Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 107

PK (3)

First, I check outside the entrance.

“Aaah!”

“Don’t run away, hang in there!”

Misha and Carlson were busy dealing with the orc. It would have been easy to just kill it and be done with it, but they couldn’t do that on my orders.

“‘I guess I won’t have to worry about that for a while.

I quickly removed the equipment from the unconscious Jencia.

A leather top made from Tier 2 materials.

Boots with blades that sprang out as I was removing them.

Wrist guards that launched hidden weapons when pressed, and so on.

Looking over each piece of equipment, I realized they were more focused on humans than monsters. As I shoved them into my backpack, I couldn’t help but smile.

‘I guess I can just give some of this to Misha, saving me some money’

Jencia’s equipment was quite decent.

Among them, the crowning piece was a sword.

A long sword that gives off an expensive feel to it, right from the hilt.

‘Wait, isn’t this a Numbered item?’

I paused to take a closer look at the sword before putting it in my backpack.

A blade glowing with a greenish hue.

If I’m right, this is No. 5991 Viper’s Fang.

It doesn’t have any usage effects, but it greatly boosts piercing power, doubling the poison damage inflicted through the sword.

Well, I’ll have to get it appraised to be sure……..

‘It seems I’ve come across something valuable.’

Viper’s Fang is a ‘core item’.

It’s not a class weapon, but if one follows the venomous path, it’s more than useful up to the mid-late stages.

Naturally, it’s expensive regardless of the number.

‘If it really is the Viper’s Fang, I should let Misha use it until I decide to sell it.’

With that thought, I pushed myself to my feet.

Now that the looting was done, it was time for a conversation.

There were a few things I wanted to ask, after all.

But first, I had to prepare for the conversation.

Thwack!

I brought down the mace.

The target was the ankle.

Since I had collected all the equipment worth anything, there was no hesitation.

“Uh, ughhh!!!”

As soon as her thin, white ankle was crushed, Jencia jumped like someone who had been electrocuted.

I crushed the top of her chest with my foot, pinning her down.

And…

“No, please…!”

Thwack!

I did the same to the other ankle.

One wrist had already been dealt with, so now only the left wrist remained.

As I changed my stance, our eyes met.

Has she ever done something similar?

She seemed to know what I was about to do.

“Please… no more… I’ll do anything… just don’t do this…”

Really?

“Then stay still. Let’s finish this and then we can talk.”

I raised the mace above my head.

“Don’t do it…! I won’t resist! Please, let’s just talk—”

Just wait a moment.

Thwack!

“Aaaahhh!!!”

Jencia’s scream echoed loudly once more, finally creating an environment for dialogue.

Her limbs were crushed, and all her equipment had been removed.

So, I could proceed without worry…

Ah, did I remove everything?

“Use [Weapon Transformation] now.”

Although it’s beginner’s equipment, the bitch still has some equipment left for swapping. However, at my request, Jencia stops moaning in pain and just stares at me blankly.

“How am I supposed to do that…?”

What do you mean, How?

Is there another skill that changes equipment all at once like that?

Instead of answering, I lifted my mace again.

At this, Jencia’s complexion turned even paler.

She must have realized it now: the only thing left to crush is that little head of hers.

“I’ll do it!”

Soon enough, Jencia’s body was outfitted with new equipment.

Ordinary equipment that might total around 500,000 stones.

I stripped these as well and put them in my backpack.

Now, it was time to move on to the main subject.

“I have some questions.”

“Anything!”

First, I confirmed what essences Jencia owned.

There were a total of four essences.

The Iron Knight’s [Weapon Transformation], Dinictis’s [Beast Step], Saint Assassin’s [Revenge].

‘And [Poison Infusion]…’

I was wary it might be a self-destruct mechanism, but the last essence was [Poison Infusion] of Hobgoblin, which Misha also possessed.

To sum up, two Level 6, one Level 5, and one grade 7 essence consumed.

She had been cultivating quite ambitiously.

It’s a pity that all that cultivation went into plundering.

‘Or, thinking about it, did she just find her true calling?’

By the standards of an explorer facing monsters, Jencia would only be Rank 6. However, specifically for 1v1, she would definitely surpass Level 5.

“Is, is that all…? I would have answered if you just asked—”

What are you saying, we’re just getting started.

I immediately moved on to the next question.

“Why did you attack us?”

“My information is out there in the Explorers’ Guild, so I wanted to silence you…….”

“So, you intended to kill anyone who entered.”

Jencia closed her eyes tightly and nodded.

By this point, one might expect her to give up and ask to be killed, but she never said such a thing.

Not that it would change the situation.

“Why did you open the rift then? It seems like you don’t have any essence slots left, so if you hadn’t entered, there would’ve been no need to silence anyone.”

“It was because of the ‘Heart of the Snowfields’ . I heard that item only appears here.”

Ah, so that was the reason.

“And I wasn’t worried about the silencing part. I thought you’d be Rank 8 explorers at best -”

As the last piece of the puzzle fell into place and I was nodding in understanding, Jencia suddenly clamped her mouth shut and her eyes widened.

As if she had realized something significant.

“You knew I opened the rift…?”

…I just made a slip of the tongue.

“What are you talking about?”

I smoothly replied while scratching one ear, but Jencia wasn’t fooled.After a moment of silence, she finally arrived at a conclusion.

“Could it be… you’re also a player?”

From the look in her eyes, denying it seemed pointless…

But there was no need to confirm it either.

“A player? Are you perhaps an evil spirit?”

Despite my question, she just blankly stared into space.

Then, as if she had regained her senses, she wriggled and pressed her face towards my leg.

I looked down quietly.

“Mister, please save me…”

Hope.

“I want to go home. I can’t die in a place like this. In such a damn place… How have I survived until now, huh? Please…”

Frustration.

“Ah, I didn’t apologize, did I? I’m sorry. It was my fault. I thought you were an NPC. If I had known, I never would have done it. We, we’re real people… That would have been murder, right?”

Desperation.

“Please… say something. Huh? Fuck! Speak up! Huh, you motherfucker…”

Despair.

I continued to gaze at the whirlwind of emotions swirling across her face.

Surprisingly, my heart was calm.

There was no sadness, not even a hint of pity.

[Dungeon & Stone] had no PK (Player Killing).

That’s because it wasn’t an online game.

However, it was possible to kill NPCs.

I had also indulged in the playstyle of a plunderer in such a manner.

But…

“Because you thought I was an NPC?”

This is not merely a game.

As much as I wish to believe otherwise, there’s too much evidence to the contrary.

And she likely knew it too.

Therefore, I briefly responded.

“You’re an evil spirit.”

An evil spirit.

A being that does not belong to this world.

Yet, to survive, one must belong here in body, mind, and soul.

So what if it’s a player or an NPC?

Nothing changes.

No matter the label, this woman is nothing more than a plunderer, a threat now that she’s realized I’m a player.

“Son of a bitch!”

Hence, I lifted the mace.

As if I’m used to this place, I thought that if the roles were reversed, it would be the same.

Grrrr.

I put strength into the hand holding the mace.

Jencia didn’t plead for her life anymore.

She just glared at me with venomous eyes.

As if to memorize my face, to curse me even in death.

“Ugh, ugh, hah…”

With each ragged breath, her chest rose and fell rapidly. Even without listening closely, I could sense how fast her heart was beating.

I realized something.

It seemed she was only left with venom, but there was still one more thing.

Fear.

Soon, Jencia closed her eyes.

She let go of her hatred and began to find peace.

What could she be seeing beyond those tightly closed eyelids?

“Mom…”

Before she could say more, I brought down the mace.

Thwack!

Flesh and blood splattered.

Every twitch of her fallen body made blood gush from her nose and mouth.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

Soon her body came to a complete stop.

I let out the breath I’d been holding and turned away.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: First player killed

Reward: Mental fortitude permanently increased by +1.

This was my first time killing another player.

I stomped away, trying to erase my feelings about it.

Thud-

Whether the act was easy or difficult.

Whether I felt excitement instead of fear from the blood and flesh.

Was I disgusted with myself for hoping what she might see upon opening her eyes, if only her eyelids weren’t closed.

Or whether I felt miserable at my own corruption growing in this barbaric body.

The emotions didn’t matter.

Thud-

It was something that had to be done.

‘…’

On the first day I awoke in this barbaric world.

The path I decided to walk was that kind of path.
*****
“What were you doing that you only got here now, nyang! I thought something terrible had happened!”

As I emerged from the cave, leaving Jencia’s corpse behind, Misha scolded me.

Well, I did try to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

Only about 3 minutes had passed.

“Please, help!”

As Misha glanced over at me, Carlson, being overwhelmed by the orc, cried out desperately.

However, I maintained my stance as a spectator.

“Misha, you can finish it off now.”

“Ah, is that okay now, nyang?”

“Yes, try using the new ability you acquired.”

“Huh? I haven’t used it even once before…”

That’s why I’m telling you to try it.

We don’t have any other mafia around, right?

An Ice Orc would be a perfect opponent for it.

“Ugh! I can’t hold on any longer… Uh!”

As Carlson blocked another axe blow with his dented shield, Misha closed her eyes.

Then, she activated her skill.

「Misha Karlstein has cast [Enhancement].」

A faint white light appeared above her hand.

The active skill of the grade 7 monster ‘Vitol.’

Normally, Misha would use [Poison Infusion] as her basic combo, but…

「Misha Karlstein has cast [Cold Condensation].」

Blue particles, as if separating from the air around, seeped into Misha’s body.

「Cold sensitivity significantly increases.」

Feeling that something had worked, Misha opened her eyes.

And then…

Whoosh!

With a fierce swing of her sword, she sliced the orc’s wrist that was about to attack Carlson.

Slash!

It might have been too much to cut through the bone in one go.

The orc’s hand holding the axe dangled, partially severed.

But my focus was elsewhere.

[Screech, screech!]

The wound on the wrist opened by the sharp blade.

However, no blood flowed out. The wound turned red and froze, covered in frost.

‘A frostbite?’

Cold attribute stops bleeding.

This may seem like a disadvantage, but it also stops regeneration, which can be quite useful depending on the type of enemy.

It also restricts movement, which is a plus.

[Screech, screech!]

Of course, the Ice Orc, with its high cold resistance, only had its wrist area frozen.

But for a regular mob, it might have been different.

The frost could have spread from the wrist to the elbow.

If the monster had negative cold resistance, it might have even been ‘frozen’ solid.

Because Misha hasn’t got used to it yet.

In that sense…….

“Misha, aim for the neck this time.”

“Eh? Okay, nyang!”

Misha’s sword lodged in the orc’s neck.

Given the orc’s high bone density stat, it was difficult to slice through in one go.

But as the neck area froze, the orc stopped moving and began to shiver, standing still.

It seemed the cold reached its brain.

Crack!

Having confirmed what I needed, I rushed in and shattered the orc’s head with my mace.

As I did, the cave shook, and ice dust started to fall from the ceiling.

Also, the roar I had heard before reverberated.

[Roaaaaarrr-!!]

“What’s that?”

What else could it be?

It signals the start of the fourth chapter.

「The tyrant Tarunbas, awakened from a long sleep, has regained all his power.」

Having unexpectedly engaged in PK(Player Kill) too.

Now it’s time to defeat the boss and leave.

See you guys tomorrow. If you enjoy the translations, please consider joining my Patreon, as I rely mostly on donations from supporters to keep the translations going.