King Of Limbo

Until the half-completed tallie was almost finished, this monotonous pattern persisted.

Clang~

The sound of metal striking metal could be heard as Aron pretended to workout.

Because everything was organized and loud, numerous sources were all producing the same sound.

He was facing the settlement when he turned to see where it was coming from. "It appears to be time at last."

At that point, Aron ceased his training and exited the river before heading back to the settlement.

When he arrived, he discovered a large group of Panthera howling joyfully as they observed a hill to the west of the hamlet.

When Aron turned to face it, he saw a great number of Panthera descending it and striking their spears.

He could only assume that this was some sort of ritual that was held when people returned from a significant occasion.

Pa!

He felt a harsh smack on his shoulder as he was looking at the approaching crowd and turned to see a smiling Garu.

"Aren't you going to stand at the front with Ohtli to welcome Ohtlizi?" Garu pointed to what he thought to be the village's entrance and asked.

There stood both males eager to impress the approaching girls who had now achieved adulthood and numerous females waiting for their partners.

Aron moved to the front and stood close to Ohtli and a few other eager-looking females without responding to Garu.

The mass of Panthera quickly gathered close to the settlement.

When they did, a female Panthera emerged and approached Ohtli and Aron. She didn't look all that different from the other women when seen aesthetically.

However, this was true of all races who perceived other species as being the same. Aron, a Koliean, didn't see many visible differences between other races, which is why he preferred using a mana signature to identify people.

"Father, mother." The female who was approaching murmured and gave them a tiny smile.

Aron didn't realize she was Tlaloc and Ohtli's child until she started speaking. He could only nod in approval and crack a little smile at her since he was unsure of how the original Tlaloc would respond to her.

"Welcome back Ohtlizhi, how was the hunt?"

On the other side, Ohtli started asking her question after question, which made things lot simpler for Aron.

When the daughter saw Aron approaching, she bowed her head slightly as if she were anticipating some sort of response from him.

He was forced to react in a general way because he was in such a predicament.

"You've grown."

"I'm glad you've noticed father."

She gave Aron a gentle smile, but her body language suggested that she was unsure of what she was saying.

Aron wasn't surprised by this because he knew he couldn't play Tlaloc flawlessly, which is why he avoided interacting with people as much as possible.

However, if his daughter was close to her father, that would be a problem. Aron should have said less in this situation.

"What's wrong?" She enquired because she could tell her father was acting strangely.

"I'm just worn out," He said, clumsily stretching his arms.

Thankfully, Ohtli arrived at that same time and entered the conversation.

"Your father has been training more than any other warrior recently, it seems he doesn't want to let another hunter take you." She teased.

The daughter flushed and anxiously bowed her head as if it were her purpose.

"This may get tricky..."

By simply seeing this, Aron could tell that his initial worries were valid because the daughter and father were in fact close.

….

Aron could only explain himself by citing his training as the reason for leaving while the ceremonies continued seemingly without end.

But even then, the newly discovered daughter would follow and watch him intently, which wasn't necessarily a problem but made him wary.

This pattern would only halt when she, along with the other Panthera, went to sleep but Aron, who didn't require it, continued to act as though he was hard at work in his training.

Only ever resting for brief moments.

Because of Tlaloc's unusual work ethic, many people started to believe in his abilities again and had no qualms about whether or not he would preserve his right to hunt; in fact, many thought he would solidify his place among the best.

The only ritual left to hold was the Aztellac ceremony by the time the solitary tallie had burned completely and the plans for the subsequent hunt had been made.

In essence, it served as the formal meal prior to a big hunt in which challenges would be issued to warriors anxious to participate in the hunt.

As anyone who held a position may be challenged, the event signaled the emergence of new warriors and the decline of established ones. And although it's uncommon, some people will compete with others for their mate.

….

During this period, the settlement was noisier than usual, but there were also no special decorations in place.

Instead, every adult had their own distinct collection of countless tribal paintings covering various regions of their bodies.

While Garu, who had neither a mate nor offspring, had his drawn by an older female who was past her prime and served as a sort of advisor, Aron's tattoos were created by his present mate Ohtli and the daughter Ohtlizi.

"Do you feel anxious, brother?" Garu questioned as they set off together for the village center.

Unless they were themselves hunters, the females would watch the event from a distance.

Former warriors and female healers known as Nnaga presided over the ceremony. These kinds of women were experts in a variety of fields, including childbirth, medicine, painting, and runic design.

They held their own ceremony as well, but it didn't get as much attention as the one related to the hunt because there was no fighting or other turmoil in the latter. People had to sit through what felt more like a protracted formal lesson.

"I am a little nervous, aren't you?" In a casual tone, Aron questioned.

Apart from the constant attention he was receiving, he was grateful that nothing had gone wrong in getting to this point. The fact that the race lacked deductive skills made things easier for him.

It wasn't strange to observe a warrior who displayed inconsistent behavior; even these Komi-like species contained individuals who suffered from bipolar disorder, but due to a lack of information, they mistook it for a personality trait.

As a result, he could take a deep breath and concentrate on the task at hand, maintaining his position for the hunt or moving higher.

Since the Panthera had no formalized system for evaluating strength, they just awarded ranks based on how well a hunt went—which wasn't horrible in and of itself, but Aron felt was far too insufficient.

He could only hope that none of them were abnormally strong but he seriously doubted that anyone could match his Tier 7 rank D physique from what he had observed so far.

Who, since he had not yet observed any Panthera employ an art or technique, was unable to apply his magic or aspects.

At most, he thought they were an augmentation-dependent race, similar to the now-extinct Pesian Veldra.

'Physically dependent individuals can't be determined using the mana fluctuations they give off so I can only know after seeing a display.'

As Aron and Garu approached Panthera, which forms a circle in the middle of the hamlet, Aron snapped his tongue.

When he first arrived, he noticed that many people were staring at him, though he couldn't tell whether they were doing it for good or unpleasant reasons.

"Welcome warriors, Talar Ku Kerek!

"Another hunt comes so it's time we select our people's very strongest."

Aron heard a senior Panthera make an announcement, but he couldn't understand some of the words because they weren't in the dim language.

"Maybe a native tongue?"

He thought, but he kept it quiet. Instead, he imitated others' movements; fortunately, this was straightforward because it only required pushing the spear upward while yelling.

"Hmm good, so many of you are gathered here but only fifty may leave for the hunt with the other villages while the rest must remain to protect. Those without a place can challenge those with one!"

Aron was able to understand the Panthera's actual population level thanks to the woman's statements. Not because they were a small race, but rather because they were dispersed over their region.

Following the woman's announcement of those ominous words, looks started to be traded, and challenges started.

Aron's theory was confirmed when the warriors were instructed to battle however they pleased.

Otherwise, he believed, a small race would be unwilling to exterminate its own members in a straightforward selection.

The challenges came one after another, but weirdly enough Aron didn't get even one. Why? Because all those who adopted his training routine had been winning despite initially not being that strong.

As a result, Aron gained an aura of distinction that most people wouldn't dare to touch. Even the snide Panthera he had encountered when pretending to be injured with Ohtli at the time was now visible.

"And that should suffice, since no more challenges for places are present we can move on to the position of first hunter!" The elderly Panthera announced with a smile.

"Kudgar! You are the current first hunter, all those who are willing to face him can step forward now!"

As he heard this, Aron rubbed his brows together and recognized a flaw. That implied that he might be overworked to the point of fatigue and still not perform well.

However, it probably succeeded because most people lost motivation after seeing one or two humiliating losses.

During this particular ritual, a giant of a panthera that was as tall as Aron's original height but much more beefy and muscular was revealed as the first hunter.

'His stature alone must intimidate many.' Aron thought quickly.