Barbarian in a Failed Game

『Act 4, turning Point』

─No failure conditions.

─Main quest difficulty changes based on choices made.

*

‘Seems like I’m passing out more often these days.’

Khan instinctively knew he hadn’t been unconscious for long. He also noticed his body felt strangely light, and there was an unfamiliar sensation in his mind.

“What is this…?”

The moment he thought about the source of the odd sensation, he felt something burst in his head.

Information he had never encountered before flooded his mind.

『The void entity we finally located was already past any semblance of intellect, having reached death. While there may be debate on whether the concept of ‘death’ applies to these beings, I judged that the loss of self-awareness could be understood as death…』

『Living void entities have the power to plunge the world into chaos and turn it into territory of the void. This is different from demons contaminating parts of Midland through summoning—this is dimensional corrosion in its truest sense…』

『But do all void entities share this trait? Chaos exists as a force that defies the world’s laws, a power that mortals can command. Therefore, it’s possible that within the void surrounding Midland, there could be entities with clear self-awareness and intellect, different from those we’ve encountered so far.』

『If such entities exist, contact is a necessity. To unravel the shocking secrets I glimpsed within the dimensional rift.』

The influx of information paused momentarily, allowing Khan to catch his breath, before it continued.

『The imperial monster sealed the void entity, which conceptually ‘died’, providing ample experimental data. As a side note, even after the void entity’s death, the entrenched corrosion persisted, affecting local life forms.』

『The influence of chaos caused the growth of beasts, ranging from doubling their size to exceeding ten times their original proportions. Greenskins gained monstrous strength beyond any typical greenskin. I classified these transformed creatures as ‘monsters’. This effect persisted through Warrior God’s bloodline, resulting in descendants with greater stature and strength but also a gradual simplification of thought.』

『It was akin to observing humans regress into beasts. Though I wished to monitor their regression further, I had to assign the duty of guarding the seal to Warrior God’s descendants. Moreover, it was imperative that they didn’t devolve into mere beasts for the sake of future plans…』

‘Did they really devolve…?’

Khan, focusing intently on the information being fed into his mind, let out a faint, ironic laugh.

『Therefore, I separated the dimension containing the seal and established settlements in areas less affected by the corrosion. Alongside this, I developed and propagated the faith in the Warrior God among them.』

『Even during this time, I prepared for my next research. I had already gathered ample data on void entities and chaos. The only remaining task was finding the most suitable time and place to contact the void.』

『A problem arose. The divine gods became aware that the Warrior God had ascended to divinity, and they roughly inferred how it was done. Naturally, they did not want this method to become widespread. I knew that they would chase me from that day onwards.』

‘So the Gods didn’t seek revenge on Karyan, who ascended using the same method?’ The answer to his query followed immediately.

『The divine gods separated the achievements of the mortal Warrior God from the divine Warrior God, preventing any association between them. It was an audacious move only possible because they dominate the foundations of the Empire. The members of the imperial family, unwittingly, ended up disgracing their exalted ancestor who had reached divinity.』

『Meanwhile, I faced suppression. Initially, it was manageable with my power, but as more apostles joined the fray, it became impossible. Occasionally, even gods descended to take direct action. A countermeasure was necessary.』

『There seemed to be inner conflict among the Gods regarding the Warrior God’s treatment. Some argued that it was unjust to exile him when he had dedicated himself to humanity. Given that a higher God advocated this view, it gained significant traction. This granted me more time. Soon, I will make contact with the void.』

*

『This world is fake.』

『It’s not that transcendence is impossible due to the laws of the world. The truth is, the path to transcendence doesn’t exist inherently. Instead, only those set to reach ‘transcendence’ can do so.』

『Do the divine gods know this? Probably not. It’s because that’s how the world is designed. I even informed a higher God who intervened for Karyan about this secret, but she couldn’t remember our conversation. Karyan and I retain this memory only because we have embraced ‘chaos’.』

『Yet, the fear that we might become puppets of the world like them looms over us.』

『……I plan to summon a void entity to this land.』

*

The influx of information ceased at that point. However, Khan was left standing, unable to breathe or move, as he mulled over the final statement.

‘This world is fake….’

Starting from the point when the divine pursuit began, there was a peculiar sense of gaps between the information segments. And towards the end, the leap in information was excessively abrupt.

During those gaps, the sorceress must have made contact with the void and discovered something significant.

‘Could it be…’

Did Mortalia realize that this world was a “game”? Is that why she called it fake?

And what’s more intriguing is that Mortalia explicitly used the term ‘set’. In a medieval worldview, the word ‘chosen’ would be more fitting. Why did she specifically use ‘set’?

‘And the part about memories being erased…’

From the perspective of someone who knows this world is a game, it seems similar to how a player cannot inject new information into NPCs who follow a set algorithm. The game world itself appears to block certain information.

And the final part.

Mortalia hinted at her unease, and in the interim, she escalated matters drastically by trying to summon a void entity.

‘Perhaps the void entity she summoned….’

Khan shook his head to cut off his deepening speculations. It’s crucial not to jump to conclusions.

‘What is clear, however, is that Mortalia discovered a forbidden truth and went off the deep end afterwards. The problem is that her precise actions aren’t detailed…’

This lack of detail would hinder his quest to track the sorceress. As more connections between Khan’s possession and the sorceress emerge, this gap in information is problematic.

Flash-!

At that moment, Khan’s entire right arm began to glow.

Specifically, a tattoo of unknown origin started to shine brightly, demanding attention.

“What is this now….”

The phenomenon was beyond Khan’s control. As he began to express his bewilderment, a familiar voice echoed.

『Since you have passed the true Proof of Valor, I’ll give you a personal reward. Think of it as something to help you avoid getting beaten up in the future.』

Only then did Khan recognize the nature of the tattoo that had appeared without his knowledge. It was a mark directly inscribed by a God—a mark imbued with the power of a being so formidable that even divine gods wouldn’t dare to confront it easily.

‘Mark of Valor….’

The options it provided were substantial. For Khan, it was more than he could have hoped for.

‘Reduced stamina consumption during skill usage.’

Although he couldn’t verify it immediately, it was evident his combat stamina would significantly improve.

In addition, it granted other noteworthy benefits. Khan’s health and agility stats would increase by 1 to 2 points depending on the opponent’s strength in combat. Against stronger opponents, it would rise by 2, whereas in general combat situations, it would increase by 1.

Just the reduction in skill stamina consumption alone made the Mark a near-endgame item, but in this reality-turned-game, its value was even higher.

‘Now, I can truly be called the Great Warrior of the Warrior God.’

Previously, the Goddess of Justice had mistaken Khan for an apostle of the Warrior God due to his extraordinary physique. Now, other gods would likely also think of Khan as a divine apostle.

Typically, such a Mark isn’t granted to just anyone.

The “Mark of Deep Insight” that had permanently bonded with Khan’s body was also something no player was supposed to obtain. The Goddess of Justice had made a huge sacrifice by granting it to trip up Aecharis. Elena, the goddess with the scale, had good reason to create a fuss initially.

『I trust you’ll naturally figure out how to use it. As for possessing my descendant’s body, don’t worry about it. It’s not like you did it willingly. If it bothers you that much, just keep the body in good shape and return it somehow.』

Quite the unreasonable request.

Khan smirked at the lingering consciousness of Karyan embedded in the Mark.

『And one last thing, just in case. The sorceress, well, that woman was almost insane towards the end. If you plan on tracking her down, consider seeking out the elves. Rumor has it she was involved with them around the time she started acting strangely. After that, she went completely off the rails, left a memory orb, and disappeared without a trace.』

‘A clue!’

However, as time passed, Khan’s initial excitement turned sour as he listened intently to Karyan’s message.

『Meeting and talking to those long-ears shouldn’t be too difficult, right? They’re known colloquially as pushovers across the continent. I remember lecturing one of their elders for being too naïve and getting backstabbed, but that guy’s probably dead by now. Still, mentioning my name will probably jog some memories among them; after all, I’m not just anybody.』

‘What? Naive? Elves?’

『But don’t naively accept anything they offer. They’re simple-hearted to the point of occasionally causing harm unintentionally. Especially avoid drinking their tea. Their herbal infusions directly affect the mind—they’re a type of drug. While harmless to elves, they can be deadly to humans. It’s best to handle your own food and drink.』

With that final piece of advice, Karyan’s voice faded, leaving Khan staring blankly and muttering.

“Damn, what did I just hear…?”

TL’s Corner:
Damn, it keeps getting interesting. Khan can’t avoid getting entangled with the elves.
Also, this shows how long Karyan has been holed up in his sanctuary. The naive elves he knew no longer exist.