Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 244
Turning Point (4)
Hans Ifreya.
To be precise, the man who participated in the title award ceremony by borrowing his name and face washed his face with cold water.
Splash!
Every time the water touched his skin, pieces of meat were flushed down the drain.
Just looking at it made him feel sick.
‘…It’s been a while since I’ve felt this disgusted.’
In the early days, when he was thrown into this familiar yet unfamiliar world, he had seen far worse, but those days were long gone.
I should just watch from a distance without getting too close.
Returning to the banquet hall, the man checked the table where he had spoken to the barbarian earlier.
For some reason it was empty.
After exchanging a few words with a servant, he discovered that the barbarian had already left by carriage.
‘…I don’t really want to go back to the Mage Tower like this.’
After a moment’s thought, the man left the palace.
He then used invisibility and levitation magic simultaneously to fly over the city.
It was his stealth flight mode.
‘There he is.
Dozens of metres in the air, he scanned the ground below and soon spotted Bjorn Jandel’s carriage.
With the mounted knights guarding it, there was no mistaking the carriage.
Looks like he’s going home.
The man deduced the destination from the direction of the carriage and began to follow it.
Well, his expectations that this barbarian might be the person he was looking for had diminished considerably.
It could still be an act.
It wasn’t impossible.
After all, it was the first time he had encountered a barbarian who acted so brainlessly.
In fact, it made him even more suspicious.
Given his understanding of the game, he would have figured out how to act in this world and moved more ‘perfectly’ than anyone else.
This could be interpreted both positively and negatively.
So more information was needed.
Who exactly was Bjorn Jandel?
‘I was told he was living with three women… … .’
Ignoring an inexplicable feeling of envy, the man eagerly followed the carriage.
Living together meant they weren’t just acquaintances.
By observing his daily life at home, he might find more definitive clues.
With this determination, he kept a cautious distance and followed.
Boom!
The carriage exploded.
***
The explosion reminded me of the pillar of fire that day.
But its power was nothing compared to that one.
Thank goodness.
「Character’s HP is below 50%.」
「Passive skill [Path of the Hero] increases all resistance and resilience.」
My vision was blurred, possibly due to retinal damage from the heat.
I also feel my skin peeling off, making my whole body itchy and painful.
My muscles seemed heavily damaged too.
But…
“Assassin! There’s an assassin!!”
I hadn’t died from the blast.
And I could still move.
‘Damn it.’
Suppressing the rising nausea, I quickly planted my hands on the ground and stood up. Then, I activated the subspace ring I’d been given back when I left the palace.
‘I should’ve worn my gear as soon as I left the palace.’
Regret is never too late.
I took out my shield first and put it on my forearm.
Just then, something exploded, spewing black smoke.
‘A smoke bomb?’
Having experienced visual obstructions numerous times, I didn’t panic and quickly focused on my hearing.
“Ahhh!”
As expected of an incident in the middle of the city, screams of civilians echoed everywhere.
“How dare you!”
“Kill them!”
The clashing of weapons indicated that the knights were in combat.
But that wasn’t my concern.
Amidst the noise, I had to recognise the threat to my life.
For example…
Thud.
Yes, just like that.
As soon as I heard the sound, I turned my body in that direction and lowered my stance.
At that moment.
Bang!
A shockwave hit traveled through my shield.
Phew, so they can see my position even through the smoke.
There was no reason to stay quiet any longer.
“Keplo! Are you alive?!”
I shouted as loudly as I could, checking on him, who had been right next to me before the explosion.
There was no answer.
Was he dead? Or just unconscious?
Swish.
I quickly reached into the subspace and took out my mace.
Just then, I heard another slicing sound.
Whoosh!
From experience, that kind of sound usually came from a ‘slash’.
Trusting my instincts, I twisted my shield diagonally.
Clang!
Soon, an impact hit the left side of the shield.
With this, I had no problem even if I couldn’t see ahead.
Whoosh-!
I swung my mace towards where I thought the enemy would be.
Crack-!
I felt a solid impact.
Hmm, they took the hit.
I thought they’d be more agile, being an assassin.
“Ugh!”
Something in the smoke let out a death cry and was flung back.
That was when it happened.
Whoosh-!
An apparently artificial gust of wind swept through, dispersing the black smoke.
‘Magic? Who could it be?’
There were no mages on our side.
And it wouldn’t make sense for the assassins to clear the smoke for us.
So, who cast the spell?
I set aside the brief question and checked my surroundings.
“Jandel! Are you safe?!”
Only four knights were standing intact.
On the other hand, there were over thirty masked figures surrounding the shattered remains of the carriage.
‘Amelia’s not here?’
I glanced around the masked figures, checking for anyone with a physique similar to Amelia’s.
There were about three candidates, but I wasn’t sure.
“Didn’t they say there wouldn’t be any mages!” the figures murmured among themselves
“Why are you hesitating! Kill them!”
Briefly startled by the magic that cleared the smoke, the assassins resumed their attack.
They knew it too.
A surprise attack in the middle of a busy road would be troublesome if not finished quickly.
“Protect Lord Jandel!!”
As soon as the knights, who were fighting individually, confirmed my location, they hurried towards me and formed a protective formation.
Now I understood why nobles put so much effort into training knights
How loyal and dependable they were.
‘It seems I won’t have the luxury to put on my armor.’
Having grasped the situation, I dismissed any lingering regrets and activated my ability. I was going to test it in the training tomorrow.
‘Transcendence.’
Bayon’s ability, [Transcendence].
A unique skill that is both passive and active.
When inactive, it enhances all passive skills by 1.5 times.
[Acidic Fluid] becomes more potent.
[Path of the Hero] and [Iron Skin] see increased stat boosts, and Manticore’s [Inheritance] apply similarly.
This alone makes it an excellent skill.
But…
「Character has activated [Transcendence].」
The true value of this skill lies in its active use.
「The next skill you use will be enhanced.」
Not just a simple enhancement, but each skill temporarily gains its unique additional effects.
「Character has activated [Giantification].」
「The inherent abilities of this skill are unlocked by the authority of Transcendence」
The core of Shield Baba’s power lies in the level 5 skill [Giantification].
「The physique grows in proportion to strength.」
Instead of being a fixed value, the size bonus scales with strength.
‘About 5 meters, maybe.’
The Giantification (Transcendence) mode.
‘This should be… similar to when I fought Liakis.’
Based on the new perspective, I estimated my new size.
Similar to the time when I used Misha’s brother [Unholy One] to grow 1.5 times larger.
Although I have the ogre’s essence, the setup isn’t complete yet, so it’s not entirely satisfactory.
But…
“Bethel—raaaaaaah!!”
I couldn’t deny that I had become much stronger.
[Giantification] increases physical stats and threat level proportionally to height.
And [Wild Outburst] further boosts physical stats based on the threat level.
With both applied, my strength surged.
Therefore…
‘Leap.’
I kicked off the ground with all my strength and soared through the air.
My predicted landing spot was in the direction of a masked figure aiming a bow at me from a distance.
Boom-!
As I hit the ground, the masked figure holding the bow was thrown high into the air.
「Character’s total weight exceeds 500kg.」
「Special terrain effect [Recoil] has been added to the damage range.」
Fortunately, my increased height had boosted my weight. I was worried since I wasn’t wearing armor.
“Huh?”
The masked figure, unaware of the situation, let out a confused noise while suspended in mid-air.
Why, surprised that I came at you first?
Like swinging a baseball bat, I swung my mace, and his neck twisted at a grotesque angle.
Crack.
Okay, that’s one down…
‘Huh?’
As I turned to find my next target, a masked figure sprang out from my lower right.
Originally, it would have been a blind spot, an exquisite angle.
However, I accurately saw and dodged it.
Thanks to the basic stats of my new essence.
[Bayon]
+100 Soul Power, +30 Soul Regeneration, +25 Strength, +30 Pain Tolerance, +30 Bone Density, +20 Magic Resistance, +25 Vision
+25 Vision.
This stat widens the field of view rather than improving eyesight.
In the game, it added a bonus to the dodge rate and other detailed stats.
Crack!
I roughly kicked the abdomen of the guy who sprang up, then took a leaping stance again.
But did they finally come to their senses?
The knights, panicking at my sudden actions, shouted in alarm.
“Come back here!”
Who’s protecting whom, really?
I ignored them and leaped toward the next target. Using the same combo as before, I took them down one by one.
So far, there were no significant threats.
Crack-!
I felt it when I smashed one of them in the smoke earlier, they were strangely low level.
‘Is there really no one at Amelia’s level?’
Though I had initially planned to use [Leap] to escape if things got dangerous, but that anxiety soon disappeared.
Facing them directly, it became clear.
If not for the initial explosion, the knights alone could have handled this level of threat.
But then, what is this?
“…You said we only needed to deal with the knights!” One of the masked figures spoke
When I started rampaging, and the knights pressured them individually, internal conflict arose among the masked figures.
“You said one explosion would kill him!”
“I’m leaving. You never said he was this strong!”
When one or two hesitated and left the battlefield, it triggered a mass retreat among the masked figures.
It was ridiculous.
‘What’s with these guys?’
They seemed to lack any sense of purpose.
***
‘…Are they really sent by Noark?’
Such doubts began to surface, but for now, I focused on capturing the fleeing masked figures.
I managed to capture a total of four.
Unfortunately, the rest escaped.
“…Thank you for your efforts.”
The knight, perhaps experiencing a noble in action for the first time, awkwardly saluted me.
“Ah, you did well too. Are there any casualties?”
The knight replied that three had died.
Fortunately, Keplo wasn’t among them.
He had been caught in the explosion at the center with me, but it seemed he had enough durability.
Having administered a potion in time, he should come to his senses soon.
‘Now, let’s conduct an interrogation.’
With the battle over and the guards rushing in, I grabbed one of the captured figures and removed his mask.
Behind it was an unfamiliar face.
“…Ugh!”
The man, seemingly sensing his doom, trembled and avoided eye contact.
First, I reached into his mouth.
“Gah, gah, ugh!”
I rummaged around, but there was no poison pill.
Hmm, reality differs from comics, it seems?
I mean, shouldn’t an assassin have something like this?
‘Well, if they had that kind of resolve, they wouldn’t have fled.’
Really, who are these guys?
Wiping my saliva-stained hand on his clothes, I asked.
“Who sent you?”
“……”
He didn’t answer.
It didn’t matter much.
A few hits, and he’d start talking.
Just as I raised my fist.
Flash-!
A white flash burst from the dark sky.
And…
Boom-!!
Something crashed into the ground like a meteor.
At first, I thought the assassin bastards had run away and shot a catapult or something, but…….
“Ugh…!”
It was a man.
He was surrounded by a spherical barrier, and his face was all too familiar.
Because I had just met him.
“Hans Ifreya…?”
What the hell.
Why is he falling from the sky?
Surprised by the unexpected development, I barely had time to react.
Thud, thud, thud.
Another man leaped down from the sky, ignoring me entirely and approached Hans I.
“……”
The atmosphere changed as soon as he arrived, and no one, not even the knights, dared to utter a word.
The air itself forbade it.
“Old man, let’s do this the easy way, huh?”
“I told you, you got the wrong person—”
“Ha, lies don’t work on me.”
As the man reached out, the barrier around Hans I was effortlessly torn apart.
Sizzle.
Hans I, his face drained of color, stared in terror.
The man grabbed his collar roughly.
And said.
“Yeah, it’s you. GM.”
“……”
“Lift the ban, or you’re really going to die here.”