Chapter 143 – LV.Nineteen Barbarian Warrior Arnold – [Two]

Just as I suspected when I asked.

“You’re not coming back to the village with centaurs, are you?”

“I’m bringing a few. Why? Is that not allowed?”

“It’s not…”

At Seo Yun’s words, Oh Haengbok snorted.

“What do you mean, not allowed? It’s my village, I’ll bring whatever I want.”

Seo Yun was about to snap at him, asking if he was crazy, but stopped. It was obvious he was crazy just by looking at him.

Oh Haengbok declared proudly.

“Go to Happy Village and tell them. Tell them your Chief has received the village as a fief.”

“That Great Khan up there on the horse said he’d give the village to the Chief to rule?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“He said he wanted to see my skills, so he started a fight with some Nuckelavee or whatever, those red-skinned centaur bastards? After taking down several in a row and finishing off the last two simultaneously, my Level went up by one, and the watching Great Khan, pleased, said he’d make me a general.

Then he asked if I wanted anything to commemorate becoming a general. I asked for Happy Village, and he gave it. Now Happy Village doesn’t have to worry about being ravaged by centaurs anymore.”

Saying that, Oh Haengbok began to loudly explain how his becoming a general of the centaurs was a stroke of luck not just for Happy Village, but for the entire Korean Peninsula.

“You know centaurs usually, when they invade a land, kill all the local men they see by skewering them on spits and kidnap the women, right? But now that I, who can communicate with the locals, am leading the centaurs, isn’t that the case? So when we encounter locals, we capture them and put them to work instead of immediately trying to exterminate them.”

“You mean enslave them?”

“Enslave is a bit harsh, let’s call it utilizing prisoners for labor… You haven’t experienced the last centaur invasion, so you wouldn’t know how big of an improvement this is. Isn’t this all thanks to your awe-inspiring Chief showing this land isn’t to be trifled with?”

Seo Yun nodded, pretending to listen while secretly chanting a Spell. It was a Mind Domination Spell she learned upon reaching Level 11, hoping she might be able to overlay the vampire’s Mind Domination with this Magic Spell.

However, Mind Domination was a Spell with a long casting time, and it seemed he couldn’t miss her muttering.

Oh Haengbok stared right at her face, then glared. An expression that said, ‘Look at this bitch.’

And then he immediately moved to punish her.

Oh Haengbok raised his Warhammer high enough to touch the ceiling…

Thump!

And brought it down. Not aimed at anyone, but at the floor.

At that moment, the sound was indescribable. Roughly like a hydrogen bomb exploding right next to my ear.

A huge, an enormous sound erupted, and then no sound could be heard afterward. The blood trickling from my ears merely informed me something had happened to my eardrums.

And the building shook violently. No, it was an earthquake shaking all the land around the building.

Truly, the aftermath affected everywhere in sight. What had just been struck was the floor, but due to the shockwaves spreading everywhere, a large hole was torn in the ceiling as well. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling like a downpour.

Also, the shock transmitted through the ground traveled up Seo Yun’s legs, vibrating her entire body. Her insides felt scrambled. Her Health Stat of 11 points prevented her from fainting, allowing her to barely remain standing.

Her Spirit Stat of 9 points also had to come into play. Amidst the pain, Seo Yun focused strength in her eyes and legs.

The giant orc was charging.

Because her eardrums had just burst, she couldn’t hear any sound, but sound effects seemed unnecessary. Seo Yun’s field of vision was filled with that red Armor.

The sound came the next moment. Was it because her Health Stat of 11 points allowed her eardrums to recover quickly? Or perhaps it was a voice so loud it could be heard even with burst eardrums. Oh Haengbok’s roar shook her brain.

“Seo Yun, what were you trying to do—!”

Oh Haengbok reached out an arm as if to grab her. Seo Yun barely managed to leap, stepping on that arm and then springing off it again.

She did a somersault in the air, landing behind Oh Haengbok. She saw his back. If she stabbed the back of his knee right now…

No, she couldn’t.

Contrary to his size and weight, Oh Haengbok’s reaction was extremely fast. After all, Oh Haengbok’s Agility Stat is 9 points. Plus, his situational judgment was sharp; he had once reacted immediately to a Mage’s time-stop spell.

“You little bitch—!”

Before Seo Yun could stab with her sword, Oh Haengbok turned around. As he did, he swung his long arm in a wide arc. It was a simple motion, but Seo Yun had to abandon any thought of attacking and immediately dodge backward.

The wall touched by Oh Haengbok’s hand turned to dust and scattered, proving it was the right move. Even after causing such destruction, as if still brimming with anger, Oh Haengbok seethed.

“Seo Yun, you damn, you…!”

Seo Yun, meeting Oh Haengbok’s eyes, reflexively blinked. The red Eye Light blazing from Oh Haengbok’s eyes stabbed into her pupils, momentarily blinding her.

The next moment she opened her eyes, she saw Oh Haengbok approaching ahead and Arnold’s back blocking him.

The two Warriors began to clash. And this time, Oh Haengbok, who had reached Level 15, seemed to have invested the Divinity Score he gained from becoming a Quasi-Deity into his Strength Stat.

The monster with Strength 12 points began to overwhelm the Barbarian Warrior he had once defeated.

After only a few exchanges, Arnold was instantly pushed back. Of course, Arnold had just been through a fierce battle, so even with Healing Spells, he wasn’t in perfect condition. Or perhaps it was his first time facing a monster with Strength 12, and he was flustered.

Moreover, Seo Yun could see the various Priest Spells she had cast on that Barbarian Warrior earlier gradually being stripped away by Oh Haengbok’s spellbreaker.

Feeling anxious, Seo Yun tried to chant the Mind Domination Spell again. But again, she was interrupted. Before she could even move her lips a few times, Oh Haengbok roared.

“Shut up—!”

Just as he had once drowned out and nullified the magical howling of the Kushis with his roar, a similar effect manifested this time.

Seo Yun felt her Spell being canceled and was about to try the same Spell again but stopped. Repeating futile attempts was pointless as Arnold was being pushed back too miserably.

It was just as Seo Yun was preparing to join the fight directly with her Flaming Sword.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The sound of hooves rang out again.It seemed the roars that had echoed several times just now had summoned Oh Haengbok’s minions from afar.

A group of Centaurs entered the area.

“Finally here, huh? Those idiots.”

Oh Haengbok swung his hammer fiercely, pushing Arnold back. Arnold, pushed backward, regained his stance and widened his eyes, seemingly flustered by the increase in enemy numbers.

Then Oh Haengbok spoke.

“I’ll let it slide this time… Get lost now.”

Seo Yun asked, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“You’re just going to let us go?”

“Would I harm the pretty one from my village? I’d love to beat that half-naked bug-eater to death right now, but you’re getting in the way…”

Oh Haengbok spoke in a gentle voice, then suddenly continued in a harsh tone, as if he were a manic-depressive lunatic.

“…When you return to Happy Village, tell them this. Their Chief is coming back, so open the gates wide and welcome him! And if they try to make excuses like there are Centaurs with him or whatever to keep the gates closed, tell them I’ll smash the gates and come in anyway. Got it? Got it—!”

Seo Yun nodded, then said to Arnold.

“Let’s go back.”

Arnold seemed to want that too. Arnold grabbed Seo Yun’s arm and started running hastily.

Seo Yun returned to Happy Village and did as Oh Haengbok instructed. She relayed the Orc’s demands and roughly explained what situation he was in.

After hearing it all, Oh Haengun had no change in expression for a moment. It wasn’t so much calmness as his face seemed frozen from hearing such shocking news.

“So the Chief said that…”

The other Happy Village Players who heard the story were the same. Amidst the people with stiffened expressions, Seo Yun spoke.

“From the way he talked, it sounded like he’d let Happy Village pass safely even if the rest of the Korean Peninsula became a wasteland. He said this is his now. So… what will you do?”

The choice was theirs. Not Seo Yun’s. Even if they made decisions for their own survival, it wouldn’t be something to criticize in this era.

“What do you mean, what will we do? Of course…”

Soon, Oh Haengun made a decision, and everyone agreed to follow the village Mage’s lead.

From that day on, Oh Haengun, the Rock Specialization Mage, wandered around the village fortress walls, muttering spells. According to his will, the shape of Happy Village’s fortress walls changed like clay. Thus, the Happy Village fortress walls, which had been destroyed once and repaired, became lower than before but much thicker instead.

It was a change to prepare for enemy bombardment.

Oh Haengun wasn’t doing it alone; Seo Rayeon, who heard the news and came to the village, assisted with the work.

As Seo Rayeon waved her magic wand, the effect of the rock manipulation spell demonstrated by Oh Haengun manifested, changing the shape of the surrounding fortress walls. Seo Yun, watching the work from the side, asked.

“Didn’t you say you borrowed that magic wand from a Troll? Did you have a way to contact Trolls?”

“No?”

“Then how did you get permission to borrow it?”

“Why would I need permission to borrow? An Angel girl doesn’t need that, Unni!”

Four days passed like that.

As forewarned, Oh Haengbok appeared before the gates of Happy Village. As a general of the Centaurs, leading a Centaur unit.

The Happy Village Players stood on the fortress walls, looking at their Chief who had returned in an unwanted form.

Oh Haengbok was wearing a helm, but even from the fortress walls, his uncomfortable state of mind could be read. Because red Eye Light was shooting out from the eyeholes of the helm like lasers.

Oh Haengbok glared at the Happy Village fortress wall entrance, completely blocked by rock as if cement had been poured, and growled in a voice loud enough for everyone on the walls to hear.

“Oh Haengun, you did this, right? Open the gates, now.”

And from the fortress walls, Oh Haengun spoke.

“Chief.”

“Did Seo Yun relay the message I told her to? If she didn’t relay it properly, I’ll have to spank her ass…”

“She relayed it, so don’t say embarrassing things. That’s sexual harassment.”

“Don’t give me orders, you bastard! Are you the Chief?”

At Oh Haengbok’s rebuke, Oh Haengun closed his eyes for a long time, then opened them. Then, as if he had just sorted out some thoughts, he spoke.

“Chief? You know I really respect you, right? I even changed my name trying to emulate you.”

“I know. So?”

“You’ve done really well until now. You guided me when I was a total Idiot, saved our village, and even provided Provisions aid to neighboring villages. Not to mention the credit for stopping those terrible Centaur bastards… I think I mentioned it before, but if the world ever returns to normal, I’ll write a biography for you, Chief.”

Oh Haengun was not saying he would obey that great Chief now.

At Oh Haengun’s following words, the Orc Vampire’s Eye Light shot out even more sharply.

“I can’t let you… leave a terrible stain on those great deeds.”

“Oh Haengun, you bastard, what are you saying now?”

Oh Haengun said.

“I respect you, Chief. So let’s fight.”

The next moment, the curse that erupted from the Orc Vampire’s mouth was indistinguishable whether it was a battle cry or just anger.

Oh Haengun quietly waited for his Chief to calm down.

After a long while, when it finally quieted down, he slowly turned around.

Oh Haengun looked at the village Players who now had to face the fight, then raised an eyebrow as he saw Arnold mixed among them. He approached and asked.

“Mr. Arnold. This is really embarrassing to ask an outsider again. But putting aside shame… will you fight with us once more?”

Arnold shook his head.

“A tribal Warrior does not avoid an approaching fight.”

Oh Haengun smiled wearily despite his exhaustion, then approached elsewhere, perhaps to encourage the other Players.

Meanwhile, Seo Yun, watching from the side, thought. What is that Orangutan thinking now?

She approached Arnold and scolded him in a low voice.

“You’re doing a concept act in this situation?”

Arnold also answered in a low voice.

“It’s a kind of routine. If I act like a Barbarian Warrior, it’s easier to fight like one, right?”

“So you’ll really fight with us.”

“Of course.”

“Why? There’s no reason for you to, why again…”

“Well, the people I’ve been living with are in danger, so it feels wrong to save my own skin alone.””That’s not it. Don’t you no longer have a reason to fight with your life on the line over there? You have no responsibilities or obligations left now.”

I asked to confirm his resolve, as it didn’t seem like he would cancel his decision to fight now that he’d already made up his mind. After remaining silent for a moment, Arnold answered.

“Yeah… I thought it over carefully after that friend Baekgyung-woo laid out all the facts. I thought, ‘Even though fighting hurts and is exhausting enough to kill me, should I keep fighting?'”

“And?”

“Naturally, I found myself thinking I should keep fighting.”

“Why…”

Oh Haengbok seemed to have informed his underlings that the battle was about to begin. Outside the fortress wall, the centaurs’ war cries echoed. It was a roar that shook heaven and earth, as if the lung capacity of those horse-bodied creatures was tremendous.

Seemingly tense because of it, Arnold’s face twitched, then a clearly forced smile appeared on his face.

Arnold spoke.

“If I no longer have any obligation to fight, then every battle I wage from now on will be entirely of my own will… So it’s good. Finally, I can help you all by my own choice.”

At the unexpected answer, Seo Yun looked at Arnold. Facing battle, he was still smiling slightly, and if not for the twitching corner of his mouth, it could have passed for the relaxed smile of a barbarian warrior.

Arnold continued speaking.

“Thank you, Seo Yun. It’s because of you that I can be like this.”

“What did I do?”

“I saw a girl willing to fight for others without reason. If a little girl like that can do it, then I can too.”

Arnold said that in a tone half a barbarian warrior’s voice and half a TRPG player’s voice, then picked up his greatsword and turned around.

The enemy’s bombardment began.

As if to stop it, Arnold charged forward. His roar echoed as he leapt down from the fortress wall.

“Look at me—!”