Barbarian Quest

The lights in Samikan’s tent did not go out for days. Even as the typhoon passed, the heat inside the tent did not dissipate. Shamans sweated profusely as they held down Samikan's arms and legs.

Crack.

Samikan clenched his teeth so hard to the point of cracking. His body convulsed violently, striking the surrounding healers.

"Kagh!" The shaman who had taken the lead yelped.

"Open the Great Chief's mouth!"

The shaman picked up the brewed medicine. Healers quickly pried open Samikan's jaw.

Crunch!

Samikan bit off a healer's finger and spat it out. The healer who fell victim screamed and stumbled back.

"Great Chief! Snap out of it!"

The veins on Samikan's face swelled as if they were about to burst. It was literally bone-crushing pain. Every breath he took was painful, and it felt as if his whole body was on fire.

Crash!

The storm that was passing over Samikan’s tent felt like nothing to those inside. What was more dangerous was Samikan’s thrashing which was throwing off and breaking the bones of the healers.

‘He’s going to die if we use any more medicine on him.'

At this point, pain-relieving drugs could not be used on Samikan as the overdose of them was what put him in a critical state in the first place. Even after fighting Urich, he had screamed at the top of his lungs. His already damaged lungs were surely torn to shreds.

"Cough, cough."

The blood Samikan coughed up was enough to fill a basin. He looked at the men trying to heal him with a daze.

'I am not going to die here.'

What had he come so far for?

Samikan thought about his past. He had been a smart and outstanding warrior. It was only natural for him to grow up to be a tribal chief. There was no man to rival Samikan in the Blue Mist Tribe.

‘Noah, Noah Arten.’

Samikan reached upward. Noah was the only person he could confide everything in. He was Samikan’s true friend and brother.

Through Noah, who came from beyond the mountains, Samikan cultivated his ambitions as a conqueror. He expanded his power through military knowledge from the civilized world.

'...Those were the glory days.'

Samikan had only known victory. He subdued the neighboring tribes and grew them into a singular force. As the months changed, Samikan's fame only grew higher. Soon, he unified the tribes around the Sky Mountains into a force called the alliance.

'Why was that not enough for me...?'

At that time, Samikan felt like he could do anything. There was nothing in the world he feared. Even the being called the ‘empire’ beyond the mountains seemed like a child’s play.

'As if it could ever be enough!'

Samikan's eyes bulged. If he had been a small-minded man who could be satisfied with only the things he had, he would never have taken over the surrounding tribes or formed the alliance.

'I will take and have more. Even immortality will be mine.'

One could never achieve immortality with a human body. What remained was only the name achieved through accomplishments.

"I... I, I."

Samikan swallowed hard and exhaled. His tongue trembled. His body shook violently.

"...I am… Samikan..."

Samikan sat himself up with his face flushed bright red. Then, he reached out to the shaman.

"H-heal me."

Samikan was no longer thrashing. However, it wasn’t because the pain had gone down; he simply suppressed every outburst with a patience that surpassed that of humans. His clenched jaw intermittently trembled, and bruises bloomed across his skin where the blood vessels had burst.

‘Even dying would hurt less for Samikan.'

The shaman looked at Samikan sitting up and handed him the brewed medicine.

"Great Chief, you must rest, or your life will be at risk."

"I’ve already announced the successor, so don't worry about my life. I just need my body to keep moving until the day I die."

Samikan gulped down the broth in one go.

"My god, it really just tastes like filthy water."

Although Samikan's condition improved, he had only gone from being near death to merely severely injured.

‘If only he had rested properly when he needed to, he wouldn’t be in this bad of a shape.’

The shaman who treated Samikan clicked his tongue. He was expected to take over as the priest of the alliance once Six-Fingered stepped down.

"Great Chief, you must keep your promise."

"Don't worry. Six-Fingered won't be able to keep his position."

Samikan was planning to strip Six-Fingered of his position and kill him before he died himself. After all, it was because of Six-Fingered that Urich had been influenced, leading to this situation. Urich alone wouldn’t have easily revolted.

‘Urich puts the welfare of his brothers and his tribe before his own desires...’

Urich was not capable of engaging in actions that didn't fit his moral code. No matter how smart or talented he was, his nature was too upright as a warrior. Samikan could always attack Urich, with whom he had sworn brotherhood, but Urich could never do such a thing.

‘You prioritize your values over the benefits. That's your limit, Urich.’

In Samikan's eyes, the current outcome was an obvious conclusion. Honest people could not beat the deceitful. That was the way things worked.

‘I salute you for making me resort to such vile tricks.’

He had subdued Urich using disgustingly deceitful tactics. He had set traps and even used poison. Anyone with a brain could see that Samikan had used unjust methods.

But there was no one who could openly criticize Samikan at the moment. The alliance was at war, and another internal strife would mean the end for everyone. The other warriors and chiefs had futures to think about. Their situation was different from Samikan's, who was at his life's end.

They all just held their breath as they waited for Samikan to die.

‘It doesn't matter what those bastards think of me.’

Samikan lifted his head. One victory was all it was going to take. If he could just stab at the heart of the empire, Samikan would become a legend.

Exhilaration surged. His dying body twitched.

Crash!

The thunder and the fierce wind gradually subsided. A commotion was happening outside.

"You should fully rest, Great Chief."

The shaman advised one last time. It was going to be a headache for him if Samikan died before taking out Six-Fingered for him.

Samikan's cheeks had grown even more gaunt in just a few days. For the first time since his battle against Urich, he was able to fall asleep like a normal person instead of passing out from the pain.

"Great Chief!"

A warrior outside called Samikan. Just as Samikan was about to drift off to sleep, he snapped his eyes open. He didn't show any irritation but grabbed his sword and axe and went outside.

"What is it?"

"U-Urich has been released!"

Samikan frowned.

"Is it a rebellion? Who is the instigator?"

He had all the chiefs and key figures who could potentially lead a revolt under surveillance. They were to be killed immediately if they showed any signs of rebellion. The chiefs who supported Urich were also aware of this and had kept their mouths shut, silently waiting for their chance.

"A-about that… it was actually..."

The warrior was at a loss for words. He too found the report hard to believe.

Samikan urged the warrior, but before the warrior could speak, a thunderous voice filled the entire camp.

"Samikaaaaaaan!"

It was a familiar roar. The robust voice was like the remnants of the typhoon.

"Urich..."

Samikan bared his teeth. His broken teeth and collapsed gums looked hideous.

The warriors gathered around, and Urich emerged from them. Steam was still rising from his body. His hair which was spiked all over seemed brittle.

"Why does he look like that…? Has he been hit by lightning, or something?"

"The lightning has freed the Son of the Earth."

"Now we truly know who is favored by the heavens."

The warriors murmured among themselves. Even Samikan's loyal warriors couldn't stop Urich. Urich's release was not just a simple rebellion.

‘The will of the heavens.’

That was the only explanation.

The bars of Urich's cell had been burned by the lightning bolt. It wasn't human strength but the heavens that had freed Urich.

No one could stand in the way of Urich, who was backed by the heavens. Even warriors with a shallow belief in mythology bowed their heads to the spectacle.

A path was parted open in the direction Urich walked.

"Hoo."

Urich exhaled a pitch-black breath. His steps wobbled like a drunk man’s. His right pupil had lost its light, and its focus was blurred. His right arm, burned by the lightning strike, trembled even when he wasn’t moving it.

"He lived after getting hit by lightning."

"My God... Urich."

Urich slowly lifted his head. He could see Samikan standing in the distance.

"Axe."

Urich reached out haphazardly as a bunch of the warriors threw their axes at his feet. Urich picked one up with his left hand and spun it lightly.

"You truly are persistent, Urich."

Samikan glared at the approaching Urich. They had enough spectators gathered. What they wanted was a duel. Urich, who was given another chance, was challenging Samikan.

"If you really didn’t use poison when you beat Urich, try beating him again and prove it, Samikan!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and other warriors raised their arms and yelled in support.

Schriiing.

Samikan drew his sword and stepped forward. His steps were also staggered, nearly falling several times. Both Samikan and Urich were ridiculously weakened compared to their original capacities. They seemed like they could barely manage to beat a ten-year-old in their current states.

But the warriors watched silently. They were witnessing what might become a legendary scene.

"The heavens sent Urich back because Samikan resorted to cowardly tricks!"

A fierce voice broke the silence. Six-Fingered banged his staff on the ground as he screamed. He was nearly screeching for the legitimacy of Urich’s challenge.

"Chief Samikan also once received the blessings of the heavens, but he has lost that favor due to his immoral actions! How can the one who lost the blessings of the heavens lead the alliance!"

Six-Fingered openly poured out his criticism toward Samikan. Until now, no one had ever acted like this in public before, as every man in the alliance was afraid of Samikan.

'If Urich doesn’t win, I will die too.'

Six-Fingered sweated profusely as he looked at Samikan.

'Six-Fingered is a small fry. I just need to defeat Urich right here.'

Samikan cooled his anger and focused on Urich.

"Look at the arm of Urich, the great warrior and the Son of the Earth! The wrath of heaven has seeped into his right arm! That lightning mark is the agent of divine retribution!"

Six-Fingered continued to shout until the end. Urich's right arm bore a lightning-shaped burn. The mark spread from his forearm up to his shoulder.

Urich survived being struck by lightning. That was the ultimate truth.

The warriors once again realized the sanctity of the heavens amidst this overwhelming reality. At the end of the day, everything in this world was up to the will of the heavens. Life and death were governed by the heavens and were beyond human efforts. No one could survive an endless drought. Life was a gift from the heavens.

'I can't see with my right eye.'

Urich extended his arm, gauging the distance. His depth perception was off since he had never had to see with just one eye before.

'My right arm is also useless right now.'

His right collarbone was broken, making it difficult to even wield a weapon. Though Urich could only use his left hand, he didn’t care. He was a warrior skilled in using dual weapons and could use his left hand just as well as his right.

"Samikan has..." Six-Fingered continued to denounce Samikan.

Woosh.

Samikan threw his axe toward Six-Fingered's head. The axe embedded itself in Six-Fingered’s staff.

"Quiet, Six-Fingered. It will be Urich and I who prove who is truly blessed by the heavens. Shut that lying mouth."

Samikan gripped his sword with both hands as he lacked the strength to wield it with one.

Step.

As Urich and Samikan drew closer, the surrounding warriors formed a circle, clearing space for them.

"I, Urich of the Stone Axe Tribe, declare that Great Chief Samikan is unfit to lead the alliance and challenge him to a duel. Pick up your weapon, Samikan. Let's end this as warriors should."

Hearing this, Samikan shrugged his shoulders and laughed.

"Yes, let's end this as warriors should... we’ll prove it with weapons and blood."

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