Barbarian in a Failed Game

For a moment, Khan doubted his own ears.

‘The blood of the Arch Demon became the sky? What kind of bullshit is that?’

Yet, the bizarre creature, despite lacking facial features, conveyed a sense of naivety as if this was common knowledge.

Then, only one conclusion remained.

‘Shit, am I in… Hell right now?’

***

To Khan, who retained the sensibilities of a modern person, the word ‘Hell’ carried a distinct weight. It was typically conceived as an afterlife punishment.

However, in the world of ‘Midland Quest’, hell was different.

‘A dimension that stands in opposition to the heavens where gods reside, a realm where demons dwell….’

The dimensions where beings like Augrabes and Kereaktu, whom Khan had encountered, resided were Hell. Naturally, Khan’s mental image of Hell was a place utterly inhospitable to any living being.

A landscape filled with fiery pits torturing the souls of demon victims or the eternal frozen wastelands Kereaktu had mentioned. Yet, according to the strange creature—

Identifying itself as Yoro, hell was a world not too different from Midland.

“You have no memories… the demons might have played a nasty trick on you. In that case, let me explain some basic knowledge.”

Yoro identified itself as a ‘Demonkin’.

“If the rulers of Hell are the demon lords, creatures like me are their slaves and inhabitants. We don’t have particularly important roles.”

Despite lacking a mouth, Yoro appeared quite adept at teaching. Its logical and orderly explanation reminded Khan of the learned class in medieval Midland.

However, even Yoro admitted it was a slave to the demons.

“When the Great Arch Demon created Hell with his own body, his blood solidified to form the sky, and his flesh became the earth. This is our creation myth, and it’s historically proven.”

“Great Arch Demon….”

The statement that the Great Arch Demon, who would descend in the final chapter of ‘Midland Quest,’ was already dead and had become the dimension of Hell itself, was hard for Khan to accept.

But he refrained from challenging this notion. Khan was currently pretending to be a ‘Demonkin who lost his memory due to demonic trickery’.

“And now his children, the Monarchs of Hell, divide and rule over his domain. Aecharis the World Devourer, Nexnigrum the Sun Destroyer, Behelanokto the Bringer of Darkness, and Esperus the Ruler of the Blood-Red Sky are the current Monarchs of Hell.”

Fortunately, these names were familiar to Khan. In addition to Aecharis, who caused Khan to fall into Hell, the names of other archdemons occasionally came up in conversation.

“If the so-called Monarchs of Hell are ruling Hell, whose territory is this land?”

Yoro hesitated briefly before answering in a nonchalant tone.

“…This land is ruled by Esperus, the Ruler of the Blood-Red Sky. Among the Demonkin, it’s known as the ‘Blood Domain’, a vast territory.”

“The Blood Domain?”

“Yes. The sky of the Blood Domain is a deeper crimson than other lands. It’s evidence that the power left by Esperus still influences it.”

Khan paused, listening to the explanation flow like water, as if coming from an expert lecturer.

“Left? That makes it sound like he’s not around anymore.”

“Hmm… you’re perceptive. That’s right. Esperus is currently absent.”

“Absent, as in deceased?”

“Haha. The concept of death is not something that can easily apply to the Monarchs of Hell. It might apply to beings like us Demonkin, however.”

Adopting a somewhat cynical tone, Yoro paused before continuing the explanation.

“A long time ago, Esperus was grievously wounded and lost his physical body to a ruler from another dimension. However, his consciousness remained and returned to Hell, and to avoid attacks from other Lords, he went into hiding.”

“A ruler from another dimension…?”

“Well, now the interdimensional travels have completely ceased. But in the distant past, the Monarchs of Hell waged wars across dimensions. Of course, Esperus participated in these wars and was ultimately defeated by a being from that dimension. It is said that a mere mortal destroyed Lord Esperus’s body….”

“Anyway, because Esperus disappeared, the Blood Domain has effectively been left as an ownerless wilderness for a long time. His generals were also destroyed in the conquest wars.”

“Aren’t the other Monarchs of Hell trying to claim this land?”

“Hmm… explaining that is a bit complicated. The Monarchs of Hell still recognize this land as Esperus’s domain. And if they were to fight a recuperated Esperus, the gains would go entirely to the other Lords. So, they probably decided it was better to leave it be.”

‘A white elephant, huh.’

Khan understood that the power dynamics in Hell were deeper and more complex than he had thought. He knew it was a dysfunctional family but was surprised by how systematic their rule was.

‘So, this Blood Domain is essentially a land where abandoned slaves live.’

Of course, it was easy to guess that Yoro still had more explanations to give. However, before Khan could ask for additional information, they arrived at Yoro’s dwelling.

“It’s humble… but at least there’s a place to rest. Please, come in.”

The land of the Blood Domain was tinged red, just like the sky, and most of the vegetation also had a reddish hue. Naturally, Yoro’s dwelling appeared to be a hut made from red straw.

‘It’s surprisingly neat inside.’

Following Yoro into the hut, Khan found the interior unexpectedly well-furnished, with a bed and a small table carved from some unknown wood. The most notable feature, however, was the strange meat.

“Oh, that’s from the bodies of Infernal Beasts. I’ve carved out the non-toxic parts. While robust Demonkin can withstand the beast’s toxins, many can’t…”

Yoro explained that it provided food for Demonkin who couldn’t endure the toxins of the Infernal Beasts.

“Ah, so…”

“Khan. My name is Khan.”

“Ah, right. I found you while I was on a supply run to gather Infernal Beasts. You were lucky; it was a close call.”

“A close call?”

“You happened to collapse in the territory of Land Predators. If I hadn’t found you in time, you’d have been their meal.”

Khan wasn’t sure what Land Predators were, but it seemed Yoro had indeed saved him while he was unconscious, just as Draupnir had mentioned.

“Thank you.”

“Haha, we lesser demonkin have to help each other.”

“Lesser demonkin…?”

“Yes. Both you and I have frail bodies, don’t we? Demonkin who lack sturdy bodies like ours are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Those are usually the ones who become my guests.”

“Frail bodies, huh…”

Khan chuckled derisively at Yoro’s words.

Since falling into this world, he had never been belittled for his physique; to hear such words in Hell was a new experience, even one he hadn’t encountered in the game.

‘So, by Hell’s standards, I’m considered frail?’

Though it was hard to believe. Considering the strength of a demon’s true form, it was indeed possible that physical superiority, which Khan enjoyed in Midland, might be difficult to maintain here.

‘I wonder about the strength of the Demonkin…’

The strength of Demonkin, unlike demons, remained unknown. The Demonkin before him, Yoro, had exhausted itself and fallen asleep after carrying Khan, indicating its weakness. It even referred to itself as a “lesser demonkin”.

‘It’s interesting that it didn’t recognize me as a human.’

Just like how Yoro had the appearance of a human below the neck, Khan wondered if most Demonkin had some human-like features. This could explain why Yoro didn’t recognize Khan as human immediately.

As Khan pondered the strength of demons and Demonkin, a question suddenly occurred to him.

“Now that I think about it, it’s surprising we can communicate so easily.”

No matter how experienced Gordi Khan was, he hadn’t studied the language of Hell. Naturally, it made no sense for him to be able to converse with Mats like Yoro. Yoro provided a straightforward answer, as if it were nothing special.

“That’s because of my ability. Demonkin of my kind possess this ability—communicating through thoughts embedded in our conversations, so a common language isn’t necessary. My kin have used this power to assist demons.”

After hearing Yoro’s explanation, Khan couldn’t help but marvel at the extraordinary coincidence.

‘Of all the creatures to encounter right after falling into Hell, it had to be one with a communication ability, and it’s incredibly docile for a Hell resident…’

“Well, anyway, you can stay at my place for now. It’ll take time to recover your body and regain your memories.”

Yoro concluded, saying that he was heading to the Demonkin settlement in the Blood Domain to fetch more Infernal Beast meat. Naturally, the mention of the Demonkin settlement piqued Khan’s interest.

‘Since I’ve fallen into Hell, the first step is to find a way back.’

Information tends to gather where people congregate, so visiting the Demonkin settlement might provide new information even Yoro didn’t know.

“There might be someone in the Demonkin settlement who knows me. I’ll go with you.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

Seeing the logic in Khan’s words, Yoro nodded eagerly, accepting his company. Retracing their steps, they arrived at one of the many Demonkin settlements in the Blood Domain, only for Khan to find himself in a difficult situation almost immediately.

To be precise, Yoro had gotten into trouble.

“You insolent weakling, how dare you break your promise with me—?!”

“S-sorry…!”

A massive Demonkin, larger than a troll, with prominent antennae on its forehead and rock-hard skin, had grabbed Yoro by the collar and was shaking him.

“Because you didn’t come to collect on time, all the meat I had caught was wasted!”

“Sir…! That can’t be! There’s no way the carcass of an Infernal Beast could rot in such a short time—”

“Shut up!”

Wham!

Yoro was sent sprawling by a punch that seemed made of literal rock. Still not satisfied, the Demonkin, referred to as the “Elder” with rocky skin, began striding towards the groaning Yoro.

It didn’t look like it was going to end with just a reprimand.

However, the surrounding Demonkin either snickered as they watched or simply passed by, seemingly indifferent or afraid of the Elder.

And there was Khan.

He had initially come to gather information, but he had unintentionally become entangled in a dispute with a high-ranking Demonkin in the settlement. Rubbing the back of his head, Khan thought,

‘This is probably my fault, isn’t it…?’