Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 367: Authority (2)

From ancient times, it was believed that beautiful jewels contained mysterious energy.

In this world, it was indeed true.

The higher the quality and purity of a gem, the more intense its mystery.

"But in my world, such things didn’t exist."

To someone who didn’t understand its value, a beautiful gem was merely a slightly pretty stone.

Without the value assigned by others, a jewel was nothing.

That wasn’t just the story of jewels.

An ancient lake, existing since the birth of this world, inherently held a deep mystery.

The Fairy Lake was a prime example of this.

"But in my world, that would just be an old lake. Even if it dried up and rotted away, it wouldn’t affect the world at all."

A massive tree like the World Tree would merely be an old giant tree.

While it might provoke awe and wonder, it wouldn’t contain any special power.

Nature was simply a phenomenon.

There were no spirits dwelling in it.

Tornadoes, tsunamis, and wildfires could all be explained physically.

Similarly, magic was nothing but trickery.

Relentless training would only ruin one’s body, and meditation was nothing more than a way to observe one’s mind.

Demon Kings, heroes, spirits, auras, magic—

All of it was mere illusions.

There were no miracles, and mysteries didn’t exist.

Things decayed, turned to dust, and became atoms, once again becoming part of the world.

Everything was meaningless, futile, and worthless.

And what was the authority he held?

It was very simple.

It was the ability to forcibly overlay the laws of his own world onto this one.

"You called my authority 'annihilation.' That’s not wrong."

In his world, things like magic, mystery, miracles, and what people called illusions didn’t exist, nor could they.

They had to disappear.

They couldn’t be allowed to exist.

That’s why the twisted one mistook his authority for the power of annihilation.

[…Is this…]

The twisted one groaned.

[Is this… the world you come from?]

What was this?

It was cold.

No, it wasn’t even a concept like that.

It was closer to everything being utterly meaningless.

Even the twisted one, who had existed since the creation of the universe, felt this way.

[I’ve never seen anything like this before…]

The twisted one had encountered Ketal’s authority several times before.

Despite being stronger than Ketal, the twisted one couldn’t kill him because of this authority.

Since Ketal erased everything in response, he couldn’t lose, but he also couldn’t win.

However, back then, Ketal’s power had only been localized.

It wasn’t this method of twisting the very world itself.

[…Did you ascend to a higher state after coming out here?]

"No."

Ketal shook his head.

"My authority hasn’t changed. Not in the slightest."

[What?]

He had possessed the power to render even the twisted one meaningless from the very beginning?

Then why—

[Why… haven’t you used it until now?]

"Because I didn’t want to."

Ketal spoke gloomily.

His authority, which overwrote this world with the laws of his own.

This authority felt as though it were speaking to him.

It told him that this world was nothing but a daydream.

That it was utterly meaningless.

That someday, when he woke from this dream, it would all vanish without a trace.

It forcibly reminded him of the reality he had abandoned—the hell he wanted to forget.

That’s why Ketal had never properly used his authority, even once, in the white snowfield.

Not even when he was on the brink of death.

"But this time is different. This place is the miracle I longed for."

And the twisted one was trying to destroy that miracle.

So Ketal had decided.

To protect the miracle, he would use the power that erased miracles.

"Besides, it’s not something I can control easily. Luckily, it seems there’s no major issue this time. If I make a mistake, I could overwrite the entire world."

[A-ah.]

The twisted one could feel it.

His power, his authority, his very existence—

It was dissipating.

He was literally vanishing into meaninglessness.

Even his very existence was being erased, as if to say he didn’t belong in this world.

This was truly dangerous.

The twisted one tried desperately to escape the bounds of Ketal’s authority.

But—

[…Huh?]

His body, made of thorns, couldn’t move.

It was as if he had been fixed in place by the world itself.

"You can move because of the power of this world. But in my world, something made of thorns wouldn’t have the ability to move of its own will."

That’s why the twisted one couldn’t move.

[…]

"But hey, not everything is completely blocked. It’s not like I can perfectly control this, after all."

[Ugh, ughhhh!]

The twisted one frantically fired off its thorns.

The power within them had deteriorated and crumbled to an extreme degree.

Ketal raised his axe.

BOOOOM!

Ketal’s body was sent flying, crashing into the ground.

The violent shock shook his entire body.

His bones creaked, and his flesh tore apart.

Ketal groaned in pain.

"It’s not some invincible trump card, after all."

His authority, which overwrote the world—

Using it erased even his own tremendous power.

Now, he was nothing more than an ordinary human, trained to his utmost limit.

On the other hand, the twisted one still retained a fraction of its authority.

"Normally, it would’ve been erased instantly… but because I’ve limited its range to the extreme, it seems you can hold out a bit longer."

Ketal gripped his axe.

"Right now, there’s a chance. If you kill me before you disappear, victory is yours."

[Ugh, ughhhh!]

Dozens of thorns shot out at once.

Ketal lowered his stance and swung his axe.

CLANG! CLANG!

He deflected, dodged, and maneuvered around the thorns.

The twisted one, a formidable being, quickly realized that physical force could still be wielded without issue.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

It focused entirely on attacking with its thorns.

Though the power imbued in the thorns had completely vanished, their sheer size—like ballista bolts—still posed a significant threat.

BOOOM!

Ketal swiftly evaded and countered, but gradually, his body began to accumulate injuries.

It was clear: Ketal was the one getting injured and pushed back, while the one-sided assault came from the twisted being.

Yet, the one in a hurry was the twisted being.

Naturally so—after all, it was the twisted being that had been poisoned.

No matter how much prey struggles in its final moments, the essential outcome doesn’t change.

Boom!

Thorns rained down in unison.

Ketal, an ordinary human, couldn’t dodge perfectly.

A deep gash appeared on his thigh, his fingers broke under the strain, and debris stained his entire body.

His head slammed against a wall as he tried to defend himself, splitting open.

But he didn’t fall.

Despite his horrific injuries, he rose to confront the attacks of the twisted being.

The twisted being frantically scattered its power, but even so, Ketal didn’t die.

And finally—

[Ah.]

The twisted being could no longer shoot out thorns.

Its ability to wield power had completely vanished.

In Ketal’s eyes, a thing made entirely of thorns was not life.

Of course, it couldn’t think either.

The consciousness of the twisted being began to slowly scatter.

“You lasted longer than I expected. As expected of the victor among the Elders.”

Ketal staggered forward.

His appearance was horrific, but he was undoubtedly alive.

The twisted being desperately flailed, trying to escape, but nothing came of it.

It was over.

Realizing this, the twisted being let out an uncontrollable cry of rage.

[…Why!]

Despair and fury filled its voice.

[Why! Why has something like you descended upon this world? Why! If only you hadn’t existed, this world would’ve been mine! You intruder!]

The twisted being glared at Ketal with flickering eyes.

[No matter how I corrupt this universe, it has nothing to do with you! Why do you interfere? Why! For what purpose!]

“Your anger is justified.”

Ketal calmly accepted the twisted being’s fury.

The twisted being corrupted the universe, broke it, and made it its own.

Undoubtedly, this was detrimental to the living beings in the world.

But fundamentally, the twisted being was a creature born of this world.

Perhaps its fate, too, could be seen as the rightful outcome.

But Ketal was different.

He was an outsider.

It was strange for someone like him, an alien, to stop the twisted being, a native of this universe.

“I didn’t want to use this until the very end… but you’re far too strong for me to avoid it.”

From the moment Ketal had stepped into this world, he had never once used his authority.

Not even against the Demon King.

He had hesitated to use it, fearing the impact on the land’s destiny, even though his life alone was at stake.

He wouldn’t have used it, even if it meant his death.

But the twisted being was far too powerful.

Thus, Ketal decided to break his own rule and use his authority.

“I apologize to you. But I will create the world I desire.”

He would offer the fantasy he dreamed of to this world.

It wasn’t about the hopes of the people or the peace of the world—it was his own obsession and fixation.

“If you had remained quietly within that space… maybe I wouldn’t have acted. But if you’re going to destroy my world, I won’t just stand by.”

And so, Ketal resolved to erase the twisted being, a miracle born at the moment of creation, with his own hands.

Ketal arrived before the twisted being and raised his axe.

The twisted being tried to resist, but it could do nothing.

Holding onto its scattering consciousness was all it could manage.

In the end, the twisted being had no choice but to accept its fate.

It muttered weakly, as if in resignation.

[…So you intend to create the world you desire with your own obsession. Hahaha… Mortals will have to pray. Pray that your obsession benefits them.]

The twisted being spoke calmly.

[Enough of this prattle. A loser is a loser. You are the victor. Finish it.]

“Farewell.”

Crack.

The axe struck the twisted being.

And that was the end.

The twisted being met its death by a simple swing of an axe, something even an ordinary human could wield.

“Phew.”

Ketal collapsed onto the ground.

Slowly, he retrieved the authority that had engulfed the world.

The power that had consumed the world, obliterating miracles and erasing wonders, began to fade away.

At the same time, the corpse of the twisted being started to disintegrate.

Shhh.

It turned to dust and scattered.

A being that had existed since creation disappeared, leaving only the traces of destruction behind.

Watching this, Ketal murmured quietly.

“I’m sorry. But I will protect my world.”

As the imposed order vanished, Ketal’s body began to regain its strength.

His injuries started to heal at an incredible speed.

The monstrosity that had quietly lurked within him peeked out.

[Is it over?]

“It’s over.”

[No matter how many times I see it, that power is horrifying. It denies the very existence of all things. I never want to see it again.]

“Don’t worry. I won’t need to use it again.”

Ketal muttered with a peculiar sense of certainty.

And as if to affirm his conviction, a system window appeared.

[Quest #791 completed.]

The quest was finished.

Since the twisted being that had emerged from the outside was dealt with, the completion window was only natural.

But the next system window was entirely unexpected.

[Please select the reward you desire.]

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]