Barbarian in a Failed Game

The collaborative weapon project of the dwarven king and William took longer than expected. The significant time wasn’t spent on merely selecting materials or smithing but rather in assessing Khan’s physical abilities and continuously revising the design.

“Can you crush this steel plate with just your grip strength?”

“This isn’t just any steel plate; it’s from the external deck of Gigantis. In terms of raw strength, even the imperial fortress walls are inferior to this.”

Crack.

Khan crumpled the rectangular steel plate into a ball using only his grip strength.

“Hold this bat and swing it with all your strength.”

“And try throwing it if you can.”

He swung the bat in full force several times, repeating the motion, then threw it…

“This is a temporary axe. Try hitting this tree with it.”

“Depending on how you use it, the size of the blade or the length and thickness of the handle can vary.”

Imagining an unseen enemy, Khan brandished the axe. The two dwarves had a myriad of requests even before the actual smithing began. Each time, Khan complied without grumbling, realizing it was time for significant equipment upgrades.

‘William. I’ve already witnessed the remarkable skill of that dwarf…’

William was a master craftsman whose hastily made items were worthy of generating a system window with their details. The dwarven king, who boasted unparalleled skills even among the artisan race of dwarves, and William were putting their heart and soul into creating a custom-made axe. What warrior would refuse their demands?

“The skill of those at the Magic Tower is truly noteworthy. Even if given only fragments of knowledge, they can restore almost to the original. This essence, regardless of function, is incredibly powerful in sheer strength.”

“We’ll melt this essence and use it as a circuit inside the axe. It won’t be transferrable between different weapons, but its performance will increase significantly.”

To melt the “Essence of the Five-Colored Bird” that he had lent to Neria for battles against the elves, they needed a heat level comparable to a dwarven furnace. But with Gigantis destroyed, it was impossible.

Instead—

“So, where did you learn to use spirits, half-elf?”

“Lady Skadi taught me. Though we didn’t form a contract, I learned how to make small requests for assistance.”

Neria, who had been the busiest learning various things from the First Branch, Skadi, provided her assistance.

“They’re working extraordinarily hard. They even visited Lady Skadi separately to check for usable materials last time.”

“It must’ve hurt their pride.”

“Their pride, you mean?”

“They didn’t like that the hammer their ancestors made broke before its owner did.”

Taking in Khan’s explanation, Neria gave a peculiar smile before leaving for her classes. Even after that, the dwarves issued several more requests, and they finally reached the last stage.

“You remember what you did last time? Yeah, when you smashed the giant to pieces. Can you show us again?”

“You seemed to get incredibly strong, as if your strength spiked temporarily. We need to make sure the weapon can handle that.”

They wanted Khan to replicate the final blow that had shattered the giant.

“I can’t do it exactly the same way.”

Khan responded firmly to their request. During that time, he had struck the Giant Slayer nearly dozens of times with the power of the wind spirit, stacking up the “Hit Stacks” option, which he then detonated with a double stack of ‘Surging Strength’.

And more importantly:

『Giant’s Strength (S) – 15%』

─ Derived from combining existing skills.

─ Has the same effect as stacking Surging Strength (A) skill, with increased amplification and duration as proficiency rises.

─ Maximum duration: 17 seconds.

The new S-grade skill, Giant’s Strength, created from skill stacking had already increased in power thanks to his recent level-up, scaling with his strength stat.

‘And it will become even stronger with each level-up.’

“It needs to withstand strikes even stronger than that, otherwise, it’ll end up like the broken hammer.”

“Damn it, easier said than done…”

“To get that much strength in a hand-axe size means it’ll be incredibly heavy. Is that okay?”

“That’s actually better.”

After concluding their agreement, Khan moved to an island close to Paradise with the two dwarves to demonstrate ‘Giant’s Strength’ once more.

Rumble…!!

“Seeing it firsthand is mind-blowing.”

“To make a weapon that can withstand that…”

Watching the scene from the sky with Natrix’s assistance, the two dwarves let out sighs. With pure strength alone, Khan had caused the ground of an island to collapse, leading to its destruction.

With a single axe swing just for a demonstration, a small dot was erased from the map. How were they supposed to create a weapon that could withstand that power? It might be easier to craft a weapon for an actual giant.

“A weapon for a human wielding the strength of a giant…”

“If we succeed, we’ll leave a mark in dwarven history.”

The two dwarves locked themselves in an improvised forge, using facilities transported from Gigantis. For reasons unknown, Natrix, who had been idly staying with Khan’s group instead of returning to her nest, lent her breath to the project.

Elena, who was waiting to return to the Empire with Khan, personally consecrated the materials to be used in the weapon, and Neria adjusted the surroundings to align with the dwarves’ needs as part of her training as a High Elf.

Seven days and nights passed with the dwarves holed up in the forge, and as the eighth morning approached—

“It’s done! Finally done!”

“We did it! This is a masterpiece of the ages!”

Their nearly frantic cheers broke the morning calm of Paradise. Hearing the commotion, Khan entered the forge, his gaze fixated on a single axe, as if entranced.

“This is….”

“The master is here. Go on, take it!”

Quietly, Khan accepted the axe. Its size matched that of a typical hand-axe, but its design was distinctly modern. Whether intentional or not, both the handle and the blade had a grayish hue.

And.

‘Heavy.’

Even with a strength stat persistently at 85, including item bonuses, it felt not just hefty but genuinely heavy. A normal human would find it impossible to even lift, let alone wield it.

“Heavy, isn’t it? I didn’t expect it to be possible. The power of a dragon is truly incredible.”

“With just a single gold bar and the breath that melts a thousand pounds. If we could borrow that, even apprentices could become master craftsmen in no time.”

The dwarves’ exaggerated praises barely registered in Khan’s ears. Mesmerized, he examined the fluent curves of the axe blade, then checked its item options.

He was astonished to find that while it didn’t reach mythical grade, it far surpassed legendary grade.

‘Unique…!’

『Unyielding (不屈)』 (Unique)

─Created with the intent of forging an indestructible weapon.

─Crafted by the finest dwarven artisan, tailored solely for one human.

─Enhanced with divine blessings using the highest-grade materials, melted with dragon’s breath, and shaped by dwarven craftsmanship.

─Increased power when thrown.

─Extremely high resistance to destruction.

─Durability enhanced by divine blessings.

─Essence: Infused with the ‘Essence of the Five-Colored Bird.’

─Unique Option, “Little Giant”: Ignores opponent’s defense and deals penetration damage proportional to strength.

The information window named this axe “Unyielding”. It was a fitting name for the goal of the two dwarves to create an unbreakable axe, and it came with equally fitting options.

Destruction resistance, an exceptional option even without any modifiers, had the phrase “extremely high” attached to it.

With its durability enhanced by a divine blessing, it must possess near-indestructible durability, similar to Draupnir.

‘And the unique option…’

Little Giant.

This option seemed to be due to the axe’s absurd weight for a hand axe.

Typically, a sword swing with the full body weight behind it could cause the defender’s hand to tingle even if successfully blocked. This option appeared to amplify that numbing effect.

Moreover, with the damage being proportional to strength, not some other stat, it could potentially wreak havoc internally like the internal energy techniques or focused force strikes from martial arts.

After examining all the additional options, Khan’s review was brief and impactful.

“This makes me eager to set foot in the land of the beastmen.”

It was the highest praise, indicating he wanted to split skulls immediately with this axe.

***

With the long-awaited weapon complete and most tasks in Paradise concluded, Khan was about to head back to the Empire when Natrix approached him.

“I’m coming with you.”

“…Weren’t you returning to Sea Dragon Archipelago?”

“You mentioned it yourself. Akardnil wished for my freedom. And so, I’m merely acting according to his wishes.”

Khan barely managed to suppress the grin that threatened to spread across his face.

‘Why now?’

He had received a lot of help from Natrix and genuinely hoped she would leave her reclusive life in her nest at some point. But, for now, he wished she would stay in Sea Dragon Archipelago. The reason being—

‘If she happens to meet Akardnil, all my lies will be exposed.’

Although Akardnil’s appearance was still far off, there was a chance Natrix could seek him out first once they were in the Empire. The more troublesome issue was that he had no valid reason to refuse her proposal.

‘And even if I had the authority to deny her, what could I do if she decides to go alone to the Empire?’

“……Well, if you’re that determined, let’s go together.”

Khan concluded that having her close would give him more control and peace of mind. Thus, Khan and Natrix prepared to return together, with Khan riding atop her in her dragon form.

“If the negotiations with the Imperial House go well, they will send someone first. Then, everyone can come to the continent together.”

“I’ll trust you.”

Neria replied with a smile.

Having gained new powers as a High Elf, she had much to learn from the First Branch, Skadi, and couldn’t leave Paradise immediately. Besides, she intended to assist the dwarven king and William in gathering the scattered dwarves from the sea.

“See you then.”

With one half-elf and one dwarf staying behind, Khan’s party, now including Natrix as both a mount and combat strength, set off for the continent.

“It’s best to fly to the southern part of the Empire first, then rent a carriage to travel to the capital. There’s no need to overtly announce your presence, Natrix.”

Khan planned to borrow a carriage through Baron Petrov, who had been grieving the loss of his heir to the elves.

From Petrov’s perspective, Khan was a benefactor who helped avenge his heir and a hidden asset of the royal family. It should be easy enough to arrange a carriage.

However, upon setting foot on the continent and heading towards Baron Petrov’s land, Khan realized his plans were derailed from the start.

Through the words of Baron Petrov, who had just finished preparing for deployment with a 500-man army, Khan learned things were far more dire than he anticipated.

“Have you been living on a remote island? How could you not know this?”

There was no time to leisurely travel in a carriage.

“The Empire is at war. In fact, all human nations are at war.”

The greenskins have sounded the horn of war. Standing before his assembled troops, assisted by a knight as he donned his helmet, baron Petrov spoke gravely.

“The western border of the Empire was breached once but was barely reclaimed thanks to the battle mages. However, the remote kingdoms in the western continent have long been overrun. The Argon Kingdom is holding out thanks to the current king’s exceptional military strategy. From what I hear, even a witch who manipulates space magic and a spearman are making significant contributions…but their limits are clear.”

Baron Petrov’s following words caused Khan’s expression to tighten slightly.

“The King of Warriors, that damned green monster, is personally leading his legion southward into the Argon Kingdom. Within a few days, the news of Argon’s fall will likely spread through the Empire’s intelligence network.”

Baron Petrov’s voice echoed in Khan’s ears, but Khan was no longer listening.

He had to hurry to the Argon Kingdom.

“Natrix…!”

The witch who controls space magic and the spearman.

Ludmilla and Maya, both of whom were in danger.