Return of the Woodcutter

[Are you finally realizing what you did? It's the result of your recklessness, mortal,] Valinar said. [You're already lucky to be alive.]

'You know, us mortals usually say something like "hey how you feeling" after someone recovers from near-death experience,' Aito replied. 'You should give it a try. It's called being polite.' 

[Ha, clearly something you're lacking seeing how you treated me thus far. What a joke.] The goddess retorted. 

Touché. 

Aito coughed. He knew he had been lacking in manners when talking to the goddess and could only look away.

Remembering he had recently agreed to be more polite with her, he sighed.

'Right…,' Aito replied. He took a sarcastic tone. 'Mind explaining what's happening to me, oh great dead goddess of Bravery,' he paused, then added, 'P.L.E.A.S.E?'

That was the best he could do for now. He hated the gods, but he also ought to acknowledge that Valinar had only helped him thus far. For instance, if it wasn't for her inheritance, he probably wouldn't have reached his current power level.

[Hum!] 

'Come on, don't go all divine tsundere on me,' Aito said mentally. 

[I don't know what this word means, but I find it beneath my divineself for some reason,] Valinar replied. [Fine, what's happening isn't much of a secret anyway.]

[Your soul is wounded because of your previous reckless action. The healing bead might have repaired your physical vessel, but your ethereal vessel needs time to recover. Not even a miracle bead can help you with that.]

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'Shit. Not something I needed before fighting the orc contenders. How long will it take?' 

[You're already lucky your stupidity didn't kill you, so don't complain,] the goddess commented. [Your soul is damaged, thus reducing your overall capabilities. The recovery time depends on how much you injured your soul and the resources at your disposal.] 

Aito took a look at the bags containing soul cores nestled in the corner of the room. With a quick approximation, he could see he had used up a quarter of them. 

'Resources aren't the problem, I think,' he said. 

[Indeed, time is. From what I sense, it can take a week or two with a constant supply of soul cores to nourish your soul and a good rest. Hard to tell precisely. Fighting could delay your recovery. However, you're…]

'I can't afford to wait this long. I've only got 13 days left to clear the Tower,' Aito replied. He had spent a total of ten days already on the 6th floor and couldn't tarry for long. 

Waiting another 7 days or 14 days to recover to full strength was out of the question. 

[Right, if you don't clear it, you die. I forgot my husband put a great burden on your shoulders. Well, with your current strength, if you play it smart and with your team's help you can clear the Tower. Your power will progressively return to you as time passes. Chances are, you'll be even stronger than before.] 

[Your recklessness almost got you killed but in exchange, you've achieved something no one has done before. Even the System did not acknowledge it because this is considered impossible, to what I can remember at least. You manifested your Second Circle without reaching the Awakened realm, while still being level… 2 now. That's barely believable. I can't figure out how you did this…

[Almost no one will be able to contend with you in the same realm once you recover. Even an Awakened might find it hard to deal with you.] 

'Is that so?' 

[Don't get cocky now. There will be a clear drawback. From what I know, your future level-ups will demand much more soul cores than it normally does. However… the power you will acquire from them will be tremendous. The path you've created is… interesting. But tread lightly, for it is filled with unknown. It might hinder your ascension to the next realm.]

'I've been plunged into the unknown from my revival until now. No news there. But for once, I agree with you,' Aito replied. He had almost died trying an idea out of the box, making him less inclined to try such reckless action before more careful thinking. 

If Krugan hadn't entered at that time…

[Did you just… agree with me?] Valinar asked, seemingly baffled.

Aito ignored her question, stood up from his bed, then headed out to face the orc contenders. Time was of the essence, after all. 

***

The Coliseum was filled to the brim with orcs, old or young, female or male. Every single orc on the 6th floor was present for this glorious event. 

Standing weaponless in the middle of the arena, a shirtless Aito basked in the sunlight under the gazes of curious orcs. His bare feet dug into the hot sand that surprisingly felt warm, welcoming his toes.

—Passive Skill: Heat Resistance Lv2—

Compared to before, Aito no longer felt the suns' rays harm his skin, on the contrary. It was pleasant, enjoyable. If he had it his way, he would be lying on a deckchair with a fruit juice in hand and live it up.

A loud sound announced the beginning of the contest. All the Elite Orcs who wanted to have a shot at the crown were invited to participate. Lined up at the other end of the arena, they waited for their turn. 

The first one to step in was a huge orc, almost as imposing as Krugan, covered in thick armor with a giant club in hand. 

It looked at Aito with its yellow eyes.

A big frown drew on the orc's face when he saw Aito's lack of equipment. His pride hurt, the orc unstrapped his armor set, leaving it on the burning sand. 

"I do not know how a human came to be Khan, nor why the Ekä accepted you," the orc said. "However, I will prove to my people you are unworthy of the glorious title of Khan." 

"Sure," Aito simply said. He had no time to lose and did not care about what a soon-to-be-dead orc would say.

He looked aside, searching for Krugan in the gallery. It was easy to find him. The VIP seats of the Khan and the Ekä were quite visible, even from the arena. 

Aito calmly walked left, roughly putting the orc contender between him and the VIP seats before making a provoking gesture. 

His opponent did not take the bait and just cautiously stepped towards him. When the orc was almost within attack range, Aito reached forward with his right hand, which made a grabbing motion. 

The elite orc suddenly stopped, warily eyeing him, trying to figure out what kind of attack was coming for him. 

Most of the orc believed Aito was chosen to be the next Khan because he killed the Khül. However, there was one thing no orc other than Krugan was currently aware of. 

A dangerous sound came from being the elite orc who, too focused on Aito, only realized too late his impending doom. 

Soulcleaver, Uruk's ax, or at least a fragment of it, rapidly whirled through the air with a deadly whistle. Aito seized the ax's handle with one hand and struck the ground using its pommel. 

At that moment, the decapitated orc's head fell with an incredulous expression on the hot sand, followed by the body. 

'I can't believe how sharp this thing is,' Aito thought, looking at his new ax.

If it weren't for the murderous voice harassing his mind, it would be the perfect weapon. 

Summoning Soulcleaver out of the blue he had left with Krugan was part of his plan.

A surprise attack that aimed to shock his opponents, but also every orc, to create a sense of wonder. Why? To announce that their sacred weapon had already accepted him and to possibly prevent more fighting. 

The orcs' gazes were glued to what they called the sacred weapon, the embodiment of leadership. The proof of being chosen by their ancestor. 

Apart from its size, which had shrunk down to around 1.60 meters, it looked exactly the same. The sacred weapon always adapted its size to the new bearer, so no surprise there. 

And since the new bearer was a human that was smaller than the average orc, it was only logical that the sacred weapon was so small… small from an orc's point of view, that is. 

Aito's gaze traveled from one end of the coliseum to the other. Shocked, no one said anything. Taking advantage of this silence, he shouted: 

"IS THERE NO ONE ELSE!?"

His voice echoed powerfully in the entire silent arena, daring anyone who wanted his rank to step forward. However, they all knew the sacred weapon granted immense power. That knowledge deterred more than one contender. 

Normally, a future Khan would not be allowed to touch the weapon before winning against every elite orc aspiring to be Khan. 

No reply to Aito's question came.

[Ha, really? Couldn't you have come up with another phrasing?] Valinar asked. 

'Shut up,' Aito replied mentally. 'You won't understand how meaningful this sentence is, even if I explained it to you.' 

Despite showing Soulcleaver, a few elite orcs were brave enough to challenge him, only to fail miserably.

Aito had previously gained the orc knowledge as a reward for an achievement. So he knew all about their combat tactics and fighting prowesses. Their secrets were laid bare in front of him. 

Although he did not possess the same strength as before due to his Level Down, it did little to impede his victory. Capable of detecting their weaknesses because of his knowledge, he disposed of his contenders with ease. Giving them a quick painless and honorable death. 

Fifteen minutes later, no one dared defy his rule.