Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Novel - Chapter 747
Chapter 747: Guide (4)
Sitting on the window ledge on the second floor, he gazes at the burning city.
Whoosh! Crackle-!
The flames swirl and flicker as if they would burn everything to ashes. Yet, the flames are stopped midway, as if hitting an invisible glass window, unable to reach the buildings.
As if receiving divine protection.
Of course, such an expression only suited the sensibility of modern people. This is a world where countless mysteries exist. The locals, seeing such a sight, would immediately think of protective magic circles, artifacts, or divine spells.
‘Well… it is a divine spell, so… I guess it’s correct to say it is divine protection?’
Sven Parav shook his head at the sudden thought. As a paladin who used divine power, he knew better than anyone. Divine power is merely a resource. Of course, within the Order, it is said that divine power is a blessing from the gods, and if one loses the right, the gods would take back that power……
‘Bullshit.’
Sven Parav had seen it countless times. Priests who were unlike priests. Archbishops who were unlike archbishops. Cardinals who were unlike cardinals.
And……
Paladins who were unlike paladins.
They proclaimed nobility with their mouths and spoke of mercy and sharing, but their inner selves were not pure. Just like himself.
“……”
Sven Parav often thought about it. If divine power were truly not granted to the unworthy, it should have been taken away long ago. His life was proof of that hypothesis. After all, he was an evil spirit who had taken over the body of a virtuous person. Moreover, he did not live a life befitting a paladin.
And……
‘I’m no longer even a paladin anymore.’
Even after leaving the Church, his so-called divine power did not disappear. So the notion that divine power is only granted to the worthy is complete bullshit. Though, if asked whether gods exist, that would be a different story.
[You received an oracle…?]
Surprisingly, he had once heard the voice of a goddess directly. The location was a dream, where the goddess showed him scenes of the future, allowing him to avoid an ominous future. But this only deepened his doubts.
‘What exactly… do they want……’
What do these entities called gods desire? They seem to truly exist and possess tremendous power as described in the scriptures. If so, why is the world in such a state?
With these thoughts, he sat for a long time on the window ledge, watching the burning city as time passed by.
Whoosh!
The flames swirled in a slightly different form than before. He adjusted his posture and focused intently beyond the window.
“Shit.”
The flames were dying down.
***
The fact that the fire was dying down was not a good sign. After all, it was more important to be wary of people than the flames right now. In fact, the fire had been protecting them. However, his anxiety grew as it seemed that someone was artificially suppressing the flames, rather than it extinguishing naturally because there was nothing left to burn.
Thump-!
A feeling as if something had come a step closer to him. Sven Parav tried to ignore this feeling and quickly focused on what needed to be done.
“Everyone, please gather over here.”
First, he gathered the refugees into one place.
“Miss Marrone!”
After asking Marrone to activate the prepared magic circle, he went back upstairs to the second floor and looked out the window again.
Whoosh!
Even from a glance the flames were rapidly dwindling. Soon, the flames were extinguished, revealing an army through the gaps.
Clank, clank.
Heavily armed troops marched forward, extinguishing the flames as they advanced. He desperately wished it was the royal army, but, as usual, his wish was not granted.
Clank, clank.
More than a hundred troops rapidly approached. Sven Parav pressed himself against the wall to stay out of sight and observed the outside as cautiously as possible.
Clank, clank.
The troops had now reached right in front of the building. Sven Parav sat with his back against the wall below the window, focusing solely on the sounds.
‘Please, please, please, please, please……’
Please, just pass by. He fervently wished again, but as always, his wish was in vain. Isn’t it obvious? If he were a Noark soldier and saw the only intact building in a burning city, he would definitely be curious enough to check inside. Just like this.
Bang, bang-!
The sound of someone trying to open the door from the first floor, accompanied by a gruff man’s voice, echoed.
“Captain, it’s locked.”
That was the last sound he heard. Sven Parav crawled towards the stairs, moving as quietly as possible. He saw the refugees huddled together in the chapel, covering their mouths to stifle any sounds and trembling with fear.
Boom-!
At that moment, a heavy impact hit the door, and one of the refugees let out a short gasp.
“…Haa!”
A very faint sound. Had they perhaps been focusing on this side as well?
“Oh, is someone hiding inside?”
“Don’t let your guard down. They could be Yandel’s comrades.”
Sven Parav felt inexplicably suffocated at those words.
‘Yandel’s comrades……’
Could they have come all this way because of us……? If that’s the case, then—.
“Break the door!”
Bang-! Bang-! Bang!
The Noark soldiers started to break down the door with even more enthusiasm than before.
Fear began to appear in the eyes of the refugees.
“Captain! This door won’t break!”
“It doesn’t seem like it’s just a matter of the material being strong… it feels like some magical effect is at work.”
“Indeed… after all, this temple remained intact while everything else burned.”
“The second floor! Climb through the windows on the second floor!”
They were only thinking of getting in somehow. It was pointless to lower their voices and remain silent any longer.
“…What should we do?”
“Miss Marrone, please take care of the first floor. I’ll handle the second floor!”
With that, Sven Parav stood up from his crouched position, wary of being seen from outside.
And……
“Oh! There’s someone here—!”
He thrust his sword into the face of a man who had just peeked through the window.
Clang! Thud!
“Sven Parav! Sven Parav is on the second floor!”
“Get him!!”
As soon as he revealed himself, the eyes of the Noark soldiers gleamed with greed.
“That bastard’s head is mine!!”
If it were an ordinary medieval battle, they would have used ladders to climb to the second floor, but this was Rafdonia, a land filled with mystical powers. Soldiers armed with essences climbed through the second-floor windows without needing ladders.
Crash-!
Like ninjas, the Noark soldiers broke through windows from all directions and swarmed the second floor, swinging their weapons with murderous eyes.
“Die……!”
In an instant, Sven Parav found himself fighting against dozens of people who quickly took over the second floor. There was no room for strategy in this battle.
Swish-!
He swung his white greatsword at the enemies and sometimes thrust it. When attacks came his way, he blocked them with the shield in his other hand.
Thud-!
If blocking was impossible, he took the hits while avoiding vital areas as much as possible.
And……
Sssssssss-!
He quickly healed his injuries with divine spells. However, even as the chaotic battle continued, he couldn’t gain any positional advantage.
‘Why does the staircase have to be in the center…’
Sven Parav stood firm at the only path leading to the first floor, facing an ever-increasing number of enemies. But he couldn’t hold out for long. He was not Bjorn Yandel.
Thunk-!
A blunt weapon imbued with supernatural power struck his head, and the world started to spin. Although the divine spell allowed for real-time healing, he lost his balance and took a step back.
Thud.
Descending one step made the fight even more difficult. The difference between standing on flat ground and an unstable surface was enormous.
Thud-!
A thrown dagger tore through the muscle between his collarbones and embedded itself deeply.
Thud.
He took another step back.
Boom-!
Was it a magic spell? He blocked the direct damage with his shield, but the impact forced him back another step.
Thud.
Moving forward was incredibly difficult, but stepping back was all too easy.
‘How am I supposed to stop so many enemies…’
His resolve began to waver. As if to prove it, he took another easy step back.
Thud.
When he came to his senses, he was already halfway down the stairs, and now he could see the refugees just by turning his head.
“……!”
“……!”
The refugees closed their eyes tightly, praying that he would defeat the enemies. But unlike in comics, this sight didn’t awaken some newfound strength in him.
Thud.
He stepped back powerlessly again, not because of an injury but to avoid an enemy attack.
Thud.
Another step. As he continued to be pushed back by the overwhelming number of enemies, Lilith Marrone, who was supposed to handle the first floor, began to support him.
[Lilith Marrone has cast a rank 5 defense magic Iron Wall.]
A massive wall rose between him and the enemies, temporarily blocking the staircase.
This gave him a moment to catch his breath…
Boom-!
“…It won’t hold for long!”
Even without Marrone’s words, the sounds of explosions beyond the wall made it clear that they didn’t have much time.
“…There are too many of them! What should we do?”
Sven Parav didn’t respond.
What should we do? I don’t know either.
In this situation, what else can we do to survive?
Thump-!
His heart pounded violently, emitting a foreboding throb as if there was no way out. Yet, in the face of such despair, wasn’t there always a glimmer of hope? As Sven Parav scanned his surroundings quickly, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a statue of a goddess.
‘……What?’
Sven Parav couldn’t take his eyes off the statue. An inexplicable intuition began to rise within him. Though difficult to explain, it felt as if there was a way to survive connected to that statue.
Tadadat-
While the magically created wall held, Sven Parav swiftly ran towards the statue. He began inspecting the area around it.
‘Huh?’
In a barely visible location, he noticed a groove. Pressing it and touching the statue caused it to slide smoothly backward.
‘Could this be… an emergency exit……?’
There was no guarantee it was an actual emergency exit. But if there was a way to survive, this was it. He was about to inform the refugees of his discovery.
Thump-!
His heart throbbed loudly again, causing him to hesitate. This cursed intuition was now telling him.
‘Keep quiet.’
Don’t tell them.
‘If you want to live.’
Only then would he survive. It screamed this without providing any evidence or reason. He could no longer hold it in.
‘Fuck, what the hell do you want from me?’
It felt like some cruel game. Was there any joy in playing with someone’s life like this? Instead of relief at finding a way out, a feeling of weariness surfaced first.
And at that moment.
Thud.
Something touched his limp right arm.
“……?”
He looked down to find a small child gazing up at him, on the verge of tears.
“Mister Paladin… does it hurt a lot……?”
“……”
Sven Parav didn’t answer. Nor did he question himself. He simply pushed the slightly ajar statue wide open, revealing the hidden secret passage below for everyone to see, and shouted.
“Everyone, go down here!”
Even as he shouted, he thought to himself.
‘Ah, I’ve done it……’
No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t believe he could ever be a great person. If he was going to do the right thing, he wished he could have done it more magnificently.
‘Well, maybe this suits me better……?’
Soon, the refugees began descending the stairs beneath the statue. Except for the child who had asked if he was in pain, no one expressed gratitude or anything of the sort. It was as if they took it for granted.
There was no disappointment or feeling of betrayal in that realization.
‘Yeah… everyone is the same. They put themselves first.’
Of course, there was a contradiction in this thought. Why didn’t he prioritize himself then? Why did he act for the sake of people he met for the first time today? It’s not like acting this way would make him a truly noble paladin.
“Mr. Parav……?”
Why did he do it? It’s not like anyone would reward him for it.
“Why are you standing still? Come on! The wall is about to collapse!”
Sven Parav looked at the statue. The goddess of the stars, who presides over adventure and destiny, said nothing as usual. Unlike his intuition that tells him what to do even if he didn’t want it to.
Thump-!
Come to think of it, what exactly is this intuition? He had never really pondered over it before, but now that he did, it didn’t make any sense. He had always considered himself lucky and in tune with his instincts, but……
Still, not to this extent.
Thump-!
Though he didn’t know its true nature, this ‘intuition’ was a blessing. It had helped him survive countless crises. But somehow, a different thought crossed his mind now.
Thump-!
Had this intuition always been right?
Thump-!
By following this intuition, had he not lost anything?
Thump-!
Without this intuition…
Thump-!
He might have become a more noble person, not a wretched human trembling in a dark closet.
Thump-!
Maybe this ability was a shackle. A shackle that prevented him from walking the righteous path.
Crash-!
The wall blocking the stairs collapsed, and Marrone, who had gone under the statue, shouted out.
“Mr. Parav……!!”
At the same time, the intuition also spoke to him.
Thump-!
It’s not too late. Hurry, get inside there.
And……
Thump-!
Abandon them and survive alone.
It was an intuition stronger and more specific than he had ever experienced before. But precisely because it was so strong, he was able to make a decision more easily than ever.
“…I’m sorry.”
Sven Parav shoved Marrone inside and then pushed the statue back to its original position.
[…Do it!]
His heart pounded so hard that the ‘intuition’ now manifested as a voice in his head.
[…Follow them quickly! Survive on your own!]
The reason he didn’t follow Marrone down was because he felt that if he did, he would succumb to that temptation again.
Yes, that’s why…
[Hurry, get down there—!]
He punched his chest, trying to calm his pounding heart, and spoke.
“Shut up.”
Thump…?
“I decide where I go.”
He gripped his sword and shield, and stepped towards the enemies pouring down the stairs.
Thump-!
His heart pounded.
Thump-!
More exhilaratingly than ever before.
[……Tsk]
[The ancient evil god clicks his tongue in disappointment.]
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