Barbarian in a Failed Game

“Will you be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

The middle-aged man, brushing his beard and replying in a leisurely manner, contrasts with the one known only as a mage in these parts, hidden under a robe that concealed his identity, who continues in a stiff manner.

“Al-Rasdel.”

“Hmm.”

“There was a chance that ‘him’ from the guild could catch a whiff and take action.”

“Are you referring to the guild master, that persistent fellow?”

The mage’s face slightly shook, affirming the statement.

“Indeed, he is already suspecting the connection with the anomalies. Should he realize that your excellency did something in Al-Rasdel and starts to move… it would complicate matters. If the guild really set its mind to it, even your excellency would have to tread carefully.”

“Of course, that’s true.”

The middle-aged man showed a cryptic smile, as if he was laughing.

“The Mercenary Guild. Truly a troublesome bunch. Who would have thought that a gathering of human butchers from the empire could project their influence even outside the state borders? And in the name of protecting vermin who could die at any moment, no less.”

“…”

“Even the royal family cannot extend their influence in the north. Of course, the current royal family hardly has the means to do so. But it’s clear that the guild’s actions are exceedingly insolent. For our… no, my plans, it may be necessary to suppress them here.”

The mage remained silent.

“You don’t know him well, let me enlighten you. Did I mention he could sniff things out? No. Given who he is, it wouldn’t be strange if he had already sensed my movements and interfered in Al-Rasdel. There’s even a possibility he might take action personally.”

“If he were to act personally, that could pose a problem. Despite everything, he was… in the empire, notorious for…”

“You worry too much, knowing what’s in Al-Rasdel.”

“Your Excellency, he is not alone. With the covert force he has raised, the basilisk placed in Al-Rasdel will surely be eradicated. If that happens…”

“If that happens?”

The middle-aged man grinned.

“A true disaster will sweep through Al-Rasdel and its vicinity. Along with that bothersome guild master and his minions. At that point, we’ll just swallow up the ruins. Then, you’ll get a new ‘field’. And I will take a step closer to my goal.”

“Frankly, I hope he kills the basilisk in Al-Rasdel.” Upon the middle-aged man’s musings, the mage bowed deeply and then quietly retreated.

Left alone, the middle-aged man let go of the smile that hung on his face like decoration.

‘Afterwards, those of you who become useless… It’s time to take care of that. But that’s a pleasure for later.’

“Perhaps now it’s time to enjoy waiting for the news from Al-Rasdel…” He thought of the delightful news of the region near Al-Rasdel being devastated by a wyvern.

*

*

*

“Boss Khan─!” Ron’s scream tore through the air.

Maya murmured incredulously that the executioner couldn’t have died so helplessly, while Jan couldn’t close his mouth at the overwhelming firepower of the flame descended from the sky.

Was the high-tier spell carefully deployed by the magus of the Red Tower meant to do just that?

Kwahaha!

It was as if a hole had been punctured in the sky, and from that hole, a cascade of flame poured down. All three companions felt similarly—such was the overwhelming spectacle and firepower.

‘Who on earth…!’

Jan’s cool reasoning did not forget its role even in the face of a comrade’s death.

Mages, by nature, are so. Although Jan seemed timid and naive, there was a reason the magus of the tower took him as a disciple. The talent of a mage existed in Jan.

He judged that the previous flames were part of a red spell—a natural deduction. For Jan, who had spent half his life in the tower, only magic could control flames of such caliber.

‘At least a magus or higher…!’

Also, it was a conclusion reached after considering the existence of a ‘mysterious group of mages’ encountered during their journey in the north.

What then, should be done?

Now, with Khan having been tragically killed, nearly accounting for the majority of the party’s strength, the question arose of what action the mage Jan should take.

“We have to run…!”

Both logic and instinct arrived at the same conclusion simultaneously.

As Jan instinctively began to back away, his thoughts suddenly turned to his companions, who stared blankly at the spot where Khan had been.

His gaze naturally followed theirs.

“Miss Elena?”

Yet, there was another among their number who hadn’t frozen in shock at Khan’s death.

Crack…!

Unexpectedly, the young priestess who had joined their party, previously thought to be just a fragile girl, revealed herself as a paladin adept at wielding a flail with astonishing agility.

Elena, having just knocked out the guard captain with a casual swing of her flail, scolded the group with an ostensibly angry face.

“What are you doing standing there! Aren’t you going to prepare to fight? Or do you plan to die without a fight?”

Khan was akin to a superhuman. And to fight against a being that turned such a figure to ashes in one blow? Reading such thoughts on the stunned faces of her companions, Elena shouted in disdain.

“The chosen warrior of the Goddess can’t just die like that!”

“The Goddess… has chosen him?”

It sounded like complete nonsense. Elena was a priestess who served the Goddess of Justice, so that would mean the Goddess of Justice chose Khan? Was it possible that a god from the pantheon chose a barbarian from the Frost Gorge?

It was an utterly nonsensical notion. The mage’s reason dismissed it as foolishness, yet Jan, who had closely observed Khan’s journey, instinctively thought it could be possible.

And then, it happened.

Woooom──!

As if ascending against a waterfall of fire pouring down from the sky, a pure white radiance spread instantaneously in all directions, filling the sky over Al-Rasdel.

After dispersing all the flames, the white light illuminated the surroundings once more, and the group, with dumbfounded faces, uttered the same word as if in awe.

“An apostle of the gods…”

The identity of the figure was none other than Khan, whom they had assumed turned to ashes.

Staring at the barbarian who wielded the light of the Goddess, the faces of the party were filled not just with awe but with utter astonishment. Could it be true that the Goddess of Justice chose a barbarian as his apostle?!

The significance of this would be clear to any resident of Midland who had even a slight understanding of the pantheon.

“Did Khan become a proxy for the Goddess!”

In the midst of many misunderstandings surrounding Khan, a new misunderstanding was born at that moment.

*

*

*

‘I almost died there.’

Gazing at the clear sky as the clouds parted, Khan quietly took out Draupnir.

Khan had survived the ambush thanks to the ‘Mark of the Depths,’ which evolved into a relic with the addition of the Goddess’s divine power.

Truly, it was worthy of being called a relic. The Mark of the Depths had perfectly protected Khan from the attack, even though its original form might not have withstood it.

‘The fire made it hard to breathe for a moment, but well, I survived.’

However, there was something even more crucial. That is, regarding the being that had rained down flames from the sky.

Khan let out a chuckle.

He had thought the boss he faced fell rather anticlimactically, only to realize it was a faux boss and the real final boss was yet to appear.

“The scale of the horde seemed lacking, which means the basilisk was part of the horde, right…”

Controlling a dragon, it was an absurd speculation, but Khan was almost certain of it.

After all, how many beings could launch such an immense blaze from the sky?

Flap─! Flap─!

As if confirming his speculation, massive wing beats cleared the clouds, revealing its presence.

With an appearance that seemed to defy perspective, its immense form did not diminish in grandeur even from afar. A pair of wings, reminiscent of a bat’s but incomparable in size, a thick horn protruding from its forehead, and three hundred eyes like jewels containing burning flames.All those external characteristics gave Khan the answer he was looking for.

“Damn it. They say speak of the tiger and it will come. It’s actually true.”

Khan turned towards where his party was.

“If you don’t want to get involved, run away.”

Before the party could even ask what he meant, the challenge had already begun.

[You empty shell! Tear that fake to shreds and kill it!]

“Why don’t you give me wings then?” Khan snapped back at the grudge, just as he realized a huge shadow had cast over him.

“Right, coming to kill me themselves, huh.”

A wyvern, aiming to rip apart a human who stood unfazed even after being breathed upon, descended powerfully towards the ground.

Crack.

Without knowing, Khan’s grip on his magic sword tightened.

Wyverns. In games, they were raid monsters that mid-level characters could attempt to conquer, but only with thorough preparation and outstanding NPC allies.

Apart from their individual strength, their ability to fly made them a greater challenge than ogres, notorious for grinding newbies into dust.

Their flight ability and the innate characteristics of dragon-kind, along with a breath attack that could ignore most defensive magic, made them a formidable threat that could annihilate even characters armed with A-grade skills and exceptional equipment in the mid-game.

“I didn’t expect to face something like this…”

The situation was vastly different from Darkin subjugation mission where Aries the Paladin and mage Jerome had fought alongside him.

Of course, Khan had grown since then, but the situation was near disastrous.

“KROOOOOOOO──!”

The wyvern’s roar momentarily deafened him, leaving his ears ringing.

‘It would have been interesting, had I not equipped the Vessel of Greed.’

Khan managed to suppress a bitter laugh, his smile completely fading away.

Before he realized it, the wyvern had closed the distance completely, its dense scales fully in view. Could he do this?

Doubts surfaced, but he focused even harder and steadied his mind.

‘Can I do this?’

Crunch!

His left foot dug deep into the ground as he prepared to leap at the enemy, loosening his tense muscles.

His body felt light. It wasn’t an illusion. The brief battle with the basilisk had consumed a significant amount of energy due to its intensity.

But now, his condition was perfect.

No, it was beyond perfect.

‘My stats have actually increased.’

Although his strength stat remained unchanged, he noticed a slight increase in all other stats except intelligence.

‘Could Elena have blessed me?’ Just as he was about to look around, he noticed the red swirls around his body and twisted his lips.

‘Has it drawn out my blood?’

He knew that wasn’t the case. If it had been, he would have noticed much sooner.

Facing a wyvern after the basilisk, he must have unlocked something he had been hiding all along.

[Kill it…! That empty shell, quickly─!]

As if confirming his thoughts, the voice of the grudge echoed in his head. Damn, so much for being a dragon-slaying sword.

It was unexpected assistance.

A slight increase in agility and stamina wouldn’t close the gap with the wyvern… But still.

‘It’s not bad.’

Above all, he had prepared to kill the flying lizard back in Al-Ranza.

He focused for a moment, and the space around him opened.

He felt every item in the Aecharis’ Pocket, selecting one.

‘Well, let’s see.’

The wyvern subjugation began abruptly.