Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 267

Farune Island (1)

People are fighting.

That single phrase snapped me to attention.

Maybe I had become a bit complacent without realizing it.

Thump-!

No explorers from Noark were around.

Actually, there weren’t many explorers to begin with.

But even so, anything could happen in the world of the labyrinth.

So, let’s start by checking the information.

“How many are there in total?”

“At least eight.”

When I lowered my voice and asked, Erwin replied immediately.

“That means at least two teams are fighting.”

“At least, based on the circumstances.”

“Any peculiarities I should know about?”

“…No.”

Hmm, her tone suggested otherwise.

It’s not good to ignore things like this.

Just like in the movies, right?

“Any peculiarities I should know about?”

I asked more firmly this time, and Erwin cautiously answered.

“…I have a bad feeling about this.”

I see, that’s what it is.

“I’m sorry for saying something unnecessary…”

I chuckled as I watched Erwin trail off.

“No need to apologize.”

Honestly, I felt the same way.

When I heard that explorers were PK-ing each other, an ominous feeling began to creep up on me.

I was contemplating my next move when—

“Mr. Jandel, what will you do now?”

“Are you going to save them this time too…?”

I tilted my head.

“This time too?”

“You did it before on the first floor, and when the capital caught fire. You like saving people…”

What is she talking about?

The situations are entirely different.

In the capital, I simply had the means to help, and I had promised to help if I had the chance.

And on the first floor…

“I think I understand your misunderstanding, so let me clarify.”

I ended up leading thousands of explorers and opening a path, absurdly being treated as a hero.

To be honest, it was true that I got somewhat heated back then.

But—

“Back then, what I truly wanted to save was you guys.”

My priorities haven’t changed.

I don’t deserve to be called a hero; I’m a selfish person.

It’s already overwhelming just to protect myself and my people.

“That means…”

“I have a bad feeling about this, so there’s no need to get involved. Let’s leave the island.”

“But is that okay? We don’t know what’s going on over there; maybe they need help.”

Mr. Bear opened his mouth, looking uncomfortable.

He wasn’t originally this kind of character.

He must still be intoxicated by the hero’s thrill he felt on the first floor.

“They’re explorers too. They must have been prepared for this since they chose this line of work.”

I spoke with the authority of a leader, and Mr. Bear accepted it without further argument.

But did something worry him later?

“Raven, are you okay with this? You seemed to know that guy we met earlier.”

“Mr. Patzran? Well, if he’s fighting over there, it’s likely he got involved…”

Raven trailed off at Mr. Bear’s concern.

Then she looked us straight in the eye and firmly drew a line.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter?”

“We weren’t that close anyway. What if something happens to us if we go to help?”

Selfish words that are the epitome of an explorer.

But her following words made us all hold our tongues.

“…Our team is more important to me.”

Wow, she said that without batting an eye.

She has become more audacious with age, although she still looks like a child.

“Then it’s decided.”

As soon as the decision was made, we turned and ran towards the coast.

Estimated time to reach the coast: about an hour.

The island wasn’t that big, so if we hurried, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

‘It’s a shame to leave the hidden piece, but…’

We can come back later after we’ve escaped and reassessed the situation.

‘Yeah, when in doubt, retreat is the best option.’

I discarded my last lingering attachment.

And how much time passed?

“It’s the sea!”

We reached the coast and quickly launched our boat into the waves. One by one, we climbed in, rowing away from the island.

Just as we started to feel a bit relieved—

“Bj, Bjorn!”

Aynar, the brave barbarian warrior, shouted, her voice filled with fear.

“What’s happening! The sea… The sea is rising!!”

The previously calm sea suddenly turned violent, rocking our boat fiercely.

「The offering of Farune Island has been destroyed.」

「The wrath of the sea engulfs the island.」

Damn it.

***

The hidden piece of Farune Island is simple.

By destroying the ‘offering’ hidden in the center of the island, you can trigger the event called the Wrath of the Sea.

It’s a type of defense event.

Sea monsters swarm towards the island from the coast, and we have to fend them off from inland.

What I was aiming for was the essence of the event boss.

A Level 4 monster, Elfrot.

If Misha or Erwin consumed it, it would be useful even in the later stages.

Well, whether it drops or not is another matter.

Anyway, that’s not the issue right now.

‘At least 8 people over there. And here, we have 6…’

The maximum difficulty event is now open.

Regardless of the hidden piece, escaping this island is the top priority.

“What’s happening?”

“How can the waves be so rough suddenly? I didn’t hear anything about this…”

“Row! Row faster!”

We quickly started rowing, taken aback by the violent waves crashing as if they wouldn’t let anyone leave the island.

We were almost out, right?

‘Just a bit further and we can escape completely.’

Even in the game, the system didn’t prevent escaping the island after the event started.

It’s just that most boats would sink not far from the island.

“One, two! One, two!!”

We chanted in unison, rowing with all our might to cross the waves.

But…

‘I should have spent more on a better boat.’

It felt like we weren’t making any progress.

We were not just at a standstill; despite our best efforts, it felt like we were being pushed back towards the island.

Not just a feeling, it was actually happening.

“Bi, Bjorn! The island is getting closer!”

Despite our rowing efforts, we were being pushed back.

I felt a bitter taste in my mouth.

If only we had a magic propulsion system on the boat, we might have been able to break through.

“Bi, Bjorn! The boat is taking on water!”

“What should we do? Is it broken?”

As water began to fill the boat, panic spread among the group.

It was time to make a decision.

“Give up on getting off the island.”

After a moment’s contemplation, I quickly gave orders.

“Everyone, turn around! We ride the waves back towards the island!”

The advantage of a small boat with a capacity of six.

The boat wasn’t completely symmetrical, but it didn’t matter much in this rough sea situation.

“Put all heavy gear into the subspace!”

To reduce the boat’s weight and prepare for a possible capsize, I ordered everyone to remove their equipment.

Okay, we’ve done all we can to prepare.

“To the right!!”

We used the oars not so much to move the boat, but to keep it from capsizing by balancing it.

After about three minutes, we could feel the island getting significantly closer.

“There, look…!”

The boat, which had been bouncing forward intermittently, was swept up by a large wave.

And then…

“Ahhh!!”

It completely capsized.

“Gah!”

Submerged instantly, I held on to the overturned boat.

“Is everyone alright!!”

“For now!”

“I’m safe too!”

Voices reporting their safety came from all around when I shouted.

Everyone except for one.

“Where’s Raven?”

What happened?

Could she have been swept away?

“Pff, here! I’m here!”

Phew, that was a scare.

Holding tightly to the overturned boat, we quickly discussed our next steps.

“So, what now?”

“Can’t we just stay like this?”

“Well, it seems like we’re still moving in the right direction…”

It wasn’t a bad idea.

Made from a special wood known for its buoyancy, the boat wouldn’t sink even if tipped over.

‘It feels more stable than when we were on it…’

Since the waves were pushing towards the island, we wouldn’t need to steer to reach the shore.

“Hold on tight!”

We clung firmly to the boat’s handles to avoid being thrown off by the waves.

After about a minute—

‘Didn’t think of this…’

We faced a new crisis.

“Look out, rocks! Rocks ahead…!”

As we got closer to the shore, towering rocks began to loom near the boat.

It was too late to change course.

“If we get separated, head to the center of the island!”

I shouted, preparing for the worst.

And then—

CRASH!

The boat struck the rocks.

***

Splash!

I woke up to the sound of rough waves.

My vision was blurry, like something was in my eyes, and my mouth was filled with the salty taste of the sea.

And for some reason…

Scritch, scritch, scritch.

Something was gnawing at my foot.

“…?”

When I looked down, I froze.

A lobster monster the size of a large dog was trying desperately to chew on my foot.

“What the hell…”

No way it could.

My physical resistance is too high for that.

Wham!

Using my free foot, I kicked the sterap away. I quickly stood up and struck the lobster monster’s head with the plank I was holding.

「You have defeated a Sterap. EXP +1」

The lobster monster disappeared in a flash, befitting a level 9 monster.

‘But what’s with this plank…?’

Only then did I realize I had been clutching a plank since I woke up.

Where did this come from?

Without much thought, a memory I had forgotten resurfaced.

‘Oh, the boat got wrecked…’

When the boat hit the rocks, it shattered.

I grabbed the largest plank and held onto it, figuring it would keep me afloat despite my barbarian physique.

‘It saved my life…’

Having assessed the situation, I quickly looked around. The empty beach showed no sign of anyone.

‘Are the others okay…’

Raven should be fine.

She couldn’t swim but used a levitation spell at the last moment. Misha and Erwin could swim, so they were less worrying.

The problem was Aynar and Mr. Bear, who couldn’t swim.

‘Hah, I hope they were swept safely to shore.’

Despite trying to calm myself, I couldn’t stop worrying.

But regardless, I kept moving, taking out my gear from the subspace and putting it on.

Soon, the island would be swarming with monsters.

Seeing the sterap roaming around meant the event had just started, fortunately…

I had to be ready.

‘They said explorers were fighting, but what situation triggered this event?’

There were a few things I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t solve them now.

Hah, I should have gone to help them. Then I’d at least know the situation—

Thud.

I stopped as I was about to enter the forest from the beach.

I heard movement beyond the bushes.

Thud, thud, thud.

Someone was running.

‘Not a monster.’

All the monsters on Farune Island were flying insects capable of gliding.

It meant the footsteps weren’t from a monster.

Also, it was unlikely one of my scattered companions.

We agreed to meet further inside the forest.

No reason for them to run in the opposite direction.

‘One of the explorers fighting, perhaps?’

I slowly raised my mace, waiting for whoever it was to show up.

The reason for waiting was simple.

There was only one set of footsteps.

Even if a fight broke out, I could handle a one-on-one.

So gathering information was the priority.

‘Now.’

Timing my move to the approaching footsteps, I reached out suddenly.

“Huff, huff. Kyah, mmph—!”

My prey was subdued instantly, flailing in the air.

“Stay still. I won’t hurt you.”

My original plan was to follow up with my mace to subdue them, but I held off.

Because I recognized her.

Though it seemed she didn’t remember me.

“I’ll let you go, so be quiet.”

“Who… Who are you…”

“I told you to be quiet.”

When I scolded her in a harsh voice, the priestess in the white robe shuddered.

Hah, this makes me feel like a bad guy.

“I’m baron Bjorn Jandel.”

“Oh…!”

As soon as I revealed my name, her face brightened.

She didn’t seem to doubt my identity.

She must have heard about me from Patzran.

“So calm down, Ersina. I’m not your enemy.”

“How… How do you know my name…”

How could I not?

We met once before.

It’s a hard memory to forget.

[Priestess Ersina, could you heal this person?]

[I refuse.]

When she refused to heal me, it felt like the world was collapsing.

Anyway, that’s not important now.

“We’ll talk about that later. Tell me, what happened in the forest?”

Understanding the situation is the priority.

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