Fantasy Starting from the Stone Age - Chapter 47

Unlike the Erin tribe, the Bark tribe gave up farming. They could not handle the dragons that invaded their area every day. It was not a time to farm leisurely.

Instead, they returned to a pastoral, nomadic, and hunting lifestyle. This is evidence that civilization does not develop linearly.

However, the Barks were originally expert hunters. Their intermarriage with the Datons gave them great strength, great skill, intelligence, and senses.

This means that all members of the tribe returned to the primitive hunter-gatherer lifestyle. The difference is that unlike the time when they only hunted, they now have livestock, so they have more freedom and can take care of the elderly.

In the post-reconstruction period, the value of the Bark tribe is defined solely by the quality of the hunter. Even Maza cannot be anything but the best hunter of the tribe.

This is like the entire society’s power and capacity being invested in just one thing. It’s like the past exams of Earth Joseon, and its successor, the Republic of Korea, investing all the power of the family and the country in getting into so-called prestigious universities and large corporations.

If you pass the test, you will be treated well, and if you fail, you will be labeled as incompetent.

But, you know.

Joseon and modern-day South Korea did not really invest all of the nation’s power there. Of course. The number of people who passed the exam was simply fixed.

But prehistoric times, the Bark tribe really demanded first-class hunting skills from all of their members. If you fell short, you weren’t just given a low-paying job; you were killed.

It is literally being eliminated. Modern society may be cruel, but it is not as cruel as the prehistoric times when people were really killed.

So how should those who do not meet that standard live?

Let’s check it out for yourself now.

Echacado knew he was different from the moment he was born, as he survived as a rare hybrid of his father, Daton, and his mother, Bark-Daton.

It did not produce looks of blessing and longing, but rather looks of concern and worry.

“Will this child ever grow up properly?”

Resources are limited, even mother’s milk. Echacado’s mother gives milk to her other children rather than Echacado, who drinks it well. When his younger sibling was born, Echacado was unable to drink milk properly.

But even if he had eaten properly, it would not have made a difference. His physical abilities were miserable.

I can’t even run.

He is also short.

It is also thin because it is light in weight.

The shoulders are also narrow.

My head isn’t that good either.

Eyes and ears are not so good either.

He has a very hasty and choleric personality, so he often attacks people who are no match for him and gets hit.

He is good at making things. He has shown talent in making things. However, he is weak and cannot bend a bow, so he can only split arrows and stones.

“Echakado. I can never let you join the hunt.”

“but······!”

“No······. I hate to say this, but you can’t even hold a bow. Can you pierce a drake’s hide with a javelin? You can’t. Then how can I join you on a hunt?”

“······.”

The Bark tribe does not despise or ridicule people. They do not have such a culture······. Previously, such a mechanism simply did not exist biologically.

However, there is no concept of welfare. They are at least considerate because they are mixed-bloods with the Daton tribe. If they were truly pure-blooded Bark tribesmen, they would have just killed anyone who was incompetent.

Echacado knew that he was miserable.

“Why? Why can’t I do it?”

“Because you’re a mixed race man.”

“Then why am I a mixed race man?”

“That’s… It’s one of the two, but I guess it just so happens that it’s one.”

Echacado was miserable.

Is it just a coincidence that I am incompetent? Is it just because I was born that I am destined to live this miserable life?

He had a dream too. A dream where the tribesmen praised him. A dream where he caught a great game and overthrew a great dragon.

But it is a delusion. He is not allowed such a feat. Just as a person cannot fly by waving his arms or breathe underwater.

Ah. So the Baekkans can breathe underwater. Sorry.

Anyway, the work that Echacado was assigned was ultimately something that only old people would do. Protecting sheep grazing in the pasture from wild wolves and dragons. It was a job that was far inferior to the brave and important work of fighting dragons.

“Damn it. How long do I have to live like this?”

“It won’t be that long, since mixed-blood men die young.”

It’s disappointing. Dying without achieving anything is worse than dying.

Then one day, Echacado sees a giant dragon engulfing the pasture.

It’s a huge thing. If you spread its wings, it’s probably at least 15 meters long. Of course, the old people couldn’t stop it.

“if?”

However, since he was the youngest and well-trained, Echacado decided to fight head-on while the elders hurriedly ran away with their livestock.

“Here I am! Fight me!”

Echakado fought amazingly, repeatedly striking the giant dragon with his sharp spear, causing it to bleed.

After removing the scales, they would insert a spear into the spot to break the magic stone that the dragon was holding. That was their hunting method. Echakado is testing it.

“All right! The scales are off!”

And Echakado, who has succeeded up to this point, boldly raises his spear and plunges it into the bastard’s bare flesh.

At that time, what should I say about what he felt?

It wasn’t despair. It wasn’t ecstasy. It was just bewilderment.

I clearly hit the scaled flesh with a spear, but it didn’t go in. Even though it was a stone spear with a sharp edge.

Of course. With his power, he could attack the dragon dozens of times and peel off its scales, but he couldn’t tear its bare flesh. It’s a tragedy.

Pfft!

That was his last memory. When he came to, everyone was celebrating with dragon meat.

Their mother sees Echakado and gestures to him.

“Oh. You’re not dead. Eat it. But since you fought, I left you the good parts.”

“Hey, where’s the dragon?”

“Huh? Well, I caught that one. Since it was relatively young, I threw a spear at it once and it pierced through its scales and died in one hit.”

It was the first time he had eaten such a good cut of meat. Even so, it wasn’t that good, so Echakado swallowed his tears as he chewed on it.

My best was for nothing in the end.

No matter how hard I try, there are people who get it in an instant.

However, Echacado did not despair.

“······good.”

He decided to take this opportunity. He had no intention of despairing or conforming any longer.

In his spare time, Echakado carves a spear for himself, despite his weakness.

He desperately wandered through the mountains and fields, collecting materials and handing them over to merchants in exchange for good materials, and making small bows and defensive equipment for himself.

Then one day, he suddenly leaves, carrying his luggage. Many people witnessed this, but only the chieftain Bark Maja stopped him.

“Echakado. Where are you going?”

Echakado snorts at those words. But he says he is still worried.

He answers with the utmost courtesy to the chief who respects him.

“I can’t live here. I tried my best, but nothing worked.”

“That could happen. Everyone could happen.”

“I don’t know about Maza. I’m also a human being, but if I’m going to be treated as incompetent just because I was born, I’d rather go to a place where I can be accepted just because I was born.”

“Where is that place? Paradise?”

Maza refers to a place that was talked about as a joke in the old days. It was said as a joke, but Echakado rather agreed.

“Paradise? That’s true. We once thought of it as paradise.”

“Wait a minute. What? You couldn’t possibly······.”

“Yes. I will go to Datang. If I am half Daton, half Bark and am treated as a half-penny, then I would rather live my whole life as a Daton than as a Bark.”

Maja didn’t laugh when he heard that. He just sighed, covered his head, and spoke carefully. Just in case, he might not know.

“······You crazy bastard. Do you know how far Datang is from here?”

“I know.”

“Fuck. I’m going to die on the way there.”

“Usually, I guess.”

“Why can’t you just live here? Why do you insist on leaving?”

Echakado answers.

“There is no family here.”

“!”

“I felt it from the moment I was born. These people treated me like a penny, not a family member. In the end, I felt like a useless half······.”

“No, you have your own work to do.”

“Those who treat me like a half-ass who can do even half-assed work, and who believe without a shadow of a doubt that I am incompetent, are not family. That’s enough. Stop it. Don’t stop me. If you really care about me.”

“Hey. Please······. Don’t go.”

“why?”

Bark Maza shut his mouth tightly and then said.

“That’s because you’re the only living one of my blood relatives······.”

When Echakado heard those words, tears welled up in his eyes. He had never expected to hear such words.

“That’s exactly why I’m leaving.”

“Brother!”

“Thank you for thinking so. I’ve always felt sorry for you, Ma-ja-in, for being such a worthless older brother. If I have the chance, I’ll see you later. If I succeed, I’ll come and visit you with my pilgrimage group.”

So, Banpun Echakado sets out for the distant Datang, alone, without companions or tribe, to endure the cold and hunt across the endless plains.

Over the course of several months, Echacado was able to confirm the presence of a large forest as he continued south.

There really was a tall tree that reached all the way to the sky. I was amazed by its astonishing height and was sure that there was a datang down there.

“Gyaaaah! Save me!”

“!”

There aren’t many people north of the Great Forest, so this encounter was unexpected.

A man who came up north was being chased by a wyvern.

Echakado was not a villain who would not help someone in need. He ran quickly and swung his spear, striking the wyvern in the chest from a distance.

thud!

The hunt was a success. Echakado could only lament his own meager strength, which made it impossible to kill with certainty unless at such close range.

“Hey. Is that Daton? Are you okay?”

The Daton woman whose life was saved blinks in shock, then approaches, making a fuss.

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

“?”

“How did you catch that mighty wyvern with just one throw of your spear? You Bark hunters are amazing!”

“If you can’t even catch a wyvern with a spear at this distance, are you really a human? Isn’t it common sense that you can kill a wyvern in one blow by piercing its heart?”

“Ohhhhh! This is awesome!”

It’s a dime a dozen by the standards of the Bark tribe, who can split a cow’s skull with their fists.

This is how the journey of the dragon hunter Echakado began.