Chapter 230: Barbarians (1)
qVPIn the original storyline of the game, the fall of the northern walls didn’t garner much attention.qRhILp
O0P84A winter longer than usual, the sudden fall of the northern walls, poison spreading in the south, the invasion of the east by the heretics and the rebellion of the Xeruem Order.2pds0
WQmdzBNumerous incidents broke out at once; the kingdom was in utter chaos and removing the cause of the winter was the job of the player. As people that were aware of this future, Park Sihu and I had tried our best to prepare for it in the last iteration.bAC0w
YYvtuUWe stopped Dun Scaith from pouring the venom into the southern river, and stopped the Xeruem’s rebellion ahead of time.2qZJD
v9fd6BThe Sword Emperor dealt with the problems of the east by himself even in the game, so we headed north after the south and the west to protect the walls but…88e
zPPrXqH[How did it not even last 3 days?]Z47dFgv
iAaogfThe walls, which we thought would last the longest, fell much quicker than expected.T6rpE
iOqjr1“I can see why.”HRP
nvCTqThe reason for that was unraveled before our eyes.6jp5Ak
l334tx– WAHHHHHHHH…!!tnsDCCi
uITj3Roars were reaching us from all the way over there, and the entire horizon was packed with people.Fu8VKxI
2Ya“K, Korin-hyung!”Dzju
0kaGermain Luther came in a rush to report the results.DSq8tG
RfCXp“Are you done?”URhW
58WrZ“Yes! It was hard to count them all because the barbarians didn’t have any flags but… somehow.”CtTK
bNy“Tell me.”Qnd
Eem9“More than 230,000! There are some children and old people, but it seems there are at least more than 150,000 able troops!”tx9D4RQ
NUHUO6S“That is quite a lot.”g9nrNB
C6j2uNorthern Kingdom.lS5GrD
IemMIt was a common reference to the union of barbarians tribes of the north.tyc2
1uxRThere were nigh 300 tribes, including that of half-giants, witches, sorcerers and other demi-humans.XEdtEM
20mHNzLiving in the harsh lands of the north, they inevitably had to become invaders and plunderers, which meant they were masters of battle regardless of gender.lEBc
xoInAs such, even the females were considered warriors in the Northern Kingdom barbarians. They were a tough bunch indeed.EIV5
PkGqfVM“C, can we beat them?”0ew
6fCXgGermain looked at me nervously as if he had full trust in me.e7F
jMgIt was understandable though, because there had never been an invasion of this level in the history of the kingdom.avVX
2Hai“150,000 barbarian warriors. That means there would be at least 7-800 knights so… that makes sense.”5nSOns
SXyWa54No wonder it fell in three days. Even more so because the Valkyries, the great warriors of the God King, were also among the mix.MUC
slke3“We will. Somehow.”MfYT
bNI28nJ“Ohh…”aqw
skMFWe will beat them in a frontal battle for sure. This was certain I was certain about.baGnH
wHUFirst off, we had me.9Qh
gWKLooking at my current power level, I would at the very least be around half of Park Sihu in his prime, back when he was called the God of Magic. Well but if we were to fight, I would still somehow come out on top.Rm7K0
BvcDOn top of that, we also had Lady Josephine Clara, who was at the level of a nightmare in the unique environment of a battlefield.nw9D
nkWakDEven just one meteor strike in the middle of their armies would be a disaster.HEXN1s3
e354BxiNot only that but we also had Marie, Hua Ran, Alicia… Kranel, Yuel and Dorron who also acquired divine treasures from Mag Mell, who could each fend off hundreds.R26
VHOU56We would win for sure.jtFJZJ5
2wAG“There would be a hundred thousand casualties though. That’s the issue.”ESmnM
Ujr“Umm, from the barbarians?”na3A
KQi“Yeah.”Qkief
io93yGermain didn’t seem to understand what the issue was. As a believer of the Old Faith, the barbarians of the north were heretics that deserved death, and that was probably what he was taught in his upbringing.wAS
jFS6eoIActually, anyone would think that as a citizen of the kingdom, who had been under their constant pressure.kfSPS
CLWFrom my perspective, they were all the same people, but the deep crevice of hatred among hostile countries was not something that was easily solvable.ZH3oG
oZVHowever, they were also an excellent ‘ally’ in my eyes.vqUa2
5g8“Hey, Luther.”uBjtBZ
ThFxfS“Yes?”ItuEI
Mkj“We are making them our allies now.”NDWz
JCE“What?! What do you mean!” he shouted back in fright.8ra
DLsIt was rare for him to shout at me but it was a normal reaction.lXa
GQM5z“I said it before, right? There’s going to be countless demonic beasts, never seen before. We need the help of even one person.”nVeC
ZwYqX1“B, but…”udkGFzL
qGnGGermain didn’t seem to know what to say.2M7S
0hg“But… hyung,” he said. “Will those barbaric animals listen to you?”kUi
4eQHe couldn’t say straight-forwardly that he wanted all of them to die, and thus opted to suggest it in a roundabout way.9h7
RbpIt was still a fortunate thing that this Germain-guy seemed to have gone through some change. If he was the same as how he started off in the Academy, he would have gladly suggested that we kill all of them.yYKUvE
zLI“Of course, there’s no reason for us to be on the losing side of the negotiation. I have my plans.”50hx
RzxUnlike the El Rath Kingdom, the Northern Kingdom was a set of tribes that still served the previous gods.AUyhU
PhF5The answer was therefore simple.YBM
EphHI just had to persuade the gods they served.DogoYX
1AYRsyH****HQaa
9kxThe so-called barbarians of the Northern Kingdom were considered in the El Rath kingdom to be barbaric, lawless and violent, but they had their own civilizations and laws.tkmt
d6BOThey referred to themselves as free people, and hosted small conferences that decided on the future path of their village, tribes and the union.fDV
AWhfBHowever, the union conference last winter had created a huge strife in the group.6oHOeCk
9RkC7“Skjaldmaer (Shield maidens)…! It’s time for the tribe conference!”mcU
huiEiYZA man wearing a helmet of horns painted in white yelled out loud, looking for Brunhild.k2o
vHkLLFpBrunhild headed to the tent of conference where the representatives of hundreds of thousands of barbarians were gathered for their meeting. Waiting inside were the tribe chieftains and their advisors, skjaldmaers… the Valkyries.V8R0L
wZoCec“You’re here, big sis.”M5of
SawYduzA large woman greeted her upon arrival. She, who was as big as half-giant with an immense build and muscles, was one of the Valkyries, Thrud of Strength.V31
bBSrXWBrunhild scanned the ones inside the tent and heaved out a sigh of lament.6FY6l
sJVHm“Seems that a few… weren’t able to reach here.”Lfi8h9
tqYgTXThere were more than a hundred tribes following Brunhild when they set off, but now there were only 70 tribe leaders and less than 20 shield maidens.Sgv1fY
pNZ8DThe ones absent were most likely dead already along with the warriors of their tribe.9X3dl
x5g9l“It can’t be helped, shield maiden. However, they fought valiantly till death. I’m sure they are waiting for us in Valhalla.”TzOwNs
DpRCBrunhild gave a quiet yet bitter smile in response to the words of one of the tribe leaders.3r9
f2GThe tribes of the Northern Kingdom believed in Odin, the God of War.gSk
SFGyThey dreamed of Valhalla, the heaven of valiant warriors, but now that the gods had fallen, even Brunhild couldn’t be certain of the existence of Valhalla.136HIw
NzRXThat was why a few of them had betrayed… or rather taken a different path. After all, for the shield maidens who believed in the gods and the tribes, the proposal raised by Tates Valtazar had been like a tub of honey too sweet to refuse.RW5k
Po8GHowever, she believed that was akin to betraying the gods they had been serving for thousands of years.eGFYX2
KKAqhBeing under the same flag as the last Frost Giant and reviving the World Tree, was an act of betrayal to the gods they had been praising and worshiping.eH1PQPN
n4vVsJThat was why Brunhild, as well as the Valkyries and the tribe leaders here, had been vehemently against their cause.icx
0xd“O skjaldmaer. We do not have much time in our hands. The wicked demons of Valtazar have already set off on their path.”hf2
bjMQ“…We must contact the walls first. We have to send them a message.”4dm0
jQO“Those feeble southerners will not accept us in!”2ikSGGf
dS8iWlw“That’s right! It will be better for us to overtake those walls and meet the monsters ourselves!”t0H
jMliyq8“More than anything, we don’t have time. The demons are right behind our tail.”OefAOGO
S8Xtk3Right – they didn’t have time. They didn’t have enough time to persuade the El Rath kingdom.4L1Tm
VuEFValtazar already had more than half of the Northern Kingdom tribes under his wing.y9t95W
mEKqU7AOut of 297 tribes of the union, 95 had been against his cause.6kV
pOAxAs soon as they demonstrated their opposition, Valtazar began a ruthless massacre of those 95 tribes. Due to the unending onslaught of shadow demons, and natural demonic beasts and spirits, the oppositional tribes had been chased all the way here.e4pR3O
3sWytBrunhild and the Valkyries had to lead the anti-Valtazar tribes south to literally survive.jz1dUt
X58tThose tall walls were standing in their path, and they had to cross it to avoid the waves of monsters coming down.1US
W52“Hilde… Did you finish scouting the city?”bfmkm
iy05b7sShe called one of their sisters, who had set off to scout the enemy forces, and Hilde walked forward with uncertainty.a08
2SC9R“Yes, unni…”p8erNcr
8CxhIVO“How is the defense level of the borders?”roZyYoD
UTODbN“It was much stronger and reinforced compared to the last time we checked, and they had more than double their previous numbers.”5zC
WSHvQjhThat still meant there were only 2,000. Hearing that, some of the tribe leaders scoffed in derision.iW6Ble
ZJBthThere were 150,000 warriors on their side. If they wanted to, they could breach the walls in less than half a day.puEpNgF
ReGmxh“But… there are at least 4 powerhouses on their side, that are each at the level of a grand leader.”Lx1GJF
0Vx0“What?”JJYIf
8ncPdPcGrand leader.Rsg3F
0tA0bIn the Northern Kingdom, which worshiped the strong, it referred to the strongest great warrior who led their union.UFr
vGttSIt was the same standard as a Unique Grade in the kingdom, and it was hard to see even one of them come out in a century.mfQKL7w
BymAt the very least, for the current generation of the Northern Kingdom, there wasn’t a single one who could be objectively called a ‘grand leader’.RZEOtS
BT3FFQ“That is impossible! How could there be not one, but four powerhouses at such a level?!”sC7Xg
Cf6I“Skjaldmaer Hilde must have made a mistake!”fO8i
zBiVKhIt was an unbelievable evaluation. Despite the disbelief and doubts of the tribe leaders, Brunhild gestured to them to quiet down and asked.liyLwM
6Kq“Are they… Sword Emperor Garrand or Dimensional Witch Josephine Clara?”e5jDGhu
vdJQqyHTwo more even apart from them…? Brunhild assumed the worst but…6MQPsuv
xe9SdQ“No. It was my first time seeing all four of them.”zYms
RBw9NzlHilde multiplied several-fold the worst-case scenario she had thought of.UxK
qJZyRY“…”jWT
zvaBAhIt was a big problem.tcHKpq
jSCnLxQTo think there would be four of such powerhouses on their side… a bunch of them would be massacred meaninglessly considering they had the advantage of a fortress.MHxaD
zi2Tt‘But it’s still winnable.’jPdA
EPyThere were 150,000 warriors on their side, with more than a thousand great warriors, which were the same as knights in the El Rath Kingdom. On top of that, they had 19 valkyries, each specializing in wars.Drh9
5tIRwoKWith even the addition of the leader of the shield maidens and the strongest Valkyrie, Brunhild, it was impossible to lose.esMU
nZuElI“First off… we have to show off our might and request they surrender. It’s best if we don’t shed innocent blood.”0Twx
S05t6xSend a messenger.RyZAE
gWYwAsk for their surrender, and tell them we would have no choice but to attack otherwise.xa8hG
Qp99It was then.2eQhW
hz5– Kwagagang!L2p
aYT1A deafening thud reverberated across the cold wasteland.1gf9
0VdlH****4IiqjZ1
5yWASP“Kuahk…!”BsDAeX
6TiThe warrior who had been defending the entrance of the encampment facing the walls was buried in snow.6kc
l706x7Also around him were dozens of similar warriors. None of them had seen the exact identity of the thing that dropped like a lightning bolt.Y4GgjX
pvcxIAc“Ugh…”HtnuPL
Rs0wSr2One of the warriors who had been watching from nearby dropped his chin in awe.1L2bsZr
LYZN0Y9“This can’t be…”QqMf1s
BMCThey were being attacked. Someone had ripped apart the tents of the tribes and had destroyed the entrance of the encampment.93B5zK
eQbWho in the world was it?wB84PSf
6xVxAWhat kind of dumbass would ambush the encampment of 150,000 warriors?H5AZUc
szvEven more surprising was that Malak, a half-giant, had been bashed away from a single punch. The great warrior reaching 3 meters in height, who could rip demonic beasts into halves with bare hands, was rolling on the ground in pain.kwba1Ef
koubStanding at the center of that scene was a single person. The warrior realized in an instant, that that man was in a realm that he would never be able to reach in his life.XGHl
auhvie‘H, how could a warrior of such a young age…!’7CQ
YhagHe could tell that he was at the level of a top great warrior.Rl8VrR
PU0I5“B, bastard…! Name yourself!”s5hy
NIY2“Hoh… This has been a while. I guess so because there are no newspapers in the Northern Kingdom.”Vk6
ETi7“What?”VfnI9
Fhd2SltLeaving aside the warrior in a stupor, Korin was rather delighted to see people who didn’t know about him.ZmlX
nusd2gZ“Where’s your boss? There’s too many people here that I can’t find them.”tBk1
VBz6kk“You insolent fool…”D9fqYE
2wdThe warrior picked up his ax. He knew he wouldn’t be able to defeat that man, but he couldn’t step back like a coward before everyone else.B36
RoUuAt the very least, he was sure that the shield maidens would lead him to Valhalla if he were to die against a foe of that level.wnUTFmo
uEOmY9He decided to try his best to hold the enemy in place and buy at least a few seconds until the great warriors arrived.A0ZRf
DRX“…”QuJ
NR9wCfHKorin simply watched the other warriors slowly standing back up.4u8Q6
4CR9uShHe intentionally struck them with nothing but a shockwave so that he wouldn’t end up killing them. That alone should have alerted them of the difference in strength, and yet they were still eager to fight like true warriors.fB6g
rpNWuA“I don’t hate it. I’m sure there’s no man out there who wouldn’t appreciate a sight like this.”ipS
huSU3However, it was annoying for him because he had no plans of killing anyone.Gz70
DxoQaV6“Survival of the strongest! We may be weak and lose our lives, but our great warriors and our shield maidens will surely destroy those feeble walls of yours!”WDpsZz
mYRThe fundamental principle of the Northern Kingdom was that – survival of the strongest.fTX
l0cxSOGIt was a simple logic that it was natural for the strong to plunder the weak.cVetY9p
ktNqpoyThey considered their own death to be the inevitable outcome of their weakness, and the fall of the walls would also be because they were weak.s1C8z
93t“Seriously, this way of macho thought process…”pItQz
KZ2vaHis voice suddenly turned even colder than the wintery blizzard.y7fxVx
XHfhWHow could a warrior who resembled the blazing Sun give off such a cold aura? The warriors gulped and clenched onto their swords and axes, but their opponent remained standing there without pointing his spear at them.Zgp
410– Kang!dlN
Du8uOne of the warriors carrying an ax tilted his head in confusion.9VNJ2
GHEMJwcHe felt something swoosh past his neck but didn’t know what it was. He touched the side of his neck and found a trail of warm blood.pLbK5c
SnYIGb“…Was that the wind?”FWOT81q
vqXWNHBut how could the wind be so sharp and heavy?wNSbFG
pq1JISUpon turning back to Korin and realizing that he was now pointing the spear at him, the warrior realized that he was only alive thanks to the mercy of this young man.ZTYz
nkrPZ“Damn it! Are you insulting me?! Kill me!!”iOCBo1a
CVmThe offended warrior roared out loud which made the dozens of warriors run in at once. Korin, however, remained standing there, waiting for them to approach him.YLdxJAD
FWjbrjPTheir axes fell towards its foe. Dozens of blades were about to land on him but that was when he lifted his right leg and—uMNS6AM
IITk2o– Kwang!VeZbzR7
ZQwub— He simply stomped down with his foot.6Xd
jlm“Kuhak!?”8HD
bBtekzS“Kuahk!”ZwE29Rj
OUyGThe snow scattered to all sides and so did the warriors. It was just a stomp and yet the shockwave was enough to send the warriors flying.MvK5Sv
Bd4n87It was an overwhelming difference in strength.MEx
rDmFIt was then.RGx4mgc
qVcgyl“How dare you…!”1BWo6e
CySuA roar echoed from above.xPSAkI
ca9– Kwangg!n6Ai
0yjAn enormous shadow descended along with a thud. Korin parried the roaring axe with his spear.4YMgu4
Gplnb– Kajik!xpQKGJ
Ss84aIn that moment of collision, the land beneath his feet caved in with a crack. An unbearable gush of wind resulting from the clash cleaned all the surrounding snow, making the land return to its snowless state. Even the dead roots of plants were ripped apart.vCBp
pF8zThat was how strong the descending ax was, but the spear did not move a single inch.vvHr
EivPha‘He blocked my ax?’olN
NRBWTorkel retrieved his ax and fell back. The 4-meter-tall chieftain of the tribe of half-giants, Black Axes, commended his foe.SZcr
YgAG“Not bad for a midget.”asqYEWM
kJ1AfRealizing he was a strong opponent who easily withstood his ax, Torkel’s eyes gleamed with his desire to fight against the strong.2zVrC76
Qlq6nThat was when more warriors gushed out of the encampment.ex0
9rJD9c0Among them were half-giants, sorcerers and the pride of the tribes, the great warriors.YN2e
goX7mThere were a hundred of them.fcK
PRwTorkel placed his ax on his shoulders and asked Korin.2lY5
qdyo“Who are you, and what are you here for?”vemRJ
qC4RbKorin conveyed his purpose and stated as a matter of fact.xFyYYnB
4Qz4“You stand no chance against me. So tell Brunhild to come out. It won’t even be a fight otherwise.”hL0D7KL
3ga5““………””bic
0hf4cThe entire area turned dead silent.p1gUcXd
pfd6gIt wasn’t because they were flustered or shocked.GeE
hxNThey were furious.da3RM
bxW71sThe hundred warriors including chieftain of Black Axes, Torkel, had to contain their burning fury within their skins.Vo9my
sWYi“How dare you! Try to face the divine skjaldmaers!!”VYfToH
hnTTorkel’s roar erupted the surrounding air and sent the surrounding snow back into the atmosphere. What the knights referred to as aura covered his entire body in invisible flames.w0Ctwtx
zHsuHe wasn’t the only one.pVkGk
CU1The hundred warriors behind him, as well as the hundreds and thousands of their warriors – in fact, even the tens and the hundred thousand warriors would all be willing to shred this insolent invader to pieces.grnVLAX
Hev1WSkjaldmaers.ImMBH
vPrwThe shield maidens of the God of War.iQ4AK
cTtFNThis man was daring to meet the beautiful Valkyries who showed benevolence and mercy to the poor northerners and led them even after the fall of gods.yfp
ghO9OPEven though he wasn’t a great warrior nor a chieftain, he had the guts to make such a bold request.Q2X3z
98QdAt the face of that undisguisable show of killing intent, Korin did not flinch in the slightest. His straight back showed no signs of bending down, and veins were filling his thick arms.CRlWJGm
Ll4CAt the same time, his internal energy came surging out like it was trying to push the entire world away.DqLnA5M
RxArK3P– KUWOOOOOOOOO!7ZRhT
EXfThe world was met by a bizarre noise. The chilling blizzard turned into heat; snow melted and the cold vanished.Xt5rF
hgAVlFKorin repeated his purpose.yyl5
1uJasz“I am here to meet the leader of Valkyries, Brunhild.”zIJ
0TeAXThe Sun moved with his steps.EqApW54
3tlYFThe land, which had once been full of snow, heated up along with the atmosphere as the snow evaporated into the air.UYP3khx
uLgY2FY– Chiiik!kz8Z
uTCU9bfUnraveling before the barbarians of the north was a sight they had never seen before. The snow melted; they vanished, and now the ground was bubbling with heat.QTJq
8yOKorin felt the change in the gazes looking at him.gAK7XCB
Ov38FUntil moments ago, the warriors had been burning with the desire to fight. Their eyes were still on the same person, but now it was that of fear and awe.nYA8YHP
JHluKorin didn’t bother moving; he simply stood there waiting on the spot.gvks2s
iglThat was when a group started walking towards him.dd2G1
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