Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 219

Leader (3)

The central area, now as wide as a plaza.

Before ending [Gigantification], I take one more look around.

‘This kinda looks like Gwanghwamun Square.’

Thousands of explorers crowded together, all staring at the same place.

But how many are there, exactly?

I couldn’t even begin to estimate.

Add in the crowds in the center and those still beyond the passage, the number is staggering.

It hits me again.

There’s such a difference between the numbers we hear about or read about and the numbers we see with our own eyes

‘Would that bastard have made a different decision if he saw this?’

The thought crosses my mind but I quickly dismiss it.

It’s a pointless assumption.

And not something to worry about now.

“Bethel—raaaaah!!”

“…I asked to talk, so why are you suddenly yelling?”

“Just felt like it!”

To be precise, gathering this many people had made me nervous.

But shouting made me feel better.

I am a barbarian-there is nothing in this world I can’t do.

“Everyone, listen up!”

In the silence, which was hard to believe given the size of the crowd, all eyes turned to me.

It’s a bit embarrassing.

“Let’s put our heads together! With this many people, there must be someone smart among us!”

I say, putting on my poker face.

I already have plans from one to ten, but it would look suspicious to reveal everything in front of so many people.

“Huh?”

“That’s it…?”

The people who had been listening to me with bated breath looked dumbfounded.

Disappointment was evident on some faces.

“What was I expecting from a barbarian?”

The only downside of being a barbarian.

Unable to lead situations with intelligence and strategy. Then again, stopping a fight like I just did would’ve been impossible without being a barbarian.

“Well, then why were you yelling so hard earlier?”

“A wise warrior vents anger in the right place. This is not where we should be shedding blood.”

“Well, I understand what you’re trying to say, but…”

The explorers seemed unsure of what to say.

I stubbornly stick to my guns.

I’ve achieved the goal of saving the knight.

And more than that?

Creating an environment for everyone to talk and leaving a deep impression on them.

The first goal is fully achieved.

“He is not wrong. We all have a role to play, and he’s done more than anyone else by stopping the senseless bloodshed and allowing us to gather here.”

The middle-aged man who had introduced himself as a battle mage looked at me in agreement.

He must have taken a liking to me.

“A role, huh……. That reminds me of a line in the Theory of Monarchy: the role of a monarch is not to fight, but to create the will to fight.”

“Ha, I didn’t expect to meet someone here who has read that book. Nice to meet you. I’m Melter Pend of the Nartel Clan.”

“Lord Kyle”

“Ho, you know about me?”

“You’re quite famous.”

The two exchange a brief, friendly conversation.

This isn’t good.

We didn’t have time for bonding, and these were explorers who had already been abandoned once by the leaders.

Seeing the two form their own bonds would surely make them anxious.

“Enough, let’s get talking! Does anyone have unknown information?”

I deliberately interrupt, guiding the conversation back on track.

For my plan, they need to discuss.

And they need to move towards the conclusion I’ve already reached.

Even if it’s a bit of a hassle for me.

“First, we need to understand why the royal side abandoned us,” Melter Pend said, breaking the silence as no one else spoke.

“Right! We had no problems holding out until now, so why did they…”

The biggest contradiction of the current situation.

Those angry at being abandoned were now regaining their composure and expressing doubts.

With so many people gathered, the answer came quickly.

“It’s probably because of the Tier Lords.” It was the battle mage Kyle who spoke.

“…Tier lords?”

“But we’ve been managing the Tier lords well so far!”

“We have. But the commander likely feared what would appear after the ninth Tier lord is defeated.”

“…What?”

“The Abyss Lord, Berzark. That’s another tier lord, known by that name.”

Most of them were confused, having never heard the name before, so Kyle gave them a brief description of the Abyss Lord.

“This monster is the reason why we must report to the guild and get approval before dealing with the First Floor Tier Lord. That’s how much of a disaster this creature is”

“So, it’s something that even hundreds of knights and large clans together couldn’t handle?”

“No, not to that extent. But…”

Kyle trails off, gazing into the distance.

“We’re not alone in this cave.”

Noark and Raphdonia.

And the Abyss Lord Berzark.

“The commander must have calculated that if we engage Verzak, Noark will surely interfere.”

“Now that you mention it, there haven’t been any significant attacks since the first day…”

“Damn, so this was their plan from the start!”

It’s a kind of elimination game.

Using Berzark to inflict massive damage on each other, a mutual destruction tactic.

That’s why the commander chose to retreat.

Elite explorers and knights are invaluable and hard to replace quickly.

He aimed to protect at least them.

For the damned royal family.

“Wait! Then it’s strange. If they knew something that dangerous would appear, why didn’t they try to move to the second floor earlier?”

An explorer points out the contradiction.

This was something I, too, had pondered deeply.

But the answer was surprisingly simple.

“I think I can answer that.”

This time, it was the priestess from the Heindel Church who spoke up.

“On the first day in the Labyrinth, a scouting party was sent to the portal on the second floor. And I heard this information while treating a knight who returned alive.

“Tell us quickly!”

“The portal connected to the western rock desert is unfortunately no longer usable.”

“No longer usable? What do you mean?”

“The Ruin Scholar. That cursed mage destroyed the portal.”

The mention of Orcules’ most notorious criminal, the Ruin Mage, caused a stir among the crowd.

In the midst of the commotion, I quietly gathered my thoughts.

‘The west…’

So now the odds are one in three?

Valuable information indeed.

“If the west is blocked, can’t we use another portal?”

Someone in the crowd shouted, but few echoed the sentiment.

It’s only logical.

“Although we haven’t confirmed the other portals, the knight mentioned that it’s highly likely the Ruin Scholar has already been there.”

“So…”

“Yes, it means we are completely trapped here.”

After the priestess finished speaking, a heavy silence followed.

But the discussion continued nonetheless.

“Those Noark bastards really thought this one through, huh?”

“So what do we do now?”

“Even without that Berzark monster, once they find out our key forces are gone, they’ll surely attack.”

Explorers now participated more actively than before.

However, no solutions emerged.

They didn’t have enough clues to devise a countermeasure.

“Aren’t we thinking too narrowly? A seasoned warrior always anticipates the enemy’s next move.”

I interjected occasionally, providing hints.

“They’ve been preparing for months for this day; surely they have planned for the possibility of escaping through the portal.”

“…Frankly, it would be strange if they expected such a thing.”

Hmm, that’s true.

It’s certainly an insane strategy no ordinary person would think of.

Some, including Battle Mage Kyle, didn’t dismiss my words. “That makes sense. Maybe their goal was to corner us and force us to use the portal.”

“Yes. Then the real war may not be this one, but the next. From now on, there will be few mages left in the city who can use dimensional gate magic.

“It could also be a strategy to exploit the internal conflict between the royal family and the explorers. If this spreads to the city, the simmering distrust towards the royal family will explode. But that only matters if we return alive.”

These were all questions I had pondered.

Every scenario seemed plausible.

“I can’t figure out their true aim.”

In this situation where no clear answer emerged, Battle Mage Kyle turned to me.

“What do you think? I believe your insight is crucial.”

“What do you mean?”

“You just pointed out the key issue. I’m curious about your warrior’s intuition.”

I contemplated briefly.

After much pondering and guessing, I had reached a conclusion.

I couldn’t be sure if it was right.

But…

“I think we were the target from the start.”

“Ho, not the knights and large clans?”

Kyle responded with interest, but not everyone did.

“That’s nonsense. If they knew that the cream of the crop, the knights, would use the gate, why use this strategy? They’d only lose out with the mutual destruction strategy by engaging with us.”

It was the guy who had been particularly hostile towards me throughout the discussion.

I don’t know why he’s like that.

Is it because he has no hair?

I chuckled and spoke.

“Why assume they plan to die with us? They can just retreat to the upper floors.”

“As I said before—”

“They can leave one portal intact and escape through it.”

This was the conclusion I reached.

In a world full of efficiency enthusiasts, this made the most sense if I were the enemy leader.

‘It benefits them the most.’

They deplete the city’s dimensional gate resources, weaken the royal family’s influence, and…

Most importantly, even without key forces, they could wipe out thousands of explorers without spilling a drop of their blood.

With the core forces gone, we can’t defeat Berzark even if we try.

Perhaps it was hard for them to accept.

“It can’t be that simple—”

The guy, who was briefly at a loss for words, started to mindlessly refute.

Or rather, he was about to.

“I see, you thought the same.”

Battle Mage Kyle nodded.

‘What, he had an idea and still asked me?’

Somehow, I felt uneasy, but I kept quiet.

Tch, this is why I didn’t want to stand out too much.

Still, he seemed to be testing my abilities rather than doubting me, which was somewhat reassuring.

“…?”

Just then, a commotion began outside.

I couldn’t hear the noise clearly due to the distance, but…

It didn’t take long for the news to reach us.

“Captain!”

“What is it?”

“The Noark forces blocking the passage have disappeared!”

Kyle looked at me and smiled wryly.

“It seems our thoughts were correct.”

We need to hurry now.

***

Knowing Noark’s plan, it wasn’t hard to devise a countermeasure.

Even if it wasn’t a perfect one.

At least we knew what needed to be done.

“We need to move to the second floor.”

“But do you know where it is?”

“At least we’ve confirmed it’s not in the west. Let’s split into three groups and search.”

We split into three groups and ran towards the second-floor portals.

Of course, that wasn’t the end.

“Even if we get up there, there will be enemies waiting for us!”

 

One challenge after another.

But what else can we do?

“Isn’t it better than dying here? From now on, it’s everyone’s own choice.”

Kyle spoke coldly, and no one voiced any objections.

At least not around us.

“So how will we divide our forces?”

An explorer asked for a detailed strategy.

Before Kyle, who had naturally taken the lead, could speak, I interrupted.

“Splitting into groups of about 300 seems best.”

“With our already limited strength, splitting into 300? That makes no—”

Ugh, here he goes again.

“The terrain doesn’t allow for effective fighting with too many people. This way is better.”

In technical terms, it means we’ll engage in guerrilla warfare.

I didn’t spell it out, but everyone understood the underlying strategy.

“Hmm, that makes sense. Not only will it help in combat, but splitting up increases the chances of survival. The monster’s attention will be divided.”

“Most of us will die if we encounter it anyway, so we’ll serve as each other’s bait to survive.”

A truly ruthless strategy.

But everyone accepted it without objection.

That’s the good thing about being an explorer.

No time wasted on sentimental talks.

“So, how do we organize the groups?”

“Do it however you want. I’m not planning to be under anyone.”

“Fine, we don’t have much time anyway.”

As soon as the rough plan was laid out, one explorer concluded the conversation and left.

He was the leader of some unknown mid-sized clan.

This sparked a frenzy.

“The Red Light Clan is here! Anyone who wants to escape this damned place, join me! Anyone of rank 6 or higher, any number!”

Someone was recruiting allies.

“One of our team members is rank 7. Can we join any group?”

Someone was looking for a place to join.

Amidst the commotion,

“Kyle, you’re alone, right? Would you join our clan?”

Nartel Clan’s leader, Melter Pend, immediately tried to recruit the battle mage.

Tch, I was going to approach him first.

Seeing how well they chatted earlier, it seemed the mage wouldn’t refuse.

‘Before everyone’s taken, I better start moving.’

“Well, I’m off. See you alive.”

I made a brief farewell and turned away.

I planned to go back to my comrades in the crowd and quickly recruit some capable members.

As a lowly barbarian, gathering 300 people would be quite a task.

With that in mind, I hurriedly walked away.

“Wait, what are your plans?”

Battle Mage Kyle stopped me.

“You plan to lead a group, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then take me with you.”

Huh?

“Why?”

“Just a hunch. I feel people will gather around you.”

“…You’re trusting a hunch in a life-or-death situation?”

I glanced at Melter Pend, who had earlier offered to recruit him, and Kyle smiled.

“Would any sane mage willingly stay in this mess?”

Well, that’s true.

“Alright. Looking forward to working with you.”

Gaining a high-ranking mage was a huge positive.

It would help attract better members—

“Please take us with you.”

Before I could take a step, a group of knights approached me.

The face of the leading knight was familiar; he was the one being beaten when we first arrived.

“Four regular knights and six apprentice knights. We won’t be a burden.”

Are they repaying a debt?

Works for me.

“Alright. Follow me.”

The knights fell in line behind me.

But before I could move another step, someone called out.

“Wait.”

It was Melter Pend, the leader of the Nartel Clan.

Is it because I took the mage right in front of him?

He didn’t seem like a petty person…

“Which direction are you heading?”

“East.”

With the west blocked, east was the next best choice.

Even if the first attempt fails, we can adjust and move north or south as needed.

“Coincidentally, we’re heading the same way. How about we go together?”

“I’m not planning to be under you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll follow your orders.”

“What?”

This was unexpected.

He didn’t seem like the type to follow someone.

What is this? A hidden camera prank?

“So, what’s your answer?”

“…As long as you follow my orders.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Melter Pend and his clan members fell in line behind me.

Honestly, I was stunned.

I hadn’t even started recruiting, and I already had several members.

“Bethel—raaaah!!!”

“Follow the tribe chief!”

A few steps later, more barbarians rushed to join me.

Well, that was expected.

“Mister!!”

“Erwin

? Where’s your clan?”

“My sister thinks it’s safer with you! You’ll take us, right?”

“Of course.”

The elf sisters joined us, having been watching nearby.

And that wasn’t all.

“If you don’t mind, we’d like to join you.”

A rank 4 team active on the 6th floor.

“We believe you can save the most people.”

The priestess who stayed to save lives.

“Haha, in times like these, a loyal guy is the most reliable. Take us with you.”

Even a famous dwarf clan from the city.

Just walking, people kept coming up, asking to join me.

“See, didn’t I tell you? People would gather around you.”

“…”

“A mage’s hunch is usually accurate.”

Kyle looked at me with a meaningful smile.