Chapter 38：Preparations

When I went back to my tent, Avelin was still there, sleeping soundly on my bed. This innocent girl who was pushed to the Chieftain role finally got released from it. Right now, she could still care for them but she could rest easy now and not pressure herself by leading them all on her own.

I have 4 days left to stay in this world and I don't know when I will be able to go back again. Will she still remember me? I don't know.

Because of the completion of my pledge, like Zerina, I can now see her status at the pledge bonus on my system. And there's also Erin. The two of them will help each other to grow stronger. I still have a lot of worlds I have to go through but I won't forget about them.

It's not just me who's growing stronger after all. Maybe in the next world, more absurd things will happen and I won't be able to provide more help.

Once we go back I have to strive to train this Adaptability of mine and level it up. I have the hunch that something will change if I manage to do that. The Orbs also have their own secrets as well and only this Adaptability can identify it.

The Principal said it doesn't matter if I became a support or not but now I'm starting to think that this is what I'm really destined to be.

Psyche Boost, Physique Boost, Enhancement and Concealment. Everything's a useful supporting skill. And I will probably get more.

I led the battle against the Corrupted Barbarians earlier, maybe that will happen again and with the use of these supporting skills, I will be able to lead them to victory.

I have to accept the difference between me and the Heroes. We all have different abilities, Yuko's Foresight, Raiden's Temporal Acceleration, and my Adaptability. Each of them has different uses and it's up to each of us on how it can benefit ourselves. Yuko and Raiden already have a clear understanding of their abilities, while I am still mulling over what I can do with this mediocre ability.

It's already in front of me but I'm trying to avert my eyes. I should accept it and work towards using its full potential to benefit me.

I am a Support Character. I can never be a hero. Then I will stick to that principle.

Supporting not just them but everyone. This was why I also got experience by supporting Avelin, I neglected the fact that my system doesn't only favor a Hero. Any type of support I provide will turn into experience points for my system.

Ah. Now that I cleared my mind about things that are bugging me, the path ahead of me is already visible. To become the Ultimate Support Character.

For now, let's continue this Physique Cultivation. Well, that's the only thing I could do right at this moment. Any increase in my strength will also contribute to that goal anyway.

With that, I started condensing Brute Energy throughout the night.

I don't remember at which point I fell asleep.

Well, I didn't force myself like before. When I felt the drowsiness, I let myself drift into sleep without climbing on top of my bed.

However, when I opened my eyes again, I was lying down on my bed and someone was at my side with her arm hugging me. Because of the habit I acquired from sleeping together with Yuko for a whole week, I was also hugging this girl tightly.

I don't need to guess who this is. Avelin.

She's still sleeping soundly. This girl. How long will she sleep?

I removed my hand and stood up from the bed. The slave woman was still here and on the table, breakfast for today and a bucket of water was already prepared.

I nodded and thanked her.

This is their job and well, she's being treated nicely because of my request from Old Man Reol. Even if my position is special, I have no authority to release her from her chains.

Halfway through the meal, Avelin woke up with a blush and a smile on her face.

Like I thought, she's the one who pulled me up to sleep next to her.

Turns out, it was my fault why we ended up hugging each other. She was supposed to go back to her tent after pulling me up but I pulled her into a hug.

I might've been dreaming about Yuko or it's really the habit that led us to that situation.

Now, she became more determined to have me as her partner and the father of her child. Like with Erin, I told her to wait for 2 years. Well, it's not like I'm running away, it's just not the right time for now.

I also told her about my impending return to Earth as well. I instructed her to work together with Erin.

After we finished eating, I led her and her former tribesmen to notify them of the changes now that they were absorbed by the Heavenly Lightning Tribe. 

Erin joined us on the way there. When she found out from Avelin how she spent the night with me, Erin got pissed off again and demanded to get the same treatment.

Only when I agreed did she calm down. I reaffirmed that barbarian women are scary.

I miss my Yuko. She's probably back at the World of System. Well, let's hope she's safe there.

With the help of Avelin and Erin, I received no objection among the former Whiteshade tribesmen.

When I informed them that we will once again be thrust into a battle, though there's still no objection, some were dejected. They thought they would be safe now that they joined a large tribe. To be thrust into a battle that's probably bigger on scale than anything they've seen so far, they became fearful.

I couldn't blame them. So I offer no words of consolation. I instructed them to prepare before leaving to meet the Old Man again.

This time, he'll be the one organizing the battle that will soon happen.

He's certainly a King Realm expert even if he just always stays behind Raiden but is that really the extent of his strength? I don't know.

According to the scout he sent, the detached force heading here consisted of at least 2 Wild Beasts that were comparable to a King Realm in strength.

Not only will we have to fight corrupted Wild Beasts of varying strengths, but there's also the Dark Beastmasters controlling them as well as Corrupted Barbarians they managed to sway.

Will we be fine?

Ah. I'm not a commander or anything so for now, I'll listen to the Old Man.

When we arrived at the training field where Old Man Reol gathered the remaining barbarians, there's still a considerable number of them. Those I can gauge the strength were all Augmented Realms or below and those I can't were Saint Realm and above.

But apart from the Old Man, those I can't gauge the strength are more or less comparable to that Corrupted Barbarian we fought and killed.

Behind the tribesmen, the slaves were also lined up at the back. Looks like they were granted a chance to remove their slave status by fighting in this upcoming battle.

After explaining the situation to everyone, Old Man Reol then started relegating our duties.

Since I'm someone with a special position, he put me in charge not only of the former Whiteshade Tribes but also a part of the slaves who took up arms for a chance to free themselves from the chains, giving me the title of a General.

I'm just an Augmented Realm, to be given this position, I don't know what's on the Old Man's mind. And with his confident disposition just now, looks like he's expecting something from me.

The woman who was tending my tent was among the slaves under me and through that, I finally got to know her name, Ophelia.

Because of her appearance, I failed to gauge her strength before but surprisingly, she's a 2nd Stage Saint Realm expert and a wife of a previous medium tribe Chieftain at that.

Well, her husband tried to rebel on one of the welcoming parties. She was against it but her fate became the same as everyone when her husband failed and got executed. They all became a slave of the Heavenly Lightning Tribe.

Even with her strength, she couldn't or she chose not to take up arms to free themselves and only waited for this opportunity.

She appreciated how I treated her. That's why she volunteered to be put under my command along with her previous tribesmen.

The Old Man promised that they will really be freed from their slave status after the battle as long as they survived it.

Because of that, the barbarians under me swelled from a mere 30+ barbarians to around 300.

I'm never a fan of strategy games but with my enhanced clarity and all the support skills, I have. I guess I can command them just fine.

These 300 barbarians are now my responsibility so I can't fight at the front now. As their superior, I will support them with everything I have.

This might be my chance to power level my system. Supporting 300 individuals, I have an unlimited supply of Brute Energy so spamming Physique Boost sounds about right.

It will also train my Adaptability to expand the container. It will be 3 birds in one stone.

Ah. I guess this kind of optimism is needed at this time.

The Heavenly Lightning Tribe was enclosed by a circular wall but because of the scarceness of resources here, it's not tall and doesn't have huge defensive capabilities. The wall was there only to determine the border of the tribes. But yeah, there were watchtowers and such to scout the surroundings.

The battles here in this world were mostly melee, where a large casualty can be expected.

That's how it always is, even back in the Whiteshade Tribe. Avelin and her tribesmen were fighting outside their makeshift wall.