Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 152

Barbarian Chief(4)

“Ah, uh, hmm…

Staring blankly at the scene of frenzied brainwashing, I came to my senses and entered the village.

Although calling it a village was somewhat inappropriate.

The Barbarian’s sanctuary was more akin to a campsite.

Tents pitched everywhere, with no distinction between one’s land and another’s.

Passing through them, I headed straight for the shaman’s place. There was no need to meet the tribal chief now that I knew the location.

‘What, there’s no one here?’

Peeking into the shaman’s tent, it was empty.

Eventually, I had no choice but to visit the tribe chief’s tent.

But what happened here?

There was no one in the tribe chief’s tent either. This place was usually guarded in rotation by the elders, even in his absence.

‘What’s going on?’

As I lingered in front of it, the elder, whose face I had seen many times before, spotted me.

“Bjorn, son of Jandel? Have you also come to attend the funeral?”

There was no need to ask whose funeral it was.

It had been exactly half a year since Aynar had isolated herself in the sanctuary.

“…It’s already that day.”

“It is an honor to be able to leave something for the future generations.

After asking for the location of the funeral, I immediately headed there.

The forest was eerily silent.

About 30 minutes in, I saw Barbarians gathered solemnly in a deep part of the forest.

The shaman and chieftain were there, as well as some familiar elders. But, the first person I noticed was someone else.

The shaman and the tribe chief were there, of course, along with some familiar elders. Well, the first person I noticed was someone else.

“Aynar.”

Aynar stood precariously.

Staring endlessly at her master’s corpse propped against a thick tree.

“…Bjorn?”

Aynar’s eyes were blank as she called out to me.

As I approached a bit closer, she bit her lip.

“If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have done it.”

So, she didn’t know.

I had assumed, of course, that she would have been informed.

“……Bjorn, did you know about this?”

“Yes.”

The training Aynar had been doing for six months was called ‘tempering’ among the Barbarians.

A process of strengthening the body to create a vessel.

In the game, completing “tempering” significantly boosts physical stats, and it qualifies one for “Soul Succession.”

Of course, ‘tempering’ could end there…

“I heard that the elder was suffering from a chronic disease.”

I had been told that the elder who had succeeded Aynar had a short life expectancy, and I had this situation in mind as well..

It seems she was completely unaware of this.

“… I didn’t know that!”

“He must have cared for you a lot.”

Soul succession.

A unique ritual only available to the Barbarian tribe. It allows a Barbarian to pass on one of their essences to the next generation.

However, receiving it is only possible once…

And the successor must inevitably lose their life.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? If I had known, I would have stopped immediately.”

Aynar muttered as if lamenting.

Her voice was filled with deep regret and self-reproach.

Then, the tribe chief, who had been quietly watching, spoke up.

“Kiduba was a coward.”

“Don’t insult him! Kiduba was a warrior who knew no fear!”

“Then it must have been you who were the coward. That’s why Kiduba didn’t explain the soul succession to you.”

“I am not a coward—!”

As Aynar flared up, the tribe chief cut her off sharply.

“Then stop whining. If you want to prove you’re not a coward, don’t dishonor his death any further. Watch and learn, warrior.”

“…”

“There is no one in this world who does not experience suffering. Yet, we must step forward and face it. That is the way of the warrior.”

Thus, the funeral continued in silence.

Approaching the body leaning against the tree, the shaman smeared blood on his face, shook the bell, and sprinkled a solution around to prevent insects from consuming the corpse.

The Barbarians silently observed the process, and after some time, the shaman announced the end of the funeral.

“The soul of Kiduba, the third son of Tohar, has left his body and settled in the forest.”

The body left in the forest will eventually decompose to bones, and when that time comes, the shaman will crush the bones into pieces and scatter them in the forest.

Warriors standing in turn in front of the body either cut their hair or wounded their hands to sprinkle blood around the corpse and then left the place.

It didn’t take long.

“…”

Now, only Aynar and I were left.

I approached the body first, cut my hair with a knife, and scattered it around.

“It’s your turn now.”

Aynar didn’t respond.

Instead of urging her further, I just silently left the place. It was an unprepared farewell, after all, and she needed time to sort through it alone.

****

“Tsk tsk, I knew you would come, warrior.”

After leaving the forest, I immediately entered the shaman’s tent.

“Did you bring the materials?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s see them.”

I did as the shaman instructed and pulled out the Heart of Immortality from my backpack. The troll’s heart lay on the cloth in the box, throbbing and beating shallowly.

“Did you procure it yourself?”

“No, I bought it from the exchange.”

“How much did it cost?”

I’m not sure why he wanted to know, but once I answered, the shaman chuckled.

“How did such a person come to be? You really were born with good fortune, warrior.”

Most of my conversations with the shaman went like this, but today it felt particularly irksome.

Maybe that’s why?

I ended up snapping back without realizing.

“Don’t talk about fortune when you don’t know anything.”

The shaman just smiled in response to my words.

“Hmm, you came back in one piece, so it must not be a problem with yourself… Lost something, have you?”

“I don’t want to answer.”

“That’s not bad either.”

“…”

“Warrior, the more precious things you lose, the stronger you’ll become.”

I felt like cursing him outright, but I held myself back. Somehow, talking to this old man felt like getting entangled the more I spoke.

“Enough, can I receive the soul engraving today?”

“Of course.”

The shaman readily nodded to my question.

I had thought he might be tired from conducting the funeral.

Clang.

After putting the requested fee of 1 million stones in the jar, I lay down on the floor.

Soon, I received the sixth engraving on the path of the immortal.

“There are three paths again this time.”

After briefly hearing the explanation, I chose one without hesitation.

There was no room for doubt.

From the beginning, I had invested most of my wealth into these engravings for this very moment.

“I choose the soul of armor.”

“Haha, even if you ask to change it later, it’s not possible.”

Then the shaman began jabbing needles into my body. Soon, intense pain engulfed me.

However, it was bearable compared to before.

The reason was mental, unrelated to the intensity of the pain.

I knew all too well the significant gains that awaited me afterward.

「Your ability stat increases by +60.」

The hardest stat to improve.

MP regeneration significantly increased.

In simple terms, I can now use [Gigantification] more frequently and maintain it for longer.

Well, compared to the main dish, it’s nothing.

「The soul of armor resides in your body.」

「Due to the unique effect [Union], the performance of equipment is enhanced in proportion to the character’s stats.」

[Union].

An active skill like [Wild Burst] and a passive skill applied at all times.

It was significant in its own right…

This skill had one hidden element.

Because of the concept of becoming one with the armor, having it prevents equipment from breaking even when [Gigantification] is used.

In other words, there’s no need to bother taking off equipment anymore.

Not only that, but it also became possible to smash enemies with a giant mace and shield!

“Hahaha… Bethel, Laaaaa…”

Watching me laugh amidst the remaining pain, the shaman muttered.

“Tsk tsk, truly a madman.”

Like a true Barbarian, I ignored others’ opinions.

****

「Bjorn Jandel」

Level: 4

Physical: 555(New +225) / Mental: 198(New +44) / Ability: 188 (New +60)

Item Level: 98(New -770)

Overall Combat Index: 965.5 (New +23.5)

Acquired Essence: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Orc Hero – Rank 5 / Ogre – Rank 3(New)

***

How much time had passed since the sixth engraving was completed?

It was still bright outside the tent.

I gulped down water from the kettle on the table and asked.

“Has a day already passed?”

“Haha, were you about to cry in front of me from the hardship?”

Just saying ‘yes’ would have sufficed.

No matter how many times I heard it, I couldn’t grasp his way of speaking, but I didn’t bother to argue.

Well, more accurately, I didn’t have the energy to.

As I was getting up and grabbing my backpack, the shaman called out to me.

“Warrior.”

Usually, by this time, he’d be tired and tell me to get lost, but instead, he dropped a bombshell I never expected.

“How did you end up receiving a revelation from the god of humans?”

My heart skipped a beat for a moment.

I let out a long sigh.

It was clear he already knew everything, so denying it was pointless.

“Who told you? No, how many people know about this now?”

“The ring you wear is so intertwined with your fate; did you think I wouldn’t know? Ha, don’t worry. The others haven’t noticed a thing.”

The shaman mocked the idea that having eyes but failing to see was as good as having none.

I noticed that, strangely enough, the shaman seemed to be in a good mood.

I cautiously asked.

“Are you going to tell the tribe chief?”

“Why would I do that?”

Well, if he puts it that way, I had nothing to respond…

“Old traditions are just that. Just like what I did in the forest yesterday.Thousands of years ago, we left our homeland and became part of this city. It taught us that gods exist and what civilization truly means.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Why should we rely on and follow the souls of our ancestors yet deny and hate beings that exist and benefit our lives? That’s just stubborn ignorance. No wonder we’re called barbarians.”

The shaman was as cryptic as ever.

Especially since he always spoke in such a convoluted way. Of course, now that he had a hold over my secret, I couldn’t afford to upset him.

“…So, what do you think the tribe chief will do?”

“If he finds out you’ve received a revelation?”

Laughing, the shaman replied.

“Why ask about something you already know? That reckless fool would brand you a traitor and expel you immediately. Ha! He might even decapitate you and burn you at the stake.”

…As expected, that’s how it is.

Shit, do I just have to live in fear until I’m done with the Soul Engravings?

As I was bitterly thinking, the shaman continued.

“Warrior, you’re worrying about nothing.”

“Unnecessary worries?”

“Beastmen, dwarves, fairies, they all abandoned their old traditions long ago. Why do you think that is?”

I didn’t need to think too hard about it.

The history of Earth was similar.

Reform.

Whenever there was a need for new ideas and concepts, there were always those willing to turn their backs on the old.

Future generations called these ‘Great Men’.

‘This crazy old man…’

I soon realized.

What the shaman was trying to say.

“Are you worried about being expelled, warrior? If so, the solution to your worries is quite simple.”

In the end, the old man was also a Barbarian.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to think of such a solution.

If there’s a problem, smash it to pieces.

Which means…

“You could become the tribe chief.”

Take over the Barbarian tribe before you’re expelled.

“How about it? Isn’t this a more warrior-like path?”

Whether it’s a warrior-like path, I wasn’t sure.

But I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

A Barbarian not even a year old.

Moreover, essentially an evil spirit.

And now, this old man suggests that I, of all people, become the Barbarian Lord and reshape this tribe to my liking.

“That’s an amusing suggestion, shaman.”

It was a rather appealing story.

Especially since it seemed somewhat rational.