Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 255

The pyromancy, the signature of the Ruin Scholar, was as vicious as his notorious reputation. Even with the numerous personnel gathered from all over the city, all they could manage was to prevent the flames from spreading further. In the end, the fire was only extinguished after seven different schools of magic masters collaborated to cast a spell. Swishhhhhhh-! Rain poured as if a hole had opened in the sky. “Waaaaaaaah!” Some cheered as they watched the flames lose their power and die down, some quietly sighed in relief, and some slumped to the ground as if they didn’t even have the strength to shout. For the record, I was the latter. “…God damn it.” It’s finally over. My body, which had been burning hot, cooled down rapidly, and my tension was released along with it. I collapsed and lay down on the ground. And immediately regretted it. “Ha.” The ground was lukewarm and cooling. The ashes that had been flying around all night were mixed with the rainwater, making it sticky. It was an environment that would be hard for anyone to find pleasant. However, I was too lazy to get up again. How long had I been lying there with my eyes closed? “Oh, you scared me! I thought you were hurt!” When I opened my eyes, I saw Raven looking down at me. “…But you’re really not hurt anywhere, are you?” “I’m just tired and resting, so don’t talk to me.” “If you’re going to rest, you should go back and wash properly—” “Just a little later.” “Okay. You’ve worked hard, after all….” After lying there for a few more minutes, I got up. Well, the water was already up to my ears. The drainage here isn’t very good. “…You’re a mess too.” “You’re one to talk, Yandel.” We walked, covered in black ash, towards the undamaged part of the city. People were visible everywhere. Some were desperately searching for someone they had lost, while others were rummaging through the debris in case there were any survivors. They all looked similar to us. “By the way, what time is it now?” “It’s almost noon.” Noon on the 2nd…. It’s a little funny. Originally, only explorers would be in this state at this time. “The rain has stopped.” Whether the mages had released their magic, the dark clouds that had filled the sky scattered, and warm rays of light began to seep through. And at the same time. “Bjorn!!” Misha was visible in the distance. Ainar and Erwen were also beside her. They must have heard the news during the night and come here too. Seeing that they were in the same state as us, they must have been struggling to put out the fire all night as well. “…You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” I was worried that I would get nagged, but surprisingly, Misha didn’t say much. It was because of the people next to her. “Hey, Viscount Yandel…!” The few survivors who had been rescued by me last night. Well, she couldn’t ask why I did that in front of them. “Why are you still around here? Instead of going to rest.” When I said that, as if they didn’t understand, the survivors hesitated and thanked me. And then they left. What, did they really wait until now just to say those few words? ‘If that’s the case, they shouldn’t be so afraid of a noble.’ I chuckled and continued walking. Soon, the undamaged eastern district, which had not been swallowed by the fire, appeared. I booked a room nearby. I couldn’t go home in a carriage looking like this. In the first place, it would take several more hours to get home, and I wanted to rest right now. ‘How much would it cost for a night at Karnon [the capital city]…’ It was the capital, so I expected it to be much more expensive than the commercial district of Commelby, but today I couldn’t know the price. It was free. “The manager has instructed that no one should be charged today.” All the nearby accommodations were offering rooms for free to the citizens and explorers who had come to help prevent the fire. “Before you go up, you need to fill out the register here first… Viscount Bjorn Yandel…?!!” “Yes?” “I’ve heard a lot about you. You’ve done more than anyone else today… I thank you on behalf of this city.” I don’t know if it was because of my noble title or my reputation. However, the employee at the counter assigned me the largest of the remaining rooms. I heard that others were sharing one room with a dozen or so people? With a living room, three bedrooms, and two bathrooms, there was plenty of room for the five of us to share one room. “Bjorn, you can use one bathroom first. The rest of us will take turns using the other one.” “Thanks.” I didn’t refuse my teammates’ consideration and went into the bathroom to wash myself. Even though I washed as quickly as possible, it took about an hour. ‘I’ll have to wash the borrowed equipment properly and return it later…’ I gathered the equipment I had taken off in a corner of the room, organized it, and then lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. The bed was soft, as expected of a room in the capital, Karnon. Fatigue washed over me all at once. ‘By the way, I wonder what happened to the labyrinth? Did the army win? I’m curious about that too…’ Well, I can find out about that tomorrow. With that thought, sleep came over me, and when I opened my eyes the next morning. “…It’s the army!!” The royal army that had gone underground had returned. It made my mind complicated. ‘What the hell happened down there?’ Looking down at them through the window, marching towards the royal palace, there was no sign of battle to be found. *** Dark underground, where no light penetrates. Tens of thousands of people were walking in a line, relying on torches. All of them were from Noark… “This way.” At the very front, a mysterious old man was leading the way, and the city’s ruler, the lord, was following right behind him. “Lord, he’s someone we don’t even know. We should head somewhere else, even now…” “Watch your words. He’s the only one we can trust right now.” “But how does he know about these secret paths that we don’t even know about? It’s too suspicious. Maybe the royal family is up to something—” “Enough.” The lord cut off his subordinate’s words firmly. He understood that they were suspicious of the old man. He also understood that they were expressing strong anxiety. But the royal family was up to something? That was too much of a leap. If it hadn’t been for that old man, they would have already disappeared along with the city of Noark. “We have no other choice. Let’s trust him.” The lord muttered in a powerless voice, recalling what had happened earlier. [Lord, the royal army has invaded!] The army had invaded just after midnight. Right when all of the city’s forces had entered the labyrinth. The royal army began to advance, shattering the barrier that had been protecting the city. [Take all the citizens and head to the shelter.] His mind went blank for a moment, but the lord led everyone left in the city to the shelter below the citadel. It was a shelter that could accommodate thousands of people, built by the royal family in the distant past. The citadel of Noark had once functioned as a royal palace. Around the time when the witch’s curse destroyed the world. Humanity, gathered from all over the continent, built cities underground and extended the protective barrier, living there for a long time before going out to the surface. That’s why the labyrinth portal exists. [Yes, they’re stationed in the plaza and not moving. It seems they’re waiting for the portal to open.] It was fortunate, or perhaps not, that the royal family didn’t show much interest in those who had hidden in the shelter. It was a very rational reason. When the portal opened, the explorers would come out. For the royal family, eliminating the explorers was their top priority. They could destroy the shelter later. [Send a message to the surface.] In the end, the lord requested support from the surface, and in response, the Ruin Scholar set the capital on fire, drawing attention. But… [Those vicious bastards.] The army did not return to the city. Even the Ruin Scholar, who was their last hope, had stopped contacting them for some reason. And so, time continued to pass… [11:41] 20 minutes before the portal opened and the forces who had spent their time in the labyrinth returned. [Listen, soldiers.] The lord, with the heart of a person driven to a dead end, gave orders to the remaining troops. It was the best he could do at the time. He didn’t know how many would die, but it was the only way he thought there was even a slight chance of survival. [Open the gate!!] Just before the clock struck noon, the lord led the remaining troops out of the shelter. And they desperately broke through the army waiting in front of them and headed for the plaza. Seeing the scene directly was even more despairing. […] There were at least thousands of knights and even more soldiers. Mages and priests were also stationed everywhere. But it was too late to turn back. [The portal is opening!!] [Prepare!!] Soon, a blue light gathered in the center of the plaza, and the portal opened, pouring out explorers. [What, what is this!!] [The royal family! It’s the royal army!] [Damn it! No wonder there was no one inside!] The explorers were taken aback by the army that greeted them as soon as they returned to the city, but they had already felt some sense of unease in the labyrinth, so they quickly understood. [What are you doing! Are you going to die like this?] [Hurry up and draw your swords, you bastards!] The explorers immediately drew their weapons and prepared to fight back, and the lord also led his troops, drawing attention from the outside as much as possible. The only order he gave was one. [Run away! To the surface!] His best plan. Every man for himself. To survive even a little and plan for the future. But did his appearance catch their eye? [Indeed, the leader of the impudent rebels has such a face. I’m surprised you’re more intact than I thought.] Soon, a knight arrived in front of him. The dazzling aura on the knight’s sword spoke for him. [The Knight of Light…!!] Jerome Saintred, the commander of the 1st Royal Knights Order. A powerful figure in this kingdom, with another alias as the guardian of the royal family. [Don’t worry. You won’t die here. First, I’ll cut off your limbs just in case, and then I’ll take you away alive.] The Knight of Light swung his sword. The lord, who had only been an explorer for a few years in his twenties and had only reached the 5th floor, couldn’t even see it. Whoooosh-! A flash of light bloomed along the trajectory of the sword, and his vision turned completely white. But… Flash-! The momentary flash subsided, and when he opened his eyes. “…?” Nothing had happened to the lord. His arms were moving, and his two legs on the ground were fine. How could this be? As he was wondering, at that moment. [You still have work to do.] The old man appeared dozens of meters in the air. Somehow, the battle around them had stopped. It wasn’t intentional. Just as the Knight of Light was trembling with his sword at the lord’s neck, no one there could do anything to harm another. As if that was the rule of this space. [Well, now that everyone’s gathered, let’s go.] Then, as the old man gestured, a huge magic circle began to emit light on the city floor. A majestic magical power that he had never felt before. [Fortunately, this is still working well.] With the old man’s mutter, his vision went blank. And… Flash-! When he regained consciousness, the lord was in a dark underground passage. It wasn’t just the lord. Everyone on the Noark side was there, and… [Wh, what did you do!] [Multiple teleportation? No, there’s no way it’s possible to move this many people…] There were also a few knights who had been brought along. [I guess there was a slight error since I moved so many at once. Ah, I didn’t bring them on purpose, so don’t mind me and kill them quickly.] The lord, like a possessed person, followed the old man’s instructions and killed the knights. And when he asked where this place was, he followed the old man, who smiled meaningfully and started walking. And so, time passed until now. “Is he the person I think he is?” The lord was awakened from his thoughts by a man’s voice. Surprisingly, the leader of Orculius was speaking to the old man with honorifics. “Well, if there are no questions, there are no answers.” “You mean I should figure it out myself. I understand.” The leader, who had divided the forces of Noark and had been in conflict in many ways, obediently bowed his head and stepped back. That sight was strange. And at the same time. The lord grew more curious about this old man. ‘Who the hell is this guy?’ He wondered if he should go ask the leader. Wasn’t it him who had ordered his members to stay still and not act rashly as soon as they were teleported? He must know something. But… ‘There’s no way he’d tell me willingly.’ Instead of asking the leader about his identity, the lord approached the old man. And he actively tried to have a conversation that he had been hesitant to have earlier due to some unknown unease. Surprisingly, the old man was very friendly. “Ah, you mean the teleportation? It’s just that I borrowed the power of the ancient magic circle in the city, so don’t think too much of it. The same goes for being able to temporarily stop the battle. That’s how well-designed Noark is.” “I didn’t even know there was such a thing…” “Hahaha, it’s strange if you knew, so don’t be discouraged. So, is that all you’re curious about?” The lord asked the old man various questions, and the old man answered them well, except for the question of where their destination was. How much time had passed? “Well, we’ve arrived.” The narrow passage gradually widened, and a sloping path appeared. And… “Where is this…” When he climbed the hill, he was outside. The lord could say that it was a sight he had never seen before. The sun shining down, the forest, the flowing stream, the chirping birds, and the earthworms wriggling on the moist ground. And above all… “There’s no wall…?” No matter where he looked, there was no wall that should have been there. In other words, it meant that it was not inside of Laphdonia, which was called the last citadel. “Wh, where is this…?” The lord muttered blankly and returned to where the old man was. He could see the old man smiling under his hood. “Congratulations. You will now be recorded as the first people to come out of the city in thousands of years.” Year 154 of the Founding Calendar, August 2nd. The era that had been blocked by walls finally came to an end, and a new world opened.