The Secret Garden (3)

Lee Baek-ho watched the duel with sparkling eyes.

He pressed his lips together and tilted his head forward in concentration. To Rek Aures, this felt oddly unfamiliar.

“Baek-ho, who do you think will win?”

Lost in his intense concentration, Baek-ho did not respond. Noticing this, Aures repeated the question.

Finally, Baek-ho broke his concentration on the fight and lifted his head to look at Aures.

However, his gaze was slightly off. It was the kind of look that said, ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’

“…Why are you looking at me like that?” Aures asked.

“I was wondering if you were asking seriously.”

“No, I mean, I’m not a god, so how would I know what you’re thinking?”

“You don’t need to be a god to know that. We gave everything we had to kill him. How is that guy supposed to kill someone we couldn’t even take out?”

“B-but, he’s demon eye?”

“I’m Lee Baek-ho. And that old man over there is the Scholar of Ruin.”

“Surviving an ambush and winning a fight are two different things. It may not play out the way we expect,” Aures replied sincerely.

“Wow, I am never betting on horses with you.”

“Betting…?”

“Forget it. Don’t talk to me.”

As if annoyed, Lee Baek-ho cut him off and quickly returned his gaze to the duel.

After a while, Rek Aures cautiously spoke to him again.

He didn’t want to interrupt, especially after being told not to, but he couldn’t bear his curiosity any longer.

“Uh… Baek-ho?”

Without even taking his eyes off the fight, Lee Baek-ho replied mechanically.

“What. Say it fast.”

“Why are you watching so intensely? You said you believed Baron Jandel would win anyway.”

Aures thought Baekho might realize he was acting out of character by asking that question and hesitate over his answer.

“Then shouldn’t I watch intensely? What if our Baron has another card I don’t know about?”

“Ah… I-is that so…?”

Aures was left speechless by Lee Baek-ho’s “isn’t it obvious” tone. In fact, just as Lee Baek-ho said, a ‘hidden card’ did appear.

“A flower crown…? He had an item like that? Judging by how he escaped immediately after using it, it’s probably a mental defence type…”

Baek-ho’s eyes lit up as he hurriedly pulled out a notebook and began scribbling furiously. His pen raced across the page at lightning speed, sharp, excited breaths flaring through his nose. As he wrote, he even licked his lips, like someone savoring a tempting sight.

Aures watched from the side and swallowed down the emotion rising in his throat.

‘No, it’s not right to insult your allies!’

Still, for some reason, he felt a little sorry for Baron Jandel.

***

Watching changes in a person’s expression is always enjoyable.

Even more so when that person is your enemy and their face crumbles.

Smirk.

I savored the sight of his expression.

The moment I equipped the Crown of Agony and broke free from his illusion, finally meeting his white, lifeless eyes—

His face was pure denial.

‘…He got out? No, this must be a mistake.’ I could practically read his thoughts.

Of course, he soon realized the cold reality.

“What the—”

Demon Eye was intelligent enough to realise that there was a connection between the flower crown and my escape from the illusion, and this sent him into a rage.

He had devoured countless essences and sacrificed innumerable options just to specialize in his White Demon Eye—

And I broke it?

With just one item?

The sheer unfairness must have driven him insane.

[The character has activated [Aegis Dragon Armor].

[Accumulated damage is reflected]

As the Dragon Armor activated, a towering spirit warrior surged into form, its head nearly touching the ceiling of the mages’ barriers as it raised a colossal blade. Demon Eye abandoned his self pity and sharpened his focus.

Because if you want to live, you have to do something.

Roland Banozant has cast [Green Demon Eye].

He hurriedly raised a barrier—

Crrraaaack!

When he saw the barrier torn apart like paper, he flinched, then quickly used his blue eyes to evade the attack.

Man, do I really look like some dumb Barbarian?

[Roland Banozant has cast [Blue Demon Eye]]

Blue Demon Eye is a blink-type skill that allows instantaneous short-range movement, with a cast time under one second.

But it has one fatal weakness.

It cannot be activated while movement is restricted.

Of course, I don’t have any crowd control skills. But after playing the game for so long, I know this. In Blue Demon Eye, the definition of ‘restriction’ isn’t limited to stun or paralysis.

[The character has activated [Transcendence]]
[The character has activated [Eye of the Storm]]

The grab I used for combo setups is also considered a form of movement restriction.

Roland Banozant is immobilized.

[Blue Demon Eye] has been canceled.

His escape was denied.

As his escape route from the giant spirit warrior’s greatsword was cut off, fear crept into his eyes.

It was kind of funny.

“So much for a ‘Demon Eye.’”

Now that I look at him—

Those are just ordinary human eyes.

Whooooooong—!

The greatsword tore through the air toward him, and the last expression on his face was a smile.

No, to be precise…

“Ha.”

A hollow laugh of disbelief.

That was the end.

Booooooom!

A deafening explosion sent dirt and dust billowing into the air, and the surrounding barriers shattered like windows in an earthquake. More than half of them collapsed from the shockwave alone as it tore across the ground.

Whoosh.

Wind rushed in through the broken barriers, and the dust slowly settled.

Then—

Everyone stood in silence, staring at what remained of the vice captain, his body smeared across the ground.

“Wooooooo!!”

Aynar shattered the silence with a roar.

“Bjorn Jandel has killed Demon Eye! Bjorn Jandel is now the strongest warrior in the world!”

That was the signal.

“A-Attack!”

The highest-ranking person after the vice-captain shouted the order, and the Noarkans who had been standing by quickly regrouped and charged.

Honestly, it was expected.

The purpose of a ‘duel’ in war is to take out one of the enemy’s capable commanders and boost the morale of your own troops.

That eye-freak probably had the same plan.

To defeat me one-on-one on the stage Lee Baek-ho set up and then gain the upper hand in the following full-scale battle. That must have been Demon Eye’s original plan.

But the moment he lost the duel, the plan became meaningless.

“Alright—let’s go!!”

As the elites of Orcules and the Noark forces clashed from all directions, Lee Baek-ho, who had been observing from the roof, jumped down.

Then—

“Long time no see?”

He landed beside me and greeted me casually.

“…What the hell are you scheming?”

“Scheming? It’s cold to say that to someone who came to help.”

Hah, tell me something believable.

“By the way, he’s probably not dead yet.”

“…”

“Oh… you don’t know his essence?”

I don’t.

While I was locked in the underground cell, Knight Gramps told me that Demon Eye had survived having his head blown apart thanks to an essence, though he never specified which one.

I just assumed it was a survival-related essence and, since those types of essences have very long cooldown periods, I thought it hadn’t reactivated yet.

But—

“He has consumed the Hellase Essence.”

Ah. That explains it.

Hellase’s passive is a very peculiar survival skill.

It doesn’t boost defense or healing.

[Roland Banozant’s HP has reached 0%]

[[Grace Period] has activated]

[900-second countdown applied.]

[Healing effects are sealed during countdown.]

That passive prevents ‘Death’ judgment for exactly 15 minutes.

However, this does not make them invincible. It only postpones instant death and is effective only if a healer or someone with a potion is nearby.

“He’s not even a tank, and he used that essence?”

I was beginning to understand exactly what kind of person Demon Eye was.

I did notice that he loves to show off. So he was just a coward.

If it were me, I wouldn’t have wasted a survival skill like that. I’d have set up other essences to avoid needing a survival skill in the first place.

“Oh, look. They’re carrying him away.”

At Baek-ho’s words, I turned my head to see the Orcules members quickly retrieving the nearly dead Vice-Captain and retreating.

The makeshift transport team appeared to consist entirely of agility based characters, judging by their speed. I could not even attempt to chase them.

So I looked at Lee Baek-ho, but…

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“I didn’t say anything yet.”

“But you were going to.”

Seriously. If he was here to help, why could he not actually be useful?

I poured my irritation into my hammer and crushed the head of a Noarkan who had rushed at me. A moment later, Amelia stepped in front of me, holding Eltora up with one hand.

Oh, and Aynar showed up beside her as well, carrying Auyen in her hand.

“Jandel,”

Alright. That means we’ve got everyone—
“Oh, you too? Long time no see.”

Baek-ho greeted Amelia, but she didn’t even look at him.

“Let’s go. We’ll leave this place to them.”

“…Huh? You’re leaving us? Hey? Excuse me?”

Amelia ignored Baekho’s grumbling yet again. I did the same.

“Yeah. Let’s go. Get on.”

I deactivated[Gigantification] and let my companions climb onto my normal-sized body. Baek-ho clicked his tongue.

“Seriously, look at these selfish bastards… How did my life end up like this…”

When I stared at him, he let out a faint snort.

“Ha. Don’t bother thanking me. Just go. We’ll clean things up here—”

“I wasn’t planning to thank you.”

“…Excuse me?”

I gave him a look that clearly warned him not to try anything funny while I was gone, then leapt up through the ceiling.

And then—

Guided by Eltora’s navigation function, I finally reached my destination. When I arrived, I stood there in a daze.

Hah. I did find it strange that a building where the Marquis was supposedly recovering had so few guards.

“Damn it.”

The Marquis had already fled somewhere else.

I suppose it makes sense; after wasting all that time on a duel with Demon Eye, it would be weirder if he were still here.

Still, it wasn’t like we were completely out of options.

“Hey.”

I turned to Eltora.

“Where did your father go?”

“…W-Well? I-I wonder where he might have gone?”

“Do not try to dodge the question.”

“Maybe… since things got dragged out back there, he moved to another hideout…?”

Yeah. No shit.

“Think carefully. Where would your father go? This might be your last chance.”

I phrased it gently, but the meaning was clear: if he couldn’t prove his usefulness, he’d be discarded.

Eltora quickly answered.

“I-I can think of one place!”

The location wasn’t too far away, so I changed course immediately and ran.

Finally, we arrived at ‘that place’.

“…………Eh?”

I encountered someone I never expected to see.

“It’s been a while, Baron Jandel.”

Harin Savy.

My ex-girlfriend.

Continue reading more chapters at henprogressive.com

Please join here, I need supporters to help me continue translating Surviving game as a barbarian and Lee Gwak
If it doesn’t work support me here buymeacoffee.com/hennoveltranslations. There are advanced chapters for supporters as well.