[Barbarian] Chapter 1 – Chance (1)

Immediately after losing consciousness, Ulan’s vision turned black in an instant. 

Great darkness swallowed him up.
It was a place where neither the senses nor the passage of time could be perceived.

How much time had passed like that?

The consciousness that had suddenly faded away began to return gradually. Like the rekindling of an extinguished fire.
At the same time, memories he thought he’d forgotten resurfaced one by one.

What? Isn’t death the end of everything?

Why are my memories suddenly returning?

He was enveloped in a strange feeling at the time.a

〔···Failure〕

A strange voice was heard, sounding like metal scraping.

〔Memory···.
Save···.
Restarting…] 

It was a heterogeneous voice devoid of emotion as if it came from another world.

However, without a doubt, Light had come to the dark world.

Soon, Ulan opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the ceiling of a tent.

His eyes reflected a brightly embroidered red pattern.

Soon, the wind soon blew outside the tent.
A vast open meadow.

‘This place······’

– was where he was born and raised.

The grasslands of the northern part of the continent.
It was Ulan’s hometown.

What is it? Am I still reminiscing about my past life? Various questions arose, so he pinched his cheeks hard without realizing it.

Quaak!

It hurts.

Ulan was taken aback, not because it hurt, but because he couldn’t feel the touch of his thick beard that stretched from below his ears to the tip of his chin.

It was then, he saw a basin next to the bed – a basin full of warm water.

Ulan approached the place as if possessed.
And as soon as he saw his reflected face in the calm water –

“······!?”

– both his eyes filled with bewilderment.

It was completely understandable.
What was reflected in it was Ulan with a youthful face. It was a boy’s face.

It’s not just the face that had changed. 

The agonizing pain that had engulfed his body before had vanished all of a sudden.
Instead, it displayed a well-defined muscular upper body.

Ulan muttered inaudibly.

“I definitely died…”

Then he was surprised again.

Because the voice was different from before.

At a time when he could hardly control his confused mood.
Suddenly, he heard several people talking outside the tent.

“What a great guy.”

“I will say so.”

“I never thought he would pass the ordeal of a hero.”

“Then the next chieftain will be Ulan?”

“Haha haha! Of course!”

“Of all the warriors in the meadow, there is no one strong enough to defeat Ulan.”

A loud clamor of conversation.

Listening to this, Ulan recalled that he had experienced the same situation as now, long ago, in a distant past. 

‘·······The Trial of a Hero.’

It was late summer when he was sixteen.

Ulan, who had passed the Trial of a Hero earlier, had challenged the legend of the clan. 

The ancient ruins outside the village. 

The ruins, filled with all kinds of monsters and golems, were called ‘the cave of the brave’ by the clan. 

And challenging this cave, defeating all monsters, and bringing the tokens stored at the end of the ruins was called the ‘Trial of a Hero’. 

‘Those who have passed the trial…’

Any one thing.
You can get what you want. 

It was kind of a legend. 

At the time, 16-year-old Ulan, who was vigorous, challenged the legend and barely survived the ordeal after a ten-day struggle.

The moment he was trying to remember this far.

Suddenly his eyes widened. 

‘Yes, the Mark of a Hero!’ 

He passed the trial, so there must be a mark. 

Ulan hurriedly looked around.

Then he soon realized that he was wearing the ‘mark of the hero’ around his neck.
There was, however, one thing that was different from before. 

‘The jewel is gone.’ 

Originally, a large jewel had to be embedded in the center of the token.
The very jewel that radiated light before the ceremony. 

But now, the place where the jewel should have been was empty.
As if someone took it out.
That’s when he felt confused. 

Flutter!

Someone entered the tent.

A young man with a slim body.

He was a man with a lean, muscular body, reddish-brown hair, and faint crimson eyes.

“Ulan.
Are you awake now?” 

Warm eyes. 

He spoke with a smile. 

“Congratulations on passing the Trial of a Hero.
I’m proud to be your brother.” 

A familiar face with a familiar voice was making eye contact with him. 

Ulan muttered with a blank face.

“······Brother?”

Alk Bator.

He was the blood brother of Ulan and was six years older than Ulan. 

And now it was a family that didn’t exist in the world.
Alk lost his life in the winter, just before Ulan turned seventeen. 

‘But how…’ 

– is my brother here? 

Ulan’s eyes trembled slightly.

Did he recognize it? Alk spoke with a worried expression on his face. 

“If you are not feeling well, tell me anytime.
You are now our pride and the hope of our clan.” 

Words full of warmth. 

Alk turned around again. 

“The preparations will be completed soon.
I’ll call you when it’s completely over, so take a little break.”

He had a rough idea of what ‘preparation’ he was talking about.
The day he passed the trial of the hero.
Because the village held a festival to commemorate this. 

But now. 

Ulan was not interested in the festival. 

No, it would be more accurate to say that there was no time to worry about festivals. 

‘Let’s organize everything.’ 

Ulan died after the final battle with Largtan, the King of the Giants.
But when he opened his eyes, he returned to the time when he had passed the ordeal of the hero. 

And the mark of the hero which was said to grant any wish was left in a state of missing a large jewel. 

The moment he remembered this far. 

Ulan assessed the current situation. 

‘Does this mean that I have returned to the past?’ 

Wanting to live life again. 

This was Ulan’s wish.
And now, his wish had come true. 

‘If it really is…’ 

This moment right now. 

Ulan got the opportunity he so longed for.

A chance to acquire a body and weapons far stronger than in his past life, and split the heads of monsters! 

‘I won’t miss it this time.’ 

Ulan’s eyes lit up. 

It was the gaze of one who seized the opportunity. 

Doodung! Dung Dung Dung!

There was a loud drumming sound.

The flames raged, and loud shouts rang out.
A festival to commemorate the passing of the hero’s ordeal had begun.

The clan of the meadow was wildly drunk. 

They ate and drank happily, forgetting about tomorrow and living in the present.
At such a time when the atmosphere was ripe for a while.
All of a sudden, the room fell silent.

footsteps!

Someone showed up 

A woman dressed in the skin of