Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 144
Great Legacy (1)
Thump-!
Awoken by the pounding of his heart, Regal Vagos opened his eyes.
The surroundings were dark.
His body wouldn’t move, and he could feel slimy substances on his skin.
As if he had curled up inside amniotic fluid.
‘So, this is it…….’
There was no regret.
Had it been his head instead of his heart that was pierced, even he would have surely died on the spot.
He just wondered one thing.
How had he ended up in this situation?
He remembered a conversation he had with an old colleague of his, before he had abandoned his tribe and taken on a terrible curse.
[You want to know why you keep losing money? It’s because you only bet the bare minimum needed to keep playing, even when you need to take a big chance]
Of course, card games and battles are different.
Moreover, applying that saying to the current situation doesn’t quite fit.
But the context is similar.
Until the five cards are put together, the game is not decided.
Thump-!
Simply put, his resolve was lacking.
He had given up piece by piece until he reached this point.
He had given time because of the artifact he had searched for nearly a year.
He had to use a dragon’s spell.
And yet, these persistent bastards did not give up.
He had swung the dragon-slaying sword numerous times, ready to take a year to recover from the side effects, but they tenaciously endured.
And now, even the second heart had been used.
Thump-!
Regal Vagos finally admitted it.
Because he had underestimated his enemy, because he hadn’t put everything on the line like he would with an worthy opponent.
It had come to this.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
The beating cycle of his regenerated heart shortened and the light returned. He shook off the slime clinging to him and got to his feet.
“……”
He could see the Barbarian across the passageway.
He was already walking towards him.
With a hole in his chest.
Blood dripping from his mouth.
Without the support of the dwarf beside him.
Thud, thud.
He walked desperately.
With only one goal.
To kill the enemy.
Swish.
His grip on the dagger at his waist loosened.
And reconsidered his decision.
Having used the dragon’s spell, the heart affected by the curse had somewhat recovered. The remnants of the curse remained, but his physical abilities had returned to a certain level, and he could now use his powers again.
This outcome wouldn’t have been possible if not for the dragon tribe’s trait that the source of strength is located in the heart.
“Didn’t expect it to be this much.”
It was an unforeseen event for him too.
This was the first time he had to use his ‘second heart’
A fortunate miscalculation?
Thanks to this, his chances of winning had significantly increased.
Thud.
Of course, it seemed that his enemies had also recovered from soul exhaustion, but that changed nothing.
Once he takes down the dwarf, it’s over.
No matter how formidable the barbarian might be, he couldn’t possibly stop him alone with such injuries.
That’s what he thought.
At least until he locked eyes with him.
“It’s like looking at an immortal.”
Instead of the dagger, he gripped his Arc Steel Sword.
As soon as he grasped it, feeling the remnants of the curse in his heart, intense pain enveloped him. He had the intuition, no, the conviction, that if he continued to use it, he might never be able to use one of his arms again.
But…
‘If I’m going to kill that bastard, I’m going to have to be prepared.’
He was willing to sacrifice an arm.
To kill the enemy.
To survive himself.
“Come at me, barbarian.”
***
I was staggering forward.
Beside me was the dwarf, and behind me Misha, who insisted on joining the fight as well.
“You’ve made a wise decision.”
The dwarf spoke as if I had left Misha behind out of concern, but that wasn’t the only reason.
Rotmiller had not yet awakened.
Should he wake up even for a moment, someone needed to be there to throw me a potion.
“Yes, that bastard killed Dwalki…”
“Hikurod, swallow your anger. If you die, we all end.”
“…Right.”
The dwarf forcefully suppressed his burning emotions.
He knew, just as I did.
The importance of the task we had to undertake.
Thud.
We took steps, closing the distance.
Soon, we were close enough to see each other’s expressions.
No need for many words between us.
“Come at me, barbarian.”
The same guy, apparently not tired of it, holding the Arc Steel Sword and staring at us again.
Fucking bitch, under what conditions does he keep pulling it out and using it whenever he needs to? Swear words rose to the tip of my tongue, but there was no time to voice them.
Tadat.
He charges at us first when we don’t approach.
But what’s this?
His movements were faster than the last time we saw.
Meaning, his physical condition had significantly recovered as well.
Why is that? I had thought it wasn’t just a short-term injury.
Right from the start, unexpected variables emerged.
Swish!
The shield that got sliced like tofu.
It belonged to the dwarf who was by my side.
After driving him away with my mace turned spear, I unhesitatingly passed my Litinium shield to him.
“Use this.”
My shield wasn’t in great condition either, but it was better than a steel bracer, I reckoned.
Crack!
His next attack deeply embedded into the shield.
It was immediately repaired through [Emergency Restoration], but given that we had just recovered from soul exhaustion, I couldn’t use it repeatedly.
“Really, nothing is going according to plan.”
He woke up earlier than expected.
And not just his heart, other parts had recovered as well.
He was even using skills he couldn’t use before.
[Regal Vagos casts [Advanced Acceleration]
The blade, moving as if defying the laws of physics, crosses the moment in an instant. The dwarf chose evasion over defense, but the distance was too great.
So, I sacrificed my already defenseless left arm.
[Flesh Explosion]
Stretching out my hand towards the enemy, it exploded, scattering dozens of flesh pieces.
But he did not retreat.
Sssss!
Covered in acidic blood and groaning, he kept swinging his sword, deeply slicing into the dwarf’s thigh.
Thud!!
In the midst of it all, the dwarf used his battle hammer to strike his jaw fiercely.
His body stiffened from the damage.
I immediately leaped forward, grabbing his shoulder and rolling.
And then…
[Flesh Explosion]
I shoved my now useless left arm into his gaping mouth and detonated it again.
“Kaaaak!”
He screamed in agony and pushed me away.
And immediately thrust his sword towards my neck.
Crash!
A glass bottle hit me in the back of the head, shattering and spilling its contents.
[The Restoration (High ) effect will cause your body to regenerate very quickly]
This pain, it’s a High-grade potion.
No, more importantly, Rotmiller survived too.
Brushing aside the fleeting thoughts, I stepped back.
Whoosh!
The sword at my side is withdrawn, making me dizzy.
And he was an asshole who would not tolerate even a moment’s lapse.
“Die!”
The sword instantly pierced my abdomen, scrambling my intestines.
Taking the dwarf’s determination, I instead took a step forward and thrust my spear.
Tap.
He hurriedly withdrew his sword, creating distance, and without hesitation, I used [Gigantification]
Fuck, where do you think you’re running to?
“Cough!”
The bastard, stabbed in the shoulder, spewed a fountain of blood from his mouth.
But was this bastard also prepared for a brutal fight?
He too stepped forward, and swung his sword again.
It was too late to dodge.
I grabbed the sword with my ruined arm.
Fingers with exposed bones flew off, and I felt the sword catch on my wrist bones, stopping it.
[The character’s health is below 20%]
[Passive skill [Path of the Hero] increases all resistance and immunity stats]
The synergy effect of [Iron Skin] and [Path of the Hero].
I lifted and shook the spear embedded in his shoulder, and he, enduring the pain, poured strength into his hand holding the sword.
Thus, the struggle of power began.
Regrettably, the victor was him.
[Regal Vagos casts [Holy Blade]
His sword, now emitting a white light, sliced diagonally through my arm up to the elbow.
Thud.
The arm, enlarged by [Gigantification], fell to the ground, and I pressed the cauterized cross-section of my arm, spewing acidic blood, against his face.
Sssss!
“Kaaaak!!”
That bastard has no pain tolerance.
Trying to endure through sheer malice—
[Your character’s soul power is insufficient]
[Gigantification] has ended.”
Due to already low soul power, my body quickly reverted to its original size within seconds, which allowed his feet, previously dangling, to touch the ground.
Did I underestimate his determination?
Tadat.
Instead of retreating, he thrust his sword at me again.
“Shit.”
Does a 9th-floor explorer not have any guts?
Why is he so good at dogfighting?
I ducked and dodged, knowing I’d get my head impaled at this rate.
Losing the spear. No, the former mace was an added loss.
To make matters worse, my body’s regeneration stopped.
“I’m screwed.”
Even the best potions have their limits.
It was not ingested, only sprinkled on.
With an arm gone and organs in shreds, it was a struggle to even maintain my current state, let alone recover.
In such a situation.
“Three, two… one!”
He charged at me.
It was a truly desperate situation.
The worst-case scenario was already vividly outlined in my mind.
An unavoidable death.
But what of it?
I had no intention of resigning myself to fate or accepting it.
I glared at his sword with wide eyes until the very end.
And at the moment he approached, I rolled to the side.
Defenseless against the following attack or not, it was the best option I had in the current situation.
Rolling on the ground, I used the momentum to stand up.
His Arc Steel Sword loomed large in front of my eyes.
It was at that moment.
“……!”
As if an invisible force had grabbed him by the nape of the neck, he was thrown backwards.
What in the world had happened?
Looking up for an answer.
“Yo-you! Is this what you’re doing?!”
A distance away, an old man in black priest robes was visible.
***
He closed his eyes and covered his ears.
Yet, it all sounded so clear.
How desperately they were fighting.
[So, you won’t run.]
[Protect Dwalki!!]
Initially, watching them was unbearable.
He thought their futile resistance would only lead to greater despair and agony.
But when did it start?
“Why do they……”
The more their desperate fight continued, Ludwig found himself.
Constantly questioning himself.
[This is ours.]
Why won’t they surrender?
[Aaaah! Dwalki! Don’t die! Please, Nyah]
Is it because they have turned a blind eye to the foreseen consequences, and harbored vain hopes in their hearts?
No, if that’s the case, then why.
[Can we… win?]
[Don’t worry, we’ll all return alive].
How can they still shine so brightly and move forward?
The answer was simple.
They were strong.
Unlike himself, who lacked the courage to bear sacrifice.
“……”
Ludwig knew too.
No matter how long he waited, the day he hoped for would never come.
A hopeful future of returning to the city with his grandson never existed in the first place.
He simply lacked the courage to accept it.
“The star that rises at dusk shall guide me.”
Ludwig made a brief sign of the cross.
His opened eyes no longer trembled with fear.
He simply stared straight ahead.
He was more convinced than ever before.
“I will follow your will.”
The goddess of stars, Leatlas.
One of the three gods of adventure and relationships.
As one who had once worshiped and followed him, how could this be a mere coincidence?
In front of him, who had forsaken courage.
The appearance of those bearing such brilliant light was the last grace given to a wandering servant.
Therefore…
“Even if I cannot be embraced in your arms.”
The old man shouted, looking into the void.
“Carui, I offer myself.”
Upon his words, the capricious evil god laughed joyously.
As if knowing what he intended to do all along.
As if it was the moment it had been waiting for.
[What do you wish for?]
“Send me there.”
[Your grandson will not find salvation.]
At that statement, his heart twitched.
But he sheds his weakness.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Didn’t he learn from a young magician he met in a labyrinth?
That one could always become noble and sublime.
If one so desires.