Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 142
Awakening (5)
Three minutes have passed since Dwalki’s magical support was cut off.
Well, maybe less.
But, it felt like at least ten minutes.
“I admit it, Barbarian. I’ve never met someone like you in my life.”
I never once looked back.
Even if Dwalki was actually in a state of panic.
I figured nothing would change.
But maybe he found my attitude boring?
“Your soul, I’ll put it to good use. So, die now.”
As if to say the game was over.
He thrust a dagger he’d pulled from his waist at me.
It came at such a perfect angle that dodging or blocking seemed impossible.
The best I could do was choose the lesser evil.
Twisting my body as much as possible, I offered my lungs instead of my heart.
It would be a near-fatal wound, but I still had a top-grade potion left
If I drink that to heal.
Somehow, I’d endure.
Misha and the dwarf would wake up soon.
And the soul exhaustion wouldn’t last forever.
That was the plan I devised in that instant.
The dazzling light that poured down from behind me was.
Whoosh!
Dozens of Magic Missiles, curving and emitting a bright white glow, much like a torrential downpour, caused him to retreat in surprise.
But like the Dwarf, Rotmiller, and Misha who confronted him.
It was not a meaningful counter.
Whiz!
The arrows of light bent as if each had its own will, pursuing him.
He stopped running away and began to deflect the arrows one by one with his small dagger.
It didn’t seem much different from scooping out river water with a bucket, but…
“Insane.”
Surprisingly, his actions were effective.
Though he ended up like a porcupine with arrows piercing all over his body, he managed to protect his vitals.
Thud.
Suddenly, there was a noise from behind, and that’s when I came back to my senses.
I had somewhat expected it, but…
Dwalki was standing behind me.
It meant he was the one who cast the magic just now.
“I’m sorry for making you wait. It took me a while to decide.”
“Decide? More importantly, what exactly happened—”
“Let’s… take care of that guy first, then we can talk.”
Dwalki avoided answering and looked away.
‘What exactly is going on?’
It was inexplicable.
Even I, a barbarian with no magical aptitude, could feel the dense magical power emanating from him.
And it wasn’t just me who was curious.
“Mage, what did you do?”
Despite being drenched in blood, Vagos asked.
Well, if I were him, I’d have run away first—
“You already know yet you ask.”
What? He knows?
As Dwalki coldly murmured looking at Vagos, the latter was struck silent.
So, he really knows?
“If you’re trying to buy time, you’re out of luck. I’m well aware that I don’t have much time left,”
What’s going on? How is everything unfolding?
And wait, was Dwalki always this sharp?
It’s been a long time since I’ve been unable to keep up with a situation like this.
However, one thing was clear.
This was a very positive development for me.
‘I can find out how he did it later…’
I need to focus on the situation at hand.
Tatat.
And then Dwalki said to me,
“Step back. You might get hurt.”
“Ah, yeah. Will do.”
Although it was difficult to adjust to this change in character, I followed his advice.
But what’s this now?
[Leor Wuerv Dwalki casts Level 8 attack magic [Ice Spear]
Ice spears are launched.
Huge ice spears, big enough to fill half the corridor.
Two in a row.
But perhaps he’s experienced with magic of this scale?
Vagos calmly observes the ice spear and swiftly pulls out his Arc Steel Sword from subspace.
The sword emits sparks as if refusing his touch. Yet, he grips it tightly, veins bulging on his neck, and swings it.
True to its nature as a magic counter, the Arc Steel Sword shatters the giant ice spears upon contact, turning them into magical energy.
At that moment,
He takes another step, closing the distance once again.
Seeing Dwalki’s eyes flicker, it seemed this was an unexpected situation for him as well.
But that moment didn’t last long.
[Leor Wuerv Dwalki casts a level 7 attack magic [Cold Storm]
The incantation is completed in less than a second.
This time, it’s not just ice shards but small ice spears pouring down…
But again, that damned Arc Steel Sword was the problem.
Through the storm, his form becomes increasingly visible, advancing by knocking large chunks of ice with the sword.
‘Well, it won’t be easy until the end’
I let out a quiet sigh and braced myself for what was to come.
Nothing unusual.
My life has never been easy…
It’s a tanker’s job to protect the dealer.
“Bethel—raaaaa!!”
A preemptive strike is the key to victory.
As he emerged from the storm, I swung my mace, aiming for the perfect hit.
But even in the midst of that, was he still mindful of me?
Despite what should have been a critical surprise attack, he agilely blocked the mace with his sword.
A clash between level 1 steel and level 6 Ark material.
Regardless of thickness or density, the mace is cut as easily as tofu. Yet, he’s not satisfied and targets my neck.
But at that moment,
Sparks wildly erupt from the sword, making him flinch.
His hand reddened and steamed.
Is the burn all over his body related to that sword? The details are unclear, but he seems to decide it’s too much and puts the sword back into subspace.
And then…
He draws a dagger and closes in on me again.
His intentions are crystal clear.
Right, I wondered why he was so desperate to break through the magic and charge, but this was his aim.
“Bjorn, get away from him!”
It’s a strategy similar to the Barbarian Ghost Mode I used before.
Using me as a shield to suppress Dwalki’s magic.
Huh, I didn’t expect to be on the receiving end of this.
[Leor Wuerv Dwalki casts a Level 9 curse magic [Slow]
The curse magic has been stacked on top of his offensive magic, but due to him stubbornly clinging on and swinging his dagger, shaking him off wasn’t easy.
So,
“Alright, let’s give this a try.”
I thrust my mace, now more like a spear.
After all, it’s not only magic that can finish someone off.
Thud.
Thanks to the more potent ‘Slow’, it wasn’t as difficult to handle him as before.
Additionally, Dwalki is supporting me by meticulously controlling small magic missiles instead of using Ice Spear or Frost Storm.
Clearly, the situation was in my favor.
But that’s exactly why I became even more vigilant.
“Would he really not know that?”
He knew Dwalki had avoided answering about his current condition.
Yet, he charged at me.
Why?
[I know I don’t have much time left]
The answer is time.
Dwalki can’t maintain his current state for long.
Maybe he knows better about the remaining time than Dwalki does.
“Dwalki, use the frost storm!”
I made a decision.
“…!”
His expression confirmed I was right.
However, Dwalki hesitated.
“But…!”
Dwalki is still Dwalki, albeit a bit changed.
“Don’t worry about me and just do it!!”
I urged him again, and at the same time, Dwalki cast the magic.
A whirlwind of cold air above Dwalki’s hands.
“Do you like cold?”
“You’re crazy.”
There, another compliment.
I raised my shield, creating distance between me and Vagos.
I intended to block the chunks of ice with my shield and somehow endure.
Soon, an ice storm filled the passageway between us, freezing my skin to the bone.
But what’s this now?
Through the storm, so thick I couldn’t see an inch ahead, he thrusted his dagger at me.
Thud!
About 20cm of the blade penetrates deep into my chest.
“Cough!”
I can’t breathe.
Meanwhile, chunks of ice hit my body. Ice spears like sharp crystals grazed my skin as they passed.
But I can’t just be on the receiving end.
Thud!
My body reacted first, thrusting the spear, which was once a mace, with all my might.
And at that moment.
The blizzard ended sooner than expected, and the visibility returned.
I quickly checked my surroundings.
Surprisingly, three unforeseen events had unfolded in that brief moment.
“……”
The first was Dwalki, kneeling with blood pouring from not just his eyes, nose, and mouth, but his ears as well.
“……”
The second was that my random thrust had pierced through the Vagos’s heart.
[The conditions for the activation of Regal Vagos’s [Second Heart] have been met]
The third is that Vagos still has one more Numbered Item that he hasn’t used yet.
Ha, I really tried not to curse like this anymore.
[The character receives absolute protection until the heart is recovered]
You fucking crazy freak.
Something red, reminiscent of muscles, covered his body.
Looking at this, I wondered.
How the hell am I going to kill this guy?
Is it even possible to kill him?
I’m not sure, but for now, I spat out blood.
I coughed up acid blood, yet the heart-shaped shell did not corrode.
I turned my back without hesitation.
No.3120 Second Heart.
A consumable Numbered item that activates when a fatal damage is registered to the heart.
At my current level, there’s no way to break through that defense.
So, I should do what needs to be done.
Step by step, I dragged my barely breathing body and slowly walked away.
It’s fortunate that Dwalki is a cold attribute mage.
If it wasn’t for the ‘frostbite’ skill, my blood would have already been pouring out.
“Dwalki.”
The condition of Dwalki, who had lost consciousness while kneeling, was beyond pitiful.
Blood flowed from every opening in his body.
When I checked his pulse, I could feel his heart thumping.
As if its limiter was broken
“Hold on, buddy. Endure.”
I poured a top-level potion into his mouth, only half of it.
Because there’s another person dying right now.
Thud, thud.
Step by step, I quicken my pace as much as I can.
Each step twisted my insides, choking my breath, but I used the spear-like mace as a staff to increase my pace.
“Rott, Miller…”
Thankfully, he was still alive.
Yes, at least for now.
He was rushing towards death in a completely different manner than Dwalki.
His heart was faintly beating, as if it might stop at any moment.
I poured all of the remaining top-level potion on his wounds.
Sssssss!
The wounds began to heal, bubbling as they closed.
I leaned next to him and focused on my breathing.
I kept coughing up blood.
But all I could do was endure and wait for Rottmiller to recover.
After all, the last two bottles of potion were all in his [Treasure Vault].
About a minute must have passed when,
“Bjorn…!”
The dwarf who had been knocked unconscious and hit his head against the wall came to his senses.
“Where’s Dwalki? Where is Dwalki?”
I am dying too
But his first concern is his close friend, isn’t it?
I didn’t have the strength to speak, so I just pointed in Dwalki’s direction.
“What on earth happened…!”
He hurried over, checked Dwalki’s condition, then carefully picked him up and brought him over to us.
That’s when it happened.
“Ugh…”
Misha, who was lying about 4 meters away from where I leaned, struggled to raise her head.
“Bjorn.”
“Alive.”
“Thank goodness…”
Yes, she’s the only one.
Misha, managing her broken ribs, struggled to her feet and came to sit next to me.
“How is Rottmiller…?”
“Gave him the potion… cough…”
Sigh, this is like a gathering of the sick.
Just as I tried to rest, the dwarf finished transporting Dwalki and came over to bandage my wounds.
“Bjorn, what happened! And what’s with that strange shell over there?”
I didn’t want to explain.
I didn’t have the energy for it, and what difference would it make if I did.
I focused on my breathing and closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry. You’re having a hard time too, rest now. I’ll try to handle the rest.”
The dwarf apologized and went back to check on Dwalki.
About a minute more passed.
“The state of soul exhaustion is lifted.”
Finally, my stats returned to normal, and breathing became a bit easier. Even without natural regeneration, the durability of the body itself changed.
I slowly opened my eyes.
“Look here, my friend, just hang in there!”
“Bjorn…? Rotmiller is shivering, is… is that alright…?”
The line between life and death was being drawn.