Chapter 5: Roar of Fear

Chapter 5: Roar of Fear

Luojia Mountain Range, Ironhoof Tribe.

Mount Runis.

All the key figures of the Ironhoof Tribe were gathered here. At the front stood a tall figure, the chief of the Ironhoof Tribe and the tribe’s strongest fighter, Riley.

He looked around, nodded, and then spoke. "Seems like everyone is here, so let’s begin!"

Behind him, the mysterious figure in a black cloak, Gores, listened and then announced loudly.

"Very well, the 103rd spirit summoning pool ceremony of the Ironhoof Tribe officially begins. All candidates, prepare to enter the spirit summoning pool. Remember, do not resist intentionally; use your combat energy to absorb the potion’s medicinal properties, awaken your bloodline, and unlock your inherent abilities."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud cheer erupted from behind. All the eligible young minotaurs of the Ironhoof Tribe couldn’t wait to rush toward the massive pool in front of them.

Ye Han was among them, his arm pulled by his excited younger brother, Dru, who was flushed red and howling.

"Dru, no need to rush. There’s plenty of potion in the pool; no need to be so desperate."

Ye Han helplessly said to the tall young minotaur beside him, who was more than three heads taller and excitedly charging forward.

"Brother, hurry up! If we don’t grab a good spot, those guys will take them all."

Dru thought differently. He forcefully pushed aside a few figures in front of him with a couple of loud bangs.

At the same time, he didn’t forget to secure a good position for his half-human brother, who was of average height by minotaur standards, standing around two meters tall.

Ye Han could only smile helplessly and quickened his pace to keep up with his younger brother.

In the Ironhoof Tribe, unlike human societies filled with scheming, perhaps due to the minotaurs’ straightforward nature, even Ye Han and Dru, sons of the tribe’s chief Riley, had no special privileges during this grand tribal ceremony.

To secure a better position, one had to rely on their own strength, reflecting the minotaurs’ belief in brute force.

After all, except for mixed-blood individuals like Ye Han, even the young minotaurs were all around two meters tall. Trying to reason with these big guys, who were physically strong but lacked mental sharpness, was like talking to a brick wall.

Plop, plop, plop.

As a series of heavy objects hit the water, splashes flew everywhere, and the young minotaurs of the Ironhoof Tribe all howled as they charged into the massive pool.

The previously calm, blue-green water immediately churned with giant ripples, and furry heads with sharp horns surfaced, their sturdy faces giving the scene a somewhat humorous effect.

Thanks to his strong younger brother Dru, Ye Han managed to secure a relatively advantageous spot. Watching Dru eagerly drinking the pool water, Ye Han couldn’t help but smile wryly.

However, the spirit summoning pool ceremony was indeed the most significant annual ritual of the Ironhoof Tribe. The potion in the pool could help minotaurs unlock their inherent abilities, and each person only had one chance, making it incredibly precious.

But Ye Han, having lived two lives, possessed a more mature mindset and naturally wouldn’t act as recklessly as the others.

At that moment, he felt a strange energy surging into his body from the pool water around him.

The energy was peculiar, very faint, likely the mysterious potion controlled by the minotaur elder council, designed to unlock the latent abilities in the minotaur tribe’s bloodline.

Knowing this opportunity was not to be missed, Ye Han immediately closed his eyes and activated his sixth level of combat energy, absorbing the unique medicinal properties into his body.

The sensation was strange, like being pricked by pins. Although it wasn’t painful, it was uncomfortable, causing a tingling sensation throughout his body.

At that moment, he heard continuous "roars" from around him, and the previously calm pool water burst forth with multicolored light orbs, mostly a dull gray, with some yellow and earthy brown mixed in.

Ye Han knew this was the sign of the minotaurs’ bloodline inherent abilities activating.

The Ironhoof Tribe is one of the larger tribes among the minotaurs, and the most common innate ability in their bloodline is the legendary *War Stomp*.

It is said that Tribal Chief Reilly’s innate ability is also *War Stomp*, which is terrifyingly powerful.

Additionally, there are some lesser innate abilities that are variations of *War Stomp*, such as the earth-based *Cataclysm* and *Ground Collapse*.

Generally, about thirty percent of the tribe’s minotaurs will gain an innate ability. The rest can only look on with envy and jealousy.

Now, stimulated by the medicinal properties of the pool water, some of the minotaurs with strong bloodlines have begun to awaken their innate abilities. The various colored lights from earlier were proof of this.

Ye Han felt happy for those in the tribe who were lucky enough to have awakened their innate abilities, but he wasn't idle either, continuing to absorb a large amount of the medicinal properties from the pool water.

At that moment, a familiar roar sounded beside him. Immediately, a grayish light, tinged with red and gray, burst out.

"It’s Dru! He has awakened as well."

Ye Han felt joy for his brother's awakening. Moreover, it seemed that Dru’s innate ability was not a simple one. It was highly likely to be a powerful dual-element innate ability!

After all, Dru possessed the bloodlines of both the Ironhoof Tribe and the Blood Seal Tribe. What he awakened could very well be the Ironhoof Tribe’s *War Stomp* and the Blood Seal Tribe’s *Heroic Aura*.

After a while, the light gradually dimmed, indicating that Dru had completed his innate ability awakening and had left the Spirit Summoning Pool.

By this time, Ye Han had also accumulated a significant amount of the medicinal properties. He had originally intended to use this large amount of energy to trigger his own innate ability awakening, but suddenly realized that there seemed to be a barrier within his body that the medicinal properties could not break through.

"It seems that there really is a barrier, making it impossible for me to inherit the minotaur tribe’s innate abilities..." Ye Han thought to himself.

After a few unsuccessful attempts to trigger the innate ability, Ye Han was about to give up. Just as he was about to open his eyes, a sudden change occurred.

The trace of ‘qi’ from the internal martial arts that had been dormant in his heart suddenly stirred. The medicinal properties accumulated in his body seemed to have found a breakthrough, instantly merging with the qi and spreading through his bloodstream.

After circulating through his meridians, the qi returned to his heart, having consumed a large portion of itself, leaving only the purest trace to lie dormant once more in his heart.

At that moment, he felt a sudden heat surge through his body, as if his blood were boiling. Ye Han sensed that something from the qi had integrated into his body.

Immediately after, an intense pain shot through him, and a realization dawned in his mind, causing him to roar involuntarily.

A massive golden light pillar erupted from his body.

On the shore, Reilly and the others were closely observing the changes in the pool water.

"Still no change? Could it be that a human hybrid really cannot inherit the Ironhoof Tribe’s innate abilities?"

The speaker was Reilly, his voice filled with undisguised disappointment.

"Alas, such things are up to fate. After all, Ye Han is not a purebred minotaur. The elder council does have a point."

The black-robed mysterious figure Gores sighed from behind.

By now, most of the young minotaurs who had entered the pool had already climbed out. Most of those who had awakened their innate abilities were excited and eager to try them out, while those who hadn’t were downcast. However, being broad-minded by nature, the minotaurs soon began to celebrate with their fellow tribesmen who had succeeded.

The Beamon orcs, especially in large tribes like the Ironhoof Tribe, revered strength and warriors above all. While innate abilities were part of one's combat capability, the true foundation lay in physical strength and combat strength.

Only Ye Han’s tall minotaur brother, Dru, remained by the pool, still waiting for the final outcome without giving up.

Having awakened the Ironhoof Tribe’s *War Stomp* and the Blood Seal Tribe’s *Heroic Aura*, Dru was undoubtedly the one with the greatest harvest from this grand gathering!

"Sigh, it seems that Brother Ye Han won’t be able to create a miracle this time. After all, he’s different from us..."

A minotaur youth standing beside him said.

"You don't know anything, my brother will definitely succeed." The 2.34-meter-tall Dru glared with his bull-like eyes and shoved him aside with his hips. In his heart, he silently thought, "Big brother, big brother, you must succeed."

In the entire Ironhoof Tribe, Dru, who had loved following Ye Han around since childhood, probably knew the most secrets about Ye Han. He had blind faith in Ye Han as his big brother.

To him, there was nothing in this world that Ye Han couldn't accomplish if he set his mind to it. No one knew better than him how terrifyingly amazing this prodigious big brother was.

"Is it going to fail?"

"Indeed, even Ye Han can't create a miracle in this."

"In the past, no mixed-blood minotaur has ever gained an innate ability. It seems that the tribal chief's decision to let Ye Han participate in the ceremony was a mistake."

"But even without obtaining the 'War Stomp' innate ability, Ye Han is still the strongest warrior of our tribe's younger generation."

This was also what puzzled everyone. How could such a thin body, by minotaur standards, contain such terrifying power? Even the strongest minotaur would be shocked by Ye Han's terrifying strength and physical prowess.

"Still no success? What a pity..." said Hunter, the most renowned broken-horn instructor of the Ironhoof Tribe and a level nine warrior, as he drank from a bottle of wine, his tone filled with a sigh.

Just then, he suddenly stopped his actions, with the wine stuck in his throat, almost choking him. He widened his bull-like eyes and exclaimed, "No, no. What’s happening?"

At that moment, all the minotaurs were astonished to see a huge golden halo spreading out from the center of the Soul Summoning Pool.

"Incredible."

"What is that?"

"Could it be... could it be successful?"

Even Riley, the usually calm and steady leader of the Ironhoof Tribe, showed a look of astonishment.

A few moments later, the golden halo gradually dissipated, and the pool water returned to calm, the medicinal properties within having been exhausted.

A figure with a bare upper body, wearing only large blue shorts, slowly walked out.

"Is that Ye Han?"

"Is that big brother Ye Han, did he succeed?"

Everyone's heart was filled with this question.

"Big brother." Dru rushed over excitedly. "I knew you'd make it."

Ye Han smiled and looked at his younger brother, nodding in agreement.

This gesture immediately reassured Dru, who had been anxious. His eyes turned red with excitement, and he looked even happier than if he had gained the innate ability himself.

"Hey? Ye Han, what’s on your body?"

At this moment, the mysterious black-robed figure Goreus, who had been standing behind Riley, suddenly spoke, his tone filled with uncertainty.

"Those are..."

"What is it?"

Everyone then noticed that on Ye Han's shoulders, two faint, glowing, golden and silver, semi-transparent masks were floating.

The masks were very mystical, shaped like statues of a golden bull deity with closed eyes. They were slightly transparent, emitting a glow, appearing not quite solid but more like ethereal light shadows.

"Ye Han, it seems these are the innate abilities you’ve gained!"

The tribal leader of the Ironhoof Tribe, Rayleigh, who had remained silent, spoke up.

"Yes, Father."

He nodded in agreement.

"I name it 'Fear Roar!'"

Ye Han declared with determination.