Evil Party 5

No??? Aegis’s Dragon Armour. This item has a rather flashy active ability.

No, to be more precise…

‘I am amazed every time I see it.’

More than anything else, its effect was stronger than any ability or piece of equipment I had ever encountered.

Swoooosh!

The massive spirit warrior that appeared out of nowhere behind me swung its greatsword. It had enough power to bring down a fortress, and the target of that attack was Ruin Scholar Belbev Ruinzenes.

If I pushed Jayna out of the equation and get rid of this old man, it would become a much more manageable fight.

However, the problem was that Gatekeeper Rek Aures was blocking my path.

Hmm, maybe this is not actually an issue?

Everything was still going exactly as I had anticipated.

As Aures positioned himself in front of Ruin Gramps with his massive shield raised, dozens of thick mana barriers formed across its surface.

‘A tank protecting a mage, and a mage using magic to protect that tank…’

When you put it like that, it almost sounds romantic.

But…

“They’re really doing all this nonsense.”

No matter what they try, nothing is going to change.

Honestly, even if those two worked together, there was no way they could withstand my attack. They had not managed to block it properly during our tests either.

Crack! Crack!

The mana barriers were ripped away like paper.

One layer, two layers, three, four… no matter how many barriers were stacked, it was meaningless. That brutal warrior’s greatsword did not care about any of that.

Craaaaack!

It shattered the last layer and even sent Aures flying, despite him acting as the wall.

“Keuheuk!”

Okay, the tank’s down.

Baek-ho is still battering me with basic attacks from behind, but I can ignore that for now.

‘The GM is just spectating…’

Since Jayna can’t offer sacrifices outside the walls, she can’t really stop me either.

Therefore, all I have to do now is finish off the Ruin Scholar, who has exhausted all his defensive spells…

But…

“…Huh?”

Right then, an unexpected variable erupted—one I had never anticipated.

Amazingly, it was a ‘positive’ variable for me. Though I didn’t realize it at first.

“Why… won’t it disappear?”

Even after landing a blow, the spirit warrior summoned by Aegis’s dragon armour didn’t disappear. No, far from disappearing.

Swoosh.

It retrieved the greatsword it had swung and took a stance, ready to deliver another strike. For some reason, those brief moments felt as though they were playing out in slow motion.

“Uh…?”

Baek-ho let out a dumbfounded noise as he briefly forgot what he was doing.

“…!”

Jayna watched with a worried expression, while the GM simply stared at me with wide eyes.

And…

“This is troublesome.” Ruin Gramps muttered and rushed to cast another spell.

As all the information my five senses could gather seared itself into my mind, I understood what was happening.

‘In other words, you accumulate a stack whenever you are hit, and the physical damage dealt depends on how many stacks you have built up.’

Because of the limits of our testing, we were only able to check the Aegis Dragon Armor’s ability up to stage four. Therefore, I had no way of knowing which stage this effect was coming from.

But…

[Accumulated damage has exceeded a certain threshold.]

「The active effect is cast again.」

A double strike.

…Maybe the upper stages have even more additional effects? It’s a reasonable guess, but I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

After all, this much is insane enough. This alone puts the Aegis Dragon Armour on a par with a single-digit numbers item.

As time returned to its normal pace, the spirit warrior brought its greatsword down toward Ruin Gramps.

“…La Evies Tuca Vieran.”

Ruin Gramps finished the spell, and a dark red barrier wrapped itself around him. The unsettling ripples of the barrier suggested that it was far more than a basic defensive spell.

‘It’s the first time I’ve seen this’

I could tell at a glance that it was one of Ruin Gramps’ trump cards…Well, I’d soon find out how strong it is—

“…Huh?”

My expectant gaze changed in an instant as my eyes widened in shock. Not surprising, as I had never anticipated a situation like this.

I had expected the barrier to either shatter or deflect the greatsword, and I would have been fine with either outcome.

But…

Fwoooooom-!

The greatsword disappeared the moment it touched the shield. No, to be precise, it felt as though it had been completely absorbed by the shield. The barrier itself seemed like a gateway to another world.

Is he not practically untouchable because of this?

And considering how short the casting time was, this skill is absurd. Still, I did not sulk or complain. I was already relying on the completely overpowered Aegis Dragon Armour, so it was only fair that this old man had a trick of his own.

‘Besides, it doesn’t seem to be cost-free either.’

The idea that great power must come with great responsibility was something found only in movies. In the world we lived in, great power demanded a heavy price instead, and I could tell that Fallen Gramps had paid it.

“Hoo… Hoo……”

He was gasping for air in heavy, uneven breaths, as if he had drawn out every bit of strength he had, even borrowing from the strength he would have in the future. His sweat-soaked white hair clung to his skin, and he looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Have I ever seen this old man pushed this far before?

It felt like a rare moment to see, but I had no time to stand around watching.

Because the red barrier had just disappeared.

I forced myself forward and charged at Ruin Gramps.

Tap!

And just as I swung my hammer…

Another unexpected situation unfolded.

Fwoosh-!

My hammer cut helplessly through empty air.

It was so absurd that it took me a moment to comprehend the situation.

‘…He dodged?’

The Ruin Scholar had evaded my strike. No matter how low my Agility stat was, there was no way a mere mage could dodge it.

And it wasn’t even luck.

He kept slipping away from my attacks on both sides. It almost looked like he was using some strange form of martial arts, and it left me feeling unsettled.

“It seems you didn’t know.”

“……”

“Magic is a discipline born on the battlefield. Because of that, the mages of the past all trained in close combat. To protect themselves in the battle.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

If mages do martial arts now, then what were the rest of us supposed to do?

I tried to close the distance again, but contrary to my expectation that he would create distance, the Ruin Scholar stepped towards me instead and reached out his hand.

And…

Pok.

The moment his hand gently landed on my stomach…

BOOM-!

It felt like something had exploded inside me!

I didn’t hear him chanting, nor did I sense any flow of mana.

“Urgh!”

What the hell?”

What was that? He broke through the Mana Resistance of my dragon mode? And so easily?

My mind went blank for a moment, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what was happening.

I had just forgotten about it because so much time had passed, but I definitely recognised the ‘technique’.

[You should recognize the technique. Our bodies touched for a moment, and in that instant I formed the circuit and finished the spell by using your body as the medium]

[Ah, so that’s why my Magic Resistance didn’t work.]

Even after he explained it, I still had no idea how it actually worked.

 

But one thing is certain:

The old man bypassed Baek-ho’s resistance too when they fought.

So you’re telling me you can handle yourself in close combat despite being a mage?

I could feel blood running down my throat, but it wasn’t a major concern yet.

Still, I needed a moment to recover, so I created some distance.

‘It’s a bit of a shame I couldn’t finish him off after using up all my stacks…’

But there was no need to rush.

I already knocked Rex Aures out of the fight.

“Mr. Aures…!”

Well, he’s alive and will probably get healed soon.
But still.

Should’ve killed at least one of them during the first round.

The situation wasn’t good. And as if aware of that, Lee Baek-ho also stopped his basic attacks for a moment and spoke to me.

“You see? No matter how much you struggle, it’s pointless.”

Look at him, acting so smug.

As if this fight is already decided.

“So let’s stop here. Yeah? Just tell me what you talked about with that old man. You don’t even have to tell anyone else—just me.
Then we can end this. Okay?”

Seeing Lee Baek-ho act as if he’d already won, I smirked.

“Your long speech…”

“…?”

“…means you’re getting tired, doesn’t it?”

I’m not.

「Your character has cast [Soul Dive].」

「Soul power is regenerated in proportion to the amount consumed」

Whether it’s a street fight, a ring fight, a jungle, an ocean, or another world, one truth remains unchanged.

“BETHEL—RAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

In the end, the one left standing wins.
****

1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes…

The fight continued.

10 minutes, 20, 30…

I rolled across the ground and spat out blood.

1 hour, 2 hours, 3…

I blacked out for a moment before a sharp pain brought me back to consciousness.

4 hours. No, perhaps even more time than that.

It reminded me of my teenage years: a time that felt slow yet rushed past me.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

It wasn’t just me; heavy breathing echoed everywhere.

“B-Baron… can we please stop here…?”

Rex Aures, who had withdrawn and returned to the fight multiple times, pleaded with me earnestly while guarding the Ruin Scholar.

“You must be at your limit too, Baron…”

Well, usually the one who says that is the one who’s actually at their limit.

Jayna, who was standing a short distance away, also spoke up.

“………Monster.”

Her voice came out as a quiet mumble, as though she was tired of it.

“Aha… Ha……”

Baek-ho, who was facing me, wiped the sweat from his brow and spoke up.

“I knew you had something you were relying on. I just didn’t know it was yourself.”

Even in this situation, he kept grinning happily for some reason.

“At this pace, I doubt I will be that far off.”

It seemed he was somewhat pleased that I had become this strong.

“It’s a shame you’ll be difficult to control, but your weaknesses are obvious, Baron.”

Maybe my ears have just gotten used to it.

Even when I hear something like that now, it does not really make my blood boil.

To begin with, I can hardly hear him properly.

Thump, thump, thump, thump—

The pounding of my heart drowned out every sound.

My vision was hazy from the mix of blood and sweat.

“Keuheuheu……”

I focused only on those sensations and laughed meaninglessly. I didn’t laugh because it was funny; I just laughed because the laugh came out.

“So this is what that passage in Peprok’s book was talking about, the one that said warriors laugh when they are worn out.”

At the Ruin Scholar’s words, Lee Baek-ho tilted his head.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“It’s something he said in the past. I heard it’s quite famous among explorers, didn’t you know?”

“How am I supposed to know that?”

Baekho snorted and spat out some blood. “So what, are you saying the baron has reached his limit?”

From the way Baekho looked at me, I knew he had no intention of backing down. That was bad news for me. If this continued, I doubted I would even remain on my feet.

“Khuhuhu…”

Well, what can I do.

You keep going as long as you can still move.

There are times in life when you have to charge in even when you already know the outcome.

“Hey, old man. You ready?”

“Yes, I am done.”

“Then let us wrap this up.”

 

I had no idea what he was talking about, but it seems he had prepared some kind of secret move while I wasn’t looking!

Swoooooosh—!

Immediately, a massive magic circle formed with the Ruin Scholar at its center.

I could immediately tell it wasn’t an ordinary spell. For the first time in a while, a faint, cowardly thought began to form in my mind.

‘If it seems impossible to block, let’s just get away from here…’

Just as I was thinking that and forced my eyes open to look ahead…

CRACK.

Suddenly, I heard a sound like a watermelon bursting, and the magic circle on the ground immediately lost its glow.

I quickly turned to look and noticed two things.

“…!”

The Ruin Scholar was flying through the air as if something had
hit him.

And…

「Amelia Rainweilz has cast [Asura Kick].」

…What.

Why is she here?

Just as I thought I might be seeing things because I’m so exhausted, Amelia actually spoke to me while keeping her eyes fixed on Baekho.

“Chief, do I just kill all these bastards?”

At that question, I blankly nodded.

“Yeah.”

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.