Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 742
Chapter 742: Altered Fate (5)
1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes…
Time passed.
Slower than any moment he had ever experienced.
4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes……
As more time passed, the more uncomfortable he felt.
The air inside the wardrobe, which once felt comforting, now seemed suffocating, squeezing his entire body, and his heart beat slowly.
He grew Anxious, and more anxious.
7 minutes, 8 minutes, 9 minutes……
Is she okay?
What if she gets discovered by other Noark bastards and something terrible happens to her?
In the pitch-black darkness, scenes of misfortune whirled around in his mind.
Thump-!
That too was a kind of ‘intuition.’
Although that ‘intuition’ was directed not at me but at someone else.
10 minutes, 11 minutes, 12 minutes……
Sven Parav, unable to relax for even a single moment, pressed his ear tightly against the wardrobe door.
He focused on the sounds outside.
“……”
Not a single sound had been heard since Lilith Marrone hid the corpses and entered the building across the street with the woman who had been in danger.
It seemed they had hidden well inside……
Clank, clank, clank.
Every time the enemy troops passed through the street, Sven Parav shivered.
This wardrobe is safe.
The intuition that saved him countless times said so.
But……
20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 minutes……
Is that building across the street safe as well?
The answer from his ‘intuition’ was no, and even objectively considering the situation, it seemed so.
If it was such a safe place, the woman hiding there wouldn’t have been caught by the enemy troops……
There was also an ‘incident’ before.
Clank, clank, clank.
At a time when the footsteps of the heavily armed troops echoed in the street once more.
Clank-
Their steps stopped in front of the building.
He hoped they would just pass by, but as always, his ominous premonition was right again.
“…Disappeared while scouting here?”
“Yes, the last reported location was right around here.”
“Haa… Why did they have to cause trouble by scouting all the way out here amidst all this?”
“Well, they were probably looking for something valuable under the pretense of scouting.”
“Or looking for a bitch.”
A truly Noark-like conversation, so frivolous that it was hard to find any semblance of Rafdonia’s disciplined military.
This only increased his anxiety.
He could easily imagine the outcome if he were caught by such people.
But……
Thump-!
Thinking about it, the world had always been like this.
It was as if all ominous events grew by feeding on his fear and anxiety.
The more he feared and felt anxious, the more those events unfolded right before his eyes.
Just like this.
“Huh…? Wait a minute, I sense something.”
“Sense…..?”
“The magic remnants have faded with time, but… it’s clear. Someone died here.”
“Can’t you be more specific?”
“Wait a moment.”
How much more time passed after that statement?
The man who asked for a moment spoke again.
Though their voice was much quieter than normal, Sven Parav, who had enhanced his hearing with divine power, heard it clearly.
“About an hour ago. Three people died.”
“That matches the number of the missing. Plus, if it was an hour ago, the likelihood of it being someone else is even lower.”
“Judging by the signs, it seems the bodies were moved, and bloodstains were erased using magic.”
“Does this mean you can’t track where the culprit went even with your black magic?”
The man, presumed to be their commander, asked, and Sven Parav hoped the answer would be no.
And……
“Hmm… Black magic isn’t all-powerful.”
“I see.”
“But I can sense where the bodies were taken. They were moved into that house over there.”
“The culprits might still be there, so we should check.”
“Yes, we need to check. Judging by how cleanly they erased the traces of the bodies, they seem quite skilled… but even skilled people often don’t know much about black magic. I wouldn’t have known either if I hadn’t sensed the magic remnants.”
“Let’s report this before entering, just in case. Hey, Lekton!”
The man presumed to be their commander called out to someone, who responded stiffly like a new recruit and then began talking busily.
It seemed like he was contacting the main unit……
‘Shit.’
His mind started racing once again.
Should I step in now to prevent them from reporting?
Or should I stay put?
If they searched the house and didn’t find Marrone or the woman, that would be the best scenario…
“Captain! I have completed the report on everything you instructed.”
In the time he spent deliberating, everything was done.
The golden time was missed, and now all he could do was watch.
“Form up into battle formation. We will search cautiously, as we don’t know the enemy’s strength.”
The Noark troops entered the building carefully, and every second that followed felt like an eternity.
Thump-thump-thump……
As time passed he was tormented by constant anguish and anxiety, questioning whether his choice was right or wrong.
That time ended after about 7 minutes.
“…C-captain!”
Booooom-!
“Aaaaahhh!”
An explosion and simultaneous screams shattered the silence, marking the start of battle.
“Ahhh!”
Marrone, true to her nature as a military wizard, fought desperately despite being discovered, but in the end, she was defeated.
“Damn it, because of this damned woman, we lost seven men…”
Thud!
Another dull thud accompanied by a familiar scream.
“Ugh…!”
“Wait a minute, this bitch’s face looks familiar.”
“……Lilith Marrone! She’s a comrade of Bjorn Yandel and a former military wizard!”
“What……? Haha! Hahaha! This is a huge achievement!”
“If we capture her alive and take her back, it’ll be a tremendous accomplishment!”
Capture.
That word gave Sven Parav a glimmer of hope.
But……
“Hey, what are you talking about? That’s old news. We’ve now been told by the higher-ups that there’s no need to bring her back alive.”
“Oh… really?”
“But it would be a waste to kill her easily, wouldn’t it?”
“Of course, we can’t let her off lightly after losing seven men because of her.”
“My arm was cut off because of her!”
Even the slightest hope was mercilessly crushed.
Thud!
Another dull thud was heard and Sven Parav closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Thump-!
His ‘intuition’ spoke to him as his heart pounded uncontrollably.
If I block my ears and ignore this moment.
Thump-!
I will live.
“Let’s get some information first. She might have allies.”
Lilith Marrone risked her life to save others, even if it meant dying.
“Hey! Talk! Are you alone? Where are your allies?”
“……”
“Well, she’ll talk after some torture.”
I will live.
“Hey! Captain! There’s someone else in here!”
“……Ah, kyaaaahhh!”
Even if innocent civilians die.
“Le-leave them alone!”
“Wow, look at her change her expression.”
Surely, I will live.
But…..
“Waaaah!”
“What? There’s a kid too?”
“Please, please! My baby! Please spare my baby!”
Is that truly right?
“No, stop it-!!”
Sven Parav no longer asked himself that question.
***
[Sven Parav has cast Sword of Judgment.]
***
“Huff… huff… huff…”
As he ran, he forced his breaths to come out in a steady rhythm.
There were two reasons for this.
Regular breathing allows a person to run longer.
and…
“Chase him…!!”
Right now, running for a long time was the only way to survive.
“Huff… huff… huff……”
Brown Rotmiller sprinted through the familiar forest path with all his might.
It wasn’t a case of desertion.
They had to initially withdraw from the city walls due to the barrages from the magic cannons, and afterward, the overwhelming difference in troop numbers caused the frontline to collapse completely, leading to a retreat order.
It was a very rational reason.
Feigning a retreat to widen the frontline as much as possible, and then take advantage of the gap to lead their elite troops and take out their leadership?
It was information he could access because he was a former comrade of Yandel.
But…..
Tat-tat-tat-!
The weight of the title ‘former comrade’ was heavy.
“He’s someone Yandel values greatly!”
“Catch him! If we do, we’ll get at least a rank 3 essence!!”
The relentless pursuit was maddening.
He ran alone through the dense forest for this very reason.
Initially, he was with other barbarian warriors, but it didn’t take long to realize that he was only a burden to them.
“Huff… huff… huff……”
So he ran and ran.
Unlike Yandel’s real comrades, he didn’t have the strength to fight off dozens of troops.
But if he kept running, he could at least tie them down.
That was the best a retired scout and explorer could do in retirement.
Yes, that’s why…
“Huff… huff… huff……”
He forced his legs to move, despite their screams to stop.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
Ignoring his heart that incessantly shouted it had reached its limit.
Boom!
As he ran, he threw his last remaining smoke bomb-.
Swoosh!
At that moment, an arrow pierced his abdomen through the smoke, and his body, losing balance from the impact, fell heavily onto the ground.
‘Running is impossible.’
Rotmiller quickly assessed the situation and climbed up the nearest tree that seemed somewhat secure.
And at that moment.
Whoooosh!
An unnatural wind blew away the smoke, revealing his pursuers who quickly moved in.
“Damn, where did he go?”
“Could we have lost him?”
“That arrow must have hit him, I don’t see it anywhere!”
“Then he couldn’t have gone far. Find him……!”
The pursuers busily moved below the tree. Rotmiller calmly assessed the situation again.
What must be done to survive?
Although he hadn’t reached the higher floors, his long years of delving into the labyrinth gave him a clear judgment.
‘I need to treat my wound.’
If the search continued, he’d inevitably be found, and in his current condition, he’d be helplessly captured. So, treating his injury was the priority
But with so many pursuers below…
‘As quietly as possible.’
Rotmiller carefully extracted the arrow from his abdomen with his hand. He bit down on the extracted arrow like a gag.
Sssizzle-
He poured a potion over the wound.
“……!!”
As always, the pain from the potion made him question if treating the wound was even the right thing to do.
It made him appreciate Yandel’s resilience once again. He always fought while enduring this pain kind of pain.
How is that even possible?
‘Ah……’
Even as he asked himself, he knew the answer.
To survive.
His jaw clenched automatically, blood rushed to his head, and veins bulged, but Rotmiller endured the pain without making a sound.
However…..
“……Huh?”
He was unlucky.
He had made the best decisions possible given the circumstances and did everything he could.
“…Shit, fuck! Found him!”
It was simply bad luck.
The one who discovered him among the busy pursuers was the only one slacking off and taking a piss on the ground.
Thwack!
The pursuer who noticed him while shaking off his piss immediately fired his crossbow, the arrow piercing his thigh.
Thud!
His battered body fell to the ground.
When he came to, he was already surrounded by pursuers.
“So, this guy’s worth at least a rank 3 essence, huh? What do we do, captain?”
“The capture order was rescinded a while ago. Just take his head and ID back.”
Their conversation was far too business-like for something concerning a human life, and the decision on his fate was made in an instant.
“Can I do it?”
“You?”
“When else would someone like me ever get the chance to take the head of one of Yandel’s comrades?”
“Do as you like.”
A sly-looking man tasked with his execution slowly approached, twirling a dagger.
“This is going to hurt a bit. It’s a little short, so I’ll have to saw through.”
Instead of begging futilely, Rotmiller closed his eyes.
The realization that he had only a few tens of seconds left to live brought a flood of nostalgic faces to his mind.
His parents, who died because they couldn’t pay the taxes when he was a child.
The head of the orphanage who took care of him lovingly.
The teacher who taught him the skills of a scout when he was a novice explorer without asking for anything in return……
Memories with those who had been kind to him flowed through his mind.
Life had always been tough, but there were many joyful moments.
Among them, if he had to choose one.
“That was probably the best time.”
“Huh? What’s this guy babbling about?”
In the chaos of all this, what was Hikurod up to?
Did he manage to evacuate safely? I hope so.
Even if their blacksmith shop, which had just hit it big, got caught up in the war, surviving was the priority.
I should have visited more often.
Regrets piled up, and more comrades came to mind.
Missha Karlstein.
Bjorn Yandel.
And……
‘Riol Warb Dwalki.’
Would he welcome me with a smile? Or get angry for arriving too soon?
He didn’t know, but for some reason, he felt like smiling.
“Smiling…?”
Of course, he had to. Only now, at this moment of true reckoning, did he realize something deeply.
“Really……”
He used to think, one day, when such a moment arrived, he might finally understand his friend’s heart.
That was an absurd thought.
“…He really was an extraordinary friend.”
On the other hand, what about himself?
Brown Rotmiller.
A former explorer who was too ordinary to stay with his precious friends and ended up falling behind.
The end of this explorer was ordinary until the very last moment.
“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, should I just start cutting you now?”
He wanted to live.
He didn’t want to die.
There were so many things left undone, things he still had to do.
But…..
Shing!
It’s really over now.
Rotmiller quietly closed his eyes, and one last face flickered before him.
Not a benefactor who changed his life, not a beloved comrade, but someone he knew only briefly…
‘I should have been more honest.’
Good grief.
Why are there so many things I regret?
“The blessing of the twilight star will guide us…”
Like any ordinary person facing death, he called upon the name of his god in his final moment.
And……
Booooooom-!!!
A sudden explosion made him open his eyes.
He didn’t know what had happened.
But thankfully.
“What the hell are you doing to my scout?”
It seemed there was still more to his story left to tell.
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