Good nap. My head has cleared up.

Where did I leave off again… Hm… I should go ask momma if there’s a thing like magic power.

My legs are strong enough to run now, so I use them. Momma and the other women seem about done with the prey, so they're cleaning up and preparing to start the fires for dinner. I feel a bit bad for interrupting, but…

“Momma~ Why do I feel tired after using skills? Can it stop?”

The result was a long discussion on magic power. It exists! A portion is used if you spend a lot of focus on something, like magic spells or skills. There are a few ways to obtain more magic power, but the most common is to do battle. You obtain a portion of magical power from the defeated enemy. I wonder… did I get any from the frogs?

When I asked about it, it seems that I did, but they had so little magic to begin with that I'll hardly notice. Rather than regular animals, I should hunt magic beasts.

And that is where the story became strange.

Apparently, among orcs, there is something called the hunting ceremony. Basically, a youth will go out into the woods and bring down a magical beast for the first time. The spirits reward this accomplishment with a name.

For monsters, receiving a name will grant a lot of extra magic power. For orcs, the effect is so much that their bodies grow to accommodate it. When I kill my first magical beast, I will become an adult.

This explains why I've never seen any other kids around.

Of course, it's possible to grow up naturally over time, but there are clear advantages to quickly gathering strength. Additionally, the stronger the monster you hunt during the ceremony, the more power you will receive.

In that case, it seems like it would be a waste to hunt something weak. Should I wait until I'm stronger?

On the other hand, would it be worth the time I lose training myself slowly?

Hmm… Well, I need to be strong enough to fight in the first place. Strength training I can do myself, but I'll need some combat experience.

“Momma, the chief is strong, right? Can he teach me to fight?”

My mom looked surprised when I brought it up. “Maybe? Since baby is strong, chief might train you? We ask at dinner, okay?”

Sounds good. For now, since I can finally run, let's take a few laps around the village.

***

“Hm? Train Oolga’s girlie? Sure.”

The request went better than expected. Also, while she had the chief’s attention, momma went on to brag about how I was born with an innate skill. Chief Durghan was curious and asked me to demonstrate it. Seems like I've gathered a lot of attention suddenly as over a dozen eyes turn in my direction.

Uu~ I've always been pretty good against stage fright, but I'm feeling a bit nervous. Keep your breathing steady: not too deep, not too fast.

Rather than a rock, one of the bones from this deer should be more brittle after being dried. Better to show the effects of my skill with something like this.

“Umu… My skill called . My magic power still weak, so this much my limit~?”

Durghan nodded and I resolve my focus. Internally, I activate and lower the pitch, directing it in concentrated waves toward the deer bone. When I get the frequency right, the bone shatters in a small explosion.

I feel tired.

“Uooh!”

The chief and the others seem impressed by my skill, and momma’s snout is fluttering wider from pride. Her small eyes are narrow as she lets out a haughty laugh.

“See! Just like my child to be so great! Durghan definitely train! Right? Right? Hahaha!”

What a lively woman.

But she’s right. There's a new smile in chief Durghan’s small eyes after confirming my skill.

“Tomorrow morning, you girlie come to my house. We make you strong! You become pride for the orcs!”

Wow. Everybody expects so much from me. It's too heavy, guys! I was just born, you know?!

Ah~ I'll just do my best without thinking too much about it. I've always been a talented person who can do anything if I just put in some effort.

It's really that, huh? I was low-born in this life because I was too awesome in my last life, right? Well, joke’s on them (whoever they are)! The awesomeness is from my soul, so I'll just be awesome in this life too!

Eh? Humility? What's that? Does it taste good?

Well, just kidding, but there are moments for boasting too, you know? I won't go overboard.

***

It's morning, I have my bone club, and I got an encouraging hug from momma before she goes to do the chores. With this, I'm off to go get trained by the chief.

… please don't be painful. I really don't like pain.

… I think this was a mistake. I'm looking at the chief holding a thick stick and looking like he’s planning to hit me with it. Even if the chief is a leader among the orcs, he’s still a muscle brained idiot, huh?

“Okay. We going to spar. You block, dodge, attack, whatever you can.”

Uu~ I changed my mind! I don't want to do this anymore!

But I'm already past the point of no return. My only option is to own it. Even if I fail, I must do so splendidly!

Having fortified my resolve, I hold my club steadily in front of me.

“Good. Stay focused now. I come!”

It's not like he’s too fast for me to see, but it is too fast for me to react to. I've always had a slow reaction speed. It's because I innately want to think through every move. It takes too long sending the signals all the way to my brain and back.

The proper way would be to fight by instinct. Except that my instincts haven't been sharpened enough to be useful.

Of course, as I'm thinking all this, the chief arrives at my side. My eyes follow as I see he’s about to strike me. My brain can keep up, but my body just goes rigid.

And here comes the pain.

“Geh!”

The blow digs into my side and knocks me to the ground. I don't have it in mind to cry, but tears well up regardless.

Keh! It's not much. I know it's not much, but it hurts! I hate it! I hate pain as much as I hate cold! Stop it! Get rid of it! Make it disappear!

I'm a real wimp falling apart after only one hit, but my whole soul is screaming that I can't stand it. I want the pain to stop. I want my body to be better.

[[Conditions met. Skill acquired.]]

[[Conditions met. Skill acquired.]]

Ah… It feels… better. Thank you spirits.

But, was it this easy to acquire skills? Could the spirits tell I have an unusually high aversion to pain? Whatever the reason, I'm grateful. With this, I can get up and keep fighting.

“Oh! Not bad. If you can stand, you can fight!” The chief says while rushing at me again.

What kind of logic is that?!

No, it doesn't matter. I have to block it this time.

The attack is the same as before, a sideways slash. This time, though, it comes from my left side. I swing my club, hoping to intercept the blow. Unfortunately, with my little strength, the chief’s swing doesn't slow at all. Again I end up on the ground, but this time it doesn't hurt hardly at all, and the dull pain quickly fades. I get back up almost immediately.

“Hahaha! Good! Good! We go again!”

If I can't block his attacks, I'll have to dodge them. I need to find an opening between his attacks to strike back.

With that in mind, I brace myself.

This time, it's a downward strike, so I move my feet to dodge… and trip over my hooves.

I never had good footwork even in my last life. In this life I have awkward hooves and only learned to walk a few days ago. This is going to take some practice.

The stick strikes me where I lie on the ground, and I get some advice from the chief.

“Hmph. If you cross legs like that you trip. And use knees more! Again!”

This time it’s a side swipe. I can tell by his posture. Back we go!

I didn't trip this time, but I didn't move far enough. The chief stepped forward in the middle of his swing and I was knocked down yet again.

The training continued for an hour before the chief decided he had had his fun. As an excuse, he said, “Hmph. We not make progress like this. Go get stronger, then we fight more.”

I know it even if he doesn't say so. Let's go run a few laps around the village to warm up. After that, some strength exercises. Then a snack, nap time, and repeat.

This would become my daily routine for the next week of my young life.