7 Barbarians Never Retreat in the Face of Trials

As we drew near the gate, Han Yu-ra and Yoo Ai came into view.

"Oh, there they are, dayo!"

"You've arrived."

….

That arrogant bitch doesn't even bother with a word anymore.

I swallowed down the irritation churning in my gut again and spoke.

"We move out now. I'll take point."

Not that I had any intention of explaining myself. Bending a stiff-necked rookie was never done with words — that was what a senior's authority was for.

"From my scouting, a hobgoblin is holding down the road. We detour, collect the gate core, and get out."

I tipped my chin toward the deep of the forest.

"Uh... isn't that a different direction from the route the Association scouted, dayo?"

Yoo Ai shot back without missing a beat. A smirk crept onto my face.

"Kid, I don't mind — just don't pull that in front of the other seniors."

"Eh? Wh-what did I do wrong, dayo?"

"Who understands gates better — you, or me? My record may be short, but I learned plenty at Dawn. You don't think I'm worse at this than you, do you?"

"W-well..."

Yoo Ai's mouth clamped shut.

"No objections, then? Let's move."

Stepping between the trees, I stole a glance at Han Yu-ra. Let's see how long you hold up, too.

Thirty minutes. That was all it took.

Hah... hah... The porter's ragged breathing echoed again and again. Even Han Yu-ra, fighting to keep her composure intact, was swaying on her feet. Crack— She seized a branch for leverage against the slanting ground and dragged herself forward.

Yoo Ai, covering our rear, called out.

"I-I think the pace is a bit too fast, dayo."

Of course it is. I'd been marching them at recon-squad speed on purpose. They called it a mountain trail, but this was rough country even goblins didn't bother with.

"Really? At Dawn this counts as ordinary. Well — not by average-hunter standards, I'll grant you that much. I'll match your pace."

I slowed to a crawl, but before long the porter gave out anyway. Snap— "Ugh—!" His supply pack snagged on a branch and drove him down to his knees.

Took him longer than I expected. I hid the grin pulling at my mouth behind a hand.

"Ha. What a pain in the ass."

Tap, tap. I fished the cigarette case and lighter from inside my jacket and shook one loose. Click—

"Wh-what are you doing, dayo!"

As his hand swiped in, I stepped neatly back.

"Well, well. Where are your manners? Is that any way to treat your leader?"

"No fire inside a gate, dayo! Cigarettes are forbidden too, dayo!"

"That's the sort of thing you learn as a trainee and outgrow. Didn't I tell you? You don't second-guess what your seniors do."

Brown eyes glared up at me. So? What are you going to do about it? The leader of this gate was me.

Click, click — a long drag. "Hoo... You all look wiped. Let's take five. Porter — go unfold a temporary camp over there and lay out the alert gear."

I pointed to the flattest patch of ground on the slanted hillside.

"Understood."

The porter forced the words out and shuffled off. Swaying, he set down his pack and dug out the concealment magic tool. I lounged around waiting for the cloaking field to unroll itself, then settled in. Han Yu-ra dropped into a seat like her strings had been cut, gulping air. I glanced over at Yoo Ai — standing, glaring daggers at me. His face was an open book, and it wrung a laugh out of me.

"What? What's eating you this time?"

"Why are you running everybody into the ground, dayo? Even the route you picked was strange. And I don't see why the camp had to go up here of all places. If I'm the problem, then just come out and say it to me directly, dayo."

"Haah... And why would I put myself through all this tedious trouble over the likes of you?"

True enough. So what of it? Excuses were easy to come by. "Ordinarily we'd push farther before making camp — but our rear guard was exhausted. That's all this is."

He balled that tiny hand of his into a fist, and the sight of it nearly set me off.

"At this pace, Mr. Geon-guk could get hurt hauling all that weight, dayo. And then the whole gate raid would be finished, dayo."

He'd stitched together a surprisingly plausible little argument. But he was naive. He didn't know how the world worked. Had he opened his eyes even a crack, he would have understood — what it means to live in a different world.

Thud. Whew— whew— The porter came back from setting the perimeter and sank to the ground, gasping. I pointed a finger at him as I spoke.

"That's that man's problem, not mine."

"What's that supposed to mean, dayo?"

"Honestly? For people like you and me, what does it matter if the raid finishes tomorrow or the day after? If you can't keep yourself together during a gate raid and wash out, that's on you. Does that man look special to you?"

Yoo Ai's jaw dropped.

"When someone drops, you find a replacement and plug the hole. What's the problem?"

"Is... is that really how it is, dayo?"

Yoo Ai's voice trembled — but his eyes had gone sharp.

"And so bending a whole raid around one porter makes sense, does it? Well, that ajusshi's solid enough, I'll give you that."

Crack— I rose and dusted off my hands.

"Hey — what was the old-timer's name again?"

"Whew— Park Geon-guk, sir. Whew—"

"Right, Mr. Geon-guk. Come by Dawn later. Drop my name and I'll slot you into a fixed party. I'll write this job up as double pay, too. A little hard work now, and it pays off."

Park Geon-guk's face lit up on the spot. Wiping his sweat-soaked face, he beamed.

"R-really, sir?"

"What would I have to lie about? Picking porters is my job anyway. You do good work, old-timer — so I'm looking out for you."

"Th-thank you, sir!"

I jerked my chin at the porter as he bowed and bowed again, and Yoo Ai's face crumpled.

"See that? I give proper treatment when it's earned. For people like us, all that pretending-to-care, coddling nonsense doesn't matter. Paying people what their work is worth — that's what matters."

With talent fit for nothing but hauling bags, life only ever goes so far. The kind of man you can lead around by the nose with pocket change.

"And you, kid. You don't bare your teeth at your seniors like that. Mm? Do you have any idea how small this industry is?"

Tap, tap. Another cigarette came out of my pocket and settled between my lips. The corner of my mouth was already creeping upward as I sparked the lighter. Click, click — ssss—

"Hoo... I'm only letting it slide because I'm good-natured. We move out in fifteen minutes. Rest up."

Let's see just how long that stiff little backbone of his holds.

It took twelve engagements and two temporary camps before Yoo Ai's shoulders finally sagged. As for Han Yu-ra — I'd been waiting to pounce the moment she slipped, but she stuck to textbook magic and never once fell behind. A shame, but nothing to be done.

I gauged the hour against the blue sky overhead and flicked the spent stub from my fingers. Then, to turn every eye, I pointed at the single-track path breaking out of the woods.

"We're just about there."

A distance we could have punched through in one hour, and we'd spent four looping around it. We emerged from the forest onto the road. At the far end, a wide clearing opened up — and the hobgoblin nest. Tents stood in rows beneath the cliff, and the filthy goblins turned their heads one by one. Skreee—! They'd spotted us, and came charging in a slapdash parody of a formation, shrieking.

"Clear them out, grab the core, and we're gone."

Yoo Ai stepped forward without a word and took his position. BWOOOOOOOOO— The hobgoblin's horn split the air, a note that shook the chest. Dududududun— light, scattered footsteps came pounding in from the distance. Goblins closed in with daggers and clubs raised; I checked my rapier's edge. It had another swing or two left, but swapping now was the safe call.

"Blade."

The porter hurried over, sword case in hand, and flipped it open. From the row of drooping, warped blades I drew out the stiffest one. Click-clack — chaang— klik-klik. I assembled the fresh edge and gave it a few test swipes while the porter gathered the old blade off the ground. A glance at Yoo Ai: silently holding the front line. Well, well. Almost docile now.

Which meant it was time for the final lesson — that the ones who see a raid through to the end are never trash like that, but the capable. People like me.

The goblins came at us with bloodshot eyes and crashed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into the front line. PWAANG—! Kyeeeek! Gruk! Kyaraaak! The front rank folded, unfocused, and the ranks behind collided with them and went tumbling — I darted through the gap. A huge sweep of the blade drew a line. Kyik! Grrraah! I sheared through the necks wedged between the tangled bodies and kept stabbing. I'd cleared more than a dozen monsters in moments when a chill rolled in from behind. KRRSH! A spear of blood flew through the gore-soaked goblins. Kyeeeek! Kyeek! The goblins scrambling in to fill the fallen ranks dropped all at once. Kyik! Kyik! I picked off the ones whose morale had shattered, one by one, and finished by driving my point through the hobgoblin's throat. Shwaak—

I flicked the blood from my blade and looked out at the tree line where the forest gave way to the open road. Thwack! Kreek...

"Is it over, dayo?"

Yoo Ai, haggard-faced after finishing off the last goblin, asked. The porter was already trudging toward the corpses to collect mana stones.

"...Come over here a minute."

I waved the party in close to the cliff. Yoo Ai shuffled over, worn to the bone.

"What is it this time, dayo?"

What else? We wait.

Hoooooo— A cold wind moaned from somewhere far off. He flinched.

"S-something's wrong, dayo!"

Yoo Ai spun and squared off against the forest path. Sharp instincts.

BWOOOOOOOOOOO—! BWOOOOOOOO—! BWOOO—! The horns began to sound without pause — and once one started, others answered it from every quarter. The resonance bored into my heart and knocked against my whole body. BWOOOOOOOOO—!

"This is...!"

And why was his face brightening?

"A fight, dayo?!"

Face suddenly alight, Yoo Ai peeled off his camo jacket. Well — my plans didn't change either way.

"We grab the gate core and run. You take Han Yu-ra with you."

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean, dayo?"

Yoo Ai went rigid, the situation clearly not landing. Someone else, meanwhile, arrived at the answer instantly.

"Th-then what about me, sir?!"

The porter.

"Tough luck, that's all. In numbers like that we'd struggle even at full strength — one mistake and it's a catastrophe."

"Exactly, sir!"

"Ditch the pack and keep up if you can. Believe me, I'd like to look after you — it's just not possible."

Not that he'd survive the run in that state anyway. I unhooked the sword case from the porter's belt and strapped it to myself.

Yoo Ai came at me with fire in his eyes.

"We are NOT doing that, dayo!"

"Whether we do it or not is the leader's call. Not yours."

Of course, I had no real intention of leaving anyone behind. A mere pack of hobgoblins? Once I pulled their aggro, a thousand was doable — never mind a few hundred. It would be a long fight, but at worst I'd walk away with some gashes and an aching wrist.

"If someone dies because we took a gamble, can you carry that? I answer for this team — not for babysitting a porter."

Chak, tak! I said my piece coolly and slid the rapier home into its sheath.

The light went out of Yoo Ai's eyes. He crushed his trembling hands shut and bowed his head.

Yes. Just like that. Back in Blue Dragon training, this was exactly how we'd broken in the thick-skulled rookies — taught them the weight of a senior's authority, and how to submit to it. And right about now was when you showed them the exit.

"Haah... Fine. Since our dear junior wishes it so much, I'll do whatever can be done."

"You mean it, dayo?!"

His face lit up at once as he raised his head. Easy. The herald of the pleasure to come ran up my spine and bloomed in my skull.

"Good. In exchange, you owe me. This is not, as a rule, the kind of reckless battle we take on."

"Th-thank you, dayo."

"Thank you, sir! Thank you! Huk— huk...!"

Yoo Ai flushed red, and the porter wept. A delicious shiver climbed my spine. This. This was the deference a senior was owed. Sweet words never got through to them. Only when trouble landed and they found they couldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠solve it themselves did those stiff necks finally bow.

"Aigoo~ Should've just said so from the start. All I have to do is pull their aggro and... ...huh?"

The pleasure-warmed haze in my skull went ice cold.

Aggro. Did I even have a single skill that pulled it?

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump—

My heart began to careen like something deranged. I raked through my record in my head. Conditional body reinforcement. Amplification buffs. Crowd-control shockwave arts. Nothing. Not one aggro skill. Then who, exactly, was keeping me alive? The realization arrived late and hit like a hammer. Blue Dragon's training fielded sixteen-strong assault units. Sha-shak, shasha-shak, shashashashasha, shasha-shak, sha-shak — leaves being shoved aside. Goblins came flooding into the clearing. Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud — and with every new piece of the truth, my chest pounded harder. Kyik! Kyaryaaak! Kyaryaak! Kirruk, kap! The hobgoblins' howls came jostling into my ears. The goblins that had seemed so pathetically weak suddenly looked like death itself. I frantically swept our surroundings, taking stock. Hundreds of goblins. One mage. One porter. One swordsman. If the line broke, the rest of us were wet paper. And the only kind of person who walks away from a battle like that... is a tank.

My runaway heart dropped through the floor.

If I didn't run, I was going to die.

My eyes squeezed shut.

Kim Ji-hyeok's voice, mid-sentence, fizzled out by degrees. His eyes wandered; his hand found the rapier at his hip. I left him to collect himself and snapped my gaze back to the front. What I'd hoped for was a raid with a little more warmth in it — but this was no time to be picky. A goblin horde, hobgoblins mixed in, was creeping toward us. Glaring with bloodshot eyes, one slow step at a time.

Kyaryaaaak! Kyaryahaak! Kyaryaaaaak! A roar from the hobgoblins inside the pack swept the charge forward. I ripped my foot free and rolled. Every push-off felt stronger than the last. The whole horde lunged as a single body. Dududududududududududu—

Ten steps out.

Five.

Two.

Now!

I spread my arms wide and readied the clap — same as every time before.

"Combo, please, dayo!"

PWAANG—! The shockwave rolled out in a ring and mowed down goblins and hobgoblins alike. Kyeeeek! Keuraak! Kyik! The bodies behind came flying and knotted themselves around the ones ahead; the ones pinned underneath were crushed, the ones scrambling on top stacking up like a wall. There it is. I could see the next link of the combo in my head. Now if Kim Ji-hyeok just cut them down—

"Oh dear. He ran."

The flat voice drifted out behind me. He ran? What is that supposed to mean? Something twisted, strange and wrong, inside my head. A goblin trampled its unconscious kin and climbed over. Kwazhik! Mana burst out of nowhere, and a wall of ice rose up between us and the enemy. Why lead with magic? And cast so as to cut off my combo, of all things. Han Yu-ra had never made a mistake. Not once. The goblins swarming over flung themselves at the ice wall, hammering the thick frost with teeth and weapons. Skrak! Kang! Kyeeeek! It didn't so much as chip.

I pulled my eyes away and looked back. Han Yu-ra. The ajusshi. Kim Ji-hyeok was gone.

"Hii..."

The ajusshi had sunk to the ground, pale as a corpse. Kyik! Kang-kang, kwang! Kyiiik! Beyond the ice, goblins battered their weapons against it in a chaotic echo. Kyeeeek! Snap, keuraak! The hundreds behind shoved against the dozens in front, and cracks were starting to spread. Why? We could have done it together. My mind went white, and my legs nearly buckled.

Han Yu-ra stepped toward me. Thump. She pressed in close and wrapped her arms around me, bending to whisper at my ear.

"You did your best. I can help. Will you let me?"

It was warm — and yet some corner of my heart went cold. She had known. The signs were all there. From the moment he'd taken us off the scouting route and onto the forest trail. From the moment he'd lit a cigarette with goblins' keen noses all around us. From the moment he'd folded and re-pitched the temporary camp to drag out the march. Every bit of it had been built for this moment. And still I'd believed he would stand and fight beside us at the very end. That even if we didn't patch things up like something out of a fairytale, we could at least speak again. I was wrong, then. Once again, it seemed, I had miscalculated.

"It's all right, dayo. This time, I'll take care of it, dayo."

I readied myself. I had promised to give my all. Because a Barbarian does not retreat.

Right — miracles like the one with Seo Rina, reconciliations that happened like magic, were rare in this world. That was all there was to it.

Should I take my top off? ...No, I shouldn't need to. I didn't want to think that hard right now. I gave a soft push and eased Han Yu-ra's middle away from me, then left her where she'd silently retreated and stepped up in front of the wall — facing the goblins gnawing at the ice like famished wraiths. I rammed mana into my hands and feet. Fists clenched tight, I swung with everything I had and flung it out. Thin, and wide. Like the horizon over the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sea. Whooosh— The current of mana bored into the goblin horde beyond the wall.

PWAANG—! I clapped my palms together and loosed the shockwave. It tangled and knotted with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the mana flow I'd laid down; thickness gathered, a spiral wove through it top and bottom. Inside that current, the hobgoblins faltered mid-step — flailed, crossed their own feet, and crashed down.

"Cover your ears, dayo."

Hoo— I hoisted my foot toward the very roof of the sky, mana pouring in, and hammered it down into the earth with everything I had.

KUUUNG—! Drdrdrdrum— A single note of resonance rolled through the earth. The mana wave I'd fired into the ground bored deep, then erupted skyward — breaching like a whale and slamming into the mana field. KA-WHAM! Piiiiieee— A detonation past the limit of hearing tore loose, leaving only ringing behind. Kyeeeek! Keeeek! Kyaryaak! Kyaaak! The horde blew apart, and the goblins flung clear of it clawed across the dirt. Whoo—! The belated shockwave punched through the shattered ice wall and yanked at my T-shirt; splinters of ice flew into my cheek and stuck there.

"Good heavens... Th-this is..."

Ajusshi Geon-guk's voice drifted over from behind me. Swept away at a stroke they may have been, but the horde's bloodlust lingered. I hurled shockwaves at the spot where the tangled mana reared like a breaking wave. PWAANG— KWAM! PWAANG— KWAM! The goblin horde burst apart, bodies rocketing in every direction. Beasts that would never learn what had killed them collapsed and rolled, limbs bent the wrong way, drifting about like litter. They sank, and surged up again. The mana layers, knotted and rolling, marked the target — a great wave scooped up the goblins and heaved itself into a mountain. I lifted my foot one more time—

"That's enough."

Hands slipped over my chest. I could feel Han Yu-ra against my back.

"There's still some left, dayo."

"I have to do my part too, you know. You've worked more than enough. Rest."

The words were stiff; the arms around me were warm and impossibly soft. Her gentle heat loosened shoulders I hadn't known were rigid, and for no reason at all I felt bashful and ticklish all over.

"Th-then I'll give it my all, dayo!"

"Thank you. I'll give it everything."

With a sound like tearing silk, ice flowers bloomed across the sea of monsters.

"Wh-what on earth is all of this..."

It was beautiful.

KA-WHUMP—!

"Ngh!"

Thud! The leg I'd staggered on kicked at empty air and sent me sprawling. The sudden detonation had carved through my heart and slapped my belly. What was happening back there, so far away? I couldn't make myself turn and look.

"No... this wasn't what I meant to do!"

Were they all going to die? Park Geon-guk. Han Yu-ra too... No. Don't think about it. Staggering, I ran, hunting for the way out — crossing paths, in ones and twos, with goblins dragged in from every corner of the gate. Kyik! Shk— kyeeeek! Even shaking head to foot, a thrust drilled into habit punched through a throat in a single motion. I stared down at the blood soaking my hand, then ran on. I ran, and ran. I didn't know what I was running from. The goblins were all gone. Nothing threatened me anymore. And still I couldn't stop. The sword case was nowhere to be seen — vanished somewhere along the way.

I jerked to a halt.

"Haah— haah—"

Where is it? My blades. My eyes combed left and right, searching. Nothing. Gathered one by one since the day I joined Dawn — the proof of my career. I can't lose them. I buried my face in my hands and looked back. From far away, something dreadful was coming.

"Hii...!"

I ran, and ran, and only when I'd stumbled all the way to the gate itself did my legs finally obey me. The sight of it brought a flood of elation. I can get out. It's over.

And then — a cold, dull clunk. What about Yoo Ai?

Goblins and hobgoblins could not kill an A-rank tank. The others, who could say — but Yoo Ai would survive. Even if it took a year, he would cut through every last one of them and come back out. I was certain of it. And the moment he stepped out, my life was over. If it came to it, better that everyone died — then it would end with nothing worse than a reprimand and a pink slip. No — what am I even thinking? You were never such an ugly monster.

"Wh-what am I supposed to do..."

I dropped to my knees and wrapped my arms around my head. This isn't right. This is... Click, clack. I seated the rapier against my hip and gripped it with everything I had. I couldn't draw it. But I couldn't walk away, either.