Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 69

“I’m sure you’re frantically trying to find a way through. Hand over the essence of the Orc Hero to me. I will lead the way at the forefront.”

“Now that I see it, you’re just a madman.”

Misha’s brother looks at me with a cold gaze.

It’s then that I realize something.

“No one to break through? What are you talking about? Can’t you see the magicians over there?”

Talking with this guy is a waste of time.

He’s just a mere member of the group, lacking the knowledge to make sense of things…

He’s not fully aware of the current situation.

The same goes for the members watching this scene from a distance with interest.

“Halfling, come over here. I don’t want to bear the disgrace of leaving my sister in a dangerous situation.”

“Bjorn…?”

I need someone more reasonable to talk to.

For example, the guy above who led the fight against Riakis.

‘He would understand what I’m saying.’

But it’s unlikely he’ll bring his superior just because I ask nicely…

“Ahem.”

I clear my throat first.

Then, like a true barbarian, I shout with all my might.

“If you don’t want to die, invest in me! I will pave the way—!!”

A shout that’s impossible to ignore if you have ears.

After a brief pause, a man steps forward.

***
“Your name?”

“Bjorn, son of Jandel.”

“Iraz McGrain, currently serving as the deputy leader of the Dzarwi Clan.”

Having swiftly exchanged introductions, he gets straight to the point.

“Tell me, Bjorn Jandel. Who exactly told you we hunted the Orc Hero?”

Yes, that’s the starting point.

“I inferred it.”

“Inferred…?”

“Yes.”
At first, I couldn’t understand why such a large clan would come to control an orc settlement.
But after piecing together the clues, it made sense.

“If they really came to catch the great Orc warrior, they wouldn’t have such strategic resources, right?”

A large clan carrying such expendable items all the time?

Unlikely.

It was too excessive.

“Unless they had a different purpose.”

A 5th-grade monster, the Orc Hero.

A hidden boss of sorts, summoned when 777 Orc Warrior Gems are sacrificed at the altar in the center of the orc colony.

Surely, that was their goal.

They couldn’t catch the ‘Orc Lord’ that appears on a slim chance.

‘They had so many resources, probably to prepare for the Orc Lord’s appearance.’

“But it seems the Orc Lord didn’t show up, did it?”

“Huh, you knew that too?”

McGrain lets out a strange exclamation.

But he doesn’t ask further.

“Now, explain why we need you.”

A single word that omitted the many questions and curiosities that still lingered in his mind.
He must be thinking there’s no time to waste.

I could smell a certain efficiency in this man, so I cut straight to the chase.

“I have the mark of the Undying and the essence of a Vampire. For your information, it’s from a Rift Guardian.”

“You mean you can use all three abilities.”

The idea of a Vampire emerging as a Rift Guardian must be new to McGrain, but he just nods and moves on.

“And what else?”

“I have the essence of a corpse golem. Not well-known, but it has a high tolerance to pain—”

“No need to explain in detail. You can fight even while taking potions, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Is that all?”

As I nod, he closed his eyes, pondering. True to my suspicions of him being efficiency-oriented, it doesn’t take long.

“Certainly, that’s not bad. No, compared to the other two, it’s excellent.”

A completely different reaction from Misha’s brother, who had looked at me like I was crazy when I told him the same thing.

He even reached a conclusion faster.

“Fine, I will invest in you.”

“Deputy leader! That essence was requested by a noble family—!”

Misha’s brother tried to object to the decision…

“Enough! If we say the essence didn’t appear, that’s the end of it. If one essence can save even a few more lives, isn’t it worth the investment?”

He swiftly silenced the protest and continued speaking to me.

“Of course, there’s a condition. If you manage to escape here alive, you’ll join our clan.”

Damn, I knew it was too easy to agree.

The decision wasn’t hard to make.

“I refuse.”

Once you join a clan, it’s difficult to leave.

It’s not impossible, but would I be branded as a traitor who doesn’t know gratitude?

Once I didn’t pay an ‘exit fee’ and got ambushed in a labyrinth.

And this isn’t even a game, but reality.

“Why? It’s a good offer.”

“I’m not ready to join anyone yet.”

Maybe in the future, I’ll create my own clan.

There’s no need to join as a mere member and limit my actions for the future.

Well, if it were a life-or-death situation, there would have been no other choice…

‘They’re in the same situation with no other choice.’

It’s a kind of chicken game.

One where the winner is almost predetermined.

I’m risking my life, but they have the lives of 23 people on their shoulders.

“Refusal, huh? That’s disappointing.”

“So, what’s your decision?”

“Alright, I’ll give you the essence.”

Was he too impatient to engage in a power struggle?

McGrain wiped away his regrets and sent a man to fetch a box.

‘This is strangely nerve-wracking.’

I tried to stay calm and slowly opened the box.

Click-

There are three Orc Heroes that can be summoned with magic stones.

Each one is a named entity with its unique essence. That’s why, despite being a 5th-grade monster, they require a raid-level strategy.

The important point here is…

‘Denish? Beltar? Tarugas? Which one dropped the essence?’

The Orc trio, as I usually call them, each drop a different colored essence.

Denish drops a red essence with [Frenzy’s Shout].

Beltar drops a blue essence with [Flag of Struggle].

Tarugas drops a green essence, which is crucial for my Shield Barbarian build.

Which one could it be?

“Phew…”

As I opened the box, I checked the color of the transparent test tube.

“Green.”

Luck seems to be on my side.

Unnecessarily making people nervous.
***
「The essence of the Orc Hero seeps into your soul.」

「Strength increases by +70.」

「Agility increases by +35.」

「Fighting Spirit increases by +40.」

「Physical Resistance increases by +20.」

「Bone Density increases by +30…」
***
Changes occurred immediately and in multiple aspects.

Like with Aynar, there were no external changes…

Squeak-

True to a physical essence, I felt a surge of strength.

Not to mention the increase in agility, making me feel lighter.

I’ll be able to move more swiftly in any action from now on.

And most importantly…

‘Is this because of the fighting spirit?’

Uncharacteristically, a desire to wield this power as soon as possible creeps in.

“First, take off your equipment.”

Suppressing the excitement, I followed the instructions and removed my gear.

As I did, someone spoke to me from the side.

“By the way, how did you know? That we had received a request.”

“I didn’t.”

“…You didn’t? Then how could you so confidently ask for the essence?”

Well, they also wouldn’t have known which of the three essences it would be.

I assumed they would keep it in a test tube and decide later who to use the essence on.

“I predicted they would store the essence in a test tube for now and later decide which member would use it. For them, the cost of the test tube wouldn’t be too burdensome.”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

“Is that all you wanted to ask?”

“For now, yes. We don’t have much time.”

As soon as I’ve stowed my stripped gear in my backpack and handed it to Misha, McGrain hands me a stack of scrolls.

Without asking what they were, I took them all at once and tore them open with a ‘zzzt!’.

「Character has used a Physical Defense Auxiliary Scroll.」

「Physical resistance temporarily increases by +10.」

「Character has used an Advanced Stamina Auxiliary Scroll.」

「Stamina reduction rate temporarily decreases.」

「Character has used a Vitality Regeneration Auxiliary Scroll.」

「Stamina regeneration rate significantly increases…」

Colorful auras emanated subtly from my skin, each representing the effects of the various scrolls.

“Now, drink this as well.”

After the scrolls, it was time for various potions.

「Character has consumed a Strength Enhancement Elixir.」

「Strength temporarily increases by +10.」

「Character has consumed the Tears of the Spirit.」

「All elemental resistances temporarily increase by +15.」

「Character has consumed a Basilisk Flask.」

「Pain tolerance temporarily increases by +15…」

Damn, is this the power of real-money transactions?

“Honestly, I’m not sure I can get used to this extent.”

“Hmm, it’ll be a problem if that’s the case.”

“…I agree.”

The doping hadn’t even begun yet.

At McGrain’s signal, support-type explorers began casting their abilities.

「Aeron Deplane casts [Spirit’s Blessing].」

「Character’s magic resistance significantly increases.」

「Aeron Deplane casts [Flame of Regeneration].」

「Character’s physical regeneration rate significantly increases.」

「Tarotes Pian casts [Mantle of Sacrifice].」

「Character’s threat level significantly increases…」

With each new type of power embedding into my body, I feel an indescribable thrill.

It’s almost like feeling like an emperor.

But it’s still not enough.

To break through the darkness filled with Riakis’ clones, I need to be more than an emperor; I need to become a monster.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

At his gesture, Misha’s brother approached.

He couldn’t speak his mind in front of the deputy leader, but his discomfort was apparent.

The feeling was mutual.

“Absorbing any ability from him will be most beneficial.”

“I see.”

To make rational decisions, personal feelings must be set aside.

Thus, I bit into Misha’s brother’s neck.

“Kuagh.”

I bit hard enough to taste the bitter blood.

「Character casts [Master of Blood].」

The active skill of a vampire, [Master of Blood].

Its effect is simple.

「Character temporarily absorbs the passive skill [Unholy One] from Taelon Karlstein.」

By directly drinking blood, one can randomly absorb one of the target’s skills.

“Seeing the change in your eye color, it seems you got it.”

“There’s no need to explain; I know.”

[Unholy One].

A passive skill that, in exchange for reducing the maximum essence by -1, increases the performance of all active skills by 1.5 times.

“You seem to have quite the luck.”

As much as I agree, I really wish he wouldn’t say things like that. It just makes me feel like something terrible is going to happen later on.

“Shall we start then?”

I nodded.

Slowly imagining and activating the skill I obtained through the essence of the Orc Hero.
「Character casts [Gigantification].」

In an instant, the ground seems to recede, and the people around me shrink in size.

「Character’s stature grows, and with the increased size, threat level and physical attributes
increase.」

This is the so-called Barbarian Hero Mode.

My imposing form captured the attention of everyone around.

“Goodness…”

“This is… a true monster.”

In a gesture of awe, McGrain removed his cloak, along with his lieutenant’s, and handed them to me.

“…It would be best to cover up with these for now.”

Agreeing with the suggestion, I quickly wrapped them around my waist.

With this, the preparations for departure were complete.

“Only about 30 minutes left now. Can you do it?”

Can I do it?

I barely contained the surging power within me and shouted.

“Bethel—raaaaaaah!!”

With my current state, there’s nothing impossible.
***
「Bjorn Jandel」

Level: 3

Physical: 310 (New +155) / Mental: 104 (New +12) / Abilities: 115

Item Level: 683

Overall Combat Index: 695.75 (New +167)

Acquired Essences: Corpse Golem – Rank 7 / Vampire (Guardian) – Rank 5 / Orc Hero – Rank 5

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