Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 368: Authority (3)

Usually, it only stated that a reward would be given, but it never revealed what kind of reward or when it would be granted.

But this time, it was different.

He was given the choice of the reward.

And Ketal wasn’t bewildered by this.

He could now understand what the system meant.

Ketal opened the system window.

Shortly after, the sound of hundreds of footsteps echoed.

The footsteps grew closer, and soon, figures appeared.

“Wooooah!”

“Chieftain!”

Wounded barbarians were running toward Ketal.

They had been fighting the apostles of the Twisted One.

During the intense battle, the apostles suddenly vanished into dust.

Even these dull and reckless barbarians understood.

Their king had defeated a mighty foe.

Hecate, with shining eyes, asked,

“Chieftain! Chieftain! Did you win?”

“I’m not your chieftain… No, fine.”

Ketal didn’t correct her and simply replied,

“I won. I killed the Twisted One. Now, there are no more Elders left in this world.”

“Wooooaaaaah!”

“As expected of the chieftain!”

“Hahaha!”

The barbarians roared with joy.

Their shouts of elation reverberated across the world like waves.

“Phew.”

Ketal wanted to sit and rest longer.

But he couldn’t afford to.

If he left the already-excited barbarians unchecked, there was no telling what chaos they might cause.

So, he needed to lead them away.

“Let’s go back. Follow me.”

Ketal commanded as their king.

The barbarians’ eyes filled with reverence, and they shouted loudly,

“Yes!”

Leading the barbarians, Ketal departed from the outskirts of the Imperial City.

Helia, who had been observing from a distance, hurried to follow them, but Ketal stopped her with a glance.

Ketal led the barbarians to the edge of the White Snowfield.

There, he gave them an order.

“Return.”

“Ah!”

“Chieftain! Come with us!”

“We don’t want to leave the chieftain behind!”

The barbarians clamored and clung to Ketal.

In the past, Ketal might have struck their heads and ordered them to leave harshly.

But this time, he spoke softly,

“I’ll follow soon. Go ahead. There’s still something I need to do.”

“R-Really?”

“You’ll really come?”

“Not forever, but for the time being, I’ll stay. So, go back without worry.”

“Hmm…”

“Understood, Chieftain! We’ll wait!”

“If you don’t come, we’ll come find you!”

Reluctantly, the barbarians entered the White Snowfield.

After making sure all of them had gone, Ketal reached out and touched the boundary between the White Snowfield and the surface.

The seal that separated the surface and the Forbidden Lands.

It had been established a very long time ago, but now, it was breaking.

The chill that shouldn’t have been felt was seeping through the cracks in the seal.

“How long will it hold?”

[Not for long,]

Answered the Monstrosity within Ketal.

[You forcibly broke the seal when you brought the barbarians out. The Twisted One’s escape also greatly impacted the seal, but it won’t collapse immediately. It should hold for about a thousand years.]

“A thousand years.”

A long time if seen as long, a short time if seen as short.

After a thousand years, the seal would break, and those inside would spill out.

‘Could the gods create the barrier again?’

He doubted it.

The seal had been created with the powers of gods, demons, and the oldest ones.

But now, the demons were nearly extinct, and the oldest ones no longer existed.

Recreating the seal would be impossible.

There was, however, a very clean solution.

He could simply kill them all.

With the power Ketal possessed now, he could kill every being in the White Snowfield before a thousand years passed.

But he didn’t want to.

After all, he was an outsider.

He could handle things that directly interfered with him, but he had no intention of slaughtering those who lived quietly inside.

Though their nature was different, they, too, were miracles that didn’t exist in his world.

Most importantly, to achieve that, he would have to kill the barbarians as well.

Those who trusted him, those who called him king.

That wasn’t an option for him.

“So.”

He decided to create a new seal.

* * *

Ketal stood quietly with his hand on the boundary, deep in thought.

How had he come to this world?

He still didn’t know, but he had an idea of what he had sacrificed.

Everything.

To come here, he had given up everything.

‘I can’t remember who I used to be.’

He retained the knowledge he had acquired through learning and experience, but he couldn’t recall who he was in his previous world.

Who his family was, what kind of personality he had, even his own name.

All of it was gone.

The only thing he remembered was one thing.

That he had wished for fantasy.

What he had given up to come here was everything except his desire for fantasy.

And the power he received in exchange for that was one.

‘To overwrite the world I came from.’

As if turning everything into a daydream, he could forcibly impose Earth’s order onto this world.

And there was one more thing.

[Quest #791 completed.]

[Choose the reward you desire.]

The quests that appeared to him.

They weren’t given by anyone else.

They were his own.

It wouldn’t be wrong to call it his authority.

And the purpose of the quests was very simple.

‘To create the world I desire.’

When did the quests appear?

In the White Snowfield, they had guided him to the fantasy he had so longed for.

They showed him how to leave, how to escape that dreadful place.

And after leaving, they led him to eliminate things that disrupted his fantasy.

Quests never appeared when it came to anything unrelated to the Forbidden Lands.

Even when the Demon King descended and the surface was on the brink of collapse.

Because that, too, was one of the endings Ketal desired.

Then, what were the rewards provided by the quests?

Perhaps, they were tools to create the world he desired.

Although he wasn’t sure of the details, perhaps the world gradually shifted in that direction.

It was almost like altering the world itself, but it wasn’t an issue.

After all, he was a “higher” being.

If he could overwrite the world, it wouldn’t be strange for him to alter it as he pleased.

And now,

Ketal was given the chance to choose his reward.

And the reward Ketal desired was already decided.

‘I wish.’

Ketal prayed deeply from the bottom of his heart.

‘For the beings of the Forbidden Lands to never again invade the outside. For the shattered barrier to be restored and forever seal them within.’

That was the reward Ketal wished for.

Wuuuuuum.

With his prayer, the system activated.

The monstrosity within him was startled.

[Th-this is…!]

A colossal power,

a force so close to a universal law that even the monstrosity couldn’t comprehend, surged.

It happened in an instant, restoring the seal.

The monstrosity realized Ketal’s intention.

[So, you intend to separate them for eternity.]

"Yes. But it's not quite enough."

For the seal to remain intact without any issues, a gatekeeper was necessary.

But Ketal had already defeated that gatekeeper.

So, Ketal turned to the monstrosity and asked,

"Do you intend to stay bound to me forever?"

[Hardly. I'm only bound because I have no choice. If I could leave, I would leave at any moment.]

"Then, I'll give you a choice."

[A choice, you say.]

"It's simple."

Will you continue to stay with me?

Or will you serve as the gatekeeper of the seal, forever confined to the white snowfield?

The monstrosity hesitated at those words.

[...Is that really possible?]

"Probably. There shouldn't be a problem. Do whatever you prefer."

[Hmm.]

The monstrosity fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

[You will travel the world outside, won't you?]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"That’s likely."

[That doesn’t seem like an entertaining sight to me. I’d rather play with the snake inside the seal.]

"Then it's decided."

With those words, the monstrosity that had been dwelling within Ketal began to separate.

Its form materialized as it moved into the interior of the white snowfield.

Before departing, the monstrosity spoke softly.

[Being trapped inside you was truly dreadful. No matter how much I screamed, you couldn’t even respond.]

"I'm sorry about that part."

[But... even so, it wasn’t all bad. Watching the footsteps of a being consumed by madness was amusing in its own way. Looking back, it was an experience I’ll never have again. When I think of it like that, it had its value.]

The monstrosity left behind its final words.

[As someone who was inside you for so long, let me give you one last piece of advice.]

"Advice?"

[Don’t assign meaning to things. Don’t seek value. Don’t doubt yourself. Just enjoy it. You overthink too much, and that’s your flaw.]

With those parting words, the monstrosity departed from Ketal.

For a moment, Ketal stood in silence before letting out a chuckle.

"I’ll try."

With a hum, the seal solidified alongside the gatekeeper that was the monstrosity.

The faint chill that had been leaking out could no longer be felt.

Helia, who had been watching quietly from behind, approached.

"Is it... over?"

"It’s over. The beings inside can no longer come out."

"Finally."

Helia let out a soft sigh of amazement.

Finally, everything was over.

Her eyes filled with excitement.

"You did it! Let’s go back, Ketal! We’ll tell everyone! The surface world will now have eternal peace! There’s nothing to threaten us anymore!"

She spoke of holding a festival that would last for months.

However, Ketal shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I’ll have to stay inside for a while."

"W-What? Why?"

"I need to ensure the seal I created is functioning properly. More importantly, the barbarians entrusted their lives to me."

Ketal had to repay them.

"About... a year. I’ll stay for about a year and then return here."

This time, he would return to the perfect, flawless fantasy he envisioned.

He turned to Helia and spoke again.

"So, may I ask you for a favor?"

"A favor?"

"Yes. When I return in a year, will you welcome me back?"

"What?"

Helia was taken aback by the peculiar request.

But Ketal was serious.

In the end, he was nothing more than a stranger in this world.

Even if he longed for and begged for fantasy, he didn’t know if fantasy would desire him in return.

‘This world...’

Would it reject him, push him away, and deny his existence?

Like trying to force an ill-fitting puzzle piece into place, was that how he truly belonged here?

He always carried that anxiety.

So, Ketal made his request.

"When I return, welcome me. Accept me as someone who belongs in this world. Permit me to stay. If you can do that, I would be grateful."

Helia’s expression turned serious as she looked at Ketal’s deeply sunken face.

She gave a firm nod.

"I will, without fail."

"That’s all I need."

Ketal smiled faintly.

"Then, this is goodbye for now, Helia. And farewell, fantasy."

With those words, Ketal stepped into the white snowfield.

Helia watched his back until he disappeared and muttered softly.

"...May you return safely. In a year."

Helia fell deep into thought.

After contemplating for a long time, she seemed to make a decision and nodded.

"There’s not much time."

She moved quickly, as if preparing for something.

* * *

Time passed after that.

The surface world faced no major issues.

The returning gods helped restore the lands, and the aftermath of the fallen empire was dealt with.

Since the empire had little involvement with the surface to begin with, its collapse barely left an impact.

Still, as many events had unfolded, time flew by.

A year passed.

Helia went to the border of the white snowfield to greet Ketal.

But she wasn’t alone.

"Ugh... Ketal. He left without even telling me. That’s mean."

"Arkamis, perhaps you should focus on achieving your own goals before complaining. Haven’t you still not succeeded?"

"H-How rude! It’s harder than I thought. Can’t you help me?"

High Elf Arkamis and Elf Queen Karin.

[Hmm...]

"Are you all right, Tower Master?"

[I’m managing. That damned corruption hasn’t fully healed, even after a year.]

The Tower Master and Helia, the saintess of the Sun God.

"So... you’re the one who mentored Ketal, huh."

"...Please stop talking about it."

Swordmaster Maximus and Cain.

"Am I even supposed to be here?"

"I-I don’t know."

"Ugh."

Kalosia’s priest Heize, Thief Kasan Hawk, and Paladin Alexandro Tyrannus.

Among them were all the powerful figures Ketal had formed connections with in this fantasy world.

Everyone was there.

Staring into the snowfield, Serena murmured,

"He’s coming."

At her words, all eyes turned toward the snowfield.

Through the bitter cold, the figure of a barbarian emerged.

Arkamis broke into a bright smile.

"Ketal!"

"Arkamis?"

Ketal emerged from the barrier and was momentarily stunned.

There were so many people.

Easily over a hundred, and all of them were familiar faces.

Looking at Helia with confusion, Ketal asked,

"Helia, what is all this?"

Helia calmly explained.

"I reached out to those who share ties with you and asked if they would come to greet you when you returned. I didn’t force anyone, but everyone agreed to come."

"..."

"You seemed worried that we might reject you. Honestly, it wasn’t entirely an unfounded concern. You are, after all, different from us. But you moved with purpose in this world."

And the result of that purpose was evident in this gathering.

Everyone he had formed connections with had come to welcome him.

The miracles he had longed for were now embracing him.

"..."

Ketal was at a loss for words.

The first time he had stepped out into this white snowfield, no one had welcomed him.

In fact, the first beings he encountered—the elves—had rejected him outright.

But this time, upon his return, everyone he had met and known was there to welcome him.

Among them was the queen of the elf tribe who had rejected him at first.

Marsilia approached him and spoke.

"It’s been a while. Welcome back."

"...Yeah."

For the first time since coming to this world, Ketal felt like crying.

He hadn’t shed tears since arriving, but the overwhelming joy and emotion made him feel as though he might.

"Ketal, welcome back. It’s good to see you."

Arkamis smiled and extended her hand.

Ketal didn’t immediately respond.

Only after regaining his composure did he finally speak.

"...I’m back. Please take care of me from now on."

Ketal took Arkamis’s hand.

Amidst the world’s welcome, the stranger found his place among them.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]