Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 557

Episode 557

First Clear(2)

Even monsters have brand recognition.

Take Bellarios, for example: tell ordinary folk the name and a hundred out of a hundred will just stare.

But ogres, orcs, trolls, goblins, minotaurs—

Mention these, and people immediately form an image in their minds.

So, what’s the difference between the two?

‘Folklore.’

As far as I can tell, the key difference is whether there’s a story behind them.

Just as Earthlings grow up reading fairy tales like The Little Mermaid or The Nutcracker, the locals here also grew up hearing tales of monsters.

The cunning goblin.
The ignorant orc.
The minotaur of the labyrinth.

The forest tyrant, the ogre.

Monsters with stories often carry such descriptions to them, and the same applies to Level 1 monsters.

“……Did everyone hear? We might have to face creatures like Kashan or Leviathan.”

“You mean the Wolf of Prophecy, Kashan, and the Sea God, Leviathan?”

The Wolf of Prophecy, Kashan.
The Sea God, Leviathan.

Sometimes, they were referred to only by their titles, so at first, I had no idea what they were talking about. It wasn’t until I looked it up later that I understood.

Anyway, that’s not the important part.

“……If we really manage to defeat them, it would be a legendary feat.”

“I’m a bit concerned. Is it even possible for us to handle such monsters on our own…?”

Everyone already knew we were planning to hunt a first-class monster.

Within the expedition force, opinions were split.

“Haha, you worry too much. They’re just called legends because they’re hard to fight in their original territories, but in essence, they’re still just monsters. With our current strength, we should be able to handle them.”

“Hmm… I hope you’re right…”

Some were optimistic, others expressed concern.

Jerome glanced around to gauge public opinion and signaled to a waiting mage, who quickly reactivated the sound-dampening spell.

“There’s nothing more to say. It’s exactly as I said. So, you just need to decide—whether to follow the mage’s words or the explorer’s.”

At my words, the old mage beside me let out a hearty laugh. Well, his mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren’t.

“Baron, I fully understand your emphasis on experience, but we are men who have spent decades poring over records and mastering knowledge.”

“And?”

“I refuse to believe we have only one option. The last Level 1 monster was killed by just forty people. And—”

The old man shrugged and gestured toward the massive expedition force around us. Only then did I understand the source of his confidence.

“So, just because forty people did it, you think you can do it too.”

“Exactly. With two hundred of the kingdom’s finest elites, handpicked by the royal family, what can’t we accomplish?”

“First, let’s confirm something. Are those forty people you mentioned from the Boatplay Clan, which disbanded decades ago due to dimensional collapse?”

The old mage looked slightly surprised at my question.

“…You know of them?”

Well, of course. I didn’t just rely on in-game knowledge – I studied hard as well.

“From what I know, each of them was the kingdom’s top explorer. And they spent over half a year preparing—just for a single battle. They poured hundreds of millions of stones into gathering everything they needed.”

“Our expedition force has plenty of supplies—”

“Vesillus, don’t interrupt the Baron.”

Jerome silenced the mage before he could retort, allowing me to speak freely.

“You think we have enough supplies? Impossible. Until an hour ago, we didn’t even imagine fighting a first-class monster. Or do you think potions and scrolls are enough to take one down?”

The elder mage responded in a mocking tone.

“By that logic, the same goes for Kashan. We’re equally unprepared for him.”

I knew that was coming.

Without giving him a chance to continue, I replied immediately.

“Kashan has the lowest durability of all first-class monsters.”

“But his offensive capabilities are that much higher.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes him beatable.”

“And what evidence do you have for that?”

I pointed to myself with my thumb.

“Because I’m here.”

“…?”

“I can suppress him as much as needed.”

“Huh…!”

The elder mage was momentarily speechless at my confident declaration, but I quickly followed up with a more rational justification.

“Besides, there’s no widely known strategy for Kashan. In other words, it’s a monster that can be taken down even without extensive preparation. There might be sacrifices, but Kashan is definitely within our reach.”

“What do you think of that, Versillus?”
“…With that logic, whether a monster is defeatable or not depends on what works in your favor.”

A statement that simply denied my point without any convincing evidence.

Jerome didn’t say much to this, however.

“I see.”

He nodded and fell into thought, while the elder mage whispered like a scheming advisor.

“Commander Saintred, why don’t we let everyone vote? Let them decide whether to follow my recommendation and summon Leviathan or take the Baron’s side.”

In other words, he was suggesting a vote.

There was no way I could allow that.

It was obvious who the people would believe more—the refined mage or the barbarian.

‘Not bad, old man.’

I had to stop the vote at all costs.

Just as I was about to speak—

“No.”

Jerome’s strict voice cut through.

“‘No’? Why not?”

“Shifting responsibility to my subordinates because I can’t choose between two simple options—Sir Versilius, a commander like that will never earn the true trust of their people.”

“…This isn’t shifting responsibility—it’s just gathering opinions—”

“It’s the same. A commander is someone who makes decisions and takes responsibility for them.”

With that, Jerome shut down the old mage’s argument and decisively concluded the discussion.

“Alright, I’ve decided.”

“You have decided?”

“We’ll summon Kashan, the Wolf of Prophecy.”

Jerome’s commanding voice silenced any further objections.

“This is entirely my own judgment and decision. I will bear full responsibility for the consequences.”

“…….”

“So, prepare accordingly.”

The charisma in his words left the rest of the leadership with only one response.

“Nia Raphdonia…!”

Sigh, the kingdom truly has no shortage of talent.

***

After the meeting.

While sharing the results with the 4th squad, Jerome approached me.

“Baron, may I have a word?”

“Of course.”

We didn’t need to go somewhere private—everyone instinctively made way when the commander arrived, and the mage even added a voice-control spell for good measure.

“Haha, I didn’t mean to go this far.”

There’s a saying that the more secretive a leader is, the better they lead.

“…Is that really a saying?”

“Nope, I just made it up.”

“……”

“So, what is it?”

Jerome quickly got to the point.

“I came to tell you not to worry too much about Vesillus. I’ll handle him.”

“‘Handle him’…?”

“There was some friction between you and the Mage Tower, wasn’t there? That’s probably why he’s stubbornly refusing to acknowledge your words.”

“Did you already know about Kashan?”

“Not particularly. Just what’s common knowledge. In fact, this was my first time hearing about the Boatplay Clan too. I’m not an explorer.”

“Then how did you know he was deliberately refusing to acknowledge me?”

“I may lack field experience, but I’m not ignorant about people. Besides, Versillus is easy to read.”

An unexpected side of him.

Breaking stone gates, ordering the vice-commander around—I’d assumed he was just a musclehead.

‘Turns out he’s not.’

Honestly, this type is the trickiest.

The kind who effortlessly knows when to use force and when to use their head.

In a way, he’s similar to me…

“Anyway, don’t hold it against him. Like it or not, we’re comrades until we leave this place.”

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t even paying attention to begin with.”

“Haha, is that so?”

“By the way… You’ve got it rough too.”

“Well, I wouldn’t call it ‘rough’…”

“Guess you were just born to be a soldier.”

“Haha. Baron, have you ever thought of joining the army? I think you’d do well.”

What a horrible suggestion.

‘Still, I didn’t expect him to be this easy to talk to.’

Maybe we could even become friends—

“By the way, Baron.”

“…Yeah?”

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“A favor?”

“The more I look at you, the more you remind me of someone I once knew. So I’d like to check something—just in case…”

With that ominous prologue, Jerome handed me something tucked under his arm.

“Here, try this on.”

A full-face helmet.

“…I-I’m hungry, so I’ll go ahead!”

…Forget being friends.

This guy’s someone I should avoid at all costs.

Level 1 monster, the Wolf of Prophecy, Kashan.

Even though we decided to summon it, we didn’t start the raid right away.

A Level 1 monster isn’t something to take lightly.

We needed to be in peak condition, with full HP and MP.

“Attention, everyone! Sir Versillus will now explain the monster we’ll be facing!”

Before strategizing, we had to familiarize ourselves with its patterns.

Before strategy comes pattern memorization.

This isn’t like summoning 3rd or 2nd level monsters, where you can just prepare the basics and go.

“Ahem, nice to meet you, everyone. As you know, I am Gahyun Versillus, head mage of the First Expedition Force. I’ll now explain the characteristics of the Prophetic Wolf, Kashan. First, the origin of its name…”

His explanation was mind-numbingly dull, but since lives were at stake, everyone listened attentively.

Well, except one person.

Zzzzzzzzzzz…!

Aynar was fast asleep, snoring away with sleep bubbles.

The old mage’s temple twitched at the sight, but he let it slide—probably because he didn’t want to make a scene.

‘Sigh… I’ll explain it to her later in barbarian terms.’

After the lecture, another leadership meeting was held.

Positioning, consumables, DPS rotation during the raid.

The meeting lasted hours, but surprisingly, there wasn’t much for me to nitpick.

Everything was on point.

“Saintred, have you fought monsters like this before?” I asked curiously

“Hrm… if anything is lacking, let me know. I’ll listen with open ears.”

Huh? That wasn’t meant to be sarcasm.

When I explained that I was just impressed, Jerome smiled and responded humbly.

“Ah, I’m glad I took labyrinth tactics in my youth.”

“Labyrinth tactics? Do knights learn that?”

“Normally, no. But my father was… a bit of an oddball.”

“…I see.”

After the initial meeting, we all brainstormed, running combat simulations and considering every possible variable.

‘Feels like playing a TRPG with a group.’

Since I always played Dungeons & Stones alone, this kind of discussion was oddly fun.

“That should be enough for today. Tomorrow, we’ll conduct a mock battle with the entire force, so rest well.”

With the planning done, the next day was spent rehearsing formations and battle sequences in front of the stone gate.

“You there! Wrong position! You’re supposed to be here, not there!”

“Ah, sorry—!”

“You… What’s your name?”

“Kelt Avis—”

“Wrong! Your name is ‘Disgrace to Humanity’!!”

“……?”

“You think ‘sorry’ cuts it? What’s the point of military law then? Are you brain-dead? Look over there! Even the barbarian Aynar knows her position!”

Though I doubted how much a mock battle would help, I still drilled them as harshly as possible.

You never know.

This might save someone who was fated to die.

“The baron is terrifying.”

“Reminds me of my days as an apprentice knight.”

“Don’t take it too hard. Don’t you know the Baron by now? He’s only saying this for our sake!”

“Right… He must be tearing up inside.”

Thanks to the rapport I’d built, no one protested much.

“It’s over! Until noon tomorrow, there will be no missions—use the time to rest well and sharpen your focus!”

After the mock battle, we set up camp earlier than usual and went to sleep.

And then, at noon the next day—

“All troops, to your positions!”

“To your positions!”

“Place the book on the altar!”

Everyone stood in formation, eyes fixed on the stone gate.

Rrrrummmmble…!

The stone gate began to open, and through the gap, a pair of glowing blue eyes gleamed.

Then, slowly, from within the darkness—

THOOM—!

A four-legged beast emerged, radiating an ominous aura.

[Your character has been exposed to “Ominous Prophecy.”]

[Luck stat is fixed at -200.]

Alright then. Let’s do this.

 

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