Barbarian in a Failed Game

The humans of Midland had a basic knowledge or prejudice about the “hell” where demons resided. A land where demon worshippers who sold their souls to demons suffered eternal torment.

A place where fiery pits and perpetually frozen lands coexisted, making it uninhabitable for any living being.

One might think that the Pantheon Church spread such rumors, but in truth, the Pantheon Church did not engage in any significant manipulation. It was more of a fantasy created by people’s vague fears.

However, contrary to the imagination of most Midlanders, hell was not an entirely dreadful world. At least, the demonkin staying in the center of the Blood Domain would certainly never think so.

“Ha ha ha! Look at them struggling.”

“What are you doing! I bet a lot on your life!”

“Hurry up and die! I bet my entire fortune on both of you dying!”

A paradise for the strong. It was a place called by such a name by the central demonkin. The demonkin gathered in the coliseum of Fadis roared with anger. They directed their fury at the weak demonkin inside the coliseum, who were swinging weapons made from the claws of demon beasts at each other.

The coliseum was a type of playground created by Fadis’ ruler, Demonkin General Popus. He offered a new form of entertainment for the demonkin who no longer found joy in mere combat.

When he provided this simple and primal form of amusement—forcing weak demonkin captured from the outskirts or the center of the Blood Domain to fight using weapons made from demon beast corpses—the initially lukewarm demonkin gradually became enthusiastic about this “game”.

‘It was inevitable.’

The enjoyment derived from watching weak demonkin struggle to survive satisfied the inherent violence in demonkin, fulfilling a fundamental emotion.

“It’s dragging on more than expected. Release the demon beasts.”

“Yes.”

From the top tier of the coliseum, a demonkin who had been watching the betting arena with bored eyes gave the order.

He was reclining in his chair, his grotesquely swollen body leaving a strong impression. If any barbarian from Midland had seen him, they would have muttered, “He’s even worse than me”, due to his obesity.

The demonkin’s face also resembled that of a pig. This was none other than Popus, the ruler of Fadis. Shortly after he gave the order, the iron bars of the coliseum clanged open, and ferocious demon beasts, famous for their savagery, stormed into the arena.

“Great! I was waiting for this moment!”

“What are you doing, you bastards! Don’t die to the demon beasts, hurry up and kill each other!”

The weak demonkin, who had been clumsily slashing at each other in the arena, screamed, while the powerful demonkin watching the fight either burst into laughter or angrily scolded the two fumbling warriors.

“Tut. Lately, the supply of slaves has been quite unsatisfactory. These kinds of slaves have no market value.”

“I apologize. It seems that the situation in the outskirts is quite unstable…”

“I’m not trying to blame you. Of course, I know better than anyone. That damn Kurtank wench has rebelled. I shouldn’t have trusted someone who used brainwashing abilities from the start.”

Popus’s belly wobbled slightly as he expressed his dissatisfaction. His subordinate, knowing this was Popus’s way of showing anger, bowed even lower.

“However, since the Blood King himself has ordered the suppression, the issues in the outskirts will soon be resolved. According to your benevolent command, we have already dispatched a considerable number of demonkin to the front lines.”

“Well… it’s the expected outcome. No matter how many insignificant slaves gather, they can’t possibly pose a threat to the central region.”

Even if it was obvious, when flattery was mixed in, it was always pleasant to hear. Just then, a thin laugh leaked from Popus’s fatty vocal cords.

“Hm?”

Popus, who had been laughing in good spirits, suddenly opened his eyes wide. His eyes, buried in flesh, barely emerged, but his long-serving subordinate knew this reaction signaled great surprise.

“Lord Popus?”

The subordinate demonkin called out his name in confusion at Popus’s unusual behavior.

“Everyone─ STOP─!”

The shout from his massive body spread beyond the coliseum, encompassing the entire settlement. The force behind it was so intimidating that the demon beasts, just about to devour the weak demonkin in the arena, cowered in fear.

Despite the sudden outburst, which should have caused chaos, the coliseum fell into complete silence. Everyone there knew. Popus, though he usually lazed around like a fat pig, was a terrifying force once he stood up.

“Lord… Popus?”

“Heh. It seems that insolent demonkin wench has lost her mind.”

“What do you mean by that…”

Crack!

The subordinate’s head was crushed in an instant. Popus, having smashed the head of his aide who had served him for centuries, put the piece of flesh into his mouth and slowly chewed.

Fwoosh!

Shortly after, a red haze rose from his body. When the haze dissipated, Popus’s appearance had changed dramatically. The layers of fat that had been piled on top of each other had all burned away, leaving behind only lean muscles.

The red haze converged in one spot, covering his body, and sharp horns like spikes sprouted from his back.

“The entertainment is over! War! It’s─ war─!”

The moment the word “war” imprinted in their minds, no further explanation was needed. The powerful demonkin who had been watching the fight in the coliseum with excited eyes all stood up simultaneously and headed outside without needing any orders.

Fadis was a paradise for the strong. Specifically, it was the final destination for demonkin who had no more opponents to fight or had grown bored of trivial battles, seeking minor amusements.

Naturally, most of the demonkin residing in Fadis were well-known powerhouses even in the central region, having lived as warriors most of their lives.

“Phew. This is getting interesting…”

Popus, who had instantly regained his prime form, leaped over the high walls of the coliseum with remarkable agility. He was the first to see the demonkin sprinting outside, jumping over the settlement’s buildings.

And in the distance, he saw a group rushing towards Fadis. At the forefront were familiar Demonkin Generals. Pathetically, they were the fools who had fallen under Kurtank’s control. Among them was Tenel, the Blood King’s Shield, but Popus was not afraid in the slightest.

Though Tenel might be stronger by nature, the outcome of a life-or-death battle was always uncertain.

‘That’s what makes fighting fun!’

However, the sight of the demonkin marching behind the Demonkin Generals dampened Popus’s excitement. Most of them appeared to be weak demonkin—slaves from the outskirts. To think they dared to invade the central region with such riffraff?

“Pfft. Well, fighting Demonkin Generals under control should be fun enough.”

No, it was more than just fun; it was incredibly exciting. The thought of trampling the Demonkin Generals, whom he had always looked down upon, was exhilarating. Unable to contain himself any longer, Popus moved towards the battlefield at an astonishing speed.

Then, he noticed something strange.

‘They all have backpacks.’

Behind the Demonkin Generals under Kurtank’s control. The weak demonkin had heavy loads on their backs and in their hands. As if they were fleeing.

‘Hmm…. To get from the outskirts to Fadis, they would have had to pass several settlements.’

It was more surprising that they had managed to get here with that sorry state, passing through two or three settlements. There was no way the fools in other settlements would have let them pass without a fight.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

The important thing was that a fight was right in front of them. Despite being outnumbered by the Demonkin Generals on the other side, Popus wasn’t afraid in the slightest. This was because Fadis had an overwhelmingly powerful force.

“Lord Popus! May we engage first?”

“I thought I could take out a few of the Demonkin Generals…”

“Do as you please. But I will handle the Blood King’s Shield!”

Cheers erupted from Fadis’s camp. The demonkin of Fadis considered Keltor, who handled the army’s operations, to be a fool filled with hot air. They believed that Popus, who quietly lived in seclusion, was actually stronger.

“Exciting…!”

The powerful demonkin were thrilled at the thought of witnessing Popus’s true strength in a life-or-death battle.

Thud.

A sound of a fist striking flesh was heard from somewhere. It came from where Popus had been standing.

“…Lord Popus?”

“Who is that bastard?”

The demonkin turned to see Popus’s body, with its upper half completely blown away, lying on the ground. In front of it stood a gray demonkin holding an axe. It was an incomprehensible sight.

The Popus who had just been burning with the will to fight was gone, replaced by a seemingly weak demonkin…

“What the hell are you?”

One of the powerful demonkin shouted in anger.

“Us?”

The gray demonkin—Khan—answered with a smile, looking around.

“We’re bandits. Hand over everything you have.”

***

Khan’s plan, after abandoning the first settlement and advancing to the center, was simple. Just charge ahead, conquer any settlements they encountered, and plunder resources on the spot.

Further, they would use Kurtank’s abilities to increase their numbers. The result was the scene unfolding before them.

“Ha ha! It’s a raid! A raid!”

Demonkin General Vess, with his enormous arms flailing wildly, was smashing the powerful demonkin.

“Ow…! S-stop hitting me!”

Trusting in his tough skin, toolkan was throwing punches despite getting hit, and Kurtank was using her enchanting abilities to control her minions to slaughter the powerful demonkin.

Even the weak demonkin brought along as porters from the first settlement had gone berserk, attacking the powerful demonkin.

They had already conquered and plundered three settlements on their way. This was more than enough to restore their confidence and fighting spirit, and the weak demonkin, having tasted real plunder, were now the most enthusiastic warriors.

Of course, without the presence of Khan, who was like a walking disaster, this strategy would have been impossible to execute.

‘Still, it’s quite effective.’

Abandoning the defense of a base to embark on a conquest war and immediately replenishing war supplies on site was a method primarily used by Greenskin warriors.

Since demonkin also possessed the stamina to march continuously for several days without tiring, applying the Greenskin strategy felt completely natural.

“No matter how many times I see it, it’s incredible. Do all of Khan’s kin fight this way?”

“…No.”

Yoro, looking at the demonkin who had gone mad with looting, muttered nonsense.

‘I heard this would be the toughest part, but it’s going more smoothly than expected.’

In any case, since the looting operation seemed to be successful this time as well, Khan’s eyes sharpened as he prepared to harvest the experience points scattered around.

Immediately, a red line appeared across the battlefield in Karyan’s eyes.

And then.

A red line was drawn across Khan’s shoulder as he was preparing to respond to the trajectory of the attack with heightened senses.

Fwahahahahak!