Episode 65
Felix immediately began scouting for a suitable campsite after Zeke’s suggestion.
Once they settled on a location, the two of them used the camping gear Zeke pulled from his inventory to set up a surprisingly comfortable camp.
Felix fetched some water and started a fire to boil it.
He then added some jerky and spices Zeke had given him, along with mushrooms he had gathered nearby, creating a rather impressive meal.
“Sir Zeke, it’s ready. Please, have a taste.”
Zeke slurped the soup Felix handed him.
Even if it were poisoned, Zeke’s immunity to toxins would filter out most threats, so he drank without hesitation.
Fortunately, there was no poison, and the soup tasted good.
“Your cooking skills are impressive, Felix.”
Felix responded with a sheepish smile.
“Ha ha, I used to work in a restaurant for a while, so I’m quite confident in my cooking.”
“That’s great. There’s nothing better than a good cook in the field.”
Felix then remarked to Zeke, “You seem quite accustomed to the field, Sir Zeke. Do they train you for this in Valhalla?”
“Well, something like that,” Zeke replied vaguely, focusing on his soup.
After finishing their meal, they decided to take turns keeping watch.
“I only need a short nap, so wake me in two hours. I’ll take the next shift.”
With his passive skill of infinite stamina, Zeke didn’t really need sleep, so he lay down to rest, keeping an ear out for any unusual activity from Felix. But there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Two hours later, Zeke awoke and took over the watch, keeping a vigilant eye on their surroundings.
He pondered the creature that had drained the life from its victims.
‘A beast that can absorb fluids without a trace.’
In his past life, Zeke had encountered similar corpses.
He and his master had tracked such a creature for days, only to lose it in the end.
It was cunning and cautious, making it incredibly difficult to catch.
Zeke compared the traces of the beast he remembered with the footprints found near the fence.
‘These don’t match that creature. Perhaps a different species has appeared simultaneously.’
It was rare, but not impossible.
Zeke considered all possibilities as he devised a plan to track the beast.
Then, suddenly—
Crack!
The sound of a tree falling echoed from beyond the forest.
Zeke immediately stood and scanned the direction of the noise.
‘Two kilometers west.’
He woke Felix.
“Felix.”
“Uh, yes? Sir Zeke!”
“There’s something beyond the forest. Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”
Leaving Felix with those words, Zeke dashed toward the western forest.
Whoosh!
Using his wind technique, Zeke swiftly reached the source of the sound.
He hid behind a tree, observing the situation.
And there, he encountered a completely unexpected sight.
‘Is that a Barbarian?’
Barbarians were known to inhabit the deep regions of the Giant’s Mountain Range.
They resembled humans but possessed unparalleled physical strength.
Their physique and power were said to rival that of ogres, descendants of the mountain’s original giant inhabitants.
A Barbarian warrior was engaged in combat with something.
“Raaagh!”
A beast, its form obscured by darkness, lashed its tail at the Barbarian.
Whoosh!
The Barbarian rolled to avoid the tail, then uprooted a nearby tree to swing at the beast.
Thud!
The beast deftly dodged the tree and retreated.
Zeke recognized the beast’s movements as the one he and his master had failed to capture in his past life.
‘My master called it a Gaguk.’
Among beasts, there were special ones like the Gaguk.
Zeke’s master had warned him to be particularly cautious of these ‘ancient species.’
They were far stronger and more intelligent than ordinary beasts.
Quick and cautious like a monkey, its tentacle-like tail could drain life upon contact.
Victims would become mummified in an instant, just like the corpse they had found earlier.
‘The livestock were taken by the Barbarian, and the people by the Gaguk.’
Though he had a rough idea, Zeke couldn’t understand why the Barbarian and Gaguk were fighting here, so he decided to observe further.
“Screeech!”
The Gaguk bared its sharp teeth, threatening the Barbarian.
Then, its neck bulged, and it spat something at the Barbarian.
Splat!
A spear-like tongue shot out at incredible speed.
The Barbarian crossed his arms to block it.
Thud!
But the Gaguk’s tongue pierced through the Barbarian’s tough body, exiting through his back.
Thump!
The Barbarian collapsed to the ground.
The Gaguk grinned grotesquely, tearing its mouth wide open.
As it approached the fallen Barbarian to drain his life, it suddenly recoiled.
It seemed to sense an unseen danger and retreated, scanning the forest.
Finding nothing, it attempted to approach the Barbarian again.
At that moment, Zeke’s sword sliced the Gaguk’s neck as it neared the Barbarian.
“Screeech!”
Startled, the Gaguk melded into the darkness and fled.
Zeke watched the Gaguk vanish, feeling a pang of regret.
“Fast as ever.”
Even with his master, they had failed to capture it in his past life.
Though it seemed smaller now, its sensitivity was even greater than before.
“Ugh.”
Zeke looked down at the fallen Barbarian warrior.
His face was ashen, likely poisoned.
After some thought, Zeke hoisted the Barbarian over his shoulder and carried him to a nearby cave.
He examined the Barbarian’s wounds.
“Hmm.”
The area pierced by the Gaguk’s tongue had turned black.
It was indeed laced with poison.
‘A dangerous creature, indeed.’
Zeke heated a dagger with fire and pressed it to the Barbarian’s wound.
Sizzle!
Black blood spurted from the wound.
He retrieved an antidote from his inventory and poured it over the Barbarian’s wound.
“Ughhh!”
The resilient Barbarian writhed in pain.
Had he been an ordinary human, the poison would have dissolved him by now.
Zeke applied another bottle of antidote, watching as it bubbled and neutralized the poison.
Once the poison seemed neutralized, Zeke administered a healing potion to the Barbarian.
Strangely, the potion had no effect.
“Does it not work on non-humans?”
Even with the poison neutralized, the damage to vital organs meant he could still die from shock.
After some deliberation, Zeke decided to try a skill he had never used before.
“Area Buff Skill… Let’s see if this works.”
Zeke placed his hand over the Barbarian’s wound and activated the area buff skill.
[Which skill would you like to use for the area buff?]
Zeke chose Healing Factor.
A radiant light spread from Zeke, washing over the area like a golden wave, enveloping the Barbarian in its glow.
Gradually, the Barbarian’s wounds began to heal.
“Oh, it works. It’s similar to the healing effect I used to have.”
In his past life, Zeke could heal others as well as himself.
In this life, the system allowed him to use the Healing Factor skill, which he had forgotten could be applied to others.
The Barbarian’s natural resilience seemed high, as the severe wounds healed quickly, leaving only scars.
Zeke pressed on the Barbarian’s wounds to check if his organs had healed.
“You got lucky. You’d be dead if it weren’t for me.”
Just then—
“Ugh!”
The Healing Factor seemed to have worked, as the Barbarian regained consciousness.
Despite the healing, recovering so quickly was nearly impossible, but Zeke nodded in understanding.
‘Ah, right. Barbarians are beyond the norm.’
In his past life, Zeke had seen Barbarians perform feats unimaginable to humans.
Suddenly, the Barbarian’s eyes snapped open.
He sprang up, scanning his surroundings before spotting Zeke.
“Raaagh!”
He let out a battle cry, retreating and readying himself for a fight.
Zeke calmly addressed the Barbarian.
“Calm down.”
The Barbarian was startled to hear Zeke speak in his language.
“You speak… our tongue?”
Barbarian language was simple, lacking in nuance.
Zeke nodded in response.
“I do. I saved you.”
The barbarian examined the wound he had received from the creature earlier.
He was sure the poison had pierced through him, yet the wound was completely healed.
Startled, the barbarian approached Zeke.
“You saved me?”
Zeke nodded.
“Yeah, I did.”
The barbarian warrior, on the verge of tears, suddenly embraced Zeke.
“Thank you.”
Once the barbarian calmed down, Zeke asked him, “My name’s Zeke. What’s yours?”
“I’m Kingfist. Nice to meet you, Zeke.”
“Nice to meet you too, Kingfist. What brings you here? Your home is far from here.”
“I’m in the middle of a warrior’s trial.”
“Hunting?”
“Yes. I need to succeed in the hunt to become a warrior.”
Zeke was taken aback by the barbarian’s words. Given his impressive physique, Zeke had assumed he was already a full-fledged warrior. But it seemed he hadn’t yet reached adulthood.
“How old are you, Kingfist? I thought you were already a warrior.”
“I’m sixteen. Stronger than the village warriors.”
“I’m seventeen. So, I’m your elder.”
Piecing together the story, Zeke realized that Kingfist, already stronger than most warriors, had been tasked with capturing a formidable beast from the barbarian lands as his trial. The problem was, despite his strength, he hadn’t yet mastered the art of hunting. This had led him to chase the creature all the way to the Duchy of Troy.
“He walked all the way from the barbarian lands to the Duchy of Troy just like that.”
Barbarians truly were beyond the realm of common sense.
Kingfist suddenly looked dejected.
“Hunting is too hard. I think I might fail.”
Zeke offered, “Want some help with the hunt?”
Kingfist was surprised. “Really?”
“I want to catch that beast too.”
Kingfist, on the verge of tears again, hugged Zeke.
“Thank you, Zeke.”
Zeke patted Kingfist on the back and said, “I’m your elder, remember.”
“Oh.”
Zeke, having decided to help Kingfist capture the beast, led him back to the camp where Felix was waiting. Felix, who had been anticipating Zeke’s return, was shocked to see the towering giant with him.
“Sir Zeke, that… that…!”
As Felix reacted with alarm, Kingfist was about to let out a battle cry, but Zeke quickly stopped him.
“He’s my subordinate.”
“What’s a subordinate?”
In the barbarian culture, everyone was considered a warrior, with no hierarchy except for the chieftain. Zeke pondered how to explain “subordinate” in barbarian terms but settled for a rough translation.
“Foot towel?”
Kingfist seemed to understand and nodded. Zeke felt a pang of sympathy for Felix, who had suddenly become a “foot towel,” but he let it slide for lack of a better term.
Kingfist began rummaging around the camp, looking for food. Seeing this, Zeke pulled some jerky from his inventory and handed it to him. However, it was barely a snack for the barbarian, who devoured it in an instant.
“No wonder he came down to the villages to steal livestock.”
Felix, observing Kingfist up close, turned pale and whispered to Zeke, “Sir Zeke, isn’t that a barbarian?”
“Yes.”
“My goodness, a barbarian. Is it safe?”
“I saved him from a beast, and now he’s following me. We’re going to catch the beast together.”
Felix looked as if his soul had left his body at Zeke’s unconventional explanation.
Zeke studied Felix’s reaction closely.
“When he first saw the barbarian, he didn’t draw his sword but froze in place. If he were acting, he’d have to be exceptionally trained.”
Aside from the aura he sensed, Felix seemed like an ordinary guide.
“Maybe I’m overthinking it.”
Zeke’s curiosity about Felix’s true identity only grew.
Just then, Kingfist suddenly stood up.
He turned to Zeke and said, “Zeke, I smell something.”
Zeke asked the suddenly scent-obsessed Kingfist, “What smell?”
Kingfist’s eyes gleamed with a wild intensity.
“It’s the beast’s scent.”