Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 586

Original 3

Judging by how quickly he changed the subject, it was clear I wasn’t the only one who felt awkward after the duke’s thanks.

“Anyway, that’s the end of my story. But I suppose I didn’t explain much about the world back then, did I? You seemed more interested in that part anyway.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But as the story went on, I found myself so immersed in it that I didn’t have the time to think about other things.

“If there’s anything you’re curious about, go ahead and ask. If I know the answer, I’ll tell you everything without holding back.”

And so, a Q&A session began.

While his story was fascinating in itself, what I was most curious about was the world of that era.

“Duke, do you know the identity of the Witch?”

“Not exactly. I know she’s a woman… but beyond that, she’s a figure shrouded in mystery. However, her followers believe that one day, upon death, they can reach the Land of Dawn.”

“…Land of Dawn?”

“A land without suffering, anguish, or discrimination—where all are equal and free. A land where one can go wherever they desire.”

“……”

“That’s what her followers say. So before hearing your story, I half-expected this place to be it. I thought my prayers had been answered before death.”

“I see…”

I didn’t bother mentioning that the 8th floor of the labyrinth was also called the “Land of Dawn. It was just the same name, but clearly a different place.

“Anyway, returning to the original topic… The Empire claimed that if the Witch wasn’t destroyed, the world would end… but I never believed that.”

“Why not?”

“Because the Empire had a similar history. You wouldn’t know this, but in ancient times, there were five gods. However, two religions were wiped out by the Empire for political reasons. I heard a great deal of blood was shed back then too.”

An ancient man speaking about ancient history.

But he didn’t seem to know much about the five gods either, so I moved on.

“What kind of place was the Empire?”

“That’s hard to answer…”

“Anything is fine. Just tell me whatever comes to mind.”

After that, I learned about the ancient Empire’s influence, culture, and tendencies.

A massive nation that held a third of the continent, and even the remaining two-thirds were under its direct or indirect influence.

That much was enough to know, for now…

“Do you know of a place called Raphdonia Castle or its domain?”

“Raphdonia… You mean the city you live in? Unfortunately, this is the first time I’ve heard that name.”

So he doesn’t know.

A bit disappointing, but I hid my feelings and moved on without hesitation.

“Did monsters exist in your time?”

“Of course. Goblins, yetis, ogres… Countless monsters lived across the continent. Though, they seem a bit different from what you described.”

“Different…?

“For starters, there were no ‘essences’ or ‘magic stones’ like you mentioned. And most of them were intelligent. Goblins and kobolds lived in villages in forests and mountains, and sometimes interacted with humans.”

He even said that orcs were seen as a powerful race.

“What about elves and dwarves? And Dragon Triber? What was their standing on the continent?”

At my sudden burst of curiosity, Mr. Vampire tilted his head as if confused.

“…Fairies and dwarves? Aren’t they just the stuff of fiction?”

“…Huh?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

For a moment, my mind went blank, but his face and voice were completely serious.

“Duke… What race do you think I am?”

I asked cautiously, and through his answer, I realized one thing.

In the ancient age before the world’s destruction…

Monsters existed back then too.

But…

“…Aren’t you obviously human?”

Other races didn’t exist.

***

Humans, Beast tribe, Elves, Dwarves, Dragon tribe, Barbarians.

The six races that make up the final stronghold of Raphdonia.

But the Duke was now claiming…

“In that era, only humans existed?”

Barbarians lived in the harsh northern and southern lands, fighting monsters to survive.

Dwarves built underground cities and maintained their own nations, while the forests inhabited by elves were protected from monsters by guardian trees.

Beast Tribe had already been living mixed among humans since that time.

 

As for the Dragon Tribe, there were too few records to know much.

And just before the world’s destruction, these races headed to Raphdonia, the last stronghold.

The lord, who needed their strength, granted them significant concessions and recognized their unique territories.

These became known as the Sanctuaries.

‘…This doesn’t make sense.’

Even now, remnants of their cultures and traditions were preserved and passed down in the sanctuaries.

Barbarians still practiced communal child-rearing, and daughters took their mother’s name as their surname, while sons took their father’s.

‘Spirit Engraving’ was also an ancient secret art passed down through generations.

But, there were no barbarians in ancient times.

‘Could it be that his world and ours were different?’

The possibility of parallel worlds suddenly crossed my mind.

You know, like in movies or comics.

Maybe this was one of those cases.

Well, nothing was certain yet.

“I did find your physique a bit unusual… Are you not human?”

“By our world’s classification, no.”

I went on to explain the six races of our world, and then I discussed the strange contradiction with the duke.

Unfortunately, we didn’t reach any clear conclusions.

So I continued asking questions, gathering as much information as I could about the ancient era.

I would’ve loved to talk all day, but as always, everything has an end.

“…It’s been a long time since I enjoyed myself like this, but I think it’s time to wrap things up.”

“…?”

“Actually… My madness has been creeping back for a while now.”

Only then did I notice that Mr. Vampire’s eyes looked unusual.

The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, with veins bulging across his forehead and neck.

Even in that state, the Duke calmly said to me:

“Put an end to me.”

“……”

“While I can still be myself.”

“Haaah…”

I took a deep breath.

My heart felt heavy.

It wasn’t because I couldn’t gather more information, but for a different reason.

‘If only he had gone mad from the beginning, it would’ve been easier…’

Of course, I had no intention of refusing his request.

I raised my hammer.

“Just so you know, I don’t know any ‘pretty’ ways to kill.”

“That much is obvious.”

He chuckled softly, then closed his eyes.

But as if remembering something, he spoke again.

“Ah, one last thing for you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Ever since you mentioned meeting me in the labyrinth, vague memories have been surfacing. These aren’t just your memories.”

His closed eyes opened again.

“I don’t know for sure… but in that place, I was always fighting in a frenzy. Likely against those you called ‘explorers’…”

His bloodshot eyes stared into empty space, as if seeing something invisible.

“This is just speculation… but perhaps I’ve been lingering here all this time, summoned whenever there was a need to fight them…”

“That’s… a plausible theory.”

“Do you think that helps you in any way?”

I answered without hesitation.

“It helps a lot.”

What he revealed was another step toward uncovering the secrets of the guardian statues hidden on Basement Floor 1, and it brought me closer to the truth behind the rift.

This would aid our future journey.

“Good… That’s good…”

As if he had nothing left to say, the uncle closed his eyes again and murmured quietly.

“Am I real… or a fake?”

A whisper, like talking to himself.

“Once this heart stops… where will I go?”

I didn’t answer.

I just thought to myself.

The place he would go after death wouldn’t be the afterlife of the Three Gods Church or the Land of Dawn that the witch’s followers spoke of.

He would revive again, forgetting today’s memories, repeating the same things for countless ages.

But…

“It doesn’t matter. Anywhere is fine.”

“……”

“As long as it lessens my sins even slightly.”

Then, he spoke.

In a voice that sounded eerily peaceful.

“End it now.”

At his signal, I brought my hammer down.

Crudely, but painlessly, with all my might.

Whoooosh—!

The hammer struck the heart I had once barely managed to reach, even after using dozens of Flesh Explosions.

CRACK—!

Though I had heard it countless times before, the sound of light dispersing in the stone room sent an unexpected chill down my spine.

A rainbow-colored essence floated into the air.

I had seen this countless times as an explorer, but now, I simply watched in silence.

SHWAAAAAAAA—!

Until the last beam of light in the air faded.

***

When I stepped out through the portal, there was total chaos.

Of course I had gone to kill one vampire, and I didn’t return, no matter how long they waited.

“Mister…!”

“Jandel…! What happened in there? No, whatever happened, you’re now excluded from going in there—”

“Are you hurt? Are you hurt, nya?”

Amelia even said something weird about banning me from going in…

But thankfully, not everyone reacted like I had returned from the dead.

Maybe they confirmed I was alive by checking the portal wasn’t reopening?

“3 hours and 21 minutes…”

Ah, and even amidst the chaos, the record mage was dutifully keeping track.

“Everyone, stand back. That’s enough worrying. It wasn’t even that dangerous to begin with.”

“Then why did it take you so long to come out?”

Raven, who was in charge of the Guardian rift’s special lecture, came forward and snapped at me.

Hey, I was going to explain anyway.

“The guardian I met inside had intelligence. That’s why I spent so long talking and gathering information.”

“…The guardian had intelligence?”

“Yeah. Though, in the end, the madness took over. Initially, though, yes.”

I didn’t go into details, but I openly shared everything about my conversation Mr. Vampire.

There’s no point in keeping it a secret, we couldn’t experiment otherwise.

“With that in mind, I have a request for those entering next…”

I instructed the next entrants to attempt communication, just in case.

But…

“Jandel, nothing like that happened to me.”

“…Me neither. He attacked the moment we stepped in, full of killing intent.”

“I-I didn’t even get the chance to speak…!”

Amelia, Erwin, Misha.

None of them, nor anyone else who went in afterward, experienced what I did.

Which only raised more questions.

‘What was different?’

Why was the Duke of Cambormere able to stay sane in front of me?

And why were the other guardians all the same?

Like what he said in the end—

[Perhaps I’ve been lingering here all this time, summoned whenever there was a need to fight them…]

If these statues were originals, and this underground space was some kind of storage for them…

Why didn’t the same phenomenon happen with the others?

I had no idea.

The more I thought about it, the more confused I became.

So I decided to gather more data first.

“Jandel, are you trying to go after that one now?”

“Yeah, there’s something I need to check.”

“…You could save that for last.”

 

When I set out to clear the unknown stone statues—monsters whose floor of origin we didn’t even know—Amelia expressed her concern for me. But I had no intention of backing down.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a Level 5 monster, isn’t it? Nothing dangerous.”

With that, I reached out and touched the troll statue.

For some reason, I felt strangely unsettled.

A guardian troll, huh…

Normally, I would’ve been burning with curiosity over whether I’d get to see a rainbow-colored troll essence.

But now, my thoughts were drifting in a different direction.

I was more curious about what kind of story this one might have.

What would happen to him if he reached the Abyss Gate?

Would he finally find peace then?

“……”

Before I knew it, I was lost in thought again.

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