Barok's Power

"Maximus, I'm just a humble orc, I don't even have the ability to protect myself. Even if I have prejudice against humans, what difference does it make? I can't do anything!"

"Oh, don't lie to me, Barok, for the sake of my impending death!" Maximus gave a smile that seemed both mocking and mischievous. "You told me that you've reached a critical point in your shamanic training, only able to form an ice ring around your body but unable to unleash it, right?"

Barok nodded, his expression unchanged.

"Everyone knows that orc shamans are a combination of mages and warriors. They can not only communicate with the spirits of nature and harness elemental powers, but they can also communicate with the powerful souls of beasts, gaining some of their strength. So why didn't you tell me about the changes in your body?"

Barok's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch, and he was finally surprised. "Maximus, you've noticed, when did you start?"

Shaking his head, Maximus said, "It was from yesterday when I probed your meridians with qi. Perhaps you don't understand qi, but to put it simply, qi is an internal attack method, while magic is an external attack method. No shaman or mage can store the power of magical elements within their bodies; they only guide and borrow it. So it's quite obvious that the cold aura within you is likely a type of qi... or should I say, Beast Battle Qi. Although it's just a touch, I can sense that it's very powerful... right between your chest and abdomen."

"Impossible, I've never trained in Beast Battle Qi, how could qi clusters form inside my body?" Barok subconsciously touched his chest, feeling nothing unusual.

He did indeed hide something from Maximus, after all, after experiencing the disaster of his tribe, he couldn't trust anyone anymore. As early as when he first touched the totem pillar and was struck in the chest by the wolf-shaped light and shadow, Barok had a hallucination of transforming into a wolf. His speed, strength, hearing, and vision all increased several times. As his training deepened, he found that these powers were also increasing. Even though the ice ring formed outside his body couldn't be unleashed, when he stood under the totem pillar, he had a feeling that even a mid-level human qi warrior couldn't compete with him. A year ago, when mercenaries attacked the tribe, if Barok had the power he now possessed, he was confident he could have killed all the beginner qi warriors among the mercenaries.

The only weakness was the totem pillar! He had to stand within the range covered by the totem pillar; once he moved away, his strength would plummet.

Even so, if this were to spread, it would be enough to cause a sensation. In just one year, from a weak orc youth to now daring to confront mid-level qi warriors, this level of growth couldn't be described as anything other than terrifying. That's why Barok had to keep it a secret.

"Hehe, Barok, this world is much bigger than you imagine, and nothing is impossible." Maximus smiled and said, his energy dwindling, needing some alcohol to sustain himself. "Norman was right; you're a born shaman. For you, the only way to increase your strength is for you to comprehend it yourself. Whether it's human qi, magic, elven druidism, or dwarven rage... none of them will be of much help to you. You are a natural, and only the heavens know your path!"

Barok's face turned pale, and his mind couldn't help but recall that stormy day!

"Alright, let me sleep for a while, Barok. I have no right to demand anything from you, I just hope that in the future... you can accept the peace-loving humans." Maximus lay back down and closed his eyes.

Barok silently stood up, bowing respectfully; this was a venerable old man!

Just as he turned around, Maximus suddenly said, "Barok, perhaps you can try communicating with the beasts. This might help you break through the critical point. I remember Norman did it before... but he nearly lost his life that time, nearly ending up in the belly of a Sand Python...!"

Maximus was gone, and Barok already felt it as he walked out of the room. As a shaman, he had a very keen sense of the soul; he could feel the faint flickers of soul light dissipating, drifting between heaven and earth. Where would their final destination be? Perhaps the gods knew, but orcs had no gods; they worshipped the spirits of nature!.....

Maximus had died, which was actually expected by the neighbors. The old man hadn't been able to walk for some time, relying completely on the young orc boy for his meals and drinks. So his departure didn't cause any ripples; people just fulfilled their duties as neighbors or friends and helped Barok bury him on a hill to the north of the town.

Barok's identity became a problem. Although Maximus, who returned to his hometown a year ago, claimed he was his slave, no one had seen any legally binding contracts or documents issued by a nobleman in his possession. Naturally, the young orc boy was rightfully considered Baron Milo's property. After burying Maximus, some kind neighbors reminded Barok to report to the lord as soon as possible.

Barok thought for a moment; he could leave at any time, but being homeless was confusing. Moreover, he hadn't received any news about his tribe in the past year. It was said that because of the bright * of fur, his tribesmen were highly sought after among orc slaves, and perhaps they had been sold to some major human cities. In this unfamiliar continent, with unknown mysterious areas and vast forests, humans and other intelligent races only occupied a small part, and the distances between cities were often very far apart. The most difficult part was the journey, and the map became the most important item for travelers.

To find a map, even just a small map covering a radius of a few hundred miles, was a difficult task. Ordinary villagers and townspeople didn't have the ability or the funds to do so. The only ones who could draw maps were powerful merchants and nobles.

Just to get a map, Barok thought it wouldn't be bad to spend some time at Red River Valley Castle!

After thanking his neighbors for their reminder, Barok did not immediately rush to the castle but instead walked towards the outskirts of town. He wanted to go to his own piece of land where the totem pillar had stood for a long time.

It was quite common to have a scarecrow standing in the field, so no one would be surprised. Of course, if the scarecrow was too thick, it would only show the personal taste of the maker. After removing the outer layer of straw, the dark totem pillar still stood. Barok had been studying it for a year, and he could almost recite the patterns and abstract lines on it with his eyes closed. Even though he had lived in this world for more than a year, he still felt it was amazing. A normal wooden pillar, carved with these patterns, possessed magical power, which was incredible!

Nowadays, the wolf-shaped light and shadow on the totem pillar appeared less and less frequently. But every time Barok sat under the totem pillar, that cold aura still filled his body, and he would transform into a wolf in a trance, running wild in the wilderness, howling freely. When he occasionally woke up, he would find ice rings around him. At first, it was only the size of a palm, but then more and more appeared. Now, he had sixteen ice rings around him, forming a circle. The number didn't increase anymore; only the thickness and hardness of the ice rings increased.

Tonight, he sat down again, breathing slowly, relaxing his mind, and soon entered that trance as if he were in the clouds... He raised his head and howled, looking around. Once again, he became a majestic giant wolf, with silver-white fur like ice crystals, undulating like waves with the breeze. He began to run, jump, and even roll on the ground, but there was always a barrier that prevented him from fully releasing his power. He wanted to show his fangs and claws, but he just couldn't do it.......

The next morning, Barok woke up with a tired face. He had gained nothing from the night, it seemed he really needed to find a magical beast to make contact with, animal nature, animal nature, to release that kind of power, he must have animal nature! Barok suddenly realized that this might be why only orcs could produce shamans who were said to be able to communicate with animals. Perhaps one of the reasons why orcs were called orcs was also because of this.

Next, he had to go to Red River Valley Castle to report, and then try to find a wolf-shaped magical beast, preferably of the water element, and attempt to communicate. The only downside was that Barok was too dependent on this totem pillar. If he moved away from it, his strength would be greatly weakened. It seemed that to solve this problem, he had to break through the critical point.

After concealing the totem pillar, Barok took a deep breath, and with a powerful force from his feet, he shot out like an arrow, already several hundred meters away in an instant. A dagger in his hand flashed brightly in the morning sun, and several wrist-thick branches of two large trees were neatly cut off as if polished.

Landing under a huge rock, Barok stood shirtless, with faint fur covering his body, revealing his muscular physique. At fifteen years old, he was already six feet tall, like an adult human man. With a loud roar, he grabbed the two protrusions of the huge rock, veins bulging on his forehead, and his body hair seemed to explode. The rock, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, was pushed away by him, pushed out more than ten meters before he exhaustedly let go, panting heavily, looking satisfied!

In his previous life, he would never have imagined that he would have such immense power now. Although he couldn't lift a rock weighing tens of thousands of pounds yet, he still had a thrust of several thousand pounds. It should be noted that even a mid-level human qi warrior needed to operate qi to achieve this effect. Moreover, his speed and agility were no weaker than those of a human novice qi warrior. At least for now, no one in Red River Valley Town could stop him from escaping, even if the kind lord was a high-level qi warrior.

He returned just in time, and the steward of the lord had already come to his house to find him. Barok remained silent as usual, obediently complying. The steward didn't give him a hard time either and took him to Red River Valley Castle, where he needed to report to the lord.