The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 47



Only Krnovel

Episode 47. The Priestess of the Wilderness (3)

I couldn’t help but spit out some foul language.

If you are a warrior of Atala, you want me to prove my strength? Why can’t I just take a look and step aside? If I say that to your face, you’ll start talking about trials, hardships, and results, and other nonsense?

Still, those words made many things clear.

It is certain that the priestesses of the wilderness created these ruins, that they created them to test themselves, and that this was the reason that they and the archaeologist were able to enter…

And that all of those warriors made of clay must be destroyed.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

As the drum sound changed, one of the warriors opened his eyes and charged towards us.

– Atalaaaaa!!!

The spirit was completely different from the gloomy muttering he had just had. Kadim blocked the slashing blade with a mosquito, twisted the blade and shook it, then stabbed the enemy deep into the abdomen. However, the warrior calmly swung his sword again and counterattacked as if he had not been injured at all.

– No way! Atala is with me… … .

Bang – !

Kadim dodged the blade and struck the jaw with a flash of lightning. His face split open like hardened clay. As the warrior knelt, he twisted his arm, took a position behind him, and struck the back of his head with the pommel. Only then did the warrior, whose head was completely shattered, return to the dirt and collapse on the floor.

– Atalaaaaaaa!!

– Atalaaaaaaaaaa!!

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Two more warriors rushed in. It seemed difficult to inflict much damage with a slash or stab. Kadim twisted his upper body, pulling out a salmon and throwing it.

Pararae larae laraak, coo coo coo gwang-!

The blade of the axe spun around rapidly, shattering and piercing the skulls and crushing several more heads behind it. As it drew on the invisible power, the blade sped up its rotation again, destroying the earth warriors and returning to its master’s hand.

Pararaeraraerarak, kwa-ang!

– Atalaaaa …

However, the warrior standing next to him rushed forward without any hesitation even though his chest was pierced by the returning ax blade. A warrior who is quickly approaching, waving his hole-filled upper body in false pretense.

A heavy hammer was swung at Khadim. Khadim held the axe head back like a blunt weapon and blocked the hammer head that was coming down.

Ka-Ah!

A clear metallic sound that climbs up the wall and resonates.

Of course, the throwing ax made of iron was fine, but the mace made of clay did not seem to have suffered much damage. Moreover, the warrior’s strength was so formidable that even Kadim felt a shock for an instant.

‘… … You must be using really good soil.’

I quickly lowered my posture and walked. He raised the blade of his ax and struck it like a gush at the warrior who lost his balance and fell. The fragments of his long spear flew and smashed his head, and the warrior lost his mace in his hand. Kadim thought, spitting out the dust that had entered his mouth. After all, we have to smash his head, right?

Cheaeng, purr – oops! Let’s go, let’s go!

He flicked his sword and counterattacked, breaking one guy’s head and throwing his body, knocking out three guys at the same time. He hurled his ax in a circular motion towards the fallen men and exploded their heads one after another. Clay dolls that had lost their texture and were damaged were piled up on the floor.

However, even though the number of allies was noticeably reduced, the spirit of the earth warriors did not decline. No, even the guys whose bodies were half shattered didn’t care and ran in shouting cheers.

– Atalaaaaa!!!

– Glory to the ruler of eternal war!!

A wave of suicidal charges with no regard for their own safety. Even Kadim couldn’t stop all the attacks. Minor injuries increased, including scratches on his cheek and cuts on his forearms and legs. In one-versus-many battles like this, I always used ‘blood sucking’ to heal wounds, but since they had no blood, I couldn’t do that this time.

In the end, I was seriously contemplating whether I should drink the blood of the Hydra and sweep it away… …

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

Suddenly, Kadim realized that the sound of the drum was very annoying.

‘… … Is that book giving a buff by any chance?’

It couldn’t hurt to check. I pulled the Hellfire Dagger from my waistband and hurled it quickly.

Wedge – Liquid!

Then, suddenly, the warriors’ eyes all turned towards that direction… …

– Atalaaa!!

Fur – Whew! Whoosh! Whoosh!

… … One of the guys leapt forward nimbly and blocked his dagger.

The warrior engulfed in flames was scorched and hardened. The other warriors formed a formation to protect the drum in perfect order. I don’t know if it was giving a buff or something, but it was clear that the drum was an important item to them.

Once the target was determined, no matter how hard they tried to block it, Kadim held the salmon in one hand and the hellfire dagger in the other. He planned to throw the axe to break the earth warrior’s barrier, and then throw the dagger.

There was no need for that.

Because Shinyoung suddenly appeared and tore the drum into pieces first.

Tsk tsk tsk!

“I took care of it, mercenary! You don’t have to worry about this!”

Ilenia holds up a torn drum and shakes it back and forth.

Kadim narrowed his eyes. He saw it clearly. A faint trace appeared from her hand and then disappeared again. Was she using some hidden relic?

I had my doubts, but the first thing I did was kill the remaining warriors. As soon as the drum was torn, the warriors lost their spirit and started to tremble like sick people, wondering if it was right to give them a buff.

– Atalaaaaaaa… … .

– Atalaaaaaaaaaa… … .

Spread the word – !

The warriors of Atala, who were made of clay, could no longer compete with the great warriors filled with blood and sweat. Kadim swept away his enemies without hesitation, as if smashing a row of pots. It took less than an hour for all the warriors to return to dust.

The battle is over. I took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead. From his secret, he saw Ilenia approaching. She looked back and forth between the mountain of warrior remains and the dust-covered barbarian and stuck out her tongue.

“It’s amazing. Brave warriors made of clay… … Atala’s mercenary who single-handedly defeated that powerful army… … . “I feel like I’ve glimpsed a story from a myth or legend.”

“… … .”

“Oh my, I said something useless again. Are you okay? “Are you seriously hurt anywhere?”

“Okay. But how did you tear the drum earlier?”

“Hehehe, if you want to survive in rough terrain, you need to make at least one weapon that the enemy doesn’t know about. Let’s say I use the ‘stone’ I had hidden to throw at the enemy’s face.”

“… … .”

Ilenia said that and smiled.

Kadim frowned. How could he have overheard what I told Duncan? Then he glanced back. Near the entrance where Ilenia had first been, there were three or four remains of the Earth Warriors that he had definitely not defeated.

‘I hid that much power and calmly requested escort, la…’ … .’

This was the point where I just skipped over it.

It didn’t matter whether she was an ally or an enemy. He couldn’t keep someone who kept his true intentions and abilities hidden and spied on him by his side. Kadim held the hilt of his sword tightly in his hand. He was going to question the woman’s true intentions and identity, and if she didn’t answer, he would use physical force.

He narrowly failed to put that idea into practice.

[The proof is over. Come here, great warrior of Atala.]

A sound that spreads through will alone, not voice. Just like before, the surrounding scenery was torn away, like peeling off wallpaper.

I’m going to go to the middle of the day… … .

“Oh, no, mercenary… …!”

But now even Illenia was included in the scenery, folded like a fluttering paper doll, and disappeared without a trace.

“… … .”

This time, only he moved to another place.

The wide circular room disappeared and a narrow space was revealed. The engraved patterns gave off a soft glow like fireflies, and metal decorations climbed the walls and ceiling like vines. Let’s move our gaze along the irregularly shaped shaman line drawn on the flagstone.

An old woman was seen sitting with her back against the wall.

The old woman sensed a presence and raised her eyes. A dry, cracked voice, like the land that had endured a thousand years of drought, came out through vocal cords that had become saggy due to age.

“You have crossed the river of eternity and returned again, great warrior. Living in the torrent of time is not as good as a drop of water. What harsh winds and waves of fate have made you drift, and what have you gained? Is the endless bondage now stained with the blood of wrongdoing, or does it still shine with the glory of struggle?”

“… … .”

After staring blankly at the priestess of the wilderness for a moment, Kadim relaxed his shoulders and neck.

Then he suddenly threw the throwing axe.

Parararararararaarak, kwa-ang!!!

… … gurgling – !

The axe was stuck right next to the priestess’s head. The wall cracked open and the entire space shook heavily. The priestess opened her wrinkled eyes. It was not a simple threat, but an attack filled with a deep murderous intent.

Hiding his intentions, checking his liver, testing people at will, spitting out good deeds, Kadim was disgusted by all these dark deeds. He reached out and took back his axe, declaring coldly.

“Now that the proof has been completed, I decide the rules of conversation. From now on, only I can ask questions. Pointless nonsense is prohibited. “If you don’t know, answer clearly that you don’t know.”

“… … .”

“Otherwise, the next thing this axe blade breaks will not be the wall, but your shrunken head and brain.”

The air flowing with a fierce texture. The priestess, who had calmed down her shock, smiled bitterly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t fully take into account that your mind and body were exhausted from my long journey… … . “I promise that I will no longer include unnecessary rhetoric in our conversations.”

“… … .”

As the old priestess took a humble stance, Kadim was able to calm his emotions somewhat. He retrieved his axe, took a deep breath, and sat cross-legged facing the priestess.

“Why were these ruins created? The guide said that there are ruins like this all over the continent.”

“I needed a space to welcome you across the endless years. The priestesses of the wilderness… … were losing their power. Before they completely lost their power, they chose to confine themselves, drawing on what little psychic power they had left.”

“… … You lost your power? What is the reason? Did you take back the power that Atala gave you?”

“Well, no one knows the exact reason. Some say that the priestesses angered Atala, some say that it was a trial that Atala had sent upon us, and some say that the ‘great warrior’ who connected Atala and us disappeared. However, the truth is known only to the master of the place where war and banquets never cease… … Have you seen the priestesses who have regained their strength in the outside world?”

“No, I didn’t see it.”

“… … Then, except for the ghosts trapped in this cramped room, the priestesses of the wilderness have disappeared from the world forever.”

A dazzling reflection passed by the pupils buried in the drooping eyelids. The look in the priest’s eyes as he realizes that he has been abandoned by God and has now been cut off forever.

It was a hasty judgment. Kadim showed ‘Mosquito’ and ‘Salmon’.

“But Atala didn’t completely abandon us. As you can see, I was still able to use the blessing, although it was only to a small degree.”

“That’s… … good news to hear. If what you say is true, it seems our wait was not completely in vain.”

“But why did they do this? Did the priestesses of the wilderness really choose to be confined for hundreds of years just because they believed in the slight possibility that the Great Warrior of Atala would return and regain his powers? Who on earth came up with this ridiculous plan in the first place?”

The shaman craned her neck like a sick turtle and slowly shook her head. The name she had expected to come out of her dry lips, but which she had hoped would not come out, came out.

“Do you remember ‘the blind-eyed shaman’?”

A heart-stopping silence.

Kadim closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. I felt like the string that was holding me tightly was loosened, and an unforgettable name came out as if the wind had gone out.

“Cyril.”

“… … Yes, that was his name. “So many years have passed that I forgot.”

“Did Cyril come up with this plan?”

“Yes. He outlined the plan and carried out most of it. In fact, we had lost most of our psychic powers by then, so we could only provide a little help. If his magic had not been in this relic, this old man would have already turned to dust.”

“Explain the story in more detail. “Everything, from beginning to end, without missing a thing.”

Kadim clenched his fists without realizing it. The priestess raised her lonely eyes high. Now, leaving this place, she gazed endlessly into the distant past, and finally opened her dry lips.

“After the subjugation of the Great Demon and your disappearance, he endured the pain and longing of the captain and wandered through long days and nights without light in search of you. When warriors and priestesses claimed to be his staff, he wandered from one end of the continent to the other, his feet worn out and covered in blood. However, nowhere was he able to find even a single trace of you.”

“… … .”

“But he didn’t give up. Even though he cannot find you now, he believed that one day you would overcome the gap of time and return to our arms. So he decided to prepare the things you need for that time.”

“… … .”

“He devoted himself to creating them for a long time. He prayed for a hundred days without eating, drinking, or sleeping, wandered through remote and rugged places for a thousand days, and performed rituals while throwing his soul into a state of ecstasy and exhausting his supernatural powers… … By the time the work was over, his body was like rags, and his mind was unstable like a castle on sand. After decades of eating away at the energy of the greatest female priestesses, certain ‘fetishes’ were completed.”

“… … .”

“And yet he did not rest. When he finished his work, he created ruins like this all over the continent and appointed shamans like me as messengers. “I hope that wherever you return in this world and when you return, you will be sure to receive these stories and items.”

“… … .”

“Of course, the reason we took on the role of messengers was because we believed without a doubt what the ‘Great Warrior’ said that when he returned, the lost power would return. “That’s how hundreds of years of endless waiting continued until now.”

“… … .”

“That is… … the whole story of how this ruin was built and how I came to welcome you.”

The story of the shaman ended with a rough aftertaste, as if the dust of the distant years had thickened.

Kadim looked down at his fist. He had clenched it so hard that his nails were digging into his palm and blood was gushing out. But Kadim felt no pain. Physical pain was nothing compared to this feeling of sinking into a bottomless swamp.

The shaman let out a small sigh and took something out of her arms. A shooting star-like flash across the night sky shone brightly above her hand.

“‘The engraving needle’. This is the fruit of the pain and dedication of a shaman who lost her light and wandered in the endless darkness. “She is a tragic fetish that can never be recreated and should never be recreated.”

Kadim rubbed the blood away and asked, suppressing his emotions.

“… … So, what is the effect of the casting?”

A sharp anticipation returned to the cloudy pupils beyond the drooping eyelids. The wilderness shaman answered, pressing down her syllables one by one with great care, as if she had endured those long years for this moment.

“If you dip this in demon blood and tattoo it, you can draw out its power without having to drink the demon blood.”