The Barbarian Ascension - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: First Human Encounter

The wind whipped across the deck, carrying the scent of salt and sea, filling the sails with a steady breeze. The ship swayed slightly as it cut through the waters of the Tempestuous Sea, the rhythmic creaking of wood and the occasional call of a seabird echoing above. The endless blue stretched out in every direction, the horizon a faint line where the sea kissed the sky. It was peaceful. But even in the tranquility, there was a wildness to the sea, an untamed force beneath the surface.

I stood at the bow of the ship, the wind in my hair, taking in the expanse of water. It had been two weeks since we set sail from the Volcanic Islands, and I’d found myself quickly promoted to the title of Captain in the ship. Not because I knew shit about sailing—quite the opposite, really—but because I was the strongest bastard on board. 

It was simple logic for the Valtherians. The strongest led, even if the leader didn’t know the first thing about the ship’s ropes, winds, or currents.

Thorvyn’s memories could help if I tapped into them, he had been to the sea before, but honestly, I didn’t want to risk it. He’d never been to such a large ship before. So, I let the others handle the sailing. My job was to lead the fights, to swing my ax if we ever encountered anything threatening—like a pirate ship. But in the last two weeks, we hadn’t come across anything of the sort.

Just sea monsters.

The monsters we’d seen were big, though. The barbarians called them [Sea Kings], but for all their size, they weren’t that high-leveled. The biggest one we fought barely scraped into the Second Ascension. 

Ragnar had told me stories, though—stories of beasts deep below the waves, creatures so massive they could split a continent in half with a flick of their tails. But I was pretty sure that was just the kind of barbarian bullshit that thrived around campfires and too much alcohol.

Still, defeating the sea kings wasn’t an issue. I’d gained a level after chopping through a few of them. [Level 29] now. For reference, I had gained only one level in the last month before sailing, and since I wasn’t actively hunting, that meant the sea monsters were good EXP. The increase in strength was noticeable. Every bit counted.

“Oy, Thorvyn! I think there’s another monster!” one of the barbarians yelled from the other side of the ship.

I turned, feeling a buzz of excitement rising in my chest. “Another fight? Hell yeah-” I stopped myself mid-sentence. Hmm, have I started to become like them?

I hurried over to the railing where a group had already gathered. Ragnar stood at the front, her eyes locked on the horizon. She scanned the water with that sharp gaze, eyes narrowed like she could see things the rest of us couldn’t.

“There!” she pointed suddenly, her voice filled with certainty.

I followed her finger, and sure enough, a massive serpentine shape burst from the water. Its body glistened in the sun, a mixture of scales and fins, while its head—large and fish-like—turned toward the ship. It coiled around, sending ripples through the water that rocked the boat.

I glanced up, searching for something, and I found it. 

Floating above its head were faint letters. 

[3rd Ascension].

It wasn’t a weak monster, it was around the dragon’s level. That explained why Ragnar looked a little more serious this time. But still, nothing we couldn’t handle. I supposed the system hadn’t mentioned this perk of [Dragon’s Eye], letting me see the exact ascension rank of enemies. I wasn’t going to complain about it.

“Not bad,” I muttered, my hand instinctively reaching for my ax strapped across my back. I didn’t bother wasting time. Gripping the weapon tightly, I took a deep breath and leaped upward with all my might.

The monster’s head rose high, towering as tall as the ship’s mast, and I shot through the air like a cannonball. The beast turned, its eyes locking onto me, and with a sudden dive, it lunged forward, aiming to swallow me whole. Its jaws gaped wide, and rows of razor-sharp teeth glinted in the sunlight.

My face went serious. What a dangerous thing.

I let the power of the [Elemental Fury] flow through me, tapping into the cold, salty air that surrounded us. Ice was fitting here. The moment I called on it, I felt the familiar chill creep into my weapon. Frost crackled along the ax’s blade, growing and expanding until the head of the ax was encased in a massive block of ax-shaped ice.

With a roar, I swung the ax down with all my strength.

The frozen edge cleaved through the air and met the Sea King’s head with a satisfying chime followed by a crack. The ice shattered as it sliced cleanly through the monster’s skull, splitting it open in one powerful blow. 

Blood sprayed across the deck, painting the wood in a deep crimson, as the creature’s head dropped onto the ship. Its body followed a second later, crashing into the sea with a thunderous splash, sending waves rippling out in every direction.

Almost immediately, smaller fish swarmed the carcass, tearing into the remains of the Sea King like a feast. The ocean was as merciless as the land.

I landed back on the deck with a thud, wiping the spray of blood from my face as the familiar ping of system notifications filled my vision.

[You’ve killed a Sea King – Level 31!]

[You’ve leveled up!]

“Whew,” I heaved out as the notification settled in and a fresh wave of energy rippled through me. Third Ascension, finally. The power boost was real, for I could feel it thrumming through my veins, crackling at my fingertips.

Ragnar stepped up beside me, a grin on her face. “Swift work. You level up?” She asked and I gave her a nod, making her lips widen. She immediately threw her arms up, letting out a loud cheer. “Everyone, Thorvyn’s reached [Third Ascension]!”

The rest of the crew turned at the sound of her announcement, their eyes widening with realization. A second later, they erupted into cheers, roaring across the deck like a storm.

“Third Ascension!” they shouted in unison, banging their weapons against the wood and stomping their feet in rhythm. “Third Ascension, Third Ascension!”

“Guys, calm down-” I tried to stop them, for the ship trembled violently, but they didn’t listen. A short feast started for no reason, and the celebration went on for what felt like an hour, the cheer growing louder as the excitement spread.

…

I yawned, lying on my back, as the celebration came to an end around me. I felt relaxed and lethargic as my mind began to drift away to sleep. But a shout startled me awake. 

“Oy!” It belonged to one of the lookout barbarians. “There are ships ahead!”

The last bits of cheering died down instantly. My eyes snapped open, and I shot up to my legs. I walked over to the scout and standing beside him, I narrowed my eyes, following his pointing hand toward the horizon. There, just barely visible in the distance, were two ships. 

In the last two weeks, we hadn’t seen a single boat—hell, the only sign of life was the occasional hungry sea kings—but now there were two ships ahead. 

However, something wasn’t right. 

The ships were too close to one another, and one of the ships, the larger one, was clearly clashing against the other. I could see flashes of fire and smoke. “...Looks like one’s a pirate ship,” Ragnar stopped beside me and muttered, her tone grim.

15th day of pilgrimage. We encountered pirates.

****

We were growing closer to the ships now, our sails full of wind and the sea slapping lazily against the hull. I stood next to Ragnar, eyes fixed on the approaching vessels. 

The wind carried the scent of salt and something else—something that stunk of danger. As we had guessed earlier, the larger ship had a black flag. “Yep, it’s a pirate ship,” I said. Ragnar shielded her eyes with her hand, squinting at the distant scene. "When did your eyesight get so good?" she asked, voice sharp, her gaze never leaving the horizon. 

"Class," I replied, keeping my answer short. No need for long explanations.

"Oh." She didn’t say anything more, and neither did I. Now wasn’t the time. “There are about three dozen of them. We’re outnumbered,” she said. Is she bragging? Her eyesight was still better than mine. Did she also receive a skill related to that? Or was my Skill just not that good?

As we neared, the details of the pirate ship became clearer even to my eyes. The second vessel, a merchant ship by the look of its tattered sails, was already overrun. Civilians, bound and kneeling, huddled together on the deck of the pirate ship. The pirates stood around them, grinning, weapons ready. It wasn’t hard to figure out their plan. 

The bastards were planning to use the civilians as shields, expecting us to hesitate if we decided to fight them. They had no idea who they were dealing with.

Not for long though. The closer we came, the more those pirate smirks began to falter. One of them, a thick-necked bastard with a tattered hat, stood a step ahead of the others, which I assumed meant he was their leader. His eyes narrowed as he spotted us. 

I could see the confusion on his face—this wasn’t the encounter he’d been expecting. “What the hell?” he shouted, spitting into the sea. “Is that some poor barbarian ship? Ugh, fuck me.” He turned to us, his tone dripping with venom. “You lot! Leave now, don’t act up, and we won’t have to kill ya.”

“I don’t like him,” Ragnar shot me a quick glance. I met her gaze for a second before turning back to the pirate. I scanned the scene properly—pirates, grinning like they’d already won, and the civilians, terrified and trembling. I spotted the civilians, their clothes. Looks almost like Victorian times? So is the world like that outside?

While observing their clothes, my eyes fell upon the women sitting among them, their clothes torn, eyes wide, as they had their hands tied. My eyes twitched. It seems before our ships approached, the pirate bastards were about to throw a party.

My grip tightened around the handle of my ax.

I let out a slow breath, rolling my shoulders to loosen them. Then, I set my ax down from where it had been resting on my shoulder, holding it lazily in my hands as if I considered his offer of a truce.

The pirate captain’s smirk widened, indeed mistaking my relaxed posture for surrender. 

[2nd Ascension]

That weak fool.

"Guys," I called out in a voice casual but loud enough for every one of my barbarians to hear. Behind me, I could feel them stirring, their hands tightening on their weapons, eager for a fight. My eyes flicked back to the women on board, how they crossed their arms over their chests, to the way they flinched under the pirates’ gaze. Anger simmered just beneath my skin. "Make sure not a single one of the civilians gets hurt. Kill all those pirate bastards!”

"RAHH!"

The roar of the barbarians shook the air as they leaped forward, weapons gleaming under the sun. Almost two dozen of them hurled themselves at the pirate ship, their feet barely making a sound as they landed. Steel met flesh in an instant. The pirates weren’t ready for this. 

“Argh!”

“Fuck-”

The pirates shouted in pain.

Ragnar was already on the deck, her club moving like a blur. It smashed into the first pirate’s chest, caving in his ribs with a wet crunch. Blood sprayed across the deck, but she didn’t stop. She was already swinging at the next one, her eyes locked with a predator’s focus.

"Ha! More blood for me!" Beric, a towering mass of muscle whom I had come to know in the last two weeks, shouted from the other side of the deck. His warhammer came down with a thunderous impact, flattening two pirates at once. Their bodies crumpled like paper beneath the weight of his swing, and he laughed, his voice echoing over the chaos.

Another barbarian, Jarl, was cutting through the enemy like a whirlwind, his twin axes flashing in the sunlight as they sliced through limbs and torsos. He ducked beneath a wild swing from a pirate’s cutlass, his movements too fast for the eye to follow. In a blur, his axes found flesh again, burying themselves deep into the pirate’s neck. The man gurgled, blood bubbling from his throat as he hit the ground.

"C’mon, why can pirates be so weak!" Jarl growled, pulling his axes free in a spray of blood.

I smirked and looked to the other side of the ship. Ketta, a Valteria small in size but just as fierce, dodged a pirate’s clumsy strike and rammed her elbow into his gut, winding him. Before he could recover, she slammed her fist into his face, sending him crashing into the deck. She spun, fluid and fast, catching another pirate by the throat. Her fingers tightened, and with a grunt, she lifted him off the ground before slamming him down like a sack of grain.

The pirates didn’t stand a chance. They might have been used to raiding defenseless merchants, but we weren’t some weaklings sailing for trade. They had no idea who they’d picked a fight with.

I spotted the pirate captain, eyes wide as he realized his mistake. “D-damn barbarians!” He shouted in frustration. His crew was falling fast, and panic flashed in his face as he barked orders, trying to rally the remaining men. He turned to flee, but he didn’t get far. 

“Not so fast,” Ragnar appeared in front of him, expression serious, as she slammed her club against his head. He must have barely been 2nd Ascension, for he did not survive such a powerful strike. His head exploded into a puddle of blood. 

The rest of the pirates faltered seeing their captain fall. Haldrek was quick and deadly as he cut through the others like they were nothing. His blade found the throat of a man who seemed to be the vice-captain, and in one clean motion, the pirate’s head separated from his shoulders. 

It rolled across the deck before coming to a stop, the life draining from his eyes.

He was the last one. A sudden silence fell over the ship. 

Blood dripped from the deck, pooling beneath the fallen pirates, their bodies littering the ground. My barbarians stood tall with their weapons dripping red, breathing hard from the fight. The civilians were still bound and terrified, but they were safe. They looked up at me, unsure, waiting for what came next. 

I hopped down onto the deck, the sound of my boots hitting the wood breaking the sudden quiet. The civilians flinched as I approached, wide eyes trembling at me.

“...Free their restraints,” I ordered after taking a good look at them. “And be gentle about it. They have fragile bodies.”

The barbarians looked at me and then moved without hesitation, cutting the ropes that bound the civilians’ hands. One by one, they were freed, some collapsing in relief, others simply staring at us in disbelief.

We must’ve seemed like a godsent gift to them at that moment.

****

The sun was dipping lower into the horizon, casting a fiery glow over the calm waters of the Tempestuous Sea as the last bits of fighting died down. The pirates were dead, their blood mingling with the salt of the sea, staining the deck in thick crimson streaks. The civilians huddled together, still shaken but alive. 

After the barbarians moved to clean up the bodies, I called for them to gather before me. The wind breezed past, ruffling my hair as I observed the barbarians.

“Search the ship,” I ordered, nodding toward the pirate vessel we stood on. “Find the stuff they’ve taken and return it to the merchants.”

The barbarians glanced at one another, hesitant. Grumbles spread through the group as a few of them eyed me with displeasure. One of the bigger guys, Jorgal, stepped forward, a scowl plastered across his face. “Why we return it?” he growled. “Loot’s loot. We won it fair and square, didn’t we? We keep it!”

I sighed, feeling the familiar throb of annoyance creeping in. I stepped forward, and before Jorgal could even react, my fist collided with his jaw. The air exploded. The impact echoed across the deck, and the big man crumpled to the floor like a sack of stones. The other barbarians stiffened, not daring to move.

“You win a fight,” I said, looking down at Jorgal’s groaning form, “you keep the spoils. But these people,” I gestured toward the civilians, “were already robbed before we got here. If we take what was stolen from them, that doesn’t make us any better than the scum we just killed, does it? The chieftain didn’t send us to become pirates.”

The barbarians murmured among themselves, some displeased, but some pondering my words. But none of them dared to challenge me after that display. Not if they wanted to keep their jaws intact.

“But, fine!” I continued, deciding to soften the blow, “Whatever else we find from the ship—things they looted from before today—that’s ours. We’ll split it evenly. Good?”

That satisfied them. I saw the glint of greed in their eyes as they began moving again, more eager this time. 

Barbarians loved two things: fighting and the rewards that came after it. And as long as they got their share, they wouldn’t question much. I didn’t see any problem with that. I wasn’t planning to lead them after leaving the sea, so it wasn’t my problem.

For the next half an hour, as they scoured the ship, I leaned against the railing, my thoughts wandering. 

There would be coins among the loot. Coin was something the barbarians weren’t familiar with. Coins didn’t mean much to us back on the island. Sometimes the Chieftain dealt with the rare merchant ships that came near our shores, trading furs and meat for strange trinkets, but none of the barbarians really understood the value of these shiny metal pieces. Including myself. 

This world’s economy was largely a mystery to me.

Once the loot was gathered, I told the barbarians to put the stuff that was looted from the merchants on one side and loot that would soon be ours to another. I called the barbarians together on the deck. They stood in front of me, eager, their hands itching for whatever treasures they might get. In front of me, a whole ton of gold, silver, jewelry, coins, and other things rested. I looked down at it, and it seemed my lack of interest in material wealth remained the same even in this world.

I hummed and straightened up as I addressed them. “We can’t divide the loot yet. Because we don’t know the value of these things. Especially the coins.”

“What’s that?”

“Coins,” I said, crouching down and holding up a handful of the gold and silver pieces. “From what I’ve learned from the shaman’s books, humans from the continent use these to trade, buy food, and other things. Some of you may have seen it before when the Chieftain dealt with the merchants who came near our island, but we don’t know the value of it. So we can’t divide it yet.”

A few of them nodded, though as I had guessed, most were just as clueless as I was. “But I doubt any of us fully understand it,” I continued, glancing over to the freed civilians. “Any of you willing to explain how the currency works?”

The merchants exchanged uneasy glances, clearly wary of us. I didn’t blame them. We’d just slaughtered an entire ship of pirates right in front of them, and while it was to save them, we still looked like barbarians. They couldn’t trust us to behave like civilized folks.

“Uh, sir,” finally, a rotund man with a balding head and a nervous smile raised his hand. “I… I can explain,” he stammered. I nodded, and he stepped forward. “I’m the captain of this merchant ship, actually. My name is Borric, of the Seagard Port.”

Ragnar crossed her arms, eyeing him with curiosity. “What the hell is Seagard Port?”

Borric blinked, confusion crossing his face. “Uh… a port city, of course?”

I shook my head, cutting in. “We’re barbarians, and I’m the only one who’s barely well-spoken,” I explained, voice flat. “You’re gonna have to explain it better than that.”

“Ah, right,” Borric cleared his throat, clearly flustered. I watched him closely. He must have realized we were dumb as tree stumps. But I didn’t want him to think we were all useless, I kept my gaze sharp. He straightened up, trying to regain some composure. “Well, Seagard Port is a city in the Thalassaria Kingdom, a city under Viscount Vale. It’s not a massive city, but it’s important for trade. My merchant group, the Azure Armada, was on its way back from a trade in the Velandria Kingdom when we had this unlucky encounter… I thank you for helping us!”

Thorvyn’s memories gave me barely any context of the names he mentioned. I needed more. “Where’s the Ethenia Empire?” I asked, stroking my chin.

Borric hesitated, looking around before answering. “Haha, that’s a faraway name you’ve mentioned… It’s on the other side of the continent,” he explained, his voice growing a bit more confident. “Thalassaria is in the east, while Ethenia is far to the west. It’s a long journey from here, my friend.”

I clicked my tongue in annoyance. So I’ll have to travel long, huh? I muttered under my breath, feeling the knowledge settle on me as my thoughts swirled. But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I needed to know more about this currency system, and Borric seemed more than willing to help. 

“Alright, let’s talk about the stuff I called you for. Explain the Thalassaria Kingdom’s currency to us,” I commanded, my gaze locking on him.

Borric nodded, swallowing hard. “Of course.”

The sunset on the horizon, and the light faded with his explanations. I listened, as did the other barbarians, while I wondered about my next course of action that needed to be taken after landing on this Seagard Port.

**

**

**

The Veiled Man Note: I want to keep the chapters of this story less than 3,000 words. However, Chapter 7 was 4k+, and this chapter is 3.8k. I didn’t cut them in two because it just flowed well, and the story wrote itself. Limiting it by word will make it lose its life. But don’t get used to the length! 😂

I hope you liked the chapter, the next chapter might be next Monday or the Monday after that.