Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 269

July 11, 2024 • 12 min read • 941 views

Farune  Island (3)

A woman stared coldly at a particular spot.

At the end of her gaze lay a man’s corpse.

Guardweaver Drowes.

The trash who tried to escape the consequences of his actions under a new name, living a second life.

Yes, he definitely was.

“Sister, why do you look like that?”

Amelia unconsciously bit her lip.

She didn’t feel as relieved as she thought she would.

“Are you upset because his comrades escaped? Hey, don’t worry too much. The other two went to find them, didn’t they? They’ll catch them soon.”

Even her immature companion, who had been grumbling the entire journey, had taken notice of her, but Amelia couldn’t care less.

[It’s my responsibility. You guys don’t need to get involved. So, go quickly!]

The image of him sacrificing himself for his companions lingered in her mind.

At first, it was absurd.

What on earth was this guy talking about?

When did he betray them, and now he’s doing this?

For people who have no idea who he is?

Grit.

Her teeth ground together involuntarily.

If he could do such a thing, why didn’t he do it for them?

“Still, we retrieved the item, right? Even if they escape alive, our mission is a success.”

Only then did Amelia shift her gaze to the jewel in her hand.

The legacy of the Great Sage Gavrilius, a treasure kept by the lords of Noark for a long time.

Even so, this didn’t feel right.

More precisely, the words he said while she was taking this item from him kept resurfacing.

[Amelia, this won’t change anything.]

For him to say such a thing, even knowing what that item meant to her…

“…..”

Amelia used the poison in her possession to dissolve the man’s body. She then placed the jewel in her hand into the subspace.

After all, all the high-ranking members of Noark had left for the outside world, and communication with them was practically impossible.

She would have to keep it for a while.

She planned to find a way to use this jewel later when she returned, without rushing into action.

‘Finally, I have it.’

Despite everything, her long-cherished wish was within reach. With that thought, Amelia shook off her uneasy feelings.

At that moment…

“But sister.”

Carmilla, the team’s summoner and their transport on the sixth floor, approached her.

Her eyes were filled with curiosity.

“Is this the real thing?”

Amelia could understand her feelings.

This item was legendary even in Noark, sometimes considered more mythical than the Stone of Resurrection.

Hence, Amelia didn’t have any room for doubt.

“I don’t know.”

Of course, she did know.

That the stories about this item were not just made up, and that the item she just put into her subspace was the genuine one.

But isn’t there also a saying, ‘seeing is desiring’?

Creating variables by sharing such information would be foolish.

“Oh, come on. You knew that guy well, didn’t you? You’d know if it’s real or not.”

“As I said, I don’t know. And whether it’s real or not isn’t our concern. Our mission was to retrieve what he had and return.”

Amelia drew the line again. Just as she was about to turn her back…

“Wow, judging by your reaction, it must be real.”

Carmilla smirked.

“Wow, I can’t believe this actually exists.”

It could have sounded like a naive joke.

However, Amelia, who had seen all kinds of unseemly things, instinctively reached for her dagger.

That moment…

Stab-!

A burning sensation spread from her back.

“I’m sorry, Miss Rainweilz.”

It was a mistake to only watch Carmilla.

When she came to her senses, a warrior’s sword had pierced her stomach.

But so what?

Amelia quickly assessed her mistake.

“Good job, old man!”

The blade had gone in below her ribs.

“When will you start calling me brother?”

Though her organs were damaged, it wasn’t a fatal wound.

Therefore…

“Whatever, we’re only half related… ugh!”

She pulled out her dagger and thrust it forward.

Her target was Carmilla.

The woman she had often wanted to kill.

Whoosh-!

Unfortunately, it fell a bit short.

But it didn’t matter much. She had learned some grappling techniques from fighting Barbarians before.

Swoosh!

The moment she infused her dagger with aura, the gap closed.

Squelch-!

“Ahh!!”

The dagger’s tip pierced Carmilla’s eye.

“Pity.”

If it had gone a bit deeper, it could have reached her brain.

Whoosh-!

Before she could regret it, the sword in her stomach was pulled out.

The recoil made her stagger.

But there was no time to rest.

“Damn it!”

The warrior’s sword swung immediately towards a vital point.

Knowing it would be difficult to avoid, Amelia extended her arm.

An arm isn’t a vital point, after all.

Slice-!

The sharp sword cut through her forearm.

She saved her life, but suffered a significant loss in combat capability.

Even this wasn’t a huge problem.

That wasn’t too much of a problem this time either.

If her main body was damaged, she could simply use her duplicate to fight.

Tap.

Amelia used the Doppelganger’s [Self-Replication] to create a clone right behind the warrior.

She immediately swung her foot towards his head.

Most enemies couldn’t even react to this combination.

“Behind, behind you!”

The explosion sound that followed was from the clone’s foot hitting the warrior.

Boom-!

But it wasn’t the head she had targeted.

“Ugh!”

The foot landed on the warrior’s shoulder.

He had twisted his body to the side in response to the warning.

Squelch-!

As a result of her failed attack, the warrior’s sword slashed her abdomen again.

But the clone’s interference forced the warrior to pull back quickly, preventing a deep wound…

‘At this rate, I might die.’

Dangerous.

The thought dominated Amelia’s mind.

“What are you doing? Grab the arm quickly!”

The warrior rolled on the ground, picking up her severed arm.

It was the arm that had the spatial bracelet on it.

Feeling a sense of defeat, Amelia quickly chased after the warrior using her clone.

But…

“Dragon, let’s go!”

She was three steps short.

[Roar-!]

The warrior mounted the drake that Carmilla had summoned.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

In an instant, the drake ascended into the sky. She could hear their conversation through the noise of the beating wings.

“…Amelia Rainweilz. Truly a terrifying woman. To be that dangerous even in such a state.”

“Enough, give me a potion first!”

“Let’s talk first. What are we going to do now? We didn’t kill her properly.”

“Ah, who cares! She’ll die anyway…”

The drake had completely disappeared into the sky.

“Damn it.”

For the first time in a long while, Amelia cursed out loud.

But cursing wouldn’t change anything.

The only way to save herself from this desperate situation was to act.

Thud.

Using her intact clone, Amelia lifted her main body.

And she quickly moved away.

Her judgment was that if they came back down to finish her off, it would truly be the end.

Thud, thud.

Amelia kept moving, not knowing exactly where she was headed.

She walked for what felt like an eternity.

Even after her soul power was depleted and the [Self-Replication] was deactivated, she forced herself to get up and continue walking.

Tap.

She froze at the sound of footsteps beside her.

If it was her companions coming to find her, she would live. If it was the enemy, she would die.

But…

“…Aynar? Is that you, Aiynar?”

To her surprise, Amelia’s expectations were wrong.

“You.”

“Huh, uh?”

“You’re one of Bjorn Jandel’s comrades.”

Raising her head to check her side.

There was a cat sitting there.

***

“Ugh, what is this now!”

Misha was confused.

Of course, anyone would be if a woman with a severed arm and a hole in her stomach suddenly appeared and collapsed in front of her.

‘Is she one of those explorers they were fighting?’

“Potion. Yes, a potion first…”

Though the woman was a stranger, Misha quickly opened her water-soaked expandable backpack and took out a potion.

Whether this woman was on the good side or the bad side… Or if there even was a good side in this mess, she had no information. But…

[You’re one of Bjorn Jandel’s comrades.]

The words the woman had spoken just before collapsing erased any hesitation.

Yeah, she might know Bjorn. First, treat her wounds.

Pop-!

Misha opened the potion and poured it on the woman’s wound. But then, what was this?

Drip, drip, drip.

The potion didn’t produce the usual bubbling sound; it just flowed through the wound like cold water.

“Hey? I bought this from an official store!”

Misha couldn’t understand it. Remembering an incident with fake potions in the early days, she took out another potion from her bag.

But the result was the same.

‘Why isn’t this working?’

Was this one a fake too?

Misha experimented by pouring a bit of potion on the scratches she got from falling into the water.

Sizzle-!

The intense itching confirmed that the potion was fine.

But why wasn’t it working on this woman?

Though she couldn’t understand, Misha didn’t give up.

She had learned from Bjorn that Barbarians would chew with their gums if they had no teeth.

‘It’s been a long time since I used this…’

Misha took out herbs and bandages. Emergency supplies she had saved for a situation where potions couldn’t be used.

“This might sting a bit… Ah, you can’t hear me anyway.”

First, Misha cleaned the wound with disinfectant, applied the herbs, and wrapped it with bandages. She then laid a blanket on the ground and placed the woman on it.

That concluded the temporary measures.

After laying her on the blanket, Misha had done all she could for now. The rest was up to the woman’s will.

“…At least she’s breathing well.”

Watching her stable breathing, Misha squatted down beside the blanket and let out a deep sigh.

“Ugh, I can’t just leave her here…”

If she had just fainted, Misha could have carried her, but her condition was too severe for that.

“Bjorn will be waiting…”

Misha’s face contorted with worry. She couldn’t just leave this woman behind, despite the urgent situation.

About ten minutes later, a disturbing creaking sound made Misha turn her head.

“What is it now…”

Monsters were crawling out from the coastline.

***

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh follows regularly.

It’s coming from my hands.

I can’t seem to keep my body still.

‘Two hours.’

That much time had passed since I arrived at the center. Even if I got here quickly, at least one of my comrades should have arrived by now.

‘Why isn’t anyone coming?’

Even though I tried to stay optimistic, ominous thoughts kept filling my mind.

Misha, Raven, Mr. Bear, Aynar, and Erwin… are they really okay?

If I had known, I would have checked the coastline instead of staying at the center…

“Are you planning to stay here indefinitely?”

The priestess asked cautiously, noticing my anxiety.

She seemed like a damned cultist to me.

Weren’t you the one who told me to have faith?

“Aren’t you a priestess? Why are you so quick to give up?”

I grumbled, but inside, I understood.

Given her job, her reaction wasn’t unusual.

Creak, creak, creak!

As evidence, sea monsters, which usually appeared only during events, had started showing up even here.

They had walked all the way here with a gait slower than half a normal human’s walking speed.

‘Soon, stronger ones will fill this place. The coast is probably already full of them.’

Despite this, no one had arrived.

“Ersina.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“We’re moving. Waiting around isn’t my style.”

“I see you still have faith.”

What the hell.

She said having faith is the only thing we could do, and now this?

“If you were born a human, you might have become a great religious leader, Jandel.”

As a proud atheist of modern times, her comment felt odd, but since it sounded more like admiration than sarcasm, I didn’t argue.

“Stop with the nonsense and get up.”

“Yes.”

I helped the priestess to her feet and got ready to leave. Just as we were about to set off…

Footsteps.

After nearly two hours, a visitor finally arrived.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of our team members.

The figure was tall and lanky, covered in minor injuries from a recent battle. A longbow was slung over his shoulder, and his green hair was caked with dirt.

“…Jandel.”

It wasn’t hard to tell whether he was friend or foe.

He looked at us and asked,

“What did you do to Lady Rainweilz?”

What a coincidence.

I had a question for him too.

Ignoring the ringing in my ears, I asked,

“Hey, why do you have Raven’s spatial ring?”

You’d better answer well. Or you’re really going to die.

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