The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 137



Only Krnovel

Episode 137. Five Pillars (14)

The battle after the barrier was destroyed was one-sided. The Oklamud side, having lost their most important location, was defeated by the combined attacks of Khadim and Coltran and was annihilated.

Swaaa …

Heavy rain poured down on the mud mixed with ice and blood. The eyes of those who died with their eyes wide open were filled with cold cries. There was now only one survivor left in this miserable hell.

Oklamud, a shabby old man wearing tattered robes.

“Ugh, ugh! Gulp, gulp… .”

He had poured all his mana and was exhausted, so he was already like a living corpse. Although she did not lose the hatred that was firmly entrenched within her.

“Hehehe… … This is ridiculous. To a barbarian who is no better than an animal, to do something like this… … I can’t believe that Oklamud, the ‘heat wave of darkness’, has suffered such a miserable situation… … .”

Kadim tilted his head, running his hands through his wet hair.

“They say that magicians spend their entire lives studying and researching incomprehensible mysteries. But strangely enough, none of the people I’ve met seem to know this simple fact.”

“… … “What is that?”

“If you hit your head with an axe, you will die.”

Puck – !

On the forehead, where only horizontal wrinkles had been engraved, deep vertical wrinkles appeared. From that gap, soggy bodily fluids flowed like stale water.

“Oh, oh oh oh… … .”

Oklamud, the ‘dark heat wave’ who held the first seat in the Matap Elder Council and had the greatest power among the elders, lost all his subordinates to the barbarians he hated so much, had his skull shattered, and died in vain.

Kwa-jik!

Kadim stamped on the skull, killing the elder. As he was rubbing his sole in the mud to clean off the sludge, Coltran approached him with a dumbfounded expression.

“The person you killed just now… … Could it be Oklamud?”

“Yeah. Now that his head has been blown up, it’ll be impossible for anyone to revive him this time.”

“… … .”

Should I call it thorough or excessive? … Coltran hesitated for a moment, lost in his thoughts. Perhaps because he thought it was unnecessary, he swallowed his words and brought up another topic.

“Yes, you really worked hard… … . This is really embarrassing, thinking back on it, that I promised to protect you and ended up receiving protection instead. By the way… … How on earth did you summon that endless barrage of lightning just now?”

“… … .”

“I know that ‘Brainstorm Magic’ is so burdensome that it’s nearly impossible to use it continuously, but if you could explain the principle a little bit… … .”

The ‘thunderbolt’ effect inherent in a lightning strike had a hidden function. On days like today when there is a lot of thunder and lightning, you can immediately recharge the lightning by extending your ax to the sky. It was one of the very useful Easter eggs I learned while playing the game.

But there was no reason to explain it. Kadim cooled the overheated throwing axe in the rain, hung it on his waist, and turned his body absentmindedly.

“I think we’ve been hit by enough raindrops. Now that the saboteurs are gone, let’s slowly head into the tower.”

“… … .”

Coltran looked unhappy, but couldn’t say anything and followed behind. His subordinate wizards, who barely survived, followed their leader’s footsteps.

As they entered the tower, a rather strange person was the first to greet them.

Acting Battle Mage Commander, Asillus. He stared at the barbarian and the elder with a rather strangely distorted face.

“Well, you! Ko, Elder Coltran! Both of you are safe! Th, th, what the… … . You have no idea how flustered I was when the entrance to the magic tower was suddenly sealed! I was looking for a way out of here, but I was caught by Oklamud’s men… … .”

“… … .”

“Well, but just now, I managed to escape while everyone was focused on the entrance! Are you done clearing out the Oklamud guys? Then let’s hurry and head to the secret passage before it’s too late!”

The elder’s wrinkled lips hardened coldly.

Coltran now knew. There was a spy who had sold their information to the Oklamud side. And this battlemage, who had never shown his face during the fight, but had rushed out in a panic when the outcome was decided, was the most likely suspect.

Still, I’m going to pretend I don’t know until I get solid evidence… …

Fur – ugh!

… … Without any time to stop him, Khadim came forward and ripped Asilus’ head off.

“… … “Eck.”

Asylus fell like a scarecrow without even a decent will. The surprised wizards’ eyes were focused on one place. Kadim frowned and spat out his thoughts as if he was chewing them.

“It was this guy. “The rat who sold my information.”

Coltran asked, trying to suppress his surprise.

“Kadim… … ? “What does that mean?”

“You wouldn’t know that either. There was a guy who sold information about me to the dead elder. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been attacked in the first place.”

“Ah, no, that’s true, but still, how can we be sure that this person is a spy… … .”

“It doesn’t make sense. “The guy who escaped while all eyes were focused on the entrance would, by common sense, be waiting right in front of the entrance?”

“… … !”

“Furthermore, even though this guy was always an enemy, he used an honorific title every time he called the dead elder. But that doesn’t happen now. He was probably trying to bat with his feet on both sides.”

Kadim adds a thoughtless remark, saying that if you don’t believe it, you can try investigating it with magic later.

The other wizards looked at Coltran with furious glares, as if wondering how he could kill someone so cruelly. However, Coltran thought differently.

‘… … I read the part I missed and figured out that Asilus was a spy. And in a situation where such an important undertaking is imminent, it is the right decision to block any possibility rather than just leaving it alone.’

Combat power that overwhelms even the mysteries of high-ranking wizards, cool-headed judgment that clearly distinguishes between friends and enemies, and decisive action that concludes matters without leaving regrets… … .

This man’s abilities were far superior to those of most elders. It’s just a pity that such a talented person is nothing more than a savage and not a seeker of mystery.

‘On the other hand, those who remain by my side… … Tsk.’

Coltran clicked his tongue briefly, dismissed the other wizards, and proceeded towards the secret passage with only Kadim.

*

A corridor with gray shades overlaid on the plain walls unfolded. The old man and the giant, with different weights, made a harmony of footsteps.

It was said that the secret passage to the lowest floor was at the end of this hallway. Kadim rotated his shoulder, which had become sore from cutting with an axe.

“Anyway, I think I’ve been through too much trouble so far, Elder.”

“… … .”

“If there’s a going away, there must be a coming back. I just want you to answer one question in return for your hard work.”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the process of getting here was done entirely by Kadim alone. Coltran nodded in agreement.

But if I had known what kind of questions I would be asked, I probably would have thought twice before agreeing.

“What caused ancient mana to disappear from the continent?”

“… … .”

Coltran, the corners of his lips hardening.

The reason for this was a secret that should not have been known in the first place, even though the foolish Oklamud had openly bragged about it. If someone else had asked, he probably would not have told anyone, no matter what.

But Coltran thought it wouldn’t matter if he said anything specifically about interest.

“… … As it happens, we are heading towards the cause now, Mr. Kadim. The ‘Ancient Great Magic’ is said to have been created by the first magic tower lord. “A long time ago, with just one cast, that spell drained all the ‘ancient mana’ in the world.”

“… … !”

It was an unexpected answer. Surprise and suspicion flashed through Kadim’s eyes.

“… … What kind of magic was it that required such a price?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know about that. Up until now, only the modern Tower Master has been able to see the records of that magic. But, well… … I’m on my way to see it right now, so I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.”

“… … .”

It was information that was obtained so easily that it was almost absurd, but its weight was by no means light. A ‘great magic’ that could burn the entire continent’s mana in an instant? Why on earth did Melissa create and cast such an absurd magic?

Maybe it was related to the ‘infestation of the devil’ as Hendark guessed. or not… … There may be something different going on. The answer will only be known by looking at Melissa’s records.

Kadim steeled his resolve even more. Then he followed the elder through the narrow door.

“Everyone is here. “This is the secret passage to the lowest level.”

The ‘secret passage’ was a round space about 20 meters wide, with a very open ceiling and all sides blocked. The walls were densely engraved with figures of humans, monsters, and demons, which made it feel more like an ancient altar or the inside of an elevator than a passage.

A magic circle was drawn on the floor, concentric with space, and five holes were dug at regular intervals around it. Even just by looking at it, I could feel how the secret passageway worked.

‘I guess it works if I put the key in that hole.’

Kadim dragged the pillars from his inventory one by one. Coltran confirmed his guess, then picked up the ‘pillar of water’ and placed it in a nearby hole.

But the moment the pillar is fixed.

Kookookookookookookook… … .

The entire floor and walls shook violently… …

――――― Kwagwagwagwagwa – !

… … Suddenly, a huge torrent of water poured down from above.

Coltran opened his ring eyes and reflexively chanted a spell.

“[Eldra! Ksanik! Pakundera! N, Kulamad!!]”

―――――― Kkwaddeuk! Kkwaddeukdeuk – !!

The wide-area freezing spell froze the entire falling water and fixed it to the wall. It cooled down so quickly that even the foam and air bubbles were vividly stuffed as if they were on a fixed canvas.

Soon, a ‘pillar of water’ pops out of the hole, mocking the visitors’ confusion.

“… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim gave him a squinted look as if asking for an explanation, but only a simple, incomprehensible expression came back. Coltran also took all his keys and used this secret passage for the first time.

Tsk, Kadeem clicked his tongue and thought deeply before he quickly came to one conclusion.

“… … It seems that each ‘pillar’ has its correct place. “If you plug it in incorrectly, it seems like a trap similar to the properties of a ‘pillar’ will be triggered like this.”

In that case, it was fortunate that the only thing that was wrong was ‘pillar of water’. If it had been something like a ‘pillar of fire’ or a ‘pillar of light’, it might have become carbonized remains before anything could be done.

Coltran felt no relief. His heart must have been strained by the magic he had just used, so he squeezed his chest and let out a laugh.

“Phew, that’s ridiculous… … . There are five pillars and five holes… … There are a total of 120 possible things… … . If I’m unlucky, I’ll have to endure this trap over 100 times… … ?”

“… … .”

Kadim shook his head.

I don’t think they would have made it so ignorantly by asking them to test it one by one. Perhaps there is a clue somewhere that points to the correct location of the pillars. And there was only one part of this room where we could find a clue.

The detailed relief carved into the wall.

Kadim walked closer and looked at them step by step.

At first glance, the reliefs looked like a chaotic brawl between humans and monsters and demons. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were merely entangled and not fighting each other. The only ones who were really opposing the crowd were the five human sculptures that were secretly attached to the bottom.

A warrior holding a holy sword.

A priest offering prayers.

A shaman who performs a magic spell.

A wizard raising a wand.

and… … A warrior wielding a huge axe.

“… … !”

The moment when Kadim realized something and widened his eyes.

The entire landscape cleared like a curtain, and the last fragments of the past unfolded like a fantasy.