Chapter 3: Nameless Beetle God
At the back of the small group there was a young, wounded Lizardman. The Lizardman had been scratched by a sabertooth tiger, and the wound was not healing well due to lack of nutrition. The wound was irritated every step the Lizardman took, and the steps were slow due to low strength.
The clan of around 30 Lizardmen were barely surviving on their journey through the wilderness as there were birds and stray animals here and there, and for those who were weak and unable to participate in hunting, they were only given the remaining bones after all the flesh had been torn off.
The wounded Lizardman thought this was obvious. It was clear that the ones who hunted should be eating more meat. Those who weren’t able to hunt had to be thankful to even be given the leftovers. The group could have left the weak and wounded behind to decrease the number of mouths to feed, but they hadn’t done so, at least not yet.
This wasn’t just out of sympathy. The wounded Lizardman had recently been given a name, Lakrak, which meant ‘the wounded one’, and some of the men in the group had been in debt to him.
This Lizardman was the only one who had faced a sabertooth tiger when everyone else turned their backs and ran away. Thanks to Lakrak, there was no other damage to the group other than his wounds. If it wasn’t for Lakrak, many would have died or gotten injured, and in the worst case scenario, the whole group could have fallen apart.
They were already a group?who had gotten kicked out of the bigger tribe for being old, weak, and diseased, so without Lakrak, they would have had a hard time keeping their lives. Lakrak, however, had survived longer than everyone expected, and one by one, some started to think it was a waste to even give Lakrak leftover bones.
If they were lucky enough to find a termite nest, they had to be quick with their hands to eat them. Only if that happened would Lakrak be able to fill his stomach with proper food since he was dexterous, but some of the Lizardmen began thinking his actions were offensive.
If Lakrak had died while fighting the sabertooth tiger instead, they could have just buried him and left. However, this group knew how it felt to be abandoned by others, so they were matching Lakrak’s pace.
Lakrak himself also thought that it might have been better to die then. He began to hate himself for being a nuisance to everyone. The wilderness was too wide, and there wasn’t enough food. Not everyone would be able to survive, and it was natural for the weak to be culled. Strangely enough though, Lakrak’s steps never stopped, and even when he thought it was his last step, the strength to take the next step arose from somewhere.
‘What is that?’
With fading vision, Lakrak glanced at a small hill in the wilderness. The leader must have missed it because he was walking with his head down in exhaustion, but at the top of the hill, there appeared to be a black mist, the tail end of which disappeared behind the hill.
‘Am I seeing things?’
That’s what Lakrak had thought, but he had good hearing, and he could faintly hear what seemed to be a buzzing sound. His gaze shifted between the group and the black mist on the hill before he decided to go up the hill. Even though it seemed ridiculous, he thought his assumptions were right. A few of the Lizardmen stopped once they noticed Lakrak going up the hill. Some thought he was trying to leave the group, and eventually, the whole group stopped to look at him.
Some suggested they leave without him, but others said they shouldn’t. While they were talking, Lakrak shouted something from the top of the hill. He had discovered a swarm of beetles. Other species would have been disturbed with beetles, but for Lizardmen, beetles were snacks and with the right amount, it became a meal.
The beetle swarms weren’t mating, they didn't escape from some narrow areas, and nor did they evade Lakrak’s hands or the hands of the other Lizarmen when they grabbed at them. It was as if the beetles were determined to be a good meal. This was surprising. The Lizardmen were able to binge eat that day, and with a full stomach, Lakrak spent the rest of his time pondering how this happened.
***
[The Lizardman 1102-1 tribe has recognized the Miracle.]
Sung-Woon was relieved once he saw the system message that appeared in front of him. Just as Aldin mentioned, the interface was the same as that in the game The Lost World. In the small area of Insects, Faith points could be used to create or control insects. Naturally, this creation and control was different from the game. In the game, there were only a few methods to choose from given by the system, but on this planet, Sung-Woon was able to control whatever he wished.
‘This control doesn’t seem very useful right now, though.’
There were numerous species in the Lost World and all of them had their pros and cons. Of course, humans were the most popular species, but they were less resistant to parasites and diseases, and were relatively picky about food. Their low physical ability was also tricky to deal with. In the later-half of the game, humans were a good species in many ways, but they weren’t what players would recommend as the starting species. There were no human tribes where Sung-Woon was located anyway.
‘It would be better to get humans halfway through because of their dexterity.’
On the other hand, Lizardmen were able to quickly increase in numbers and they grew up rapidly. Even though the Orc had the same advantages as a species, there were more Lizardman tribes where he was.
Sung-Woon moved towards the next plan.
‘After they recognize the Miracle, they should recognize the Divinity.’
Sung-Woon decided to initially name the group of Lizardman ‘Lakrak’s Clan.’ In the game The Lost World, there were individuals sensitive to Miracles, which seemed to be the case here as well. Lakrak was likely to be very important to Sung-Woon.
‘I’ll also become important to Lakrak.’
Sung-Woon repeatedly created a Miracle to make swarms of beetles appear near the Lizardman clan. When they got hungry, the beetles would appear, and every time Lakrak would notice and lead the group. Previously, the group hadn't really had a leader, but at some point, Lakrak began to lead them.
‘It’s indeed not that different from the game.’
Intelligent beings knew it was an amazing thing when Miracles happened, and after repeated occurrences, they would attribute the Miracles to an existence. They realized such instance wasn’t accidental, but inevitable.
[Lakrak’s Clan has recognized the Divinity ‘Nameless Beetle God.’]
Sung-Woon laughed at the part ‘Beetle God.’
‘I guess a great name isn’t always a must from the start.’
Just as an intellectual existence developed civilization and technology, a god’s name also changed. They might have noticed his Divinity after the Miracle, but this wasn’t enough.
‘To accumulate Faith, recognizing Miracles and Divinity is not enough.’
If all went according to Sung-Woon’s plans, he could get what he wanted through the next Miracle.
***
Lakrak found another swarm of beetles again. Thanks to the several days of binge eating, the wound on his shoulder was getting better. In addition, the clan relied on Lakrak, who was gifted with good hearing and vision and found beetle swarms easily. Some of the Lizardmen who had said harsh things to him had even apologized. Lakrak accepted the reconciliation but he just said he was lucky. A few other Lizardmen were ashamed of their attitudes compared to Lakrak and reflected on their past. At any rate, they had great potential to become a better clan.
Unlike the rest of the group, Lakrak was suspicious of the strange swarm of beetles. The Lizardmen had lost their civilization so long ago that little remained of their story. However, among the many rumors about why the gods had left them, there was a story that there was an evil even the gods could not prevent. It was said that this evil still existed and sometimes appeared in front of a clan to seduce them to destruction.
‘But they’re just words from the wandering Lizardmen who were kicked out of groups.’
The wanderers had no power, and they were also storytellers who made up false stories to beg. However, now as Lakrak saw things, it seemed that the ‘Nameless Beetle God’, who was creating these swarms of beetles, was leading them somewhere, and that direction was North. Winter was soon to come.
Lizardmen were able to survive in winter, but the blood of their cold-blooded ancestors still affected them. Their bodies became dull in the winter. Food supply was low, and they would only be able to travel during the day when the sun was up. As a result, a number of them would starve to death. And so, at the very least, they had to get through the wilderness to find a forest with a lot of firewood to keep themselves warm.
Lakrak’s group was initially heading South, but the beetles swarm led them North. Until now, they were in great debt to the swarms of beetles, however, the beetles could be leading them to a trap if one looked at the matter from another perspective.
‘There’s still time till winter comes. It’ll be fine to find another swarm of beetles before heading South again.’
That was what Lakrak was thinking when heading towards the beetle swarm. But something was strange. Even when they were going towards the beetles, the beetle swarm wasn’t getting any closer as they were before. Lakrak then knew the swarm of beetles was moving.
‘Nameless Beetle God…where are you leading us?’
The impatient Lizardmen tried running, but the swarm of beetles moved away faster. Lakrak decided to hold a meeting to decide whether they should follow the beetle swarm or give up and go back South. Almost everyone, except the skeptical Lakrak, voted on following the beetles, and he decided to share his fate with the group even if it was a trap.
Lakrak’s clan walked for two days straight, not sleeping at night. He carried the youngest Lizardman on his back and led the group. The swarm of beetles began to climb a small hill that rose past the wilderness. Lakrak became puzzled as he noticed bushes here and there because few plants grew in the dry wilderness, but as they climbed the hill, a wide spring of water appeared. Thick bushes and trees circled the spring, from which small waterfalls and streams flowed. A small rabbit, seen through the trees, noticed the strange species and ran away.
The beetles then swarmed around Lakrak as if they had finished their task. He picked up a beetle and turned towards the group, who was surprised after climbing the hill.
.
“The Nameless Beetle God has led us to the sanctuary!”
There was a cheer of joy from the crowd.
***
[The Lakrak Clan sends thanks to the ‘Nameless Beetle God.’]
[Divinity has leveled up.]
[1 → 2]
[Faith has leveled up.]
[3/10 → 36/50]
[‘Small Area: Insects’ has leveled up.]
[1 → 2]
[‘Blessing of Insects’ has been unlocked.]
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