Orc Lord Baran.
An old Orc Lord like him had a very tough life.
He had risked his life many times for his tribe. He remained steadfast on his evolutionary path while trying his hardest to care for his tribemates.
Just when he had thought that he would reign supreme and rule over his tribe forever, a young gun named Kilaba appeared out of nowhere and kicked him out. At that time, he was at the peak of his evolutionary rank.
Kilaba, who had fought him for the position of the tribe leader, was no ordinary monster. He seemed blessed by something that wasn't supposed to exist on this continent in this era. Plus, he also seemed too young to become an Orc Lord.
A battle for dominance ensued. The blessed monster showed Baran that sometimes diligent work wasn't everything. One needed to stack all their advantages together to survive in a brutal world.
The result of the battle was a foregone conclusion. Baran lost the match. And with it, he lost his right to rule his own territory and his own tribe. What was even more devastating was the fact that the entire tribe saw how he was defeated.
As a permanent marker for his defeat, Baran also received an azure scar on his face by Kilaba that couldn't be healed completely. It reminded him of what he had lost and who he had lost it to every time he touched his face or every time he saw his reflection.
Kilaba's vigor, techniques, spells, and overall battle prowess when he fought with Baran were exceptional. It seemed that he had come from a very peculiar place that nurtured battle warriors. Baran refused to believe that Kilaba had humble origins like the rest of the orcs in the Badlands.
But this realization couldn't help Baran in his predicament. Kilaba's charisma as a rising leader of the orc tribe couldn't be denied when he won against Baran effortlessly. As a result, the tribe accepted him with open arms and open legs.
The rules for monster societies were simple. The one who had power would have all the advantages. No matter if the power was gained through diligence or shortcuts.
The tribe's strength was used to gather ranking resources. Plus, all the ladies. The leader had access to all resources and leisure activities. The position of a tribe leader wasn't sought after for nothing.
So when Baran fell from such a pedestal, he found it very difficult to cope with his situation. Thankfully, some of the support he gained during his rule over the tribe remained with him and stayed with him after he left the tribe. The diligence and care he had invested in his early years had paid off during his difficult times.
So when he left his main tribe, he found that these monsters had followed him. Things such as loyalty and camaraderie were rare in monster societies if the majority of the members hadn't received their clarity.
But monster societies weren't completely heartless either. They could feel loyalty and all the other range of emotions as they spent more time with their tribes. And these feelings only grew as the monsters progressed in their evolutions and received their "clarity."
Baran was just beginning to settle in his newly built tribe base, with monsters he could count on. He was recovering his powers and waiting to strike hard at the young gun who had dethroned him. He wanted to show Kilaba that he still had fire left in him.
Alas. Fate never stopped playing cruel tricks on Baran.
Another calamity befell the old Orc Lord and his newly formed tribe. The enemies were different. Their intentions were even more sinister. A group of human rankers had decided that somehow his new base was close to their settlements and attacked them.
Orc Lord Baran was pissed beyond measure. The trouble kept on coming not because of anyone but because of his own bad luck. He felt like cursing the god of orcs if there was any.
Baran's tolerance was exhausted finally. He was injured but not toothless.
He also observed that the humans and human-like beings that had attacked him were lower in rank than him. This was enough to reveal himself despite his injured state.
For once, he wanted to bully those who were lower in rank than him. Just to feel confident about himself.
When he showed himself, he was out to kill. He spread his mana sense over the territory being attacked by human rankers and scanned the area. There was someone among those humans who had piqued his interest the most. So he thought of dealing with that person when he first showed himself.
The human young man that Baran had come across was a very peculiar specimen according to Baran's logic. Even when he had exerted his Monster aura on him that belonged to his status as an Orc Lord, this Ace-ranked young man acted like it was no big deal.
Baran was impressed. This was the first human he had come across that could withstand his Monster Aura while still being in the Ace rank. As a gesture of respect for his bravery, he disclosed his name first and asked the young man his name in return.
Eren Idril.
The young man respected the culture of the monsters and gave him his name. Baran was grateful to the human for that. And in the next moment, he wanted to kill him for it. After all, they had attacked his tribe first.
Orc Lord Baran still remembered the guy's name. His image and brave stance were still fresh in his mind. But it was just that. He never considered Eren to pose a threat to him.
He was just about to finish the guy when someone else intervened.
Baran realized too late that there was someone else among the human attackers who posed a mortal threat. If he had sensed this presence beforehand, he wouldn't have shown himself at all.
The first time Baran saw Altashia, she was looking at him from her flying demon beast. He could immediately feel that the girl was not something he should mess with. His monster instincts were tingling seeing her. Just like they were when he met the young man named Eren.
The demon beast tamer didn't allow Baran much room to escape or retaliate. She cast her demon spell on him and almost took his life. If it hadn't been for his quick thinking and his attainment in his element, he would have been killed by a human who was supposed to be lower in power status than him.
Baran had to pay the price for his escape. Monster evolutions could not be reversed in most circumstances. But still, he had regressed into the beginning of the Orc Lord stage.
Such was Baran's sad life.
AN: Orc Lord Baran gets introduced in chapter 425.
