Sword God in a World of Magic

After a while, Shang walked over to the first barbarian that had been beaten up by the group and squatted down.

The barbarian's body was slowly recovering. He didn't have a warrior's body, but as someone at the Peak General Stage, he could still recover with quite some speed.

Right now, the barbarian wasn't moving as he kept lying on the ground in a fetal position.

Blood and dried spit were all over him.

"Why didn't you resist?" Shang asked.

For a while, the barbarian said nothing.

"I'm a Ruiner," the barbarian eventually answered.

Some more seconds of silence.

"Ruiners get beaten."

"Says who?" Shang asked.

This made the barbarian move his head and look at Shang warily.

"It is normal," he said.

"So?" Shang asked. "Does it mean that it's the right thing to do just because it's normal?"

The barbarian looked with confusion at Shang.

"It is known and normal," he said.

"It is how things are."

"This is what life is."

The barbarian turned away from Shang again while saying these things.

"It is your life," Shang said. "You decide what to do with your life."

The barbarian didn't look at Shang, but Shang could see with his Mana Vision that a confused expression appeared on his face.

Apparently, this barbarian had never heard of such a concept.

"I am a Ruiner, and Ruiners get punished," the barbarian repeated.

"What's a Ruiner?" Shang asked.

This piqued the barbarian's interest, and he looked at Shang again.

"You don't know what a Ruiner is?" he asked in shock.

Shang noted the barbarian's reaction. 'The word Ruiner seems to be common knowledge, but instead of doubting my words, he believed me and only asked for confirmation.'

'A normal human would think that I am mocking them. After all, who doesn't know what a Ruiner is?'

'But he believed me.'

'Sadly, it makes sense. The barbarians are raised to follow orders like slaves. The Mages don't want them to think for themselves.'

"I don't know what a Ruiner is," Shang said. "I left my home long ago, and I've been living in the wilderness ever since. I don't know much about how normal barbarians live."

The barbarian's expression became shocked and confused.

"But you are a barbarian," he said.

"How do you not know how a barbarian lives?"

"You are a barbarian. You must know how barbarians live. You are living as a barbarian," he reasoned.

know what a barbarian looks

he only looked at Shang with

tried to understand what Shang had just

things that didn't happen, and that confused

said. "You know

lack the ability to understand something that is even remotely abnormal? What's so hard

a

"But you-"

don't know what a Ruiner

tell me what

at Shang for a bit longer in confusion, but eventually,

to

called

Tribe," the barbarian explained. "A weak leader makes a

"A weak Tribe dies."

will turn

barbarian trying to become the strongest is

trying to destroy

again as Shang scratched his chin in

most powerful while not being the most powerful is akin to threatening the entire Tribe. Because

loses? Will he become a

"Yes," the barbarian answered.

the top,

steps down?" Shang asked. He assumed that it was fine for a

looked at Shang with

step down?" he

the strongest, but you don't want to lead anymore and give the position

words, the eyes of the barbarian

with an

with interest. "Is a weakling worse than

"A Ruiner has power."

Ruiner can go back

"A weakling is worthless!"

food but doesn't

weakling brings enemies

leave

watched the angry barbarian with

the other barbarian

of his sails, and the barbarian looked away again as he continued lying on

"Why?" Shang asked.

was stronger," the

other barbarian be a weakling?"

looked at

am not stronger," he

if you were,"

am not stronger," the barbarian answered with furrowed

you are not. What I am asking is, theoretically, if you had somehow won. I know that you didn't, but what if? What if you

looked at Shang with

"I didn't win!"

first time in a

a hypothetical?!' he thought with frustration. 'It's not even that

Shang said as he

are not stronger than

do you want to become stronger

with furrowed brows, and Shang could even see some anger

can teach

"Yes," Shang answered.

from his lying

quite a bit taller than Shang,

you are stronger than me?" he asked in a dark

scratched his chin

was severely beaten and disrespected, as soon as I even slightly