Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 087: Dungeon (3)

It was unfortunate, but the opportunity to verify if the demonic realm could indeed be destroyed had vanished. The corridor that entrapped them began to melt away, transforming into some sort of room.

It was as if space itself had a will, attempting to obstruct Khan’s actions.

‘As expected, there must be a separate boss for the demonic realm.’

In order to purify the demonic realm, it was essential to find the ‘core’. The form of the core could sometimes take the shape of a specific object or exist in the form of a gemstone, and occasionally, the core itself acts as the boss of the demonic realm, taking on an active role.

Moreover, such forms of the demonic realm usually presented a considerable level of difficulty. It was about defeating a monster created by the power of the ‘core’ that maintained an entire sub-dimension. It would be strangely easier if that wasn’t the case.

“Here we are…”

“The central hall. According to the floor plan, this was the first place one would encounter upon passing through the corridor.”

The hall meant to welcome guests follows an endlessly long corridor. Whomever’s idea this was, it’s quite a nasty hobby. Khan let out his impression with a casual remark.

The central hall, which also served as a banquet hall during parties within the castle, was incredibly spacious and magnificent. However, the absence of any signs of life made it feel somewhat empty.

[Such a space also existed in that guy’s house! Though this is far from matching it!]

Leaving behind Pashantu’s carefree impression, Khan, who was surveying the barren space, suddenly narrowed his eyes. There were four possible paths to choose from in the central hall.

To the left and right were the ‘Servant Hall’ commonly used by servants and the pathways leading to the training grounds and baths used by the duke’s direct lineage and knights, while the frontal staircase and the rear exit out of the castle were straight ahead.

However, the path at the rear was obstructed by a wavering darkness at its entrance. There was no intention of turning back anyway, since they had arrived at the central hall via that staircase.

“This seems all too familiar.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“If the house owner has called guests into the hall, what would you expect?”

Khan smirked wryly as he surveyed the central hall once more. Of course, they should be grandly welcomed. Though, not in the manner they’d prefer.

Wooosh…!!

At that moment, the darkness covering the rear pathway began to violently shake. Seeing as it wasn’t the most subtle of phenomena, the party members readied themselves to retreat and prepared for combat.

“What in the world is this…”

“Hmm. Should we just kill them?”

“No, wait. I have some questions.”

Ignoring Pashantu’s visibly disappointed reaction, Khan, who had approached the trembling passageway, grinned cheekily. The throng spewed forth from the darkness like vomit had indeed happy faces, though they likely felt as though they were facing the emissary of death itself.

‘They actually followed us in.’

Their identity was none other than the duke’s soldiers who had attacked Khan’s party outside the castle.

“What in the world are you up to…! You minion of the devil!”

At that moment, the seemingly highest-ranking among the soldiers yelled out. Judging by his helmet adorned with various ornaments, he appeared to be a commander with a noble title, or perhaps a favorite of the duke.

“What am I up to? Why are you asking me that?”

“You transformed the ducal castle into this grotesquerie using the power of demons!”

“The power of demons…”

‘This guy knows nothing.’

Khan had hoped the man’s apparent rank implied he had some knowledge. Yet, the comments he made were the type anyone unaware of how the demonic realm came to be would utter.

“If you don’t return the ducal castle to its original state immediately, I will execute you on the spot!””

“…these primitive medieval folks, I swear.”

Based on experience from the past few years, when faced with phenomena they didn’t understand or found difficult to grasp, these medieval folks had a tendency to look for dark mages or demons before even attempting to understand it.

Just like the one right in front of me. It made more sense to suspect that the lord of the castle had played some tricks rather than thinking that a barbarian who had just entered a state of siege was behind this mischief.

Moreover, it was doubtful how these people, unable to stop a mere three individuals with a force of over a hundred, had the confidence to threaten execution.

“We clearly need a deep conversation.”

It wouldn’t hurt to gather some information related to the duke in advance. If lucky, I might even stumble upon a clue about the sudden erosion of the demonic boundary…

With that thought, Khan clenched his fist tight, narrowing his brows. Kal Elson, who had been silently monitoring the situation, showed a similar reaction, while Pashantu, eager for battle, had already prepared his axe for the charge.

“Behold! The great power bestowed upon the descendants of Elpellan by the duke himself!”

The commander, brimming with confidence, drew his sword, unleashing an ominous red aura, similar to the duke’s first knight or the ‘fake knights’ produced by some technique. However, the aura drawn by this idiot was slightly different from those seen before.

‘Dangerous.’

Instinctively, a warning bell rang. This cannot be left unattended!

In an instant, Khan rushed forward, aiming directly above the commander’s head, and his god-blessed axe precisely split the fool’s head and body in two, all too easily.

‘It’s not over yet…’

The situation was far from over. Khan kicked aside the crumbling corpse and charged towards the soldiers who were still slow to grasp the situation. Just then, their weapons also began to emanate a similar ominous red aura, resonating together.

“What is this?”

Even they seemed confused, but Khan didn’t give them a chance to understand or explain.

There was no need for complicated calculations. Khan wielded his axe and magic sword wildly, chopping with the axe, slashing with the sword, and thrusting his elbow and toes like spearheads, mangling their insides.

It was a one-sided slaughter. The soldiers who had rushed in were quickly laid down as corpses. Khan then yelled at Pashantu and Kal Elson.

“Prepare for battle!”

After single-handedly killing them all, what battle was there to prepare for? No one in the group was naive enough to question his command. If Khan said something was going to happen, it meant it really was. His insights and intuition had often proven accurate.

Indeed, Khan’s warning soon proved correct.

“Woooah…”

The ominous red aura that the commander had unleashed began to coalesce into some form on its own, resembling a human figure shrouded in a blood-red cloud. But to Khan, it looked more like…

‘A genie popped out of a lamp,’ albeit a particularly malevolent type of genie.

The humanoid form with a face lacking distinct features was terrible enough, but what made this monster truly horrifying was the occasional appearance of human faces protruding from its body, silently screaming. Just looking at it, one could sense it was wrapped in malevolence.

“…Now, that’s more like the demonic boundary I know.”

“Ghosts can’t be killed!”

“It’s questionable whether it can be killed with a sword.”

Kal Elson and Pashantu expressed their concerns.

Of course, even beings without a physical body couldn’t evade the sword’s blade, but completely extinguishing a spirit was a different story. Naturally, it was impossible for Pashantu, who was merely skilled in combat.

“Woooah.”

However, Khan’s face hardened for a slightly different reason.

[Such a displeasing existence.]

Khan sincerely empathized with Draupnir’s interjection of sentiment this time around.

‘The Puppeteer. He must have sent puppets outside the stronghold and played the sage for reasons like this.’

He had extracted souls from those who followed the false sage, manipulating them as puppets. The number easily reached a hundred, and if one were to include unknown victims, it would be even more.

Turning the influential figures of the north into ‘living corpses’ was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Where then, were all these souls, and how were they utilized?

A part of that truth lay right before him.

[Souls are, after all, the most pure form of energy.]

Draupnir added with a somewhat amused tone.

Khan was vaguely aware of this fact. The reason demons harvested souls as payment was because of their significant value.

[Using souls as fuel to convert into power… It’s a relic from the ancient times. Simple and brutal, yet effective. It is a forbidden magic that goes against the natural order.]

Producing magical tools that temporarily allowed a mere mercenary captain to withstand Khan, and creating ‘false knights’ who manipulated blood-red energy. All of this was made possible through the sacrifice of victims’ souls.

‘And here I thought I had seen through all the bullshit in this world.’

Only now did he truly understand how horrific the experiments conducted by the Followers of Truth across the continent were.

[You’re angry.]

“Bullshit.”

[And feel guilt…]

Khan shoved the noisy magic sword into Aecharis’s pouch and instead grasped Neria’s Magic Awl.

All the injustices and catastrophes in the godforsaken Midlands were of a nature that no individual could stop. No matter if one was a warrior who could match strength with an ogre or slaughter wyverns, one still had only one body. If it were possible to stop it, the emperor of the empire would have taken care of it.

After all, wasn’t he just a middle-aged corporate worker from a peaceful world who was forced into being a barbarian warrior in a shitty game? A person who had been unhappy all their life wouldn’t know they were unhappy. However, a person who had lived happily would feel terrible even with a slight misfortune.

‘Who else could be more wronged than me?’

Having lived a life in paradise only to fall into hell… Khan saw his situation in that light.

In that brief moment of reflection. Leading with the largest spirit born from the commander’s weapon, followed by slightly smaller ones originating from the soldiers, nearly twenty spirits now filled the central hall with their wails.

“Wooohhhhh!”

The loudest among them produced a sound reminiscent of human crying. Leaving aside the question of how a creature without vocal cords or a mouth could make such a noise.

“It’s obvious they mean to fight, isn’t it?” Kal Elson’s voice carried a tense edge. Although it was impossible to feel the gaze of the eyeless spirits, Kal Elson sensed them directing their attention their way.

As if regarding them as sworn enemies, with a blind and deep-seated enmity.

***

[You have entered the dungeon: Screams of the Silenced Souls.]

─Player Objective: Locate and retrieve the core.

─Success Reward: ???

─Failure: The erosion by the demonic realm accelerates, and the materialized ‘core’ will escape the dungeon.