Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 741
Chapter 741: Altered Fate (4)
He stood in front of the city gate.
Boom! Boom!
The very gate that serves as the only passage between the holy land and District 7.
Boom! Boom!
Thousands of barbarians, each holding their weapons, gathered before the gate, stomping the ground in unison.
Boom!
It definitely feels a bit invigorating.
The reality that the battle was imminent was sinking in.
Maybe that’s why?
Thump-!
Rotmiller checked his gear one more time.
Boom!
A crossbow for the decisive strike.
A dagger and a longsword for close combat.
A round shield for long-range attacks or protecting key figures.
Powder pouches attachable to arrows, smoke bombs for blinding vision, potions, scrolls……
Boom!
He double-checked his equipment and all the supplies in his [Treasure Vault], but everything was in perfect condition due to his regular maintenance.
“Phew……”
He let out a long breath, feeling slightly less tense.
Rotmiller loosened up his body one last time.
‘Have I… gained some weight?’
The equipment he hadn’t worn in a long time felt a bit tight.
But it was only slightly uncomfortable; the gear itself didn’t feel unfamiliar or awkward.
In fact, it felt like he was finally back in his own clothes again.
‘I thought I’d never wear this again.’
Maybe he knew deep down, which is why he kept the equipment instead of selling it when money was tight.
That a day like this would come.
Boom!
As he habitually scanned his surroundings, Rotmiller noticed the expressions of others.
Their faces were filled with tension and determination.
He found their expressions quite surprising.
Well, if the explorers had that look on their face, I wouldn’t have thought much of it……
Boom!
Even though they were stomping the ground in rhythm as if it were a festival, he saw the characteristic tremor of pre-battle tension in the barbarians.
‘Well……’
They are people too.
They know that if they get stabbed, they bleed, and if they bleed too much, they’ll never see their loved ones again.
“The gate will open soon!! Prepare for battleeeeeee!!!!!”
Suddenly, Ainar, who was at the forefront, shouted loud enough to be heard a kilometer away, and the barbarian warriors who had been stomping the ground waiting for this moment, roared in response.
“Behel–lahhhhhhhhh!”
A roar so loud it felt like it would burst his eardrums.
But there was no hand to cover his ears.
Rotmiller, gripping his equipment in both hands, stared straight ahead.
In front of the gate stood the elite members selected by Versyl Gowland.
Their equipment gleamed, and their presence alone set them apart from ordinary people.
Clench-
Seeing Ainar, Rotmiller unconsciously tightened his grip on his weapon.
Ainar, who guarded the gate with a giant green spear she obtained during an expedition, felt more reliable than anyone else.
At the same time, Rotmiller thought.
Ah, I see.
Those people are Bjorn Yandel’s comrades.
Clench.
There’s no need to feel distressed.
No reason to feel inferior due to differences in talent.
Was it ever different?
He had always been slow and lagged behind.
People said he was diligent, but he didn’t become diligent because he wanted to.
Acknowledging this, Rotmiller gave up the labyrinth life and found a new profession.
Therefore, it is unnecessary to fantasize about being in their place. They kept moving forward while he lagged behind, which is why they are in that position now.
And above all……
Boom!
There’s a different reason why he’s standing here today.
Yes, that’s right.
Clench.
There’s no need to feel inferiority towards others.
Thump-!
He ignores the cry of his ‘sixth sense’ warning of danger.
“The barrier has been lifted!”
Rotmiller took up his weapon to fight today.
“Behell–ahhhhhhhhh!”
Just like those barbarians who shouted their ancestral god’s name before the battle.
To protect something precious.
***
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
This was the only thought occupying Sven Parav’s mind.
‘What do I do……?’
Sven Parav kept asking himself, searching for an answer.
“Hey? Did you hear? We have to save them!”
Should he save them or not? Surprisingly, Sven Parav wasn’t trying to find the answer to this dilemma.
The answer was already decided.
Thump!
He shouldn’t save them. If he left the wardrobe to save that woman outside, something bad would definitely happen.
His intuition strongly told him so, and that was why Sven Parav was currently in agony.
Some might see him as the world’s biggest coward.
‘What do I do?’
How could he persuade Lilith Marrone not to save them and let this pass?
He thought tirelessly, but unfortunately, no suitable answer came, and the golden time slipped away.
“…We risk revealing our position.”
In the end, that was all he could say, and Lilith Marrone paused for a moment.
“…I’m disappointed. I didn’t know you were this kind of person.”
Her voice, after a brief silence, trembled with betrayal, and her gaze was cold.
Sven Parav felt like someone was pricking his heart with a needle.
“…Miss Marrone, to me, you are much more important than someone whose name I don’t even know.”
A genuine confession that slipped out involuntarily due to the pricking feeling.
Even Sven Parav was slightly taken aback by his own words and quickly added other excuses.
“Besides, we have to survive to fulfill our resolve from that day…”
Though it sounded like an excuse, there was some sincerity in his words.
However, Marrone’s response remained cold.
“If we seek a greater cause while ignoring someone’s life, how are we any different from the royal family?”
“……”
“Mr. Parav, stay in the wardrobe. I’ll save them alone if I have to.”
With those words, Marrone approached the window. She seemed to concentrate for a moment.
“Naria kartetura!”
She chanted a spell and magic shot through the broken window, striking the ground below.
“……Aaaah!”
Below, only the scream of a woman could be heard, no other sound followed.
Thanks to the swift and precise magic of Lilith Marrone, a former military wizard, two heads were pierced in a single blow.
“……”
At that moment, Sven Parav, hiding in the wardrobe, and Lilith Marrone, standing by the window, locked eyes.
Parav didn’t know what to say, but Marrone was different.
“…Don’t worry. I won’t trouble you, Mr. Parav.”
“Pardon…? What do you mean by that?”
Before he could ask what she meant, Lilith Marrone climbed over the broken window ledge and jumped to the ground below.
And……
“Ma’am, please get inside the building! I’ll get rid of this body here…!”
“…Yes! Yes? Ah! I’ll help too!”
“I’ll hold this side, just lift the legs!”
Even as he felt ashamed listening to the bustling conversation below.
Thud!
Sven Parav closed the wardrobe door.
***
The beginning of the battle was incredibly simple.
Whooooooosh!
The translucent barrier that had soared high along the city wall gradually faded and completely vanished.
“……”
“……”
After that, silence followed about five seconds.
Those five seconds of silence were profoundly strange and unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
Thump-thump.
Blood rushed to my head, narrowing my vision, and my hearts pounded wildly to the point of inducing nausea.
And at the same time.
Why aren’t they coming?
Was the barrier just accidentally deactivated?
Does this mean we don’t have to fight?
Just as these hopeful thoughts crossed their minds.
Boom!
A magic cannon fired, shattering the city gate into pieces.
Fortunately, the magic cannon did not cause additional damage beyond destroying the gate, thanks to the protective magic cast by the wizards.
However……
Swoooosh-!
The rising cloud of dust couldn’t conceal it.
“They’re coming……!”
The sound of hundreds, no, thousands of troops charging could be heard, growing louder rapidly.
“Behell–aaaaaaaaah!”
The first ‘war’ that Rotmiller had ever experienced was nothing like he had imagined.
He had thought the gates were impregnable, but that meant nothing in the face of the thousands of troops pouring in.
They could somehow block the large streams, but it was impossible to stop the smaller ones from seeping through.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Kill! Kill them!!”
The small streams that had broken through the front lines reached the second line of defense in an instant.
“Graaaah!”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
The space in front of the city wall, which had been eerily silent moments ago, was now filled with the stench of blood and screams.
A chaotic melee, where strategy and tactics held no meaning.
And it was right in front of his eyes.
Whoom!
Rotmiller, whose mind had gone blank for a moment, snapped back to reality when an arrow whizzed past his ear, and he started swinging his weapon like a madman.
Slice-!
He swung his longsword, cutting down an enemy.
Thwack!
He fired his crossbow, piercing through an enemy’s head.
Boom!
He threw a powder pouch into the midst of the enemies, and he rolled on the ground to save a nearby ally.
He did everything he could from his position.
And it wasn’t just Rotmiller; everyone present was doing the same.
“It’s Ainar Fenelin!!”
“They said you’d get rank 2 essence if you cut that bitch’s throat, right?”
“Dieeeeee!!”
Ainar swung her giant green spear, demonstrating overwhelming prowess as if to show what it means to take on hundreds by oneself.
Booom-!
Blood Spirit, Erwen Fornacci di Tersia.
Various clans, even if they didn’t have the same level of fame, showcased their teamwork that had been honed over years.
And the Barbarian warriors, who showed no signs of retreat.
“Behell–aaaaaaahhh!”
“Kill every one of those who have entered the holy land!!”
At this rate, it didn’t seem impossible to fend off the Noark forces, but that hope didn’t last long.
Boom-!
“A magic cannon! It’s a magic cannon!”
The Noark forces, who had occupied the city wall, started firing the magical cannons they had set up down below.
Boooom-! Boom! Boom!
Every time the magic cannons fired into the dense defensive line, a few to dozens of people were severely injured or killed.
Riiiiiiing!
Could people’s lives… disappear so easily?
Rotmiller felt as if his soul was being devoured by the ‘war’ he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
“Haa… Haa……?”
Not even ten minutes had passed since the battle started, yet he was already out of breath, and his arms and legs felt weak.
Moreover, the overwhelming noise was so intense that he wondered if his eardrums had been damage.
At some point, all he could hear was a fierce ringing in his ears.
“……!”
The screams of dying warriors beside him were soundless.
“……!!”
The shouts of enemies charging with killing intent were also soundless.
Only two sounds were allowed for Rotmiller.
Riiiiiiing!
The fierce ringing that prevented normal thinking.
And……
Thump-!
The pounding of his heart, yearning for life.
“……!!”
“……!!”
Amidst the soundless malice and screams, Rotmiller swung his weapon.
Thump-!
Desperately trying to ignore this inexplicable ominous feeling.
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