In Sumatra, humanity was split into three distinct categories: Free Humans, Clansmen, and Ravaged Tribes.
A Free Human was a human cultivator who exercised complete freedom of speech, expression, and will. All humans part of a Kingdom or Empire belonged to this category. They had a means of cultivation unique to their own.
Once they reached the Body Stage, they would fuse mineral resources to their Spirit Container, shaping it into a material entity they termed the Human Avatar. Depending on the type of mineral used, the properties of the Human Avatar varied.
Generally, iron ore was the most common mineral used to forge a Human Avatar. Thereby, the cultivators who had forged their Spirit Container using iron would be called Iron Avatars.
Other than giving them a tough body, Iron Avatars had no other properties. It didn't increase their Prana or lifespan, causing the cultivators with an Iron Avatar to only possess 100 Prana even at the peak of the Body Stage. Their lifespan too was the same as a regular human.
Therefore, their strength entirely depended on the mineral. This was the human kingdom's way of cultivation.
The second category of humans were called Clansmen. They were those whose entire existence was tied to a Gold Grade Pranic Beast. The Mammoth Clan and Cooter Clan fell under this category. The human cultivators of this category were the strongest.
And apart from a Mystic Grade Pranic Beast, they had the highest potential to become one of the strongest in Sumatra. Clansmen who reached the end of cultivation could pretty much be ranked within the top 10 in terms of power rankings in Sumatra.
In terms of their power, lifespan, lifestyle, and stability of life, Clansmen reigned at the top. Following them in second place were the Free Humans. And finally, present at the bottom of the barrel was the Ravaged Tribe.
Forming the Ravaged Tribe were humans that had fled a ruined human Kingdom. While fleeing, they by mistake barged into the territory of a powerful Pranic Beast, usually an Advance or Expert Silver Grade Pranic Beast or even a Gold Grade Pranic Beast.
Upon noticing these intruders, the regional overlord would enslave them through its Prana, adding an imprint of itself in their Spirit Container.
This was no different from the Prana Domination Skill used by Inala. But Prana Domination Skill was derived through the Mystic Bone Art. Hence, it was only effective against a Mammoth Clansman.
Powerful Silver and Gold Grade Pranic Beasts had a stronger version of the same Skill, capable of unleashing it on all Free Humans they have subdued.
The Pranic Beast ends up enslaving the humans, forcing them to serve it and be available at its beck and call. It doesn't end here.
Its imprint is so powerful that it ends up polluting their Spirit Containers, morphing them to its needs. The moment this happens, the Free Human becomes part of the Ravaged Tribe.
Just as a Pranic Beast's cultivation only involves growing from an infant to an adult, the humans part of the Ravaged Tribe too are the same. Their cultivation ends the moment they enter the Body Stage.
They cannot fuse a mineral to their Spirit Container. That no longer is an option. The moment they enter the Body Stage, they are done with cultivation.
Their Spirit Container would absorb some of the Pranic Beast's qualities. And at a command from the Pranic Beast, these qualities would manifest, causing the appearance of the Ravaged Tribesmen to change.
And in such a state, they became devoted slaves of their master—the Pranic Beast.
The reasons for the Pranic Beasts creating the Ravaged Tribe are countless. One of the primary factors is to have protection for their young, since these powerful Pranic Beasts are usually alone and govern their territory. When they go out to hunt, there's no one to defend their young.
And as slaves, the Ravaged Tribe would never be able to harm their young. Instead, they would give their all to protect the young.
The second major reason is evolution.
Yes, by creating its exclusive Ravaged Tribe, the Pranic Beast would only have to wait. When it dies of old age, it would transfer ownership of the Ravaged Tribe to its offspring.
Over the generations, the Ravaged Tribe too would be changing as their Spirit Containers would adapt to the Pranic Beast's imprint better, becoming optimised over the generations. The Ravaged Tribe becomes more and more attuned to being servants of the Pranic Beast.
And as their population booms, the Master's Prana quality would improve naturally. And eventually, when the accumulations reach a pivotal point, the Pranic Beast becomes a stronger version of itself. It will move up a minor Grade or at times, even increase its Grade, jumping from Silver to Gold or from Gold to the peak of Gold.
Sumatra Chronicles delves into detail about the Ravaged Tribe as pretty much most of the Gold Grade Pranic Beasts controlled a sizeable population of the Ravaged Tribe each.
Moreover, it had to be noted that even the Mammoth Clan was once part of the Ravaged Tribe. Being slaves to the Empyran Tusks generation after generation for tens of thousands of years, there eventually came a tipping point.
It was when the Mammoth Clan Ancestor was born, elevating the status of the Mammoth Clan from a Ravaged Tribe to Clansmen status. It was then that the Mammoth Clan went from slaves to the Empyrean Tusk's immune system.
Both the Mammoth Clan and the Empyrean Tusk became inseparable after that. And it was only thanks to this achievement did the Empyrean Tusks evolve into Expert Gold Grade Pranic Beasts, reaching the pinnacle of Sumatra Continent.
To reach the same level of strength and status, every single Pranic Beast worth its salt created its Ravaged Tribe.
Even though the Ravaged Tribe led the lives of slaves, they had no option. The day their Kingdom fell to ruin and they weren't able to migrate to another human territory, becoming part of the Ravaged Tribe at least guaranteed their survival.
But for an outsider like Inala, this was bad news. After all, the fact that such a large Ravaged Tribe existed here meant the master of the tribe was a pretty powerful Pranic Beast. And if it manages to detect their existence, it would spell their doom.
And as the Pranic Beast emerged out of the lake in the centre of the settlement, through the Empyrean Zinger Scout's eyes, Inala observed its form, feeling all tension leave him, relaxing instead, "Phew, it's not the end."
Advance Silver Grade Pranic Beast—Rockatrice!