Surviving the Game as a Barbarian-Chapter 496: Quest (1)

Marco Towair.

Thirty-two years old.

He’d started working in a kitchen as a teenager, which sparked his interest and talent in cooking and business. Two years ago, he opened a small restaurant in Ravigion, proudly bearing his name. He was a husband and a father of two.

He’d had his wild days, but after becoming the head of a household, he avoided anything that might cause trouble. He turned a blind eye to injustice and steered clear of any potential conflict, always prioritizing the safety of his family.

But…

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!”

He came to his senses, shouting as he climbed the stairs.

Along with countless warriors.

“Today! We conquer! The Mage Tower…!!”

Those words jolted Marco Towair awake.

Barbarian warriors, a group he thought he’d never have anything to do with. And mages, desperately casting spells to stop them.

He finally realized where he was.

‘The Mage Tower…’

A place he’d only ever seen from afar, never having stepped inside.

How had he ended up here?

As he was pushed forward by the crowd behind him, he tried to remember.

[Yandel! Bjorn Yandel is marching towards the Mage Tower with thousands of barbarian warriors!]

It had started with curiosity.

He had been nearby when he heard the news, and he had some time to spare.

So he went to watch.

[It’s war.]

Bjorn, son of Yandel, the Giant.

The hero he’d only heard rumors about was truly impressive in person.

He was bold and decisive.

An aura of power emanated from him, as if nothing could stop him.

And…

[These are the mages who placed requests on the black market for barbarian hearts!]

As Bjorn’s powerful voice echoed through the plaza, his heart pounded in his chest. He had found himself shouting alongside the crowd, condemning the Mage Tower.

Yes, that’s how it had started…

“I-It’s a barrier…!”

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“What should we do?”

“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’?!”

How had he ended up here?

What good would he do here?

“Break it down!!”

“Wooooooooo—!!”

He hoped this wouldn’t cause any trouble for his family…

But why was he still climbing the stairs with them?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The barrier shimmered, blocking their path.

“Baron Yandel, stop this! This is as far as you go!”

A mage’s arrogant voice echoed from beyond the barrier.

And…

Boom!

The man with the hammer didn’t stop.

He swung his hammer again and again, his actions unwavering.

Marco Towair watched him from close by, and he realized…

“Chieftain! That’s not how you break a magic barrier—!”

“Didn’t I tell you before?”

“…Huh?”

“If you can’t break it, it’s because you’re not strong enough!”

That was the reason he was here.

“I! And we! Are strong…!!”

That man was strong.

Crack!

Strong enough to break down any wall that stood in his way.

“T-The barrier is cracking…!!”

That’s why he wanted to watch.

Even if it was just a small part of his journey.

Even if he couldn’t contribute much.

Thump!

He wanted to witness it.

Kwaaang!

Bjorn, son of Yandel, the Giant…

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!!”

…was that kind of person.

______________________

The Mage Tower.

Home to the kingdom’s most valuable asset, the mages, and an impregnable fortress that had never been conquered.

…I didn’t agree with that assessment.

‘Impregnable? It’s just because no one’s ever tried to attack it.’

It was an organization entirely composed of mages, their defenses completely unbalanced. Well, the magic barriers were troublesome…

But it wasn’t ‘impregnable’.

‘And they don’t seem to be very united…’

I had public opinion and justification on my side.

And the Mage Tower, a collection of hundreds of schools, wasn’t a monolithic entity. Not all of them would fight for the same cause.

“Don’t stop us! We’re just here to apprehend the criminals!”

Some schools had closed their doors and were waiting for the storm to pass.

Of course, most of the mages were fighting back, determined to protect their home.

But…

‘They’re going to be casting spells all night.’

Most of the mages in the Mage Tower were researchers, not combatants.

They spent their days studying magic theory and conducting experiments.

They couldn’t match the combat prowess of battle mages.

And there was another problem.

“…Master! J-Just burn them all! Before he breaks through the barrier!”

“We can’t… Do you see those people?”

The civilians who had gotten caught in the crossfire.

“Master! They’re not citizens, they’re rioters!”

“We have orders from the military. We can’t harm the civilians.”

“But… we can’t hold out much longer! They’ve already breached several floors!”

“…Endure. We have to endure until the reinforcements arrive. Then we’ll win.”

Because of the civilians, the mages couldn’t use their most powerful AoE attacks. They could only cast defensive spells.

Therefore…

「Character has cast [Swing].」

「Blunt weapon damage is greatly increased proportionally to Strength.」

I continued to climb the stairs, smashing through the barriers.

“…Filthy barbarians! You’ll regret this!”

I captured any mages I encountered and tied them up.

“Bjorn! You go ahead! We’ll search this floor!”

I left the captured mages with the warriors and continued upwards.

“Ainar, as I said, search the other schools last.”

“Huh? But they might be hiding there!”

“Do it last.”

Unless we couldn’t find any of the mages I had accused, there was no need to make more enemies.

Well, they would probably hate barbarians for the rest of their lives after this…

But there was a difference between a sworn enemy and just an enemy.

If I pushed them too far, all the schools would unite against me, and that would be a problem.

“As I said, don’t kill anyone. Capture them alive! Understand?!”

I repeated the order whenever I had a chance.

If I just rampaged through the tower, I would lose all justification for my actions.

‘We’re on the 30th floor…’

I reached a new floor, and a new barrier greeted me.

“The Baron! Baron Yandel is here…!”

The mages on the other side of the barrier looked at me nervously.

“Baron Yandel, reconsider! Do you even realize how many laws you’re breaking?!”

They tried to insult and persuade me, but I just…

Crack!

…swung my hammer.

「Character has cast [Swing].」

「Blunt weapon damage is greatly increased proportionally to Strength.」

After about ten swings, cracks started appearing on the barrier. The higher I went, the stronger the barriers became.

And there was more bad news.

“Chieftain! Royal army! The royal army has arrived!!”

The royal army had arrived.

It was earlier than I expected.

‘They must have been deployed as soon as we entered the city…’

Damn it, this city was too efficient when it came to these things.

“It’s over! Surrender and release the mages!”

The mages on the other side of the barrier sounded confident now.

It was understandable.

Even if my warriors tried to stop them, the royal army would arrive first.

‘Okay, that’s enough.’

The barrier shattered.

The mages who had been maintaining the barrier scattered, and some of them were captured by the warriors.

“Chieftain! What are we doing?!”

“We have to go up!”

The warriors were getting impatient.

But I stopped them and gave a new order.

“Bring all the captured mages here.”

“Ah, alright! I’ll let them know!”

That was all I could do for now.

The rest depended on luck.

If any of the mages I was looking for were on the floors we had captured, it would make things easier.

“Phew…”

So what was the outcome?

“Bjorn!”

Ainar appeared, dragging three mages by their collars.

______________________

Extellin Flacco of the Mileun School.

Mohilo Austquin of the Bevektalt School.

Cuol Memandolik of the Altus School.

Ainar had captured three mages, but none of them were on my list.

But it didn’t matter.

I hadn’t revealed all the names.

I wouldn’t have been able to use them as hostages if they had been warned.

“Good work, Charon. Ainar.”

I praised them and asked if they had encountered any problems, but they said it had been easy.

The three mages had been hiding in their respective schools.

‘It’s a shame we couldn’t find the one who placed a bounty on my heart… but this is good enough.’

I would find him eventually.

Everything I was doing was leading up to that moment.

“I-It’s a misunderstanding! Baron! It’s all a misunderstanding…!”

“We’ll see about that. Ainar, how’s the situation downstairs?”

“The warriors are holding them off, but they won’t last long. The royal army had already reached the 4th floor when I left.”

“We need to hurry.”

I activated the recording crystal and looked around.

My eyes met with a civilian who had followed us all the way to the 31st floor.

“What’s your name?”

“M-Marco Towair, sir!”

“Marco Towair. I’ll remember that. Can you do me a favor and hold this? Make sure our faces are visible.”

“I-It would be an honor! But… such an important task… I’m just a commoner…”

He was trembling, but I patted his shoulder reassuringly.

“I trust you.”

It was better to entrust the recording crystal to a stranger than to a barbarian.

“Marco Towair.”

I memorized his name and face.

“…I-I’ll do my best!”

I had secured a cameraman. It was time for the interrogation.

There were plenty of mages around, but I didn't need to use the Verification spell.

I already had one.

「Character has used [Distorted Trust].」

It was an expensive item, even with my increased budget.

“Extellin Flacco, Mohilo Austquin, Cuol Memandolik.”

I looked down at the three captured mages and asked,

“Do you still think I’m mistaken?”

The mages, who had been shouting and protesting, fell silent.

They couldn’t lie in front of this item.

“…….”

Their silence was a confession.

But I needed more than silence.

“You’re being accused of treason.”

I tightened the ropes around their necks, cutting off their air supply.

Their reaction was immediate.

“…T-Treason?! That’s ridiculous…!”

It was a serious accusation, one that could lead to the execution of their entire families. They couldn’t afford to remain silent.

“I-I’ve never plotted treason! I would never even think of such a thing! You can tell just by listening to me! I’m telling the truth!”

They even appealed to the recording crystal, desperate to prove their innocence.

Right, they were afraid of being accused of treason.

“Your intentions don’t matter. You colluded with the rebels, didn’t you?”

“Colluded?! I-I just placed a request—”

They tried to argue that they had only placed a request on the black market…

But they couldn’t finish their sentence.

Someone interrupted them.

“That’s enough, Baron Yandel.”

A deep voice echoed through the floor.

A blue magic circle appeared on the ground.

Step, step.

I turned around and saw an old man descending the stairs.

I recognized him instantly.

The Master of the Lengman School, and the younger brother of Duke Keallunus.

“Teschlun Lengman Keallunus.”

The Mage Tower Master.