Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 106

P.K(2)

Jencia Neaprin.

A pseudonym for plundering, but whatever.

Even as she entered the “Glacial Cavern” alone, she wasn’t too worried.

She was confident that she could clear it solo, even after killing everyone.

She’d bought the information that Frozen Breath would drop here, and she’d finished memorizing the strategy to tackle this place.

However…

[“…I won’t be a burden. I’m Abman Urichfried”]

Things went south from the start.

[I am a Rank 6 explorer, and Michelle is Rank 7. We usually operate around the 4th floor.”]

[“I see, I’m Rank 5.”]

A Rank 5 Archer, a Rank 6 Barbarian, and a Rank 7 Beast-human.

‘Why are these guys on the 1st floor at this time?’

It made no sense to her.

Even though it was the first day the rift had opened, she had only expected a couple of rank 7 or 8 at most to enter.

‘So, what now?’

Originally, she’d planned to toy with them, enjoy her ‘hobby’, and then take out the Rift Guardian on her own.

After all, it would be problematic if word got out in the city.

Her equipment, skills, and even her appearance were already known to the guild.

If they found out that she was alive, she’d be in trouble.

‘Going solo on them might be too risky, should I just keep quiet this time and wait for the next time?

At first, that seemed like a viable thought, but her perspective gradually changed.

After all, life sometimes turns crisis into opportunities, doesn’t it?

‘Sigh, I can wait 3 months, but it would be a shame, wouldn’t it?’

Thanks to her rich experience in plundering, she could roughly estimate their value with just a glance.

‘That archer brat is worth 30 million, the barbarian 6 million, and that cat girl… hmm, about 3 million.’

A total of 39 million stones.

Pulling off a heist of this magnitude inside the labyrinth is no small feat, especially for a solo plunderer like her.

‘Alright, let’s do this.’

She began to formulate a new plan.

Using the unique conditions within the rift, it seemed like she could make something work.

‘The problem is this damn archer…’

The barbarian and the beast-human, being of lower ranks and warrior types, didn’t scare her.

Lacking detection abilities, she was confident in winning even in a 2:1 situation.

But one of them was different.

‘Why’s he so thorough?’

The archer, true to the mark of a higher-ranked explorer, was experienced.

He tended to hide his abilities in front of strangers and always managed to shift his gaze to her whenever she tried to sneak into a blind spot.

Even when making a campfire and resting, it was the same.

The archer sat with his back to the wall, keeping her and Carson in his line of sight.

‘Ha, he’s not even a surveillance camera. And he didn’t even care about that cat bitch behind him.’

Was it because they were both beast-humans?

The archer was particularly careful not to show any openings to Carlson and her.

Of course, it wasn’t because he’d noticed something.

It was probably just a habit.

A natural response honed through experience.

‘…This is why being human sucks.’

She waited patiently.

[“And I’ve eaten the essence of a goblin archer, and since I was young, I’ve been trained as a scout, so I have a certain level of expertise with traps and mechanical devices.”]

Just as she had introduced herself initially, she played the role of a novice, scattering any suspicions.

And then, the moment she had been waiting for arrived.

[“This time, I guess I’ll have to exert some effort.”]

The archer finally revealed a new ability.

The four essences he possessed were already accounted for. Now, he unveiled the power of the ‘Spirit Beast’ that she had been most wary of.

[“Gaaaah!”]

A gray bear charged on all fours with a roar.

The moment she saw it, a smirk formed on her lips.

The archer was a summoner.

And not the kind with detection abilities, but a tanker-type summon that served as nothing more than a meat shield.

Furthermore, as if heaven itself was assisting,

Boom!

The barbarian was knocked down by a hammer blow to the head.

It seemed too easy for a Rank 6 explorer to be taken down, but considering the reduction in agility due to [Hypothermia], it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.

Or perhaps, the claim of being Rank 6 was a lie to begin with.

In any case, the barbarian wasn’t of much importance.

「Character has cast [Weapon Transformation].」

She switched her equipment using a skill.

A rusty sword became a poison-coated blade, and other parts of her gear transformed into specialized equipment for fighting against humans, collected piece by piece.

And in that state,

「Character has cast [Beast Step].」

「Gains advanced stealth and increased movement speed for 3 seconds.」

She activated stealth.

The very essence of a goblin archer she introduced during her usual “hobby” activities.

With a dash,

Though she sprinted with force, the Beast Step minimally reduced the sound of her footsteps.

The archer, distracted by the orc, hadn’t yet noticed her movement.

「Character has cast [Vengeance].」

「The first strike significantly increases penetration and slashing power, and inflicts the ‘Bleeding’ status effect.」

Her blade swiftly sliced through the target’s abdomen.

It was a surprising turn of events.

Her intended target had been the heart.

‘To think he’d react to that.’

Of course, it was a meaningless struggle.

She felt the sensation of organs on the tip of her blade, and she had already applied deadly poison on it.

Nothing would change.

It would only make his death more agonizing.

“Guh!”

As she watched the archer vomit blood, ready to savor the aftermath,

Crash!

Something hit her head and shattered, spilling a sticky liquid.

“What, what’s this!”

It turned out to be the work of the cat bitch.

“You, what have you done to me…”

As she realized something was amiss and stepped back,

The barbarian, who had been knocked out, suddenly rose to his feet.

“What’s going on…”

She couldn’t understand.

It hadn’t even been 2 seconds since she used her skill and succeeded in her surprise attack.

And with her extensive experience, she knew.

When surprised, the usual reaction is to scream in shock and betrayal.

That’s the typical response.

But what about this cat bitch?

As if she had been waiting for this moment, she rushed in and shattered the bottle…

And the barbarian, standing up just fine.

He didn’t ask why she betrayed them.

There was no need to.

“Bethel—raaaaaaaaa!!!”

He charged with a scream.

Through this anomalous behavior, she deduced one thing.

No, realizing would be the better term.

‘Could it be… they knew I would do this?’

It wasn’t just something wrong.

「Character has cast [Beast Step].」

「Stealth state is canceled due to exposure to Witch’s Lamp Dissolvent.」

It was a major mistake.

「Character has used [Wild Burst].」

As I invoked the name of my ancestors.

Vitality surged through my body, and the Ice Orc that was beating Carlson now turned its attention to me.

[Chwiik, Chwiik?]

Of course, it wasn’t a problem.

I’d just taken a blow to the head, and I could live with it.

In that sense…

Dash!

Ignoring the orc, I dashed forward.

As I moved my long and thick barbarian limbs without stopping, the distance between us quickly narrowed.

Jencia still looked dazed.

Understandably, it didn’t make sense to her.

She’d just pulled off the perfect ambush, how was she supposed to see it coming?

A slight smirk.

It would have been difficult for anyone to notice.

If it had been a bitch who’d walked into the rift I’d opened, I would’ve just thought of her as another low-level explorer.

I wouldn’t have given much thought to the dirt on her shoes or anything else.

Well, I would have still been cautious of a backstab.

‘Why are there so many assholes in this world?’

Ah, maybe she’s not from around here?

Shaking off the thoughts, I stomped on the ground once more.

That was the moment.

“Uh…?”

Jencia’s complexion turned pale.

It seemed she finally realized.

Her stealth ability had been rendered completely useless.

“Why is this happening…”

Stealth must have been her trump card.

She planned to kill Mr Bear first. Then, using stealth, she would kill them one by one.

Assuming there were no mages or detection types around, for anyone above intermediate level, stealth was a skill that could demonstrate tremendous power in 1v1 battles.

Essentially, it was an ability against which warrior classes could do nothing but be helplessly exposed.

I had only one thing to say to her.

“Stupid Bitch.”

If she wanted to keep her identity hidden, she should have been careful with her words.

If she hadn’t blabbered about consuming the essence of a goblin archer, I wouldn’t have known about the stealth.

Whoosh!

As soon as I was in range, I swung my mace.

But maybe relying solely on stealth wasn’t her plan?

Jencia agilely somersaulted to the side, dodging my attack.

But then, there’s a problem.

She was heading towards where the cat was.

“You damn bitch, nyang!”

“Ugh!”

Misha, who had been standing by, became the reason for Jencia to inadvertently return to my side while dodging Misha’s slash.

I figured she would dodge a grandiose mace swing.

Therefore…

Thump!

A shield smash after a long time.

Like hitting a tennis ball with a racket, I smacked her face with my shield, sending Jencia flying.

But had she invested stats in defense too?

Despite a satisfying feel to the blow, Jencia didn’t faint but instead managed to balance herself in mid-air and land.

Drip.

Nose Bleeding, she irritably shouted.

“You fucking NPC bastards……!”

So, she was really a player.

She’s the second player I’ve ever met, after Tarikan Lien, but…….

Nothing changes.

Whether a player or a mere plunderer, those who try to kill me are all the same ‘bastards.’

“Bjorn! Be careful!”

Huh?

I was about to dash again, this time to smash the bitch’s skull in, but..

Misha’s shout makes me turn around and see an orc.

[Screech!]

Without grasping the situation, the orc was attempting to cleave my head with its axe.

Not wanting to take it head-on, I turned my head.

The giant axe blade then struck the shoulder of my Lytianium breastplate.

Clang!

It was a bit chilling to the bone, but not significantly damaging.

So, I ignored it and continued my dash.

After all, if she dies, the final boss emerges.

“Bethel—raaaaaaaaa!!!”

Like a tank bouncing off bullets, I run towards her with a loud roar, causing Jencia to desperately flee away

In the direction of the entrance we came in.

Curious, I followed, and soon enough, Jencia stopped in her tracks.

“Uh, why is the wall…….”

What’s going on?

I followed diligently, thinking there might be another factor at play.

Was she just a fool after all?

I couldn’t help but smirk.

Talking big about NPCs, yet as a player, she didn’t even know this. Normally, in the third chapter, the ceiling collapses, blocking the path.

In other words, she ran towards a dead end without knowing.

So, I slowed down too.

A cornered rat will bite the cat, they say.

I needed to be a bit more cautious.

Step.

Shielding my upper body with my shield, I took slow steps forward.

The passage was wide enough for two or three people, but I am a large and precious barbarian warrior.

It seemed unlikely there would be room to bypass me.

Clang!

Well, even amidst this, the orc tried to hit me from behind again…

“Bjorn! I’ll take care of this one!”

After Misha’s shout, that concern disappeared.

“Don’t kill it.”

“Huh? Okay, got it nyang!”

I took another step forward.

Now, the distance between Jencia and me was merely 2 meters.

Effectively, we were within each other’s range, but Jencia hesitated to rush in.

The odds were already calculated in her head.

Step.

I stepped forward more confidently.

Then, Jencia desperately cried out.

“Wait! Let’s talk! There’s been a misunderstanding…”

What misunderstanding?

She just wanted to buy time.

Seeing her sword glow red earlier, it seemed like she used [Vengeance].

‘Was its cooldown time 3 minutes?’

Assuming she hadn’t set up for cooldown reduction.

In other words, for the next 2 minutes, she had no way to break through my shield—

Swoosh!

Perhaps it was just a ploy to divert my attention, she interrupted her plea and swung her blade.

Clack, thump!

I quickly blocked it with my shield and smashed her wrist with my mace.

Her wrist bent unnaturally as the blade fell to the ground.

Clang.

It seemed like a checkmate.

Unless she had another skill or piece of equipment that could turn the tables in this situation.

But I couldn’t be sure yet.

It’s better to eliminate any variables.

She might have a self-destruct mechanism hidden.

“A misunderstanding, you say? Explain.”

“Really… Will you believe me?”

“If it’s a story with a reason to be believed.”

Jencia’s eyes went blank at my words.

Apparently, she was trying to concoct a story in her head that could convince me.

Or, even if she couldn’t convince me, she wanted to try and buy time with a plausible story.

“I… don’t know if you’ll believe—”

The moment Jencia opened her lips.

I swung my mace at her head.

Thump!

Despite her previously agile movements, she couldn’t react this time and collapsed.

Thud.

Soon, Jencia convulsed and gasped for air, seemingly wanting to say something…

I smirked.

Looking into her eyes, I felt like I knew what she wanted to say.

She was wondering why I didn’t keep my promise.

I answered honestly, as a barbarian would.

“Believing you, do you have a problem with your head?”

Of course, it was all bullshit.

Adding one more chapter for free