A huge thank you to Keith Lighthill and Piers for joining as members on my Patreon! Your support means the world to me and truly motivates me to keep Translate. As a token of my appreciation, I will provide 2 extra chapters . I hope these chapters add even more value to your experience!
___________________________________________________________________________
A year or two?
Hearing this compromise, Origami Tobiichi raised an eyebrow, secretly grumbling in her heart.
There was no way she could wait that long.
So far, she had already traveled through six different worlds, and even in the one where she stayed the longest, her time there had only been about half a year.
Although this world was by far the most difficult, it wasn't so difficult that it would require three to four times, or even more, of her usual time to clear.
If she wanted to speedrun this world, the method was simple.
Just summon Mio Takamiya.
Right now, Riku tribe was entirely composed of believers. Every single person had a small wooden statue of Mio Takamiya on their bedside, and in the plaza and other important locations, there were stone statues twice the size of a normal human being enshrined.
Over the past month, Origami hadn't been idle either—she spent her time preaching throughout the tribe whenever possible.
To make the religion even more convincing, she even mimicked the Bible and wrote a book titled The Original Spirit Codex.
After all, religion needed a sense of ritual in order to make the faithful believe more devoutly in their god.
Because of this, in just one month, she had already gained several fanatical believers.
But that clearly wasn't enough.
If she wanted the majority of the tribe to solidify their faith in Mio Takamiya, the most direct and effective way was to bring them a great victory.
Humans in this world had been repressed for too long.
As the bottom of the food chain, no matter what situation they encountered, they could only grit their teeth and endure it.
But now, they finally had the power to resist. The suppressed negative emotions from their weakness had been building up and were even showing signs of exploding among the Revenant Hunters.
If they could just achieve the first victory in human history—if they could vent their emotions and savor the taste of triumph—their faith in Mio Takamiya would become rock solid.
So for Origami, the sooner war broke out between humans and other races, the better.
This way, not only could she complete Side Mission 1—Summon Mio Takamiya—but also Side Mission 2—Spread the Faith—and even Side Mission 3—Expand the Territory. All three side missions would be completed more quickly and even potentially perfectly.
"You said it yourself—the current batch of Revenant Hunters already had a long period of foundational training even before fusing with the Revenant Crystals."
Unwilling to drag things out, Origami continued persuading, "Simple training means little to them now. The most direct and effective way to improve combat strength is to temper them in life-and-death battles."
"That's true, but…"
Origami words weren't without reason, but Riku still hesitated. "Even so, with only two hundred Revenant Hunters, we still don't have the strength to go to war with the other races, right?"
When calculating combat strength, he didn't include Schwi or Origami.
Because he knew that the primary purpose of starting a war, conquering other races, and expanding territory was to gain more faith for Mio Takamiya.
If the enemies were all taken care of by Schwi and Origami, then what would be the point of fusing with the Revenant Crystals?
Only by letting the humans personally experience the benefits of the power bestowed by Mio Takamiya—and making them genuinely grateful and reverent—could the power of faith increase.
Origami and Schwi were only supposed to provide auxiliary support; ideally, they shouldn't intervene unless absolutely necessary.
"But you don't need to declare an all-out war with the other races," Origami pointed out a very important detail. "Take the Werebeast, for instance. On this continent alone, they're divided into many different tribes. These tribes not only lack harmony but often fight each other over hunting grounds and prey."
"Ah, you're right."
With that reminder, Riku finally noticed something he had subconsciously overlooked. A gleam of insight flashed in his eyes.
He had always believed he was part of a grand plan, where every action and decision would directly affect the Great War.
While it was true that he was part of a grand plan, that didn't mean every action and decision needed to have massive consequences.
Instead of treating the Werebeast as a unified whole, he could divide them into separate tribes and pick them off one by one. That way, the difficulty and casualty rate would be much more manageable.
"That's actually a great idea."
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Riku nodded and agreed with Origami plan. "Let's go with your suggestion. If we target a smaller Werebeast tribe, we should have a good chance of winning."
"If that's what Riku intends," Schwi chimed in now that the decision was made, "then Schwi can suggest a suitable target."
"Seven days ago, at a location 387 kilometers east of here, Schwi discovered a small Werebeast tribe. The population is estimated to be between 120 and 140 individuals."
"A population of 120 to 140, huh…"
Riku stroked his chin, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
The Werebeast were a race with incredibly powerful individual combat strength.
As the only low-tier race known for physical prowess, the Werebeast tribes could be said to consist entirely of warriors.
In human tribes, the elderly, sick, and disabled—those who couldn't fight—usually made up about 40% of the population. But in the Werebeast tribes, while Riku didn't know the exact percentage, he was sure it was significantly lower.
In other words, even if that Werebeast tribe only had 160 to 180 people, over 100 of them would likely be combatants.
If things went well for their side, the ratio between enemy and ally might reach 2:1.
That really would be the best possible opponent for humanity's first battle.
With that thought, the target for Riku tribe's first battle was decided.
"Today's training is over!"
Arriving beside the Revenant Hunters, Riku raised his voice and called out, "Everyone gather up, I have something important to announce!"
Upon hearing their chief's voice, the Revenant Hunters who had been training in small groups stopped what they were doing and gathered around.
Once everyone was assembled, Riku took a deep breath, calming his slightly accelerated heartbeat.
This would mark the true first step in humanity's rise.
"After discussions with Schwi and Origami," Riku announced solemnly as he swept his gaze across the sweat-soaked faces before him, "we've chosen the first opponents for the Revenant Hunters."
"We will set out toward a nearby Werebeast tribe and ignite the first battle of humanity's involvement in the Great War!"
Upon hearing this, many of the older individuals showed serious expressions.
But the younger ones? Their eyes lit up with excitement, joyful smiles forming on their faces as they began to rub their fists eagerly.
"For now, let's head back to the tribe," Riku continued. "I'll inform everyone of the specifics soon."
Some were worried, some were excited, but no one objected. And so, Riku concluded,
"Everyone—prepare yourselves. War is coming."