Barbarian in a Failed Game

“Ridiculous. Do not define magnificent beings by the standards of mere mortals.”

Despite the grandiose tone, the appearance didn’t quite match the intended majesty. Khan’s gaze fell upon the child with horns on her head.

Her sky-blue hair cascaded in lustrous waves down to her waist, and her dragon-like slit eyes also shone with a heavenly hue. Clad in an ornate, frilled Gothic dress, she looked more like a princess than a mighty entity.

‘Both Tilly and these dragonkind have such rigid tastes.’

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say they preferred inhuman forms of beauty. Without the dark brown horns protruding from her head, she could easily be mistaken for a doll.

“What are you staring at so intently? Descendant of Karyan.”

“I am Khan, Son of Gordi. Just call me Khan for simplicity.”

“Such arrogance… Indeed, you must be the rumored descendant of Karyan.”

“Rumor?”

Khan asked, puzzled. Rumor?

But he did not receive an answer.

“Good grief! What on earth is this masterpiece…?!”

Unlike the rest of Khan’s party, who were still reeling from the effects of spatial transference, William seemed relatively unaffected and shouted in astonishment. This was impossible, he claimed. A perfect creation beyond what should exist in the world.

“In this enclosed space, to have created an underground palace of such perfect balance by piercing the walls…?! What kind of magic could produce such a result?!”

“Annoying fellow. He’s with you, right? Descendant of Karyan.”

“Yes, he is one of ours. For now, at least.”

The master of Sea Dragon Archipelago frowned, though she still bore a serene human visage.

“Seems like he’s from a dwarven royal lineage. I thought they were all extinct, yet he managed to survive. Quite tenacious.”

Stab.

The blunt words struck William like a dagger, instantly freezing his expression.

“Extinct? Do you mean to say they are all dead…? Master of the Archipelago.”

“Did you come here without knowing? Hmm… I see. You merely survived by chance. Well, that persistent dwarf wouldn’t spare exceptions. You were lucky.”

“……!”

William couldn’t even muster a reply, his mouth opening and closing silently. He could not believe he was genuinely the last survivor of the Leonora dynasty. The shock was overwhelming.

But the master of Sea Dragon Archipelago was as cold-blooded as a lizard, content to share her knowledge before losing all interest in William.

“For now, you will stay here. I have matters to settle with the descendant of Karyan first.”

“Wait…! Please, wait—.”

Clap—.

“Here, we can have a quiet conversation.”

With the sound of a clap, another spatial transference occurred. They arrived in someone’s “room”. That someone was undoubtedly the dragon standing before Khan.

Khan found it curious to call this vast space, which felt larger than Seoul World Cup Stadium, a mere “room”.

“Quite an elegant taste you have.”

“…It is not my taste. It belongs to the mother who bore me. I did not see the need to change it.”

‘Not the most convincing excuse.’

The interior differed slightly from the palace-like scenery of the lair. This room featured Gothic-style decor, akin to the Gothic dress she wore, complete with human-sized furniture.

“I’ve heard dragons don’t prefer staying in human form, but it doesn’t seem that way from what I see here.”

“Your damned mouth is spouting pointless knowledge again. Did you hear that from Karyan as well?”

“I heard it from a dragon.”

“Rubbish….”

But it was true. Strictly speaking, Khan remembered it from Akardnil’s dialogues in the game, but it wasn’t a lie to say he had heard it from a dragon.

‘Akardnil did have a lot to say….’

Pacts of protection, Sea Dragon Archipelago, and various other dragon-related trivia.

Akardnil, like a chatty old man desperate for conversation, would bombard the player with TMI (Too Much Information) every time they initiated dialogue.

At first, Khan suppressed his impulse to skip through the dialogues, thinking the information might be useful for the game. Later, he realized most of it was irrelevant to the main storyline and started skipping it entirely.

‘Who knew it would come in handy like this.’

Remembering all the information was impossible due to the sheer volume. However, a few significant bits stuck, one of which was about Sea Dragon Archipelago.

“If it were really nonsense, we wouldn’t be here in the first place. Don’t you think so?”

“Damn it… I don’t understand. Akardnil should be in hibernation. From which dragon did you hear this?”

“That, of course, is a secret.”

In truth, it was more a matter of it being unspeakable. In simpler terms, he was bluffing.

“It seems the master of Sea Dragon Archipelago has many secrets, too. Before discussing the pact, how about we set our positions openly?”

Using Akardnil’s information, Khan had successfully located the dragon of Sea Dragon Archipelago. That was the extent of what he knew.

‘I lack information about her.’

Khan’s goal was to understand just what kind of dragon this one before him was. And he suspected she felt the same about him. With this in mind, he was confident that his proposal wouldn’t be rejected.

“…Establish positions?”

His prediction was spot on.

‘Got her.’

Khan smiled gently, trying to appear as friendly as possible.

“Demanding the immediate implementation of the pact or whatever—it must be bewildering for someone who suddenly appeared out of nowhere to do so. I understand that. So, I suggest we get to know each other first.”

“What a preposterous—.”

“I am Gordy Khan. As I mentioned earlier, the descendant of Karyan.”

The audacity to interrupt a dragon and speak only his own piece left even the master of Sea Dragon Archipelago at a loss. Furthermore, the way he looked at her as if prompting her to introduce herself made it even more surprising.

‘Is he insane?’

It’s hard to imagine anything else.

While it’s natural that a man from this era might not know the ancient proverb that ‘even demons and giants show courtesy in a dragon’s lair,’ he should at least understand that she could easily kill him with a mere gesture.

“…I am the Sea Dragon Natrix.”

Finally, with a sigh, she agreed to Khan’s proposal and revealed her name.

“Your kind calls me the master of Sea Dragon Archipelago, but that’s not entirely true. I am the last survivor of the Sea Dragon race, and I guard the tombs of all Sea Dragons.”

“The Sentinel Nati. So, it’s you.”

“How do you know that name!”

“I told you. I heard it from a dragon.”

‘Is he bluffing? Or is it the truth?’

The master of Sea Dragon Archipelago, Sentinel Nati, narrowed her eyes in confusion and suspicion. But the sky-blue dragon eyes seemed blocked from gathering more information beyond a certain extent.

“…Only Akardnil knows that title and name in this world. Not even the Emperor of the Empire knows my name.”

Natrix’s eyes narrowed further. Despite her doll-like appearance, which only made her seem cute rather than intimidating, Khan genuinely felt a chilling sense of danger.

‘She’s incredibly suspicious.’

The reddish hue slowly emanating from her aura felt like a death sentence. If it fully turned red, it would mean the end for him. But her reaction also confirmed one thing.

‘She’s not used to this.’

Natrix.

She’s not accustomed to conversations. To be blunt, calling her inexperienced would be spot on.

‘It’s likely she’s hardly ever had to converse with an equal.’

She’s a dragon. A being fundamentally different from mortals since birth. Her companions would naturally have to be other dragons.

But.

‘Guarding the Sea Dragon tombs means she’s the last of her kind. She admitted she’s the last survivor. And as for the remaining dragons…’

The number of dragons still alive in this era can be counted on one hand, and they are all ancient dragons. Except for Akardnil, they are all in indefinite hibernation.

This implies that Natrix has spent centuries—an amount of time longer than many elves live—alone in her expansive lair. Socially, she could be seen as a child.

‘When Akardnil mentioned the Sentinel Nati in his final words, this was his intention.’

In Act 9, during the Arch Demon Subjugation, Akardnil sacrifices his life. Just before his death, he leaves behind a will to the player, the leader of the task force.

Among those words were messages meant for other dragons. The title of Sentinel Nati was heard then.

‘This is the key.’

After observing Natrix’s reactions with Karyan’s eyes and his intuition, Khan realized something.

The compassionate and human-loving dragon, Akardnil, was the most significant force that could sway Natrix’s emotions. With that realization, Khan adopted a solemn tone.

“Akardnil left a message for you.”

“Akardnil… left a message?”

‘As I expected.’

Seeing Natrix show interest before suspicion, Khan gained confidence and conveyed ‘Akardnil’s message’—a liberal adaptation of Akardnil’s future will.

“Akardnil didn’t want you to wither away in loneliness, Natrix.”

“…!”

***

Natrix felt as if her heart was pounding. Though she only took a human form, her heart shouldn’t physically beat like an ordinary human’s. Feeling such emotions meant she was deeply stirred.

Perhaps it was because of the words the self-proclaimed descendant of Karyan, Khan, had spoken about Akardnil’s message.

“Akardnil left such words…? To you, not even a fellow dragon or transcendent?”

Whether it was a confirmation or denial, no answer came. Faced with the solemn gaze of Khan, Natrix felt even more shaken.

No matter how young and inexperienced Natrix might be, a dragon is still a dragon. Their inherent nobility is far too high to be swayed by the mere lies of mortals.

But there was a reason why Natrix was so deeply unsettled. While she could easily discern truth from falsehood using her dragon eyes on other mortals, they seemed to have no effect on Khan.

Above all—

‘If it’s him, he’s capable of saying such things…’

Even from the few meetings they had, she recalled similar words. He had advised her not to place too much weight on her role as a sentinel and to occasionally go out and enjoy the amusements of a dragon.

These words hadn’t resonated with the younger Natrix at the time. But after spending so many years alone in her lair, with the Emperor of the Empire changing dozens of times, they now struck a chord.

“Akardnil was worried about you being left alone after he was gone. That’s why, while seeking out Karius Sea, I came to Sea Dragon Archipelago—to free you from the burden of your race’s duty.”

These words were a sweet temptation. Especially since they were supposedly from Akardnil.

“What do you want, descendant of Karyan?”

Ultimately, Natrix decided to listen to the contents of the pact Khan was proposing. She could decide whether to accept it after hearing what it entailed.

But she didn’t realize—

‘She’s completely fallen for it.’

Unknowingly, she was already caught up in Khan’s skilled rhetoric.

“There’s nothing to be wary of. It’s all for the peace of Midland. Akardnil would be pleased by this.”

“Peace of Midland…?”

“Yes. Peace.”

‘With the elves, the Followers of Truth, and the Dwarf Pirate Gang—three major factions are involved. No matter how much I stir things up, the balance won’t tip. But… if I add a dragon to the mix.’

Wiping them all out would definitely be possible. Khan’s lips subtly curled into a smile as he maintained his serious demeanor.

“First, let’s start by completely isolating those island elves.”