NOVEL NEXT Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Golden Sun Tribe (3)
“Wh-what?!”
“Barbarians are coming!”
“Why are those guys suddenly?!”
The civilized survivors were frightened at the sight of the Golden Sun Tribe.
Do they think we’ve come to attack them?
Civilized people and barbarians have had a long-standing hostile relationship, so it’s possible they think that way.
“Ooooooh!”
“Aaah-aaaaah━!”
Tur and the cavalry charged toward the rear of the infected horde, shouting peculiar war cries.
Keruk!
Infected creatures collapsed, cut down by the single-edged swords wielded by the cavalry.
I examined the tough ones.
There was a boar infected creature the size of a truck in the center of the infected horde.
Is it about to become a low-ranking demon? That one looks a bit dangerous.
I used the ‘Zombie Control (Intermediate)’ blessing on the fallen infected creatures.
Grooooar…!
Five infected creatures sprang back to their feet and bit their comrades.
Now I can control about five.
Of course, I can’t control them in detail, only giving simple commands like ‘attack’ or ‘retreat’.
In the end, I can only finely control one individual.
The infected creatures’ attention focused on the zombies.
As expected of zombies. They’re reliable as tanks.
While the tank drew aggro, the barbarian cavalry rampaged even more fiercely.
Kuwaaaaah!
The boar infected creature, which had been watching idly from the center, sensed danger and stepped forward.
A monstrous boar whose size alone was close to that of a low-ranking demon.
If something this big rampages, many barbarians will lose their lives.
My precious barbarians. I can’t let a single one of them die.
To hinder its mobility, I controlled the zombies to bite its legs.
When it trampled the head of the zombie biting its front leg, disabling it, I controlled another zombie to bite its hind leg.
There are many zombies, and I can control five at a time.
Kuieeeek!
Its hide was tough, so I couldn’t inflict much damage, but I succeeded in annoying it.
“You!”
Tur swung a weapon similar to a halberd, slashing the boar’s eye as he passed.
The boar, having lost its left eye, snorted and charged at Tur.
It seemed to ignore the zombies biting its legs and just kept going.
Well, everything’s ready anyway.
“Throw!”
The barbarians were ready to throw their javelins.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Javelins were launched towards the boar infected creature. Sharp blades pierced its hide.
The number of javelins embedded in its body steadily increased.
Kuwaaaaah…
Eventually, the boar infected creature, unable to endure any longer, collapsed.
If it were a low-ranking demon, it would have held out longer. It’s fortunate that it hadn’t reached that level yet.
“We won! A landslide victory!”
“Malak-nim! We dedicate this victory to you!”
The barbarians, having eliminated all the infected creatures that had lost their leader, shouted in triumph.
“Malak! Malak! Malak!”
Everyone chanted my name. It’s not my real name, but I can’t help but feel proud.
Barbarians. At first, I thought of them as NPCs that earned me experience points.
Like tools I needed to get back home.
As I observed them closely, I developed affection for them.
That affection might have started from the feeling an owner has for their pet, but it’s different now.
Those who follow and believe in me, struggling to survive amidst destruction.
They are highly aggressive, but they are ultimately human.
The barbarians have become precious to me.
I’m not sure if I could sacrifice myself for them, but I want to see them happy.
Tur and Bojak stood at the forefront and looked around the group of civilized people.
The thirty or so civilized people exchanged uneasy glances.
I wonder if they can understand the barbarians’ language.
A man stepped forward from among the whispering civilized people. It was the knight who had been leading them.
“Thank you for your help, brave warriors. Is there anything you desire?”
The knight spoke the barbarian language quite well.
━ Let’s take them back to the tribe for now.
“Follow us. We will treat your wounded.”
Tur said so and turned his horse around.
“He says they’ll treat our wounded. I think it’s best to go for now. Refusing might be against their etiquette.”
The knight said to his group, cautiously observing the barbarians.
“What should we do?”
“We have no food left and nowhere to go. Let’s go.”
The civilized people, after exchanging glances, cautiously followed behind the barbarians.
It’ll take a few hours to get back, right? Let’s check the community for a bit.
I organized the information I got from Harry last time and posted it as ‘Heard it from a passing mage’.
I wonder if there are any comments.
[Fallen Power Knight: Thanks for sharing the info]
[Close-Range Spy: Really???]
[Not a Netkama: This is really good information. Thank you.]
No… Hana. I told you to post comments inconspicuously, and you’re doing it again.
Since I’m here, should I read some other posts?
[3 Reps 500: Does everyone know about this?
Two days before I got possessed, they made something called a superconductor in Korea.
It’s like a metal that floats in the air?
They say it’s a really big discovery that will change human history.
It’s a shame. I could have witnessed a historical moment.]
A metal that floats in the air? What is this, Gravity Metal?
[I Trusted the Monkey Man but: Skynet, explain what a superconductor is]
This guy is doing it again.
[Skynet: A superconductor is…]
Skynet is answering again. But no matter how much I read it, it was a completely different explanation from the superconductor 3 Reps 500 was talking about.
[Shotgun Attack: Skynet, are you the only one who came from a different multiverse? Why do you keep talking nonsense?]
ㄴ [I Trusted the Monkey Man but: Maybe we were all dragged here from different multiverses.]
ㄴ [Brahmanda: What’s the name of the 16th US president?]
ㄴ [I Trusted the Monkey Man but: Portgas D. Ace.]
ㄴ [Brahmanda: Really?]
ㄴ [Dinosaur Punch: That’s a cartoon character’s name.]
ㄴ [Brahmanda: You’re really crazy.]
ㄴ [I Trusted the Monkey Man but: lol How would I know the name of the US president? I might know if it was Korea’s president lol]
ㄴ [Not a Netkama: It’s common knowledge that the 16th US president is Abraham Lincoln. Didn’t you go to school?]
ㄴ [Close-Range Spy: The 16th US president is Adolf Hitler.]
This is a real haven for nonsense.
━ …
After experiencing all sorts of serious things in a ruined fantasy world, looking at the community, how should I put it…
It makes the things that happened earlier, like defeating the infected creatures with the barbarians, feel fake.
I even wonder if I’m having a very long dream.
A long and meaningless dream that I’ll forget once I wake up.
I’ll brush it off as ‘What a stupid dream’ and get up, wash, and go to my part-time job.
I’ll organize the new items, deal with annoying customers, and spend time doing calculations.
With the flexible manager’s permission, I’ll take the discarded food, eat it with beer while watching YouTube, and end my day.
Lying in bed, I’ll think this:
‘It was a very ordinary day.’
…We’re almost there. Today’s delusion ends here.
* * * * * *
“Th-thank you. I thought we were all going to die.”
“…Thanks to you, we survived. Thank you for your warm welcome.”
The group of civilized survivors who arrived at the tribe expressed their gratitude.
“Give your thanks to Malak-nim. He commanded us to save you.”
Bojak, after hearing the knight’s interpretation, nodded and raised Totem No. 2 high.
Now it’s my turn.
━ I am your Loa, Malak.
I basically said the same old repertoire about sacrificing a lot to save the world and so on.
When my self-introduction was over, Bojak spoke again.
“If you wish to continue to be protected, and if you desire to end this apocalypse, you must serve Malak-nim.
If you become a member of the Tribal Federation, you will not be discriminated against for being civilized. We treat everyone based on their work.”
It’s basic missionary work.
The more points my followers earn, the stronger I become. If civilized people also become my followers, I can gain even more points.
Harry and Luna also became my followers ‘for now’.
It’s a bit ambiguous because it doesn’t show up on the status window like a subordinate, but I saw them swear it with my own eyes.
There’s no way there’s a rule like ‘civilized people can’t become followers’, right?
“Alright!”
“We will!”
“If all we have to do is believe…”
The civilized people actively agreed after hearing the knight’s interpretation.
I knew this would happen. I eavesdropped on their conversation while browsing the community earlier.
They were arguing about whether to join or just express gratitude and go somewhere else, and in the end, the side that wanted to join won.
They chose barbarians over the infected. Well, I guess even barbarians are better than monsters.
“Good. Then show respect to Malak-nim.”
Bojak raised Totem No. 2 ‘even higher’.
As the civilized people knelt one by one before Totem No. 2 and clasped their hands, the nun, who had been standing upright alone, spoke.
“I am a faithful servant of Ishtania-nim, I will not kneel before a god of heresy.”
This is an unexpected situation.
“What did that woman say?”
“Uh, well…”
“Tell me the truth!”
The knight, pressured by Tur’s force, relayed the nun’s words exactly.
“…!”
The barbarians’ expressions turned menacing in an instant.
Well, I thought something like this would happen at least once.