Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

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Chapter 292: The Vile Rat that Pollutes the Seas (9)

Screeech!

Boom!

The rat was pushed back, coughing up blood.

A venomous liquid, dyed with poison, spilled on the ground.

A shock that rattled his innards.

But it seemed as if none of that mattered now.

The rat, stunned, looked up and stared at Ketal in disbelief.

A miracle was happening.

The world's mystery was flowing through Ketal's body.

[…This can't be real!]

The rat denied reality.

[We can’t become children! We were never meant to! We are fundamentally different!]

Can a lion become a rabbit?

More than that, can a lion love a rabbit, form a family, and have children?

Impossible.

It was an unthinkable reality.

And yet, it had already happened in front of the rat.

[How! How did you!]

“I’m not one of you. I come from the outside.”

Ketal smiled gently.

“So, there’s nothing strange about me using the power of fantasy.”

[…Nonsense!]

“It doesn’t matter if you deny it. I’ve already gained what I needed.”

Ketal murmured softly.

“Blutka.”

Hummmm.

Divinity enveloped Ketal’s body.

The sacred relic of Kalosia that he obtained.

The divine power within it purified the poison.

The venom that had seeped into his bones vanished.

The rat ground its teeth in anger.

[Divinity… So you’ve aligned yourself with the children. Traitor!]

“Shut up.”

Ketal scowled, annoyed, and stepped forward.

His body charged toward the rat.

“All you need to do is die here.”

[Keeeeeak!]

The rat let out a screech.

Poisonous gas filled the air, distorting the view.

It tried to invade Ketal’s body.

But Ketal dodged effortlessly, the poisonous mist parting as he swiftly closed in on the rat.

His movements were fast, without any delay.

He reached the rat in no time.

[Kiiiiiek!]

The rat leaped back in panic, forming a shield of poison.

Ketal raised his fist.

Hummmm.

Mystical power infused his fist.

He punched forward with his enhanced body.

Crack!

The poison shield shattered completely.

Ketal didn’t stop.

He dashed forward again, arriving in front of the rat as it tried to flee.

Crack!

His fist struck the rat’s chest.

Boom!

The rat was sent flying, crashing into the wall.

The outer walls of the abyss groaned, cracks spreading out.

-Cough, cough.]

The rat staggered, barely keeping itself upright.

It was a blow powerful enough to knock it out if it weren’t for its strong will.

[W-What is this…]

That attack wasn’t even at full power.

It was a strike without any delay or physical strain, closer to a sincere hit than a full-force one.

Yet, it delivered a significant blow to the rat.

This was because it contained the essence of mystery.

In pure strength, it might have been below his full power, but the uniqueness of the mystery made it deal comparable damage.

Ketal casually shook his fist.

“If it were when I first got this, it wouldn’t have been this easy, but things are different now.”

At first, Ketal couldn’t use both mystical protection and body enhancement simultaneously.

However, after the beast of mystery devoured the divine power within the Holy Sword, it became possible.

Step.

The rat took a step forward.

Its body, enhanced, moved at incredible speed.

[Kiiiiiik!]

Suppressing the pain, the rat raised its front paw.

Now that Ketal had encased himself in mystery, it was nearly impossible to pollute him with poison for a prolonged battle.

Even if it were possible, the rat would fall before then.

It had no choice but to go for a direct attack.

The rat lunged.

Ketal smiled at its attempt.

"Trying to engage me in close combat? That’s not a wise choice."

He was the ashen barbarian of the white snowfields.

The chieftain of their tribe.

In close combat, no one could defeat him.

He dodged the swinging paw with the smallest movement and closed in on the rat.

[Kiiiiiik!]

The rat swung wildly with its other paw.

Ketal grabbed it.

“Up you go.”

He spun his body and slammed the rat into the bottom of the abyss.

The combined force of the rat's attack and Ketal's strength sent a shockwave through the rat's entire body.

Ketal didn’t give the rat a chance to recover.

He twisted its front paw.

Crunch.

The left paw bent backward.

Bone pierced through flesh, sticking out.

Ketal raised his axe and brought it down on the rat’s chest.

Crack!

The axe pierced through its hide, embedding itself in the chest bone.

[Kaaaah!]

The rat coughed up blood and tried to swing its unbroken right paw, but Ketal had already anticipated it.

He pressed down on its ankle with his foot.

Boom!

That alone sent cracks spreading through the floor of the abyss.

The abyss, a place filled with extreme, compressed venom, was a location even an ancient dragon would struggle to destroy.

Yet, with just a press of his foot, it seemed ready to collapse.

[K-Kaaah!]

The rat struggled, but it couldn’t get up.

It looked like a puppy being subdued by its mother.

Ketal raised his axe again and drove it into the rat’s belly.

The rat spat out blood.

[…Kaaaah!]

It let out a final wail, gathering strength in its body.

At that moment, Ketal's senses screamed a warning.

He moved instantly, his body vanishing in an instant.

Step.

Ketal reappeared on the opposite side of the abyss.

At the same time, a pillar of poison shot up.

If it had hit him directly, even with mystical protection, it would have been dangerous due to its potency.

“Hm, nice.”

Ketal laughed, clearly entertained.

Despite not using his full power, he was overwhelming the rat.

Mystery could affect the monsters of the white snowfields.

That was a satisfying outcome.

But in a way, it was only natural.

Ketal had always been stronger than the rat.

In rank, in strength—everything was clearly in his favor.

The rat found gaps to exploit only due to his stubbornness.

Now, that gap had been partially filled.

It was only natural the rat was being pushed back.

The pillar of poison subsided, revealing the rat's figure.

[Kaaah!]

The rat staggered, its already grotesque appearance now even more hideous, barely distinguishable from a corpse.

[…Yes, I see now.]

But the rat’s emotions were calmer than ever.

[That’s the result of your stubbornness. I never thought you’d actually reach that point. You’re truly insane.]

The rat chuckled weakly, as if resigned to its fate.

[The only opening I could exploit has been sealed. Even the old ones won’t stand a chance against you if you get a bit more proficient. Victory is almost impossible for me now. Is this where I die? I never thought death would come for me as well.]

“Are you giving up? Then it’d be nice if you could just die quietly.”

[No, I won’t give up. My chances of winning are slim, but not nonexistent.]

There was no reason to give up.

The poison stirred, crawling toward the rat and rapidly being absorbed into its body.

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* * *

“Hm?”

Outside, as he was subduing the bear, Bayern noticed.

The sea, tainted and destroyed, turned into a swamp.

The pollution there was slowly fading away.

The sea was beginning to return to its original state.

‘What is this?’

Did Ketal win?

Was that why the pollution is disappearing?

For a moment, such a thought crossed his mind, but he soon realized that wasn’t it.

"...Is it being sucked in?"

The filth that had dirtied the world.

It was being drawn into a deep and deep abyss like a whirlpool.

“Is it gathering all the filth?”

Ketal muttered as if intrigued.

All the poisonous energy that had dirtied the world.

It was now gathering in the rat's right front paw.

[I am the second being born from the swamp of filth. I am the rat that dirtied and ruined the world.]

I shall taint everything in this world.

Sssiiiik!

Even the rat's body began to corrode from the overwhelming poisonous energy gathered in its claw.

This meant that even the being born from the swamp of filth could not withstand the poison.

Ketal's eyes became serious.

That thing was dangerous.

With that level of poison, it could penetrate through mystical defenses and deal a fatal blow to him.

Then he would have to respond with equivalent force.

Ketal stirred the mystical beast within him.

Grrr...

It was letting out a low growl.

At this moment, he could pull that mystery into the world.

‘Why did it take so long?’

Ketal clicked his tongue.

The mystical beast rose as if to face a strong opponent.

Considering the rat’s power, it should have moved sooner.

But the mystical beast hesitated, as if reluctant to rampage against the rat.

‘It was eager to fight demons, so why is it hesitating now?’

But that was only for a moment.

Perhaps its body was itching from the continuous fighting, as it slowly began to push its head forward.

This much would do.

Ketal awakened the mystery.

The mystery's energy began to crawl along his axe, revealing itself to the world.

The rat chuckled.

[You handle it perfectly. Though it's strangely altered, its foundation is definitely from the outside. It’s truly laughable.]

The rat raised its front paw, filled to the brim with poisonous energy.

[Then.]

“This will be the last.”

The rat charged.

Ketal also rushed toward it.

The front paw, gathering all the poisonous energy, and Ketal’s manifested mystery collided.

Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!

[Rot and decay!]

The rat snarled fiercely.

The poisonous energy exploded.

What it contained was truly a poison that could corrupt the world.

Not even an ancient dragon could withstand it, no being on this earth could survive that poison.

Absolute defense would melt away, and even the strongest body would be polluted and destroyed.

Even gods, created to purify filth, would be endangered by this alien force.

And something even more foreign and monstrous swallowed that poison.

Grrrr!

The beast rampaged, devouring every bit of the poisonous energy.

Not a single trace escaped as it devoured everything in its jaws.

And the mystery swelled even more.

The power within it grew immense.

The rat let out a bitter laugh as the beast devoured even its own strength.

[You're truly a monstrous creature.]

With that, the mystery engulfed the rat’s body.

It was buried in the mystery and vanished.

The mystery didn’t stop there.

It surged forward as if it couldn’t contain itself.

It broke through the wall of the abyss and raced toward the surface.

Tchaaaaak!

The sea, purified as the rat absorbed all the poison.

The beast was now severing that sea.

The earth trembled.

The sea rose.

The bodies of the Barbarians, resting after the battle, lifted off the ground.

“Uwaaah!”

“What is that!”

The astonished warriors turned toward the sea, their mouths agape.

A tsunami, as tall as a mountain, was rushing toward them.

“Hup!”

With a hardened face, Bayern leapt forward.

Squeezing out all his remaining strength, he struck at the wave.

Kwaaang!

“Oh, oooooh!”

The Barbarians let out cheers.

The wave shattered.

Bayern landed on the ground, groaning.

Even with his strength, he had barely managed to neutralize it.

Catching his breath, Bayern looked out at the sea, and his face froze in shock.

"...What is this?"

The vast sea.

A scar had appeared there.

A jagged slash crossed the surface of the water.

That in itself wasn’t so surprising.

Even Bayern, if he exerted enough power, could cut the sea.

But that was only ever a temporary sight.

The sea would ripple and soon return to its natural state.

It was impossible to cut nature permanently.

But not now.

The sea wasn’t returning to its original state.

It was as if an invisible wall held it back, leaving a gaping void.

With a shiver, Bayern realized.

An eternal scar had been etched into the northern sea.

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