Chapter 22: I want to be a warrior

You could tell by the way some of the children moved that they didn’t take too well to seeing a person die in front of them. Blood stained the grass and spear, and the other prisoners gritted their teeth, awaiting their own demise.

One boy even had to look away and vomit before coming back to his senses.

"That feeling you all have right now, that sense of disgust, lose it." It wasn’t a request, but a demand.

Blood was something Kanan saw every day. He hunted and gutted animals, so this was nothing to him. Seeing a person die still hit him hard, but he was able to see them as animals, and he had no problem killing animals.

"Kanan." The man called out. "I heard that you’ve been successfully hunting in the forest and brought home a boar the other day. Is this true?"

"Yes." Speaking of hunting the boar, Kanan nearly forgot that he had rabbits and squirrels in his inventory. He cursed at himself for letting good food go bad.

Then he remembered that the system preserves animals, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. Show us your skill. Do you wish to use a bow, or shall you use a spear as well?"

Using a spear wasn’t foreign to him, though he didn’t use them often. Bows and knives were more up his alley.

"I’ll use a spear." This didn’t mean that he didn’t want to get better at using one, though.

"Good. Now, as I did, stab your enemy in the heart."

Kanan focused, taking a deep breath while keeping his eyes open. Dilon told him that closing his eyes meant death on the battlefield or while hunting, so he always kept them open when doing so.

Reeling his arm back, Kanan lunged the spear into his enemy’s chest, killing the man in one blow. The splitting of bones could be heard alongside the gurgling of blood in the man’s throat.

Just like the other prisoner, the man went limp as his life faded away.

"Good! Very good! If you become a warrior, I shall make sure to train you well. Even if you don’t, I can give you some pointers if you wish."

"Yes, I’d like that."

The Warrior nodded, then turned to the next person.

Each of the prisoners’ deaths came quickly, some more than others. The young ones who had the drive of a warrior ended their enemies with ease, perfectly copying their instructor. The others, not so much.

Sounds of anguish, dread, and anger bellowed through the air as a spear wouldn’t hit a vital spot and simply injure the prisoner instead. Sometimes, it would hit a vital spot, but not vital enough to kill instantly, like the lungs.

Even then, their instructor told them to let the prisoners be to simulate the different ways in which a person could die. It was brutal and cruel, but so was the world. Even then, the information was priceless.

Once everything was over, it was time to return to the village.

"Yo, Kanan. You were cool today." This guy’s name is Golin, and he was one of Kanan’s friends. They met later, so after Kanan had already met Viola, they would hang out from time to time.

"Thanks. Are you okay, though? I know that you don’t really care to be a warrior."

He sighed and looked at his trembling hands. "Y-Yeah, I think I’m okay. While I don’t think I’m cut out to be a warrior, this expierence has helped me greatly."

Everyone nodded. This was the attitude one should have.

"Kanan is definitely going to be a warrior." Terin grinned. "He’s probably the strongest out of all of us."

"Terin, we don’t even have our blessing. For all we know, you can be the strongest in our generation."

"What task do you wish to get, Kanan? You hunt a lot, so you’d want to be a hunter, right?" Golin asked

Kanan was fine with being a hunter. He would be excited if he became one. But ever since he lost his family, he had striven to be a warrior. The sense of duty he had when it came to protecting his home was higher than anyone else’s.

"A warrior. I want to protect the village."

"Hahaha! That’s the spirit!" Selin slapped Kanan’s back, leaving a stinging handprint. "If you pray to the gods, maybe they’ll answer it. They answered mine! Warrior Sala was my inspiration, and I was able to walk in her footsteps."

One of the other girls chimed in. "Yeah. Now, only if I could find a mate as great as Lord Nemean the Second."

"You fool! Are you comparing us mortals to our god?!"

"No, no. I’m just saying that I wish I were his mate, or at least a mate of his descendants."

They all went silent. Everyone knew about the tragedy of Nemean the Second’s bloodline. It was their greatest shame, allowing such a thing to happen. Their ancestors prayed to their gods for forgiveness, but their cries were not heard.

"Ulia, maybe don’t bring that up," Selin advised.

"Y-Yeah, sorry." Ulia was a warrior like Selin and also looked up to Warrior Sala from the past. She sported blonde hair and an outfit similar to Selin’s own.

Kanan felt a huge weight fall upon his shoulders, though it was one he was willing to carry. The blood of Nemean was gone, meaning it was his duty to step up and save his people. The system was proof of that.

It was their gods who chose him, their gods who answered their prayers. So, he would not fail his people. Today, he learned information about being a warrior, and later, he would learn about even more.

He wouldn’t allow his people to suffer, to fall any further than they already had. He would save them, share his knowledge with them, and build a society where they could protect everyone they loved.

"Yeah, a warrior, that sounds real nice." He smiled.

"Kanan, you’re grabbing my butt again."

"Oh shit, sorry!"