I'm the Only Totem in Another World - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Tribe (2)

Concept that isn’t too disgusting, like ‘Close-Range Spy’ or ‘I Trusted the Monkey Man but’.

It seems a friend has come to relieve my boredom━

“…Malak-nim, did something urgent come up? It doesn’t seem like you’re listening to me.”

Oh, you startled me.

Paya is watching my expression. It seems she stopped because I wasn’t reacting, even though she was excitedly talking to herself.

━ Of course, I’m listening. Continue talking about my specialness.

“I finished that story earlier…”

Finished? Really? I thought you’d talk about that all day, but I guess not.

━ Indeed. Let’s stop the information gathering here.

Let’s be a bit shameless this time.

The template ‘I’m not fully recovered due to the forced descent, blah blah blah’ shouldn’t be used too often.

The moment I say ‘My memory hasn’t returned yet, so my concentration is weak ㅠ I think I forgot everything you said ㅋ!’, faith in me will hit rock bottom.

They’ll definitely only think ‘A Loa with amnesia?!’

“Um, actually, there’s something I need to ask Malak-nim.”

Paya, who was looking at me with a slightly sullen expression, returned to her expressionless face. She’s still young, so she can’t hide her expressions well.

…Was Paya in her mid to late teens? I feel a little guilty for being harsh to a child.

━ Speak.

“When shall we begin the Tribal Unification?”

━ Tribal Unification, huh.

Tribal Unification. I heard the same thing from Kanto once.

It’s about uniting the various Barbarian tribes living in the mountains, seas, and grasslands to create a massive power.

“If you just give me the order, all tribes will gather under Malak-nim’s name.”

This is a rather serious matter. Tribal Unification is a double-edged sword.

While it’s true that a larger force would mean earning more points, it could also make us a target for the demons.

I indirectly witnessed the downfall of George’s raiding party through the community. If we become too noisy while gathering the Barbarians, I might end up like that too.

The destruction of this dragon-shaped totem that’s replacing my body is certain, and the Blue Moss Tribe that serves me would also suffer catastrophic damage.

Of course, even if the totem is destroyed, it doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll die. I heard from Paya’s explanation earlier that Loa are fundamentally immortal beings and cannot be killed.

She said that the totem is basically a medium connecting the Loa to the ground, not the Loa’s main body.

I don’t believe Paya’s words completely, but still, as a divine being, wouldn’t it be a bit pathetic to die just because a piece of wood is broken? For now, I’ve decided to believe that I’m immortal.

━ Hmm.

Should I become stronger slowly and steadily, or should I push it a little and become stronger quickly… If it were up to me, I would have chosen the stable method.

The problem is, if I play it safe, I’ll have to earn points only through Kanto and the warriors.

The infected creatures around the mountain aren’t like the monsters in the game that respawn. They’re closer to zombified animals, if you think about it.

Their numbers are inevitably limited, and since we’ve been hunting them for a week, they’re about to run out.

To earn more points, I need to go to the villages and hunt low-ranking demons. Can Kanto and the warriors continue to hunt low-ranking demons?

My strongest force, Kanto, isn’t a Paladin.

He doesn’t have the concept of ‘levels’ or ‘skills’, so it’s impossible for him to rapidly grow stronger by gaining experience and learning skills while hunting infected creatures or demons.

Whether it’s a racial trait or just that humans themselves are strong, his physical abilities are far superior to ordinary humans, but that’s it.

He can’t be like George at level 5, single-handedly taking down sixty cultists and a low-ranking demon. I actually asked him once.

‘Low-ranking demon? I don’t know if it was low-ranking, but I once killed a demon that looked like a giant earthworm. I lost three of the tribe’s best warriors in return. I was also severely injured.’

A bloody Kanto and the lives of three warriors to kill one low-ranking demon. Continuous hunting is impossible.

In the end, it means he’s a Jo-mit-Kan (Kanto under George).

This is driving me crazy.

Unifying the tribes will attract attention, and sticking with only the Blue Moss Tribe won’t make me strong enough.

An extreme either/or situation.

I decided to find a compromise.

━ Can the Blue Moss Tribe communicate with all other tribes?

“Yes. All tribes are connected under the protection of the Loa-nims.”

━ How will you announce the Tribal Unification?

“We communicate with all tribes once a year using carrier pigeons. We’ll announce the Tribal Unification through carrier pigeons as well.”

━ Carrier pigeons, huh.

I’ve seen scenes in movies where they attach letters to a pigeon’s leg and send it flying into the sky.

It was probably the term for pigeons used for communication.

“We use specially bred creatures, not ordinary pigeons, as carrier pigeons. Would you like to see one?”

━ Sure.

After a while, Paya brought a giant pigeon. It was almost the size of an eagle.

“His name is Tteunteuni.”

He does look sturdy. Excessively sturdy.

Coo-coo-coo━!

His cry is almost like a bird of prey.

“He’s also been trained to silently eliminate those grotesque eyes… what Malak-nim calls the Demon’s Eye. The Demon’s Eye isn’t born from nature, but a creature created by the demons’ filthy sorcery. It’s an incomplete being, slow and sluggish. It can’t defeat Tteunteuni.”

Good. Tteunteuni passes for now.

I thought they were sending someone walking to other tribes, but I’m glad they’re not that primitive.

━ How many tribes were you able to contact last year?

Since this game world is currently experiencing a demon apocalypse, the number of tribes must have decreased compared to the past.

“We exchanged letters with thirteen tribes.”

The number is even ominously 13.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

━ Which tribe has the strongest warrior?

This is my compromise. Instead of uniting all the tribes scattered around the world, I’ll bring in only those who can be helpful now and raise them.

If I bring in too many and get caught by a strong demon, it’ll be our doom that day.

I don’t know how much stronger the strongest warrior is compared to Kanto, but I think even two Kantos would make dealing with low-ranking demons easier.

“It’s the Brown Rock Tribe. The new chieftain of the Brown Rock Tribe is the strongest. …She’s not an ordinary human.”

━ Not an ordinary human?

Paya lowered her voice and spoke cautiously. I don’t know what she’s doing when it’s just the two of us.

“Rumor has it that she’s a hybrid of a Loa-nim and a human.”

Wait, is that even possible? Was there a Loa that came in their true form instead of as a totem like me?

Since she’s calling it a rumor, it seems even Paya herself isn’t sure.

━ I want to hear more.

“I haven’t seen her myself, I’ve only heard rumors. The Brown Rock chieftain’s mother became pregnant without a husband and said she had relations with a Loa-nim in her dreams.”

It’s not even a virgin birth, what the… Maybe she had a secret boyfriend and lied to avoid getting caught.

“She was born that way, and I heard she wiped out a pack of wolves at age 7 and caught a bear at age 9.”

She might as well be able to teleport. What, is she of Baekdu bloodline?

“Also, she’s young and strong, but incredibly arrogant. She’s cold even to her own tribe members, and she hates children.”

Paya said with a giggle, like a child gossiping about a friend she doesn’t like. Seeing her like this, she’s just an ordinary girl who likes rumors.

“My brother said she’s a very scary person.”

Suddenly, Paya gasped and covered her mouth.

“Oh, not my brother, the chieftain. The chieftain said so. Kanto, the chieftain of the Blue Moss Tribe, has met her before.”

━ I see.

She’s at the age where it’s embarrassing to call him brother.

“…He said it’s true that she’s strong. He sparred with her, and he said he didn’t feel like he could win.”

Good. At least she’s stronger than Kanto. Even if she’s not at George’s level, being stronger than Kanto is enough.

She’s a Jo-mit-Kan-wi (above Kanto, below George).

…It’s a bit much to say this without even seeing Kanto fight, but I’m just being objective.

━ What’s the size of the Brown Rock Tribe?

If I ask only the chieftain to come, she probably won’t. That would be like telling her to abandon the rest of her people.

I need to bring the entire tribe.

“It’s smaller than ours. According to the letter we exchanged last year, they have about forty people.”

Forty. Not a small number, but if we act discreetly, it should be fine.

Somehow, I’ve decided without Kanto, the chieftain.

Even though Kanto is a guy who memorizes lines written by his 15-year-old sister, he’s also a reliable figure who supports this tribe.

It wouldn’t hurt to give him a heads-up before sending the message.

━ When Kanto comes, tell him about our conversation and send a carrier pigeon to the Brown Rock Tribe.

“Understood.”

Paya, regaining her composure, left the altar.

One issue resolved for now.

A guideline for what to do next is forming.

If I keep acting like this, I’ll eventually meet other Paladins.

I might even meet the guys who were excitedly chatting in the community.

What should I do then?

Suddenly, a famous line from a movie comes to mind.

I’m on the side of justice, but it seems justice isn’t on my side… was it?

I believe I should cooperate with the Paladins because we have a common enemy in the demons, but I don’t know how they’ll view me and the Barbarians.

━ …

This is unnecessarily troubling.

What was the title of the movie with that famous line?

Should I try writing something…?

[Ultra Sanz Crazed for Nighttime Massacre Mode: Found the movie

It has the famous line: I’m on the side of justice, but it seems justice isn’t on my side

]

A comment was posted very quickly.

[Not a Netkama: Pervert Mask]

That was a crazy movie.