Chapter 36
At the entrance of the Northern Rock Tribe village.
“We never open the gate for strangers!”
“We won’t go outside where it’s dangerous either! We’ll wait here until Zakan and Izak come back!”
The children standing side by side beside the thick wooden gate puffed out their chests and shouted confidently.
But looking into those innocent, almost transparent eyes...
Hmm.
To be honest, I didn’t trust them at all.
If someone stood outside and imitated Zakan’s or my voice, these kids would probably wag their tails and throw the gate wide open.
I turned away from the smiling children and looked toward Jack.
He was the only adult in our village.
More importantly, he was the only person with something resembling average intelligence.
As expected, the sharp-witted Jack understood what I wanted.
“Don’t worry, Shaman. We have this sturdy wall I designed now. I’ll make sure nothing happens until you return.”
“Good. Especially make sure the children don’t open the gate for just anyone.”
“Of course. I’ll stay right beside them and keep watch.”
Thank goodness we had Jack.
I nodded toward the children waving from inside the sturdy Steelwood wall.
Then I finally started walking west.
Even as we departed, I repeated the same warnings several times.
Still...
I was worried.
They’ll be fine, right?
This was the first time since falling into this world that I was leaving Rock Tribe territory.
For some reason, I felt both excited and strangely nervous.
I took a deep breath and slowly looked around.
Of course, the Western Volcano Tribe was only called that because the barbarians had divided the Northern Frontier into convenient regions.
It wasn’t as if lava suddenly erupted from the ground once you entered western territory.
Nor did the entire area transform into a blazing hell.
“It will take quite a while to reach the Western Volcano Tribe.”
“There’s no need to hurry, Zakan. Let’s travel slowly and examine the land outside our territory while we’re at it.”
Zakan nodded at my suggestion and took the lead.
Behind him walked Malko, whose shoulders were puffed up with pride, and two young warriors accompanying us as guards.
The road toward the Western Volcano Tribe didn’t look much different from the land around our village.
Dry, cracked earth.
Withered plants whose names I didn’t know.
And occasional cold winds carrying sand and dust.
The only differences were subtle.
The farther west we went, the drier the wind became.
Sometimes a faint, pungent smell of sulfur brushed against my nose.
Then again, the entire Northern Frontier is basically one enormous wasteland.
I walked while looking at Zakan’s broad back.
Then my gaze moved toward the enormous black structure rising far beyond the horizon.
The Black Wall.
The Empire had tried countless methods to stop the Demon Beasts pouring out from the demonic lands beyond that wall.
In the end, they failed.
So the Empire chose another solution.
They forced the physically powerful barbarians into this region and used them as living shields.
In a sense...
The Frontier was nothing more than a prison for the barbarians.
And yet the barbarians had divided this barren land into north, south, east, and west.
They continued surviving in their own way.
Of course...
In a few months, the Great Famine would wipe them out.
It was a bitter and tragic history.
“Zakan.”
Zakan turned toward me.
“I suddenly have a question.”
“What?”
“If this land is so barren, wouldn’t it be better to take the tribe into the human world?”
I continued.
“With the barbarians’ strength, you could at least work as mercenaries. You wouldn’t starve to death.”
Zakan stopped.
Malko stopped.
Even the two young warriors froze.
Uh...
Did I say something wrong?
But the original game never explained the barbarians’ detailed background.
Zakan’s expression hardened.
“...Have you forgotten that leaving for the human world is one of the strictest taboos passed down by our ancestors, Izak?”
“Ah.”
I quickly nodded.
“I lost part of my memories when I received the Ancestor Spirit’s wisdom.”
“That’s right.”
Zakan nodded seriously.
“I forgot that you sacrificed your memories in exchange for great wisdom. Forgive me.”
He actually apologized.
I’m getting frighteningly shameless about this.
Zakan turned back toward the distant Black Wall.
His voice became low and bitter.
“Remember this, Izak.”
His hand tightened into a fist.
“Humans are cunning... and cruel.”
“...”
“Not a single barbarian warrior who entered the human lands in the past ever returned alive.”
His clenched fist trembled slightly.
“Never trust humans.”
Zakan’s eyes remained fixed on the horizon.
“When they gather together, we must be cautious.”
His voice grew heavier.
“Our ancestors carved that lesson into their bones with blood.”
Then he spoke with absolute certainty.
“We would rather be torn apart honorably by a monster’s teeth than enter the false cities of humans.”
“...I see.”
I answered quietly.
My chest felt strangely tight.
It was vicious manipulation by the Empire.
They had betrayed and persecuted the barbarians until the trauma became tradition.
Now the barbarians wouldn’t even try to escape.
They willingly remained on the Frontier for generations, serving as free border guards against the Red Moon waves and Demon Beasts.
Damn Imperial nobles.
My soul might belong to Kang Jinho, a modern Korean man...
But barbarian blood now flowed through my body.
Of course I would be angry that these simple, almost foolishly straightforward people were being treated as disposable tools.
Because...
I was now destined to struggle for survival in this Frontier too.
Just wait.
Someday, when we enter the human world...
We won’t be meat shields anymore.
Maybe it wouldn’t happen tomorrow.
Or anytime soon.
But someday...
I was definitely going to farm peacefully somewhere safe and spend my days relaxing.
After walking for half a day, darkness fell.
We decided to camp in the middle of the wasteland with our backs against a cluster of large rocks.
A campfire crackled.
Everyone eventually fell asleep.
We had agreed to take turns standing guard.
It was currently my shift.
I’m less tired than I expected.
If I still had my old body, I would have collapsed already.
This strong and healthy barbarian body really was wonderful.
Scrape... scrape...
While absentmindedly poking the fire...
I heard something.
Not the wind.
It sounded like some smooth shell scraping across the sandy ground.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
Zakan had definitely said this area was safe.
I held my breath.
Then slowly stood and stared into the darkness.
At the very edge of the campfire’s light...
A pitch-black centipede as thick as my thigh crawled toward us.
Dozens of legs twitched beneath its body.
Ugh! Disgusting!
A poisonous Steel-Hook Centipede.
I quickly grabbed my axe.
Just as I was about to wake Zakan...
“Awooooo!”
A long, childish howl echoed from somewhere across the dark wasteland.
Two blue lights appeared in the darkness.
Eyes.
Then vanished again.
The Steel-Hook Centipede, which had been approaching with its jaws open...
Immediately panicked.
It spun around and fled at incredible speed.
“...Hmm.”
I lowered my axe.
So it really is following us.
The little thing was probably wandering nearby because it was worried about the safety of the chef responsible for its meals.
Still...
That bastard would probably go on strike if I didn’t pay it properly.
So I quickly roasted a C-Rank Potato.
Then tossed it toward the place where those blue eyes had disappeared.
Thanks to the invisible protection of my stalker wolf...
We passed the night peacefully.
When morning arrived, I checked the place where I had thrown the potato.
Not even a crumb remained.
...It’s kind of cute.
