Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 294
Newbie (2)
They must have been somewhat cautious as well.
They had no information on how strong the newcomer was.
That’s probably why they gathered in a group of over ten people and came rushing at us like this.
How considerate of them.
“Take it off.”
“……?”
“Before it gets bloody.”
As soon as my words echoed through the alley, he gave me a puzzled look.
But perhaps he understood the situation soon enough.
“…….”
Everyone, including him, fell silent.
This is common in the world of beasts.
When the prey runs, you chase it because you think it’s weaker. But when it turns and fights back, you instinctively sense something’s wrong.
They know from experience.
That it’s dangerous.
Swoosh.
Those who had approached me began to back away, wary of being ambushed.
It didn’t matter much to me.
An alley blocked by walls.
It was narrow, making it impossible to use [Gigantification] properly, but…
‘This is better.’
There’s nothing to hinder me above.
‘Leap.’
In one jump, I crossed over their heads and landed on the other side.
Okay, now the escape route is blocked.
“Kill this guy first!”
Panicking, they all rushed at me.
They probably thought they had to break through this blockade first…
Whoosh-!
These bastards, they dodge well.
“Don’t block it, just dodge!”
“Nobody’s getting hit by something this slow, right?”
The three in front of me dodged my mace like slippery eels and swung their weapons.
I endured most of the attacks thanks to my physical resistance, but some skills managed to pierce through my thick hide.
Stab.
Fuck, that stings.
If only I had activated [Gigantification], I wouldn’t have bled a single drop.
Well, defense isn’t the only way to protect oneself.
‘Transcendence.’
I lifted my mace and input the command in my mind.
The skill for [Transcendence] was obvious.
‘Swing.’
The combo that’s effective against multiple enemies thanks to the added trait ‘attack range increases by three times’
Whooosh-!
As I slammed the mace into the ground, it stretched and grew like a magic staff.
Although it was much smaller in range compared to when combined with [Gigantification]…
“Wh-what the…!”
“Run!”
Run to where?
In this narrow alley.
Boom boom boom-!
They hurriedly retreated, but the three in front couldn’t escape the range.
Ah, so satisfying.
Step.
As I stepped over the trio, now turned into minced meat, the others backed away.
They sure know how to find their way into trouble.
“Get the girl! Grab the girl!”
It seemed they planned to take Amelia hostage, reaching out and swinging their weapons.
Of course, they had no chance of hitting her.
Thud, thud, thud-!
Amelia quickly took down two with punches and kicks, then drew a dagger from her thigh and swung it at another’s neck.
Though he raised his wrist with a steel guard to block…
Slash-!
Against a woman who knows how to use aura, that won’t work.
Thunk. Thud.
The severed wrist and head rolled to the ground almost simultaneously.
And then…
“A-Aura…”
That was the end of the battle.
As soon as Amelia used aura, they all dropped their weapons. Realizing they couldn’t handle her, they decided to beg for mercy.
But it was far too late for that.
“Pl-please spare us. We’ll give you everything we have…”
“What should we do with them?”
“Kill them, of course.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Amelia answered my question. The guys who had thrown themselves on the ground quickly picked up their weapons to resist, but…
“Die!”
Seriously, did they think that would work?
Looks like they’re only around rank 6 on average.
Thud, crack.
Slash!
Amelia and I, like a well-coordinated pair of plunderers, swiftly took care of the remaining survivors.
It took less than five minutes in total.
‘It’s reassuring to have a strong dealer.’
A sense of security I’d never felt in any other team.
Maybe I should find a way to keep her on the team later?
With that thought, I swiftly moved to loot the corpses.
It was then.
“Ugh…”
While stripping off the Litinium armor I had been eyeing, the guy flinched and shivered.
What, was he just unconscious?
Thwack-!
After knocking him out again, I asked Amelia.
“Why did you just knock this one out?”
“…Didn’t you say you didn’t want to get blood on the armor earlier?”
Ah…
“Th-thank you?”
“…….”
“Ahem.”
The awkward moment passed quickly, and within a few more minutes, the looting was done.
It took longer than the fight itself.
But the profit was higher than ever.
‘This’ll fetch at least 70 million stones on the surface.’
I felt a surge of excitement as I glanced at the loot before shoving it into my expandable bag.
All this from just a few minutes of fighting?
‘Who would’ve thought there’d be such a sweet hunting ground underground.’
Maybe Noark isn’t such a bad place after all.
***
Clink.
After putting on the Litinium armor, I equipped the matching greaves and other gear.
The fit was perfect, just like the breastplate.
A warrior needs properly fitted armor, after all.
“Shall we move on?”
“Yes, let’s.”
Feeling uncomfortable with the stares of the nearby residents through the curtained windows, we quickly left the alley and entered the main street.
Following Amelia, I took in my surroundings, thinking that if I looked like a newcomer, I might get another chance at looting.
Well, that was the plan…
“Any followers?”
“None.”
Even after walking for a while, no one took the bait.
“Still none?”
“…None.”
What’s going on?
Expressing my disappointment, Amelia sighed as if she couldn’t believe such a person existed.
“Noark is a small place, so news spreads quickly.”
Ah, since those who followed us didn’t return, others wouldn’t dare to come at us recklessly.
“…Ugh.”
Clutching my chest, I collapsed with a pained expression.
Amelia, startled, crouched down beside me.
“Are you hurt? I didn’t see any external wounds earlier, is it poison?”
As she hurried to give me an antidote, I whispered softly.
“Don’t worry. I’m just pretending to be hurt.”
“………What?”
“Maybe this will attract some attention.”
“Barbarian, you really are…”
Seeing the disgust in Amelia’s eyes, I quickly stood up.
Tsk, she enjoyed looting just a moment ago.
“Hurry up and follow. If we’re any later, we might have to sleep outside tonight.”
“Got it.”
Anyway, we moved to the city center and found a nearby lodging.
Oh, and we only got one room, not two.
If someone targets us despite the rumors, it means they are quite skilled.
“Fortunately, there are multiple beds.”
“All lodgings in Noark are like this. Nothing to be surprised about.”
“Huh?”
“No one comes to places like this alone in this city.”
Apparently, unless you’ve bought a house for a family, it’s common to live with companions…
It makes sense.
In a place like this, moving in groups is the safest.
“Jandel, you wash up first. I’ll sort the loot in the meantime.”
“Alright, I’ll be quick.”
After washing up, Amelia went into the bathroom, and then we had a brief chat.
“What will we do with the loot?”
‘For now, we’re going to store it without selling it. It’s three times more expensive to sell it on the surface later.’
“That’s a bigger difference than I thought.”
“It’s natural, given the supply far exceeds the demand.”
Yeah, that makes sense.
Plunderers bring back more equipment than magic stones.
“But I heard there’s a trading group that goes between the surface and underground. Why not just sell it to them?”
“You must be mistaken. The price I mentioned is for selling to the trading group.”
“…I see.”
“So, if there’s something you need, don’t think about selling it, just use it. That’s the way this city works.”
That concluded our conversation about handling loot.
We then moved on to the main topic.
“So, what do we do now?”
We had successfully entered Noark as planned.
We had two main objectives here.
- Steal the ‘Fragment of Records’ kept by the lord to return to our original time.
- Fulfill Amelia’s wish.
I hadn’t mentioned it, but the second goal seemed unlikely. For her wish to come true, the past would have to change.
‘Judging by her stiff expression, she probably realizes this too…’
I wondered what decision Amelia would make.
“Why are you asking that?”
“Just in case you changed your mind.”
Without hesitation, Amelia responded to my casual question.
“That’s an odd thing to say. There’s no change in the plan.”
So, you’re not giving up.
***
Even the underground city of Noark has day and night.
However, there is no dawn or dusk.
When it’s time to be active, the gems in the ceiling emit light, and at night they switch to minimal output.
And in that sense…
“It’s daytime.”
After spending the night, as soon as it got bright outside the window, we stepped out into the street.
It clearly felt like a strange city.
It’s not common to see all the buildings open their doors at once, with people pouring out as soon as it becomes day.
“Stop gawking and come here. If we’re late, we’ll have to wait a long time.”
“Alright.”
Following Amelia, we arrived at the lord’s castle in the center of Noark.
Unlike yesterday, the large castle gate was wide open, accommodating a large number of people.
“Why are they all going there?”
“Most jobs are in the lord’s castle. Those who don’t enter the labyrinth are assigned work there to earn their living.”
‘What is this, it’s not even a communist country.’
I suppose that’s why all the people from Noark are so vicious, having survived this place.
[Labyrinth Administration]
We soon reached our destination and entered the building.
The interior resembled an explorer’s guild.
In fact, the work they did wasn’t much different.
“See you later.”
“Alright.”
To save time, we each found a short line to stand in.
There were a lot of things to do just to enter the labyrinth in Noark.
Newcomers had to register separately, and it seemed you had to pay an entry fee every time you entered the labyrinth…
‘How is it that this place is worse than Raphdonia?’
It’s ridiculous, considering that Noark was founded by the Ormi Revolution Army, a group of people who wanted to overthrow the royal family.
‘When will this line move? They should at least use a number ticket system like Raphdonia. What’s the point of making everyone stand in line?’
As I stood in line for over 30 minutes, grumbling about the slow service and outdated system, a group of five explorers approached me.
“Hey, buddy! You must be new here, filling out registration forms?”
One of them put his hand on my shoulder, acting chummy.
“We’re in a hurry. Can you let us cut in line? We’re all on the same team now. We should help each other out.”
For a moment, I was confused.
‘What is this?’
Another pickpocket attempt?