The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 124



Only Krnovel

Episode 124 Five Pillars (1)

The wilderness and the magical realm, the boundary where magic begins to faintly mix with the barren wasteland.

There was a group of people sitting around a bonfire.

A priest praying quietly, a wizard crouching with his knees hugged, a priestess meditating beside a warrior, a warrior absentmindedly polishing the blade of a black axe, and… … a warrior holding a shining holy sword and looking out into the west toward the setting sun.

They were scheduled to enter the Demon Realm tomorrow.

No one showed it, but this fact was a burden to the group of warriors. The journey so far had been harsh enough, but now they were sure to have to walk an even more thorny path. In the solemn silence, only the faint sound of a monster’s cry or a demon’s scream could be heard.

The hero, Gale, finished watching and sat down next to his colleagues. Then, he brightened the mood with a light voice.

“Hey, what do you guys want to do when your journey is over?”

It was quite an unfamiliar question. They had always lived only for today or tomorrow, when the immediate crisis was imminent. They had never had the luxury of discussing the distant future.

“Gordon, won’t you tell me first? “I’m quite curious about what plans our trustworthy priest has.”

Gordon paused in prayer. He had a kind smile on his face and scratched the back of his head like a bear that had just woken up from hibernation.

“Hahaha, well… … . I think I should go back to Seongdo first. Because I have to report the results of my journey to the church. And if you organize the information you found out about the demons, prepare countermeasures against them, and even proceed with the purification project of the demon world… … uh? This is going to keep me locked up for decades, right? Ha ha ha ha ha!”

“Hmm, isn’t that too tight? But take a sabbatical for at least a few years. When the journey ends, the hardships will be formidable… … .”

“Hahaha, I want to do that too, but… … If not me, who would take on this mission? The Lord of Eternal Light has been watching over this world from the beginning until now, and compared to Him, this amount of effort is nothing more than a candle in front of the sun! Hahahaha!”

Gale also burst into laughter at the sound of boisterous laughter. Melissa, a non-believer wizard, sulked and scoffed… … .

“Next then, Cyril. What do you want to do? “Do you want to join the wilderness shamans you met earlier?”

“I… … Oh, me? That’s not me… … I haven’t thought about anything specific yet… … .”

The tail of her horse stretched out. The white-haired priestess blushed and glanced at the large warrior for a long time before releasing her lips.

“First of all, I am with him, Mr. Kadim… … I plan to follow Kadim wherever he goes. I’m a wilderness shaman, so, um, I have to help the Great Warrior of Atala with his work… … .”

“Haha, that’s what I thought! I knew it. I felt it from the moment I first saw you, you two are a great pair. Oh, oh! Don’t misunderstand! It’s not just because you two are of the same species… … .”

Gordon took the opportunity and seized the opportunity.

“Hey, Brother Gale… … ? “Did you mean to say that it is fitting for an Atalline to be compatible with an Atalline?”

“Oh, no! No, no, don’t frame me, Gordon! Well, I’ll say it again, it’s not because the two people are of the same race… … .”

“Hehehe, this is disappointing… … . I thought he was a good warrior, but I didn’t know he had such a racist side… … .”

Even though the comment was almost half-joking, Gale was genuinely embarrassed and sweating profusely. My embarrassment doubled when Melissa calmly added that there are some Atalans who end up with people who are not of the same race.

In the end, the warrior bowed his head in front of the priestess and apologized. The priestess waved her hand and flinched when she saw that, and the priest and magician simultaneously burst into laughter. As the commotion that had been going on for a long time came to an end, the tense atmosphere of the group began to ease up.

But one person’s face was not bright.

Kadim, the great warrior of Atala who gathered them all together.

Gale’s eyes turned to him.

“Hmm, you know I didn’t mean it that way, right Kadim? Then it’s your turn. What do you want to do when your journey is over? I guess someone’s destination will change depending on your answer… … .”

“… … Let’s pass it to my turn.”

I couldn’t honestly say that I would go back to the reality I used to live in. The atmosphere became soggy for a moment, but Gale did not lose his composure and turned his horse around like a river.

“Oh, I see you have some kind of hidden plan! Let’s leave hearing about it for another day. Then, Melissa, why don’t you tell me your plan first?”

“… … So, what are you going to do after defeating the Great Evil?”

The atmosphere became cold again, as if the warrior’s efforts were meaningless. They had been intentionally avoiding mentioning the ‘Great Demon’ due to the burden, but Melissa had just revealed that fact.

In fact, the person who provided the clue did not care about the cold air current flowing. I just thought about the question intently and came up with an answer.

“Um, well… … Should we build a tower to teach wizards?”

““… … .””

“Or me too… … Hmm, huh, that… … Like Cyril… … .”

– Krrrrrr… … .

An angry cry cut off Melissa’s words.

“Oh my, they are blade wolves! Everyone, get up from your seats! “The rest of us will stay back and provide cover, and Khadim, you and I will go to the front line!”

The hesitation was not long. Following the hero’s instructions, the group moved in perfect order. The shaman drew a magic circle, the priest spread the magic spell, and the wizard steadily memorized the spell even though he looked like he was not feeling well.

– Krrrrrr

– Keung, kung, keuung, kuhung!

Just before facing the wolf pack, Kadim glanced at the warrior standing on his right and asked.

“Then, what do you plan to do?”

“……hmm?”

“After you defeat the Great Demon. If you’re still alive after that, what do you plan to do?”

The warrior, Gale, answered with a knowing smile.

“I, I mean… … .”

*

“I’ll get better!” Get well! Are you okay? “What’s going on?”

“… … .”

Kadim squeezed the corners of his eyes.

What came into view were pure white streets and pedestrians in cool clothes. The faces of the warriors and their comrades were nowhere to be found. Still unable to shake off the haziness, I asked Duncan.

“… … What happened? Where am I?”

“Yes? This is downtown Vestana, Your Majesty! Didn’t you plan on going to the tower this morning? I just left after spending the night at the inn… … .”

“… … .”

When I thought about it carefully, it seemed like that. However, the memories were vague like afterimages, so I couldn’t be sure. Instead, the fragments of the past that I had seen just a moment ago came back to me much more vividly.

“… … .”

I couldn’t figure it out. Is this also an aftereffect of mania, is my mind loose and seeing empty things, or is there another cause? … . However, it was clear that this was not the time. He pressed his temples hard to erase the lingering memories.

“… … Looks like you took a short nap. Don’t worry, I’m awake now. Let’s go to the magic tower quickly.”

“… … .”

Duncan tilted his head, then nodded, and followed behind the barbarian.

The streets of Vestana were noticeably more beautiful than those of other large cities. The buildings and roads were as white as if they had been painted with clouds. The colorful awnings, vases of flowers placed in each house, and the healthy, tanned pedestrians made the city, which could have been monotonous, even more colorful.

But in contrast, the gazes and attitudes of the passersby were not so kind. When they made eye contact with Kadim, they would frown. Sometimes, they would spit in a showy manner or openly whisper behind his back.

Duncan fidgeted and gave his reason as if making an excuse.

“Well, I’ll get better…” … No offense, but I heard that the Vestana side still despises Atallain… … . From the past, there were many Atalan slaves who did dirty work on the dockside, and there was an atmosphere that valued magic and mystery over hard work… … .”

“… … .”

“Ugh… … Still, if I had known what kind of person Nauri was, I wouldn’t have been able to write the page. Shut them down!”

Actually, Kadim didn’t really care.

He was even used to it. The eastern part of the continent originally had a strong culture of exclusion towards barbarians. Moreover, didn’t even Melissa look at him like a bug at first? He had no intention of wielding a knife just because of such an insult.

… … Of course, I had no intention of letting someone who crossed the line or interfered with the path ahead.

Fortunately, the insult to Kadim was limited to an indirect level, and the white streets of Vestana were spared having to be painted red.

There was no need to worry about getting lost on the way to the destination. The tower that rose above the clouds was clearly visible from anywhere in the city. Not only that… …the traces of the turbid magic energy mixed with something, the ‘Mana’, were also becoming more and more intense.

So, I crossed the white streets and the staring eyes and arrived at the entrance of the magic tower.

Like the city gateway, this place was also protected by a translucent barrier. The difference is that instead of soldiers from the Chassa Army, wizards wearing brown robes stand guard.

The wizards were not particularly scared by the sight of the large barbarian. To avoid being a threat, Khadim had hidden his weapons in his inventory.

“What is it, savage… … ?”

“Why are the barbarians here…” … .”

“The dock’s loading dock is over there. “I think I’ve taken a wrong turn, savage?”

“Don’t loiter around here for no reason. Before I shoot a fire arrow and turn you into a savage roast… … Hehehe.”

Kadim lightly dismissed the ridiculous threat.

“Is this the magic tower?”

“Ha, are those eyes just for decoration? Then where else on the continent is there a tower like this?”

“You’ve come to the right place. Are there any letters or messages left here by someone called ‘Enrico Turis’? He had previously negotiated with the Tower and promised to help me with my business.”

There were two ways that Kadim had arranged for peaceful entry and exit from the Tower. One was through the living, and the other was through the dead. I decided to first look into the ‘living method’.

The wizards looked puzzled and tilted their heads.

“You, before you came, did you hear anything from Lord Gordan?”

“No, I don’t have any…” … .”

“What, I don’t have one either… … . If it’s ‘Turis’, isn’t it a family in Delutana? It doesn’t seem like I came here without thinking… … .”

“… … “Didn’t you just pick up the family name from somewhere?”

After a round of heated discussion, the wizards came to a simple conclusion.

“There is no message from such a person! Go back, you barbarian!”

“… … .”

Let’s not check because it’s annoying and just chase the barbarians out.

Kadim stared at the two brown wizards. For a moment, he considered splitting their heads and passing on, but decided it was too early to cause a disturbance.

In any case, it seemed that the counselor had not yet found a way to convey the message. He eventually decided to use the second method he had prepared on his way, ‘method through dead people.’

“Duncan, give me that bag.”

“Huh? Huh, yep!”

Kadim shook his inventory and swung it around. He felt a heavy hem of clothing between the piles of luggage. When he pulled on it, a strange spirit with a strong odor came rushing out.

The headless corpse of a wizard wearing red robes.

The wizards’ pupils bulged as if they were going to burst.

“Uh huh, uh huh… … ?”

“Ugh! Ugh, ugh… … .”

Kadim put the body down and immediately tried to explain the inside story. But there were some things he overlooked.

People who see a corpse this damaged for the first time are usually shocked, and since they are beginner wizards, they have no experience seeing a corpse at all, and… … The red robe is the attire of a high-ranking wizard that they could not even dream of.

As a result, in their eyes, it looked as if a barbarian had brutally murdered a high-ranking wizard and was threatening you, asking if you wanted to do the same.

The terrified wizards were just about to chant a spell while swallowing their nausea.

“Ugh, ugh, [Keruna, Volcari… … ].”

“Uk, eh, [Graden, ksarn…] … .]”

A hand suddenly reaches out like a thunderbolt.

The spell’s chanting was cut off immediately. Kadim grabbed the two wizards’ cheeks with both hands and lifted them up. They hung in the air with their mouths open as if their jaws had fallen off.

“Listen to the explanation first. I didn’t kill this guy. I found his body while hunting demons and brought it here… … .”

“Ehh, eh!”

“Ugh! Ugh!”

“… … .”

There was no sign of understanding. One of them just struggled with a pale face, while the other one gnawed at his hand with his front teeth like a rat. Far from releasing his grip, the only result was his teeth breaking against the armor-like leather of his hand… … .

Popping –

“Keueeeeek! Hey Pal! He, he teeth!”

“… … .”

It was only after another wizard arrived that things were sorted out.

A wizard wearing sky blue robes. Judging from his different attire and his outgoing and outspoken attitude, he seemed to be their superior.

“What the hell is this noise! ​​What are you doing? Who the hell are you… … Huh! Oh, no, this corpse… … .”

“… … .”

Fortunately, this one didn’t just start reciting spells. Kadim threw the magicians he was holding onto the floor and quickly explained the situation.

“… … So, you’re saying that you found a corpse killed by a demon and came to deliver it to the Magic Tower. You couldn’t find the head, but is it possible to identify it?”

“… … .”

“I would like to talk to the highest level of the organization that the interest belongs to. It would be easier to discuss procedures and compensation there.”

The wizard looked obviously flustered, but he still did not mistake Kadim for the culprit. However, as he was examining the corpse with his detection magic, his face quickly turned pale.

“There is no one higher than this… ….”

“……what?”

“This person, this person, is the highest level person in the organization he is in… … .”

The savage’s eyes narrowed. The wizard continued his explanation in a dazed manner.

“This is Ramacren, a conjurer-rank wizard and commander of the Battle Mage, a unit specializing in fighting against demons and monsters… … . Among the ships and battle mages, there is no one higher than this person… … He left after boasting that he would catch a high-ranking demon… … Oh, how did he lose his head and return only his body? … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The wizards who had been squawking froze. Duncan stared blankly at the distant sea. Kadim frowned and sighed.

I had a very strong feeling that things wouldn’t work out so easily this time either.