My Demons

“Aqun-ta!”

Ever since I arrived in this world, this is likely the second occasion I’ve encountered someone taller than myself—Phoenix.

The initial instance was the ‘giant’ Ankir. He stood approximately half a head taller than me, which equates to just over 2 meters. Given the medieval stature of the inhabitants here, the moniker ‘the giant’ was certainly no exaggeration.

The second instance was that individual.

Possessing a height probably surpassing 220 cm and a body weight that defied estimation.

A man with an enormous upper body that you’d typically only witness in a strongman competition shouted out once more.

“Braak t’yaccet!”

Although I couldn’t comprehend the shout, the emotion behind it was unmistakable.

It was rage.

He had dark skin, features reminiscent of Easterners on Earth, long braided hair, sizable leather pants, a necklace crafted from beast bones, geometric tattoos adorning his arms and shoulders, and a massive stone maul bigger than an average child’s torso.

He seemed to be in his mid to late 30s, clean-shaven.

The sight of this foreign giant charging towards us felt oddly familiar yet alien.

On the other hand, the rest of our party members were…

“…Is that a human?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen something like that.”

Everyone, including Arnal and Luke, was in a state of panic.

“Fire an arrow, Aibo!”

“Y-Yes!”

Upon Randel’s command, the young archer Aibo drew back the bowstring.

The giant man was rapidly closing in, his bare upper body an easy target.

Swoosh!

Just as the arrow aimed at his heart was about to pierce his skin, the tattoo on his shoulder emitted a black glow.

The arrow bent and embedded itself into the ground.

“A Wind Curtain tattoo…”

A skill that magically deflects projectiles.

He must have invested around 5 points into it, making it nearly impervious to regular arrows.

As I stared blankly at the man’s charge, I snapped back to reality only when Ellen released a fire arrow.

“Wait, stop!”

But the fire arrow had already left Ellen’s hand.

‘Damn, that tattoo can’t block magic!’

For a moment, I thought as much, but then the man swung his maul and knocked the fire arrow away.

Whoosh!

Flames from the arrow engulfed him. Despite his skin burning from the intense heat, he bellowed like a beast and continued charging right up to our faces.

“Uh, wait—”

It was then that I remembered the man’s profile.

Character name, ‘Deep公DarkSFantasy’.

A Level 16 Berserker, primarily skilled in tattoo abilities.

“What the hell is this.”

Unlike the retreating party members, I charged towards him.

I realized that if it wasn’t me, no one else could halt his terrifying charge.

“Uwoooo!”

And then, when his swinging maul struck my shield, I realized once again.

According to my experience, a Level 16 Berserker’s strength should be—

“Oh shi-”

Crash!

Around 30 or so.

The impact of his incredible strength and weight shattered my shield into pieces.

Simultaneously, I was catapulted into the night sky.

Inward reflection.

If I had to pick my favorite playable character in Dark World, I could answer without hesitation.

It would unquestionably be the Blood Knight. No doubt about it.

What about my second choice?

Hmm…

After about 5 seconds of indecision, I would opt for the Berserker.

They’re genuinely enjoyable, unlike the Blood Knight.

I can’t abandon the Berserker, even though it demands a lengthy playtime.

Some folks claim that Berserkers are monotonous and dull, but I don’t see it that way.

When you slam the ground with a Berserker boasting over 60 points in strength, it feels like you’re shattering the monitor with the impact.

During PvP, relentlessly pursuing a pesky caster character and annihilating them in a single shot is incredibly satisfying.

Well, it’s somewhat true that Berserkers are overwhelmingly potent in PvP. It’s also true that they possess fewer utility and survival skills, making them challenging to control.

But after leveling up the character around twenty times, PvP feels just fine.

Boom!

The moment the Berserker’s Maul struck me, I began to zone out. Finally, I’ve hit the ground. I must’ve been thrown more than ten meters.

Honestly, I’m not a baseball.

“Ugh,”

I quickly stood up, spitting out saliva tinged with the taste of blood.

I did put forth effort when the Maul was unleashed, but my shield is now in ruins, and my wrist and elbow are screaming.

I think I’m seriously injured. Facing a Berserker head-on was a foolish idea.

While pondering that, I glanced at the Berserker.

Whoosh, Thud!

He was currently locked in combat with Grania and Randel, enduring Ellen’s Wind Punch.

Bang, Bang 

Each time the air erupted, the Berserker swatted at it as if annoyed.

That must be painful. Why does he appear as though he’s swatting away a mosquito?

Then the Berserker fixed his gaze on Ellen, who wouldn’t stop chanting. He seemed to realize that the irritating magic emanated from her.

He attempted to swing his Maul at Grania and Randel blocking his path, but I was quicker.

Aiming for his knees with a low sweep, the Berserker winced and evaded.

“Gua lune’te.”

“What did you say, you bastard!”

As I executed my skill swiftly, the Berserker gazed in astonishment at the blood-red blade.

Then,

“Arh- Darran kel…!”

He growled and lunged at me once more.

Whoosh!

I dodged his Maul by twisting my torso, but a tremendous gust of wind grazed my neck.

He wielded this brutal weapon with the finesse of an expert. The Maul, which appeared heavy at first glance, became as swift as lightning when accelerated.

However, it wasn’t unstoppable.

I evaded his assault and found an opening.

“Ugh.”

Sliding across the ground to dodge the Maul, I leapt towards him like a frog.

My agility and vitality were undoubtedly superior to his.

“Ugh!”

Indeed, the Berserker couldn’t match my agile movements.

He hastily withdrew his Maul but couldn’t prevent a stab aimed at his inner arm.

Just as the crimson tip of my weapon was about to breach his skin,

Flash!

A black aura erupted from the Berserker’s back, forcefully pushing me away.

‘What the— Is this the ‘Night Sky Tattoo’ effect? Normally, it merely deflects weapons, but here it actually propelled me back?’

“Phoenix!”

Just as I was preparing to launch another assault on the Berserker, I heard an urgent voice from Luke behind me.

“Are they pirates?”

“No, cease fighting! This barbarian has a misunderstanding!”

“I know that too—this guy doesn’t comprehend words!”

The Berserker’s gaze shifted over my shoulder. Then, he started to hesitate.

“Utequais! A th’ol en qun-ta!”

“Hatanca?”

“Th’ol en ar-kara, Orrendae!”

The man shouting at the Berserker introduced himself as ‘Hatanca of Rikuwa,’ an elderly man. Supported by Luke, he walked towards us, his eyes half-closed, perhaps due to an injury.

The Berserker appeared restless as he glanced between the old man and me.

“…Phew.”

At that moment, Ellen, who was about to release a fire arrow from behind me, murmured anxiously.

“Phoenix? Are you alright?”

“Probably. Everyone, step back for now.”

“But, that guy-“

“Just do it.”

As I conveyed this and discreetly cleared the path, the party surrounding the Berserker also unanimously retreated.

Everyone remained on edge, weapons at the ready, but the Berserker didn’t even spare a glance at the other companions.

The Berserker locked eyes with me for a moment, then rushed towards the old man.

“Hatanca!”

“Utequais.”

The tension that had gripped everyone momentarily eased.

It seemed as if the Berserker realized that the old man’s time was drawing near.

As the old man whispered something in a voice too low for me to discern, the Berserker knelt beside him, his shoulders quivering slightly.

Observing this, I suddenly recalled the default name of the Berserker character—‘Hatanca Utequais’. Now that I thought about it, the old man had referred to the Berserker as ‘Utequais’.

Could ‘Hatanca’ be like a surname? Perhaps the old man and the Berserker were related?

“We don’t have time for this right now.”

“Just wait a moment. Please, just wait a moment.” 

Randel implored, glancing to the south as he urged us to move, but I silently shook my head.

It was a pivotal moment, a meeting with another sub-character. I needed to see what would unfold.

The brief conversation concluded, and the elderly man, trembling, retrieved the Warbonnet.

Then, he gently placed the ornate ceremonial hat upon Utequais and drew his final breath.

Utequais stood up, whispered something over the old man’s forehead, and swiftly got to his feet.

He then approached the body of a woman dressed in peculiar attire, likely a shaman, and removed a red bone ring from her finger.

The berserker turned towards us and spoke.

“Thank you. I mis-understood.”

“This guy, he knows Milanol, right?”

The pronunciation was a bit awkward, and the vocabulary was limited, but understanding the meaning wasn’t difficult.

“What are you going to do now?” I inquired, rubbing my tingling left arm.

“I won’t fight you. I will depart.”

“You do realize there are bandits everywhere, right?”

Utequais seemed to have burn marks on part of his upper body.

Probably from Ellen’s fire arrow. It must have been painful, but Utequais displayed no sign of discomfort.

“It doesn’t matter. I have no fear.”

“What if you end up as prey for bandits? There are more than a thousand of them,” I responded, and he locked eyes with me.

“And?”

“Come with me. I’ll make sure you don’t meet a gruesome end.”

His dark eyes, resembling the night sky, showed no hesitation.

As a result, I couldn’t discern whether he was contemplating, failing to comprehend, or distrusting me.

“Wait, why should we trust this guy?”

“Quiet for a moment. I’ll handle this,” I instructed Randel, maintaining eye contact with the berserker.

After a brief silence, Utequais nodded.

“Call me Hatanca.”

“I’m Phoenix. We need to move now, is that okay?”

“Let’s go.”

“Alright, everyone, let’s go,” I turned and began running towards the secret passage, with Utequais closely following me.

“What’s happening?”

“Suddenly running with a barbarian…”

“Let’s go. We don’t have time to waste.”

Voices from Arnal, Randel, and Luke followed in succession.

Soon, the other companions also started running, maintaining some distance.