Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 110

[00:51]

It’s almost the beginning of day three.

We had left the glacier cavern and returned to the crystal cave.

Despite the headaches, the rewards from this rift were beyond our wildest dreams.

Jencia’s equipment.

Mr Bear’s 5 million stones.

And the essences of the Yeti and the guardians.

The rewards for clearing the first floor rift were absurdly high.

Considering we made less than 2 million stones in two months with a party of five on the fourth floor.

I’m hit with the realization again.

It seems I have to go through terrible experiences to meet such fortune.

Swish!

Misha, with her newly acquired sword, easily sliced through an approaching Saber Wolf and marveled.

“Wow!! What’s with this sword, nyang? It’s really great!”

Even though it was still a one-shot kill, the feel in her hand was noticeably different.

“We’d have to appraise it to know for sure, but it’s likely a Numbered item.”

“A, a Numbered item,nyang? Then, isn’t this really expensive?”

Watching Misha’s bewildered expression, I couldn’t help but laugh.

As if ‘Viper’s Fang’ was all there was.

The leather gauntlets I gave her were also costly items.

Made from second-tier material, Wyvern leather.

‘With specs like these, we should be fine up to the fifth floor.’

I felt like I had completed a task.

Now that we’ve completed the mid-early setup, we won’t need any upgrades for a while; she could hold her own.

“So, are we heading to the 2nd floor now?”

“That’s the plan.”

I followed the compass with Misha and traveled straight ahead.

We’ve done what we came here to do, but it would be a waste to spend the rest of the time idling.

“There’s no scout… but maybe we can find our way to the third floor if we’re lucky.

Anyway, Misha took care of the monsters we encountered along the way. With a new sword and significantly improved stats, she needed to get used to the new sensations.

“Hey, Bjorn? I think I’ve got the hang of it now, nyang.”

“Are you sure?”

“Uh… maybe not, nyang… I’ll just keep going. But just asking out of curiosity… you’re not just letting me do all this because you’re lazy, right?”

“…Are you doubting me?”

“No, not at all, Nyangl! Absolutely not! Why would I?”

Regardless of Misha’s reasonable suspicions.

I comfortably moved along, assisting Misha in her training. It wasn’t just the new sword, but also getting accustomed to the abilities of the essence.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but feel pleased.

‘I never expected the guardian’s essence to come out.’

In terms of the ice attribute, the Lycanthrope essence was as good as the Yeti’s.

[Lycanthrope] Level 7

Agility +10, Cutting Power +12, Cold Sensitivity +15, Cold Resistance +10, Physical Resistance +7, Combat Spirit +10

Firstly, the stats include cutting power, which is the core of the swordsman class.

Its passive skill was remarkably powerful.

(P) Blood of the Snowfields – Cold Sensitivity value increases by 1.5x.

An increase in Cold Sensitivity by 1.5x.

This would become increasingly valuable in the later stages, synergizing well with the Yeti’s [Cold Condensation].

The active skill was no different.

(A) Ice Shatter – Slightly increased damage against Frostbitten enemies, and significantly increased damage against Frozen enemies.

I don’t think I need to explain the utility of this one, so pass.

(A) Indomitable – Removes incapacitation.

Though it consumes a significant amount of soul energy, [Indomitable] is a valuable skill for increasing the safety of damage dealers who are vulnerable to CC skills.

‘Most importantly, having this means there’s no need to overly focus on the magic resistance stat.’

Normally, one would have to choose between these skills…

But what Misha absorbed was the essence of a guardian.

Allowing the use of both skills, plus the stats provided by the essence are about 1.5x higher than a regular essence.

“Try attacking parts other than the vital spots.”

“But, it still dies in one hit, Nyang”

“Then, how about hitting it with your fist?”

“Got it, Nyang Huh? It still dies in one hit?”

Watching a Saber Wolf freeze solid with a single punch after using [Cold Condensation], I smacked my lips.

Is it because it’s a Level 9 monster?

It turned to light and disappeared before I could even combine it with [Ice Shatter], making proper training impossible.

“We’ll have to continue this as we go up.”

“…We have to do this on the way up too, nyang?”

Tsk, always looking for the easy way out.

“I’ll say it again—”

“I know, nyang. The easy path is the slow path, nyang.”

Well, yes…

As I was at a loss for words, Misha smiled and took the lead. The tip of her tail flickered playfully, seeming quite pleased with herself.

‘…If I pretend to lose an argument on purpose when I do something wrong, it seems it’ll be resolved easily.’

I mentally noted ‘Misha Handling Method #13’ and followed the spirited Misha.

Time passed, and it was about 7 hours since we had left the rift.

‘It feels about time for the Dark Zone to appear—’

I stopped in my tracks.

Whoosh!

The ground trembled slightly, and the crystals embedded in the cave walls began to glow radiantly.

The color of the glow also changed.

From a soft purple to a vibrant red.

‘As expected, it really did summon.’

It meant that a Layer Lord had been summoned on the first floor.

***

“It’s nothing major, keep moving.”

“It’s nothing, nyang? This is my first time seeing something like that—”

“Someone just summoned a Layer Lord. It shouldn’t affect us, so don’t worry—”

“What? A Layer Lord?!!”

Oh, my ears.

Perhaps the Layer Lord we encountered on the 3rd floor left a traumatic impression? Misha clung to me as if she was about to have a fit.

There’s no need to be so alarmed.

“Misha, calm down.”

The Layer Lords on the first floor are tamer compared to the third floor.

Initially, after the third day, if more than five people gather in one place, there’s a chance it appears…

Being summoned doesn’t close the portal, nor does it change the monsters appearing on that floor.

More importantly, unlike Liakis, who rampages across the field until, this one simply disappears quietly if the raid fails.

“So, we’re okay, nyang?”

“Yes, so relax.”

After calmly explaining the situation, Misha seemed reassured, took a deep breath, and regained her composure.

But did her anxiety give way to curiosity?

“But who could have accidentally summoned it? Everyone knows not to move in groups of more than five here.”

“Who knows, maybe it wasn’t an accident.”

“Not an accident?”

I just shrugged and kept my thoughts to myself.

It’s likely that someone who had bought the strategy for defeating the first floor’s Layer Lord from the community had summoned it…

But that wasn’t something I could just outright say.

‘Someone’s in a hurry.The preparation time was only about two weeks.’

Hmm… Or does it mean that they’re not rushed but rather have a large enough force to gather all the necessary items within that time frame?

‘Maybe I can find out who this player is.’

Planning to look for rumors of any clan or party that had successfully hunted a Layer Lord upon returning to the city, I continued on our journey.

I felt the absence of Rothmiller all the more acutely.

‘Sigh, I didn’t expect it to take almost a day.’

After wandering here and there, guided solely by the compass, we finally reached the portal to the second floor.

For the record, I chose the south, the Land of the Dead, connected to the Ghoul District.

「You have entered the Land of the Dead on the second floor.」

The black soil, damp and sticky with moisture.

Among the second floors, it had notably limited visibility.

And the wails of banshees sounded like background music.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here.”

Stepping onto the land, I was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia.

Breaking skeletons with Aynar, smashing Death Fiends, joyfully roaming around until we nearly died at the hands of that psychopath…

‘Damn it.’

Was it the memory of that time?

Suddenly, my mood soured.

“Ugh, every time we come here, it feels bad. I’d rather be at the ‘Rock Desert.'”

“Without Rotmiller, we don’t have much choice.”

We could have gone anywhere from the central part, but the reason for choosing the Land of the Dead was simple.

It offers the easiest route to the third floor.

Though it might require a bit of wandering at the end, heading north was the general direction.
‘Plus, now that it’s just the two of us, we should summon and defeat a Death Knight.’

I didn’t particularly need the essence, but it was a creature hard to kill when moving in a group
of five, so I decided to stock up on experience points now.

Unless it’s through certain rifts, you wouldn’t encounter one until the sixth floor.

‘Testing how much stronger she’s gotten against a grade 6 monster could be useful.’

Of course, we’d have to complete Misha’s training before attempting to summon that creature.

“Let’s keep moving.”

We moved north, quickly leaving the area where grade 9 monsters like skeletons and ghouls appeared.

After about five hours?

The terrain had shifted from damp marshland to hard stone floors.

[Roarrrrr!]

Soon, a Death Fiend appeared.

True to the third day, these ‘newbie slicers’ traveled in groups of four.

I remember the days when Aynar and I struggled to kill just one.

‘Well, now I’ve become practically indestructible.’

Death Fiends are known for their high defense and regeneration abilities.

Though they can summon ghouls, those grade 9 creatures hardly dent us.

In short, they were perfect for Misha to test her new skills.

“I’ll keep them busy, you focus on testing your new abilities.”

“Got it.”

“Bethel—raaaaaaaa!!”

After casting [Wild Burst], the Death Fiends, which had been watching us from the edge of our torchlight, roared and charged at us.

[Roarrrrr!]

I blocked two with my shield, dodged another, and…

Boom!

I simply couldn’t be bothered and took the hit.

It was a strange feeling, considering it was the first 8th-grade monster I had successfully hunted.

Back then, even one was a challenge.

Pushing them back with my shield, the Death Fiends were easily repelled.

“Are you done yet?”

“All finished!”

Misha, having completed her ‘Enhanced Cold Condensation,’ swung the Viper’s Fang.
Crack!

Although the Death Fiend’s shield, made of bone and muscle, blocked it, the defense was meaningless.

One hit from her regular attack froze the shield arm up to the elbow.

A single hit froze the shield arm up to the elbow.

「Misha Karlstein casts [Ice Shatter].」

As Misha swung her other sword at the ‘frozen’ area, it shattered into pieces and scattered on the ground.

[Grrr… … ?]

The wound, unable to regenerate due to its cold attribute and [Physical Preservation], left the Death Fiend confused, seemingly not feeling any pain.

It seemed to instinctively understand the danger, though.

「Death Fiend casts [Call of the Dead].」

With all four casting their summon skill simultaneously, forty ghouls emerged from the ground.
Of course, this was hardly significant.

Previously vulnerable to their claws, my body was now protected by a Litinium breastplate, and my physical resistance had increased, making my flesh quite durable.

“Bjorn… what kind of… monster are you, nyang?”

Calling someone a monster.

I replied with feigned annoyance, hiding my pride.

“Just stop watching and finish them off.”

Later, when her training is complete, will she still not consider me human?

****

We continued training as we moved north.

Thanks to that, Misha got a good sense of what qualified as ‘Frostbite’ and what as ‘Frozen.’
Encountering a Chimera Wolf with a paralysis skill also allowed her to master the use of [Indomitable].

“Hmm, I guess? Just focusing on my strength worked, nyang?”

After she got the hang of it, I advised her to only use it when necessary due to its high soul energy consumption.

Without soul energy, she couldn’t use [Enhance], [Poison Infliction], [Ice Shatter], or anything else.

“Do you think I’m a child, nyang?”

…Not exactly wrong.

After all, she only had two skills until reaching level 4. There was hardly any need to manage MP; it was unlikely to run out.

‘…No amount of explaining will do. Some things she’ll have to learn by experiencing them herself.’

For that reason, I kept pushing her to hunt more. Eventually, after recklessly using her skills, her soul energy finally ran out.

“…It feels really strange, nyang. I’m not physically tired, but I feel empty, nyang?”

“That’s why I told you to manage it well.”

“…I thought this would be fine.”

With Misha’s MP depleted and it being about time to rest, we decided to set up camp.

We found a spot with ruined walls, set up a campfire, and took turns sleeping.

And after a while…

“Ha ha ha, is that really true?”

“Absolutely, my friend.”

Voices talking and laughing could be heard from about 20-30 meters away.

At first, I thought they were just passing explorers, but the ongoing conversation suggested they had settled nearby, unaware of our camp.

‘Well, it’s about time to wake Misha up anyway. No need to go over and tell them to leave.’

With that somewhat generous thought, I quietly waited out the remaining time.

“Anyway, this Barbarian is really sleeping like he’s in his own world, huh?”

“Quiet, he might wake up.”

“Let him sleep. He’s worth a lot, right? Better rest up while he can.”

That was not a conversation I could just ignore.

The rustling noise indicated that amongst those hyena-like explorers, there must have been a baby barbarian sleeping.