Episode 119
As Zeke subdued the beasts, the barbarians picked up their weapons and charged once more.
The beasts, already weakened by Zeke’s assault, couldn’t withstand the renewed attack from the barbarians and fell one by one.
Before long, the surrounding trees and rocks were drenched in the beasts’ dark ichor.
“Keek!”
With the last beast vanquished, Zeke approached Kingfist.
“Kingfist, it’s been a while.”
Kingfist nodded in acknowledgment.
“Zeke, thanks for the help.”
He pulled Zeke into a hearty embrace.
The other barbarians gathered around them.
“Kingfist, is that a human?”
Kingfist introduced Zeke to them.
“This is Zeke. He’s incredibly strong.”
“Seems like it. Is he really human?”
Zeke nodded at the barbarians.
“Yes, I’m human. Nice to meet you.”
Though the barbarians were a closed-off people, they weren’t ones to ignore a debt of gratitude. They recognized Zeke as a fellow warrior.
Zeke turned to Kingfist.
“Aren’t you from the Rock Tribe? Why are you with other tribes?”
Kingfist’s expression darkened at Zeke’s question.
“The beasts have increased. We joined forces with other tribes.”
It seemed the Rock Tribe alone couldn’t fend off the beasts and had allied with neighboring tribes.
Zeke was taken aback by Kingfist’s words.
‘Barbarians rarely join forces with other tribes. The situation must be dire.’
Just then, Richmond emerged from the trees.
“Huff, huff, Master! You left me behind… Oh no! Barbarians…!”
Seeing the dozen or so barbarians, known for even devouring monsters, Richmond was terrified.
Zeke reassured him.
“They’re not enemies, so there’s no need to be afraid. But for a lich, you sure are jumpy.”
Richmond wiped his cold sweat.
“Well, I’ve spent most of my life researching monsters, not fighting them.”
“You’re quite the peculiar one.”
“Hehe.”
Once the conversation ended, Kingfist invited Zeke to the village.
“Can we enter the village?”
“It’s fine. My father is the chieftain.”
Being invited to a barbarian village was as rare as an outsider being welcomed into the Ishtar family.
‘Since he’s the chieftain’s son, it should be okay.’
With Kingfist’s assurance, Zeke and Richmond followed the barbarians to the village.
“Wow.”
Richmond gaped at the entrance of the barbarian village.
A fortress made of massive rocks, stacked like a wall, stood atop the mountain.
Such a structure seemed impenetrable even to high-risk monsters or beasts.
In fact, when enemies attacked, the barbarians would hurl rocks from above to fend them off.
The stones thrown by the barbarians were more fearsome than any weapon.
This was why human knights dared not encroach on barbarian territory.
Using his dragon’s eye, Zeke noticed something astonishing.
‘There are spells installed all over the fortress!’
Ancient magic, not modern, was embedded throughout the fortress.
Even if a magical battalion launched a large-scale siege spell, the fortress would repel it, causing harm to the attackers instead.
Zeke realized that the barbarians’ civilization was more advanced than he had thought.
“Zeke, wait here.”
Kingfist and the other warriors approached the fortress entrance and together pushed aside a massive rock.
Rumble!
The boulder, as large as a house, moved aside with a thunderous noise.
Once inside, the barbarians pushed the rock back into place.
Zeke and Richmond were left speechless by the unconventional gate mechanism.
Kingfist and the barbarians led them further inside. What they saw was astonishing.
A city of barbarians, unlike anything they’d ever seen, lay within the fortress.
Houses made of carved stones lined the mountain, with paved roads and plazas, and stone stalls were impressive.
One barbarian was selling monster meat and hides at a stall, while others sold various goods.
There were even shops dealing in human and other races’ items.
Zeke marveled at the barbarian marketplace.
Though he had negotiated and fought alongside barbarians in his past life, he had never ventured into their village, making the sight all the more fascinating.
Richmond, with his interest in monster bones, was wide-eyed as he explored the shops.
“Master! My goodness, they’re selling Caucasus and wyvern bones and hides!”
Zeke told Richmond to explore the shops while he and Kingfist went to meet the chieftain.
He needed to inquire about the whereabouts of Golyn, the blacksmith he was searching for.
The Rock Tribe’s chieftain lived in a building carved entirely from a massive boulder, befitting his title.
Kingfist entered first and called out.
“Father! Zeke is here with me!”
Inside, a barbarian even larger and more intimidating than Kingfist sat meditating with his eyes closed.
He slowly opened his eyes and glared at Kingfist.
Kingfist flinched and stepped back.
“W-what’s wrong?”
Kingfist’s father, the chieftain known as Bigfoot, slowly rose.
His enormous stature was reminiscent of a giant from legends.
The tales of barbarians being descendants of ancient giants seemed plausible.
Bigfoot addressed Zeke.
“You must be surprised by my reckless son.”
The chieftain’s deep voice spoke fluent common language.
Zeke was taken aback and responded.
“You speak the common tongue.”
“It’s one of the main reasons other warriors don’t want to be chieftain. Please, have a seat.”
Bigfoot dismissed Kingfist and offered Zeke a seat by the fire.
He placed a large pot of water over the fire and added a few branches.
Once the water boiled, Bigfoot poured the brewed liquid into a massive bowl and handed it to Zeke.
For the barbarians, it was a bowl, but for Zeke, it was nearly the size of a washbasin.
“Thank you.”
Curious about the taste of barbarian tea, Zeke lifted the basin and took a sip.
It was slightly astringent but had a refreshing quality.
Bigfoot watched Zeke intently.
The bowl he handed over was not something an ordinary human could lift easily.
Yet Zeke drank from it effortlessly.
After finishing the tea, Zeke set the bowl down, and Bigfoot spoke.
“You don’t seem like an ordinary human. Are you a knight?”
Zeke nodded.
“Yes, I’m of the Draker lineage.”
Bigfoot furrowed his brow at Zeke’s words.
Even among barbarians, the name Draker was known.
Bigfoot soon relaxed and spoke again.
“Before being of the Draker lineage, you’re the human who helped my son. I’d like to repay that debt.”
Zeke then asked Bigfoot.
“I’m looking for a dwarf. A renowned blacksmith. I heard he went missing around here.”
Bigfoot nodded at Zeke’s inquiry.
“You mean Golyn.”
Zeke’s face lit up.
“You know him?”
“A master like Golyn deserves a warm welcome. Our tribe excels in stonework but lacks metalworking skills.”
“I see. Golyn’s skills are well-regarded among humans too.”
Zeke showed Bigfoot the scabbard he received from Gelion.
“This was a gift from Golyn’s human apprentice.”
Bigfoot examined the scabbard and nodded.
“I remember. It was Golyn’s first creation using monster parts and minerals we provided. He was passionate about crafting a weapon beyond weapons.”
Zeke was surprised by Bigfoot’s unexpected revelation.
“This scabbard was made here?”
The timeline seemed impossible, so Zeke asked, puzzled.
“We’ve known the stubborn dwarf craftsman for quite some time. When his new projects don’t go well, he often visits us.”
“Golyn has been here before?”
“About ten years ago, he wandered into our territory. Impressed by his unique skills, we invited him as a guest.”
“I see. So, is Golyn staying in this village?”
Bigfoot’s expression darkened at Zeke’s question.
“No, Golyn is in the village beyond the mountain. The problem is… communication between the villages has been cut off for months due to the beasts.”
Zeke looked at Bigfoot and spoke.
“While climbing the mountain, I noticed the beasts were behaving strangely. They regenerated quickly and wouldn’t die. Is this normal for the beasts in this area?”
The chieftain shook his head.
“No. The Rock Tribe has long served as guardians, preventing the beasts from escaping into the world. In all those years, we’ve never seen the beasts behave like this.”
Zeke frowned at Bigfoot’s words.
“Something unusual is definitely happening. Do you have any idea what it might be?”
Bigfoot slowly began to speak.
“Several years ago, humans started coming to our land. They dug into the earth imbued with our ancestors’ power, damaging the forest and land.”
Zeke realized that the ones Bigfoot mentioned were the Hunters.
“I tore apart every intruder that came our way, but they just kept coming. This time, they moved stealthily, digging into our land. And then…”
His expression darkened.
“They touched something they shouldn’t have.”
“What do you mean?”
“They woke the monster that had been sleeping.”
As the giant footed man spoke, something clicked in Zeke’s mind.
“Could it be?”
The giant footed man spoke gravely.
“The Nine-Headed Dragon has broken free from its sealed domain.”
Zeke’s suspicion was confirmed.
The Hydra he had seen at Kaishir’s sanctuary had apparently escaped its confines and was now outside its territory.
“The Hydra is a corrupted dragon species, but could it have influenced the other beasts as well?”
It was hard for Zeke to comprehend how the Hydra, which had stayed in the sanctuary’s domain for so long, suddenly went berserk, leading the beasts and stirring up the entire mountain range’s monsters.
Zeke recalled the various experiments conducted by the Empire.
“Did they do something to provoke the Hydra and the beasts?”
The Empire, known for its cruel experiments on monsters and beasts, might have done something to agitate the Hydra.
Zeke looked at the giant footed man and said, “So, until we deal with the abnormal beasts, we can’t enter the village where Golin is.”
“That’s the situation. We’ve gathered young warriors from different tribes, but capturing the Nine-Headed Dragon is beyond their capabilities. Of course, if the chiefs, including myself, join the hunt, our chances would improve, but…”
Zeke shook his head at the giant footed man’s words.
“If you do that, the humans you mentioned might seize the opportunity to attack the village.”
The giant footed man nodded in agreement. “That’s why we’ve been cautious.”
“Is there no one else you can call for help?”
“We’ve reached out to the Hermit of the Forest, but we don’t know when they’ll arrive.”
At the mention of the “Hermit of the Forest,” Zeke felt a chill run down his spine, and he broke into a cold sweat.
The giant footed man tilted his head at Zeke’s sudden reaction. “What’s wrong?”
Zeke shook his head, trying to steady his breath. “It’s nothing.”
‘The Hermit of the Forest is my master’s alias. If I linger here, I might run into him.’
His master was someone Zeke preferred to avoid.
Zeke asked the giant footed man again, “So, the fate of the people in that village is uncertain?”
“If they’re inside the fortress, not even the Nine-Headed Dragon or the beasts could easily harm them. But knowing Golin, I can’t guarantee he’d just sit there. He’s the type to wander off to find rare materials, even in dangerous places.”
Golin, known as an eccentric craftsman, was indeed a dwarf who would do just that.
‘Let’s just hope he doesn’t grab an axe and charge at the Hydra himself.’
Zeke realized he needed to resolve the situation quickly and leave this place.
He stood up and addressed the giant footed man. “Chief, gather the warriors.”
“Why the warriors…?”
“I’m going to take down the Nine-Headed Dragon and bring Golin back.”