Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 054: The Horde (4)

“Ah… I wish our shift would end soon. Damn it, why do those higher-ups schedule our duty like this?”

“Didn’t they suddenly increase our patrol area? Well, it’s a necessary measure. But it’s also a problem that those high-ups are so inflexible.”

“Ah, our new squad leader? Maybe it’s because he’s not from the city. He seems a bit stubborn.”

At the gates of Al-Ranzas, two men were killing time by gossiping about their direct superior.

“Every damn day, he glares at us, making sure we’re working properly. It pisses me off. And he’s so damn nit-picky, when he could just let people pass more easily.”

“He’s new, so he’s probably trying to enforce discipline. But at least he doesn’t slack off like the previous squad leader. I think he’s the only one who’s been a squad leader and still shows up at the gate every day like he has to personally inspect everything…”

“Who are you talking so fervently about?”

One of the men quickly covered his mouth in shock. But he knew it was already too late.

“Sq… Squad leader. It’s not that…”

The person they had been bad-mouthing had appeared unexpectedly.

They thought he wouldn’t be at the gate today! The man’s resentful gaze turned towards his colleague, but the colleague was already looking away as if this matter didn’t concern him.

“Focus on your duty. The atmosphere in the city is not stable. If the mayor hears that you’re neglecting your duties, you might lose your heads. My position might not be safe either.”

“Ye… Yes…!”

The man breathed a sigh of relief at the surprisingly low level of reprimand but eyed his superior with curiosity.

The usual rigid face was as unpleasant as ever, but his armor was different.

Instead of his usual gear worn for imposing presence, the squad leader was now in leather armor with a chain mail added for extra protection, and iron gauntlets and greaves securely fastened. He looked more like a seasoned mercenary than a guard.

“Squad leader, that outfit…? Are you heading out for an extended patrol?”

“…If you could call it a patrol, sure. Or maybe hunting would be more accurate.”

“Excuse me?”

The man was puzzled by the cryptic response, and the squad leader jerked his thumb toward the back.

“Barbarian?”

The man showed bewilderment at the sight of a barbarian emerging from inside the gate.

He recalled a rather heated argument between the squad leader and the barbarian when they were first inspected.

It would be better not to encounter them unnecessarily. Just as the man was about to say something, the moment came.

“It’s pointless to go ahead first… If we were going to leave together from the gate anyway, we could have come together from the Lord’s manor.”

“Don’t make me repeat myself. I told you I needed time to check on my men.”

“That…! Wouldn’t it be okay to go separately? It would be a relief if you don’t stab us in the back!”

The spear-wielding woman with her red hair neatly arranged at shoulder length, Maya, glared as if she was about to spew curses any moment.

Of course, the stoic-faced squad leader didn’t even bother to look at her.

“That disrespectful bastard…!”

“My duty is to patrol Al-Rasdel and the hill towns. You do your job, and I’ll do mine. That way, we won’t have any issues. Make sure you don’t neglect your guard in my absence.”

After leaving those words behind, the squad leader walked away nonchalantly, which only infuriated Maya more.

If Ron hadn’t calmed her down as usual, she might have actually drawn her spear.

‘…Not a single sane person here.’

Khan sighed inwardly.

Ron, who had barely managed to restrain Maya’s sudden outburst, sent a desperate look his way. Now, they had to find the place where the rest were stationed…

“Khan. I’m all ready to go!”

Just then, a bright voice captured everyone’s attention instantly. Following Khan’s stern advice, Elena, whose address and tone had become considerably lighter compared to before, was ready.

Given the long journey ahead, Elena had her flowing long hair neatly tied in twin tails. Wearing her usual black nun’s outfit, Khan keenly noticed the slight bulge in her attire, indicating she had armored herself underneath.

Particularly, the thighs seemed roundly padded…

“Why? Do I look weird anywhere?”

“…No, you don’t. Let’s get going.”

The journey was made on foot. Opting not to use serviceable carriages or horses from Viscount Perran’s stables, they chose to walk — a decision driven by Khan’s preference.

“Traveling on mounts is a no-go when there’s a horde around. You never know what bizarre creature might attack. They’d be destroyed soon enough, anyway. Plus, given that they’ve settled only a few days’ distance away, this area may no longer be safe. Our enemies could even be airborne.”

Indeed, these were tips Khan had learned firsthand from his experiences in the game.

“No, seriously. No matter what, I still find it hard to believe… Dragons, you say? I’ve never heard or seen any rumors about dragons appearing in Argon in my life.”

“Never once?”

“Well, there were occasional false rumors. But as far as I know, there’s never been a true case. After all, we’re talking about dragons! Dragons! Wouldn’t it be more strange if they were commonly seen?”

“It’s not dragons, but lesser dragons. Like remnants left behind by the true dragons that disappeared long ago.”

Strictly speaking, the ‘lesser dragons’ that people of the Midland continent talk about were closer to being a synonym for giant lizards.

“Really, there aren’t many that deserve to be called lesser dragons. Especially those carrying dragon blood are even less…”

“I find it more surprising that Argon has never seen a lesser dragon appear. In the Empire, they’re more common than ogres. They come in so many varieties and have considerable research value, so the Mage Tower sometimes buys their corpses. I’ve seen quite a few following my master.”

“Among the Empire’s superhumans, there are also knights who ride wyverns as if they were horses. I remember overhearing my father saying enviously that both that person and the knights under him are all called dragon knights.”

“Damn it. Wyverns are famously known lesser dragons. And people ride them as if they’re horses…?”

Ron murmured with a tone full of dismay.

How could one possibly control wyverns, comparable to ogres that could even break down fortress walls, at will? Then, a terrifying thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“Don’t tell me. The thing at our destination isn’t a wyvern, is it? Please say it isn’t.”

Khan merely shrugged his shoulders in response to the desperate plea.

What lies ahead will naturally become clear once they arrive. Anyway, Khan’s task was simple; neutralize and then gather clues.

Even if they ended up facing a wyvern as Ron imagined, that fact remained unchanged.

‘Anyway, some preparations have been made…’

Of course, considering the danger, not encountering a wyvern would be ideal.

But in this damn Midland, preparing for the worst rather than hoping for the best was the prudent approach.

After all, they painfully learned that most incidents tend to turn sour.

Just like now-.

“Tsk. Seems earlier than expected.”

“What’s early…?”

“Look ahead! A horde of monsters!”

Unexpectedly, Elena, who was allowed to accompany them seemingly due to her youthful and frail appearance, was the next in the group to notice the anomaly.

“Damn!”

And the scout leader, who had been advancing a fair distance from the group, had already finished preparing for battle.

Even when faced with a sudden attack during his silent advance like a guide, he didn’t seem to be greatly flustered.

“Shouldn’t we help them out?!”

“They’ll handle it. We need to decide if we’re going to break through the encirclement or aim for a complete annihilation!”

Responding to Maya’s words, Khan habitually scratched his head. Even if they wiped out these monsters, the experience gained would be minuscule.

The assaulting monsters, primarily consisting of low-intelligence but numerous creatures like goblins and kobolds, outnumbered them by a sight of seventy to eighty.

‘It’ll just be a waste of strength. Who knows how many more attacks like this there will be…’

This was the tricky part of facing a horde.

Monsters stripped of their will by the dragon’s dominance charged like fearless berserkers, enormously numerous, forcing them into a boss battle heavily drained of health and mana.

What’s more, in a reality unlike a game.

In games, death meant a simple retry, but reality was a one-life, real rogue-like disaster.

‘Injuries too. In a game, you’d lose some HP, but in reality, wounds can fester, leading to permanent disability.’

There’s no winning in a mob.

Khan smirked inwardly as he gripped an axe in one hand and Draupnir in the other.

[Dare you…! Use this great dragon-slaying sword on such trifles!]

Ignoring the magical sword’s voice, which emerged just to complain, Khan confidently stepped forward.

Kwoong.

As the resonance of awakening spread in all directions, the monsters rushing towards the scout leader paused and turned their gaze towards Khan.

‘To breakthrough, or to annihilate… It’s already decided.’

Receiving the gaze of monsters usually dismissed as mere mobs in games, Khan grinned and activated the leap skill.

“Obviously, we do both.”

What better chance to see how much my stamina has improved? This is it.

***

***

***

The scout leader, who was the first to confront the encirclement of the monster horde, was, surprisingly, holding his ground with ease.

“Kieeeek!”

Swoosh─.

The leader’s blade smoothly pierces the neck of a goblin that was attacking from the rear. As he smoothly withdraws his body, space naturally opens up for him to move. It was a movement too smooth for someone who was simply a scout leader, especially given that he was surrounded on all sides by monsters.

“Grrruck!”

However, goblins weren’t the only monsters encircling him. As the growl of a beast was heard, in an instant, he rolled on the ground. Ssssiak! Whatever it was passed through the spot where the scout leader had just been standing, making a sharp noise as it went.

Blade Wolf. A beastly monster that only raises its fur into sharp points like a porcupine when hunting. It was a troublesome monster that could scratch armor and inflict wounds by merely brushing against it.

“Tch…!”

As the scout leader attempted to swing his sword to eliminate the more threatening Blade Wolf first, he seemed to sense the presence of another monster approaching from the opposite direction and covered his head with a small shield.

Thud!

It was a heavy impact.

While it wasn’t enough to knock him over, it was sufficient to momentarily stop his movement— a fatal opening at a moment when he was surrounded.

‘In a place like this….’

The scout leader’s face twisted in recognizing the crisis. At the same time, he remembered the existence of barbarian and their group that might be following from behind.

And in the moment when hesitation appeared on his twisted face.

“Bow your head. Brat!”

A woman’s warning instinctively triggered his alarm, and without looking back, the scout leader dropped to his knees.

Vroooom. Craaash-!

Even as something whizzed over his head, a chilling whoosh hit his ears.

The woman’s arms, unusually thick for her, were wrapped around a spear shaft, spinning it around. Without any warning, the scout leader launched himself to the side.

Craaang─!

A kobold, closing the distance on all fours, had its teeth bared – crack! – and its skull was smashed by the spear shaft.

“Euratcha!”

But it didn’t end there. A sledgehammer surged towards a Blade Wolf that had jumped at an incredible speed as if the wolf had run into it on its own. However, the scout leader knew it wasn’t by chance—it was an exact strike…!

Crunch!

The Blade Wolf instantly turned into a lump of flesh from the head down, dead on impact, and Ron, seemingly unimpressed, huffed out a breath.

“Ironhammer Ron, moving out─!”

“Wait, hold on. If you go too far ahead…!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Oh my, damn! Excitedly running forward, Ron suddenly jumped back.

Jan’s ‘Spear of Destruction’ pierced down at an incredible speed, annihilating over a dozen monsters in its path.

‘How could magic of that caliber…? Could it be, from the Mage Tower?!’

The woman with the spear and the mercenary with the hammer were certainly impressive, but Jan’s magic was something else entirely. The scout leader’s eyes widened.

“I’ll just heal those minor scrapes for you.”

“You are….”

Elena’s ‘Light of Healing’ erased the scratches from rolling on the ground as if they never existed, and she smiled as if it was nothing.

“You’re pretty tough, aren’t you? But since we don’t know how much longer we’ll be fighting, let’s just watch from the side for now, okay? You understand, right? It seems unlikely we’ll be needed for a while anyway.”

“What do you mean….”

Following the direction indicated by Elena’s raised index finger as if mesmerized, what the scout leader saw was—

Crack! Crack-Crack!

— a barbarian wielding an axe in one hand and a sword in the other, single-handedly shredding through over dozens of monsters.

At the sight of a mere party of five piercing through the ranks of the monster forces like it was nothing, the scout leader unconsciously caressed the hilt of his sword.

His hand on the hilt trembled as if shaking from being thrust into a crisis.

TL’s corner:

Dual wielding barbarian, baby!