Surviving game as a barbarian Episode 601
Third Record (4)
A single eye peeked out from its long, wig-like hair.
Kwoong—!
Height: approximately 6 meters.
It far surpasses the standard size of a large monster, but thanks to its absurdly long arms, it appears even larger.
Well, even so, it’s probably smaller than the Hippramagent.
Kwoong—!
Still, the pressure I felt from it was on a different level.
I know this thing better than anyone else.
The Lord of Silence, Siliart.
The Floor Lord of the fifth floor, armed with troublesome mechanics.
For an “Explorer” like me, who uses Essences, it’s practically a disaster.
I can’t even counter this guy by using the companion spell as we did against the traitor Ricardo Lühensprache who had this guy’s essence…
‘Why is it here?’
Despite the confusion, I acted instantly.
Tadat.
The moment our eyes met, I stepped back and pulled Erwin into my arms.
And then…
“…!”
Instead of speaking, I gave Gahyun a simple hand signal, and he ended up meeting my eyes.
‘Attack.’
‘With everything you’ve got.’
If it were a member of Clan Anabada, I could’ve conveyed more complex instructions via hand signals, but there’s no point whining about what’s not possible.
Fortunately, Gahyun obeyed the signal immediately.
[Gahyun Versilius has cast the ancient spell [Katuka’s Thunderstorm].]
Katuka’s Thunderstorm.
One of the ancient spells available to Gahyun in his “Mage,” role an instant-cast spell with no channeling time.
Naturally, it was not lacking in power.
FLASH—!
As if the sky were collapsing, several bursts of lightning engulfed the entire canyon.
Kwoooong—!
Not sound, but a massive vibration reverberated through my skin.
At the same time…
[The character has exited the range of [Wordless Command]]
The Lord of Silence, Siliart, who had been climbing the cliff, tumbled down, and sound returned.
“Uh…”
After casting his spell, Gahyun looked shocked. In contrast, the village chief remained calm.
“Hmm… A fascinating monster.”
Come to think of it, the Floor Lords must not have existed in the labyrinth when this old man was alive.
According to records inscribed on the Stone of Honor, Floor Lords only began appearing in the labyrinth after Limenin, the Abyss seeker, reached the 10th Floor.
“Sir Versillus, do you know what that monster is?”
“If my eyes didn’t deceive me, that thing we just saw was a Floor Lord of the Great Great Demon Realm.”
“A Floor Lord…?”
The Village Chief tilted his head, unfamiliar with the term.
But there was no time for a friendly explanation.
“Everyone! Follow me, now!”
First, we had to get out of here.
Even if we have to fight it, this narrow canyon isn’t the proper place for such a battle.
Besides, I needed time to organize my thoughts.
“Erwin, hold on tight.”
“Y-yes!”
With Erwin in my arms, I quickly moved forward.
Tadat.
As I picked up speed, I noticed another change: the monsters that had been blocking the path were now completely gone.
“A small mercy amidst the misfortune…”
Maybe the appearance of the Lord of Silence drove them away.
“Baron, at least tell us where we’re headed!”
“Down.”
“Down…? Isn’t the floor lord waiting below?!”
“That’s why we’re going. It’s better to fight on flat ground than in a canyon.”
“You can’t possibly… be planning to fight that thing, are you?”
Gahyun shouted as if the idea were absurd, but I had only one thing to say.
“Do you see any other way?”
“That’s a floor lord we’re talking about! Even with hundreds of people meticulously preparing, there are always casualties! And now you’re saying just five of us are going to take it on? Hell, this fairy here can’t even pull her own weight right now!”
Honestly, his reaction was understandable.
The floor lords are infamous, after all.
His outburst… well, was probably due to the field effect.
No time for hammer-based discipline right now, so I decided to let it slide—just this once.
“Gahyun Versillus!”
Then, the Village Chief’s shout echoed through the canyon.
A sharp rebuke I’d never heard from him before.
“Y-yes…?”
Fixing his gaze on Gahyun, who looked utterly taken aback, the village chief spoke sternly.
“Stop complaining and follow the Baron’s lead. That’s an order.”
“What? B-but…”
“Are you refusing?”
“N-no… It’s just that there must be another way besides fighting that thing—”
“Answer only with yes or no. But choose carefully. Today’s answer will shape your future.”
“…I’ll comply.”
Thanks to the Village Chief stepping in, the situation quickly stabilized.
When command wavers in moments like these, things spiral out of control. Luckily, the Village Chief seemed to know that.
Step, Step
Soon, the village chief sped up and took a position beside me at the front.
“Given his reaction, that seems like an incredibly tough enemy. Do you have a plan?”
“…Of course.”
Well, more accurately, I was still working on it.
Still, it wasn’t time to despair yet.
We already had the essentials for a raid.
‘Priest, Mage, Knight.’
The three essential roles for raiding the Lord of Silence. Of course, five people were still far too few…
But with infinite divine power and ancient magic…
The Village Chief, boosted by his inflated stats, had been overwhelming throughout this chapter.
With this, we at least met the minimum requirements.
‘The problem is me and Erwin…’
But let’s think positively. There’s a high chance we had some “role” in this raid.
After all, [Dungeon and Stone] was that kind of game.
‘Once the boss fight starts, I’ll have the three of them run the raid while I look for an opening’
The most important role here is the priest.
If he can make good use of his unlimited divine power, we just might endure everything—
“Baroooon—!! Wait!!”
Just then, chaos erupted from behind.
When I stopped and turned, Gahyun and the high priest both stopped moving.
No, more precisely—
“The high priest suddenly stopped moving! He won’t respond!”
The high priest had stopped as if possessed, and Gahyun was looking at him worriedly.
“Step aside.”
After setting Erwin down, I approached to check, but the High Priest just stared blankly into space.
Something was clearly wrong.
‘What’s going on?’
The Lord of Silence doesn’t have a mechanic like this.
Is it different because we’re inside the rift?
If so, there are too many variables—
“Baron.”
Suddenly, the High Priest spoke.
‘Damn, that startled me…’
I quietly stroked my chest and calmly assessed the situation.
“High Priest, are you alright? What happened?”
If something was wrong, we needed to act fast—
“Don’t worry. I’m perfectly fine. In fact, I’ve never been better.”
What the hell?
“…What do you mean?”
“Exactly as I said. The miracle of God fills my entire being. I can’t recall ever feeling this fulfilled in my life…”
His glassy eyes made it clear he wasn’t in his right mind.
Damn it, we don’t have time for this.
“Baron.”
As I debated how to handle him, he turned his gaze to me.
“Have you ever considered serving something other than your ancestral spirits?”
The same question he’d asked me before the Lord of Silence appeared. But this time, something felt off.
I wasn’t entirely sure yet, but…
“Just to confirm.”
I needed to verify.
“When you say ‘something else,’ are you referring to Leatlas?”
The High Priest remained silent.
Instead of answering…
Whoooosh
From the darkness of the labyrinth, thousands of black particles rose. Then, as if bestowing a blessing, they gathered around the High Priest.
Unfortunately, I recognized this visual effect.
It’s the visual that appears when one becomes a Priest of Karui.
Whoooosh—
The High Priest stretched his hand toward the particles with a radiant smile.
There was no point denying it anymore.
It was too sudden, too unbelievable, but…
“See? The grace of God?”
The high priest had become a Priest of Karui.
[Elden Hestia has succumbed to temptation.]
[Can now use Karui’s Authority.]
My mind went blank.
Our team’s Priest had just class-changed into a Priest of Karui.
What was I supposed to do now?
‘Should I kill him now?’
Given his defenseless state, it might not be impossible.
No, I felt like this was my only chance.
I had to decide quickly.
If a Priest of Karui with unlimited divine power became our enemy, we are screwed.
‘But… if I kill him, what then?’
Setting aside the moral dilemma of killing the High Priest so easily…
Without a Priest, we stood no chance against the Floor Lord.
Yet my thoughts were tangled.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t kill him.’
I still didn’t know how to clear this rift.
What if the High Priest, now a Priest of Karui, had some role to play?
A rash decision could lead to irreversible consequences—
[The character has activated [Swing].]
By the time I came to my senses, my hammer was already swinging toward the High Priest’s skull.
It was not a carefully considered decision, but a split-second judgment.
Crunch—!
CRACK—!
With a single, powerful swing, half of the high priest’s head was cut off.
But he still stood standing
I already knew Priests of Karui could survive as half-heads, so it wasn’t surprising.
“Wh-what are you doing?!”
Gahyun, clearly unaware of what was happening, cried out.
“You—you attacked the High Priest! Have you lost your mind?!”
Ah. He really doesn’t understand the situation.
No time to explain.
‘One more.’
I swung my hammer again, but unfortunately, the tentacles sprouting from the High Priest!’s body blocked it.
It was too horrifying and disgusting to call it a divine spell.
“…Wh-what in the world is going on?” Gahyun stuttered
After a few more hammer strikes, I gave up and gave a brief explanation.
“Our High Priest has become a Priest of Karui.”
“What?”
“Look. Half his head is gone, yet he’s still alive.”
“Th-then we have to kill him, right?”
Wait, wasn’t he just yelling at me for attacking him?
“Count Saintred. Can I leave this to you?”
Without hesitation, the village chief unleashed his aura and swung his sword.
But…
Boom—!
Even aura couldn’t break through that shell.
But the chief didn’t seem disappointed.
“If I go all-out, I could manage… but afterward, count me out. It’s basically a finisher. Would you prefer that?”
Everyone looked to me.
He was making it clear that the decision was mine.
He was making it clear that the decision was mine.
I had to think—
“None of you…”
Suddenly, the high priest spoke.
“…understand me at all.”
His voice was devoid of emotion, much like the chief’s had once been.
“But worry not. You’ll understand soon enough.”
As his ominous declaration ended…
Like a possession ritual, his spine bent backward, and his chest split open.
Crackle—!
I recognized the skill the moment I saw it.
[Elden Hestia has activated [Unstable Vessel].]
Unstable Vessel.
The ultimate skill of a Priest of Karui.
Its effect was simple.
For the duration of the cast, the caster becomes invincible…
‘And then explodes.’
In terms of range and power, no skill in [Dungeon and Stone] could match it.
‘It’s already too late to avoid.’
I made my decision.
Even if it meant sacrificing the Village Chief, we had to stop this.
Just as I was about to speak—
Kwoong—!
The ground trembled, and sound vanished again.
[The character has entered the range of [Forbidden Speech]]
[All Essence skills are sealed.]
As if things couldn’t get worse, the Floor Lord we’d knocked down earlier reappeared…
‘Attack.’
‘With everything.’
I frantically signaled the Village Chief with the same instructions I’d given Gahyun earlier. But the Village Chief just shook his head with an apologetic look.
Ah… Essence-sealing affects him too?
“Goddammit.”
So I changed the signal.
“Run at full speed.”
“Anywhere.”
“Just survive.”
It was the “every man for himself” signal, one that I had never actually used in my long career as an explorer.
Once I confirmed everyone understood, I scooped up Erwin and headed for the cliff’s edge.
Even then, I wasn’t sure.
Would we survive the fall?
“It’s still better than being hit by that skill.”
Just as I bent my knees to leap—
KWOONG—!
A massive hand rose from below the cliff.
I was about to jump anyway, but then I noticed something strange.
It wasn’t targeting us.
“Wait…?”
The creature pulled itself onto the cliff and embraced the high priest tightly.
Then…
“……”
It locked eyes with me, just for a moment—
And then let go.
THUD.
The floor lord fell, taking the high priest with it into the abyss.
The Character has exited the range of [Forbidden Speech]
About three seconds later, as the distance grew, [Forbidden Speech] was lifted.
And then, after what felt like another few moments—
Boooom—!
An explosion, like a nuclear bomb going off, erupted from below.
“Everyone! Hold on tight!!”
The Grand Demon Realm began to collapse.
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