[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 332: Hell (3)
A grotesque and twisted place, to the point where even hell might seem kind.
How did the Barbarians survive in such a space?
Ketal answered simply.
“Barbarians are resilient. They don’t die easily from most things. Wounds heal at a rapid rate too.”
[I know about that.]
The Tower Master was aware of the regenerative powers of the Barbarians.
Even when their hearts were pierced, their limbs torn to shreds, or their entire bodies impaled, they survived.
Not only that, but they regenerated those wounds.
No, it wasn’t mere regeneration.
[It wasn’t regeneration, but closer to reversal. It wasn’t an ordinary power.]
“They’ve got a lot of strange traits mixed in. They don’t die so easily, that’s all.”
“But according to what I’ve heard from the Tower Master, the Barbarians of the White Snowfield have... a very direct way of thinking.”
“You can just say they’re uneducated. Even those tough guys drop like flies in there, though.”
It was a mystery.
Unlike animals, humans take years just to learn to walk and run on their own.
To become effective fighters, at least twenty years are needed.
Even with their bizarre powers, it seemed impossible for the Barbarians to survive in that place.
Ketal answered the question simply.
“There isn’t much entertainment in there.”
The lack of distractions.
So what would Barbarians do for enjoyment?
The answer wasn’t hard to guess.
“They don’t understand the necessity of contraception, so they have a lot of children. And the pregnancy period is short. The growth rate is abnormally fast too.”
They gave birth just one month after conceiving.
Their children could become significant fighters in about five years.
This was how the Barbarians managed to survive, even when Ketal wasn’t around.
“...Are they even human?”
Helia murmured with a groan.
A one-month pregnancy and a five-year timeline to become combat-ready?
It was incomprehensible based on their understanding of biology.
Ketal couldn’t answer that they were human because, in truth, they weren’t.
[Why did they change like that? As far as I know, the first Barbarians who entered the White Snowfield were ordinary humans.]
“I don’t know. That’s how they were when I met them.”
Ketal shrugged, though he had his suspicions.
“As you said, it’s a dangerous place. Grotesque and alien. Survival is nearly impossible. Yet the Barbarians survived.”
[...Did they evolve to adapt to the environment?]
“Probably.”
The White Snowfield was a place of extreme cold where humans could not survive.
To adapt to such a place, the Barbarians evolved to match the environment.
The result was that they were no longer something one could call human.
“The Barbarians who came outside are nothing compared to the stronger ones. They possess bizarre things that can’t be explained with conventional logic.”
“...I see.”
[But there’s something I’m curious about.]
“What is it?”
[Do you also have such powers?]
Do you have something bizarre as well?
Ketal fell silent at the question.
After a brief pause, his lips opened.
“I don’t not have it.”
The strange power he possessed.
He had used it against the Elders.
And against the enemy in the final quest.
But he hadn’t used it since coming outside.
[Do you not use it anymore?]
“Because I am human.”
Ketal hummed softly.
“I belong to this world. I won’t use such things anymore.”
At that, both Helia and the Tower Master recognized Ketal’s obsession.
They quietly changed the subject.
“So, the White Snowfield is such a place.”
A place so strange that even hell seemed kind by comparison.
Neither the surface, the heavens, nor hell—a twisted space.
That was the Forbidden Land.
Once again, they realized this truth.
Ketal spoke lightly.
“It’s a sealed place, after all. Even if the seal is slowly loosening, we still have time. We need to focus on the present.”
[You’re right. If we don’t deal with this damned hell, the surface will be destroyed.]
With that, the conversation ended.
Ketal stroked his chin.
Talking about the White Snowfield brought back memories of that place.
‘Come to think of it.’
Ketal had told his tribe that if they wanted to follow him, they needed to kill the Elders.
The Barbarians who made it outside hadn’t killed the Elders, but they had left them near death.
The three Elders were locked in a stalemate.
That fight had continued from when Ketal entered the White Snowfield to when he left.
According to the words of the rat and snake, that fight had supposedly started before creation itself.
But the Barbarians had managed to leave one of the Elders barely alive.
‘There might be some change in their fight.’
Ketal quietly pondered.
After finishing their reconnaissance, they moved together.
Hell wasn’t that large.
It was about the size of one of the four continents.
Large enough, but small enough that warriors of their caliber could search the entire place in a matter of days.
But no matter how far they moved, nothing revealed itself.
That meant one of two things:
[Demons of rank, several of them.]
Or a weapon equivalent to hundreds of such demons.
The Tower Master and Helia reinforced the shield.
Yet the bombardment continued, threatening to erase the space itself.
[This is getting annoying.]
They could defend while moving, but they were on their way to the hidden goddess.
They couldn’t continue while under this assault.
That’s why Ketal spoke up.
“I’ll take care of this.”
[We leave it to you.]
Ketal planted his feet.
Crunch.
The ground of Hell shattered as his body launched toward the direction of the projectiles.
Even Helia would have struggled to keep up with his speed.
Shortly after, an earth-shaking explosion rang out.
Boom!
A part of Hell collapsed.
Black mountains crumbled as the projectiles were crushed.
Helia let out a groan.
“...I’ve heard stories, but that’s monstrous power.”
[They say he defeated Necronovix. He’s beyond your and my understanding.]
“At this rate, even the Sun God might lose.”
[Is it acceptable for a servant of the Sun God to say such things?]
“The Sun God isn’t that petty.”
While they exchanged light banter, the bombardment stopped.
The attackers were preoccupied dealing with Ketal and could no longer focus on the group.
“Shadow of Light Robe.”
Helia spread her hands.
A robe of mingling light and shadow enveloped them.
[A holy relic.]
“With this robe, demons won’t be able to detect us. However, if the surface becomes dirty, the effect will quickly fade. We must move swiftly.”
They hurried toward the goddess’s location.
Soon, they reached their destination.
It was a cave.
“The divine power is coming from inside.”
They entered the cave.
After following the path for a short while, they found a small chamber.
There, someone in the shape of a woman sat silently, her head bowed.
Helia’s expression darkened.
“Mesereka...”
The Goddess of Wrath.
Mesereka.
It was her.
[Hmm.]
The Tower Master groaned.
Mesereka was hiding her power perfectly.
Yet her divinity was palpable.
It was enough to make one instinctively kneel and offer prayers.
This was a god’s true form.
Mesereka gave no reaction, as if she were recovering her strength.
Helia slowly approached.
“Lady Mesereka, I am here.”
Her voice was calm as she neared.
But even then, Mesereka showed no response.
Helia moved closer, now within arm’s reach.
“...Lady Mesereka?”
Feeling something was wrong, Helia reached out and gently touched Mesereka’s shoulder.
Thud.
Mesereka’s body collapsed limply.
Helia’s face hardened.
“...Hold on.”
[W-Wait.]
As Mesereka fell, her hair shifted, revealing her body.
And they saw it.
The wound slashed across Mesereka’s chest.
“......!”
[Wait.]
Shock reverberated through the chamber.
But before they could comprehend the situation, a voice rang out.
“So you’ve come. I wasn’t sure... but it all went according to plan.”
A low male voice.
Footsteps echoed from deeper within the cave.
The figure soon revealed himself.
A gaunt man holding a sword.
The Tower Master was aghast.
[How!]
Helia quickly expanded her divine senses to scout the area.
With the holy relic, she should have detected any demon hiding.
It could only have been an extremely weak, nameless demon if something had escaped her search.
At that thought, a single existence flashed through the Tower Master’s mind.
[No way!]
He quickly raised his hand to cast a spell.
But the man had already reached him before he could activate his magic.
Without any resistance, the Tower Master’s skull was neatly severed from his body.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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