Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 596

RPG 4

Sometimes in games, you encounter situations like this.

Rather than fighting mindlessly, the game requires you to solve the problem by meeting certain conditions.

“Hmm……”

Honestly, if the goal was just to hold out, it wouldn’t have been too difficult.

Hamsiki didn’t have any particularly powerful single-target skills.

Even if it did, the casting time was so long that there was plenty of time to prepare.

But in the midst of it all—

‘A buff that increases regeneration the more injuries you sustain.’

This mercenary’s body was specialized for endurance.

Even Erwin, who would normally have been out of commission, pulled her weight using [Chaos Circuit].

‘This feels kind of hollow……’

All we had to do was hold out, and yet we went through all that trouble to defeat him?

It feels like we wasted our energy for nothing, but I decided to look at it positively.

‘Well, if we could defeat him, then defeating him was the right call.’

Yeah, my judgment wasn’t wrong.

What’s the point of just holding out when you can win?

No, actually, this makes it even better.

Whenever you solve a problem the intended way, there’s usually an extra reward.

Just like this.

[I really… just wanted to help—.]

“Hamsiki.”

[……Speak, mortal.]

Hamsiki, who once refused to even acknowledge me, had suddenly learned manners.

Had we held out and waited for his mercy, this change would never have happened.

He might’ve just tossed us an item and left without any proper explanation.

Well, not that it matters now.

“I get that you didn’t have bad intentions, so just tell me. What the hell is this?”

[If you feed it to that human girl, it will be of great help in your future journey.]

“Don’t give me vague answers. Be specific.”

I could tell it was some kind of elixir, but I couldn’t let Erwin consume it without knowing what it was, so I pressed for details.

The effects Hamsiki described were simple.

If consumed, the ‘forsaken ones’—

In other words, ‘monsters’—would not only refrain from attacking but could also be slightly controlled.

[But remember. It will not work on those with a higher soul quality like me.]

Hamsiki, who had been speaking seriously, slowly stood up and headed toward the wall.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

[You’ve gotten the answer you wanted, so our business here is concluded—.]

“Not yet.”

[……?]

Oh no, you’re not getting away with just that.

I went through all that effort to subdue you. I’m not letting you walk away without my hidden piece reward. Of course, I doubt Hamsiki has any more hidden rewards, but—

Rewards don’t always have to be material.

Every piece of information I gain here is incredibly valuable to me.

And in that sense—

“Who are you? Are you also a monster… no, one of the ‘forsaken ones’?”

I began questioning him seriously.

[……In the eyes of a mortal, I suppose so.]

“Don’t give me vague answers. Be clear.”

[Yes. To be precise, we are the ‘abandoners.’]

“Abandoners……?”

[We were the ones who abandoned faith first, and in doing so, we freed ourselves from bondage and remained as independent beings.]

The forsaken and the abandoners.

The difference between the two was simple.

‘The presence of intelligence.’

Goblins, kobolds, and orcs fell under the ‘abandoners.’

Unlike ordinary monsters, these beings had built civilizations, forming tribes in forests and mountains.

Occasionally, they even interacted with humans.

[But now that this day has come, I understand. There are things you cannot abandon, no matter how much you want to.]

“……What does that mean?”

[I told you that those with a higher soul quality won’t be affected by this power, but don’t worry. They will never turn hostile toward that human girl. Just as I did today…….]

Things you cannot abandon, no matter how much you want to.

It wasn’t an answer to my question, but I let it slide.

There was something more important to confirm first.

“Hamsiki.”

[Speak, mortal.]

Seeing that Hamsiki no longer flinched at the name, I cautiously asked,

“Just to be sure… is she the Witch of the Earth?”

[A witch?]

Hamsiki shook his head firmly, as if he’d heard something absurd.

But that didn’t necessarily mean Erwin wasn’t the Witch of the Earth.

[That human girl is no witch.]

With Hamsiki’s next words, I became certain.

[She is merely… a pitiful child born under a cruel fate.]

This rift.

Its foundation really was the Witch of the Earth……

Every rift has a story.

Even in the game, you could tell from the dialogue and set pieces that there was a hidden narrative behind each one, but what truly confirmed it was my conversation with Mr. Vampire.

The Bloodtinted Fortress, where the flesh golem and vampire appeared.

I had visited that place countless times in the game, and it was based on someone’s life.

The White Temple and the Doppelganger Forest were likely the same.

‘A rift created based on the witch’s story……’

Of all the explorations I’d done, this one felt like the most pivotal moment yet.

And suddenly, the contents of the Golden Book I’d read in Hamsiki’s room flashed through my mind.

Long ago, a brother and sister lived happily in a rural village. But when the brother left to become a mage, the sister was deeply saddened.

A diary-style entry that could be summarized in just three lines.

‘This must also be part of the witch’s story.’

Perhaps, through this exploration, I could uncover more about the witch and unravel the secrets hidden within the labyrinth.

While I was lost in questioning Hamshik…

[Enough.]

Hamsiki suddenly glared at me sharply.

“…Enough?”

Did you think we were friends just because I was being nice to you?

I was honestly starting to wonder how I should act around him from now on, when he sensed the misunderstanding and quickly clarified.

[No, that’s not it……! The Imperial Army is coming!]

“The Imperial Army…?”

[Don’t even think about fighting them! No matter how strong you are, you can’t take on that many enemies alone.]

Hmm… Is that so?

Even if he said that, it didn’t feel real, but hamshiki continued urgently.

[You might be fine, but what about that human girl? Do you think you can protect her against so many?]

It wasn’t a bad point.

After all, Erwin was still recovering from the aftereffects of using [Chaotic Circuit]

“We need to hurry and leave the cave.”

[It won’t be easy. We’re already surrounded on all sides…….]

“Is that true, Erwin?”

“I don’t know. My body isn’t in a normal state……”

[If I hadn’t exhausted all my strength dealing with you, I would’ve noticed sooner…….]

Hamsiki muttered with frustration.

I could tell he was upset, but I couldn’t just let that comment slide.

“Are you saying this is all my fault?”

[I’m not trying to assign blame! Fine, just come here!]

“Huh?”

[There’s only one way to leave this cave safely!]

Guiding me to the center of the cave, Hamsiki waved his hand, and a portal appeared.

Whoooooosh—!

An unstable, flickering portal.

“Where does this lead?”

[I don’t know. But… it won’t be where you intended to go.]

Hmm, so there was another route aside from the compass path?

It was hard to tell whether this was a positive event or not.

But…

“Mister, what should we do?”

“Let’s take it. I don’t think he’s trying to harm us.”

There was no other choice.

If Erwin got seriously hurt while she was still recovering, things would get out of control.

After we agreed, we stepped toward the portal. Just then, Hamsiki called out to me.

[Mercenary.]

“……?”

[Take care of that child.]

Pfft, so that’s what you wanted to say.

“I will. Even if you hadn’t asked.”

With a smirk, I tightly held Erwin’s hand and stepped into the portal.

And then…

‘Is this Phase 3?’

Wondering what would happen next, I opened my eyes—

〈Special Condition – Distorted Journey has been fulfilled.〉

〈Character has been moved to the Grand Plaza.〉

A plaza filled with thousands of people.

“Kill them!!”

“Let divine punishment fall upon the wicked witch……!!”

We were kneeling on an execution platform.

***

First, let’s assess the situation.

We are kneeling with our arms and legs tied.

All my equipment… gone? Shit! I’ll get them back, right?

All the loot I’d worked so hard to gather was missing. Instead, I was dressed in nothing but a tattered cloth.

 

Oh, and Erwin was next to me in a similar state.

She looked slightly older than before.

“Mister……!”

She now looked about ten to twelve years old.

A nobleman stood between us, reciting our crimes.

Conspiracy to rebel, murder of nobles, massacres, vandalism, and more.

Among the endless list of crimes, only one thing mattered.

“We demand the execution of this wicked witch, who has plunged the world into chaos for over a decade, and her follower, Bjorn Jandel.”

Over a decade.

‘So… that much time has passed since we left the cave?’

Perhaps all of those crimes really did happen during that time.

‘But Erwin still looks too young for that.’

Strange, but I set it aside for now.

“M-Mister, w-what do we do…?”

“Calm down. I’m thinking.”

I reassured Erwin and resumed analyzing.

At least we had time.

I thought the execution would happen right after the noble’s speech, but it didn’t.

“Hear now the message from His Majesty the Emperor!”

A knight clad in shining armor stepped up and opened a scroll.

“To the loyal subjects of the Empire!” The days were long! The times were hard. Ever since the evil witch appeared, the world has known only torment…”

His magically amplified voice boomed across the plaza with bombastic praise and self-glorification.

While half-listening, I tried to figure out an escape plan.

Tap tap.

Someone gently tapped my shoulder. Since I couldn’t turn my head, I just shifted my eyes and saw a familiar face.

“Long time no see, Jandel.”

“You are……?”

“You remember me? Even though we only met all those years ago.”

Well, “years ago” for him, but for me it was just hours.

It was the mercenary from Chapter 1.

He was now wrinkled and gray, unlike his youthful self back then.

“You haven’t changed a bit. Still so young. Did you gain that too from being a witch’s follower?”

“Sure. Let’s go with that.”

“I was shocked when I first heard your name. To think you were the witch’s follower who threw the world into chaos…… Honestly, I wasn’t sure until I saw you here with my own eyes.”

“…….”

“Do you know? I spent my entire fortune just to stand here today.”

“……Why go that far?”

He didn’t answer.

“After you left, I joined the Imperial Army. A mercenary’s life and a soldier’s life aren’t so different, but I was finally able to settle down.”

“…….”

“I married a wonderful woman and had children. It was a happy life. The years flew by—but felt so short too.”

His calm voice grew more emotional as he spoke.

“You know? I’ve got nothing now. I lost everything when Nelvers Fortress fell to the monster horde.”

…Shit.

“Now do you understand why I’m here?”

I knew I hadn’t done it. But facing such raw hatred directly was stressful.

“They say sometimes the rope snaps and a prisoner survives. Don’t worry.”

“…”

“I double-checked everything.”

As if he’d said all he needed to say, he stepped back and didn’t speak again.

“M-Mister? I think… it’s about to happen……”

The moment was undeniably approaching.

The frenzied roar of the heated crowd.

‘…How the hell am I supposed to handle this?’

If I stayed like this, I’d die.

I strained so hard that my veins felt like they would burst, but the ropes wouldn’t budge.

‘This is… unfair.’

At first, I thought the guy who spoke to me was an NPC offering help, but that wasn’t the case.

So am I really going to die like this?

Or would dying just wake me up in the next chapter?

I had no way of knowing.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I had no reason to give up.

“Grrraaaaaaaah!!!”

I resisted with every ounce of strength in my body.

But it still wasn’t enough to break the ropes.

However—

Creak—

The ropes loosened slightly.

Encouraged, I shook my body back and forth as much as I could.

“Stop him!”

A soldier approached to restrain me.

…It was the same guy from earlier.

Thud—!

I used the slack in the ropes to headbutt him with all my might.

“…Huh? Aaaaah!”

He fell from the execution platform.

“Kill him! Kill them now!”

“Wraaaaaaaah!!”

The crowd screamed in chaos.

I ignored them and kept struggling.

And then…

“Haa…”

The knight reading the emperor’s decree let out a deep sigh.

“Well, it seems the preparations are finally complete.”

Only then did I realize—

That voice was very familiar.

“Sir Erban has been found… dead.”

“What? Then who the hell is that up there…?!”

“Stop him!!”

The knights below shouted in panic and began rushing up the stairs.

And at that moment—

“Begin.”

A blinding light erupted from the plaza floor, which held thousands of people.

Fwwwwwoooooosh—!!

A colossal magic circle of a size I had never seen in my life.

Bathed in its glow, the man turned his back to us and violently tore off his helmet.

“Come now. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused us?”

It was the village chief.

Backlit by its radiance, the man turned his back to us and violently tore off his helmet.

“Come now. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused us?”

It was the village chief.

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