The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 158



Only Krnovel

Episode 158. The Forest of Dreams (1)

A moonless night had come. Instead of the refracted moonlight, only the sharp starlight of needles pierced the night sky. In the still darkness, a solemn-looking giant was holding a sword with red letters engraved on it with both hands.

My heart beats like a war drum. It’s finally midnight.

Kadim recited resolutely.

“[O Lord Atala, the master of all diseases who knows no defeat. Place your blade in my hand, bless the great warrior thirsty for struggle, and let me quench my thirst with the red blood of my enemy… … .]”

Wooooow –

A crimson haze rose. A fiery afterglow flooded the air. A sacred oppression overwhelmed the area, as if we had entered a heavenly battlefield.

[What ‘name’ will you give to this sword?]

The sound of will spreads clearly. Kadim answered without any hesitation.

“‘Iron Blood Demon’.”

[… … .]

“In the name of ‘Iron Blood Demon,’ I will forge this sword anew.”

Uuuuuuung – !

The scattered energy was engraved on the sword body. The hilt of the sword trembled as if it had been greedily devouring blood. After completing the ritual, Kadim decided to test whether it had the desired effect.

Wedge – Liquid! Kwakagagak – !

As I swung it at the rock, the stone split like soft soil. There was not even a scratch on the blade. Although the sword shook its blade discontentedly because it could not swallow blood… … It seemed that the special effect of ‘enhanced durability’ was well applied as intended.

The problem with ‘Blood Demon’ is that, although its special effects are powerful, its strength is weak because it is based on an ordinary iron sword. ‘Iron Blood Demon’ is a new name that was created to compensate for this. From now on, you can freely cut the hide of powerful demons without worrying about it breaking, and drink their blood right away.

‘… … This should be enough to organize the epic ranks.’

As I was putting my sword away with satisfaction, the group that had been retreating approached. Duncan spoke with a look of lingering wonder on his face.

“Wow, it’s surprising to see it again… … . To me, it seemed like there was some kind of ritual to give a special name to a weapon… … Is this true, Nauri?”

“… … .”

There was no need to hide it anymore. Kadim explained. This ability was ‘Name-forger’. It was the ability to give a weapon a special power by adding a new name. It was a power that was only allowed to the great warrior who carried out Atala’s will.

Duncan, who realized the truth, looked even more amazed. He forgot the fatigue from the arduous march and was busy marveling at the miracles one after another.

“Aha, so that’s why that throwing axe I got before spewed lightning and came back to me, that’s because I named it that!”

“……yes.”

“Oh, but then wouldn’t it have been better to give that black axe a name this time? I’ve heard it’s an amazing weapon, and if you give it a new name, it’ll be even stronger… … .”

Duncan was referring to ‘The Judgment of Atala’.

Kadim narrowed his eyebrows slightly.

It’s not that he didn’t think about it. No, in fact, he had already tried to use a new name in Atala’s judgment in the first round.

The result was a failure. The energy of blessing dispersed without being able to engrave a new name on the head of the axe. The reason was unclear, whether it was because the material of the black iron was too hard, whether the weapon was full of special effects, or because Dok2 did not like the new name… … .

‘… … Well, I guess it wasn’t such a strange name.’

Of course, even without having to give it a new name, ‘Atala’s Judgment’ was already an incredibly powerful weapon.

So far, he can only use the basics of granting divine energy, but Kadim remembers some advanced ways to use it. A state where sacred energy is released explosively, a state where sacred energy is mixed with other energy and utilized, and a state where sacred energy is extremely compressed and transformed… … .

New ways of using the divine, conveniently named ‘형(形)’.

Thanks to them and the buffs given by the blood of demons, Khadim was able to become a core force of the warrior group despite his inherent limitations.

Only one, the ‘realm of explosive release’, was similarly recreated when he regained his divine power in the arena. However, that alone was not enough. In order to deal with the powerful enemies he would meet in the future, other ‘forms’ with overwhelming power were essential.

Therefore, I had to prepare myself in advance. A sense to skillfully control the divine powers, a body to withstand the multiplying side effects, and a mind that would not be shaken by rampant madness.

… … The thoughts were long. After gathering his thoughts, Kadim answered Duncan’s question by saying that was impossible.

Duncan nodded vaguely. His doubts were resolved, but he seemed to be feeling somewhat unsatisfied. When I asked him if he had anything left to say, he quickly poured out his heart.

“Well, then you will get better…” … I’m sorry, but maybe later… … “Can you give this sword a name too?”

Duncan hesitated and held out his fancy sword sheath.

A sword with no visible blade that was stolen from the mercenary leader last time.

Thanks to his knack for hiding his presence and his compatibility, Duncan was using that knife quite well. It wasn’t a request he couldn’t particularly grant. Because it’s a good thing that the group’s strength becomes stronger.

However, there was one problem. In this world, the moon’s disappearance cycle was irregular.

There are times when it comes back quickly in spring, but basically, it was longer than reality. I didn’t know exactly when I would be able to use ‘The One Who Sharpens Names’ again. At that time, I wondered if it was right to take on the opportunity cost of sharpening my own weapon… … .

Kadim clenched his jaw. After thinking about it for a moment, he gave his answer softly.

“Until the next moon disappears, try to surprise me at any time. If you succeed in attacking me three times, I will grant your request.”

“… … .”

“Of course, without the Night Shadow Cloak.”

Duncan gaped in bewilderment.

In the end, I agreed to it, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of confusion. How can you surprise someone three times when they can even notice fleas crawling from afar? If they don’t want to do it, they just say no… … He sighed inwardly and lamented.

However, his eyes were not completely devoid of winning spirit and confidence.

The forced march that lasted for several days strengthened Duncan’s inner self. It is a good sign that you have learned to have that kind of attitude in the face of great difficulties. Just as his bones break and become stronger, he will have to strengthen his confidence by shattering it countless times in the future.

Kadim said with a faint laugh.

“It’s late at night, so you can rest for today. I’ll take the night watch first.”

Considering the journey ahead, he definitely had to stock up on energy. Duncan covered himself with a cool blanket. Kadim faced the night sky and sharpened his senses. The scent of the dense forest faintly tickled his nose.

The destination is not far away.

By the time the sun rises in the sky today, they will have entered the forest.

*

Benson, a simple mercenary, was a young man hungry for love.

Benson had a simple dream. That dream was to one day buy a few simple mansions, have simple weddings with several beautiful ladies in the front yard with a simple golden fountain, and then make simple love with new beauties every day.

Unfortunately, Benson was far from a womanizer. He couldn’t remember ever receiving a warm smile from a beautiful woman in his life, except when he went to the brothel with a large bouquet of flowers.

The cause, of course, lay with Benson himself. Appearance as shabby as a toad, disgusting personality, always squandering money on women… … . He had absolutely no qualifications to show off as a man.

Nevertheless, there were rare women who expressed interest first, but Benson did not like them. As she chased after beautiful women all her life, her discernment grew as high as the sky. Ah, it would have been better if the girl I saw last time had been like this instead of this shameless girl… … . I was growing old as an old bachelor, spewing out meaningless complaints… … .

One day, I heard something eye-opening at a bar.

‘Well, if you have a hard time finding a woman you like here, how about looking for the elves in the forest?’

‘… … ‘What?’

‘Why, that race of incredibly beautiful, never-aging people. It seems that many of the rich people of the big cities are interested in elves. If you catch an elf and sell it to them, you can make a lot of money. And by the way, you can take the prettiest one as your own… … .’

‘Ugh, don’t talk nonsense. There is no such thing as an elf in the world… … .’

‘No, it’s not nonsense. I heard from wanderers who visited the Great Forest that there really were elves there. They all say that her beauty was beyond imagination! furthermore… … How did they eat so well in a place where there was nothing but scraps of grass, hmm, even the curves were so… … .’

Benson changed his dream from that day on. By simply capturing and selling elves, and sharing simple love with new elves every day in a simple mansion. He just packed his bags and started his journey towards the forest.

What his bar mate didn’t tell him was that the road to the Great Forest was very rough. There were no cities or permanent troops, so wherever he went, demons and monsters were rampant. If he hadn’t been quick on his feet, Benson would have been a guest who never returned dozens of times.

Still, I didn’t blame my colleagues. Isn’t unexpected adversity also part of the fun of the journey? If I thought that all the hardships were trial and error for this fateful encounter, I could understand it.

He glanced sideways at the woman he happened to see.

She was truly a rare beauty. Jewel-like yellow eyes, flowing dark brown hair, and a figure that couldn’t be hidden even by a loose tunic… … Wouldn’t it be hard to find a woman like her, even in the big city?

The forest was right in front of him, but he wondered if it was really necessary to go that far. Benson had already revised his dream. He wanted to have a simple marriage with this woman and have a few children and live a simple life.

So, from the very first moment, he clung to me and started manipulating me.

“Ahem, Miss. May I ask you something? Why is a beautiful lady like a flower wandering around a dangerous place like this alone?”

“Oh, are you going to the Great Forest? This is truly amazing! I’m on my way there right now… … . Doesn’t it seem like they were just going to run into each other? Hehehe… … .”

“Well, it’s not like we’re meant to be… … So that you don’t get bored on the way, would you like me to keep you company, Miss?”

“… … .”

The woman didn’t even give a cursory answer. This level of disregard is familiar. Benson steadfastly continued his work.

“What are you going to the Great Forest for? Are you going to look for the elf too? Well then, there’s no need to go all the way to the Great Forest, right? You could just look in the mirror, haha… … .”

“Knock knock knock, are you there? Can’t you hear me? Hey, girl? “When someone gives you such a witty compliment, isn’t it polite to smile at least once?”

“It’s me, Man Benson! I can’t just get over it because my pride is hurt! “I won’t move until the lady smiles, so let’s see where and how long I can stay with the cold wind blowing like that!”

“… … .”

Benson lay sprawled on the pavement like a vagabond. The woman who had been looking at him with contempt opened her lips for the first time.

“… … I have a group. “Don’t bother, just go.”

Although the tone was cold, the voice was as clear as the clear sky. Benson jumped up and raised his toad-like mouth.

“Wow, your voice is as beautiful as your face. But, what are you going with? Who are you going with? Are there, uh, uh, other elves here?”

“… … My husband. “I’m waiting for my husband to come home, so don’t talk nonsense and go quickly.”

“… … .”

A normal person would have given up at this point and continued on their way.

But Benson was not a normal person. My brain was already half eaten with hungry lust. He decided to find out somehow whether she really had a husband or if it was a lie.

“Ah, you were the owner? Ugh, sorry! “You look younger than most girls, so I guess I was mistaken.”

“… … .”

“But that husband is too much! Where did he go leaving such a beautiful woman behind? If I had a woman like this, I would jump out of my sleep and come running to her… … .”

From then on, the woman remained completely indifferent. No matter how hard Benson tried to move his tongue, she just stared blankly into the distance.

Her toad-like face twisted in impatience. Could it be that she was really waiting for her husband? But why would she wait for him in a place like this? It still seemed a bit long… … While thinking about how to get her to open her mouth, I noticed a black bag lying next to the woman.

Benson slowly approached him, grumbling.

“Ahem… … Are all the people listening dead? Why aren’t you saying anything? Then can I take that bag over there? Hehe, let’s see, what’s inside… … .”

“… … I think it would be better not to touch that.”

It’s monotonous, but it’s so chilling that it feels like my neck will be cut off if I take just one more step.

The woman fired, smoothing her sleeves. Benson stopped, flinching and shaking. He took a quick step back and sneered.

“Oh, you’re surprised? You’re still alive? Oh my, I’m not a thief, so of course I wouldn’t touch something that already has an owner. But… … What’s in your bag that makes you react so sensitively? Did you bring a bunch of pretty underwear to show your husband?”

“… … .”

“Kuhaha, just kidding, just kidding! Got it! Got it, so now relax your expression a bit. Gosh, what if there’s even a wrinkle on that pretty face… .”

Contrary to what she had intended, the woman’s frown was even more severe. But as time passed, those wrinkles gradually turned into her unexpected smile. Benson thought his sincerity was working and continued to flutter with his spirit alive.

Of course, that was a huge mistake.

“It’s finally here.”

“……yes?”

A huge shadow suddenly covers the background.

Benson froze. An unknown pressure pressed heavily on the back of his head. The woman passed Benson by. She clung to the shadow and spoke in a voice as soft as a wildflower.

“Hello. This is my husband!”

“… … .”

Benson forced his neck, which was not turning, to turn stiffly. And he finally faced it.

Atalain, a vicious soldier with even more vicious muscles and tattoos all over his body.

As soon as I saw it, I just couldn’t breathe.

Well, is that really a human? Isn’t it like a cross between a barbarian and a devil? Damn it, what should I do? If that woman were to tell me every single thing she said… … Just thinking about it made my legs tremble and my hair became irritated.

Benson, a simple mercenary, changed his dream again. Even if his limbs are torn apart, he simply lives his life. He put everything aside and politely bent down from his waist to look.

“H, h, h, hello, teacher… … .”

And the man who was suddenly pointed out by the woman as her husband.

“I’ve waited a long time, honey. It seems like it’s been a very long time since I last saw you. How have you been?”

“… … .”

Kadim looked at Ilenia, who was smiling calmly while hugging his right arm, and frowned as if he had been struck by an unexpected disaster.