Barbarian in a Failed Game

Berta’s lips twitched, but the voice that sounded was not human.

Actually, it was embarrassing to even call it a voice.

It was a revelation. The will of a transcendent being directly infiltrating the mind, an irrefutable command.

Khan closed his eyes tightly against the invisible pressure and transcendent will weighing him down.

It was clear who had descended in Berta’s stead. The goddess of the Pantheon who wields the scales and sword, discerning good from evil in this world and delivering judgment and punishment.

“The Goddess of Justice.”

The moment Khan opened his eyes, the crushing pressure had vanished.

It wasn’t that the Goddess of Justice had bestowed mercy.

Khan had resisted the transcendent’s will on his own.

A mere mortal resisting the will spread by a transcendent? Moreover, a God of the Pantheon?

It was incredulous, an act not easily achieved even by beings who had embraced transcendence and ascended to the ranks of superhumans.

Khan himself did not know how such an act was possible. Was it the influence of a barbarian’s robust body on the soul? Or perhaps it was Khan’s own soul…

『Presumptuous. Young warrior of the Warrior God.』

A sharp voice intrusively cut through his thoughts, thundering inside his head, leaving a metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

Damn, he’s not some martial arts expert from a novel. Internally, Khan cursed at the Goddess of Justice’s action of harming a barbarian’s robust body with mere will.

『Young warrior. If you truly are an apostle of the Warrior God, it is only proper for you to show me respect. I am the goddess who decides all good and evil in Midland, the holy punisher. You should treat me as you would your God.』

“I serve no one. If you truly are who you say, then you should know that’s the truth.”

Khan retorted sharply, knowing full well that lies would not work on a transcendent being.

However, the response he received was far from what he had expected.

『You put on a trivial show. That a mere mortal dares to reveal his will and spout lies before me only proves that you are the warrior of the Warrior God.』

“What does that mean…”

『Considering your status, it would be proper for you to lay bare everything before me like an infant. Yet, to me, everything about you is blurry. What might that imply?』

It means that the Warrior God is protecting him.

Khan couldn’t hide his bewildered expression. The Warrior God is protecting me?

‘Why would someone I’ve never met bother to protect me?’

Though it seemed absurd, Khan composed his expression calmly.

It’s the Goddess of Justice, after all. A God holding a considerably high position within the Pantheon would unlikely lie just to deceive a mere barbarian mortal.

Khan saw this as an opportunity to glean more information. After all, it’s not every day, even in games, that one gets the chance to converse with a God of the Pantheon.

“…To make things clear, I am not the warrior. I have never aspired to be one, and there is indeed another warrior in Hoarfrost Gorge.”

『You are dim-witted, young warrior. Through your foolish blade, I have observed your battles. Such power does not belong in the body of a mortal unless it is inherited from giants.』

“I am a pure human. Unless there’s a line of giants in Hoarfrost Gorge’s lineage.”

『Indeed. You all are descendants of the Warrior God, not having inherited the line of giants. Then, where does this immense power you wield come from? It is the Warrior God. The God of your people has bestowed power upon you.』

The more they conversed, the more he felt ensnared.

The power of the Warrior God? Even as the game has merged with reality, are the game systems like the stat screen, skills, and item information still operational?Khan was certain of it.

No, that couldn’t be right. Those beings currently called gods in Midland were far from deserving the title of ‘real gods.’

They were merely transcendents who had accumulated an excessive amount of power.

Just as a demon excessively strong would be called a great demon, transcendents who were excessively powerful were the gods of the Pantheon.

The only beings worthy of being called true gods were the ‘old gods’ said to have existed during the mythological era, entities from other dimensions that connected to the very beginning of Midland.

And then…

‘The Goddess of Justice doesn’t quite grasp what my power is.’

She had concluded that Khan’s superhuman strength was the power of a Warrior God.

However, Khan’s real ability was not in his monstrous physique or a lethal move powered by a skill.

His real ability was the ‘game system’ that encompassed it all.

‘This bizarre system that even fools beings at the level of the Goddess of Justice, it couldn’t have originated from the Warrior God who is a transcendent like me.’

Of course, questions remain.

The fact that Khan resisted a transcendent’s direct will and that the Goddess of Justice couldn’t decipher anything from him was precisely that.

‘This question isn’t something that can be resolved immediately.’

“… Let’s say I am indeed a warrior of the Warrior God. My strength is a blessing from the Warrior God, and that blessing protects me from your prying eyes. Then, depending on the situation, could the Warrior God simply decide to take this power back?”

『I’ve never permitted questions, but I’ll make an exception and answer this one. It’s impossible. Well, it’s possible, but there would be significant loss during the retrieval process, so it’s not something normally done. That’s also why gods don’t lightly interfere with apostles.』

“… I see.”

Shit, is that somehow a relief? Khan sighed inwardly where it wouldn’t show.

Even putting aside whether common sense can be applied to an entity that has done the ludicrous act of cramming a soul from another dimension into a body from another dimension,

If his possession is a form of apostle contract and the game system is considered a power bestowed by a God, then the answer from the Goddess of Justice somewhat alleviates the concerns he’s had.

He was worried about what would happen if the game system suddenly evaporated.

‘But why… does it feel like she’s being unusually kind?’

Suddenly, a question popped up. The disparity between the Goddess of Justice in the game and the Goddess of Justice who has descended before him now is so great it could make one think they are different beings.

Her following paladins would attack players indiscriminately, and there had even been instances where the Goddess of Justice herself would descend to personally annihilate players…

‘Now that I remember, that strange pressure has been gone for a while too.’

Realizing late that the surrounding pressure had vanished, Khan looked into Berta’s eyes with curiosity.

The Goddess of Justice, through Berta, quietly met his gaze. Shit, what the hell is this?

“You’re kinder than I thought. I assumed the gods of the Pantheon were a prideful lot.”

『I have no reason to be hostile toward you. It would be justified for me to be furious over the rudeness you’ve committed, but I am the merciful guardian of the balance. If it stems from ignorance, it’s only right to extend mercy.』

Khan frowned and pondered her words. So, she’s saying she let it slide because I was ignorant?

『Furthermore, the child destined to become the Sword Apostle has been freed from deception with your help. Answering your question is a small recompense in comparison.』

At the Goddess of Justice’s cool response, Khan twitched his lips.

“I’ve heard that the gods of Midland foresee the future and penetrate the fate of mortals, providing visions to help them overcome crises. Did you foresee what would have happened to Aries if my help had not been there?”

『Such an impudent question… Young warrior of the Warrior God. Fully predicting the future is impossible for any being. We merely glimpse at the fragments of predetermined fates.』

“Fragments…”

『Additionally, the fate of that child became unreadable upon meeting you, much like how a river cannot be distinguished from the sea once they meet. The vast destiny engulfs everything around it.』

“… What does that even mean?”

The future of a transcendent is unpredictable, even to themselves. Just as you who have accepted the divinity of a Warrior God, it is the same for you. Being imbued with the power of a transcendent makes it easy to obscure mere mortals.

Khan tried to ignore the goosebumps beginning to form, focusing on the conversation. There was still something he needed to ask the Goddess of Justice.

Perhaps, the most important question yet…

“May I ask one final question?”

『Whether there are two or three makes little difference. Proceed.』

“If there’s a mortal, not borrowing the power of a transcendent but born with a grand destiny. How would the pantheon, or you, receive such a being?”

『An intriguing question indeed. You’re not asking about the existence of such a being, but how beings like me would receive it.』

White light seemed to sparkle from Berta’s eyes, revealing that the Goddess of Justice was closely observing Khan in this moment. It almost seemed as if asking, is that being you? Khan tried to maintain a calm demeanor.

Had he not been in the body of a barbarian, he might have broken into cold sweat.

Soon, berta’s eyes regained their original blurry color, and the Goddess of Justice instilled a question into Khan’s mind.

『If such a being truly exists, the pantheon would observe and see. Whether it becomes harmful or malevolent… We’d judge slowly and deem it not too late.』

“What about you? As the goddess of the scales and the sword.”

The barbarian’s attempt at an elegant title seemed endearing, and the corners of Berta’s mouth curved into a long smile.

『As you said, I am the goddess of the scales and the sword. But if there truly is a mortal born with such a grand destiny, they wouldn’t be able to be judged on my scales. So isn’t the answer predetermined?』

The obvious implication was death.

A thunderous roar resounded in his head, as if signifying the firm decision of the goddess.

* * *

Playing games with a keyboard and mouse, the past. Living incarnated in this Midland, the present. What led the Goddess of Justice to such a drastic change in attitude between the two? Khan couldn’t fathom.

But, the question didn’t end there.

Even the Goddess of Justice can’t foresee all futures of Midland, yet hadn’t she observed the start and end of Midland multiple times?

Even resulting in better outcomes or worse endings after several attempts…

Could this be the feeling of being utterly lost in an endless space, burdening oneself with more problems than answers sought?

The only certainty was, the existence related to his incarnation is a being far beyond even the divine beings of the pantheon.

‘Surely, there couldn’t be another being apart from the old gods.’

“Questions only lead to more questions. So, is this where we end?”

『This is the end. I’ve somewhat found my answer. Now, it seems it’s time to hear what you expect of me.』

The Goddess of Justice didn’t chide nor deny Khan’s leading tone. Instead, berta merely lifted the corners of her mouth, visibly amused.

‘So, there was something she desired after all.’

This realization made Khan tilt his head.

The kindness shown by the Goddess of Justice couldn’t fully explain why she nominated Aries as her apostle, or why she mistook him for an apostle of the Warrior God.

Then the content was crucial. If her request was incredibly unreasonable, it would naturally have to be refused…

『This concerns the northern region of Argon.』

Just then, a voice quietly infiltrated Khan’s mind, and he almost imperceptibly smiled. If Aries had seen it, she might have called it a sly smile.