The Veiled Man
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The Barbarian Ascension - Chapter 1
🕑 Added 2024-10-10 16:00:13 +0000 UTCThe Veiled Man Note: This is my side project that I’ve mentioned before, which I’ll likely post in RoyalRoad in early December. Or January, I am not sure.
I want there to be 60k words ready before I post, but I only have 20k words so far with 7 Chapters. So don’t worry about The Martial God updates slowing down or anything, this is merely a side project for now that I’m releasing in Patreon to see your reactions and feed my craving for motivation.
Synopsis:
He was just an ordinary young man aiming to enjoy his early retirement, until he found himself sucked into a portal, appearing in a brutal, unforgiving world, in the body of a barbarian of the Valtherian tribe.
In this land ruled by the System and Gods, some things seemed oddly connected to him. He had many questions, but there were no answers on this isolated island.
So Thorvyn Valteria decides to venture into the outside world, except he must survive a deadly coming-of-age trial, earn himself a strong Class, and only then leave this stupid backwater barbarian island.
[Shared Universe With The Martial God]
Chapter 1: Who Are These Muscleheads?
When I returned from the military, my father said, “Son, I am getting married.”
I was happy for the man. After mom had passed, he’d been too depressed to do anything, so I was glad he found someone again. Even if this new girl was younger than me and probably was just trying to steal his money. But hey, at least he’d still get to enjoy his last few years. I didn’t really care if he ended up writing her the will. I was never really materialistic.
So when it came to looking for a new house, because I definitely wasn’t planning to poison my ears with an old man’s grunting all night long, I chose somewhere remote. City life had its benefits, don’t get me wrong, but I just always liked nature.
Money wasn’t a problem for me. I wasn’t rich, but my dear father was. And he was all too happy to buy me the moon if I would move into that. But I wanted to buy a cheap house regardless. I’d always been like that, mother’s effect.
“So this is the place?”
“Yeah… Dude, you should have at least checked this out before buying it.” My friend who sold me this house for a far cheaper price than the market said, his expression shaky as he looked at the house. “I am not joking when I say that thing is haunted.”
Yep, that was the reason why this land was so cheap. He’d been open about it, we’d been good friends since childhood, and he wasn’t the scammer type.
“Josh, when you see people’s brain matter blast all over your face on the battlefield while a dozen dead bodies sleep all around you, ghosts are the last thing that’d scare you.” I patted his shoulder with a chuckle.
Heh, I’d be rather… happy if I could see my dead friends’ faces in the form of ghosts.
Josh sighed and helped me unpack from the car. Josh was my distant cousin, we shared a common great-grandfather who owned this place. At one point, his grandfather received this land, and now it was in my hands. My father said my side of the family was fated to receive this, and now we finally did. He was confident that the ‘ghosts’ wouldn’t bother me.
I didn’t bring much stuff with me, just some clothes and daily necessities. “You should have at least come during the morning, man,” Josh said before driving into the setting sun. By the time he was gone, the night fell, and I was left alone in an empty, allegedly haunted house with nothing but two bags beside me.
The weather was nice.
“This should make fun stories to tell to my grandkids,” I stepped back inside the house, planning a future that I didn’t have a person to make with, laughing to myself. The laughter echoed across the empty house. “Huh…”
Okay, that sounded a little creepy.
No wonder people were scared. Its–
I frowned as my ears caught something else.
A cool air passed by me, and my body kicked into adrenaline. I had left the house for a minute to see Josh off. Had a trespasser entered in that little time? No, the house didn’t have anything. Was it a cat or something?
I slowly followed the sound, my footsteps careful against the wooden floor. I walked around the house, but the source was hard to pinpoint. I suddenly came to a stop on a spot, looking down. It was coming… from below. The sound was a low hum.
“Yeah, not a human,” walked to my bag and opened it. I took out my ax. “Probably some wolf, or worse,” I noted as I walked over to the basement door. With the ax at hand, my baby that I couldn’t help but carry in most places that were allowed, I felt more confident as I touched the door. It flicked open, and I walked down the stairs. I wore a torch on my head, and it lit up the path ahead.
The ax was tight on my grip, my senses sharp, as I made my way down. The smell here was disgusting. I doubted this place had been opened in the last century or so. Hopefully nothing poisonous. I reached the ground, and it was wet. It was soil, and it was slightly wet. I looked around. There was only debris and walls around.
Where was the sound coming from?
There was no hiding spot, so the beast couldn’t be hiding behind anything. My head turned and stopped. There was a… door there. It was barely visible because it had a similar texture to the wall.
“....”
Okay, this is weird.
It couldn’t have been a beast. Unless some crazy fucker locked it up behind that door. But it didn’t look like it was touched. But… I also didn’t believe in ghosts. It could be anything there. I recalled reading an article about 60,000 bees stuck in a wall, and the sound they made scared the child who slept in that room– ugh, pointless thoughts.
Perhaps on the other side of the door, there was an opening connecting to the outside world. That would make sense. The sound only started after the sun fell, which meant it was an animal who returned home after a day’s outing. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
The wise thing would be to turn around and call for the firefighters tomorrow. However, I doubt I’ll be able to sleep tonight without checking this out. I knew it was dumb… but I didn’t really care. The General always called me heavy-headed for this.
I slowly walked over and grabbed the door handle. It came right off. I paused, deciding, and then slammed my leg into the door. It broke right off, falling into the–
[Mana Signature Confirmed.]
[Entry Granted.]
“W-whoa!”
Weird text boxes appeared before me, but I didn’t have the time to read them.
Because a hungry, blue vortex of energy consumed the door entirely. It resembled an ocean whirlpool, but instead of water, it was pure energy, humming with the intensity of a missile. The force tugged at me, and out of instinct, I slammed the ax into the wall. I gripped it tightly as the vortex yanked me closer, pulling me toward its depths.
“What the FUCK, Josh?!” I shouted, holding onto the ax as if my life depended on it. I was certain it did. “This is not a fucking GHOST!”
My knuckles turned white as I gripped the ax harder, the force from the vortex nearly ripping me from the wall. The door frame started to creak. Slowly, it bent and twisted, the wood groaning like it was alive. My arms trembled, muscles burning as the pull grew stronger, more relentless, dragging not just me but everything toward it.
Cracks splintered along the door frame as it buckled, snapping under the pressure. I watched, wide-eyed, as the walls began to tremble. The whole house started to shift, the foundation creaking like it was about to give.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I gritted my teeth, trying to pull myself back, but the ax started to slip from my hands. The wall I was anchored to peeled like paper, the force too much for it to hold.
With a loud crack, the frame finally gave way. The vortex surged, swallowing it, and then the floor beneath me started to give in. My grip loosened as the entire house began to collapse into the vortex, the walls twisting and shattering into pieces, sucked into that blue mass of energy.
I screamed, my heart racing, as my feet lifted off the ground. I fell toward it, helpless, watching the ceiling above me warp and splinter as it was pulled in, too.
Everything was falling into the vortex—everything.
My house, my world, and most importantly, myself.
“Holy–!” I yelled, but it was too late. The walls crumbled around me, sucked into the void. The last thing I saw was the entire house being ripped apart as I was pulled in headfirst, spinning and tumbling deeper into the vortex.
My body twisted, weightless, as I fell further, deeper into the unknown.
Then everything turned white.
****
“Rargh!”
When the world regained its color, I found myself lying on stones while gurgling sounds filled my eardrums. I blinked, feeling the cold surface on my cheek, and immediately pushed myself up. Where the hell am I?
My thoughts were full of questions, but my mind was clear.
Is this… teleportation? Was that a wormhole? I knew a bit of science but more than that, I had consumed enough fantasy to be familiar with this. First I thought it was a vortex that tore me apart, but was it a “portal” instead? Where did it bring me?
I turned my head to the side, trying to make sense of where I was— and then my body jumped into fight mode. The situation around me was intense.
“Rargh!”
“Grrgh!”
Humans and wolves clashed against one another, both growling like animals. No, were those even humans?
Before I could think any further, a roar came from my side. I turned and a wolf was jumping at me. “Ow!” I yelped in surprise, and my hand moved on its own out of pure instinct.
My ax was still in my grip, but much larger than before, heavier too. But it didn’t feel heavy to me as it slammed into the incoming beast right under its jaw. The sharp blade cut through the furry neck, and warm blood splattered on my body.
[You’ve killed a Direwolf – Level 11!]
The weird, oversized wolf fell to the ground.
Along with that, a weird box filled my vision, and I jumped back in surprise. It vanished instantly. “...What?” I breathed faster, and my head snapped around again, trying to gauge the situation. Adrenaline flowed through me like a fountain.
There were sounds of roars and screams all over me, and a group of large wolves were attacking the group of people around me who had more muscles than Arnold fucking Schwarzenegger.
All were cutting down wolves of multiple sizes as they wielded roughly made weapons. Above this odd scene, my eyes trembled as I caught a volcano oozing with smoke while clouds littered the clear sky beyond. It was so clear that I was certain stars could be seen from here.
But…
Where the fuck is this?!
I felt overwhelmed. Where did that whirlpool, portal, whatever bring me?
I didn’t get much time to lament, however. The wolves rushed at me, seeing me stand still. One of these overgrown canines leaped at me, and I barely raised my ax in order to block it, cutting its leg, but another wolf jumped from my back.
A spear passed through the wolf’s neck before it could reach my ax, killing it instantly. “Kekeke, Thorvyn, you growin’ weaker! First you passed out and now this?” The man who had just killed the wolf laughed, and his voice was laced with mockery.
I didn’t know him, but I suddenly felt extremely annoyed. It was as if my blood started to boil-! It was an intense feeling. Shit, let’s get my head right, this can’t be a dream or hallucination, the pain from the bite was too real. I can think more about this, but first I need to survive these wolves.
I maneuvered the ax in my grip, trying to get a grasp on it. It was much larger than the one I held before, but it didn’t feel heavy. Looking at my football-sized bare thighs under the tiger skin wrapped around my waist, I guessed I too was as big as these men around me.
That’d make things easier.
I exhaled sharply and tightened my grip on the ax. My heart pounded in my chest, the adrenaline pushing me forward as the next wolf came charging. It growled, low and menacing, its eyes glowing with feral intent. I didn’t flinch.
Instead, I swung the ax wide, catching the beast in mid-leap. The blade dug deep into its side, splitting fur and flesh. It yelped and crashed to the ground, dead before it even hit the dirt.
[You’ve killed a Direwolf – Level 13!]
Another box flashed in my vision, but I ignored it. No time for that. Another wolf lunged from the side, and I swung quickly, bringing the ax up and cleaving through its neck. Blood sprayed across the ground, and I barely had time to blink before another came, snarling and snapping at my ankles.
By now, my muscles burned, but I couldn’t stop. The last wolf came barreling toward me. I readied myself, taking a deep breath, and as it lunged, I sidestepped. With a quick, brutal strike, I brought the ax down on its spine, ending the fight in one clean blow.
[You’ve killed a Direwolf – Level 15!]
[You’ve leveled up!]
I stood there, panting, my body covered in blood and dirt. Around me, the sounds of battle began to die down. The men—the barbarians—had finished their kills too. The field was now littered with the massive corpses of the wolves, their blood staining the earth beneath us.
For a moment, silence reigned. The men, and a few women too I finally noticed, stared at me. Then, the man who had thrown the spear earlier, the one who called me "Thorvyn," broke into laughter.
“Kekeke! Three wolves in a minute, Thorvyn! You finally learn to swing that ax!” he roared, stepping over one of the dead beasts, his own bloodied spear resting on his shoulder.
I looked at him, calming my breathing. Three wolves, huh? I didn’t even have the chance to count. I hadn’t fought wolves before even in the military, who had? And yet my hands… they were steady, and the ax felt right as if I’d been doing this my whole life. Something very weird was going on.
This wasn’t just simple teleportation, I think.
I didn’t have any answer for him, so I just grunted.
The man raised his spear and bellowed, “Food’s been secured for the day!” His voice carried across the battlefield, and the other barbarians cheered in response, some raising their weapons in triumph. “Time to head back to the village!”
The men started gathering the wolves’ bodies, tying them with thick ropes to drag them back. I stayed where I was, watching the scene unfold, trying to process everything that had just happened. The sound of my own breathing filled my ears. There was something strangely calming about it.
As the others began to move, questions crossed my mind. Did I travel back in time to the Stone Age? What’s that game-like notification, then? There was nobody to answer me, so I just sighed and gave a small nod to myself.
I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I had survived. That was enough for now. Hopefully, following them into this ‘village’ will lead to answers.
