Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 186

Overgeared (1)

The dwarf had said,

[If only you weren’t here, we’d have the upper hand]

It turns out he wasn’t just talking nonsense.

Pabababababat-!

My body shot out like a cannonball against air resistance.

From up high, I can see the whole situation at a glance.

“Just hold on until Mr. Jandel arrives!”

No one was seriously injured or killed, but my colleagues were suffering.

Without me as the wall, their burdens had increased manifold.

The Iron Guardian was desummoned, while the undead summoned by the Priest of Karui swarmed from all sides.

“Huh?”

That’s when Misha and I locked eyes.

“Nyang?”

“Ms. Karlstein! Where are you looking… uh?”

I also locked eyes with Raven.

Despite the distance, their mouths seemed to be agape.

Why is a barbarian flying?

To correct that, I am not flying.

Falling would be the right term.

This is called the Barbarian Meteor.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang-!

The moment I braced my waist and landed on both feet, a crater-like imprint was deeply etched into the ground.

And then…

Zzzzit.

Electric sensations tingled through my legs.

Had I not adjusted the bone density, my bones might have shattered.

With that thought, I surveyed the surroundings.

Whoosh-!

A ring-shaped cloud of dust spread out from my landing point.

This is an added effect of the leap ability used as a movement skill.

[Temporarily increases your leap strength by tenfold, causing a strong impact to the surroundings upon landing]

The area damage inflicted to the surroundings.

Of course, the actual damage was minimal.

Why else would it be categorized as a movement skill?

Unless it’s a narrow area that I completely crushed, there’s no extensive damage.

Swoosh-!

The undead legions are blown away by the wind pressure.

The dwarf’s teammates were merely startled by my sudden intrusion, but they remained firmly in place despite facing the strong gusts.

But…

[The character’s total weight exceeds 500 kg]

[The special terrain effect [Recoil] is additionally applied to the damage range]

Sorry, I’m in my [Gigantification] state.

Kooong-!

Like thunder following lightning.

As soon as the wind pressure disappeared, the ground shook and catapulted everything standing on it into the air.

“Kyaaak!”

“What…!”

Hundreds of undead and the dwarf’s team floated in the air.

My lips stretch into a wide grin at the overwhelming sensation.

‘Luckily, I weigh enough.’

I had been worried.

Although my [Union] skill had applied [Gigantification] to my equipment, many parts still hadn’t been adjusted.

Well, even without this, the [Leap] skill has its own major advantages.

[Temporarily increases the threat level significantly]

A bonus to threat level that applies briefly after landing.

This is significant for me.

With [Gigantification], it adds another technique that can permanently raise my threat level.

“This, this guy being here means…”

“That dwarf bastard! Is he… dead?!”

“You said we could hold on!!”

I shouted, looking at the dwarf’s teammates, who already seemed demoralized by my arrival.

“Bethel—raaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

It’s also a condition for activating [Wild Burst].

[Temporarily triples the character’s threat level, and physical stats increase proportionally to that level]

A physical bonus that scales with the threat level.

Yeah, that’s it.

I truly feel like I’ve become an ogre.

[Gruuk!]

Summoned monsters, judging me hostile, began to swarm me like mad.

On the other hand, the intellectuals reacted differently.

“Retreat, retreat!”

“Run, run!”

They abandoned their formation and ran away as if they had fallen into a state of ‘fear’.

Hmm, maybe this is just rational judgment rather than threat level?

Kwang! Kwang! Whoosh! Thump-!

An oversized mace and a shield.

And legs that were practically human weapons themselves, I trampled and beat down the undead summons while chasing after the dwarf’s teammates.

Koong! Koong! Koong!

The sound of a giant monster’s footsteps echoed with my every run.

“Block him! You’re a warrior, block him!!”

“Crazy, how can we block—”

A fairy archer, in a panic, plunged a dagger into the thigh of the beastman swordsman.

“Aaah! Damn bitch…”

The beastman swordsman, propelled by inertia, rolled across the ground.

“Uh, uh…?”

Soon he was caught in my hand.

A grip large enough to hold a human head with room to spare.

“…I, I surrender. I’ll surrender—”

I slowly exerted pressure.

But maybe because of [Wild Burst]?

Even though he must have invested in physical resistance or something similar.

Crack-!

He felt softer than a watermelon to the touch.

‘Next then.’

Soon, [Wild Burst] ended, and the frenzied vitality that had been surging within me faded, but it didn’t hinder my pursuit.

After all, we hadn’t even finished the third chapter yet.

A 500-meter radius was blocked by a barrier.

And now that I have acquired a movement skill as well.

Kwaaaang-!

Using [Leap] to block their path, the dwarf’s teammates didn’t hesitate for a second before throwing down their weapons and surrendering.

They judged it better to throw themselves on my mercy.

Well, they had their reasons.

“Please, spare us. We’ll do anything. You’ll need us if you want to defeat the Guardian, right?”

This part needed some consideration.

With the help of my comrades who arrived shortly after, we disarmed the remaining group.

Now, it would be okay to turn off [Gigantification].

“Bjorn! What was that earlier?! I want to do that too!!!” Aynar shouted

Perhaps a barbarian’s instinct?

Seeing [Leap], Aynar’s eyes sparkled with a fierce greed, incomparable even to the look she gives when she sees cotton candy.

“Heh, I’ll find you something similar later.”

“Really?! You promise?!”

“Yes, it’s a promise.”

Aynar’s skill tree does have something similar to [Leap]. It’s a tier-3 essence, so it might take years to obtain.

Well, if you’re a barbarian, jumping is a must.

“Please, help!”

Huh?

This plea came while I was stripping the dwarf’s team of their equipment.

I turned and saw a woman.

‘Ah, she was alive too…’

The new scout from team Hans G.

Her name was…

Rather than asking, let’s just call her Scout Girl.

“Potion! Please, lend me a potion. I’ve given him what I had but…”

Following Scout Girl’s gaze, I saw their tank collapsed on the ground.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes, yes!”

She nodded vigorously, a glimpse of hope in her expression.

I pondered for a moment.

Saving him was the obvious thing to do, but using a potion might be a waste.

Eventually, I grabbed the Karui’s Priest by his arm.

“Hiik!”

He whimpered, scared.

Does he think I am going to kill him?

Holding the priest, I strode forward and placed him in front of the tank.

“Heal him.”

“Yes, yes!”

Despite being a follower of an evil god, the Priest of Karui could also wield conventional holy power.

After all, if he couldn’t, his disguise would be totally useless.

Swoosh.

As holy power infused in the tank’s body, the burns filling his body slowly disappeared.

Before long, his breathing became much more stable.

“Thank you, thank you. Really…”

“What about the mage?”

“He, he’s passed away.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. When I checked, his heart had already…”

“I see. We’ll take care of this side, just stay by his side until he wakes up. He’ll be confused too.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you…”

When I returned to where my comrades were, the dwarf’s companions had already been captured, dressed only in their underwear.

“Where did those gags come from?” I asked Raven

“I carry them around.”

What? Why would you carry gags?

Out of pure curiosity, I asked why, and the answer was unexpected.

“I have an interest in that area.”

“Uh… okay?”

I was genuinely surprised.

However, I didn’t want to upset her with my reaction.

“Yeah. That’s not… bad?”

I made sure to express that I had no negative opinions to avoid misunderstandings.

But what is this all about?

“Not bad? Mr. Jandel, are you also interested in monster studies?”

“Monster studies?”

As I tilted my head, Raven did the same.

Suddenly, a hypothesis occurred to me.

“Are… are the gags for monsters?”

“Yes, that’s right? I was thinking of capturing one at some point for research. Wait, you don’t mean Mr. Jandel uses them for…”

Raven’s voice trailed off, and her face turned red in an instant.

“…Stay away from me in the future.”

“How far?”

“1 meter.”

“…Understood.”

With that semi-joking agreement on distance in place, I approached the group of prisoners.

Then, I removed Hans G’s gag.

There was something I was curious about.

“I have a question.”

“Yes? Oh, yes! Anything!”

“How did you end up being discovered by the dwarf as an evil spirit?”

“…Huh?”

Hans G looked at me as if the question was strange, but answered without offending me.

The truth was truly unexpected.

“That, that person was also a pl… player. No, a, an evil spirit.”

The dwarf was also from Earth.

That’s why Hans G could tell his identity just by observing his actions.

“Tell me exactly what happened between you two.”

I listened to the more detailed circumstances.

Apart from his stuttering, it wasn’t a long story.

The dwarf had initiated a conversation with Hans G during a night watch using a magical device. He revealed his origins, which only someone from Earth would know.

Hans G, happy to meet another from Earth, acknowledged this.

But it was a trap.

The dwarf had used a magical recording device.

Using this as leverage, the dwarf had blackmailed Hans G into a plan to capture the guardian and make a fortune afterwards.

Not to mention, there was also a carrot along with the stick.

Fairly dividing the spoils and, if things went wrong, promising to take him to Noark.

“I, I refused. But then… uh, ugh!”

Seeing an excuse was forthcoming, I cut him off and gagged him again.

All my questions had been answered anyway.

‘What, out of fifteen, four are players?’

The fairy archer, Hans G, the dwarf, and me.

Not to underestimate it, but ultimately, I was the winner.

…Though the final battle was still to come.

With that, I moved onto the next matter.

After turning on the team voice.

“I’d like to hear your opinions.”

“What should we do with these people?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t about democracy.

In reality, once I made a decision, my team members would all follow my lead.

But first, I wanted to hear their thoughts.

“These are the ones who attacked us! They obviously need to be killed!”

“Uhm, I’m not sure. If we can break the rift ourselves, then obviously killing them is right…”

“Can we really trust these people to cooperate properly?”

The opinions were mostly similar.

It’s hard to trust them.

‘An unreliable ally is more dangerous than an ogre’

Even if we fight together, if we’re constantly worried about their betrayal, it could backfire.

“But the Noark guys might be somewhat better.”

“Better?”

“Once they leave the rift, we won’t have to deal with them again, right? If we promise to spare their lives, they might be more inclined to take that route.”

Raven’s gaze shifted to the fairy archer and Hans G.

“But those two are different.”

Evil Spirits.

In some ways, they felt even more sinister and repulsive than the explorers of the underground city.

“That’s right! The chief also said it! Evil Spirits must be killed immediately upon discovery!”

“Yes… I didn’t understand before, but after today, it’s clear. I see why people say not to trust demons…”

“To hide their true nature, they will do anything. It’s wise to deal with them when the opportunity arises. We’ve seen what happens to those who trusted the evil spirits.”

Each word felt like a dagger stabbing into my heart.

What if my identity were exposed? How would they look at me then?

Would I be viewed with the same eyes?

“So, Mr. Jandel, what do you think?”

Shaking off the meaningless thoughts, I shared my conclusion.

“It seems better to kill them now.”

I never had any intention of sparing them.

It was just a matter of whether to kill them now or after defeating the guardian.

I had adapted well to this world.

“Can we manage to defeat the guardian by ourselves?”

“We’ll have to try.”

While it might sound like a plan without a backup, it wasn’t entirely baseless.

First off, the tank was still alive.

That brought our numbers up to six.

Moreover, among the spoils we had gathered, there were usable items like the insignias of the guardian.

And, if my guess is correct, we might even gain another mage.

“Then we just need to find the doppelganger.”

“Yes. It will be a while before the Stone of Truth emerges, and since we’ve decided not to cooperate, we might as well kill them all. If they are sacrificed at the altar, they can be released later.”

“Turn off the voice control magic.”

I asked Raven to disable the team voice magic, then approached the group of prisoners.

The silence was cold yet strangely fervent.

“…”

Looks of both hope and anxiety were fixed on me.

They must realize, if they have any sense.

The meeting had ended, and a decision had been made.

No need for many words.

“It won’t hurt.”

Probably.

“Uh, ugh! Ugh!!”

The prisoners writhed and tried to speak as I opened my mouth.

Like candles flickering in desperation for life.

I swung my mace without hesitation.

Starting with the priest of Karui at the far end.

Crack-!

Then the sorcerer.

Crack-!

Hans G.

Crack!

And the fairy archer as well.

Even if a doppelganger had possessed them, the force was enough to be instantly fatal.

Crack.

The entire process took just about 5 seconds.

Until then, they had been thrashing violently, but now they were eerily quiet.

Four corpses with crushed skulls lay on the ground.

I had only one thought.

Good thing I had the gags in place.

“Mr.Jandel! How can you just strike them down like that!”

Huh?

“Even if it’s meant for beasts, you’ll break your mace if you’re not careful!”

Ah…

But isn’t that not the important thing right now?

“Stay calm.”

“What? What do you mean…”

“You’re the only doppelganger candidate left.”

Nine had failed the verification magic.

Only Raven and I were left standing.

But since I used the Stone of Truth, I’m excluded.

Did she realize the current situation too late?

“Ah…!”

Raven’s eyes widened as she exclaimed.

“It’s not me! Why would I be the doppelganger! No, this can’t be right… There must be some mistake…”

Yeah, that’s the typical reaction.

“Raven is the doppelganger. Everyone, back away!”

At my shout, the trio next to Raven startled and stepped back.

“Nyang, Never thought you’d be the doppelganger… I really had no idea.”

“Give Aruru back!! Even if she’s a human mage! She’s still my precious comrade!!” Aynar shouted

The melee sisters couldn’t hide their horror.

And then…

“It’s really not me. Please believe me. Once the Stone of Truth is available tomorrow, I’ll use it right away to prove it! Okay?”

“Trying to use the Stone of Truth even after everything has ended, truly a cunning monster.”

Mr. Bear quietly raised his crossbow, entering a defensive stance. Raven’s face looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

“No, it’s not me…”

I hadn’t seen her make such a face before.

“It’s really not me!!!”

It was also the first time I heard her raise her voice so loudly.

‘This is… precious.’

It wasn’t a common sight, which somewhat sparked my interest…

But pushing her further might actually make her cry.

So, it’s time to end the joke.

“Now you’re the only one left. But if it’s not you, then who could it be?”

“That, that’s…”

“You were the one who said that if the host dies, the doppelganger is released without needing to be sacrificed at the altar, right?”

I pretended to corner her, subtly giving a hint.

Our mage should be able to pick up on this hint and consider a possibility.

“What if!! Maybe someone is still alive!! You said doppelgangers are experts at playing dead!”

That was the line I was waiting for.

“Someone is alive…”

“Where are you going?”

Raven cried out in panic as I started walking.

Thud.

I stopped in my tracks soon after.

The unfortunate mage whom the dwarf had struck in the shoulder.

It was exactly where Parteian had lain down.

I bent down to check his pulse.

“Is he alive?”

“Be quiet for a moment.”

There was no heartbeat.

He also wasn’t breathing.

Thump thump.

I stood up and kicked the wounded area with my foot.

“…”

There was no reaction.

Hmm, can he endure this much?

I took out a potion and poured it.

Hssssss.

The wound fizzed and bubbled as it healed.

“Kiiiiieeeeek—!!”

So, you can’t handle the potion after all.