Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga!

The sand, the air, the mysteries.

Everything fixed by the Tower Master's magic—anything not fixed—moved to exclude Ketal.

Ketal laughed in response.

Kwa-deu-deu-deuk!

He stomped down on the sand with his feet, punched away the air, and shook his body to shake off the clinging mysteries.

But it wasn't easy.

Even for someone with his overwhelming strength, he could not simply brush aside the attacks of fixed things.

And that made it all the more enjoyable for Ketal.

"Ha, hahaha! Hahahahaha!"

He burst out in mad laughter.

Aura surged out and wrapped around his axe.

Kaaaaang!

Tremendous power was unleashed.

Ketal's authority clashed with the fixed world.

The mysteries, the sand began to shatter.

[Kuuhhhk!]

The Tower Master groaned.

The bones that formed his body cracked with ominous sounds.

The world-fixing spell of an Eleven-Class mage.

He had barely managed to complete it, but it was still unstable.

He could not maintain it for long.

Yet Ketal not only withstood it, he was breaking apart the fixed world.

The spell began to distort and collapse.

After a brief hesitation, the Tower Master made his decision.

Chwa-ja-ja-jak!

The fixed world began to shrink, folding in on itself.

Ketal's eyes widened.

"Tower Master?"

[Don't die on me.]

The Tower Master clenched his fist.

Ketal tried to escape quickly, but it was already too late.

The world collapsed inwards, becoming a single point.

Kudeuk. Kudu-deuk.

At the center of the crushed void, only a single black sphere remained.

It was as if everything had been compressed into a single point, a state like the world before its birth.

[…Huff!]

The Tower Master exhaled heavily.

Compressing the fixed world into a single point.

This was his most powerful spell.

With this, he was confident he could kill even the Serpent.

Catching his breath, the Tower Master stared at the black sphere.

[…I don't think this would be enough to kill him.]

At the very least, it should injure him.

The Tower Master prepared another spell while waiting for Ketal to emerge.

But no matter how long he waited, Ketal did not appear.

The sphere remained there in solemn stillness.

[…Ketal?]

A thought flickered in the Tower Master's mind.

Could it be… that he was buried and killed within the sphere?

Impossible.

The spell he created was of the highest order, yes, but Ketal was a being of an entirely different magnitude.

There was no way he could die to just this.

And yet, Ketal did not appear.

Unease crept in as the Tower Master prepared to dispel the magic.

Jjeo-jeok.

Cracks began to spread across the sphere.

They spread in an instant, covering every part of it.

Then—

Kwaaaaaang!

The sphere shattered.

The aftermath distorted the nearby space and time itself.

The Tower Master hastily threw up defenses, but they broke instantly, spreading cracks through the bones of his body.

[Kuhhhk!]

"Ha! Hahahaha!"

Ketal emerged with roaring laughter.

Not a single scratch marred his body.

In a flash, he grabbed the Tower Master's shoulder and slammed him into the ground.

Then he raised his massive axe and struck down.

Kuuuuung!

The earth collapsed.

The Tower Master groaned.

The axe had buried itself right beside his head.

Ketal laughed as he put the axe away.

"That was fun. It took me a little while to analyze the internal structure."

[…Analyze, you say. You had enough leisure for that? You didn't take a single wound.]

"No. It was extremely powerful. I didn't use my authority, but it was enough to draw out my full strength."

He had to gather all his aura, protect his body, and concentrate everything into his axe just to escape.

His answer made the Tower Master smile with satisfaction as he laid his head back on the ground.

[So that's my limit… A little disappointing, but this will have to be enough. It is our defeat.]

The five heroes had fought, but they had not managed to inflict a single proper wound before losing.

It was not surprising.

Considering Ketal's strength, the outcome was inevitable.

The Tower Master calmly acknowledged defeat.

Ketal grinned and extended a hand.

"I enjoyed myself as well. If we have another chance, let's duel again."

[I'd like that. Though I doubt the others will agree.]

The Tower Master chuckled as he clasped his hand.

* * *

After the battle, another year passed.

The world had nearly stabilized.

People finally began to believe it was all truly over.

Thanks to countless hero-class warriors working together to rebuild, the surface had been restored—back to its state before the war.

No, even beyond that.

The rebuilding had advanced countless magics, technologies, and artifacts, which in turn enriched everyday life.

As a result, people now lived in a more advanced and prosperous world than ever before.

The Renaissance of Recovery.

That is how this time would be remembered in the distant future.

And in that world, at last—

"…It's done!"

The High Elf Arkamis achieved her goal.

* * *

"Wow, woooow!"

Her long brown hair, reaching down to her ankles, swayed as her golden eyes shone with excitement and joy.

The alchemist.

High Elf Arkamis.

She threw her hands up high.

"It's done! I did it!"

Unable to contain her happiness, she ran out of her chamber and climbed up the World Tree, where Karin was resting at the top.

Karin looked at her with a puzzled face.

"Arkamis? What is it?"

"My queen. It's done!"

"Done? What is done?"

"My purpose!"

"…Surely not?"

Karin's pupils widened.

Arkamis nodded with a radiant smile.

"I've finally achieved the goal of my life outside the sanctuary! I can now bear children!"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

High Elves did not have the concept of community.

They were born already grown through the World Tree.

They required no one's help, existing wholly alone.

Thus, they never needed others.

They had never formed communities, nor could they understand them.

But Arkamis was different.

She longed for interaction.

She wanted to join a community.

She wanted friends.

She wanted companions.

She wanted family.

And—she wanted to bear a child.

The first three might be possible.

But the last was impossible.

High Elves, born from the World Tree, were fundamentally incapable of carrying children.

So she left the sanctuary to solve the impossible—and she finally found the possibility.

The existence of an alien being, Nano.

Rainbow-hued dust with the power of the Philosopher's Stone, capable of replacing all things.

With that, there was hope.

After years of research, she finally succeeded.

"How did you do it?"

"I modeled mammalian reproductive organs! I tried implanting them into my body. But since the structures were different, it didn't take well. So I redesigned it to suit a High Elf's form."

"Uh, right…"

Karin grimaced at the unexpectedly explicit explanation, but Arkamis continued excitedly.

"But as you know, High Elves don't have such functions, right? So I had to create it entirely from scratch. It was a nightmare—thousands of experiments and failures! But in the end!"

She had achieved her dream.

Now, she had a body capable of bearing children.

Arkamis's face shone with joy.

Karin smiled warmly.

"Congratulations, Arkamis. You've finally realized your wish."

Knowing how hard she had worked, Karin congratulated her sincerely.

Arkamis smiled back.

"Thank you, my queen."

"So… what will you do now?"

To have a child, she could not do it alone.

She needed a partner.

And Karin knew exactly who Arkamis had in mind.

"You intend to go find him?"

"Uh, yes."

Arkamis stammered.

"…I suppose I must."

"And how do you plan to approach it?"

"Uh… um…"

Arkamis was at a loss.

How could she say it to Ketal?

'I want to have your child'?

That was far too blunt.

She could never bring herself to say such a thing.

She had fulfilled her dream.

But that dream had now become another wall to face.

"…What should I do?"

"Even if you ask me…"

Karin, too, had lived long as a High Elf, but she had never felt love.

She couldn't advise Arkamis on such matters.

"Haven't you read many human novels? Perhaps they might offer guidance…"

"Tried that before, actually. It didn't work out."

When Ketal had visited the sanctuary, she had tried copying gestures from romance novels—but it had led nowhere.

The two sank into deep thought.

Then Karin suddenly spoke.

"I don't think I can help much. I'm a High Elf like you, after all."

"That's true…"

"But you do have a human friend, don't you?"

"…Ah!"

Arkamis's head shot up.

During her time outside the sanctuary, she had been helped by the Akasha family.

Their matriarch, Milena Akasha.

Surely she would know what to do.

Arkamis jumped to her feet.

"Thank you! You're the best, my queen! I'll be going outside for a bit!"

"Very well. I hope you succeed."

Karin smiled gently.

Watching her leave, Karin murmured.

"…Ketal, then."

A High Elf bearing a human child.

That would threaten the High Elves' purity, overturning their society.

Normally, she would have congratulated her but also felt unease.

But if the father was Ketal, the story was different.

The god who walked the earth.

No—stronger than a god.

The one who defeated the Demon King and destroyed the Twisted One.

If he became kin to the High Elves, nothing could be better.

Their collective power would rise greatly.

As queen, leading the Elves, she had no reason to oppose it.

In fact, it would allow them to push back hard against those in the continent who sought to enslave them.

It was something to be welcomed with open arms.

The only issue was that it sounded opportunistic.

Karin muttered as though making excuses:

"She truly loves him… so it's a good thing, anyway."

Whatever happened, she needed to prepare.

She summoned a knight.

"Build a grand and comfortable mansion in the forest, a little away from the village. Clear out the entire surrounding woods as well. Don't ask why."

"Uh? Y-yes, understood."

The knight, startled, nodded quickly.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]