Surviving as a Barbarian in a Fantasy World - Chapter 62

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Chapter 62 – Human? (8)

Most of the cells in the human body are replaced within a year.

So, are you the same person you were a year ago?

Can something that has been replaced be considered identical to the original?

The Ship of Theseus.

A paradox about change and identity.

These people were exactly like the Ship of Theseus.

The only difference was that the concept of death had disappeared and they had gained unique abilities, but to them, it was probably a trivial matter, like growing taller, growing nails, or growing hair.

Adamanth didn’t strongly disagree.

“It’s similar, but it’s different. A ship doesn’t have a self. I, on the other hand, have a self. I am human.”

“How can anyone know if your self is truly the same Adamanth as before?”

Ketal shrugged his shoulders.

“You call yourself human because of the continuity of your memories. But that’s not much of evidence. Ultimately, it’s just your personal subjectivity. It’s the observations of those around you that hold meaning.”

“…That’s…”

“If something with your memories, your power, your habits, were to live as you, replacing the original you, how can you be sure it’s you?”

“……”

“If your replica suddenly appeared and claimed to be Adamanth, and if the replica truly believed it was Adamanth, would it really be Adamanth? And could you accept it as Adamanth?”

“You. Are you really a barbarian?”

Adamanth’s face showed bewilderment.

The Master was equally taken aback.

‘What is this?’

It wasn’t just about being intelligent.

Ketal was approaching the essence and perspective of things.

This was a philosophical approach.

A philosophical barbarian.

There couldn’t be a more mismatched pair of words.

Adamanth looked at Ketal as if he were seeing something bizarre.

“…A barbarian being philosophical? This is surprising. I think you’re more peculiar than I am.”

“I just have a lot of knowledge.”

Ketal shook his head.

The Ship of Theseus.

It was a famous paradox.

Most people interested in such things knew about it.

In the modern world, you can find all the information you want just sitting down.

With a bit of curiosity and effort, you can look into all the knowledge accumulated by great prophets.

But this was a fantasy world.

Exchanging information wasn’t easy.

Without receiving a considerable amount of higher education, philosophical knowledge had to be built up on one’s own.

That’s why the Tower Master and Adamanth were surprised by Ketal’s words.

Such an answer meant he had pondered over it before.

But Ketal was also surprised.

Adamanth said he realized on his own that he had been replaced.

Not with someone’s help, but purely through his own senses.

‘Is this what it means to be superhuman?’

“Hmm.”

Adamanth couldn’t immediately rebut.

He was a human and Adamanth now.

But was he really the previous Adamanth?

Even he couldn’t be sure.

As the barbarian said, if one day he disappeared and a perfect replica of him believed itself to be Adamanth, it would indeed become Adamanth.

However, Adamanth squinted his eyes.

“In that case, the story becomes simpler. The princess you’re trying to protect is in the same state as I am.”

“That’s true.”

“Then it’s right for those who might have been replaced to stick together. It would be reassuring for you as well.”

“I don’t particularly care.”

“…What?”

Adamanth was taken aback by Ketal’s words.

“As you said, we are something replaced without even knowing it. We’re no different from doppelgangers.”

“What’s the problem with that?”

Ketal tilted his head.

Adamanth was momentarily at a loss for words.

All races in the world exterminated doppelgangers on sight.

The reason was simple.

The thought of something hiding among them, pretending to be one of them, was extremely repulsive.

Everyone had a visceral hatred and loathing for creatures that mimicked their form.

According to Ketal, they were like doppelgangers.

As humans, they should naturally feel contempt and hostility.

But the barbarian did not hate them.

He just saw them as ordinary beings.

“…You seem less human than I am.”

“I am human.”

Ketal said calmly.

Adamanth didn’t particularly listen to him.

“Then why are you stopping me?”

“I already told you. I don’t really care what you are. I’m stopping you to protect my employer.”

He was a mercenary.

What mattered were his employer’s wishes.

Ketal looked back at Elene, who shuddered under his gaze.

“Elene, what do you think?”

“But… I’m just a monster imitating Elene.”

“To me, you are Elene.”

“What?”

“I never knew the previous Elene. The only Elene I know is the one who came to the Barkan territory as a monster.”

“Oh.”

Elene’s eyes widened.

It was obvious.

Ketal didn’t know the Elene from before.

The one he knew was the Elene who had turned into a monster.

“The one I made a contract to protect is you, not the previous existence. It’s not really a significant issue to me.”

Ketal spoke lightly.

“If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. If you don’t want to, I’ll protect you. I’m your escort.”

Elene lowered her head again, slowly murmuring.

“I don’t want to go back.”

“Then that’s settled.”

Ketal grinned and raised his axe.

“Patrick, please.”

“Yes.”

The Tower Master led Elene and Aaron back.

Adamanth sighed.

“So, this is how it ends.”

He raised his staff and pointed it at Ketal.

“You seem to be enjoying this, barbarian.”

“I’m quite enjoying it.”

A real-life Ship of Theseus.

What thoughts do they have, how do they act?

Seeing in practice what could only be theorized was undeniably fascinating.

‘Since this is a fantasy, I thought I could understand it through the soul, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.’

Adamanth gave a bitter laugh.

“No matter how I look at it, your way of thinking isn’t human. You seem more monstrous than either the princess or me.”

“I am human.”

“Nonsense. For the sake of the world, I think I need to take you down. Perfect timing. If the princess crosses to another country, it will cause a serious diplomatic issue.”

Murderous intent flickered in Adamanth’s eyes.

“So, I will kill you.”

“That sounds good.”

Ketal grinned widely.

A wizard.

A being dealing with the quintessential mysteries of fantasy.

Fighting such an existence was thrilling.

Karthos, or whatever his name was, was also a wizard, but he had just talked and then vanished, leaving no real impression.

Fighting a proper wizard made Ketal’s heart feel like it would explode with anticipation. Adamanth raised his staff.

Just as he began to cast a spell, Ketal charged forward.

The first rule in dealing with a wizard, as described in any book or game: kill them before they cast their spell.

Ketal followed this cliché diligently, his axe swinging towards Adamanth’s neck in an instant.

But the axe sliced through empty air.

Ketal’s eyes widened.

He had missed.

Despite his considerable speed, Adamanth had reacted.

He reappeared behind a tree.

‘He reacted to that speed?’

Even a sword master couldn’t react to that.

Ketal was astonished, but Adamanth was even more so.

“What, what did you do?”

From a distance, the Tower Master muttered.

“Reactive magic.”

There was no way a slow wizard could respond to that speed.

Reactive magic.

A kind of setup where the wizard’s spell automatically activated when a certain condition was met.

Any wizard who reached a certain level could handle it.

It served as a lifeline for the otherwise fragile wizards.

‘It seems he set it up to trigger a random teleport when approached at a certain speed.’

Since it activated automatically, it wasn’t heavily reliant on the wizard’s abilities.

But Ketal didn’t know that.

To him, it looked like Adamanth had cast a spell in response to his attack.

“Hmm.”

Ketal tilted his head and raised his axe again.

Adamanth hurriedly raised his staff, but it was too late.

The axe was already close to him.

At that moment, a spell activated.

Zzzrrraaang!

A shield of ice protected Adamanth.

But it was meaningless.

The staff, the shield, and Adamanth were all cut down together.

Adamanth’s head fell to the ground.

“You reacted again.”

Though the defense had failed, it was clear that Adamanth had cast a spell in response to Ketal’s attack.

Ketal was convinced.

This wizard was indeed reacting to his attacks.

Normally, that would be the end of it.

A being with its head separated from its body wouldn’t be able to move anymore.

But something strange happened.

Adamanth vanished.

Not only him, but also the clothes he wore and the staff that had been cut off disappeared as well.

Then, he reappeared, looking just as he did initially.

“So, it’s like this.”

Ketal observed with a fascinated look.

It was more like returning to the original state than regeneration, just as Adamanth had described.

“Damn it!”

Adamanth cursed upon returning.

He couldn’t see it.

The reactive magic he had set up for defense was useless.

Ketal raised his axe, and Adamanth clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t respond.

There were no more reactive spells left.

Thus, he decided to attack.

Ketal moved, and Adamanth’s head flew off.

But soon, he returned to his original form again.

Adamanth cast a spell.

Zzzrazz!

Arrows of ice materialized, flying swiftly toward Ketal.

He easily dodged them.

Zzzraaang!

The arrows pierced through a tree and shattered a rock.

Part of the forest was destroyed.

Ketal whistled.

“Impressive.”

Boom!

This time, the air burst.

Fire exploded, and blades of wind rushed forward.

Ketal bared his teeth and swung his axe.

Boom!

The pressure from his axe blew away Adamanth’s spells.

Though shocked, Adamanth didn’t stop.

“Argh!”

Adamanth placed his hand on a nearby tree.

The tree shook, and leaves fell.

The falling leaves sharpened into blades and shot toward Ketal.

Hundreds of leaves tried to pierce him.

Ketal leaped into the air.

The leaves destroyed the tree, rocks, and the ground.

The lush forest quickly turned into a wasteland.

Adamanth swung his staff violently.

The resulting wind condensed and took on a massive form.

A wind bomb flew toward Ketal.

He easily dodged it.

The bomb exploded right next to him.

Fragments of wind battered Ketal’s entire body.

He laughed.

Nature itself was being wielded by Adamanth.

Unlike a spirit that harmonizes and becomes one with nature, Adamanth controlled it and bent it to his will.

This was magic.

The quintessential mystery of fantasy.

The power to shake the laws of the world.

Ketal was moved.

Meanwhile, the Tower Master thought,

‘…Is he actually impressed by the fact that his opponent revives even after being killed?’

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