The Berserker’s Second Playthrough Novel - Chapter 66

Chapter 66
## Chapter: 66

### Chapter Title: There Is No Demon for the Old Man (2)

—

A translucent colossus draped in shimmering radiance, its body composed of shifting, formless fluid.

To put it plainly, that was the nature of the adversary that had materialized.

The liquid geysering from the cavity did not splash onto the floor but instead coalesced into a grand stature as if poured into an invisible casing. Soft undulations rippled across its clear surface, which offered a flawless reflection of the surroundings. It possessed no discernible facial traits, merely a crown of light draped over it like fine silk—evoking the image of a lake’s spirit basking in the peak of a summer afternoon.

‘First a titan of wood, now a titan of water…’

Kadim let out a weary snicker. Although their fundamental natures and silhouettes varied, their gargantuan scale prompted the thought. Was he destined to square off against a giant for every natural element in this second life? Magma giants, stone giants, or frost giants might very well be waiting in the wings.

Pushing aside these stray reflections, he focused his intellect on the mechanics of the duel. It was blatantly obvious that steel would find no purchase in this watery mass. Poets spoke of mariners wrestling the waves, but he was engaged in a literal brawl with the sea…

Splash! Whoosh, whoosh, fwoom, thud!

Kadim first reclaimed his axe and scrutinized the behemoth. The hags of the barrens were a warped lot, yet they never presented a challenge that was truly insurmountable. Such shapeless entities usually possessed a “core” buried within. Perhaps his only task was to locate and destroy it? He peered deeply into the liquid form…

However, the titan granted him no window for careful study.

Shhhwoooosh, shhhwoooosh—!

Violent surges erupted from its lower limbs to its torso, from its shoulders to its knuckles. Bathed in the crimson glow of the torches, the water took on the unsettling hue of gore. The giant dipped low, then launched itself upward, throwing its entire weight behind a gargantuan fist.

――――― Krraaa-boooom!

A shattering explosion of luminous spray—the impact was far too heavy to be dismissed as a mere “splash.” Propelled by the momentum of the waves, the strike pulverized the stone tiling and sent tremors through the rafters with savage intensity. The watery body then collapsed downward, inundating the area in a turbulent flood.

Rumble, ruuuumble…

He leaped high, driving his axe into the masonry to stay above the deluge. The aggressive tide pulled back like a retreating sea, reconstituting the giant’s frame. In that brief interval, Kadim scanned every millimeter of his opponent.

He then made a startling realization.

‘…What? It has no core?’

The titan’s anatomy consisted entirely of glowing auras and clear liquid—it was hollow of any vital center. Thick lines of frustration etched themselves into Kadim’s forehead.

Gurgle, guuuurgle—!

No sooner had it reformed than the giant renewed its assault. A fist accelerated by internal currents whistled toward the wall.

This time, Kadim stood his ground. Relinquishing his hold on the axe, he drew his sword and sprang forward, rotating mid-air to unleash a cyclonic gale of steel against the incoming fist.

Kwaaa-guuguuguu—!

Droplets resembling blood scattered as the liquid forearm was sliced in two. Yet the severed waters did not disperse. Instead, they reshaped into a pair of fluid serpents, venomous aquatic cobras striking out fiercely at Kadim.

Gurgle, guuuurgle—!

The spiraling vortexes trapped the barbarian’s frame. Kadim attempted to swim through the pressure immediately, but the maelstrom clamped down on his limbs, denying him movement. He thrashed in vain as air bubbles escaped his lips.

Left with no alternative—he centered his willpower. Soon, a brilliant scarlet glow erupted from his chest.

The moment his sharpened bloodlust took hold, he channeled his strained muscles into a chaotic tempest of sword strokes.

――――――― Kwaaaaa—!

A brutal concussion of energy blasted the surrounding water away. The glowing fluid was hurled outward in a fierce mist. And yet, the scattered droplets drifted back together, assuming a humanoid shape once more to prepare for another round. Kadim stared with eyes stained blood-red, spinning his blade like a hurricane to create a defensive web of steel.

――――――― Kwa-guuguuguu, kwaa-guuguuguuguu—!!

His slashes cut through the streams with precision. The sheer pressure of his blade scattered the liquid onslaught. He met the giant’s full-body lunges with sweeping arcs, rising to clash with it head-on. Utilizing the strength of his tattoo, Kadim—in a feat that felt surreal even to him—held his own in a direct confrontation with “water.”

Nevertheless, he could not persist in a cycle of endless, fruitless defense. While parting the waves with his steel, Kadim inspected every corner of the hall. The vital core might be hidden outside the liquid body.

But there was nothing. From the highest point of the ceiling to the bottom of the pit, neither a core nor a ritual relic was to be found.

Only a single deduction remained.

‘It isn’t about physical force—this is designed for a different solution. Perhaps elemental magic…’

Freezing the entity solid was the most logical tactic. Ice would bring the currents to a standstill. But Kadim possessed no magic to conjure frost.

‘Melissa… She would have turned this thing to a glacier in a heartbeat.’

There was no use longing for comrades who weren’t there. He moved to Plan B. Sheathing Mosquito, he unsheathed his twin hellfire daggers from their blood-iron housing and lashed out.

Fwoooosh—!

Ordinary embers would have died upon touching the water, but the hellfire persisted. Even when submerged in the cascading waves, the blades burned with a defiant roar.

Pssshhh—!!

The surging waves struck the red-hot steel and instantly turned to vapor. Repeated thrusts from the daggers tore through the water, evaporating large portions of the giant—the entity’s volume began to shrink little by little.

But he hit a wall soon enough.

Fizzle, fiiiizzle…

After filling the chamber with a thick veil of steam and shearing away a third of the giant’s mass, the heat of the daggers began to fade. The relentless humidity and the constant drenching of the waves blunted the fire’s edge.

To make matters worse, the evaporated liquid condensed on the ceiling and began raining back down. The giant’s shape began to recover, while several of the wall torches were snuffed out by the moisture. incinerating the water titan was not the road to success.

The bloodlust from his tattoo began to wane. Kadim gnashed his teeth in frustration. Without the enhancement, the whirlpools would likely trap him again. Should he consume demon blood to buy time? He weighed his options…

Then, his gaze caught an inconsistency.

A chunk of wood, about the size of a fist, lay at the giant’s feet. It hadn’t been there when the fight started.

It was completely out of place—why was it there?

“…!”

Kadim quickly identified where it had come from.

And that sudden clarity pointed the way to defeating the water giant.

Ruuuuumble—!

The behemoth lunged forward with its fist again. Kadim did not step aside. Instead, he unfastened the “thorn” from his back, gripped it firmly, and threw it like a javelin at the giant’s leg.

――――――― Clang—thunk!

The wooden spike pierced the shimmering liquid surface. White spray instantly transformed into gritty sawdust; a grain of wood began to spread rapidly from the point of impact. The solidified liquid grew heavy and stiff, ruining the giant’s balance—it toppled forward helplessly before it could reach him.

Gurgle, guuuurgle—

It was the thorn taken from the putrid demon. He had kept one that a soldier had severed, unsure if it would ever be of use.

The results were magnificent. The demon’s innate ability, “lignification,” triggered without mercy—even against a liquid target. Just as it had turned a village puddle into a block of wood before.

Kadim strode forward, pulled the thorn free, and drove it into the giant again and again. The wood-turning curse spread like a virus from the punctures. Within seconds, the entire entity had become a rigid wooden statue, unable to maintain its form—it came crashing down onto the slate floor.

Thud! Rumble rumble…

The sound of heavy timber collapsing filled the room. A damp silence followed, marking the conclusion of the struggle.

“…”.

Kadim wiped the perspiration from his forehead. Its resistance to physical harm had made it a nightmare. If not for that thorn… But a win was a win—he steadied his breathing, waiting for the illusion to break.

Rather than the scenery dissolving, a confused murmur drifted through the air.

[……Um?]

Kadim squinted and rapped his knuckles against the wall: thud thud thud. He’d had enough of the games—it was time to move on. A short pause followed, then a resonant voice rumbled from the shadows.

[The challenge is concluded… it is finished. Step forward, Great Warrior of Atala…]

Scraaaape…

The illusion began to flake away. As he had expected, the circular arena vanished, replaced by a cramped, functional room. The heavy moisture was replaced by the smell of ancient dust.

Kadim gave a soft cough and surveyed his new surroundings. Beyond faded tapestries and iron decorations, a chaotic mess of ritual circles led his eyes to an elderly woman—her features twisted in utter bewilderment.

“Wh-what was that, Great Warrior? What did you do? How—no, why did you dismantle the spring’s protector in such a fashion? That test was never intended to be bypassed like that…”

With an expression that seemed awkward after centuries of being devoid of feeling, the wilderness witch was quite a sight. Kadim answered her flatly.

“Then what was the intended way? Should I have leveled the entire chamber? I’m not quite at that level yet.”

“No, did I not provide the solution on the walls of the entrance? ‘When the fires of conflict that sanctify heroes are extinguished, even the starlight in the pool shall turn to bitter frost!’ You were meant to put out all the ceiling torches as the riddle instructed, and the sentinel would freeze—test complete. Why resort to such a strange tactic…”

“…”.

Kadim’s brow furrowed. Setting aside the nonsensical “riddle,” one detail needed clarification.

“…Are you referring to those markings all over the walls and floor of the entry tunnel?”

“Yes! You simply had to identify the ‘ancient script’ among the decorations—it was basic. Why…”

“Why would you write the clues in ancient script? I can’t read a word of it.”

The witch winced, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. She looked at him with growing suspicion.

“What do you mean? The Blind Witch informed me that the Great Warrior was literate in ancient script, so the hints were written accordingly! And the way you solved it… Are you truly the ‘Great Warrior of Atala’?”

“…”.

Kadim gave a silent laugh. It all made sense now.

In his first life, he had translated ancient texts that Cyril couldn’t understand on several occasions. It wasn’t because he was a scholar—it was because his knowledge of the game allowed him to recall meanings that were revealed during specific plot points.

From Cyril’s perspective, he had appeared to be a master of the language. Therefore, this test had been designed to confirm his identity as the “Great Warrior.” It was just his luck that this specific script was gibberish to him.

‘Tch. That means I’ll be flying blind through the rest of these trials…’

His head throbbed for a moment, but he quickly adjusted his perspective.

It didn’t matter. There was no law stating he had to follow the pre-written answers. He had finished this monster his own way, hadn’t he? If the sword failed, use the fist. If the fist failed, use the teeth. If all else failed, bring the ceiling down…

Raising his gaze, he met her lingering, skeptical eyes. Kadim revealed his tattoo and gripped the hilts of Mosquito and Salmon.

The witch finally lifted her heavy eyelids, a spark returning to her withered eyes.

“That mark—no, those blades…”

“Steel tempered with the blessing of Atala. Already marked once by one of your kin. The ‘Blind Witch’ is Cyril. Is that enough to prove I’m the Great Warrior?”

“…It is enough. Though why you would name your weapons ‘Mosquito’ and ‘Salmon’ is beyond me. You aren’t some nature-loving elf…”

“…”.

Kadim ignored the comment. The witch blinked slowly, cleared her throat, and pulled a shimmering ritual instrument, the “Engraving Needle,” from her robes.

“I have questions, but they must wait—duty comes first. I will skip the explanations since this isn’t your first time. Present the ‘demon blood’ that holds the trait you desire. This needle will bind its spirit, carving the sigil of that unwanted power into your skin.”

Kadim paused for one final consideration.

He had been thinking about it the whole way here, yet he remained torn. Mid-rank demon blood was too rare to waste on a tattoo—it was a choice between the Charm-type or the Plague-type.

‘But I haven’t actually tested the properties of the putrid one’s blood…’

He had utilized the Charm-type by accident previously, but not this one. This was a near-permanent enhancement—he couldn’t commit without knowing.

“Wait a moment—can I test the effects before we finalize the mark?”

“…Hm?”

As the witch gave him a puzzled look, Kadim pulled the stopper from the flask and took a swig of the demon blood. The stench of rot and sap filled his nose; a sharp, stinging energy forced its way down his throat.

The transformation was instantaneous.

“…!”

The witch’s eyes grew as wide as plates. Her sagging skin twitched slightly; her brow wrinkled like deep ravines. Kadim merely offered a calm grin. Yes, it was exactly what he had anticipated.

“This works. This is the one.”

As if he had just sampled a fine vintage, he held out the vial of blood. But the witch, having seen the process with her own eyes, could not hide her shock. A raspy breath escaped her ancient lungs.

“…Hoo.”

To a witch who hadn’t encountered a human in centuries, the Great Warrior of Atala was a profoundly strange individual.