Chapter 9
The Red Moon hung high overhead.
We had just survived the first wave of magical beasts.
The entrance to the canyon was covered with mountains of dead wolves, boars, and Mutated Black Bears.
But there were no cheers of victory.
Only silence.
And at the center of that silence stood Burta, chief of the Western Volcano Tribe.
“Why are you children looking at me with such frightened eyes?”
He was wrapping a rope around the neck of the giant black bear that was still alive.
A sly smile covered his face.
A blood-covered barbarian over two meters tall smiling like that was more terrifying than any magical beast.
The young warriors of our tribe held their breaths.
Even Zakan was silent.
None of us knew exactly what Burta intended to do.
And behind him stood the Volcano Tribe warriors.
Their presence alone was enough to put enormous pressure on us.
Zakan silently tightened his grip around the handle of his greatsword.
Burta snorted.
“Zakan. You have the eyes of a coward.”
Zakan frowned.
“We made a contract. I still intend to collect the other fifty potatoes.”
Burta smiled.
“You used your head well. Was that idea from the young shaman?”
His eyes briefly moved toward me.
I didn’t look away.
Zakan didn’t deny it.
Burta smiled and kicked the black bear.
The creature suddenly roared and charged toward us in one final burst of rage.
“ROOOOAR!”
Its claws stopped right in front of Zakan.
Burta had pulled hard on the rope and strangled the creature.
The black bear coughed and collapsed.
“Why are you doing this?”
Zakan finally asked.
Warriors were supposed to show respect even toward enemies.
Burta clicked his tongue while looking at him.
“You really are children.”
He shook his head.
“You need to learn from us.”
Burta grinned.
“Learn how to survive on the battlefield.”
I already knew what he was doing.
In my old world, this would have been called a trick.
Or in game terms...
An exploit.
“When the Red Moon rises, magical beasts attack three times.”
Burta kindly began explaining.
“Most people kill every magical beast that comes.”
He tightened the rope.
“That is wrong. It is a trap.”
He was right.
The wave didn’t truly end simply because every monster had been killed.
From midnight, when the Red Moon began, until sunrise at six in the morning, the event lasted six hours.
A new wave came every two hours.
But even if you killed all the monsters quickly, combat status remained active for the entire two-hour period.
If you cleared a wave too quickly, more monsters could spawn.
Or even stronger ones could appear.
“The method is simple.”
Burta pointed at the black bear.
“Do not kill the last one.”
The young barbarians stared at him.
“As long as the final monster lives, the others do not come.”
He wrapped the rope around his wrist and proudly continued.
“Keep the final one alive and you can rest for the remaining time.”
He grinned.
“Save your strength. Prepare for the next fight.”
Then he looked at Zakan.
“That is the wisdom of adults.”
As expected.
I was impressed.
It was exactly the same exploit I remembered from the game.
Burta had perfectly understood the weakness of the System.
And that made me wonder.
How does he know that?
When Burta said children had to learn from adults, maybe it hadn’t been empty boasting.
Had this knowledge been learned through surviving countless Red Moons?
If so...
Had the adults of our Northern Rock Tribe never known?
Either way, he does not seem to be attacking us.
For now, he was faithfully fulfilling the contract in his own way.
Apparently relieved, Zakan’s tense expression softened.
He sighed from exhaustion.
Malko, who had been listening nearby, leaned toward me.
He looked completely confused.
“What is he talking about? Barbarian words difficult.”
Just...
Don’t think, Malko.
Thanks to the Western Volcano Tribe’s strength and their clever trick, we survived the second wave without major losses.
Everyone had enough time to rest.
The injured had also received basic treatment.
It was now four in the morning.
Only the third and final wave remained.
According to the rules of the game, the final wave always included the boss-level monster of that region.
In other words...
A field boss.
And Burta will probably make his move now.
I carefully watched the Volcano Tribe’s formation.
Eventually...
Burta secretly glanced toward one of his warriors.
The man nodded and quietly moved toward the rear.
Two agile-looking warriors joined him.
Three men in total.
A separate unit.
Their plan is obvious.
They would use the chaos of the final battle to circle around to the back of the village.
Maybe steal from the warehouse.
Maybe take the children hostage.
Or perhaps investigate the secret of our potatoes.
I looked at Zakan.
He gave a tiny nod.
It was our previously agreed signal.
[The magical power of the Red Moon has reached its critical point.]
[The Final Wave begins.]
“SKREEEEEEEK!”
A terrible cry shook the canyon.
Unlike the monsters from the earlier waves, this sound didn’t come from the ground.
It came from the sky.
A gigantic shadow glided over the top of the Black Barrier with the Red Moon behind it.
[Third Wave Boss: Venom Scorpion Wyvern]
Just as I expected!
The creature landed.
A cloud of dust exploded around it.
Its body had been mutated from absorbing too much Red Moon energy.
Its wings were unnaturally huge.
At the end of its tail was an enormous venom gland.
“It comes! Raise shields!”
Burta shouted while lifting his axe.
The Western Volcano Tribe formed a shield wall.
BOOOOM!
The wyvern smashed directly into them.
The huge Volcano warriors flew through the air like bowling pins.
The creature flew low, sweeping across the battlefield.
“Grrr! I will cut you apart!”
A transparent heat haze seemed to rise from Burta’s body.
He swung his axe with terrifying force.
But the wyvern was cunning.
Just before Burta’s axe reached it, the creature twisted its body at an unnatural angle.
It avoided the strike.
At the same time, its tail whipped forward.
Splash!
“AAAAAGH!”
Venom sprayed through the air.
Volcano Tribe warriors screamed and retreated.
Leather armor and skin began burning wherever the poison touched.
Their formation collapsed almost instantly.
And in the middle of that chaos...
The three men I had been watching disappeared into the darkness.
Using the moment when the wyvern’s attention was focused on Burta, they quickly moved toward the outer fence of the village.
Unfortunately for you, your plan is wrong.
This wyvern wasn’t just a stupid beast.
It was a cunning hunter.
It was more interested in weak prey leaving the group and exposing their backs than in powerful enemies fighting directly against it.
The wyvern’s snake-like pupils moved past Burta.
They locked onto the three warriors heading toward our village.
“SKREEEEEK!”
It suddenly changed direction.
Ignoring Burta, it charged toward the village at incredible speed.
Exactly what I had been waiting for.
“Huh...?”
Burta shouted in confusion.
But it was already too late.
The wyvern was charging toward the three warriors.
And toward our village behind them.
“Malko. Protect the cave entrance like I taught you. Do not move.”
“Understood! BARBARIAAAAN!”
I had expected this.
That was why I had explained everything again and again to the younger warriors.
Even if the boss monster came directly toward them, they must not get excited and charge forward.
Their job was to protect the cave.
Thankfully, all my training hadn’t been wasted.
Despite their lack of experience and tendency to get overexcited, the young barbarians maintained their formation.
After confirming that, I grabbed a torch from the ground instead of my axe.
“Zakan! Let’s go!”
Zakan nodded.
Then he followed me as I started running.
The three Volcano Tribe warriors had gone pale after seeing the massive monster chasing them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The wyvern closed the distance.
I shouted to Zakan while running.
“Remember, Zakan?!”
I was running out of breath.
But I couldn’t stop.
“I remember!”
He ran beside me.
His eyes didn’t waver.
Yeah.
Zakan can do it.
Trusting him, I kept running.
The Venom Scorpion Wyvern was nocturnal.
It had one major weakness.
Sudden bright light.
I had killed this monster hundreds of times in the game.
Every movement pattern was still clear inside my head.
The problem is that this is real now.
Fear tightened my chest.
But my barbarian body continued charging toward the wyvern.
“AAAAARGH!”
One of Burta’s warriors desperately resisted the Venom Wyvern.
It was hopeless.
The wyvern opened its mouth, preparing to swallow one of the separate unit members.
“OVER HERE!”
