieftain!"
"So will we!"
"Long live the Chieftain!"
One by one, voices rose.
The people who had been sitting stood one after another, clenched their fists, and cheered.
The mood changed. Fear disappeared, and fighting spirit blazed.
"Good. Starting tomorrow, we move quickly."
I nodded.
"Rest deeply tonight. Tomorrow begins at dawn."
I looked around at the people as I spoke.
"There is much to prepare."
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
"We will do anything for you, Chieftain!"
After the feast ended, I returned to the pit house.
Inside, the pit house was dark.
The remaining embers in the campfire pit burned faintly, casting shadows on the walls. The flames flickered, and the shadows danced across the walls.
The sounds of grass insects came from outside, and now and then, the wind brushed past the entrance of the pit house.
Crickets cried. The wind was cold, and the night air was chilly.
I sat on the hide blanket and opened the system window.
Ding!
『Current Status』
→ Level: 2
→ Combat Power: 18
→ Technology Points: 2
→ Active Quest: Dawn of the Bronze Age
→ Held Resources: Tin Ore (Large Quantity), Copper Tools (Small Quantity)
Two Technology Points. How could I use them?
'System, what can I do with Technology Points?'
A new menu came into view.
Ding!
『Technology Tree』
→ Smelting Technology Lv.1 (Cost: 2 Points): Metal smelting efficiency +20%, smelting time -10%
→ Agriculture Technology Lv.1 (Cost: 2 Points): Crop yield +15%
→ Construction Technology Lv.1 (Cost: 2 Points): Building durability +20%
→ Combat Technology Lv.1 (Cost: 2 Points): Combat Power +3
There was no need to think.
Smelting Technology.
What I needed right now was weapons. Agriculture or construction could wait until later. Combat Technology was good too, but without weapons, it was useless.
'Acquire Smelting Technology Lv.1.'
Ding!
『Technology Acquired: Smelting Technology Lv.1』
→ Metal smelting efficiency +20%
→ Smelting time -10%
→ Technology Points: 2 → 0
New knowledge flowed into my mind.
A smelting furnace design suited to this era, efficient bellows usage, and methods of temperature control. How to build a smelting furnace with clay and stone, how to arrange charcoal, and how to regulate airflow became clearly drawn inside my head.
It was as if two puzzle pieces had fitted together perfectly.
It felt like the modern knowledge I knew and the primitive technology given by the system were combining. Theory and practice had merged.
'Good. With this much, it's worth trying.'
I closed my eyes and pictured the smelting process in my mind.
Three days to build the smelting furnace. Two days to test run it. Then full-scale bronze production. If I calculated the time to cast weapons and cool them, fifteen days was tight.
Five knives, ten spearheads, and three axes. With that much, I could arm the main warriors. One bronze weapon was worth several stone weapons.