After leaving the priest’s tent, Jano decided to leave the royal camp and head back to his people.
Though the war was won, he knew that this victory did not mean they could leave immediately.
He could sense that the royal court’s Hawkmen warriors were confident that he would eventually return to them.
"If you cannot bear to leave your tribe, you may return first," one of the Hawkmen warriors had told him with a smile. "But in three days, there will be a victory celebration for the Thunder Titan Aterri. All must come to celebrate and praise the mighty Thunder Titan."
Jano silently nodded, leading his people back to the camp where they had been temporarily settled.
However, when he saw the state of his tribe, his heart sank. The scars of war were deeper than he had imagined.
Few of the tribal Hawkmen people had survived, and those who had were hollow-eyed and empty, as if they had lost their very souls.
It was then that Jano learned the truth.
After he had drawn away the two-headed wyvern, his tribe had been caught by a group of royal Hawkmen warriors, conscripted into a sacrificial squad, and placed on the front lines to face the griffin hordes led by the dragons.
Though they wore bronze armor, the casualties were heavy.
Fortunately, the war had ended when the Titan giants killed the Blue Dragon King, saving them from further devastation.
"The royal Hawkmen warriors always stay at the back of the line, directing the tribal warriors to the front to fight," explained Asan, his voice filled with anger. "That’s why the royal court suffers the fewest losses. The rest of us are treated as expendable pawns."
Hearing this, Jano’s anger surged. His decision was clear: this time, he would not follow the royal court’s orders. Even if it meant abandoning the Hawkmen''s Nest Peak tribe to find a new home, he would never return. After all, the outcome of the war was already sealed—there would be a final battle between the Titans and the dragons in a year’s time, and by then, it would be uncertain whether the royal Hawkmen court would even survive.
On the third day, Jano sat quietly in the camp with his people, waiting for the arrival of the Titan giant. As the sun reached its zenith and the midday heat scorched the earth, a thunderous sound of footsteps echoed through the air, growing louder by the moment.
Aterri, a Titan towering over 200 meters tall, finally appeared. Lightning crackled around him, and a massive dragon’s head adorned his helmet, still dripping with the scent of dragon blood. He stood like a god on the horizon, his towering form casting a shadow over the camp. Looking down at the ants below, his gaze was cold and indifferent.
Had the Titan King not told him that these "ants" harbored the secret to divinity, Aterri wouldn’t have even spared them a second glance. With a voice that could shake the heavens, he bellowed, "My servants, cheer for your master!"
"The mighty Titan shall rule all of Ferland!"
His voice reverberated like a thunderclap, and a wave of immense pressure swept over the entire Oceanwood. All living beings, unable to resist, were struck with a shudder of fear and dropped to their knees. This was the majesty of the Titan, whose power was so overwhelming that it seemed to crush everything in its path. Even Jano, struggling under the weight of the pressure, was forced to kneel.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Yet, having absorbed the blood of both the Titans and the dragons, Jano quickly regained his composure. He lifted his head, gazing up at the towering figure of the Titan, his heart ablaze with defiance.
"I will take his place!"
After the Titan’s Grand Assembly, the various tribes of Ferland dispersed, and the royal Hawkmen court returned to Heavenly Mountain, where they issued orders for all tribes to disband. Jano was one of the last to leave. Secretly, he took the little turtle and the glowing stone with him, knowing that this place would soon become a battleground and he had no intention of returning.
Soon after, Jano led his tribe back to Hawkmen''s Nest Peak. Despite the loss of a few members, the situation was far better than when their ancestors had perished in the past. The mood among the Hawkmen tribe was a mixture of joy and grief. Most of the survivors wept tears of joy, while those who had lost husbands, brothers, and sons were filled with sorrow.
Jano, too, felt the weight of the loss. When he had left, he had promised to bring everyone back, but now, more than a dozen lives had been lost. At the same time, the Hawkmen tribe marveled at Jano''s transformation—both his newfound appearance and his extraordinary power.
That night, the tribe held a great feast in celebration. With many of the young and strong returning, the tribe settled into a sense of stability.
The next day, in a wooden cabin, Jano carefully placed the glowing stone under his bed and made a small nest for the little turtle. He then introduced the creature to the tribe. The little turtle, now imbued with intelligence, was as curious about the world as a newborn child. Its small, adorable appearance, combined with its power over lightning, quickly won the affection of the entire Hawkmen''s Nest Peak tribe. The children especially loved to play with it, and the Hawkmen mothers treated it with great care, welcoming it as part of the family.
For the following days, Jano and the young adults went out hunting early each day. Thanks to his newfound supernatural abilities, they brought back an abundance of food. With enough provisions stored for the time being, Jano decided to enter seclusion and begin forging his own path as a professional.
Instructing the tribe not to disturb him, Jano returned to his wooden cabin, where he prepared for his seclusion. He placed the glowing stone in front of him and sat down to meditate. This stone, which had allowed him to absorb the blood of the Titans and awaken his extraordinary abilities, was invaluable. Participating in the Titan-Dragon war, the stone had been his greatest gain. With it, Jano hoped to make his professional journey smoother.
After consuming a Wind Spirit Elixir—a rare and extraordinary substance unique to Heavenly Mountain—Jano soon entered a deep state of meditation. In his meditative trance, he saw the surrounding spiritual particles, each glowing in different colors. The purple particles stood out the most, swirling around him, and he instinctively recognized them as the elemental force of lightning—the very foundation of his powers.
Jano focused his mind, reaching out to the lightning elements. As he connected with them, the flow of energy surged through him, gradually transforming into a vast ocean of spiritual particles. Amidst this vast sea, Jano began to contemplate the path he would take in his professional journey. Without a doubt, his power would be centered around lightning.
As the idea solidified in his mind, the purple lightning particles gathered around him, reinforcing his thoughts. He began to assess his strengths—his ability to fly as an Hawkmen, his two lives’ worth of memories as a traveler, and his innate gift, the Champion''s Will, which granted him exceptional combat prowess.
As his understanding deepened, a professional template slowly emerged in his mind. At the same time, a series of notifications rang out in his consciousness:
[Ding! Player has triggered the profession task!]
[Ding! Player has triggered the extraordinary path choice!]
[System Error: Unable to generate profession task!]
[System Error: Profession task incomplete!]
[System Error: Insufficient conditions to create a profession!]
[System Error: Player template undergoing change!]
[System Error...]
[Initiating system auto-repair!]
[Repair failed! Repair failed!]
... Time passed, though Jano couldn''t tell how long. When he finally returned from the spiritual sea, a new notification rang in his mind:
[Ding! Player has obtained NPC template!]
[NPC Level: Elite!]
[Congratulations! Player has completed the profession, Thunder Warden!]