Barbarian Quest

Chapter 236

Tatatata!

Rain started to fall as the dark rain clouds gradually gathered. Urich and Samikan both caught their breaths for a second in the rain.

'Ah man, it would’ve been nice if that attack got through.'

Urich weakly grinned with half-closed eyes. His fingers noticeably trembled. His eyes failed to follow Samikan's blade and lost track of it.

Splush.

Urich slipped on the rain-soaked ground. He tried to support himself by plunging his sword into the ground, but Samikan's kick struck Urich's chin.

"Keugh."

Urich rolled on the ground. Groans erupted from all directions. Everyone knew it was a deciding point in the fight.

"Urich, a warrior like you probably doesn’t even fear death."

Samikan frowned and walked over. He, too, vomited blood. The pain suppressed by the herbs surged again. It felt like his chest was being torn apart.

Woooooosh!

The rain grew heavier. Samikan swept back his sagging hair.

Swoosh.

Lying down, Urich threw an axe. Samikan, who was barely managing to gasp for breath, twisted his head to dodge the axe.

"Samikaaaaan!"

Urich squeezed out as he got himself up. He moved forward with his limp body. He raised his sword high, but the trajectory of his swing was terribly misaligned.

Blades clashed again. Urich and Samikan tangled up. Samikan was able to maintain his balance and posture, but Urich was in a complete mess.

'Just being able to stand and move is a superhuman mentality.'

Samikan focused his eyes on Urich charging at him. Urich's eyes were nearly flipped as he rushed forward.

Samikan and Urich crossed. The sound of flesh being sliced filled the air. Samikan seemed like he was about to fall but steadied himself with a step.

Splash!

Urich fell to the ground bleeding. A deep wound crossed his right collarbone, clearly breaking it.

Thud.

Urich fell on his knee. His upper body slowly tilted to the ground. Eventually, even his head plunged into the muddy ground. Blood spread from his body as it became mixed with the rainwater.

"Huff, huff."

Samikan caught his breath. His face, muddled with sweat and rain, felt heavy. His eyelids quivered and twitched.

Kriiiing.

Samikan dragged his sword and walked over to Urich’s side.

The warriors, despite having watched the battle from start to finish, couldn’t believe what they had just seen.

'Urich lost.'

Secretly, everyone thought Urich would win even with the disadvantage. Urich was a symbol of invincibility to the warriors of the alliance. He always emerged victorious, regardless of the circumstances.

Thunk!

Samikan drove his sword down with both hands. The blade grazed Urich's head and stuck in the ground. Samikan let go of the hilt and raised his voice with the last of his strength.

"I, Samikan, will show mercy to my brother! If I were to cut off Urich's head here, we could never win the upcoming war! The next Great Chief will be the great warrior, Urich, no matter what anyone says, and this is guaranteed by me, Samikan, who bears the will of the heavens! My brothers! My dear warriors! It is finally time to open your eyes and see our real enemy."

The warriors murmured. Even those from Urich's faction listened to Samikan's voice. Samikan had just affirmed Urich's status in front of countless warriors.

‘Did Samikan just say that Urich will be the next Great Chief when he dies?'

Samikan publicly declared the transfer of power. There was no reason for the chiefs and warriors from Urich's faction to oppose. They had clearly seen in this battle that Samikan was not going to live much longer. More blood had poured out from Samikan's mouth than from Urich's wounds.

"The strife ends here! The meaningless conflict ends today! I, Samikan, will be the spearhead for you all! We will all walk the same path!"

Samikan's fervent speech of literally spitting blood stirred the hearts of the warriors. The controversy of poison and such had long been forgotten.

On top of that, Samikan did not kill Urich and declared him his successor. Although it was a measure to preserve the full strength of the alliance, it was undoubtedly a generous act. With so many chiefs and warriors hearing his words, he was not going to be able to overturn the transfer of power.

"I-I’m finished."

Six-Fingered trembled with fear. Urich had been defeated.

‘Urich won’t die... but my life is in danger. What can I do to survive?'

Soon enough, Samikan would find any sort of reason to drag Six-Fingered down.

Warriors carrying Urich passed by the trembling Six-Fingered. Urich's injury was quite severe. A deep cut had reached inside his right shoulder, breaking the collarbone.

Samikan’s promise to save Urich was not an empty one. Renowned healers of the alliance clung to Urich, tending to his wounds.

Urich only managed to groan. He occasionally opened his eyes, but he was far from being awake due to the fever. He did not regain his consciousness until three days later, and the healers muttered amongst themselves that it was a miracle that he survived.

* * *

A typhoon laden with rain from crossing the sea was approaching from the east. The storm clouds were just a precursor. The allied forces turned their route northeast, planning to pass directly through the typhoon.

Wooooosh!

The wind howled fiercely. Even the tents anchored deep into the ground shook.

Creak, creak.

Urich was locked inside a mobile prison pulled by four horses. The gaps between the sturdy wooden bars were just wide enough for Urich's arm to barely pass through.

"Looks like it's going to rain," Urich murmured.

The warriors nearby covered the cell with leather to keep Urich from getting wet.

Throb.

Urich tried to move his right arm but then winced in pain. He cradled his face and shrugged his shoulders. He felt pathetic for having been imprisoned after being defeated by Samikan. His gloomy mood had not lifted for days.

Urich was to be detained until the next battle. Moreover, Samikan had designated him as the next Great Chief. The warriors of Urich's faction had accepted this. There was no resistance from them since the punishment was quite generous.

Samikan had not killed Urich and had prevented the division of the alliance.

‘Amazing, Samikan. I would have never thought of such a solution. You’ve managed to cast me aside and take over the alliance just like that. You put everything on the line just for the chance to leave your name behind.’

Urich leaned against the bars and looked at the surrounding landscape. Despite the rain beginning to fall, the alliance continued their eastward march.

‘Are we moving northeast?’

The alliance had changed direction from moving south. The typhoon was coming into their view in the distance. The lightning struck the ground, and the sound followed much later.

Boom!

Urich blinked.

‘I'm tired now, too.’

Urich lost to Samikan. He had no choice but to watch as the alliance headed toward a dead end.

‘I tried hard enough, I really did,’ Urich muttered to himself as he clasped his face.

‘I did my best for my brothers and my tribe.’

He didn’t become the chief because he wanted to. He never had such ambition or desire. All he wanted was to live and die as a warrior. He had spent years engaged in politics and power struggles that did not suit his temperament.

Urich simply could not bear to see his kin become slaves of the empire like the north and south. He had moved toward what his heart wanted in order not to bow to injustice, but this was where the choices he made got him.

"How much more do I have to struggle?"

There was no answer.

His wounds itched and tingled. He wanted to tear off the suffocating bandages and scratch out his wounds with his fingers.

Chew.

Urich took out a leaf of medicinal herbs given by a shaman and chewed it relentlessly. The pain went away, but his senses only sharpened. The shamans called such symptoms ‘entering the spiritual realm.’

Drip, drip.

Urich could make out each raindrop falling. Thanks to the consistent fall of the raindrops, Urich was able to delve deeper into his inner world.

‘I just wanted to see things I had never seen before.’

That was also why he had crossed the Sky Mountains. He broke the taboos of his tribe. He had shattered the afterlife that was given to his tribe.

‘Civilized world...’

Though he had faced death countless times, Urich could proudly say that he enjoyed those times. He had made friends who weren’t just his brothers from his tribe and met men whom, despite coming from different worlds, he could share his values with. Occasionally, he met those with completely different values, as well.

If only he could, he wanted to go back to the day he crossed the Sky Mountains. Back then, Urich had endless possibilities and a future.

Urich looked at the sun obscured by the dark rain clouds.

—There is no such thing as ‘can’t.’ Everything is a choice.

Gottval's words came to mind. Urich could have left the alliance and his tribe at any time. He had sacrificed himself until now. Alone, he had struggled and saved the Stone Axe Tribe and the west from the enemies of the other world.

‘Gottval was right. I had a choice.’

He could just leave. The problems of the west and the empire were none of his business. Urich had done his part. The rest could be left to Samikan, who had the ambitions and desires for the matter.

There was the south, which he still hasn’t been to, and even the eastern continent of the legends. He also wanted to know why the eastern artifact was found on the edge of the west.

"I can leave whenever I want..."

His heart pounded.

There were other ways of life. Urich was young. He could become a merchant, receive a title in the Porcana Kingdom and live comfortably, or he could even become a liege of a noble with vast lands, serving as a guard captain or the chief of security. There were plenty of places that would appreciate a capable barbarian mercenary.

"Ha, haha."

His shoulders felt lighter. It was as if he had shed a heavy burden.

‘Goddammit, Samikan. If you really want it all that badly, then just have it all. Why the hell have I been fighting with you over a power I didn't even want? Huh?"

His head felt clear. He felt as if he had been freed from all agony. Urich saw the many paths laid out before him.

"I can choose for myself."

Urich swallowed the herb he had been chewing. His throat tingled.

Crrrraaash!

Lightning struck. The flash and the sound came closer together.

The northerners called lighting the spear of Ulgaro. Unlike Lou, who symbolized warm sunlight and tranquility, Ulgaro was a god who showed himself through harsh environments like storms and blizzards.

‘I could be dying right now, and I don’t even have a god to believe in.’

Urich felt his energy waning. The defeat had gnawed away at his body. He wasn't sure if his wounds would heal properly. Since Samikan's sword had reached all the way into his collarbone, he could very well die if luck wasn’t with him.

Chew.

Urich took out a clump of herbs and chewed on them. His body trembled as his eyes rolled back. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth. Just like that, he lost consciousness and did not awaken until nightfall.

Crrraash!

It was the sound of thunder that woke Urich. He wiped the drool from his mouth. Lightning struck repeatedly. Urich covered his ears and curled up into a ball.

"Ughhhh."

The effect of the herbs made the thunder feel like it was thumping at his eardrums and pounding inside his head. The severe headache made it impossible for Urich to open his eyes. He had never imagined thunder could be so vile.

Urich stuck his fingers down his throat and threw up the herbs he had overdosed on.

"Guuuuugh, guugh."

The warriors guarding the bars furrowed their brows.

‘Has even the great warrior who’s called the Son of the Earth gone mad?’

The warriors clicked their tongues and looked away. The most towering warriors usually found it difficult to rise again once fallen.

Despite throwing up the herbs, the effects of the medicine still lingered in Urich's body. He opened his eyes slightly and was seeing things with each blink. Someone had entered Urich’s cell through the bars.

"You really showed up in front of me as an evil spirit, Gizzle. It seems our souls really don’t have anywhere to go, huh? Kek, kek."

Gizzle, the former chief of the Stone Axe Tribe, was staring at Urich. He extended his index finger toward Urich.

"I did much better than you. I saved our tribe that was falling apart because of you. I even formed an alliance you could have never imagined. You can't blame me for shit, you idiot," Urich ranted.

The warriors looked at Urich muttering to himself in the state that he was in and shook their heads.

"Just what do you want from me? I'm just a person. I get hurt when cut by a sword, and I get frustrated when things are tough. Why do people like you, who are not at all better than me, demand so much from me? Why?"

Urich thrust his left fist forward. Gizzle's illusion scattered like mist.

Crrraaash!

Urich looked in the direction of the lightning. Darkness writhed in the distance.

The darkness squirmed into a shape. A warrior wearing a winged helmet appeared with his eyes glowing with a blue light. His lips, which were distorted with a red color, were hideous.

Urich gritted his teeth. He called the warrior guarding the bars.

"There's a one-armed sun priest named Gottval. Bring him here. Right now..."

The warrior who belonged to Samikan hesitated but then nodded after seeing Urich’s nervous expression.

Despite his defeat to Samikan, Urich was still the most respected warrior in the alliance. He could not refuse the desperate request of such a warrior.