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Ding!
[You have completed the Novice War Goddess Quest: Hunt a Tier 1 Magic Beast (1/1)]
[Reward: +10 Strength and the Talent: War Spirit Physique (C Rank)]
[Do you wish to accept the rewards?]
[Yes] [No]
[Complete! You have gained +10 Strength and the Talent: War Spirit Physique (C Rank)!]
[Your compatible Physiques have merged. Your Great War Demigoddess Physique (Tier 4: Rank 1, A Rank) has ranked up to Tier 4: Rank 2!]
[The Skill: Spiritual Projection (Tier 2: Level 1/10) has leveled up!]
"Alright, I'm done."
I sighed in relief after hunting down a small Winter Snow Rabbit. These winter-adapted creatures had thicker, puffier fur and looked like adorable white puffballs. Killing them always made me feel terrible, yet their meat was excellent and they were easy to find hiding beneath the snow.
I had come out with my brother and sister to gather fresh food for the next few days and to collect more lumber. I had already used more than half my reserves after building so many things over the past week.
It had been roughly five days since we returned from the dungeon. After constructing the new buildings, tending to the churches, farms, alchemy studio, and old forge, I had finally found a moment to breathe.
Still, the prophetic dream from two days ago lingered in my mind. I had spent hours wondering how to handle it, but today I had decided: I would tell my family.
If I could gain Father and Mother's support, and as the hero, surely the elders and the rest of the village would understand… right?
I hoped so.
It was always easy for people to accept gifts and call you a savior. But when you asked them to sacrifice or warned them that they would all die if they did nothing, everything became complicated.
I could already imagine it, some would argue, others would doubt my place as the next chief, and a few might even call me insane for the harsh training regimes I had been planning.
But if we did nothing, we were going to die.
At least everyone in the village would.
I could run away. I am strong enough now. I could even take my family with me. But that wasn't the point.
"Brunhild! Hey!"
If everyone died, it was over. In Barbarian Conquest, the player character surviving meant nothing if the entire village was gone.
"Hey!"
I knew this was reality, not a game, but the principle remained the same. I could not let my family and my village die.
"Brunhild, are you listening to me?"
"Ah!"
I snapped out of my thoughts and found my brother standing in front of me, carrying several rabbits he had hunted with the help of his Wyvern, Scaly.
"Woof!"
Fenrir trotted up beside him, three more rabbits dangling from his jaws.
"Caw!"
Huginn, my trusty crow, dropped another at my feet with his large beak.
"Ah, looks like everyone hunted well!" I said with a smile. "Sorry, I was… thinking about a lot of things."
"What's gotten into you, Brun?" Magnus asked, petting my head. "We've got everything we need to survive winter comfortably. Relax for once. A kid your age shouldn't be worrying about everything all the time."
"But, bro…" I sighed. "I have something really important to talk about with you and the whole family."
"What? What's wrong?" He tilted his head.
"We'll talk during lunch," I said, nodding. "Where's Big Sis?"
"She went deeper into the forest with her new White Stag," Magnus replied. "I never imagined she would have the affinity for me to transfer ownership of a Spirit Beast to her. That's something else."
Astrid's birthday had been yesterday, and Magnus had gifted her the White Stag he had spent two days taming. At first she refused, knowing he had meant it for himself, but once she realized she could bond with it and make it her Spirit Beast, she accepted.
Since then, Astrid had grown noticeably cockier… but she was also developing a strong talent for Spirit Magic thanks to the bond. Maybe I should try to tame a Spirit Beast myself.
Though technically I already had two spirits. No—three.
"Yeah, I guess her soul was strong enough for it," I said, smiling. "Big Sis! Astrid! Time to head home! We're freezing out here!"
Barbarians usually wore light clothing, but today we were bundled in thick furs from head to toe, making every movement slightly cumbersome in the biting cold.
From between the trees emerged a tall White Stag with glowing green eyes and a flowing white beard. Astrid rode atop it, looking dignified and more than a little smug.
"Heheh! Here comes the White Stag Queen and her Mystical Beast!" she declared. "Bearing the big game she has hunted for her starving family!"
She had brought back a large Demon Wolf and three Gray Wolves. We had only come out for a casual hunt—mostly so I could finish my daily quest—but she had clearly gone all out.
"Kneel before the White Stag Queen, plebeians," she said with a smug smile.
"Quit it already. We need to get back to the village," Magnus said, walking ahead.
He moved with surprising confidence now. We had crafted him an improved prosthetic leg powered by monster cores. Even a small Horned Rabbit Core could keep it running for two weeks.
Thanks to the old forge, the alchemy studio, and help from Ylva and Viggo, the new leg was the best we could make. It allowed him to run almost as well as before. Though it was still heavier than his original leg, at least he no longer had to hop around on three limbs.
"How's the new leg treating you, Magnus?" Astrid asked. "No problems?"
"It's perfect," he replied. "I could even use it as a weapon. Viggo embedded some runes in it—if I channel mana through it, the leg bursts into flames for a nasty kick."
"Wow, that sounds deadly!" I said. "Looks like you've got yourself a new weapon, Bro."
"I guess I did!" He laughed. "Come on, let's head back to the shelter. If this leg didn't produce constant warmth, I'd be a block of ice by now."
We returned to the village. The guards on the towers spotted us from afar, and by the time we reached the gates, they were already swinging open.
"Thank you for your hard work today, Brunhild, Astrid, Magnus!"
"How were things outside?"
"It was fine," Magnus answered. "Most beasts are hibernating, so there's not much out there. Still managed to find some wolves though—this White Stag is incredibly strong!"
"Well, good to hear! Have a good day!"
Everyone had been unusually cheerful and relaxed lately. The new facilities provided food, warmth, and shelter, making life far more comfortable than before.
That comfort only made my heart heavier. I would soon have to push them into hard training for a threat that could destroy the entire village in less than two months.
But there was no other choice.
"We're back!" Astrid called, leaving her White Stag at the animal ranch where it had warmth, shelter, and plenty of grass.
"We brought a big haul today," Magnus said. "Hey Dad, help me skin these carcasses!"
From the second floor, Mom and Dad hurried downstairs, both looking disheveled. Father's neck and face were covered in kiss marks, and Mother's hair was wildly tousled. It was obvious what they had been doing.
"A-Ahahaha! Welcome back, kids!" Father said, clearly flustered. "U-Uh-huh! Good, good! Ahem! Let's go skin them, son."
"Well done, everyone," Mother said, pretending to be perfectly composed. "Shall we start preparing lunch? What would you like? I'll make anything for my wonderful children!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
We all knew exactly what had been happening upstairs. The three of us shared an internal sigh but chose not to comment.
"Uh, yeah… could we have noodles?" I asked. "Like the pasta recipe I taught you, Mom."
"Oh! That sounds perfect," she said. "We have tomatoes, flour, and eggs. It really is amazing to have so many ingredients available… I never imagined there was any other way to survive winter besides migrating constantly."
"Hunter-gatherer life is harsh. That's why people eventually moved beyond it," I said.
"Evolved?" Dad asked.
"Uh, nothing. Never mind," I replied quickly. "Let me help you with the cooking, Mom. Dad, you and Bro can handle the skinning."
"Haha, alright! So young and already ordering her father around, huh?" He laughed, patting my head and planting a big kiss on my cheek. "Good girl. You make your dad proud."
There wasn't a single day where he failed to remind me of that.
"Hey, I want to learn how to make those noodles too. Can I help?" Astrid asked.
"Sure, let's cook together, dear," Mother said warmly. "We barely get to do things as the women of the family anymore. We have to stick together, right?"
"Yeah, sure," I said. "Mom… your hair's kind of messy."
"Ahh!" She gasped. "H-Hahaha, I was… taking a nap! Yes…"
"Sure you were," Astrid and I replied in perfect unison, narrowing our eyes at her.
"Unbelievable, Mom. You already have three kids," Astrid sighed.
"Huh? What are you talking about?!" Mother asked, growing red.
"Nothing, nothing~" Astrid shrugged, popping a blueberry into her mouth.
We began preparing the noodles, mixing flour, eggs, water, and salt into a smooth dough. Once it was stretched thin, we sliced it into delicate strands and dusted them with more flour.
"Oh, so that's how it's done? That's amazing!" Astrid exclaimed. "Who would've thought boiling bread could turn into this?"
"It's not complete without the sauce," I said with a smile. "Let's make a bolognese."
We used the new meat grinder the blacksmith had built from my blueprints and minced a mix of Demon Wolf, White Stag, and Mithril Mole meat. I diced some Myconid Mushroom Meat into tiny pieces, then fried everything in sunflower oil with salt, oregano, and garlic. The aroma was heavenly.
"Tomatoes!"
A little baby came running over, proudly carrying a large red tomato fresh from the spirit farms.
"Look who finally woke up from his nap!" I said, lifting little Krarlak and kissing his forehead. "How's my cute baby?"
"Brun!" He hugged me tightly and licked my cheek. "Brun cooking?"
"Yes, we're making something yummy," I nodded. "Thank you for the tomatoes, my love."
I set him down, and he immediately wrapped his little tail around my leg—the way baby lizardmen often clung to their parents.
"Weren't you still sleeping? I guess the noise woke you," Astrid said, glaring pointedly at Mom, who only grew more embarrassed and angry.
"C-Cut it out! What's wrong with your father and me having some fun? We're not old and decrepit yet! We still have the spark, you know?"
"Eww, don't say it like that!" Astrid groaned.
"Haha, alright. The sauce is ready—let's add the tomatoes and let it simmer," I said. "A bit more garlic… perfect."
After a while, the rich smell of smoked meat drifted in. Dad and Magnus brought in freshly smoked cuts to accompany the pasta. Once everything was ready, we sat down to eat together.
"Hmm, this is amazing!" Magnus said. "I love pasta. Such a unique meal…"
"It's tasty, but nothing beats a big chunk of barbecued meat!" Dad laughed, taking huge bites. "Hahaha, little Krarlak agrees with me!"
Krarlak happily gnawed on a large piece of leg, licking his lips with an adorable smile, his big eyes shining.
"Yummy!" he declared, trying the noodles with his little hands. "Hmm! Sweet."
"He's getting all messy again…" Magnus sighed. "We'll bathe him later."
"Yeah, nothing we can do about it," I shrugged.
"Anyway, Brun," my brother said, turning serious. "You mentioned you had something important to talk about?"
"Ah… Um…" I hesitated. "Yeah… it's about a prophetic dream I had two days ago."
Silence fell over the table.
The entire family stared at me, their expressions shifting from surprise to concern as they noticed the worry on my face.
"What was it about, dear?" Mother asked gently.
"Well…"
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