The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 25



Only Krnovel

Episode 25. Forest of No Return (5)

Hydra.

The devil only gets a name when it grows three horns. However, even though it only grew two horns, the warrior and his party gave this demon that name. He deserved his name because he caused him to suffer more than most high-ranking demons.

This demon certainly had much in common with the mythical monster that was the original owner of the name: it had nine heads, its neck could regrow if cut off, and it couldn’t even regenerate if burned.

But there was no mention of the monster coming back to life even though the nuclear power plant was burned to the ground, leaving no ashes behind.

Kadim braced his stomach to keep himself from shaking. Then he glared at the center of the Hydra’s head.

“It was clearly all burned, so how did it come back to life?”

As if it had been waiting, its forked tongue stuck out. Hydra lowered its head, twisting its neck muscles clenching.

– Shhh… … Why should I answer that? To a guy who took my life before, and now takes the life of my subordinate?

“… … .”

– That leper was more useful than I thought. People find it much more terrifying to be killed by a leper with nine limbs than to be bitten by a snake or something. Thanks to this, he was able to store away his pain and despair for a while.

“… … .”

– Well, I don’t really regret dying. He did his part until the end. Despite his shabby body, his obsession with life was so strong that he completely lost consciousness and radiated despair. Shhhhhh… … .

A look of disappointment appeared on Kadim’s face. The hydra pounced on the barbarian and thrust her head in.

– Look, son of the wilderness. A token of your promotion brought about by your ruthlessness.

Two intact horns protruding behind the eye pupils.

One of them had horns on its root side and was much lighter in color than the other side. It was evidence that the guy had recently evolved into a ‘higher level demon’ using pain and despair as a catalyst.

Kadim gritted his teeth.

Killing the leper was an inevitable choice. However, if he had known in advance that the cost would be this high, he probably would have made a different choice, even if it was unreasonable.

A high-level devil is a being who has reached perfection. It has power and abilities that are incomparable to those of low-level or mid-level devils. Now, without the strength, weapons, and companions from the first round, it was virtually impossible for Kadim to deal with a high-level demon.

The devil didn’t know that either. There was an arrogant composure in his cool voice.

– Rather, I would like to ask. Don’t humans die after a hundred years at most? How can they still be alive after 300 years? Did they receive some blessing from that uncivilized and dusty god?

“… … .”

– Well, you’re not the only one alive among the guys I saw back then… … .

“… … !”

It feels like lightning is striking Jeongsu-ri.

Kadim’s eyes widened.

The hand holding the knife trembled. She may have been playing with the tongue of a cunning devil. But even so, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Have you seen anyone other than me?”

The tongue that moves in and out constantly.

The devil did not hide his delight in seizing the weakness of his enemy. His sinister tongue moved hypocritically, carrying mockery.

– Sigh… … That’s what you want to know? Oh, it’s not that hard to tell. But I can’t just tell you… … I saw earlier that you have a new group… … .

“… … .”

– From the looks of it, he was a very useless guy. What a coward who trembles at the mere sight of a snake’s corpse. It made me wonder why my handsome colleagues were accompanying such trash. Oh, did he want to feel superior because he was a very strong person?

“… … .”

– But well… … that guy does have one good point. His obsession with life seems to be very strong.

The snake’s mouth was torn in a sharp curve.

– Bring him here. Then gouge out his eyes and tear off all his limbs. It wouldn’t be bad to rip his intestines to shreds or skin him alive. If only he could die a very painful death… … I’ll tell you where your old comrade is.

Kadim bit his lip so hard that it burst.

As always, the devil’s proposal was a bait that couldn’t be missed, with a sharp needle hanging behind it.

“… … .”

Objectively, it was right to sacrifice the peddler’s life.

Devils cannot lie in offers and contracts. It was obviously true that if you kill a peddler, he will tell you the whereabouts of your comrade.

Kadim was not fond of the peddler. He didn’t lose his spirit as much as people thought just because we had been together for a month. I had no sympathy for the peddler. If he had been spared because he had a wife and children back home, there would have been no one he could have killed.

The peddler wasn’t useless. But he didn’t have any irreplaceable talents. He didn’t have anything to show respect for either. Finding the whereabouts of his comrades who had slain the Great Demon together was far more important to him than the life of a weak man.

air lock… … The peddler’s analysis that it would be abandoned when the situation became unavoidable was correct.

“… … .”

But the peddler would never die by his hands.

Objectivity is nothing more than an excuse for the weak.

This was a proposal that had not even the slightest chance of being accepted.

That is definitely not how the warriors of Atala live.

For Kadim, the devil was not something he would accept an offer to make a deal with. To him, the devil was just something that had to be torn apart, torn off flesh, crushed bones, ripped out internal organs, bursting open heads, and plunged daggers into arteries to receive and drink the blood.

It was funny to see myself shaking for a moment. What are you hesitating about? The solution you’ve always chosen is right in front of you, but now you’re scared and negotiating with the enemy?

It would be better to fight to the end and die than to become a coward and survive. Kadim looked into the vertically slit pupils and raised the corners of his mouth.

“Stop talking nonsense and listen to my proposal.”

– … … .

“Instead of killing me cleanly like last time, I’m telling you the whereabouts of my comrade.”

Chirr, angry waves rising along the scales.

There was anger in the eighteen eyes. The nine heads approached without hesitation.

– Since you chose to die like an idiot, I guess there is no need for further conversation.

The head in the middle rushed forward with an eerie murderous aura.

– Shh!

――――――Ugh!!

The moisture-soaked floor suddenly burst open. The head, which immediately created a deep furrow, twisted and fired again, aiming at Khadim.

– Shh!

Kadim raised his sword while bending low. The blade touched the demon’s neck. This time, the charge missed, and the blade just slashed across the azure surface.

Ttudtudtuk – !

But there were no scratches. The ‘mosquito’s’ razor blades could not pierce the scales as hard as iron armor at all.

Hydra flicked his tongue, giving a disapproving look.

– That’s a poor sword. Did you take something from the kitchen at a woman’s house?

“… … .”

The head rushes in again like a hawk.

– Shh!

– Shh!

This time it wasn’t one. The fourth and sixth heads nearby showed their fangs and rushed in violently.

― …

He rolled almost like he was throwing himself to dodge. The sixth head slammed into the ground. Instead of slamming down like that, the fourth head flexibly changed direction in the air.

Kadim quickly stood up and aimed his sword at the eyeball. However, the fourth head was only a decoy. Hydra pretended to extend it and swung the third head from behind like a hammer, striking the rear.

―――――――― Phew!

“Ugh!”

The impact was so severe that it broke his spine. Kadim rolled around on the floor several times before he could get up.

The middle head lowered its head and looked puzzled.

– I don’t understand. You can’t avoid even this much of a surprise attack? I don’t think I’ve aged for 300 years, but why have I become so weak?

“… … .”

– Hissing… … Are you really conserving your strength?

It wasn’t that I was conserving my strength. It’s just that compared to the first time he reached the level of superhuman, this body is just a slightly trained mortal.

However, Kadim was hiding something of a ‘means’.

That wasn’t available yet. After all preparations were completed, I had to use it when the decisive opportunity presented itself. Kadim silently raised the word ‘mosquito’ again.

Hydra glared sharply and muttered.

– Stop being ridiculous. If you don’t give it your all, your corpse will soon be lying in the swamp.

– Shh!

– Shhh!

And then, the onslaught of relentless attacks continues.

The nine heads each covered themselves in misty magic and then burst out like lightning to attack Kadim. They didn’t just make surprise attacks. They repeatedly made threats by crying, or sometimes they exposed their bodies as if they were showing off, adding to the confusion.

– Shh, shh!

An attack that came without regard to direction. It was impossible to avoid all the attacks by just staying on the ground. Kadim would jump high and stomp on their heads or climb on their bodies and jump down to evade them.

But there were too many things to avoid. Perfect avoidance was ultimately impossible.

Kwajik!

He dodged the fangs that were slashing down with a difference of a single sheet of paper. However, Kadim’s body was already covered in wounds. His collarbone and ribs were broken after being struck repeatedly by the rush. His breathing, which was already difficult due to the intense magic, became even more difficult.

“Hoo, hoo… … .”

Still, it took a reasonable amount of time.

As I glanced behind me, I saw a light coming through the bushes. Kadim’s legs broke and he ran towards it. For some reason, Hydra just stared at Kadim without giving chase.

As Kadim came into view, Duncan, sweating profusely, held out the torch.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It’s so humid that the fire doesn’t light well… … Here, a torch… … .”

“Run, peddler, before the demon attacks you.”

Kadim snatched the torch and shoved Duncan away. He then sheathed his sword and pulled out the throwing axe hanging from his waistband.

A torch in one hand, an ax in the other. I cut through the foggy demonic energy like a gust of wind and ran forward, detached and determined.

‘There is only one chance… … .’

Woof woof –

Is it an illusion? A whining vibration touched her fingertips. The cry of an ax thirsting for blood. To put it bluntly, it was a feeling close to that feeling.

Thanks to the breathless sprint, the acceleration was sufficient. A blurry afterimage was visible beyond the amplification curtain. The target is the central head of Hydra. As soon as the two towering horns came into view, I threw the ax with explosive force.

Parararararack-!!

The axe, with its wings of blooming metal, once again hit its target squarely.

―――――― Ugh – Wow!!

The axe blade lightly shattered the auburn scales and split the bridge of the nose.

Both of its eyes popped out as if they were going to be gouged out by the shock. The venom sac and skull were torn apart, and blood, venom, and brain fluid mixed together in a mess. The Hydra let out a loud cry and twisted its entire body at the unexpected damage.

– Shhhhhhhhh!!!

But even such a serious injury would recover quickly. To prevent regeneration, it was necessary to burn it with fire. Kadim reached into his waistband and grabbed a bottle of camellia oil.

He threw an oil bottle with all his might at the rioting head.

Then he waited for the head to turn towards the ground, then rushed towards him like a tiger and threw the torch.

Whoosh whoosh!

– Shhhhh!!

The flames spread. The writhing in pain became even more intense. The smell of burning skin rose. The damp magic and acrid smoke mixed together, creating strange changes in density in the sky.

“Phew… … .”

Kadim took a deep breath. Now that the head, the core center, was burned, the other heads would only move based on instinct. It didn’t matter if they took a breather, cut them down one by one, and burned them with fire.

The barbarian warrior was able to burn the Hydra once again, just like in the mythical tales… …

– … … Did you think you would fall for the same trick again, foolish son of the wilderness?

Kwa-jik!

Suddenly, the fangs dug deep into my forearm.

The expression that it dug into his forearm was not really an appropriate expression, because the teeth were so huge that they tore off his left arm in an instant. His forearm and biceps were now connected by just a single piece of skin.

Because it happened so suddenly, Kadim didn’t even feel the pain properly. The second head was still biting his forearm and wouldn’t let go. He looked in front of him with bewildered eyes.

The head was staring at him as it finished playing.

– 300 years ago, after losing my head to your burning axe, I made a decision. If there is a next life, you will definitely get a body that can regenerate even if it is engulfed in flames.

“… … .”

– I have finally achieved my wish by acquiring new horns and evolving. Now there is nothing that can stop my rebirth. Even if the karma of hell covers this forest, I will shed my old skin with new flesh and go forward, causing misery to the whole world.

The spleen’s means of escape were blocked. The enemy did not suffer even the slightest injury. He himself suffered serious and irreparable injuries.

A single-minded prisoner with no way out.

Kadim sighed softly and closed his eyes tightly.

He once thought, how great would it be if the story he was living was like a game scenario or a mythical heroic tale.

A story about facing adversity but always overcoming it with brilliant wit. This is a story where the things you want come to you by a surprising coincidence. A story about overcoming hardships and achieving everything you want. A story that ultimately converges to a planned happy ending.

But this story wasn’t like that.

There was no such thing as a planned happy ending in this world. There was no safety device that would accept him even if he failed once. He had to walk a narrow path that could lead to the abyss of destruction at any time. He even returned to the starting point from what he thought was the end, so he could no longer tell if there was an end to this path.

He himself was far from a hero.

He had no brilliant wit, no natural destiny, and no heroic nobility. He had to seek out all relationships himself, make all judgments on his own, and destroy all enemies without leaving any traces. As a result, he ended up becoming a bloodthirsty demon of Asura, whose footsteps left puddles of blood.

A life in which only a speck of humanity remains.

A narrative that leaves nothing but pain and despair when you look into it.

A story that is extremely cruel, terrible, and heartbreaking.

“… … .”

however.

however.

Nevertheless, this story.

It is not a story of a weak human being who succumbs to defeat and falls.

– Shhh?!

The second head withdrew hastily, emitting a sharp cry. Blood flowed down the roof of its mouth. The middle head could not hide its shock, its pupils slit open.

– … … how?

Kadim slowly lifted his left arm, which had been pierced by the fangs.

The hole was filled with bone and flesh, and the injury was healing quickly.

Kadim slowly raises the sword in his hand.

The blade that had been sucking up blood was now emitting a faint reddish light. Now, even during battle, he could receive as much demon blood as he wanted. If he could sting it just once, the ‘mosquito’ would swallow the blood and offer it to its master.

As a demon with the unique property of regeneration, the regeneration effect buff was the most evident. However, it did not stop there.

Muscles expanded uncontrollably, bones hardened harder than steel. Senses sharpened like blades, and intense blood flowed from the spinal cord to the extremities. A thirst for bloody battle and a murderous will to slaughter the enemy filled me.

As befits the blood of a ‘high-level devil,’ various powerful buffs began to overlap.

A sinister smile appeared on Kadim’s lips.

“The tongue may be dirty, but the blood is useful.”

– Hissing… … .

“But it’s still not enough. “I need to quench my thirst some more.”

The snake’s pale yellow eyes trembled slightly. Flashes of an immeasurably long past flashed across time and stuck in my mind like a beam of light.

The image of a berserker holding up a blazing axe, burning his desire to kill more fiercely than the fire of hell, beheading all nine heads and drinking his own blood.

Hydra lowered his gaze, flickering his dry tongue.

A berserker with blood-red eyes was looking up at him.

The same appearance as when I encountered it in the Demon Realm 300 years ago.