Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 210
Leader (3)
In an instant, a thick layer of bone covered his entire body.
[Abet Nekrapeto has cast [Bone Armor]
The man smirked as he stared straight ahead.
The fire on the bones was quickly extinguished, but the flames that remained in the passage formed a wall, blocking the way.
“Hmm, I didn’t expect him to run.”
Should I follow?
As he contemplated chasing through the blazing flames, the man decided to let it go.
Ways to infuriate someone.
He wasn’t curious about the second method, but…
“[…Captain, it’s the corpse of a knight.]”
“[So they’ve tampered with this place too. Everyone be on alert from now on. There’s definitely an enemy nearby.]”
About 20 explorers emerged from another corridor connected to the second-floor portal.
They seemed to be a small clan, wearing uniforms with the same emblem…
“Tsk.”
The man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and moved on.
His task in this operation was to block those escaping through the second-floor portal.
Originally, it was a mission meant for the Dragon Slayer.
“As always, that snake-eyed bastard is no help. No help at all.”
Had that guy recovered in time, he could have been unleashing his specialty, mass slaughter, at the core as planned.
“Well, let them handle the one who escaped.”
After all, there was no need to chase and kill someone who had already fled.
Just thinking about it was already a hassle.
All he needed to do was his own job.
With that mindset, he was heading towards the second-floor portal.
Ziiing.
A message stone vibrated in his pocket.
[Nekrapeto, how’s the situation there? Did you arrive at the target location well?]”
“Oh, vice captain! Don’t worry. I arrived quite a while ago, and I’ve sealed the place tight so not even a rat can escape. Pssit!”
He spoke confidently, but the response came after a long pause.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a response.
“[…What’s with that tone? And what’s with that weird laugh?]”
“Strange laugh?”
Initially, the man tilted his head in confusion, but soon realized the meaning behind the words and chuckled.
“Ah, just a habit, vice captain, don’t worry about it.”
“A habit?”
“Yeah, it comes out when I wear the mask.”
“[…I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Anyway, if anything unusual happens, contact me immediately.]”
With that, the communication ended.
The man tapped the skull mask he had received as part of his supplies with his forefinger.
Suddenly, he thought of the members of the Round Table.
‘At least the fox mask and goblin must have entered by now.’
Indeed, how many would actually survive to attend the next assembly?
He was already looking forward to it.
He was running with all his might.
Anxiously, fearing that the enemy might be chasing after him.
“Pant, pant.“
It was over ten minutes into his sprint down the corridor.
“Did I shake him off…?”
Mr. Bear murmured to himself.
Though it sounded like a cliché line that usually spells trouble, he didn’t comment on it.
I was thinking along similar lines.
‘It’s not exactly that we shook him off; more like he chose not to follow.’
Regardless, it was clear we had a moment to breathe.
“Let’s slow down now.”
“…Not going to run anymore?”
“We need to be cautious of more than just him.”
Where we are now is a misty crystal cave.
Increasing speed too much could make it difficult to react appropriately to unexpected dangers.
The whole first floor might as well have been a minefield—
“Bjorn, wouldn’t it have been right to fight?”
Huh?
“What do you mean, Aynar?”
“Corpse Collector. It was an opportunity to make your name more renowned! And you ran away from that!”
Right, she had been unusually quiet.
That must have been bothering her.
She tends to idolize me like some ancient barbarian hero.
An opportunity for glory, as she saw it.
‘I’m just thankful no one got hurt.’
A necromancer’s true worth begins when pulling corpses from subspace.
Also, the Corpse Collector has a signature item that built his reputation, much like the Dragon Slayer’s sword.
If he had pulled that out, some of us would surely have died or been seriously injured.
But…
“Aynar, don’t force it.”
Before I could even speak, Misha sharply rebuked her, and Aynar shrank back.
“I’m fine…! I can understand it as an adult. But how, how do you explain this to the young warriors…?”
Ah, so that was the real issue.
Aynar always talks about our adventures together at the sanctuary, almost deifying them to the point of embarrassment, but I had left her be because it boosted my support within the tribe.
“Just make something up.”
“No! A warrior does not lie!”
“Stop talking back, will you?!”
When Misha sternly rebuked him, Aynar clamped her mouth shut.
Her drooping shoulders somehow pained my heart.
A barbarian is supposed to be always bold and charming.
After a moment of contemplation, I spoke up.
“Aynar, we haven’t run away.”
“Huh?”
“He ran away from us.”
A typical barbarian-style mental victory.
“What, what do you mean? Don’t make fun… I’m not that dumb!”
Hmm, I didn’t know that.
I continued seriously.
“I’m not joking. Aynar, a wise warrior knows how to choose their battles. We retreated to position ourselves better, realizing this, he fled.”
Aynar furrowed her brow as if in deep thought, then cautiously asked.
“Is that… really true?”
Seemingly convinced by my affirmation, Aynar’s spirits brightened.
“Mr. Jandel…”
“Yes, do you have something to say?”
“No, it’s just… a leader should indeed be someone like this.”
Raven, casting me a strange look, seemed impressed by how I consoled the disheartened Aynar.
“Let’s keep moving.”
Ending the small talk, we continued down the corridor with caution, keeping an eye on our surroundings.
Our destination was the center of the first floor.
Judging by the time, it was probably a whirlwind of chaos right there.
“Wouldn’t it be better to break through another portal?”
“It wouldn’t make much of a difference.”
I had decisively ruled out the option of heading to the second floor.
After all, wasn’t the Collector of Corpses firmly blocking the path to the goblin forest?
‘He’s probably trying to block the portal.’
If my guess was right, other formidable opponents were likely guarding the other portals as well.
“Then I’ll trust your judgment Mr. Jandel. You have a good instinct for these things.”
How long had we been pushing through the mist when suddenly…
Clank, clank.
About ten individuals appeared from the front.
By the time we sensed each other, we were already within sight.
Fortunately, they seemed not to be foes.
“Knights.”
Each one donned knightly armor, and the crests of their respective houses were emblazoned on them.
Well, if they were intent on disguising themselves, they could have done so…
“Explorer, show your ID by raising your wrist.”
From his arrogant tone, he seemed to be the real deal.
Following his order, I showed my ID bracelet and asked.
“Does this ID really matter in this situation?”
The information I was most curious about.
The knight briefly replied.
“To some extent.”
“I’d like to hear more.”
“Some have used our IDs to launch surprise attacks. We’ve suffered quite a bit because of it.”
“I see.”
“If your curiosity is satisfied, lower your weapons and stand against the wall. Stay there until we pass.”
Following the imposing demand, I complied.
The atmosphere was truly intense.
Given how drenched in blood all the knights were, it made me wonder just how many battles they had fought to get here.
Still, I needed to ask more.
“Can you tell us exactly what the situation is?”
“That’s a suspicious question.”
“We went straight to the second floor at the start, so we don’t have information about the inside.”
“Hmm.”
The knight halted and scrutinized me, assessing whether my words were true.
His discomfiting gaze made me question if I should have spoken up.
“Hello, I am Alluva Raven, a mage affiliated with the Altemion School.”
Raven stepped forward to introduce himself.
“If you doubt our identity, I can demonstrate with magic—”
“Stop, don’t come any closer. Unless you want to die.”
“But, I—”
“Do you think Noarch has no mages?”
The knight’s voice filled with menace silenced Raven.
“…”
“…”
A heavy silence soon enveloped the area.
“Sir Garfizel, these are not Noarch agents, so you need not worry about that.”
A knight from the back intervened, turning the situation around.
“How can you guarantee that?”
“He’s a well-known explorer.”
“Hmm, this one?”
The leading knight looked at me, tilting his head, a gesture I mirrored.
“Do you know me?”
“Of course, I do.”
In response to my question, the knight lifted the front of his helmet.
A familiar face appeared.
That’s right, his name was…
“Karl Erimor?”
“I am honored that you remember me. It’s been a long time.”
Karl Erimor.
A knight from Baron Martoin Family, although he had been only an apprentice back then.
An uncommon explorer, we had gotten along quite well.
To think I would see him here again.
“So, who is this one?”
“His name is Bjorn Jandel, better known in the city by the nickname ‘Little Balkan’.”
As my identity was confirmed through my connection with Karl, the knight’s expression softened somewhat.
“Little Balkan… I have heard that name in passing. Aren’t you called the ‘Knight Crusher’ in social circles?”
His look was not exactly friendly.
But, at least the suspicion that we were enemies had dissipated, which was definitely an improvement from before.
“So, can you tell me what the situation is now?”
The knight briefly explained the situation.
As soon as they entered the labyrinth, explorers from the Noarark’s side attacked them from various directions.
Some of these attackers even had ID badges, so the initial damage was significant.
After the fog appeared, they regrouped in the dark zone in the center, protecting the explorers while reorganizing their ranks.
“By the central dark zone, do you mean the place with the monument?”
“Yes, head there. If you can make it, you should be safe.”
It was good news amid our conversation.
I grabbed the departing knight to ask cautiously.
“Are you headed towards the portal?”
“Why do you want to know?”
Well, he was prickly.
“Because we just came from there.”
“That’s interesting.”
I shared with the knight the information we had, as they were effectively on the same side as us.
We couldn’t just leave them to die.
“The Corpse Collector is near the portal. So if you see any bodies in the corridors, be wary. It means he’s spotted you too.”
Surprisingly, the knight listened attentively and nodded without objection.
“In times of war, every piece of information is valuable. Corpse Collector… Thanks for telling me.”
Remarkably, the knight even expressed his gratitude and handed me a ring.
“If any knight doubts you, show them this ring and mention my name. It should verify your identity.”
“I’ll use it well.”
“Then we must be off, as there’s no time to waste.”
After quickly receiving the ring, the knight led his group and disappeared into the mist.
His departure didn’t feel as irritating as before.
It turned out he was a decent fellow after all.
‘It doesn’t seem to have size-adjustment magic.’
Attempting to fit the ring on my pinky, I finally gave up and handed it to Misha.
“Eh? Me? You want me to wear it?”
“It doesn’t fit me.”
“Well, if there’s no choice…”
Misha timidly extended her left hand towards me.
What, she wants me to put it on for her?
“Ahem…”
I flipped her hand so the back was facing down and placed the ring on it.
“You put it on.”
“Geez, don’t be shy.”
What is she talking about?
***
After meeting with the knights, we picked up our pace. As we moved away from the outskirts and closer to the center, the smell of blood grew stronger.
“Here too…”
“Stop looking and keep moving.”
Every few minutes, regardless of where we went, there were bodies.
Almost all of them were stripped bare.
Even in this chaos, it seemed everything valuable was taken.
Well, it was mutual, so I couldn’t really complain.
“Mr. Jandel! It’s an ambush!!”
We had faced quite a few battles on our way here.
This must be the ninth or so?
On one occasion, I had checked for ID tags and turned around only to be suddenly attacked, and on all the other occasions, they drew their weapons as soon as we met.
Most of them were the same rank as us, but…
Yet, we hadn’t faced any major issues so far.
“Bethel—raaaaaaaaaa!!!”
On average, we were quite strong.
We had grown to the point of eyeing the 6th floor, and since we didn’t have a professional scout, our combat capability was high.
“Bjorn, what about the two who ran away?”
“Leave them. We don’t have time to chase, just grab their gear and move on.”
As the journey prolonged, more and more equipment piled up in the subspace.
It felt like we had entered a dungeon designed for endless PK.
‘I didn’t expect to feel this kind of thrill on the first floor.’
Slowly, a sense of unease grew.
We had been progressing without major setbacks so far, but how long could this last?
“Bjorn…”
“Don’t worry. We’re almost there.”
I tried to mask the anxiety and continued to lead the team.
How much time had passed?
“Stop.”
At a crossroads diverging into multiple paths, we encountered a group of unfamiliar explorers.
There were about thirty of them.
They seemed to be resting after a tough battle, but as soon as they saw us, they became alert and drew their weapons.
Thump—!
My heart raced wildly.
If these folks were from Noarark, we were practically doomed—
“Mi…! Ah, Mister?!!”
Just then, a familiar voice called out.