Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 118
Dark Clouds (2)
A rank 5 monster, troll.
Though synonymous with regeneration, it would die just the same if its heart or skull were shattered.
However, I had invested all our team’s efforts into severing one of its ‘arms.’
And finally,
“GRRRAH-!!”
I managed to immobilize the remaining arm of the troll, rendering it powerless.
Meaning, Misha could now pour in her attacks without worrying about danger.
Tap.
Misha, who had been cautiously maintaining distance from the troll’s long arms, took her first leap.
And then, landing on my shoulder—
Thud!
She plunged her twin blades into its eyeballs.
No matter how high its physical resistance, weak spots exist.
“GRRR-!!!”
As the blades, enchanted with acid blood, sank into its fragile eyes, the troll’s thrashing intensified.
Fuck, what strength…
“Bjorn?”
“Don’t worry about it and keep stabbing!”
Holding the creature’s arm with my thigh, I shouted. Misha, realizing that this wasn’t a time for slacking off, concentrated on stabbing instead of responding.
The first variable occurred here.
Thrust, thrust, thrust-
As Misha continued to drive her blades into the eyeballs.
Kak! Kak-kak!
A scraping sound.
This was expected.
After all, there are bones behind human eyeballs too.
However…
“…Bjorn, Bjorn, it’s too hard!”
The problem was the bone’s density.
I thought it would easily break through the bone and pierce the brain, but it wasn’t that simple.
Right, it won’t die that easily.
“Keep going.”
“Got it!”
Misha then gripped her ‘Viper’s Fang’ in reverse grip and continued to hammer into the eyeball.
Then, the second variable occurred.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
As time dragged on, the troll began to thrash even more violently.
Having lost its sight, it abandoned attempts to shake me off and instead used its only free limbs, its feet, to charge in one direction.
The problem was…
“Dwalki! It’s targeting Dwalki.”
Somehow, the blind troll charged precisely towards where Dwalki was.
“GRRRAH!!”
Rottmiller, holding Dwalki, dodged nimbly, but the creature pursued aggressively, as if it could see.
“It must be sensing the magic! It’s definitely sensing the magic!”
This was something I didn’t understand either.
Could it really be instinctively tracking magic, as the dwarf said?
“Shit”
Regardless of the reason.
Just when I thought everything was nearly settled, the situation turned terribly wrong in an instant.
In less than 10 seconds after things went awry, Dwalki and Rottmiller were cornered.
It was inevitable.
Had Misha been there, it might have been a different story.
Rotmiller’s physical stats weren’t high enough to flee from a level 5 monster while carrying someone.
“GRRRAH-!!!”
The troll then charged towards them, cornered. The dwarf tried to block it, but it was futile
Boom!
Kicked by the troll, the dwarf flew like a soccer ball and crashed into the wall. It seemed his MP had run out, and [Counterweight] was deactivated…
Fuck, just at this moment.
“Bjorn?”
“Ah, got it!”
Still, Rottmiller managed to escape the corner using the brief moment the dwarf created.
But it was only a momentary reprieve.
About 3 seconds?
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Rotmiller, running towards the opposite side, was caught by the troll and rolled on the ground to avoid being kicked.
From my position, I couldn’t see the two of them anymore.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
In that state, the troll kept hammering down with its feet.
“EEEEK…!”
Though I could hear someone desperately rolling, avoiding being trampled…
If I let the troll continue unchecked, someone would surely die.
Dwalki, Rotmiller.
Or maybe both.
Boom!
It was a moment of decision.
Misha, busy stabbing, was completely unaware of the situation below.
All decisions were mine to make.
Boom!
If I let go now and went down, I could save Dwalki or Rotmiller.
But that choice would lead to our annihilation.
If I fell, the troll would use its freed arm to attack Misha…
And we wouldn’t get another chance.
“Shit.”
I closed my eyes tightly and couldn’t help but think.
Wasn’t this bound to happen at some point?
[Dungeon and Stone] is not a game filled with dreams and hopes of adventure.
As the game progressed, the death of companions was inevitable, and as long as the main character survived, the adventure continued.
Yes, that was the kind of game it was.
This fucking game—
Crunch!
Then, a crushing sound came from below.
A sound I had heard countless times since opening my eyes here, the sound of flesh and bone being squashed.
Sensing something was wrong, Misha stopped her stabbing.
It was only for a brief moment.
“Keep going!!!”
At my shout, Misha resumed her stabbing.
Crack, crack, crack!
I gritted my teeth and poured all my strength into restraining the troll’s remaining arm.
That’s when it happened.
Thump!
Dwalki, kicked by the troll, flew into my field of vision, his body grotesquely twisted as if his spine had snapped.
This realization hit me, though it was information I wished I hadn’t learned…
The sound I heard first must have been Rotmiller’s body being crushed.
“…Huh!”
Did Misha see Dwalki being kicked up to our eye level?
She flinched for a moment, then resumed stabbing with a face that looked on the verge of tears.
“Die! Die! Die, you monster! Just die!!!”
We had to watch our companions suffer for survival, but the situation had taken the worst turn.
With Dwalki down, the curse was lifted.
The arm, under the effect of [Hyper Regeneration], began to heal rapidly.
[Misha Karlstein casts [Ice Shatter]
[Misha Karlstein casts [Ice Shatter]
[Misha Karlstein casts [Ice Shatter].”
Knowing time was of the essence, Misha desperately hammered down with her sword. It felt like an eternity compressed into each second.
Crack! Crack, crack… Crunch!
Simultaneously with a somewhat refreshing crash sound.
The troll’s body, which I had been holding onto with all my might, disappeared.
[The troll has been defeated. EXP +5]
****
As the troll’s body dissipated into light and vanished, Misha and I fell to the ground.
Under normal circumstances, we might have landed on our feet, but neither of us had the energy for that now.
Boom!
Lying flat on the ground and staring blankly at the ceiling, a fist-sized magic stone fell next to my head.
Thud. Roll-
That was the entirety of the loot.
There was no dramatic essence release.
It was a moment that felt all too real.
Yes, this was no dream.
The choice I had just made.
And the sight of Dwalki being hurled away in a gruesome manner…
“Rotmiller! Dwalki!”
Pushing aside the desire to rest, I forced myself up. Misha was already rushing to check on our fallen comrades.
“Rotmiller! Come on, snap out of it!!!”
“Don’t… shake me…”
“Sorry!”
Surprisingly, Rotmiller was alive.
One leg was more than just broken; it was crushed, but it wasn’t a life-threatening injury.
It was as if heaven itself had intervened.
Had his head or upper body been trampled, it would have been the end.
“Check on… Dwalki first…”
“Nyang, Got it!!”
While Misha ran to Dwalki, I turned to check on the dwarf.
There were no major external injuries visible.
‘Just knocked out from hitting his head against the wall…’
The problem was Dwalki.
“Bjorn!! What do we do! Dwalki isn’t breathing, Nyang”
“Move.”
Pushing Misha aside, I checked Dwalki’s pulse.
His breathing had stopped, but his heart was faintly beating.
Meaning there was still a chance to revive him.
Shhhhk!
I pulled out a high-grade potion and poured it into Dwalki’s mouth as a temporary measure.
I knew it was just a stopgap.
His spine was nearly severed, and the fall had broken his legs. Moreover, blood was continuously leaking from his nose and mouth, indicating internal injuries.
And Dwalki was a regular human.
A mage, known for their frailty.
“Damn it.”
I clenched my lips.
With injuries this severe, it was unclear if a high-grade potion could save him…
“Dwalki! Hang in there! You’ve had a potion, you’ll get better soon!”
Even if he survived, there would undoubtedly be severe aftereffects.
If only I had used the top-grade potion from back then—
“Potion…”
Rotmiller’s strained voice made me turn. At first, I thought he was asking for a potion for himself.
But…
“Use this.”
Despite writhing in pain, Rotmiller extended a hand holding a potion bottle towards us.
“A top-grade potion.”
What, a top-grade potion?
We had one of those?
“I bought it just in case. Use it on him…”
Before I could respond, Misha rushed to take the potion, and I stopped her from pouring it right away.
“If you give it to him like this, he might never walk again.”
“What?”
Potions aren’t cure-alls.
If we don’t set the bones properly before administering the potion, it could lead to even worse complications.
So—
As Misha carefully administered the potion, I aligned the twisted legs and spine. It was a rough alignment, but…
The rest was up to the potion.
If a top-grade potion could heal severed limbs, it should handle this too.
“Sigh…”
Watching Dwalki with heavy tension, I finally let out a long-held breath.
His breathing had returned.
It would take a while for him to regain consciousness, but his pale complexion had significantly improved.
“Nyang, That’s a relief.”
The rest should be manageable with a high-grade potion.
Of course, there was no time to just sit and rest.
“Don’t just stand there; help.”
“Alright, what should I do, Nyang?”
“Bring Hikurod over here and lay him down next to us. Just in case, give him a low-grade potion too.”
While Misha followed my instructions, I examined Rotmiller’s neglected leg injury.
“How’s Dwalki?”
“Don’t worry. Thanks to you, his life was saved. So, maybe you should worry about yourself now?”
“That’s… true, hahaha.”
“It’s going to hurt quite a bit.”
“I know… ARGH! UGH!!”
After Rottmiller groaned in pain and eventually passed out from the potion’s effects, all immediate actions that could be taken were done.
Misha seemed to be in a similar state.
“Bjorn..”
Misha looked at me, seeking confirmation with hopeful eyes.
I smiled wryly and reassured her.
“Yeah, everyone’s alive.”
“Really… that’s good… really…”
Misha slumped, her body relaxing as if she had only just realized the truth upon hearing my words.
I still couldn’t quite believe it myself.
‘Really… no one died.’
Not that I wished for anyone’s demise.
No, I’m beyond relieved that everyone survived.
But there were too many disturbing aspects to simply rejoice.
Because…
It wasn’t due to my skills.
It wasn’t because I had planned well in advance.
It wasn’t because I managed the crisis well when the unexpected happened.
It was just good luck.
“… luck was on our side.”
Acknowledging this made the reality hit me.
What it means to survive as an explorer in this cursed world.
Today, like something out of a movie, everyone survived.
But…
‘It probably won’t always be like today.’
I know better than anyone.
That someone like me can’t expect this kind of luck to happen over and over again.
****
As time passed, one by one, they regained their consciousness.
The first to open his eyes was the Dwarf.
“So, everyone’s alive.”
Hearing the news of everyone’s survival, the Dwarf didn’t laugh heartily as usual.
He just repeated the same phrase as if praying.
“It’s a relief. Yes, it really is…”
As a longtime explorer, he must have seen his fair share. After all, the death of comrades is almost a destiny for explorers.
“After encountering a troll and everyone still being safe, I guess I should make an offering to the temple when we return…”
Rotmiller was the next to wake up.
I approached hesitantly and started with a somewhat apologetic explanation.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t anticipate the troll would act like that, being blind.”
“How is that your fault? We should be the ones thanking you. Without you, none of us would have survived.”
“But…”
“Don’t blame yourself. Your decision was the right one.”
It seemed Rotmiller was already aware of the choice I had made, willing to sacrifice the two of them.
Of course, he would know.
I had shouted to keep going, after all.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Eventually, Dwalki groaned and opened his eyes.
“Don’t move. Your injuries haven’t fully healed yet.”
“Is everyone… alright?”
“We’re all fine! So don’t worry!”
“Oh… Misha… I’m glad you’re safe…”
“Idiot! Shouldn’t you be more concerned about yourself, Nyang?”
“Well, that’s…! Cough! That is true…? Hahaha.”
With Dwalki awake, the somber mood lightened somewhat.
“Haha, the five of us defeated a troll. I guess we can’t even brag about it. No one would believe it!”
The dwarf started joking around as usual, and Misha joined in.
“Nyang, we should’ve at least gotten an essence! Feels like we went through all that for nothing, doesn’t it?”
“We saved our lives, didn’t we?”
“Rothmiller, you’re too content for your own good.”
“Anyway, you used a top-grade potion this time, right? Ah, don’t worry. We’ll all chip in to cover the cost.”
“That does ease my mind a bit.”
“But Bjorn. What are we going to do now? You’re not thinking about going further up, are you, Nyang?”
“Sigh… What do you take me for? Of course, we’re going to rest for a while.”
“Wait, Misha? Why are you asking Bjorn? I thought I was the team leader?”
“Ah… was that so?”
Regardless of the dwarf’s question.
My suggestion to stay on this floor until the Labyrinth closed was unanimously accepted without any objections.
After all, we were in no condition to continue exploring.
We rested there, in the place of our fierce battle with the troll, soothing our weary bodies and minds.
[The Labyrinth has closed]
[Characters are being transported to Raphdonia]
Thus, my sixth exploration came to an end after a week.