Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 230
Reversal (6)
“Are you awake?”
Feeling the lingering aftertaste of the potion on her tongue, Misha Karlstein opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Abman.
“…Wha-what happened? Did we win?”
As soon as she woke up, Misha asked, trying to recall her memories.
Her memories were not complete.
They were fragmented.
[Protect Raven!!]
The corpse collector, who transformed into a skeleton, charged at them.
Unable to withstand even a single hit, they were knocked out.
And then…
Boom! Boom!
The sound of thunder woke her up, and she saw Bjorn lying on the ground, struggling to protect them.
That was her last memory.
“I don’t know if we won, but at least we’re safe for now. The enemies have retreated.”
“Really? That’s a relief. But, is anyone… dead?”
“…”
Abman frowned.
It was as if someone had died.
But seeing Misha’s eyes, he quickly added,
“Oh, don’t think strange thoughts. All our team members survived. The ones who died were on the fairy’s side.”
“Fairy…?”
Her heart skipped a beat at those words.
“Don’t tell me it’s Erwin?”
Erwin Fornachi di Tersia.
Even if they weren’t the best of friends, a deep sadness welled up from within her chest.
“No, it was her sister who died. She protected her sister by hugging her body in the explosion.”
“…Then Erwin?”
“She would have died too if they had been a little late. I don’t know if it’s fortunate, but she’s unconscious now. The worry is whether she’ll be sane when she wakes up.”
“I see…”
Misha heard about the rest of her comrades.
Raven also lost consciousness, and Aynar, who woke up a bit earlier, went to Bjorn?
“Don’t go. I wanted to stay by his side too, but the priestess drove me away for being in the way… But you won’t listen anyway. He’s over there.”
After asking Abman for directions, Misha moved.
The Goblin Forest, after the battle, was brightly lit by flames rising from various places.
Step, step.
Misha walked through the explorers.
She saw explorers resting on the ground, and others crying.
Some were happily drinking with blood-covered hands, while others were busy moving the motionless corpses to throw them into the flames.
“Oh! It’s the cat lady from Jandel’s team!”
As she walked quietly, explorers started talking to her.
“Are you going to see Jandel? He should be over there.”
“Hm, it might be best not to go.”
“Yes, you must be worried about your comrade.”
They all spoke in a meaningful way.
However, some spoke lightly as well.
“Oh, don’t worry. There’s no way that guy would die.”
“Jandel’s son Bjorn is invincible!!”
“I heard he almost killed the corpse collector too? They say if it wasn’t for the Ruin Scholar, he would have won. He’s going to be incredibly famous when we get out.”
Acknowledging Bjorn’s greatness, the explorers made Misha walk faster.
Soon, a tent appeared.
There were several explorers gathered in front.
“Ah, Miss Kralstein is here too.”
The first thing she saw was Aynar arguing with Kyle Febrosk.
“Please excuse me for sitting. Honestly, I’m straining myself just by staying awake.”
“Why can’t we go in?”
“I told you. The priestess is risking her life to save him. So please lower your voice if you truly want to help.”
“But…!”
“Aynar, stop!”
Misha quickly approached and stopped Aynar.
Whatever it was, it was clear this wasn’t helping.
“Mi-Misha! You’re awake!”
Aynar greeted her warmly, but she asked Kyle about Bjorn’s condition.
It was horrifying just to hear about it.
Poison spread over his entire face, melting his eyes and everything else?
“The poison has melted his bones and has slightly reached his brain.”
She felt breathless.
Dizziness overwhelmed her, making the world spin like she was drunk.
At that moment,
“…You can go in now.”
The priestess, looking pale, came out of the tent.
Misha entered without even thanking her.
“Bjorn…”
He was sleeping on a makeshift bed made of several sleeping bags piled together.
Outwardly, he seemed fine.
There were burn-like scars on his face, but nothing appeared seriously wrong.
“The scars will gradually heal over time. I couldn’t do more with my power…”
“Thank you… so much…”
“No, compared to what he did, I didn’t do much. Anyway, I need to rest now…”
After the priestess left, Misha knelt beside Bjorn.
She gently caressed his face.
Memories of being chased by the Tier lord on the third floor came to her mind.
But this was different.
Back then, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, as if he had completed his task.
Seeing that, she thought he looked like a hero.
He continued to accomplish many feats, gaining recognition from new people each time.
She had felt proud and pleased.
But now…
“Why, like this…”
His face now looked so sad and tormented.
It seemed as if he was blaming himself.
Mischa couldn’t finish her sentence and clenched her fist.
She thought she knew the reason for his expression.
No, she couldn’t not know.
She had watched over him for a long time.
‘Erwin…’
He probably thought it was his fault.
Misha slid her hand away from Bjorn’s body.
Even unconscious, his body flinched as if convulsing when her skin touched his.
How hard must it have been?
How much pain did he endure for this steel-like man to be like this?
“Now…”
Misha closed her eyes and prayed earnestly.
The gods had never answered her prayers before, but she still clasped her hands and prayed and prayed.
She prayed that this man would not be recognized for his deeds.
***
When I opened my eyes, the whole team was gathered.
After a brief exchange of greetings, the priestess came in to check my condition.
I could see well.
My sense of smell was normal.
But my body wouldn’t move well.
Although I could feel sensations, my arms and legs wouldn’t gain strength, and when I forced them, they trembled violently.
“It’s common for this to happen when the brain is injured. If you rest for about a month, you should be fine.”
“I see. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now that you’re awake, I’ll go get Mr. Febrosk.”
While the priestess went to fetch Kyle, my comrades told me what happened after I collapsed.
Apparently, less than an hour remained until the end of the seventh day.
“Were there any more attacks?”
“No.”
During my unconsciousness, neither the Ruin Scholar nor the clown who survived came back.
Of course, it would take time for them to recover, and we burned all the corpses left by the clown, so they lacked the numbers.
Also, it would be difficult for them to call for reinforcements.
It would take a day just to get to the third floor from here.
Even going up and coming back would take two days.
‘Given the Ruin Scholar’s personality, he wouldn’t come even if the clown insisted. He’s not driven by revenge.’
Wait a minute.
As I talked with my comrades, I remembered something I had forgotten.
Why didn’t I remember this until now?
“Ah! What happened to Erwin, Erwin?”
When I asked urgently, a moment of silence fell.
My comrades stared at me with grim faces.
“So, she’s dead.”
“No, it was her sister who died.”
“Her sister?”
I heard the details from Mr. Bear.
A short story about how she used a short-distance teleportation skill to sacrifice herself for her sister just before the explosion.
The weight of death hit me anew.
The world felt truly light and fragile.
“…”
It happened in a split second.
No one could stop it, and Daria couldn’t even leave a final word.
It was good that I heard it in advance.
“Where is Erwin now?”
“…She’s in the same place.”
“The same place?”
“Yes, the same place.”
I felt I had to go see her.
So, I tried to get up, but my body wavered.
“Give me your arm.”
With Mr. Bear’s help, I barely managed to leave the tent.
Kyle was there just in time.
“You’re awake.”
Talking with Kyle, we slowly moved to the battlefield.
“There are a lot of people. What happened?”
“People came up after the battle ended. They formed four groups, totaling about a thousand people.”
“A thousand…?”
“We left markers on our way here. As soon as they gathered the numbers, they followed us east, following those markers.”
I see.
If only they had come a bit earlier.
If only…
‘What are you thinking?’
I brushed off my regrets and continued walking.
There was no point in blaming the past.
“Oh, it’s Jandel’s son, Bjorn!!”
As I walked with Kyle, explorers who recognized me came over and spoke.
Some said we should drink together later.
One introduced himself as the leader of a clan, promising to repay his debt.
Others thanked me, saying they would come running if I ever needed help.
But none offered words of consolation.
‘Don’t take it too hard. There’s a saying that heroes aren’t consoled, right?’
I didn’t know if such a saying existed in this world.
But I didn’t take it badly.
They too suffered many losses.
They were just trying to talk
About things with a smile because it was hard for them.
“Mister…”
When we reached our destination, I saw Erwin.
She was sitting there, hugging her sister’s charred, hardened body.
There were streaks of something that had run down her face, mixing with the blood and grime.
“Come here.”
Erwin shook her head.
“It’s almost time to go down. Are you going to stay here alone?”
“I’m not…alone.”
I let go of Mr. Bear’s arm and staggered over to Erwin.
Then I patted her back.
“Listen to me. From now on, I’m your guardian.”
“…What?”
I told her about the will Daria had left with me.
It wasn’t a long story.
She had asked me to take care of her sister if anything happened to her.
It was something she had told me before we escaped through the dimensional gate, almost as if she had sensed that this might happen.
“Mister… My sister, my sister…! She doesn’t move anymore. She can’t speak. She’s cold and hard. I haven’t done anything for her yet…”
Erwin clung to me, crying.
“What do I tell my little sister? That our mother and now our older sister are dead? Because of me?”
I stood there, listening to her outpouring of words.
I didn’t offer comforting words like saying it wasn’t her fault or that it was her sister’s choice.
I just waited.
I don’t know how much time passed.
“Jandel, it’s time to go.”
It was time to descend to the first floor.
With Erwin, I took care of her sister’s body.
It was better than with Dwalki.
At least now we had a mage capable of using ‘Distortion’ magic.
We could hold a proper funeral in the city.
“Let’s go home.”
I led Erwin back to where the team was gathered. Even Misha and Aynar, who weren’t on good terms with Erwin, remained silent.
In fact, they seemed to want to comfort her but refrained, afraid it might hurt her more.
‘It’s the first time I’ve seen Aynar act like this.’
We soon stood before the portal in the heart of the Goblin Forest.
[23:50]
The clock marked the end of what had felt like an interminable journey.
“Alright, let’s go home!!”
“Wooohooo!!”
Starting with the teams at the center, everyone began descending to the first floor. Berzark was scary, but it wouldn’t show up in the next ten minutes.
“Jandel! See you in the city!”
“Remember my name! I’ll definitely come visit you again.”
The explorers ahead of me entered the portal, and then it was our turn.
「Entering the Crystal Cave on the first floor.」
The cave felt even more eerie than before.
As we moved forward to make room for others to come down, I kept checking the time.
[23:59]
Only one minute left until the labyrinth closed.
It didn’t feel real.
Was it really the end?
Thump-!
Yes, it must be the end.
With just a minute left, what could Berzark do even if it appeared?
“Damn royal bastards.”
“When I get back, I won’t even piss in their direction.”
The explorers, confident in their survival, vented their anger at the royal family.
Geez, as much as they had a point, they should be careful with their words.
“Don’t say anything weird when we get back.”
I warned my teammates not to curse the royal family in front of others.
Just then,
「The labyrinth has closed.」
「Characters are being transferred to Raphonia.」
A white light began to seep through my eyelids.
The light of the outside world I had longed for.
Thump-!
Finally, the light faded, revealing a clear sky.
I looked around blankly.
‘Everyone’s really dead.’
The usually bustling dimensional plaza was eerily quiet.
How many had died?
“Wooohooo!!”
Amid the cheers erupting from various places, my gaze naturally turned to one spot.
“The dimensional gate!”
“Damn bastards!”
In the center of the plaza where the dimensional gate was opening, hundreds of gates were appearing, and those who had abandoned us began to emerge one by one.
They all looked the same as they had then.
Well, the exit timing from the dimensional gate was synchronized.
‘They have no idea what we went through.’
Seeing them in such pristine condition, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of bitterness.
At that moment…
Whoosh-!
A massive magic circle formed at the center of the plaza where the gates opened.
“What, what?”
Time seemed to slow down.
Yet ‘it’ happened in an instant.
Thump-!
The startled knights and elite members of the clans.
Explorers quickly sensing something off and moving away.
And then…
Boom-!!!!
An explosion.
Whoosh-!
Flames carried by the wind pushed me back.
I fell to the ground and quickly looked up, seeing a pillar of fire reaching the sky.
It looked like the end of the world.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind.
[Congratulations. You are the sole survivor.]
It was the last message the Ruin Scholar left for me.