Ch.33. Lifting the Rock

The coming-of-age ceremony in Oakbrook Village is held every three years.

The reason it’s held every three years despite being a coming-of-age ceremony is because there aren’t enough people. The ceremony is a kind of festival, marking the transition from childhood to adulthood.

It’s an occasion for participants gradually shedding their boyhood to compete and prove their abilities, but with too few participants, it would be difficult to proceed properly.

No matter how much the villagers mate like animals whenever they get the chance and produce offspring accordingly, they still fall far short of the numbers needed each year.

For this reason, boys who turn exactly fifteen might be unlucky enough to miss their coming-of-age ceremony. It was quite unfair, as they wouldn’t be recognized as adults until the next ceremony. Whoever made that rule, anyway.

Girls were the exception. Common sense dictated that women only needed to be good at bearing children, so they didn’t have to undergo such a strict coming-of-age ceremony like the boys.

Fortunately, Rex turned fifteen this year, allowing him to participate in the ceremony at the right time.

The number of participants was also appropriate. Forty people. Rex slowly looked around.

Boys his age stood randomly across the open field. Some with confident expressions, some looking pale as if they weren’t feeling well, some biting their nails… but all familiar faces.

That was natural in such a small village where everyone was a neighbor.

“Attention!”

Just as Rex was wondering how much longer they’d have to wait, the village chief appeared.

“Ahem. We will now begin the coming-of-age ceremony.”

The chief cleared his throat and arranged the huddled boys at regular intervals. Inside the field stood the ceremony participants, while outside, their families encircled the open space.

Today was truly an important day. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that one’s performance in the coming-of-age ceremony determined the next twenty years of their life.

To put it bluntly, this was a chance to appeal to the villagers: “Look how strong and sturdy I am, don’t you think I’d be good at work? I’ll work hard, so please hire me.”

Oakbrook Village’s coming-of-age ceremony was a ritual testing whether one could fulfill their role as an adult. That’s why boys became increasingly nervous and tense as the ceremony approached.

That’s probably why Rex’s father told him to rest well for today, just for tomorrow’s sake.

For this reason, once someone gained a reputation for being weak at the ceremony, it was hard to change that impression. Naturally, finding work became difficult, and they’d be treated as useless even in their own homes.

Finding a mate became even more impossible. It was the natural order for women to be instinctively drawn to strong males. Weaklings weren’t even considered males. Harsh, but that was reality.

“We will now begin the first test.”

Rex had been building his strength for the ceremony for quite some time. He believed that to escape his miserable home life, he first needed to pass the coming-of-age ceremony successfully.

“Hans, son of Tommy!”

“I’m here!”

“Come forward.”

At the chief’s call, a tall, lanky boy emerged from the crowd. He looked so skinny, as if he hadn’t eaten properly, that it was almost pitiful.

A voice of encouragement rose from among the adults surrounding the boys.

“Son! Do your best!”

He didn’t seem abused, just from a poor family. Well, that was the common life of commoners, nothing surprising. But even considering that, he was exceptionally thin.

‘Would he break if I kicked him?’

Rex stared blankly at the boy called Hans, the thought suddenly crossing his mind.

“The test is rock lifting. If you lift the first rock, you move on to the next. We’ve prepared six rocks in total, so do your best.”

As the chief clapped his hands, burly men emerged from the crowd, working together to move large boulders.

As the chief said, there were six in total, increasing in size. They were so heavy that even Rex felt tired just watching, and the men carrying them were drenched in sweat.

‘…Father?’

Among them was Rex’s father, his already rough features looking even fiercer as he grimaced with effort. It seemed he had been hired as a laborer for the ceremony today.

In truth, even these positions were filled through connections, not just anyone could do it. The pay was good.

“Now, let’s begin.”

With the chief’s words, Hans strained to pull at the rock. His skinny limbs trembled like branches in a strong wind.

“Arrrgh!”

After shouting with effort, Hans barely managed to lift the first rock. But this was only the first one, and as everyone expected, Hans failed to succeed with the next.

The chief said to Hans, who returned to his place with slumped shoulders:

“Well. There are still more tests, so don’t be too discouraged.”

Hans nodded, but couldn’t hide his disappointment.

‘He must know too. In a ceremony where physical strength is crucial, showing such weakness early on means the remaining tests will likely yield similar results.’

Perhaps because he was in the same position, Rex briefly imagined what it would be like if he were Hans.

‘Truly terrible.’

Many more boys were called forward after that. Most succeeded with the second rock but failed at the next.

Very few even attempted the fourth rock after passing the third. Only two out of forty had passed.

No one had lifted the fifth rock. Since the village’s founding, the fifth and beyond were merely for show.

The fourth rock was essentially the limit.

“Rex, son of Gert!”

“Yes.”

Rex’s turn came almost last. After nearly thirty boys had already gone, the chief spoke briefly instead of repeating the same instructions.

“Begin.”

Rex spat on his hands and glared at the rock. His mind was quiet, focused solely on summoning all his bodily strength. Last night’s dream and blessing weren’t even on his mind.

He had worked consistently enough that he didn’t need to rely on luck.

Thud!

Rex easily lifted the rock and then set it back down.

“First one, passed.”

The chief nodded with a composed face.

‘As expected, this is easy.’

Rex moved to the rock placed right next to it.

The ceremony tests were always the same, so one could prepare in advance. Simple training like carrying logs while sitting and standing, or shaping rocks for better grip to exercise arm muscles.

Though crude, the training was effective.

‘At this rate, I should be able to try up to the third one.’

Rex took a deep breath and embraced the second boulder. Pushing against the ground with his feet, the rock slowly rose.

“Second one, passed.”

This time he felt a slightly heavier weight, but he succeeded relatively smoothly.

Rock lifting wasn’t just about using arm strength recklessly, but about using all body muscles evenly. It was a technique of sorts, and knowing this made a significant difference.

Rex wiped the sweat from his hands onto his tunic. Suddenly feeling someone’s gaze, he looked up to see his father watching him from among the crowd.

‘So he does care enough to watch his son.’

Though his father usually beat him when things went wrong and gave him only hard work, he seemed to take interest in the coming-of-age ceremony at least.

Rex acknowledged him with a slight nod of his chin.

But the expected response didn’t come. Narrowing his eyes to look more carefully, Rex’s brow furrowed.

‘Huh?’

Upon closer inspection, his father’s eyes weren’t directed at Rex but slightly to the side. Following that direction, a curse escaped Rex’s lips.

“Oh shit.”

A woman in her early thirties was leaning forward against the fence. Perhaps cheering for her child, her well-ripened buttocks wiggled beneath her bent waist. His father’s gaze was fixed on those buttocks, unmoving.

‘…Miserable home. Of course. What was I expecting?’

Rex felt foolish for having momentarily placed hope in his father. He scratched the back of his head as he walked to the next rock.

‘Just focus on what needs to be done. No distractions.’

He tightened his loosened mind and inhaled until his stomach was full. Maintaining that state, he bent his hip joints and knees—the most suitable posture for lifting. All that remained was endurance to bear the weight and explosive power.

“Hup!”

He applied strong pressure to his abdomen while firmly pressing his feet against the ground. In his mind, he recalled the posture he had practiced. Trying to lift too quickly would cause injury. Slowly, like drawing a bowstring.

“Oh.”

The chief’s surprised voice came from beside him.

Bang!

As Rex roughly threw the rock to the ground, the chief opened his mouth with a satisfied expression.

“Third one, passed. You’re stronger than you look.”

“Whew…”

Rex exhaled, brushing back his sweat-soaked hair. He had barely succeeded by gathering all his strength. Since few people succeeded at the third stage, scattered admiration flowed from around him.

It was impossible for a fifteen-year-old boy to lift a rock heavier than three grown men without exceptional innate strength.

In fact, this revealed a flaw in the ceremony held every three years: those who participated 1-2 years later than others received advantages despite being recognized as adults later.

During adolescence, when muscles grew and bones thickened daily, a 1-2 year difference was significant. In this test too, all who passed the third stage were youths around seventeen.

Rex was the only fifteen-year-old to achieve such results.

‘Can I do one more?’

When the chief asked if he would proceed to the next stage, Rex asked himself. His original goal had been to attempt the third stage. This was already a good result, above average.

If he stubbornly tried the fourth stage and got injured, it would affect the remaining tests. Thinking wisely, he should stop here and conserve his strength.

‘Hmm… not easy.’

But strangely, a part of his chest kept itching.

Rex slightly pulled the neck of his tunic to check his chest. The blessing mark engraved on his chest was faint but clearly shimmering with a golden light.

It was as if it was asking if he was really going to give up here, if he was going to run away scared before even trying.

“Are you stopping?”

“Might as well try, why not.”

Rex stretched all his muscles as he glared at the fourth rock. Its size was enough to kill motivation just by looking at it. It reached about waist height, and he wondered how the two who had lifted it before had managed. Were they half-orc?

Even the strongest men in the village couldn’t lift this alone.

Rex gathered as much air as possible to fill his abdominal pressure. As soon as he embraced the rock like a hug, he sensed it. If he lost focus even slightly, his back would give out immediately.

‘It’s not arm strength, but lifting with the lower body. Lower body. Gently push with the soles of your feet, thrust your hips forward. Then it will work.’

Rex slowly infused strength into his lower body, reciting the posture he had practiced consistently.

But…

‘Is it rooted to the ground? It won’t budge at all.’

The rock was much heavier than expected. Honestly, since the third stage hadn’t been completely exhausting, he had expected this one might be possible too. But this felt like trying to forcibly uproot a tall tower.

[Don’t give up.]

Whether it was self-hypnosis or someone’s encouragement, his mind suddenly cleared. A burning sensation erupted from the mark on his left chest. The fierce energy, like flames, spread instantly through his blood vessels.

As the hot sensation struck his heart, a strength beyond comprehension burst from Rex’s entire body. He wanted to release this power somewhere immediately. If he kept it inside any longer, his body would burn up.

“Haaaaaaah!”

Rex let out a roar rising from deep in his chest, following his instinct. With a floating sensation, his bent hip joints straightened. The huge rock that had seemed immovable from the ground rose into the air.

One, two, three, time passed… Rex released his strength.

Crash!

“Remarkable! You’ve passed the fourth stage too. Small in stature but strong as a bull. I’ve witnessed something amazing today.”

Rex had no mind to answer the chief’s praise. He looked up at the sky, gasping for breath. At this moment, even the stench of the barn’s filth felt refreshing.

Until yesterday, he hadn’t even dared to desire the fourth stage, yet he had cleanly succeeded.

‘I, I actually did it.’

As he was savoring his sense of achievement, the burning sensation spreading from the mark intensified, as if it wasn’t over yet.

“Are you having some problem?”

“No, sir.”

Ignoring the chief’s concerned look, Rex returned to his place. The energy originating from the mark coursed through Rex’s body like living water, eventually returning to his heart.

“Huh?”

Soon after, Rex couldn’t help but examine the mark with questioning eyes. The fatigue from lifting the boulders had instantly vanished.

Moreover, the mysterious power that had momentarily manifested when lifting the last rock remained instead of disappearing.

As if it were a reward for overcoming his first challenge.