Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 383

Us(2)

“Mister!!”

As soon as I finished verifying the essence, Erwin appeared from a distance. It seemed she was leading the rest of the group and bringing them back.

She must have been worried since I was taking so long…

Even though I told her to stay put until I returned.

“Is everything finished? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Erwin quickly reached me and began to examine me from head to toe, concern evident in her eyes.

Amelia, being perceptive, stood at a distance with the mage and the sailor, far enough that they couldn’t overhear our conversation.

But for some reason…

She really wants to keep them alive, huh.

I could sense that sentiment from Amelia’s actions.

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

If they learn too much about us, the chances of them making it back alive will decrease.

She’s being careful so they don’t overhear anything.

She must have realized that the reason I had them follow us from a distance was because of that.

Anyway, judging by their expressions, they don’t seem to know that Lee Baek-ho or the Ruin Scholar were here.

Fortunately, they didn’t disobey my order to stand by, likely because they were unaware of the enemies’ approach.

Or maybe it was fortunate that they didn’t disobey until this particular moment?

If a fight had broken out, having one more teammate would have increased the odds. With the field effect ‘Challenger,’ it’s impossible to run away once a battle starts.

Erwin and Amelia are no longer the same allies that they were before.

They are reliable forces who can handle themselves in any situation.

“By the way… On the way here, I felt some magic. What was that?”

Erwin cautiously asked, perhaps having sensed the multi-teleportation magic.

After a moment’s hesitation, I shrugged it off.

“Not sure. I don’t know either.”

“Oh… I see. Well, I’ve heard that in areas like this, unusual magical waves occur periodically.”

As expected, Erwin accepted it without much suspicion.

She probably assumed it was because of the nature of the Special Field. Or maybe she just trusts me too much to think I would lie.

It made me feel a bit conflicted.

But still…

‘This is for the best.’

The Ruin Scholar is the one who killed Erwin’s sister, Daria.

Unlike the clown who indirectly assisted, he was directly involved in her death. But if I talk about Lee Baek-ho, I’d inevitably have to mention that I met the Ruin Scholar…

There’s no need to disturb her fragile mental state, which is finally stabilizing.

If I leave out the Ruin Scholar, there’s no reason to talk about Lee Baek-ho.

After chatting a bit more with Erwin, Amelia rejoined us, bringing both the sailor and the mage.

She asked without specifying the subject.

“Schuiz, did you get what you wanted?”

“Yeah, luckily.”

For now, let’s leave it at that and tell her about the deal later.

****

After wrapping up the conversation, we resumed our exploration.

Since we came straight here, we hadn’t stopped by other places.

In those other areas, monsters were likely swarming.

Among them, there are monsters that I haven’t defeated yet, and others carried essences that could be sold for a high price.

So…

Thud.

I moved forward first.

“I’ll go ahead. You guys follow behind.”

The hunting method remained the same as before.

I would clear the path and kill all the monsters, and they would follow behind and collect the mana stones.

But this time…

‘I’ll do some testing’ 

I had gained a new essence, so I wanted to test its performance as we moved.

I still wasn’t fully accustomed to my increased stats.

‘Being a level 3, the stat boost is definitely noticeable.’

Since the Deep Sea Giant’s essence includes unique stats, the sense of difference was even greater.

『Deep Sea Giant

• Strength +55
• Physical Resistance +35
• Natural Regeneration +35
• Magic Resistance +35
• Darkness Resistance +55
• Endurance +40
• Adaptability +70

』

The physical stats were average for Level 3, and most of them have high values. However, it’s hard to consider the essence rare.

They’re good stats, but ones easily found in most essences.

Except for the last one: Adaptability.

‘In the game, it only shortened debuff durations, but…’

In reality, it felt a bit different.

Of course, the in-game effect is definitely still in play, but…

Thud, thud.

The Adaptability stat kicked in and I felt a little more comfortable walking in the water.

It’s not like there were any restrictions on my movements to begin with,  but now, unless I focused, I hardly felt like I was underwater.

Well, if I were diving in the sea instead of being in this place that neutralizes water’s effects, it wouldn’t be this smooth.

‘Now, shall I check the passive skill as well?’

I hadn’t properly tested the passive skill yet, so I used [Gigantification].

The Deep Sea Giant’s passive only reacts to transformation-type abilities.

『The character has cast [Gigantification]』

『The character grows in size, increasing their threat and physical stats proportional to their size』

As my size increased by about 1.77 times, my threat level also increased.

『The character has used a transformation-type ability.』

『Due to the [Primal Cell] effect, soul power consumption is halved, and the highest stat increases by 1.5 times.』

This effect from [Primal Cell] was also applied.

In my current build, the highest stat is…

『Due to the transcendent’s authority, the [Primal Cell] effect increases by 1.5 times.』

『The character’s Strength increases by 2.25 times.』

This is the main difference from the shield Barbarian build I typically used.

Since the Ogre essence was filling the slot where the Steel Giant (Level 4) usually went , somehow my Strength stat became higher than Physical Resistance.

『Your physique increases in proportion to Strength.』

While I was at it, I activated [Transcendence] and used [Gigantification] again.

Swish.

Looking down, I saw that I could now see the ceiling of the ruins I once had to look up at.

‘This will make unlocking the third stage of [Evolved Armor] harder.’

But that’s just a temporary issue. It won’t cause any major problems in the final stages of growth.

Once I absorb the Bellarios essence, I’ll focus more on physical resistance in my stat allocation.

『Your size increases in proportion to your Strength.』

While I was at it,  I switched [Transcendence] to active mode and tried using [Gigantification].

Looking down from my height, I could now see the ceiling of the ruins I once had to look up at.

‘This puts me over 6 meters tall.’

I’ll have to measure more precisely later, but that’s my rough estimate for now.

Even considering the height loss from consuming the Gacha Bone Essence, I’ve grown significantly.

But despite my size, my Strength stat felt similar to before activating [Transcendence].

That’s because my Strength multiplier dropped from 2.25x to 1.5x.

But my other stats seem to have gone up, so I guess it’s no loss…….’

The downside of [Transcendence] isn’t in the stats but the increased soul power consumption.

The difference between 75% and 50% soul power drain is significant.

‘But with my current MP pool, I can maintain [Gigantification] indefinitely without activating [Transcendence].’

In [Dungeon & Stone], the MP regeneration rate is proportional to its total amount. With my current level and various boosts to soul power, my total MP is comparable to that of most ability users.

Now I guess I’m on track.

I maintained my [Transcendence] to adapt to my heightened field of vision.

Even though I’m underwater, being 6 meters tall gave me this thrilling, heart-pounding feeling.

I wonder how big I’ll get if I remove the Gachabone essence.

It was still too early, but I started imagining it.

If my base height increased from 185 to 225 centimeters and I used [Gigantification] in that state.

Wouldn’t I be able to wrestle the 3rd Floor Ruler, Riakis, without feeling outmatched?

Smash, smash, smash-!

With that exciting thought in mind, I continued swinging my hammer.

After all, [Transcendence] only applies to one skill at a time.

At this point, whether I kill enemies by reflecting damage with [Risk-Burden] or by attacking directly, the speed is almost the same.

『 The character has used [Swing].』

Since I can regenerate immediately even if I get hit, I ignore my defence and just concentrate on swinging my hammer.

『You have defeated a Riumobidic. EXP +6』

The monsters were reduced to light, unable to withstand the blows of my massive, strength-enhanced Demon Crusher.

However, I could feel my MP draining in real time as I used [Swing] too much.

So…

『The character has used『 Soul Dive』

I activated another skill.

Among the seven active skills possessed by the deep sea giant, including [Blade Torrent], [Source of Life],and the transformation-type [Blood of the Giant], Soul Dive is the one corresponding to the green essence.

This skill is unique because it doesn’t consume MP.

Or rather, it works in reverse.

Fwoosh.

As I took a deep breath, I could feel the empty sensation within me being filled.

「Your soul power regenerates in proportion to the amount spent.」

It’s an active skill that regenerates MP instead of consuming it.

Though it has a cooldown, about 30 minutes in the game.

It may seem trivial, but it’s an excellent skill.

It can be used in emergencies and significantly reduces the need to pause for MP recovery during hunts.

‘And more importantly, it counters that guy…’

Dragonslayer, Regal Vagos.

His dragon speech, Soul Silence.

This skill allows me to counter that ability.

Even if I fall into a state of soul exhaustion, I can restore my condition with one use.

‘Now, I’m more than ready.’

As I crushed the heads of the sea monsters swarming me, a smile crept across my face.

I was reminded of a vow I had etched into my heart long ago.

[Can we… win?]

The day I awoke from the body of a cold-hearted warrior and felt my first deep sense of loss.

On that day, I swallowed my helplessness and made a vow.

To survive tenaciously.

So that one day, I wouldn’t need luck anymore.

“We will meet again, Dragon Slayer.”

That I would definitely find him.

Crash—!

At last, that time has come.

***

On the fifth day of hunting on the undersea Island.

I had completed the hunt for all the creatures exclusive to this location. But even after that, I continued to hunt here.

There were plenty of islands outside that needed to be conquered, but…

The profit from mana stones here is quite substantial.

It’s a special field, after all.

Special fields, by nature, are high-risk but high-reward. For me, hunting here was easier than on the fifth floor.

‘I wouldn’t come back here just to chase down the Rocky Island events, though.’

Anyway, as I continued high-speed hunting, I was able to find quite a few essences, and by pushing a bit more, I managed to fill one of the two test tubes with a Level 4 essence.

It would have been better if I had gotten a Deep Sea Giant one.

Even though just getting one Level 4 essence is a significant achievement, it’s still a bit disappointing. There isn’t just one Deep Sea Giant on the Undersea Island.

While wandering around, I encountered a few of them, but none dropped an essence.

Of course, that was to be expected.

Unlike the boss I fought in the underwater temple, regular field monsters don’t have drop rate boosts—

“Schuiz.”

As I was recalling past events, Amelia approached and sat beside me.

She seemed to have something to say.

Though, knowing her, it wasn’t to suggest taking a break.

“The labyrinth closes tomorrow.”

Ah, that’s what she came to talk about.

It was a short remark characteristic of Amelia, but it wasn’t hard to understand the meaning behind it.

Especially since she glanced at the sleeping sailor and mage while she spoke.

“What will you do?”

Her question was much more direct than before.

She must have grown frustrated with me staying silent.

“The mage dies.”

That decision came too easily.

I never intended to let him live anyway.

For one simple reason…

“Given his ties to the Mage Tower, it would be too hard to control him once we’re back in the city.”

“I see. And the sailor?”

Amelia glanced at the sailor one more time, and I immediately stood up from my seat.

Then…

Whoosh-!

Standing beside the head of the sleeping wizard, I raised the hammer high.

It was a familiar scene, one I had experienced before.

Back when I had dozed off, Hans A., my old night watch friend, had been looming over me like this.

Ah, but of course, I’m different from him.

In the sense that I didn’t fail.

Crunch—!

The mage’s body went limp without even uttering a final cry from his sleep.

“Ah, ahh!!”

Perhaps awakened by the sound, the sailor shot upright in a panic.

And then…

“I-I’ll keep my mouth shut for the rest of my life! I’ll even quit being an explorer!”

The sailor fell flat on his stomach, bowing his head low.

Considering I was holding up a bloodied hammer, it was quite a bold move.

…It’s certainly a waste to kill him.

I then looked at Amelia.

She said nothing, as if she’d follow whatever decision I made, but I saw greed deep in her eyes.

Therefore…

“Emily.”

“Speak.”

“Can you keep a close watch on him so he won’t try anything foolish after we return to the city?”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“What’s your basis?”

“I’ve already been mixing poison into his meals and giving him just enough antidote for one day.”

Her words were so calm, which made them all the more trustworthy.

On the other hand, the sailor, unaware that his life was being thoroughly controlled, flinched noticeably.

“Gasp…!”

Watching him, I contemplated once more and then made a decision.

“Your name is Nguyen Roklov, right?”

“…Y-Yes!”

“From now on, listen to her carefully. Got it?”

“Yes! Of course!”

A veteran sailor(unpaid) has been added to the team.