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Chapter 87 – Raid Dungeon (4)

There were Barbarians outside as well.

He knew that.

After all, people recoiled in terror upon seeing him, calling him a Barbarian, so it was impossible not to know.

However, he had never seen them in person.

Initially, he had no intention of paying them any mind, but their notorious reputation kept reaching his ears, and he was getting curious.

‘Are they the same as the ones inside the snowy plains?’

“I’ll stay behind and prepare for any contingencies. I’ll leave the combat to you.”

Said Gainert, nodding.

“Marcy, cast a physical enhancement spell on Barak. Barak, prepare to pierce their heads.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

Marcy began chanting a spell, and Barak drew his bowstring.

Gainert raised his shield.

Ketal watched them with delight.

He had no intention of fighting from the start.

This was a proper mercenary party, and he had no intention of missing the opportunity to watch the battle from the front row.

“Begin the battle.”

Gainert said briefly.

Simultaneously, Marcy muttered softly.

“Physical enhancement.”

With the low words, Barak’s body was strengthened.

A superhuman force was applied to the drawn bowstring.

Barak released his grip.

With a whizzing sound, the arrow flew towards the orc.

Thunk.

The arrow pierced the orc’s skull.

The orc staggered and fell.

It was an instant kill.

The orcs only realized the presence of the enemy after their comrade had fallen, screaming and raising their clubs.

“Kuaaaak!”

They charged.

But Barak had already drawn his bowstring again.

Another arrow flew, piercing an orc’s head.

Now, only two orcs remained.

Gainert charged forward with his shield.

An orc swung its club down.

“Kuoooh!”

The orcs were 1.3 times Gainert’s size.

Naturally, they were stronger.

Two such orcs were attacking Gainert simultaneously.

But Gainert didn’t falter.

His aura strengthened his body, blocking the orcs’ attacks without issue.

While Gainert held them off, Marcy chanted another spell.

“Mana arrow.”

A translucent arrow materialized in the air.

It flew and struck an orc’s head.

The orc screamed and recoiled.

Gainert didn’t miss the opening.

He shoved with his shield and plunged his sword into the orc’s neck.

The orc made a gurgling sound and collapsed.

Only one orc remained.

Gainert dealt with it without difficulty.

The battle ended.

Ketal was deeply moved.

“Ohhh.”

‘This is a real party.’

In the Barkan territory, the so-called “party” was, frankly, just individuals doing their own thing in the dungeon.

They were practically strangers, so it was to be expected.

But these people were perfectly coordinated.

They supplemented each other’s roles and moved organically to conquer the dungeon.

They filled in the gaps and covered each other’s weaknesses perfectly.

Ketal was deeply impressed.

They continued to advance.

Orcs appeared, but were dealt with as easily as before.

Ketal watched intently from the back, not missing a single moment.

And Gainert felt that gaze.

‘Why is he staring like that?’

It was a gaze filled with intense passion.

Gainert wondered if the barbarian was unable to control his emotions, eager to join the fight.

It felt like fighting with a ravenous beast at their back.

This feeling wasn’t just Gainert’s; Marcy and Barak felt it too.

Naturally, it made them unnecessarily tense.

The mental strain was significant, and their bodies quickly grew tired.

After five battles, Gainert drank some water.

“How far do you think we’ve come?”

“Considering the distance… probably about halfway.”

“Marcy, how’s your mana?”

“I need to recover soon.”

“Then let’s rest here for a bit. Is that okay?”

Gainert looked at Ketal, who nodded.

They sat down to rest.

Ketal, purely impressed, spoke up.

“Amazing. Your coordination is perfect.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. There’s no unnecessary movement, and everyone supports each other perfectly. It’s incredible. This is a real party.”

Ketal’s expression was filled with admiration.

Since it was pure praise, Gainert didn’t feel bad hearing it.

“From the way you talk, it seems you’ve been part of a party before.”

“A few times. But we never coordinated like this. It was more like everyone just did their own job.”

“Ah, sounds like you were in temporary parties. It’s not easy to coordinate with people you’ve just met.”

“Are you in a fixed party?”

“Not exactly. But we’ve been in several parties together, and we adjusted to each other each time. It might not be as good as a fixed party, but I’d say we’re close to the best you can get for a temporary one.”

“Is that so? It must come from mutual trust. Impressive.”

“Y-yeah?”

Gainert paused for a moment, surprised that a Barbarian would talk about trust.

Ketal continued speaking, and their conversation flowed surprisingly well.

He responded well even to trivial stories.

During their chat, Gainert occasionally forgot that the person in front of him was a Barbarian.

He unconsciously asked.

”Are you really a Barbarian?”

“Hmm.”

Instead of answering, Ketal asked back,

“Why do you think so?”

“I’ve met a few Barbarians before. But none of them acted like you.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s already remarkable that you passed the screening and entered the capital, but that makes it even more intriguing. Aren’t you a Barbarian from the North?”

“Do Barbarians come from the North?”

Gainert was startled by the question.

“What? You’re not from the North?”

“I come from another place. Actually, I’d like to ask you about that. What do the Barbarians in the North do?”

“Well…”

A momentary image of the ashen-haired Barbarians of the snowy plains flashed in Gainert’s mind.

Given Ketal’s gray hair and their conversation before entering the dungeon, he had a fleeting suspicion.

But he dismissed it immediately.

‘There’s no way a Barbarian from the snowy plains would be here.’

Clearing his thoughts, Gainert explained.

“Barbarians live in the North. They have their own kingdom there, living self-sufficiently. Generally, outsiders don’t approach them. They don’t want them to, anyway.”

Barbarians are reclusive and hostile.

They even shun their own kind, let alone outsiders.

Basic interaction is difficult.

“It’s a closed-off place, in a different way from the Empire. Occasionally, some Barbarians come over here, but… it usually doesn’t end well.”

Gainert clicked his tongue in genuine dislike.

“They’re a nuisance. They should just stay in their territory instead of coming out and causing trouble.”

Gainert’s face was filled with deep contempt.

Ketal thought to himself.

‘They seem similar to the ones inside the snowy plains.’

They might differ in degree, but they appeared to be just as ignorant and simple-minded.

He resolved not to approach them.

“But it seems to be lessening recently. A Barbarian King has appeared and is controlling them.”

“A Barbarian King?”

Ketal’s face showed interest.

“Do they also have a king?”

“Normally, they don’t, but one appeared recently.”

“It can’t be easy to control those ignorant ones.”

“Normally, no. But Barbarians have one rule they follow.”

Barbarians, who hate rules and order, follow one principle.

The law of the jungle.

The weak lose everything, and the strong gain everything.

“The Barbarian King is strong. Strong enough to subdue all the Barbarians.”

Gainert said.

“Rumor has it he’s a hero-class warrior.”

“Oh?”

Hero-class.

Ketal had never seen one.

According to stories, they were far stronger than ordinary superhumans.

“He’s not just strong but also smart and intellectual. I’ve heard he’s leading and controlling the Barbarians. Since then, incidents caused by Barbarians have decreased. I don’t know the details, but it’s good for us.”

“Is that so?”

From what he heard, the Barbarian King seemed different from typical Barbarians.

He possessed great strength and was rational.

He cooperated with outsiders and followed the law.

Ketal murmured.

“He must have a hard time.”

Leading those ignorant ones must be tough.

It was like his past situation.

He suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie.

He felt an unexpected kinship with the Barbarian King he’d never met.

“But you’re not from the North?”

“I don’t even know where that is.”

“Really?”

‘Are there Barbarians in places other than the North?’

Gainert was momentarily puzzled.

He had never heard of Barbarians coming from anywhere other than the North.

The only exception might be the White Snowfield, but he had already ruled out that possibility.

‘So there are Barbarians outside of the North too.’

He thought, considering the possibility of a region where civilized Barbarians lived.

Having confirmed that Ketal wasn’t a Northern Barbarian, Gainert seemed relieved and started to badmouth Barbarians.

Ketal agreed.

“They’re so ignorant. Being around them makes me feel like my own brain is getting duller.”

“Exactly. They often get sick from eating random things.”

“Ah, so Barbarians here also die from eating poisonous plants out of competition? It happens frequently.”

“What? No, that’s just crazy, not a Barbarian thing.”

“…”

Ketal’s expression grew gloomy.

* * *

After their rest, they continued to advance.

Orcs appeared but posed no problem.

They progressed quickly, and Ketal was impressed.

“You’re fast. Your coordination is flawless. Truly a skilled party. There’s no issue in that regard.”

“Right?”

Gainert puffed up with pride.

Though he had heard it before, it was still pleasant to receive praise.

After a moment of hesitation, Ketal spoke up.

“I have a request. Is it alright?”

“A request? Go ahead. I’ll hear you out.”

Gainert assumed Ketal would ask to join the fight.

And he was prepared to accept.

‘He doesn’t seem like a typical Barbarian,’ he thought.

Their conversations had flowed well, and Ketal hadn’t been a hindrance.

Apart from his appearance, Gainert didn’t even think of him as a Barbarian.

With a Barbarian like this, there seemed to be no issue with cooperating as party members.

“Thank you for that. Then I’ll make my request.”

“Speak.”

Ketal smiled brightly.

“May I give you some pointers?”