Ch.44. Coming of Age Ceremony

The first test, rock lifting, was an individual event, but in contrast, the remaining three tests were all team events.

‘Forest race, javelin throwing, and finally wrestling.’

Since completing all events would take much longer than imagined, conserving energy was crucial.

No matter how well one performed in rock lifting, it would be useless if they collapsed during the remaining stages.

When Rex returned to his place, whispers could be heard around him. It was understandable that people were surprised to see a boy with a build no different from their own lift such a large rock.

“Tch. Obviously he just forced himself beyond his limits to lift it. Can he even pick up a straw now? His future is predictable.”

Naturally, there were those who cast envious and jealous glances, but Rex simply stared expressionlessly in the direction of the voices without any particular reaction.

When their eyes met, those who had been gleefully disparaging Rex just moments ago flinched in surprise and hastily turned away.

‘Pathetic fools.’

Rex sneered, curling up the corner of his mouth. Even in such a small village, there were always those who couldn’t stand seeing others succeed.

Though somewhat malicious, their gossip did contain elements worth considering. Overexerting oneself from the first test would indeed lead to a predictable outcome.

‘Except for me.’

However, this didn’t apply to Rex.

The blessing that made one as hard as steel through overcoming hardship—Steel Heart. Thanks to the vitality flowing from that mark, Rex’s body now felt as light as a feather. In fact, he felt even more refreshed than when he had woken up that morning.

He was confident he could pass the remaining tests without any difficulty. With even higher scores than he had hoped for.

“Gather around! We will now proceed with the next test.”

After a short break, the village chief clapped his hands and called out.

Rex stood up and joined the line of boys.

***

Dense oak trees, rough underbrush grabbing at ankles, and flying insects sticking to faces.

After avoiding all these obstacles and emerging from the long forest path, an open field spread out before him. The village chief and other adults were looking toward the edge of the forest.

Rex bent over, trying to calm his pounding heart. He barely managed to suppress something rising from within.

Breathing heavily, he looked around and saw no competitors. It seemed they hadn’t yet reached this point from the forest.

“Rex. First place. Take a rest.”

Rex grinned at the village chief’s words as he approached and patted his shoulder. It was a satisfying result.

While massaging his trembling legs to loosen his muscles, other boys began to appear one by one.

“Is he a monster… How can he be that fast?”

After about thirty minutes, the last participant arrived. The boys pointed at Rex and murmured among themselves.

Taking first place twice in a row—if he were an ordinary peer, it wouldn’t be strange to boast loudly.

In this era, if you had strength, it was natural to show it off and brag about it.

‘If I hadn’t received the mark, I probably wouldn’t be much different from those guys now.’

Rex kept his mouth shut and smiled quietly. It was too early to fully enjoy the triumph.

‘Since it’s come to this, I should aim for the top in all events.’

The boys, following the village chief back to the original clearing, were each given a wooden javelin.

Since there weren’t enough for all forty participants, about half would use them first, and the rest would take their turn afterward.

This test required throwing the javelin as far as possible. Rex’s turn was last, as higher rankings in previous tests pushed one’s order back.

‘Javelin throwing… This isn’t just about brute force either.’

While arm and leg length and strength were important, a skilled posture was necessary to throw the javelin far. The key was technique, not unlike chopping firewood.

About a dozen boys threw their javelins at once. The flying javelins suddenly lost momentum and weakly stuck into the ground.

Even the javelin thrown by a boy who seemed to have practiced regularly didn’t go very far.

The person measuring the distances stood at the edge of the clearing, looking like a dwarf due to the vastness of the space. Probably no one in the village could throw that far.

If anyone could, they would have already left this backwater to become a mercenary or a soldier in some city.

With many participants going at once, Rex’s turn came quickly.

Rex gripped the javelin shaft tightly, as if about to break it. The warmth from the previous user still lingered.

“Ready.”

Rex rotated his shoulders a few times and raised the javelin above his head.

‘It’s not about swinging your arm. It’s about the body moving forward and the arm following naturally.’

As he took the stance he had consistently practiced and tensed his entire body, he suddenly recalled his father’s advice from the previous night.

‘Just throw it.’

‘What?’

‘Too much thinking makes the body sluggish. So just throw it.’

Though delivered in a blunt tone devoid of emotion, now that he thought about it, he understood what it meant.

“Begin!”

The brief contemplation vanished as soon as the village chief’s words fell. The image he had been visualizing in his mind was wiped clean, and his vision narrowed. His body moved instinctively, ahead of his thoughts.

Whoosh!

When he came to his senses, the wooden javelin had already left his hand and was soaring through the distant air.

“Ohhh!”

Rex’s javelin flew in a parabolic arc at a clearly different speed than those thrown by the other boys. Instinctively sensing a good result, Rex exhaled in relief.

“…Oh?”

As all eyes focused on one spot, puzzled voices began to emerge from somewhere. Rex stared wide-eyed at the javelin he had launched.

The javelin, which had seemed like it would float through the air forever, was gradually losing momentum and falling. But its direction was not good at all.

“Hey, where’s that going? Get out of the way!”

The man measuring the distances of the thrown javelins looked up at the urgent cry, then backed away in panic.

Thwack!

Rex’s javelin stopped just inches from the man’s face. If the javelin had gone a little further, or if the man hadn’t stepped back, it would have been a disaster.

“Huh!”

The man who confirmed the javelin fiercely embedded in the ground collapsed as if his legs had given out. Rex quickly ran over and stopped in front of him.

“Are you alright? I’m sorry.”

“Ah… yes.”

The man got up holding Rex’s hand, but glanced at Rex as if wondering what kind of monster he was.

Rex was equally surprised, having never imagined the javelin would go so far.

“Ahem. First place goes to Rex again. Everyone be quiet! It’s nothing serious.”

The village chief cleared his throat and calmed the commotion.

“Young man, I thought you were always quiet, but you’ve been hiding such skills.”

Rex made an embarrassed face at the village chief’s probing comment.

With this, Rex had secured first place in three tests. It was something his past self would never have believed. Until just a few days ago, he had been determined to just barely meet the average.

The only remaining event was wrestling, which was also the most popular event at the coming-of-age ceremony. Participants were paired off, winners faced each other again, and the last one standing became the champion.

Being a direct physical confrontation, it was much more intense than previous events and resulted in many injuries.

Unlike other events, fighting ability was deeply connected to male pride, and its popularity meant many village maidens came to watch.

A short rest period was given before the wrestling matches began.

Rex sat on the ground, absently watching the workers. Strong men were filtering out sharp rocks and foreign objects from the ground.

“Drink this.”

Feeling something warm against the back of his head, he turned around. His father was holding out a wooden cup with his usual stoic expression.

“Thank you.”

As he drank, the distinctive rich aroma of sheep’s milk filled his mouth. Having spent hours consuming energy, he was feeling hungry, and this helped alleviate that feeling somewhat.

“I was surprised.”

His father, who had been silently watching until Rex emptied the cup, spoke up.

Rex glanced sideways as he put down the cup. The dry face and bleak voice—just like always.

“You must have been training steadily somewhere out of sight.”

“Well…”

“Never mind. I’m not interested in what’s already past.”

His father, closing the distance by a step, took a seat beside Rex.

When his father gestured, Rex politely handed over the empty cup. As he sat with his mouth shut, watching cautiously, his father spoke first.

“Planning to become a mercenary?”

Caught off guard by the direct question, Rex fumbled for words.

“…I’m not sure yet. Not now.”

Until recently, he had never even considered making a living by the sword. Life was precious, after all. His only goal had been the simple desire to leave home and become independent.

But after meeting the giant in his dream and receiving the blessing, even that thought was wavering. His ordinary self had gained the greatest ability among his peers through the power of the mark.

Though insignificant compared to superhumans like knights or wizards, if he could develop further, becoming a mercenary or a city guard wasn’t just a dream.

“I see.”

Though Rex trailed off, his father nodded with an indifferent face. He was a man whose thoughts were impossible to gauge.

“Gather around! We will begin the next test.”

Just as the awkward father-son moment was becoming unbearable, the village chief called out. Rex exhaled in relief internally and said:

“I’ll go now.”

“Go ahead.”

Feeling his father’s hand on his back, Rex walked forward.

***

Thud!

Rex’s leg slipped like a snake between his opponent’s hips and tripped him. The opponent, suddenly finding himself face-down on the ground, laughed in disbelief.

“Crazy… You really seem like a different person. Are you really Rex?”

“Who else would I be?”

“Ah, damn. My luck is terrible. How did I end up facing you when only three people are left?”

The boy, who had been grumbling for a while, took Rex’s outstretched hand and got up. Normally one might not accept defeat so easily, but the difference in skill was too obvious.

Returning to his place, Rex watched the next match while reflecting on his previous opponents. Including the one just now, he had won three matches, and the power of the blessing was evident once again.

The mark’s energy affected not only stamina but also reaction speed and physical flexibility.

His latest opponent had been a boy known as a fighter in the village, yet Rex had won easily. Only the final match remained.

When the coming-of-age ceremony had started, it was morning, but now it was evening. The blue sky was precariously undulating, pushed back by the red tide advancing from the edge of the horizon.

“Ho Kwan’s son, Ho An. And Gert’s son, Rex!”

Rex walked forward at the sound of his name.

Across from him, a hairy man was glaring at him.

‘This is ridiculous. He looks like an adult by anyone’s standards.’

Ho An was known in the village for looking older than his age. But he was better known for his build, reminiscent of an orc.

Orcs were monsters that occasionally appeared in deep forests, notorious for their tree-trunk-like bodies and their monstrous strength that could tear people apart with bare hands.

Seeing him in person, Rex understood why people said he resembled an orc.

Though he’d need to face him directly to be sure, even at a glance, Ho An was about two heads taller and clearly larger in build.

It was hard to believe they were around the same age.

“I won’t go easy on you.”

Ho An warned, baring his teeth.

“I heard you lifted the fourth rock too, just like me? With that thin body? Did you use some trick?”

“You talk too much.”

Rex chuckled softly while picking his ear with his finger.

“Shut up and come at me.”

Ho An’s arm muscles twitched at Rex’s confident attitude, as if he were offering to give him a handicap.

As Ho An stepped forward and began to move his arm, the village chief, standing between them, blocked them.

“Such spirited young men. Save the scuffling for when the match begins. Are you both ready?”

“Yes!”

As Rex silently nodded, Ho An responded just as eagerly.

“Good, then…”

As the village chief continued, a voice suddenly interjected from among the spectators.

“My son! Do your best!”

“…Mother.”

Ho An murmured with a subdued expression. As if strengthened by his mother’s voice, the intensity in his eyes increased.

‘Isn’t there anyone to cheer for me?’

With his lips pouted, Rex scanned the surroundings and caught sight of his father. As their eyes met, his father silently mouthed:

‘No dinner if you lose.’

Of course. If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed.

Rex pushed away distracting thoughts and took his stance.

“Begin the match!”

As soon as the village chief’s words fell, Ho An charged forward like a wild boar.