Barbarian’s Adventure in a Fantasy World
Chapter 82: Worshippers of the Grotesque (3)

Chapter 82: Worshippers of the Grotesque (3)

“You must have quite the nerve to come here on your own.” For a brief moment, the family head was caught off guard, but he quickly regained his composure.

After thinking it over, he realized that this development wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it was rather convenient. Their target had walked right into their den, saving them the trouble of hunting him down. One could even say that this worked in their favor.

With that in mind, the family head leaned back into his chair, regarding Ketal with a relaxed expression.

He’s quite big, the family head thought. It wasn’t the brutish, excessive kind of muscle—rather, it was as if he were a perfectly sculpted statue.

The family head narrowed his eyes. Not only had Ketal taken down Lockbird, but he had also managed to infiltrate the building without being noticed. He was clearly a formidable opponent. A glint of intrigue flickered across the man’s face.

“Barbarian. Have you ever considered joining us?” the family head asked.

“What?” Lockbird’s eyes widened in shock. The family head casually waved a finger, signaling him to remain silent. Lockbird clenched his jaw and held his tongue.

Ketal raised an eyebrow at the unexpected proposition. “You want me to join you?”

“We are the devoted servants of the Great Grotesque.” The family head spoke in a low, reverent tone. “He will grant true freedom to this world, restoring it to its original form. The corrupted order of today will be undone, and in the world our master creates, we shall live freely.”

The family head’s eyes gleamed with twisted devotion, the unmistakable gaze of a fanatic.

“If you side with us, we will spare your life,” the family head said.

“The Grotesque, huh...,” Ketal murmured. Are these assassins worshipping some kind of god? What kind of ridiculous name is that?

Ketal shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but I don’t serve anyone.”

“Is that so?” The family head’s voice grew cold. “In that case... you will die.”

The moment the words left his lips, figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding the room. Of course, the invitation had never been genuine. The family head had only been stalling for time, allowing his subordinates to take position.

“I know you’re strong,” the family head said, his tone brimming with confidence. “But you’re far too arrogant.”

He knew they would come out victorious. Every single one of his subordinates was either Intermediate or Advanced. Even if their target was an exceptional barbarian, escaping from this would be nearly impossible. At least, that was what the family head believed.

The assassins silently drew their daggers. Despite his injuries, Lockbird also fumbled for his weapon.

Meanwhile, Ketal simply smiled. The family head thought he had been buying time for his subordinates. However, in truth, Ketal had been doing the exact same thing. There was no reason to chase after them one by one when they would all gather in one place on their own. It made things so much easier.

“Kill him.” The family head’s voice was calm, unshaken. And with that command, the assassins lunged from the shadows.

***

Blades sliced through the darkness, their edges briefly catching the moonlight before vanishing into the shadows once more.

“Hm.” Ketal weaved through the attacks, moving effortlessly as daggers slashed through the air.

One dagger flew toward him at a sharp angle. With a flick of his fingers, he casually deflected it, sending it spinning through the air. Before it could hit the ground, another assassin snatched it mid-flight and lunged, aiming straight at Ketal’s throat.

“Oh my,” Ketal muttered, leaning backward to avoid the strike. His body lowered further, melting into the movement, allowing two incoming blades from either side to pass harmlessly through empty space.

As he continued dodging the flurry of attacks, Ketal couldn’t help but be impressed.

They’re strong, he thought. Their Aura was perfectly refined, controlled with remarkable precision. Despite minimizing their presence and suppressing their killing intent, their strikes were deadly, aimed exclusively at vital points.

It had been a while since Ketal had entered this world, and he had gained a solid understanding of its power dynamics. Based on his observations, at least half of the assassins surrounding him were Advanced.

And Advanced individuals were rare. At their level, they were strong enough to serve as knights for even the most powerful kingdoms. The fact that so many of them were gathered here, working as assassins, was unusual—suspicious, even.

Ketal considered the situation for a moment before nodding to himself. I suppose assassins serving nobles would need to be this strong.

After all, they were operating in the heart of the Denian Kingdom’s capital. Ketal wasn’t entirely sure about real estate prices in a fantasy world, but prime locations in major cities were never cheap. Owning such a lavish building meant they had serious funding.

Well... that makes sense, Ketal thought. He recalled how Milayna had once bragged about the artifacts she wore—treasures so powerful that even an Advanced warrior would struggle to penetrate their defenses. Which, in turn, meant that Advanced individuals posed a legitimate threat.

As Ketal arrived at this conclusion, his eyes lit up with excitement. The assassins in this world are actually quite competent!

This was a fantasy world, after all. It wasn’t just physical barriers they had to overcome but magical defenses as well. To successfully assassinate a target in such an environment, one would need an immense level of skill.

Assassins in this fantasy world must be incredibly well-trained and highly valued! Ketal was fully convinced of this.

Of course, he was completely wrong.

The reason why Milayna possessed so many high-level artifacts was that she was absurdly, obscenely rich. For most noble families, just acquiring a single artifact that had similar power as hers would be enough to cripple their finances.

And as for the assassins of this world, they didn’t rely on overwhelming strength at all. Ketal was correct in assuming that nobles implemented both physical and magical security measures, making assassinations difficult.

However, the assassins’ approach wasn’t to brute-force their way through such defenses. His assumption was akin to dealing with an enemy hiding in a bunker by simply dropping a bomb on it.

In reality, assassins didn’t rely on raw power but instead exploited the gaps in their targets’ daily routines, honing that skill to an extreme degree. That was why even among the assassins, Intermediates were rare, and true Advanced assassins were almost nonexistent.

The few Advanced assassins that did exist were more akin to secret weapons, privately trained by certain religious orders or kingdoms for specific purposes. The fact that so many of them were gathered here meant that it wasn’t just an ordinary assassin organization.

Of course, Ketal had no way of knowing that. He wasn’t from this world.

While he was enjoying his thoughts, the assassins attacking him were on the verge of despair. What kind of lunatic is this barbarian?!

Daggers flew at him from the darkness—silent, invisible, impossible to detect. Yet, Ketal dodged them with nothing but a slight tilt of his head.

A blade slashed toward his back, but he twisted his body at the last second, evading it with ease. Despite being surrounded in a confined space, with multiple assassins attacking at full force, Ketal avoided every single attack without so much as a scratch.

The assassins were going mad. It felt like they were fighting a mirage—someone untouchable, something unreal.

However, no matter how fast the barbarian was, he was still on the defensive.

Let’s see how long you can keep dodging! one of the assassins thought. He lunged forward, his blade glinting as it aimed directly for Ketal’s forehead.

Ketal stared at the incoming attack. “I think this is enough.”

He reached out and grabbed the assassin’s sword mid-strike. The assassin froze mid-air, his eyes widening in horror. That was the last expression he would ever make.

The broken blade was driven straight into the assassin’s forehead.

“What?!” another assassin cried out in shock, thrusting his sword toward Ketal.

However, Ketal was faster. His hand shot out, clamping around the assassin’s throat. The man went limp instantly.

Daggers rained toward him, but Ketal simply flicked them away with his fingers. Each one spun back toward the assassins who had thrown them.

“Tch!” They scrambled to block the incoming daggers with their swords, but the impact broke their swords, the sheer force behind the projectiles too much to handle.

The daggers pierced through them, sending them flying back into the walls. Blood splattered against the cold stone.

“No...” Lockbird staggered backward, his face pale with terror. Before he could react, Ketal was already standing in front of him.

Lockbird screamed and swung his sword in desperation, but Ketal casually caught it and snapped it in half before slamming his fist into Lockbird’s stomach.

One by one, the assassins fell. The family head, who had been watching with amusement, suddenly jolted in alarm. “You...!”

Shing!

A flurry of throwing knives shot through the air toward Ketal. With a simple wave of his hand, Ketal caught them effortlessly, crushing them between his fingers.

The force of his action shook the building, the walls trembling ominously. In nearby homes, residents woke up in confusion, wondering if an earthquake had struck.

The family head gulped nervously. “You were hiding your strength...”

“Not really,” Ketal replied. He hadn’t been holding back. The only reason he had allowed the assassins to continue with their assault was simple—he had been curious. He wanted to see how they fought.

Now that his questions had been answered, there was no reason to let them live. Of course, to the family head, this explanation was utter nonsense. Even he himself wouldn’t have made it out unscathed from a coordinated assault by a team of Advanced assassins.

Yet, Ketal had not only survived but had killed them all with ease.

He’s stronger than me... Perhaps even at the level of Transcendent, the family head thought. Why is a monster like this here?

The family head was utterly confused. However, it wasn’t hopeless. He narrowed his eyes and thought of what had just happened.

Instead of taking hits, Ketal had dodged the attacks from the assassins, which meant that he could still be hit.

And... he hasn’t used Aura at all, the family head thought. Whether it was because he couldn’t or simply chose not to was unclear. However, if he wasn’t using it, that meant there was still a chance.

Ketal appeared to be an enigma, a man who relied purely on physical strength yet possessed overwhelming power.

But if that’s the case..., the family head wondered. He reached a conclusion, and he immediately sprang into action. With a swift motion, he flung his robes wide, sending hundreds of hidden throwing knives soaring through the air.

He didn’t stop there. He slammed his hand down on the desk in front of him, activating a hidden mechanism. A concealed compartment burst open, unleashing a second barrage of weapons from the walls.

A storm of poison daggers filled the room like a torrential downpour, converging toward Ketal from all directions.

“Die!” the family head roared.

The barbarian had shown no ability to wield Myst. That meant he had no way to shield himself. His only means of defense had been dodging, avoiding every strike with sheer agility. However, now, there was nowhere left to evade.

Every single blade was coated with a deadly poison, lethal within seconds even from a mere scratch. The family head was certain of victory.

Ketal, on the other hand, was overwhelmed in an entirely different way.

I’ve seen this before! Ketal thought.

Hundreds of throwing weapons rained toward him in a perfect formation, their trajectories aligning in an almost artistic display of precision. And Ketal recognized this technique.

This is like the Ten Thousand Blossom Rain!

It was a legendary hidden weapon technique, often depicted in wuxia stories as one of the deadliest arts. And now, he was witnessing it with his own eyes. It was mesmerizing, like watching a masterpiece unfold before him.

He wanted to keep watching, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.

What should I do now? he thought. With a single sigh of regret, Ketal pondered his options. He quickly discarded most of them.

It was late at night and most of the people were already asleep. If he caused too much of a commotion, he’d end up disturbing the entire neighborhood. After a brief moment of consideration, he made his decision. He turned his gaze toward the incoming blades.

They were fast—far too fast for an ordinary person to even perceive. However, to him, it was as if the projectiles were standing still.

He observed the trajectory of the weapons and analyzed the angle, the speed, and the momentum. Then, he extended a single finger.

One of the incoming daggers barely brushed his fingertip, and its trajectory reversed completely. Ketal moved his fingers again, shifting the paths of several more projectiles. The moment their angles changed, they collided with others in mid-air.

Clang!

The first impact sent a chain reaction rippling through the storm of blades.

Clang, clang, clang!

A deafening cacophony filled the room as the deadly rain of blades collapsed upon itself. Weapons ricocheted in all directions, burying themselves into walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Some even veered back toward the family’s head. His eyes widened in horror, and he instinctively activated his Myst to form a protective barrier around himself.

Clang!

The projectiles slammed against the barrier with an ear-splitting crash. When the sound finally died down, the family head hesitantly lowered his guard.

“Hah,” A breathless chuckle escaped his lips. What was that...?

If Ketal had simply dodged the entire assault by leaping out of range, the family head would have understood. He would have immediately moved on to his next attack.

If Ketal had used the furniture or his surroundings to block the projectiles, the family head would have been momentarily surprised but still able to react.

However, neither of those things had happened.

He redirected just a few daggers to make them all collide with each other! the family head thought, flabbergasted. He could not comprehend what just happened. His fighting spirit evaporated in an instant. His body slackened, his arms hanging limply by his sides.

“You’re a monster...,” the family head muttered. The word barely left his lips before Ketal’s hand clamped around his throat.

Ketal slammed the family head into the ground with a force that shook the entire room.