Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 326

Ouroboros (1)

Binding.

This supportive magic, when used, allows allies to recognize each other, enabling them to travel together through labyrinth portals and share experience points after defeating monsters.

I discovered that this spell was the counter to [Silent Command] while progressing through the rebellion route.

After consuming the Essence of Stillness and finally reaching the Royal Sanctuary after about 300 attempts, I was hopeful that I would soon face the king, but…

[Your character is now ‘bonded’ with the Royal Guard.]

The NPCs of the royal family used this method to ruin all my hard work.

Well, I eventually found a way to reverse the counterspell…

‘But I never got to see the king’s face.’

In the end, I gave up on the rebellion route.

I think it might have been the first time I ever gave up while playing this game…

I don’t think it was a waste of time, though.

Sometimes, you gain something through the process of failure.

Just like now.

“Gah…!”

A combo attack followed after binding, a massive body slam.

Ricardo Lühensprache’s body was sent flying backward into the air, crashing down.

But just standing by and watching would be foolish.

Isn’t this what fighting games are all about?

Once you’ve knocked your opponent into the air and made them unable to fight back, you’ve got to get your combo in somehow.

‘Transcend.’

I chant the command.

Before his body escapes the 20-meter range.

‘Eye of the Storm.’

A grappling move I obtained by consuming the essence of [Storm Gush]

‘I ended up with a PVP-optimized setup by chance.’

A strong gust of wind blew through the long sewer, redirecting the bastard’s body back to me.

I prepared to smash.

And then…

One, two, three.

‘Now.’

With perfect timing, I swung with all my might.

Thwack-!

The sound of flesh and bone being crushed erupted from where the hammer struck.

But it wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped.

The sound didn’t come from the spot I aimed for.

‘Tsk.’

I had aimed for his shiny temple, but unfortunately the bastard raised his arm. Even as he was pulled in by the storm, he managed to protect his vital spot.

‘At least I took one of his arms.’

Though it wasn’t a critical hit, I decided to see the positive side.

His arm dangled at a grotesque angle, 

Just by looking at him, it was clear that he had suffered considerable damage.

Tap.

 

After being slammed into the side wall, he regained his balance mid-air and kicked off the wall with one leg.

And then…

‘This guy must really have a lot of battle experience.’

Instead of widening the distance, he charged at me, sword swinging.

Whoosh-!

Just watching it, I could feel the sharpness of the menacing aura.

Given that his agility stats were far superior to mine, blocking with my hammer in my current stance would be difficult.

Therefore…

Tap.

This time, I simply retreated.

Ha, if I had tried to flee, he would have kept pursuing me to maintain his momentum.

Splash.

With about a 10-meter gap between us, there was a brief lull. Holding his sword with his remaining arm, he took a defensive stance and asked me,

“How, did you know?”

His breathing was labored, probably due to the damage from the body slam and a broken arm.

Hmm, was he trying to buy time to recover?

As I analyzed his condition, I couldn’t help but chuckle at his next words.

“No one, should know, about this essence…”

A voice seeking an answer to the contradiction he had encountered.

So, he was just curious, huh?

He must have tried hard to hide this weakness.

That’s probably why he always moved alone. Even when with others, he would never form a [Binding] with them.

Because the moment he did, the [Silence Command]’s weakness would be exposed.

Now that I think about it, his frequent interactions with the Ruin Scholar in the community were likely due to the [Silence Command].

To overthrow the royal family, he would have needed allies who wouldn’t lose their power even without using [Binding]

For example, a mage or a priest.

Since a priest wouldn’t help kill the king, the value of the ruin scholar would have increased by comparison.

After all, he’s a top-tier mage and also an ‘evil spirit.’

“So, you were an evil spirit…”

Muttering to himself, he stared at me.

I hadn’t said a word, but he’d already come to his conclusion, beating his own drum.

Well, he wasn’t wrong…

‘He doesn’t know the counter to the counter.’

Through the conversation, I was convinced he didn’t know the reverse counter. If he had, he wouldn’t have insisted on being alone.

I gripped my hammer tighter.

‘Good thing it’s 20 years in the past.’

Of course, I can’t predict what the future holds.

When we meet again, this might be a reinforced area for him.

He might have swapped out some essences.

He might have perfected his swordsmanship.

What’s certain is that considering his notoriety 20 years from now, it’s highly likely that I wouldn’t be able to defeat him as I am now.

But…

‘That day is not today.’

I chanted the commands.

Because, after all, what other reason was there for staying still until now?

‘Transcend.’

‘Eye of the Storm.’

During our conversation, the cooldown had reset.

****

The battle’s course was straightforward.

Boom, boom-!

The bastard’s Aura clashed relentlessly with my Demon Crusher.

And then…

‘Fuck, why is he so skilled?’

For the first time, I felt a wall.

I had faced enemies who outclassed me in stats before, but it was the first time I felt this way in martial arts.

Slice-!

A moment’s lapse, and flesh was cut.

His sword moved with the flexibility of a snake, yet sometimes with the firmness of steel.

But that’s not all.

His sword had a distinct form and rhythm that even I, with an untrained eye, could discern.

In other words, he was a type of opponent I had never encountered before.

Even if they were knights, once it came down to a brawl, the outcome was usually determined by split-second judgments, with each trying to kill the other.

Slice-!

The wounds on my body began to accumulate.

The rate at which injuries were accumulating was faster than my natural regeneration could heal.

Yet, I hadn’t sustained any fatal injuries.

Not because I was dodging well, but because I was chugging potions regularly.

Sizzle-!

The deeply cut wounds bubbled as they closed up.

After a quick status check, I took a step back.

And then…

‘Transcend.’

‘Eye of the Storm.’

My grappling move whose cooldown had just reset pulled him toward me again.

But this time, the situation was similar.

He didn’t panic, proving he had only been caught off guard the first time. He calmly utilized the momentum of being pulled in to swing his sword.

Whoosh-!

Phew, his timing is uncanny now.

I’ll have to seal off this grappling move from now on.

Tap.

I dodged the sword and retreated once more.

In response, he closed the gap instantly by stepping on the ceiling and spoke.

“Who are you?”

Boom-!

“If you’re with that woman.”

Boom-!

“Are you from the royal family?”

Man, this guy talks too much.

As much as his constant chatter annoyed me, it also made me wonder.

‘From the royal family? Why bring that up out of nowhere?’

Of course, it was a fleeting question.

Wasn’t the royal family and the lord’s allied forces invading the eastern region occupied by Orcules?

It wasn’t strange for this misunderstanding to arise.

But there was really only one thing I was curious about.

‘So what happens now?’

The thought of killing this guy didn’t even cross my mind.

In the original history, this guy should soon appear before Amelia.

But…

‘Even though winning seems tough, I don’t think I’ll lose.’

If I wanted to, I could probably keep him here for hours.

I couldn’t be sure, but…

Unless some unexpected variable suddenly appears—

‘Huh?’

And then it happened.

As if speaking it into existence.

Splash.

A presence appeared in the distance.

And simultaneously.

Both of us instinctively distanced ourselves, quickly checking the direction of the sound.

It wasn’t a mistake; someone was really there.

‘Damn.’

The person was someone I recognized.

Judging by his reaction, Ricardo Lühensprache seemed to have information about the man too.

“…Jerome Saintred.”

As soon as Ricardo Lühensprache muttered the name.

The silver-haired knight on the opposite side of the passage also spoke.

“Ricardo, Ricardo Lühensprache.”

It was far from a fond greeting.

Their voices and gazes were filled with mutual hatred and killing intent.

Of course, it was only natural, considering a ‘rebel’ who sought to kill the king had met the royal family’s protector.

I quickly assessed the situation.

‘Okay, I’ll let them fight and then escape.’

The reason the Knight of Light had followed me into the sewer was probably because of me, but given that these two were sworn enemies, it could be an opportunity.

Just as I was calculating my escape route.

Unfortunately, someone made a quicker decision than me.

“Two.”

Ricardo Lühensprache muttered a single, incomprehensible syllable.

And then…

“What?”

He bolted down a nearby fork in the path.

It wasn’t until I saw him fleeing that I understood what ‘both’ meant.

‘…Damn, is that how it’s going to be?’

He misunderstood me as being on the same side as that guy.

***

Ricardo Lühensprache’s mistake was caused by my failure to clear up his misconception about me being from the royal family.

Honestly, I’d have felt the same way. The idea of fighting two-on-one in this situation would have been daunting.

So I can understand his mindset.

But that’s not what I should be concerned with right now.

‘Ah… I’d better get out of here too.’

Briefly shocked by Ricardo Lühensprache’s escape, I quickly came to my senses and started moving.

All the while, I desperately hoped.

‘Please, please, please…’

Please, go after him instead of me.

Huh? That guy’s the crazy one who wants to kill your king.

Tap.

As I began to run, I heard footsteps behind me after a slight delay.

It seemed he’d finished deciding whom to pursue…

Slice.

Ha, well.

It couldn’t have been that easy.

Splash, splash-!

The sound of him chasing me continued from behind.

Apparently, he judged that recovering the Fragment of Records from me was more important than catching the ‘Traitor’

Or maybe he just had a grudge from earlier.

Flash-!

As Ricardo Lühensprache escaped and the [Silence Command] was lifted, Jerome Saintred used [Gate of Light] to block my path.

Now that we were closer, I noticed his expression had changed.

‘What’s with his crazy eyes…’

The knight who had previously seemed like a pushover now looked at me with the gaze of an unforgiving executioner.

“Did you think you could deceive me and escape alive?”

Maybe this was karma.

You know how it is. You pick the easy, fast paths, and before you know it, you’re surrounded by enemies.

But that doesn’t mean I regret it.

It’s not my fault that he fell for it.

“Before I exact punishment on you, I have one question.”

The knight pointed his aura-imbued sword at me as he continued speaking.

“What is your connection with Ricardo Lühensprache? Did he order you to retrieve the Fragment of Records?”

It was a bit ironic.

Ricardo Lühensprache thought I was on this guy’s side, and now this guy thought I was on Ricardo Lühensprache’s side.

I felt like the shrimp caught between whales…

But what can I do?

I have to wiggle my way out of this somehow.

So, with that in mind…

“Yes, you figured it out.”

Instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, I just confirmed it.

I decided that this would be more beneficial for now.

As soon as I nodded, his pupils trembled.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve already handed it over to him?”

“Well.”

Wearing the mask of a liar had taught me something.

The key to lying is convincing yourself first.

“What do you think?”

When I shrugged, leaving it up to his imagination, he started to panic.

“…So that’s why you split up and ran.”

“Impressive. Your reputation as a Knight of Light isn’t just for show.”

When I praised him at the right moment, he bit his lip.

I desperately maintained a stoic expression.

And then I added the final touch.

“I won’t let you reach the commander. Come at me.”

A display of determination to buy time for a grand cause.

However, such resolve was meaningless in front of Jerome.

No matter how much I tried to delay him, he could just use [Gate of Light] to bypass me.

In fact, that’s what I was hoping he would do—

“Kuhuhu…”

What’s with this guy? Why’s he laughing all of a sudden?

Has he lost his mind?

I furrowed my brow, and he instantly wiped the smile off his face, glaring at me.

“I almost fell for it again.”

“…What?”

“Whether your words are true or not doesn’t matter. I can just kill you and verify it myself.”

“But if you do that, you’ll be too late—”

“I don’t care if I’m late. Not overreaching and taking steady steps toward the goal.”

He then looked at me and delivered his grand speech.

“That is the way of a knight.”

It seemed he had realized his own method of survival in a world full of liars.

‘…So I have no choice but to fight.’

I quietly raised my hammer.

There was no point in saying anything further; he wasn’t going to waver.

“…”

“…”

A tense silence ensued.

Just as we were about to cross weapons, our breaths mingling, an old man’s laughter echoed from behind.

“Hohoho…”

Since Jerome was right in front of me, I couldn’t turn my head to check.

But recognizing the voice wasn’t difficult.

“You’re quite the expert at deceiving people, aren’t you?”

Auril Garvis.

However, Jerome seemed unfamiliar with him.

“…Reveal yourself, old man.”

The silver-haired knight spoke arrogantly.

That’s when it happened.

“You’re quite rude.”

Awril Garvis’s voice resonated throughout the sewer.

“…Gah!”

The so-called Knight of Light clutched his throat with his free hand.

His expression looked pained, as if he were struggling to breathe.

His gaze was directed behind me, and his pupils reflected shock and disbelief.

“Who… are you… exactly…”

“I see no value in you.”

“Gah…!”

“Disappear.”

As Auril Garvis finished his sentence with a dispassionate tone, Jerome’s body elongated in midair.

A chill ran down my spine.

…Did he just kill him?

Did he just casually swat aside the kingdom’s strongest knight, like a fly?

As if to answer my question, a voice came from behind.

“He’s not dead. He’ll probably wake up in the royal palace.”

Ah, could he be referring to that essence?

Brushing aside my fleeting thoughts, I slowly turned around.

“Finally decided to look at me.”

The old man’s benevolent smile seemed all the more unsettling. While his lips curved, his eyes remained cold.

‘…How much does he really know?’

I swallowed nervously, and Auril Garvis spoke.

“You mentioned a barbarian earlier. Son of Thor, Bjorn, right?”

“…”

“I asked around in town, and a kind young man told me something interesting. Said he always wears a thick helmet, so they call him the Iron Mask.”

“…”

“Just like you.”

So, he knew everything all along.