'Wow.'
My mouth fell open. One hundred points at once. So this was the life of an Awakened. It was a thrill I could never have experienced in a game.
The timing was perfect too. About 10 minutes remained.
"Now let's move everything to the cave."
I gave the order with gestures. The Awakened nodded and hoisted the largest bison by himself.
The other warriors each shouldered a carcass and began moving toward the cave. I took a smaller bison and followed.
It felt like the weight of the points, and I enjoyed its solid heft.
***
We returned to the cave.
The prey formed a mountain in one corner. It looked like enough food to last several days and still leave plenty over.
"Hoo."
I collapsed onto the floor. My stamina was completely depleted. Carrying a bison alone with only a 20% Ability Conversion Rate had apparently been too much.
That was when it happened.
"Uugh."
The Awakened slowly approached. He carried meat freshly roasted on the hearth.
He knelt respectfully before me and carefully offered the meat in both hands.
My chest grew warm.
"Thank you."
I accepted the meat with a smile. Warmth spread across my fingertips.
"Mmm!"
Admiration escaped me. Juices filled my mouth. It had no salt or seasoning, but it was delicious enough.
As I chewed, I slowly looked around.
The Primitive Humans sat around the hearth eating meat. Children and adults alike wore happy expressions.
But the cave was still dark. The fire illuminated only its center, leaving the corners almost impossible to see.
'They need torches.'
Torches were an essential early-game item when playing as Primitive Humans. They drove predators away at night, illuminated the cave, and offered psychological comfort.
'They're easy to make.'
Wrap cloth around a wooden stick and soak it in oil. That was all.
Clothing or hides could substitute for cloth, and for oil... boar fat should work.
I finished the meat and slowly stood.
"I'll teach you another way to make fire."
I looked straight at the Awakened. His shining eyes focused intently on me.
That was when it happened.
DING!
[Special Offer]
Current Points: 102P
Knowledge Imprinting Special Discount Event!
※ Imprint 2 types of knowledge at once for 100P.
※ Accelerate the development of the Primitive Humans' civilization.
Recommended Knowledge:
1. Leatherworking (clothing, insulation, armor production)
2. Food Preservation (smoking, drying, long-term storage)
'A special offer?'
My hands stopped as I was about to make a torch.
This had not existed in the game.
Knowledge Imprinting itself had existed, but I had never seen anything like a "special discount event" in 3,000 playthroughs.
'What is this? Did something else change when it became an Awakening ability?'
I tilted my head briefly, then shrugged.
Getting two imprints for 100 points was an incredible bargain.
I began to deliberate.
I had planned to teach them myself, but would imprinting the knowledge all at once be better? Demonstrating how to make torches would be good, but those two technologies seemed more helpful to their immediate survival.
Leatherworking. With that, they could make proper clothes, prepare for winter, and even produce leather armor.
Food Preservation. That was even more important. Meat from hunts like this would spoil quickly if left alone. But smoking or drying it would preserve it for weeks or months.
I decided.
"Invest all 100 points. Imprint both sets of knowledge."
[Confirm]
Beginning Knowledge Imprinting.
― Leatherworking
― Food Preservation
HUM!
My heart began to pound with heat. The feeling was far more intense than when I transmitted Fire-Making knowledge. I could feel twice as much energy leaving me.
RIIIIING!
Dizziness struck.
"Uu ugh?"
The Awakened suddenly clutched his head. The other Primitive Humans did the same. One after another, they bowed their heads and held their foreheads.
Knowledge was flowing into them. Into all 100 at once.
Had about 10 seconds passed?
"Uoh."
The Awakened slowly raised his head. His gaze had changed.
He picked up a deer hide lying on the floor and carefully scraped away the flesh with a stone knife. His hand movements were precise. Angle, pressure—everything was perfect.
Another warrior carried boar meat to the hearth. He skewered several pieces on wooden sticks and hung them above it.
Smoking began immediately. Smoke curled around the meat and slowly rose.
'Amazing.'
My mouth fell open.
I had not explained or demonstrated anything. They simply knew. Perfectly.
This was the power of Knowledge Imprinting.
DING!
[Dimensional Transfer Time Remaining: 1 minute]
'Already?'
Had time passed this quickly? The 30 minutes had vanished in an instant.
I looked at the Awakened. He was looking at me too.
"Protect them. Take care of the tribe and these people."
I raised a hand and indicated the Primitive Humans inside the cave.
"I'll come again."
"Uugh!"
The Awakened struck his chest with a fist. A gesture telling me to leave it to him. Dependable.
The other Primitive Humans began waving one by one. "Uugh!" "Ooh!" "Aoh!" They were saying goodbye.
My chest grew warm.
HUM!
My heart pounded forcefully. My vision began to blur. The cave drifted away. The Primitive Humans faded.
[Return Starting]
Light poured down. White light swallowed the world.
***
"Hoo."
I opened my eyes. A familiar ceiling came into view—not the cave's jagged roof, but the smooth wallpapered ceiling of my room.
I slowly sat up. Sweat drenched my body, and my T-shirt clung unpleasantly to my back, but I felt good.
I opened the System menu.
[Live Planet View]
When I touched it, a transparent screen unfolded in the air like a hologram. It showed the cave clearly.
The Primitive Humans were working hard.
The Awakened was cutting a somewhat tough bison hide, while a middle-aged woman beside him was stitching the cut pieces together with fiber.
A child in new clothes smiled broadly while carrying materials back and forth.
'They're doing well.'
I smiled without realizing it.
The Knowledge Imprinting had worked properly. I had put the knowledge directly into their minds without a single explanation, and they used it perfectly. They were developing on their own.
I felt proud.
So this was a ruler's joy. Watching the species I raised grow.
It was not bad. No, it was wonderful.
I watched the screen for a long time.
The Primitive Humans made hide clothing, neatly stored smoked meat, and cleaned every corner of the cave...
But as time passed, my eyelids grew heavier. The day had truly been chaotic.
Dimensional Transfer, hunting, carrying carcasses... no wonder I was exhausted.
Before I knew it, my consciousness cut out.
***
The next morning.
DING! DING! DING!
"Ugh."
An irritating sound woke me. At first, I thought it was an alarm. But it was not.
It was a System message, flashing red.
[Emergency Alert!]
Conflict with an Orc Tribe!
― Location: 3 km north of the cave
― Battle in progress
― 5 Primitive Humans injured
― 1 dead
'Orcs?'
"Someone died?"
I sprang up and opened the Observe screen.
SWISH! THUNK! THUD!
A battle raged on the screen. The Awakened and warriors fought with their spears.
Their opponents were Orcs. Their skin was green, and their bodies were as large as bears. They wielded crude wooden clubs.
There were five Orcs. About 10 Primitive Humans faced them. The Awakened held the front, but they were being pushed back.
One fallen warrior was already visible on the ground. He did not move in the pool of blood.
I had seen this scene countless times over thousands of playthroughs. It was stranger to win an early Orc encounter without casualties.
What was strange was the timing.
In the game, the Primitive Humans' starting location had been at least 10 km from any other species' territory.
They never encountered another race until at least the third generation. Yet they had clashed only 3 km away, 2 days after the beginning.
A variable. Another variable that had not existed in the game. But there was no reason to panic.
I reached out and opened the shop.
[Current Points: 102P]
I had spent 100 points yesterday, yet the display showed 102 again. The Primitive Humans had hunted more animals while I slept. They were moving on their own even without me.
One hundred points allowed two Dimensional Transfers. But something came first.
My hand moved toward another menu.
[Ruler Enhancement]
▸ Spearmanship LV.1: 50P ✓ Available
▸ Physical Enhancement LV.1: 50P
With a 20% Ability Conversion Rate plus Spearmanship and Physical Enhancement, I would finally possess the capabilities of an Awakened.
On the screen, five Orcs pressured the Primitive Humans. The Awakened endured alone at the front, but it was not enough. The warriors were falling one by one.
"Purchase Spearmanship."
[Confirm]
Spearmanship LV.1 acquired
― 50P consumed
― Balance: 52P
Skills Acquired:
― Enhanced Javelin Throwing (increased penetration)
― Consecutive Thrusts (3-hit combo)
― Weak Point Detection (automatic weakness identification)
HUM!
Something suddenly poured into my head. No, "poured" was not strong enough. It exploded into me.
How to hold a spear. I had already known that. But what entered me now existed on another level.
Adjust the ankle angle by 0.3 degrees. The timing for shifting my center of gravity. The optimal arc for a spearhead cutting through the air. How to read an opponent's movement. The eyes to see vital points.
And the skills.
How to add spin to Javelin Throwing and maximize its penetration. A chain attack that turned one thrust into three. The sense for instantly identifying an opponent's weakness.
"Ghh."
Strength left my knees. I braced one hand against the floor. There was too much information. My head felt ready to burst.
But at the same time, I could feel it.
I had become stronger.
I raised my hands and mimed gripping a spear. My body moved naturally. It was completely different from before.
The clumsy stance I had used for Javelin Throwing had been perfectly corrected. The rotation of my waist, the angle of my elbow, the snap of my wrist. Everything was exact.
I might not be as strong as the Awakened, but I could fight well enough. I could face the Orcs.
On the screen, an Orc sent another warrior flying. There was no more time to waste.
"Dimensional Transfer."
[Confirm]
Dimensional Transfer (1 use)
― 50P consumed
― Balance: 2P
Estimated Transfer Time: 10 seconds
[Beginning Dimensional Transfer]
HUM.
My heart pounded powerfully. My body vibrated. Light erupted, turning my vision white.
[Transfer Complete in: 3 seconds]
I clenched my hands. In my mind, I pictured myself holding a spear. Piercing the Orcs' vital points. Fighting beside the Awakened.
Spearmanship LV.1. Three skills. This was enough.
Together with the Awakened, I would definitely win.
[2]
I drew a deep breath.
[1]
"Wait. I'm coming."
The light swallowed me whole.