52
My Villains Chapter 52
14. Berserker (3)
"Aqun-ta!"
This is the second time since coming to this world thatI've seen someone taller than me—Phoenix.
The first was ‘The Giant’ Lord Ankir. He was about half a span taller than me, so his height was just over 2 meters.
Considering that people here had medieval-era builds, his nickname ‘The Giant’ wasn't an exaggeration at all.
The second is this man before me.
He must be at least 220 cm tall, and his weight... I can't even estimate it.
The man, who openly displayed an enormous upper body that you'd only expect to see in strongman competitions, shouted again.
"Braak t'yaccet!"
Though the shout was incomprehensible, the emotion behind it was crystal clear.
It was rage.
Reddish skin, facial features resembling Earth's East Asians, long braided hair.
Loose leather pants and a necklace made of animal bones.
Geometric tattoos carved into his arms and shoulders, and a massive stone maul with a head larger than most children's torsos.
Though he had no beard, he appeared to be in his mid to late thirties.
The sight of this exotic giant charging at us was both strange and somehow familiar.
Meanwhile, the others...
"...What is that, is it human?"
"I-I've never seen anything like this either."
Including Arnal and Luke who were muttering in bewilderment, everyone was in a state of panic.
"Ivo! Shoot your arrow!"
"Uh, y-yes!"
At Randel's command, the young scout Ivo drew his bowstring in haste.
The giant man was rapidly approaching, and with his upper body exposed, he made an easy target.
However— Whoosh!
Just before the arrow could pierce the flesh of his targeted chest, the tattoo on the man's shoulder gleamed black.
The arrow then suddenly bent and pathetically buried itself in the ground.
"Wind Curtain tattoo..."
It's an overpowered skill that blocks non-magical projectiles.
He must have invested around 5 points in it, meaning no ordinary bow could penetrate that protection.
I was blankly watching the man's charge until Ellen shot a fire arrow, which finally snapped me back to reality.
"Wait, stop!"
But the fire arrow had already left Ellen's hand.
Damn, that tattoo can't block magic!
Just as I thought that, the man swung his maul andstruck down the fire arrow.
Whoosh!
The flames that burst from the arrow engulfed the man. Even as the intense heat burned his skin, he charged forward with a beast-like growl until he was right in front of us.
"Ah, wait—"
Only then did I recall the man's profile.
Character name: 'DeepDarkSFantasy'.
A level 16 Berserker who mainly invested in tattoo-line skills.
"What the hell."
Unlike my companions who were stepping back, I lunged toward the man.
I realized that nobody except me could stop this terrifying charge.
"Uwoooh!"
And when his maul struck my shield with a fierce roar, I realized something else.
According to my training, a level 16 Berserker's strength is—
"Oh sh—"
CRASH!
Just under 30.
My shield shattered under the tremendous force and weight of the blow.
Simultaneously, I was launched into the night sky.
Random thought.
If asked to choose the most preferred playable character in Dark World, I could answer immediately.
Obviously the Blood Knight. No need to think about it.
Then what about the second most preferred character?
Well...
After about 5 seconds of hesitation, I'd choose the Berserker.
It's really fun, but I can't abandon the Blood Knight...I mean, the Berserker with its longer playtime.
Some people say Berserkers are boring because their skills are monotonous, but I don't really get that.
When you slam the ground with a Berserker who has over 60 strength, it feels like your monitor might shatter from the impact.
Even in PvP, there's nothing more satisfying than chasing down those annoying caster characters and obliterating them in one hit.
Well, it's somewhat true that Berserkers have bad matchups in PvP. It's also true that they have relatively few utility and survival skills, leaving little room for outplay through control.
Still, after grinding through about twenty characters, PvP became pretty decent...
THUD!
I'd been lost in thought since getting hit by the Berserker's maul, and only now hit the ground. I must have been thrown back at least ten meters.
Damn, I'm not a baseball.
"Ugh,"
I quickly got up using breakfall technique and spat out blood-tinged saliva.
Even though I tried to redirect the force when the maul struck—my shield was destroyed, and my wrist and elbow were screaming in pain.
Ngh, they're probably cracked. I'm an idiot for facing a Berserker head-on.
While thinking this, I looked back at the Berserker.
Whoosh, POW!
He was facing off against Grania and Randel, getting hit by Ellen's wind fists.
Bang, Bang—every time the air exploded, the Berserker swatted at it irritably.
...That must hurt quite a bit. Why does he look like he's just swatting away mosquitoes?
During this, the Berserker fixed his gaze on Ellen, who was constantly chattering. He seemed to realize she was the source of these annoying spells.
He tried to swing his maul at Grania and Randel who were blocking his path, but I was faster, rushing in immediately.
When my low falchion strike aimed at his knee made him frown and step back slightly.
"Gua lune'te."
"What are you saying, you bastard!"
As I deployed my skill and snapped at him aggressively, the Berserker stared at my blood-stained blade with surprised eyes.
Then.
"Arh- Darran kel...!"
He muttered as if groaning, then suddenly charged in.
Whoosh!
I twisted my upper body to dodge the maul, but an incredible pressure grazed my nape.
It was a weapon that no ordinary warrior could use in real combat, but the Berserker wielded this brutal weapon freely.
Though it seemed slow at first due to its massive weight, when it gained momentum in its wide arc, it truly unleashed lightning-like force.
"Oh..."
Still, it wasn't impossible to dodge.
After flowing through the Berserker's wave of attacks, I spotted an opening and quickly launched my body.
"Hup."
After dodging the maul with a sliding motion across the ground, I leaped up like a frog toward the Berserker.
He might have much higher strength, but I definitely had higher dexterity and health.
Though my level is lower, I have the 'Dragon Slayer's Ring', a top-tier stat-boosting item.
"Ngh!"
Sure enough, the Berserker couldn't keep up with my nimble movements.
He hastily pulled back his maul and thrust the thick handle, but he couldn't block my thrust aimed at the inside of his forearm.
Just as my falchion's crimson blade was about to tear through his skin.
Flash!
Suddenly, black aura burst from the Berserker's back and pushed me away.
"Ugu."
Like magnets of the same pole repelling each other, I was thrown back and rolled on the ground.
"Urgh—What is this? Don't tell me it's the 'Night Sky Tattoo' effect?
It usually just deflects weapons in crisis situations, but in reality it throws you completely off?
Ngh, the cooldown should be—about 40 seconds. Need to get in a follow-up attack...!"
"Phoenix!"
As I was about to charge at the Berserker again, grinding my teeth, Luke's urgent voice came from behind.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the Berserker, I raised my voice to answer.
"Are they pirates?"
"No, that's not it! Stop fighting! This barbarian is misunderstanding something!"
"I know that—but this bastard won't listen to reason!"
As the voice got closer, the growling Berserker's gaze briefly shifted past my shoulder. Then he began to visibly waver.
"Utequais! A th'ol en qun-ta!"
"Hatanka?"
"Th'ol en ar-kara, Orrendae!"
The one shouting at the Berserker in a hoarse voice was the old man who had introduced himself as 'Hatanka of Likuwa.'
He was walking towards us supported by Luke, his eyes half-closed, probably due to his side wound.
The Berserker kept glancing anxiously between the old man and me.
"...Whew."
Seeing this, I cooled my heated mind and sheathed the falchion.
Behind me, Ellen, who was about to shoot a fire arrow, whispered nervously.
"Phoenix? Is this okay?"
"Probably. Everyone, fall back for now."
"But he—"
"Quickly."
When I said this while clearing the path slightly, my companions who had surrounded the Berserker also stepped back together.
Though they all maintained their weapons with obvious wariness, the Berserker hadn't been paying attention to anyone else anyway.
The Berserker stared at me intently for a moment, then rushed toward the old man.
"Hatanka!"
"Utequais."
The tension in his body lasted only briefly.
The Berserker seemed to realize the old man's end was near.
When the old man said something in a voice too quiet for my ears, the Berserker knelt beside him, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Watching quietly, I suddenly recalled the Berserker character's default name.
It was 'Hatanka Utequais.' Come to think of it, the old man had called the Berserker 'Utequais.'
Could 'Hatanka' be like a family name? Then the old man and Berserker might be related...
"We don't have time for this."
"Just wait. Please wait a moment."
Though Randel glanced south and urged us to move, I silently shook my head.
This was a fateful moment of meeting another sub-character. I needed to watch what would happen.
After their brief conversation, the old man removed his warbanit with trembling hands.
He placed the ornate ceremonial hat on Utequais's head, then breathed his last.
Utequais muttered something while touching foreheads with the old man, then stood up abruptly.
He then approached the corpse of a woman in unusual attire—probably a shaman—and retrieved a red bone ring from her finger.
After completing these actions, the Berserker turned to face us and spoke.
"Thank you. Saw death."
...This guy knows Milanolese?
Though his pronunciation was awkward and vocabulary limited, it wasn't too difficult to understand his meaning.
While massaging my throbbing left arm, I asked, "What will you do now?"
"Not fight you. Leave."
"As you probably guess, there are bandits everywhere around here."
Looking closer, Utequais's upper body had burns that left his skin angry and blistered.
Must be scars from Ellen's fire arrow. Though it must sting quite a bit, Utequais showed no sign of it.
"No matter. No fear."
"You'll end up like a hunted boar that way. There are over a thousand of them."
He stiffened his face for a moment, then met my eyes.
"So?"
"Follow me. I'll make sure you don't die meaninglessly."
His eyes, black as the night sky, showed no wavering.
Because of this, I couldn't tell if he was considering it, didn't understand, or was suspicious of me.
"Wait, why would you trust this guy—"
"Just shut up for now. I'll handle this."
Even while snapping at Randel, who looked anxious, I didn't break eye contact with the Berserker.
After a brief silence, Utequais nodded.
"Call me Hatanka."
"I'm Phoenix. We need to move right away, is that okay?"
Utequais briefly looked around at the corpses beforeanswering.
"Let's go."
"Good. Let's move, everyone."
When I turned and started running toward the secret passage, Utequais immediately fell in behind me.
"Crazy, what the hell is going on?"
"Suddenly traveling with a barbarian..."
"Let's just go. We don't have time to delay anymore."
The voices of Arnal, Randel, and Luke came in succession.
Soon the other companions also started running, keeping some distance between us.