Barbarian in a Failed Game

Kill the Blood King.

Considering that the Blood King dreamed of his resurrection, it was a difficult request to understand. It was akin to asking for the destruction of his own soul.

“I understand it’s a hard request to grasp. But from your perspective, Khan, it’s not an overly difficult one, is it?”

It was indeed a difficult request. Khan, who was about to dismiss it outright, rolled his tongue inside his mouth, reconsidering his words.

“What do you plan to do about Yoro?”

“What do you mean? That child has always been a part of me. There’s nothing to be done about it. We are the same being. But—the Blood King is different.”

“Different?”

“You saw it, didn’t you? The red rain falling from the sky. That is an area forbidden to that child. The laws of the world belong solely to me.”

“You mean he’s overstepping his bounds?”

“Yes. Perhaps it’s a primal struggle, an instinctive reaction. The moment he faced Yoro, he realized his predicament. The red rain was his attempt to break free from his destiny…”

“And you resurrected in Yoro’s body.”

“Exactly.”

The wrinkles on the black egg-like head creased gently. Khan waited intently for the wrinkles to part, hoping to see the human figure hidden inside, but it didn’t happen.

“And, this request isn’t solely to my benefit. To return to your original dimension, you must reclaim the place where the Blood King resides.”

“…This is a mess.”

“Think of it as a clear path to a destination that you would have had to find eventually. The process might be different, but you would have had to do it anyway.”

As much as Khan hated to admit it, it made sense.

“In return, I’m not just asking for a favor. I can offer assistance, just as I did against the demons pursuing you.”

“You’re planning to tell me about your powers?”

Khan’s question was delivered with a tone of skepticism, not expecting much. Yet Esperus’s response was beyond his expectations.

“I certainly plan to do that, but that’s not all I can offer.”

“…?”

“I’ll tell you how to counter my powers. Of course, it’s not something just anyone can do… but it seems you already have the necessary preparations. If you put in the effort, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Esperus’s gaze, casually discussing his own vulnerabilities, was fixed on Khan’s right chest.

***

“Hey! Yoro! Are you alright?!”

Having concluded his agreement with Esperus, Khan immediately summoned Kurtank and the Four Heavenly Kings. Tulkan, who had been anxiously waiting outside, rushed in the moment he saw Esperus disguised as Yoro.

“Yes. It seems I may have lost my mind for a moment.”

“You fool. No matter how out of it you were, spouting nonsense about being Esperus?!”

“…Sorry.”

“Sorry, my foot!”

Smack!

“Get your head straight next time! This elder can’t protect you forever!”

“Haha…”

An awkward laugh escaped Esperus’s lips as he rubbed the back of his head where Tulkan had hit him, a strange sense of confusion evident in his touch.

‘Madman.’

Khan thought to himself that Tulkan might be the first and last demonkin to ever slap a Hell Monarch on the back of the head.

Making a mental note to share this amusing fact later, Khan turned to Kurtank, who was giving him a skeptical look.

“How’s it outside?”

“The blood rain has stopped. It keeps starting and stopping, though. But…”

Kurtank glanced at Esperus, then back at Khan, her eyes questioning if Yoro was truly alright. Khan just shrugged, knowing that telling the truth might cause a shock—especially to Tulkan.

“My king! The requisition of supplies is complete!”

“Well done, Vess.”

“The preparations for the campaign are also finished. Just give the order, and we’ll march!”

Vess, who had transformed into Khan’s most loyal subordinate after having his arm ripped off, looked eager and ready for battle. His eyes shone with anticipation, clearly wanting to go to war with the Blood King immediately.

“About that…”

“Khan is planning to attack the Blood King directly. Given the situation outside, it’s the best course of action.”

“As expected of the king!”

“At last! I’ve been waiting for this! I can’t wait to see if my rock-like skin can stand up to the Blood King!”

Khan had intended to take some time and prepare for the attack, but Esperus had intercepted and announced their immediate departure. Khan shot a look at Esperus that said, “What are you doing?”

But Esperus, with his smooth, unreadable expression, continued.

“But we’ll be leaving the demonkin behind. Only those who can truly contribute to our strength will join us. We’re going in with a small, elite force.”

“Yes, striking the head requires precision! As expected, hyungnim!”

“…You mean just taking the Demon Generals I control?”

Khan couldn’t decipher Esperus’s true intentions, but he knew that the demon lord wouldn’t make such claims lightly. The challenge lay with the followers who had accompanied Khan from the first settlement. Once again, Esperus proposed a solution.

“At least until the showdown with the Blood King is settled, other settlements won’t be able to invade. The blood rain is one reason, but they simply won’t have the capacity to worry about anything else for a while.”

Khan instinctively knew that this solution was linked to the two demons pursuing him. Although he didn’t know the exact method, he suspected Esperus intended to use those demons to harass the Blood Domain’s demon legions.

Regardless, the decision was made, and it was time to act.

The declaration that the Butcher King would deal with the Blood King spread throughout Fadis. The lesser demonkin who had followed him to the central region displayed anxiety but also praised their king. Having pillaged from the outskirts to the center of the Blood Domain, they had become fervent subjects of Khan.

Many even volunteered to join the battle, willing to sacrifice their lives. However, Esperus promptly dismissed this idea.

“My authority cannot be countered by an army. In fact, it would only backfire. Their deaths would merely replenish the Blood King’s blood and demonic magic reserves. Ideally, it should just be the two of us. However, some powers can’t be countered with too few numbers.”

“Whoever it is, they sound like a damn nuisance.”

“Haha…”

Whatever means he used, securing the safety of the lesser demonkin removed any remaining obstacles for Khan. While he had no obligation to protect them, it felt wrong to abandon those who had loyally followed him.

Having resolved this last concern, Khan set out from Fadis with the Four Heavenly Kings, now self-declared, and the Demon Generals controlled by Kurtank.

Thud, thud, thud…

The crimson rain continued to pour from the sky. Though it wasn’t a torrential downpour like before, and it often stopped shortly after starting, each occurrence made Khan feel that something ominous was happening.

“The control over blood is absolute. To counter it, one must either use similar authority or learn techniques that manipulate blood. The former is impossible, so you must rely on the latter. My help will ensure you can fully master that heart.”

The Heart of Predation was originally the masterpiece of Darkin Perayas, the “Blood Vessel”, which had gradually transformed with the inclusion of Aecharis’s power fragment.

Recently, it had been used to store the blood of giants, but Esperus promised to guide Khan in mastering the heart completely.

“I wouldn’t have been able to teach this as a transcendent being.”

Divine power was an inherent part of a transcendent’s soul, and the natural gap between transcendent beings and mortals made sharing such knowledge impossible. However, as a fallen transcendent in a mortal body, Esperus could now offer assistance on a mortal level.

Shwoosh.

“Amazing… such remarkable adaptability.”

Esperus’s praise came on the fourth day of their journey towards the Blood King’s lair. That day, crimson rain fell from the sky, and Khan successfully completed Esperus’s first task: to dominate the blood under the Blood King’s influence.

A smug smile spread across Khan’s face.

‘I’m starting to get the hang of this.’

The blood rain formed eerie trajectories around him, avoiding his presence. The ultimate goal was to elevate his abilities to the level where he could move freely within Esperus’s domain of power.

To achieve this, he invested every available moment, even cutting down on sleep as he balanced travel and training. One night, a significant breakthrough occurred.

Khan reached a level where he could completely control the blood flow within his body using the Heart of Predation, extending his dominion to encompass the entire group.

He checked his system window, hoping for a skill acquisition message or perhaps an evolution of the Heart of Predation. What he found instead was astonishing. At the bottom of his stat window, a new stat had appeared—something he had never seen before.

『Blood Essence: 4151/9999』

The ‘Blood Essence’ option, tied to the Heart of Predation’s function of storing blood, had taken its place on his stat window, radiating immense significance.

The occurrence of a new stat being added to the stat window due to a character’s actions was unprecedented even for a veteran like Khan. The implication was clear.

‘My actions can alter the very game system…!’

This was proof that the seemingly impossible was now within reach. Moreover, it gave him a decisive edge in facing transcendent beings like the Blood King.

‘If I can integrate the holy power from my stigma into my stat window, just as I did with the Heart of Predation’s options…’

Then, he could truly become a being that surpasses the limits of mortality to crush the might of the transcendent. Just as Karyan had once done in his prime.