Chapter 3

It was a normal stone that was the size of a baby’s palm, and it had an uneven surface . Besides some naturally formed patterns forming the uneven surface, there was a small hole on the stone that made it look like an accessory .

Other than that, there was nothing else which looked out of place . In fact, it looked like any normal stone .

The only thing out of ordinary was the warmth it emitted when Su Ming held it . The warmth seemed to seep into his body and it was a very comfortable feeling .

"Hmm?" Su Ming looked closely at it . Yet even after he scrutinized the entire thing, he still could not find anything else odd about it .

"I remember the elder saying that this was once the Land of the Fire Berserker Tribe . If that’s the case, then this thing might have some powers of fire . That’s why it can keep people warm . Not bad . " Su Ming took off the crescent fang on his neck and replaced it with the stone before wearing the necklace once again, letting it hang over the stone . When the stone touched his chest, he felt its warmth increase .

"Let’s go home!" The young man then ran quickly towards the place with the balls of light . He did not notice it, but at that time, the stone hanging off his chest gave out a dim glow before disappearing .

As Su Ming neared his destination, the dim balls of light grew brighter before his eyes, and he saw a settlement surrounded by a wall made from giant wood .

The settlement was not big . It could only hold about a few hundred people in it, but in Su Ming’s eyes, it was a place that made him feel at home . He could faintly hear cheerful sounds from within as he approached the settlement . From the cracks in the giant wooden wall, he could see a bonfire in the middle of the tribe . There were many tribesmen gathered around it and some of the women from the tribe were dancing around the bonfire .

The gate to the tribe was also built with giant wood . Usually, when it was open, it would be held up with several pieces of rope . Now, it was closed and there were some burly men standing on top wearing clothes made from beast skin . Their skin was rough and there were white bone necklaces hanging from their necks . They were terrifying to look at . They also wore earrings made of bone, and their overall appearance made them look intimidating as they surveyed the area . When they saw Su Ming running back, the men grinned .

"La Su, the elder has been looking for you the entire day, why are you out so late?"

"It was raining just now . Did you go out to steal the Dark Dragon’s Saliva again?"

"The elder was looking for me? Throw down the rope, I had a pretty good haul this time!" Su Ming sped up, and when he was underneath the gate, he patted the basket on his back proudly as he shouted loudly .

A woven piece of rope was lowered down and Su Ming grabbed onto it, lithely climbing upwards . Within the span of a few breaths, he reached the top of the gate, smiling as he saw the tribesmen keeping watch . He then quickly walked down with the ladder propped by the side .

"Boy’s an agile one for sure, and he’s brave to boot . He already started climbing Dark Dragon Mountain alone many years ago . Looks like he’s definitely going to become the tribe’s common healer in the future . "

"It’s a pity that he doesn’t have a Berserker Body, or else he would become a Berserk Healer just like the elder . " The men sighed as they watched Su Ming leave .

As Su Ming entered the settlement and ran in between the wooden houses, those who saw him called him La Su in a kind manner .

La Su was not a name just for him, but also for all the children who did not go through the second Berserker’s Awakening .

Not too far away in a wooden house was a little girl about five or six years old . She was looking at Su Ming, and there was a sweet and innocent smile on her young face . She had her arms wrapped around a white little creature about the size of her palm . The little creature looked incredibly docile, and was just like a white fluff ball .

"Big brother La Su, did you bring something for Pipi to eat?" When the little girl saw Su Ming, she started giggling happily .

"Tong Tong, this is for you . " Su Ming let out a chuckle, running towards her and bringing out some fruits from his bosom . He gave them to the little girl, and as the girl giggled happily, Su Ming ran off . Before long, he reached the middle part of tribe where he saw many of his tribesmen laughing and chatting around the bonfire when he was outside earlier .

A fire-resistant wooden fence surrounded the bonfire . Many slices of juicy meat were being roasted on the fire and they emitted a nice aroma .

When some of the girls in the tribe saw Su Ming approaching, they merely cast him a glance before turning away uninterested .

To the tribe, the clean and handsome Su Ming was built much more differently compared to the other tribesmen . Almost all of the tribesmen were bigger and more intimidating than he was .

He squeezed through the crowd, grabbed a slice of roasted meat and ate it as he ran forward .

Right in the center of the crowd was an old man wearing sackcloth instead of beast skin . The old man had his hair braided and looked frail . Nevertheless, his eyes shone with a charm that could steal a person’s soul if they so much as looked into his eyes .

He appeared to be a man of status . He was surrounded by several tribesmen who were listening to him as he talked in a low voice . Their gazes towards him were respectful .

As he saw Su Ming running over, the old man smiled and gave him a nod, signaling Su Ming to sit by his side . He then continued speaking to the tribesmen .

When the tribesmen saw Su Ming, their faces also lifted up in smiles .

"Dark Mountain Tribe may be small, but at least we are the true descendants of Dark Mountain . The Elder from Wind Stream Tribe is celebrating his birthday . We must attend his birthday as a sign of respect since our tribe has maintained a good relationship with them since long ago . " The old man spoke slowly .

"It’s a pity that a few centuries ago, Dark Mountain Tribe was divided, and now, there are only three colonies of the tribe left . If that hadn’t happened, Dark Mountain Tribe would be a medium sized tribe by now . We could have controlled all the land around the area, including Wind Stream Tribe . But now… ha . " The one who spoke was a man of about 40 years old . He was the leader of Dark Mountain Tribe and was a burly man who was also shockingly powerful . There were nine fangs about the size of fingers hanging around his neck .

There was a Mark on his face that could barely be seen, which made him look even more terrifying, just like an evil spirit . The Mark was not clear, and it looked incomplete .

As Su Ming looked at the Mark, his eyes were filled with admiration . From the beast skin scroll, Su Ming knew that this was a Berserker Mark that had yet to be completely formed . There was no one in the tribe who had the ability to completely manifest the Berserker Mark and bring out its true powers .

Even his elder was only at the ninth level of the Blood Solidification Realm .

Yet even so, this had made his elder one of the strongest Berserkers among the tribes around Dark Mountain . The only other tribes who could compare were Black Mountain Tribe and Dark Dragon Tribe, who were once from the original Dark Mountain Tribe but split up later .

"There is no use mentioning what has happened in the past . Without a strong Berserker who has broken through his physical limitations, there is no way we can become a medium sized tribe . The cause of the original Dark Mountain Tribe’s separation was due to the death of the ancestors in the original Dark Mountain tribe who Awakened . "

"As much as I have trained until now, I still cannot break through the ninth level of blood solidification and reach the 10th level, much less the 11th level, which is known as the highest level . I cannot draw a completely manifested Berserker Mark and therefore, cannot Awaken …" The old man in sackcloth sighed and spoke slowly .

"It’s fine . You can leave now . Prepare the gifts, and tomorrow… Shan Hen, you are the leader of the hunters in the tribe so, you will lead the team . " The old man stood up and looked towards a middle-aged man standing by the leader of Dark Mountain Tribe . After that, he turned and walked away .

The middle aged man looked calm . When he heard those words he immediately stood up straight and received the order .

Su Ming quickly followed his elder and left the area where the feast was held .

The old man did not speak on the way and just silently walked forward until the cheers gradually disappeared behind his back . He reached a house made of wood and grass . He then went inside .

The house was not big and the interior was simple . Once he entered the house, the old man sat down cross-legged at a corner . He looked at Su Ming as he came in .

"You went to hunt Dark Dragon’s Saliva again?"

Su Ming respected his elder, who took care of him as he grew up . He placed his basket on the floor and took out a small bottle, which he then handed it to the old man .

"With your agility, the Dark Dragons cannot harm you . However, it’s best if you don’t go too often… That is the territory of Black Mountain Tribe and Dark Dragon Tribe after all . Dark Dragon’s Saliva is useless to me . Use it to improve your own health . " The old man looked kindly at Su Ming .

Su Ming nodded and put away the bottle . He had been drinking this liquid for many years and it was precisely because of it that he could obtain such an agile body .

It was also because his elder had been brewing all sorts of medicine for him for all those years . Even though he did not have the qualities to obtain the Berserker Body, he was still stronger than an average member of his tribe .

"There are still three days left before the time comes for all of you La Su to perform the Berserker’s Initiation . You’re almost 16, right? You will need to worship the God of Berserkers," the old man spoke slowly as he looked at Su Ming .

"The statue of the God of Berserkers in Dark Mountain Tribe was passed down from the original Dark Mountain Tribe in the past . It may not be the main statue and cannot compare to the statues of medium sized tribes, but it is still very powerful compared to the tribes around us . "

Su Ming was silent for a brief moment before nodding his head .

"Don’t leave for the next few days . Rest and go with them to the Initiation three days later," The old man said this and closed his eyes slowly .

Su Ming stood for a while longer . Then, he took the basket and left quietly towards a wooden house not too far away – his house .

He could never forget the day when he surrounded the statue of the God of Berserkers with other children from the tribe for his very first Awakening . They were all just seven years old at that time .

Members of the Berserker Tribe had two initiating ceremonies throughout their lives – the Berserker’s Initiation . The first was when they were seven years old, and the second when they were 16 .

At the same time, the elder would choose those who had Berserker Bodies using the power given by the statue of the God of Berserkers .

Su Ming let out a light sigh as he felt his chest filling up with bitterness . He wanted to become a Berserker and practice Berserker Arts . The scenes depicted in the beast skin scroll made him dream about it since he was young, but reality was harsh . When his seven-year old self worshiped the statue of the God of Berserker, he was told very clearly that he did not have a Berserker Body and could not practice Berserker Arts .

Berserk was the origin of all things in the universe . Only by being a Berserker could a person be able to stand above others and become truly strong!

From the scroll, Su Ming knew since young that there were many tribes of all sizes in the world . In each tribe, there were different statues of the God of Berserkers . It was the soul of the tribe and the key for their descendants to become one with Berserk .

They needed to reach an understanding with the statue of the God of Berserkers . If they felt it responding, then they would be able to obtain the right to inherit the skills to practice Berserker Arts . There was no need for anyone to teach them . They could just practice it on their own .

However, if they failed at seven and at 16 years old, then it meant that they could not change for the rest of their lives . Su Ming was struggling internally . When he could not see the possible outcome to this, he looked forward to it . Yet, when there was only three days left for his final enlightenment, he became afraid .

‘This time… will it be possible…?’

Su Ming went back silently into his house and sat down, letting his mind wander .