The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 213



Only Krnovel

Episode 213. Star Crusher (2)

A cold wind blew from the north, making ice flowers bloom from the dew on the dry grass.

The border between the northern and southern parts of the continent was passed in the evening. General Dong, who had been crouching in the lukewarm air of the South, has now completely opened his shoulders. Fearing that even the bridge of his nose would freeze and fall off from the fierceness, the grass bugs hid deep in the dirt, and the trees and plants dropped their flower buds and prayed in silence.

It was the season when even the savages who boasted of their strong physiques were bundled up in leather clothes to survive. In such a time, in order to avoid being in a state of panic, it was common sense even for children to know that it was better to sit on the floor with an extra layer of blankets, and to breathe calmly, even if it meant taking a breath.

But one man went against all that common sense. He was lying on the frosty floor, savagely thrusting the winter wind into his lungs.

It was inevitable. If he didn’t take another breath, he would die. Duncan continued to look up at the sky with his eyes wide open, panting as if he was going to collapse.

“Ugh, ugh, gasp, ugh, ugh… … .”

Still, that level of rebellion against the season was a good level. His group was stripping down to their upper bodies as if they were trying to freeze to death.

Of course, that was why he acted that way. He was someone who could no longer feel the cold unless it was an extreme cold wave that turned even an active volcano into a snow mountain. Kadim lightly swept down the ‘Protection of Fire and Ice’ engraved on his neck.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh –

Melissa’s legacy and the dragon’s gift were worth it. The jewel embedded in the center absorbed mana, and the mysterious text spread warm heat, completely offsetting the chill. Well, my body is generating a lot of heat right now, so it wouldn’t be that cold even if it wasn’t for this… … .

He and Duncan had crossed half the continent in five days.

If you were to walk normally, it would have taken a month or two. It was truly a rapid march that went beyond common sense. Even across the entire continent, I thought that the only way to move this quickly was through Archpaladin’s Bright Mana or teleportation anti-magic.

Duncan was able to endure this unbelievable pace of march thanks to his improved physical strength from taking in Khadim’s blood, his steps becoming lighter from carrying his load, and his superhuman mental strength to somehow save his family. Nevertheless, he was so exhausted from the absurd harshness that he couldn’t even move his toes…

On the other hand, Kadim only had steam rising from his body, and his movements and breathing were calm, as if he had just finished a morning walk. Even if I had to go back the same distance I came, I could easily do it.

But he decided to just rest and relax today.

Before reaching the destination, ‘Delutana’, it would be a good idea to restore the party’s stamina.

“Let’s rest here today. “We will set off again tomorrow when the sun rises and enter Delutana before we reach midheaven.”

“Huh, oh oh… … Yeah… … Okay… … .”

“Take a blanket and lie down, Duncan. “If you stretch out on the cold floor and sweat like that, your muscles harden.”

We laid out blankets, collected sapwood and fallen leaves, made a fire, and made porridge with beef jerky and dried vegetables for meals. After resting like that, Duncan, who was panting as if he was about to die, was in much better condition.

In fact, it was the first time since the second round that Kadim had moved so quickly and far in such a hurry. He muttered as if he was lost in a sudden emotion.

“Certainly, it would have been nice if there had been words.”

“… … yes? “You mean a horse?”

“Yeah, I didn’t know you’d be begging me this much just for running a little.”

“… … .”

Duncan forced out the bad words that were rising to the surface, reminding himself that he had rushed because of his family.

“Whew… … Still, I think it was the right choice to come running like this, Your Majesty… … . I had no idea where to find the horse, and as a result, I ended up running faster than any other horse in the world… … .”

“Well, there are horses that run faster than this.”

“hmm? Ahhh! Are you talking about the shining horses that the paladins ride?”

“No, not that one. A word that is not of this world, a word that drinks oil from the ground instead of food.”

“… … ?”

“… … There are such guys. They have bodies made of iron and wheels, and their speed makes even the horses of the knights look ridiculous. If we rode them at full speed, we would have come in less than two days, the distance it took us several days to cover.”

The peddler blinked his eyes in confusion. What is this, from the mythology of the Atalans? It was nonsense that didn’t even seem like real words… … I couldn’t dare to vomit due to the inexplicable sadness underneath my voice.

Even the savage from another world kept his mouth shut after saying that. It was not a good time to reveal complicated circumstances. If I heard such a story, I would definitely not be able to rest comfortably tonight.

The wind that seeps through the silence for a moment, the sound of fire scattering along its course.

Whoa… … .

Duncan, who was absentmindedly reminiscing about the past few days, suddenly changed the subject.

“Oh, by the way, I’ll be better. My chronic illness… … So, ‘mania’. if… … How are you feeling these days?”

“… …Why do you ask that?”

“No, that’s… … It looks like you’re doing a lot better than before. Well, he didn’t talk to himself or cut himself, he didn’t drink blood, and he even just killed the devil yesterday and passed by… … . I was wondering if your ‘mania’ had improved a little… … .”

How could that be? The reason I didn’t take blood yesterday is because that guy is just a low-level pyramid demon…

… … Kadim, who was about to answer, closed his mouth and carefully rubbed his chin.

“… … .”

Now that I think about it, it was true.

Lately, I haven’t really tried to shake off the madness that’s been creeping up on me. My thirst for blood has also weakened to a tolerable level. The symptoms of ‘madness’ haven’t completely disappeared, but it’s definitely gotten a lot less severe than before.

‘what. I thought that mania would continue to worsen irreversibly… … .’

This was my first time experiencing it both in the first and second rounds.

After thinking about it quietly, I could guess that there were two possible causes.

One is that he went to hell and feasted on the blood of demons endlessly, the other… … There, Gale, who became a ball of light, removed the blood and madness.

The former seemed to be effective in that it satisfied my lingering craving to the fullest, while the latter seemed to be effective in that it completely washed away the side effects of the blood. I’ve regained almost all of the strength from the first session, but the mania has actually eased… … . Perhaps, this might be the best state I’ve been in since falling into the world of the game.

But it would be foolish to relax.

It was still nice to the eyes. The vision I always see whenever I drink too much blood, the sight of the demonic world in a mess after digging a hole with a shovel. If the assumption that madness becomes stronger as the ‘unidentified entity’ hidden underneath is revealed is true, then this peace is certain… … It would be like the calm before the storm.

Kadim tried to hide his true feelings and answered calmly.

“I guess being out in the hellish air was good for my body. “Next time, let’s go together.”

“… … .”

Duncan internally berated himself for asking such a pointless question a minute ago.

To quickly change the topic, I brought up a story about people who might be in Delutana. Enrico, the councilor who went there to sort out the affairs of Remtana, the soldiers of the Councilor Army who became close after spending a few days together, Old Man Gulak, the sledgehammer who was excited to be reunited with his family, and Goltaran, who abandoned his old name of ‘Agon’s Angry Horn’. until… … . Duncan mutters that he wonders if everyone is getting along.

But then Kadim suddenly clicked his tongue.

“… … “Maybe your family isn’t in Delutana.”

“Eh? Well, what do you mean by that? I don’t think I would have arrived safely… … .”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. Didn’t you tell your wife to go find that Goltaran guy earlier? But when he heard about the war in advance, he may have taken his family and fled to another city.”

“……ah!”

The response was brief. Duncan quickly became embarrassed.

“Then what should we do, Your Majesty? If they left here, who should we ask about their whereabouts… .”

“You’ll have to ask the counselor or Old Man Sledgehammer. If you find out where it went, well, you can just run straight back there.”

“… … .”

Considering the safety of your family, you may be glad that you evacuated early… … At this moment, the peddler, who had crossed half the continent in five days, had no choice but to pray with a very earnest heart.

Julia, Dunsen… … . Please, please, don’t go somewhere harsh and wait safely in Delutana… … .

*

Delutana’s crisis came in a way no one expected.

A coup by pro-imperialist senators opposing the war, an uprising by citizens enraged by the confiscation of military supplies, a surprise attack by the knights and holy warriors who broke through the border in a flash… … None of these were the causes of the chaos that turned the once splendid golden city into a chaotic mess.

First, there are dogs as huge as a wolf, shining pure white.

– Kew, woof, woof!!

– Crumbling, rumbling, rumbling – !

“Kuaaaaaaah!!”

And the second is Elgar’s ‘Gospel’ spread by the monsters.

“[Non-believers, recite this ‘gospel’ with earnest sincerity. Then, your spirit and body will be saved from the valley of death, and you will wear the ‘robe of light’ given by Elgar… … .]”

“AA AA AA…….”

White ferocious dogs roamed the streets, tearing and biting everyone they saw. Those who managed to escape the brink of death were inevitably met with monsters with light-colored skin on their backs. They thrust a piece of paper at them and demanded that they read it if they wanted to live.

“From the beginning, from the very beginning, I have looked over this land, haak, kyung, bent, bent… … The light has been shining… … The rightful owner of the whole world… … Wow, it’s all Elga… … .”

However, simply reading aloud was not enough.

“[You ungodly non-believer!! I told you clearly to memorize it with all your heart!!!]”

S-Gung!

In order to survive, you absolutely had to have a true belief within yourself that the ‘gospel’ would save you. Those who recited it half-heartedly or without earnest devotion were all destined to have their necks cut off by the light drapery wielded by the monster.

But the bigger problem occurred when someone read that ‘gospel’ with sincerity.

“[Ah, ah, this is truly the true gospel… … . Elgaman is the rightful master of this world… … From now on, I will gladly be the vanguard of light spreading this blessed word… … .]”

Woof, woof, woof… … .

Such a person loses his original personality, sprouts skin from his back, and becomes a ‘gospel body’, the same being as the monster who preached the gospel to him.

By those who became the ‘evangelists’ in this way, the ‘gospel’ began to spread like a plague throughout the city.

There were differing opinions as to why this happened, but there was no time to figure out the exact cause. The urgent priority was to respond to the disaster that occurred immediately.

Only one or two out of ten people were born again as ‘Gospels’ in the face of death. However, Delutana was the largest city in the Free Cities Alliance. In just one area near the North Gate, the starting point, hundreds of ‘Gospels’ were born.

It was not as if their military power was inferior due to their large number. Monsters and pure white vicious dogs were no match for ordinary citizens or even soldiers of the Chassa Army. The only forces capable of confronting them within the city were at most the remaining warriors of the ‘Indomitable Army’ or the wizards who had not yet returned to the Magic Tower.

“ATLAAAAAAHHH!!”

“Glory to the Father of the Wild -!!”

“[Graden, Mol, Delgusium, Samilact… … .]”

– Kew, woof, woof! Kew!

“[There will be Elgar’s judgment on the ungodly pagans!!]”

However, their numbers were extremely small compared to their enemies. In addition, while the gospel was increasing, their numbers were continuously decreasing due to injuries and deaths.

Given these circumstances, it was realistically impossible to protect all areas. The chairman of the council, Felico Turis, designated the area around Dongmun as an evacuation zone and concentrated all survivors and troops there.

We had to give up all important facilities and residential facilities, including the Council Hall, the head of the city, and the central square, the heart of the city… … There was nothing I could do. Whether they were children, adults, citizens, blacksmiths, soldiers, or lawmakers, everyone threw everything and quickly fled to the evacuation zone to somehow save their lives.

But somewhere in the city, there were those who devoted themselves to their mission, even at the risk of death… … .

A workshop in the northern part of Delutana, an area already taken over by monsters and ferocious dogs.

Cheolgeong, Cheolgeong, Chireuk… … .

The iron door of the workshop, which had been locked and sealed with chains, suddenly opened again.

Drrrrrr, quawk – ang!

A soft backlight poured into the dark workshop. Hammers roughly placed on the anvil, a sledgehammer lying around, weapons that had fallen from their stands, a pile of coal that had collapsed… … The scene of the workshop that had been left in disarray due to the hasty escape was clearly revealed.

“Tsk, those guys who call themselves blacksmiths… … They don’t even know how to be grateful to the old man who fed them iron rice their whole lives… … .”

The old man clicked his tongue and went inside. After roughly organizing the extensions and weapons that the blacksmiths had left behind, he headed to the workshop.

The limping gait became more precarious today. One broken heel alone was a heavy enough obstacle, but now the screams of those dying on the street and the cries of my granddaughter, who was begging me not to leave the evacuation zone, were hanging on my ankle.

But, even so, it was something that absolutely had to be finished.

“Whoa… … .”

‘Hammer Master’ Gulag took up his hammer with a clear mind.

Then, once again, we started producing a ‘masterpiece’ that was one step away from completion.