Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 254

Episode 254: Open World (3)

I am running through the flames.

“Huff, huff.”

Breathing in the acrid smoke.

Boom! Boom!

Sprinting at full speed through the debris of buildings that have collapsed from the fire.

Ah, the reason my footsteps sound different is simple.

I activated my [Giantification] to increase my fire resistance even a little.

“How far am I now?

I tried to figure out my exact position while running, but I couldn’t be sure.

The Royal Palace, which has always served as my point of reference in this city, is obscured by smoke.

For now, all I can do is keep running.

Whoosh-!

Anyway, about an hour passed like this.

During this time, I discovered two things.

First,

Fwoosh-!

The flames surrounding me from all directions are clearly not just from an ordinary fire.

These flames don’t just spread; they explode periodically.

‘It must be magic—’

Boom!

I pause for a moment and quickly move my shield in the direction of the explosion.

This red shield is far more expensive than the one I temporarily borrowed from the knights after hearing about the assassins.

「The Lava Shield has absorbed the flames.」

[The character’s soul power is restored in proportion to the amount absorbed]

No. 4819 Lava Shield.

I bought it for its passive stat of +30 fire resistance, but it’s proving to be the most useful item right now.

‘Whew, If I hadn’t brought this, it would’ve been a disaster.’

It’s better safe than sorry.

Since it is an item that only responds to attack skills and magic, I thought there would be no need to use the ‘soul power recovery’ option.

If it weren’t for the shield, I would have used up my [Gigantification] much quicker.

Now, the second thing.

“……”

It’s quiet everywhere.

The sounds of collapsing buildings, roaring flames, and the city burning fill my ears, but…

I haven’t encountered a single survivor.

Not a single scream, not even a call for help.

‘…At least there aren’t that many corpses.’

Most of the bodies I encountered had fallen facing away from me.

They were trying to escape the fire, which was raging from the outskirts, towards the inner part of the city.

The palace is there, after all.

‘I hope Raven made it there safely…’

Hoping that she avoided this disaster, I continued to run through the flames.

Just in case.

According to the guards, the entire southern part of Carnon is engulfed in flames. And Raven’s lodging is in the center of the southern part.

‘It should be around here somewhere…’

Thud.

I stopped in my tracks.

A stone structure emerged from the thick smoke ahead.

Boom!

Despite the continuous explosions, the building was large enough to recognize.

The Third Public Platform of the Imperial City of Carnon.

After quickly scanning the surroundings, I was left dumbfounded.

‘Damn it.’

Raven mentioned that her address was near here.

Of course, I don’t know the exact location.

But what difference does that make?

There isn’t a single intact place in any direction.

“……”

Holding my breath, I listened carefully, but all I could hear was the cursed sound of the fire.

So, what happened to Raven?

Did she manage to escape in time as hoped?

“Alluva Raven—!!!”

I shouted with all my might, just in case she was nearby and in need of rescue.

But there was no response despite several attempts.

Just as I was about to resume my journey towards the Royal palace.

[……Jandel?]

A voice echoed in my head.

A common ‘message’ spell any mage can use.

[What? Why are you here, Mr. Jandel?]

So she was really nearby.

What would have happened if I had just left?

Feeling a sense of dread, I urgently shouted.

“Where are you—!!”

[Follow the road opposite the public platform, and you’ll see me.]

Following Raven’s instructions, I soon arrived at a plaza.

Raven was at the central fountain.

Along with a dozen other survivors.

Whoosh.

Entering the magical barrier that blocked the flames, I saw Raven standing boldly despite her small frame.

“Why are you here, Mr. Jandel?”

Hmm, can’t she at least be a little welcoming?

Movies are definitely different from reality.

In movies, people would run and hug at times like this.

“Did you come all the way here because of me? Through those flames?”

What’s she saying?

“I was out for a walk.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I retorted.

I was truly relieved she was safe.

***

“By the way, why are you still here instead of near the royal palace? If there was a fire, you should have fled immediately. Are you out of your mind?”

After reuniting with Raven, I listened to her explanation. Why wasn’t she near the royal palace and still hanging around her lodging?

The reason was quite simple.

“Well…”

Raven had been working on her newfound knowledge in the makeshift lab she had set up in her quarters.

So, she didn’t hear about the fire in time.

“It’s convenient to be near the public platform, but it’s noisy. So I usually have soundproofing on…”

By the time Raven noticed the anomaly, the area was already engulfed in flames.

However, it wasn’t too late to escape.

She could have avoided it.

But…

“If I had just left then, everyone here would have died.”

When she saw a woman collapsed on the street holding a child, Raven decided to stay.

Although her judgments are usually cold, she has a strong sense of duty to help when she can.

She probably felt complacent at the time.

That the fire would be extinguished quickly.

She didn’t expect it to be this bad.

“…I apologize. I never imagined you would come all the way here for me.”

I was just taking a walk.

“Don’t apologize.”

Acting all grown-up despite her small frame.

“Well done.”

“…What?”

I spoke, looking at the survivors who were anxiously watching us.

“You did the right thing, saving those you could.”

No matter how I look at it, I can’t see them as mere NPCs.

They are people just like me.

Even if they call people like me ‘evil spirits.’

‘By the way, there don’t seem to be any nobles here.’

Scanning my surroundings, I realized most of them seemed to be ordinary citizens.

It’s not strange.

Even in the capital city of Carnon, 90% of the population are commoners. They live here and work for the comfort of the nobles.

“By the way, where did you get that equipment?”

As the situation settled, Raven showed interest in my firefighting gear, including the Lava Shield.

Is it because she’s a mage?

Even in this situation, her curiosity comes first.

I briefly explained the origin of my equipment.

Raven’s expression turned a bit odd.

“That’s really interesting. It’s understandable for my master, but the others aren’t the type to be like that.”

“Do you know who they are without me telling you?”

“Roughly. The mage society is wide yet narrow; everyone knows who’s close to whom.”

I see.

But we can’t keep chatting forever, so I cut her off.

“So, what about this barrier? Can it be used while moving?”

When I got to the point, Raven’s expression changed and she answered seriously.

“It can be used, but it will be much weaker, though.”

“So, what do you think? Can we manage?”

“You’re using the ‘Orb of Fire’ now, right? If I add my ‘Cold Blood’ magic,  we might manage.”

“How’s your mana?”

“I’ll only know when I try …….”

As one would expect from a mage, she didn’t make any empty promises.

Simply put, we’re in a tight situation.

However, neither of us suggested leaving the survivors behind.

“You all heard the plan, right? We’re going to move now. If anyone has objections, speak up now.”

Raven explained the plan to the survivors again, and of course, no one objected.

“Then let’s move out.”

As soon as Raven had finished adjusting the barrier for mobility, we stepped out into the flames.

“Is everyone okay?”

“W-We can manage, Mage.”

Sweating profusely, the survivors didn’t seem to be in danger of burns.

Although the smoke made it difficult to breathe, Raven occasionally used her wind magic to blow the smoke away and provide fresh oxygen.

“Keep up, don’t fall behind.”

The orb of fire had a 15 meter range.

Adjusting our speed to keep the survivors within range, we started jogging.

Boom!

I blocked the explosions in front, while Raven took care of the rear.

“How’s your mana?”

“Still fine, don’t worry.”

Aside from Raven’s mana being steadily drained, our movement was relatively stable.

How long had it been?

“The flames are definitely weakening.”

“Does that mean we’re almost out of here?”

“If my calculations are correct.”

Positive news for the first time in a while.

Survivors who were at their physical limit started to muster their last bit of strength, holding onto hope.

But good news often comes with bad.

“…There’s magic ahead!”

In the middle of our conversation, Raven suddenly shouted urgently.

I quickly turned my gaze forward.

At that moment.

‘Fuck’

A massive fireball appeared before my eyes.

I reflexively raised my shield to block it, but…

「Absorption limit exceeded.」

「Soul power is being heavily drained.」

Instead of recovering, I felt a massive drain of energy.

‘Fuck.’

A fire attack that even the Lava Shield couldn’t block.

‘Who the hell…’

I lifted my head.

The first thing I saw was the debris of buildings floating around.

Crackle, crackle.

The burning stones were coming together, forming a golem.

I heard Raven’s stunned voice from behind.

“Mr. Jandel, this magic is…”

“Stop. I know without you telling me.”

Level 5 summoning magic, Flame Giant.

I remembered seeing this magic once before.

‘…No wonder the fire was unusually intense.’

I gripped my mace tighter and kept my eyes ahead.

Step, step.

There was no sound of walking, but an old man and a man following him appeared beyond the fire.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Soon the elderly man stopped and spoke.

“Quite fortunate.”

Yeah, it was never going to be this easy.

***

Ruin Scholar, Belbev Ruinzenes.

‘I never thought I’d encounter him here.’

My chest felt tight, but at least I learned one thing.

‘It really was those Noark bastards.’

These guys were behind the fire.

Well, it made sense.

Who else would cause such chaos in the city?

“Raven.”

I put everything aside and gave her an order.

“Take the people and get out of here. You said we’re almost there, so you can do it without me, right?”

“But…”

No arguments.

“Listen to me. When have you ever regretted following my orders?”

After a moment of silence, a response came.

Not aloud, but through the mind.

[…I’ll get the people out as quickly as I can.]

Raven then used her wind magic to clear a path through the flames and lead the survivors away.

Surprisingly, the Ruin Scholar let them go without interference.

I was ready to stop any tricks, but…

‘So, you think it’s easier to deal with me without another mage, huh?’

I had an idea of what he was thinking.

Though there was a sense of unease, it made sense that he would let her go if it made it easier to face me.

“When did you arrive?”

Huh?

“I heard you were at the royal palace. When did you get here?”

What the hell is he talking about?

Before I could even tilt my head, the answer appeared before me.

“Just now.”

A man in his twenties appeared from the flames as if he’d been there all along.

“Hey, Bel.”

“…Bel?”

“Who told you to start the fire? Without my permission.”

Lee Baek-ho frowned at the Ruin Scholar.

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