Barbarian in a Failed Game

“That… that man…!”

The mage with prosthetic arms, legs, and eyes made of mysterious metal—an alchemist—greeted them with a smile. Surprisingly, it was Ron who first recognized him.

“Oh, you recognize me?”

The alchemist seemed pleased and gave Ron a curious look up and down.

“You have no elegance for a mage. So, you’re a half-baked mage who can barely use a few basic spells. But how did you recognize me?”

“Your face is plastered right at the entrance of the Tower! The former Golden Tower Master’s disciple…!”

“The Tower Master’s disciple…? What are you talking about, Ron?”

“Just what it sounds like, Elena.”

Even while maintaining his wariness, Ron revealed the alchemist’s true identity.

“He was the disciple of the previous Golden Tower Master and promised the position of the Tower Master himself. But he suddenly killed his master and fled after stealing the master’s secret knowledge and research data. He was believed dead, having lost his limbs and eyes during his master’s resistance.”

“Unfortunately, I’m alive. Ah…! The memory of that moment still sends shivers down my spine. Who would have thought a master alchemist of the continent would be crafting such lowly weapons as colorless, tasteless, odorless corrosion poisons? Well, thanks to that….”

The alchemist swung the elven elder’s head he held as if showing off a new toy.

“I’ve gained this wonderful body. Although it may look grotesque, it has plenty of useful features. For instance….”

Tap- Tap-

“Even without using inefficient spells like flying magic, I can move freely in the air thanks to some additional features.”

He tapped the empty air with his toes a few times. The more astonishing part was that a solid sound echoed as if an invisible platform existed, something those sensitive to mana quickly discerned.

“This isn’t the work of modern mages. It’s ancient knowledge.”

“Ah-. A discerning eye indeed. Yes! All of this was made using ancient spell systems and dwarven craftsmanship.”

“What a clown you are.”

Whoosh-!

Perhaps annoyed by the alchemist’s playful tone, Natrix furrowed her brows and folded the wings she had used as a shield.

“I care not for your worthless identity. That elf you’re holding. It looks like it’s hosting spirits. That abomination is your doing as well, isn’t it?”

She pointed to the area where buildings continued to melt. Despite not being an elf, Natrix could see the spirit, proving that she could indeed perceive the bizarre spirit swallowing the buildings with its amorphous body.

“Oh! They say the dragon’s eyes can see through all creation. Can you even see entities straddling different dimensions? Truly… I can understand why ancient scholars captured live dragons for experiments.”

Such an intriguing creature. Though mechanical eyes couldn’t convey emotions, the alchemist’s eyes seemed filled with sticky curiosity.

“Ah, I haven’t answered your question yet. Yes, that mixed spirit is my handiwork. Of course, it would have been impossible without the consent of the amalgamated entities. Thanks to that, I’ve got a rough idea of what spirits are now.”

The alchemist brought the elf in his hand—Kenaz, the Second Branch—close to his face, smiling contentedly.

“But let me warn you. Killing me won’t make the spirit disappear. That thing is designed to burn everything and finally turn itself into ashes….”

“That’s a lie.”

“Who are you…?”

The red mechanical eye blinked in surprise. The person who had suddenly cut into the conversation, startling him, was none other than Khan.

The alchemist then seemed to recognize the unusual barbarian, clearly not an ordinary sentient being, and exclaimed belatedly, “Ah!”

But by then, Khan had already leaped off the ground into the air.

Bang─!

His target was the alchemist standing on an invisible platform at an awkward altitude, and by the time the alchemist reacted to the thunderous noise of Khan’s takeoff, Draupnir had already begun spewing flames nearby.

『Blood Art – Fiery Blood』

The blood stored in the “Heart of Predation” in Khan’s right chest gushed out and turned into the flames of the art. Additionally, two marks glowed, further boosting his stats.

He was at full power.

“Incredible-.”

But the alchemist was also a mage of the highest order, comparable to the tower masters among mages. There was no need for incantations or gestures.

With layered spells continuously maintained since boarding Gigantus, he simply reinforced his defensive spell shield, enhancing its durability. For the alchemist, this process was as natural as breathing.

The reinforced spell shield gained the durability of a moving fortress wall. But this was a foe who could shatter even fortress walls.

Crack. Craaack──!

An attack powerful enough to demolish fortress walls smashed the grand magus’s shield without a trace. The mechanical red eyes of the alchemist widened in apparent surprise, but mages are those who manage to achieve multiple gains with a single move.

In the split second that the spell shield shattered, the alchemist thrust the face of the Second Branch at Khan.

Was he intending to use the frail body of an elf as a shield? Khan couldn’t fathom the alchemist’s intent, nor did he care to understand it.

He merely planned to split both the elf and the alchemist in one sweep, and as his attack was about to cut through the Second Branch’s body—

Screech—

The Second Branch, who had been stiff as a corpse, suddenly opened his mouth.

“…!”

What issued forth from that mouth was a horrific scream. And from far away, the amorphous spirit that was devouring Gigantus’s structures.

Who would have expected a spirit to be spewed out like vomit from the mouth of an elf? Moreover, such a maneuver had never appeared even in ‘Midlands Quest.’

Sizzle…

“Khan!”

Elena let out a small scream and instantly performed another holy magic. Though she couldn’t see the spirit engulfing Khan, she could feel the blessing she had cast upon him being “corroded”.

『Burn.』

Fortunately, the power that Natrix had preemptively granted through her draconic command took effect. Natrix’s voice abruptly echoed in Khan’s mind, and the spirit enveloping his body made contact with blue flames, instantly disintegrating.

“The dragon’s flames…! Even seeing it with my own eyes, it’s hard to believe! Flames that embody the very concept of burning…!”

The alchemist, although he had missed an opportunity to finish Khan with a calculated counterattack, appeared unfazed. He leisurely assessed Natrix’s flames as if he still had much confidence to spare.

He was still full of energy.

“Why don’t you fall now?”

The alchemist smiled slyly and gestured downward. At once, Khan’s body began to plummet toward the ground. Lacking the ability to fly, this was the natural course.

“Platform.”

However, as if mocking the alchemist’s expectations, Khan’s falling frame came to a halt midair. While the alchemist’s red mechanical eyes rapidly flickered, a wind spirit was sweating profoundly, arms upraised, holding up Khan’s nearly 2-meter frame. Seemingly ready to propel Khan upwards with a gust of wind.

“Hah…!”

Yet, lacking sufficient power, their earlier leap was not repeated, and Khan fell far short of reaching the alchemist. Briefly collecting himself, the alchemist smirked, then aimed the Second Branch at Khan once more.

To maintain the upper hand and unleash a one-sided barrage of attacks.

“Clown, have you forgotten my presence?”

“……!”

Hair that captured the colors of the sea and sky fluttered before his eyes, accompanied by enormous wings that seemed to cover the entire area.

The alchemist, quickly wiping the grin off his face, extended his other hand and created a seal to complete a spell.

Even in their liquefied metal state, the buildings corroded by the mixed spirit’s ‘decay’ remained present. These metals served as a source of power for the Golden Mage.

It was for this reason, among others, that the alchemist, not another Seeker, had been sent to conquer Gigantus. Gigantus, where metals from all over the world were gathered, was like an inexhaustible armory for the Golden Mage.

『Gornarius’s Left Arm』

Rrrrrt.

Rumble──!

The liquefied metal alloys of the dwarves surged skyward, forming a shape.

“How do you like it! I’m sure it’s a familiar sight for a sea dragon!”

It was the arm of a giant.

-Despite not growing beyond the elbow, it was a massive arm comparable to Natrix’s true form.

『You insignificant wretch dare mock me─!』

Natrix, in her human form, erupted in fury. And a dragon’s wrath, when channeled through draconic command, manifests as tangible power.

Boom───!!

The giant’s left arm clashed with the dragon’s fury. The impact was so powerful that it affected even Khan, who was hovering thanks to the wind spirit, and the alchemist, who stood on an ancient spell-formed platform.

Both were hurled mercilessly onto the cold floor of Gigantus. However, both emerged relatively unscathed from the ordeal.

“Impressive. Even outside her nest, she’s that strong. She’s more powerful than I expected, for a so-called ‘half-baked dragon’.”

Khan, who had deftly landed thanks to his exceptional agility, frowned as he saw the alchemist’s composed demeanor. He observed how the liquefied metals, a result of the melted buildings, appeared to support the falling alchemist as if they were alive.

‘Can he control all the metals corroded by that spirit?’

If so, his power would only grow stronger with time.

Perhaps…

‘That spell Natrix is contending with may become more perfected.’

No matter how Natrix was conserving her strength for Khan’s sake, it was still an immensely powerful spell, evidently beyond what a dragon could easily handle. Since it was a spell not seen in the game, it was likely an ancient spell bestowed by the Apostle of Truth specifically for this operation.

Thus, before Natrix needed to exert her full strength—

“We need to finish this quickly and move inside.”

“That will be difficult. No one can interfere until ‘she’ completes her mission.”

As Khan made this declaration, his companions, now re-armed with powerful blessings, stood by his side.