Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 276

Whirlpool (2)

The boundary between life and death.

Sometimes it is drawn slowly, other times in an instant.

For explorers, it’s usually the latter.

Most injuries can be healed with potions or divine power. Unless it’s a fatal wound or the team is annihilated, survival is typically possible.

But there are exceptions.

“Please, wake up.”

There are times when potions or divine power are ineffective.

Leor Wuerv Dwalki, the half-penny mage of the team, left a will for the remaining members as he approached his certain death, and Misha and her companions felt a deep sense of loss.

Of course, the current situation was markedly different.

“Hey, unknown woman, please…”

This wasn’t a dear comrade like Dwalki; she was just a stranger. Moreover, her death wasn’t certain. There was a chance she could overcome this crisis and survive.

At the crossroads of life and death, where she would go depended entirely on this red-haired woman and Misha.

“Ah, please wake up!!”

Misha, expressing her frustration, swung her sword violently. At the end of her blade were monsters emerging from the sea.

Slash-!

Despite cutting, stabbing, and slashing repeatedly, the enemies kept coming.

Misha was reaching her limit.

If she didn’t get out of there immediately, she might never reunite with Bjorn.

However, it was impossible to carry the woman and move.

Though her injuries had healed somewhat and her breathing had stabilized…

Slash-!

How could she carry this woman and move in a situation surrounded by monsters?

At the very least, the woman needed to regain consciousness and be able to walk, even slowly, to open a path.

“Seriously, I can’t hold on much longer…!”

Hoping her urgency would reach the unconscious woman, Misha shouted again.

At that moment,

“You…”

The woman, who had been lying still like a corpse, opened her eyes.

“You’re awake! How do you feel? Can you move?”

Misha asked eagerly, but the woman only mumbled as if processing the situation.

“So, you’ve been protecting me all this time…”

“Yes! But I can’t hold on any longer, okay? We need to get to a safe place. Can you do it?”

After a brief pause, the woman replied,

“I can’t move.”

“What?”

“But I can handle these monsters. Take the item from my pocket.”

The woman’s voice was so calm it was hard to believe she was on the brink of death.

Misha stopped fending off the monsters and quickly opened the expandable pouch on the woman’s belt.

She retrieved the item the woman mentioned.

“A scroll? What kind of scroll is this?”

“Divine Proclamation.”

Misha was genuinely surprised.

Not just any magic scroll, but one imbued with divine power? How did this woman obtain such a rare item?

Despite her many questions, it didn’t matter now.

“If you had this, you should have mentioned it before passing out…!”

Misha hastily tore the scroll, and a translucent barrier imbued with divine energy instantly blocked the monsters.

Finally, a moment of much-needed respite.

“Ah, finally some relief. Hey, what’s your relationship with Bjorn?”

Misha quickly approached the woman to ask what she had been curious about.

However…

“I am… with that barbarian…”

“Yes, with the barbarian?”

“…”

“Hey, you’re not falling asleep, are you? Please finish your sentence…!!”

Misha shook the woman’s shoulder but then remembered her condition and stopped.

With a sigh, she sat down on the ground.

As her body began to recover, worries about her separated companions resurfaced.

“…I hope everyone is okay.”

A fierce wind blew from the sea.

It was sticky with moisture and carried a salty chill.

Whoosh—.

For some reason, she felt unusually uneasy today.

****

Combat often involves exchanging blows with the intent to kill.

In such battles, injuries are common.

Even if no one is at fault or makes a mistake, it still happens.

That’s why explorers easily fall into superstitions.

They know that injuries in battle are inevitable and that sometimes the severity of those injuries is a matter of ‘luck.’

“Mr. Jandel, Urickfreit is…!”

What happened to Mr. Bear today was similar.

The drake’s claw broke Patzran’s sword as he fought on the front lines.

The broken blade flew and lodged in his body.

It wasn’t his fault.

If he had been more agile, he could have seen it and dodged, but generally, such things are not considered mistakes.

It was bad luck.

“Blood…! The blood won’t stop…!”

Some survive falls from ten floors by a series of coincidences, while others die from merely slipping.

[Dungeon and Stone] faithfully followed such absurd realities,  and I found that aspect highly appealing.

Until I woke up in this body.

“Priestess! Quickly, heal him…!”

The problem was the location of the blade’s entry.

It missed the heart but pierced the lung, causing massive bleeding.

[Priestess Lairyn Ersina casts [Healing].”

The priestess used the last of her divine power for healing, but it was futile.

[Target is designated as [Sacrifice of the Dragon]

[All regeneration effects are nullified]

A level 5 monster drake’s active skill.

That damn summoner applied it as soon as she saw Mr. Bear’s injury.

“Where are you looking, barbarian?”

Damn it.

Boom-!

I want to rush to check on Mr. Bear, but there’s no time.

And it’s the same for everyone else.

“I’ll watch over Abman, so focus on the fight!”

Realizing they couldn’t do anything for Mr. Bear, they left him with Erwin and re-engaged in the battle.

However, the situation was dire.

“…”

The absence of mage Hans J alone was critical, and Patzran, trying to fill the gap, lost his weapon.

Meanwhile, the broken blade fragment pierced Mr. Bear, further reducing our fighting strength.

“Your name is Nebarce, right?”

“Indeed…”

“Here, take this bow. Fight with us.”

“Are you sure…?”

“You don’t want to die here either, do you?”

Erwin’s bold move of arming Nebarce didn’t change the situation much.

“Let’s go, Dragon! Just a little more effort!”

A level 5 monster Drake, supported by a summoner enhancing it and providing ranged support.

This battle was as difficult as fighting a level 4, and our condition was abysmal.

Erwin was out of MP and soul energy, and the priestess’s divine power was being used up as fast as it replenished.

Patzran, who was holding the front line, had lost his sword.

Adding one more archer wouldn’t drastically change the battle.

‘Hoping for help from that side seems unrealistic now.’

Bitter as it was, I had to accept the situation.

The situation had changed.

We needed a new strategy.

Originally, the plan was to proceed cautiously, checking each opponent’s moves and drawing out the battle.

‘There’s no time.’

Mr. Bear won’t last long.

We need to finish the battle quickly to nullify the Drake’s skill.

To do so…

‘I must sacrifice something.’

Determination was required.

What to abandon, what to gain.

I had calculated everything.

What about the opponent?

“When your comrade is in trouble, you get desperate, barbarian!”

That guy, arrogantly smiling as if he had already won, what would he sacrifice to stop me?

‘I’ll soon find out.’

I charged with a roar.

“Bethel—raaaaaa!!!”

There was no surge of vitality as usual. I had no MP to use [Wild Burst].

But the ancestor’s blessing would be with me.

Our ancestor spirits cherish warriors who charge forward with wild vigor.

Or maybe not.

Whoosh-!

As the distance closed rapidly, he thrust his sword.

It happened multiple times in this battle.

He thrusts, I block with my shield.

That alone exhausts my turn, and he stabs my arm or thigh, then creates distance.

That was the pattern until now.

But…

‘No, I won’t block it.’

Instead of raising my shield, I swung my mace at the approaching sword.

Now it was his turn to make a choice.

So, what will you do?

“…!”

Taken aback by the sudden change in the battle dynamics, he quickly withdrew his sword and stepped back.

Come on, let’s trade blows like men.

‘Just as I thought.’

Anticipating this move, I immediately pushed off the ground and changed direction.

Toward where the summoner and the Drake were.

‘Leap.’

Using the one bit of MP I had recovered, I [Leaped].

Boom-!

Dust clouds spread from my landing spot.

Since I wasn’t in [Gigantification] mode, there was no special terrain effect ‘Recoil.’

That wasn’t important.

[Gruk?]

Seeing me appear from beyond the forest, the Drake opened its mouth.

Your breath stinks, you brat.

Wham-!

I swung my mace at its snout the moment our eyes met.

[Screech-!]

Its head turned sharply, but for a medium-large monster, it wasn’t a significant blow.

But that didn’t matter.

My target was the woman riding on top, glaring in annoyance.

“Seriously! You can’t even stop one guy!!”

I sprang up again, using the ground like a springboard.

And at that moment.

Thunk.

A sword stabbed into my back.

No doubt it was the same guy from earlier.

Did he close the distance that quickly?

“Why now!!”

The summoner whined as she watched me pierced.

I only had one question.

“Why.”

Why do you think I can’t move?

It’s not like there’s a hole in my neck.

Step.

I took a step forward, the sword still embedded in me.

And at the same time.

Wham-!

I brought down my mace from above.

Aiming at the summoner’s head, who had been whining the whole time.

Thunk-!

The sword was pulled out from my back, causing my body to flinch, but my arm didn’t stop.

In that instant.

Slash.

He stabbed me again with the retrieved sword.

Thunk-!

This time, it pierced my elbow holding the mace.

Not only my skin but also my joint shattered, and my grip loosened.

Damn, you’re experienced in fighting people, aren’t you?

Well, so am I.

‘Exploding Flesh.’

I gave up my unusable arm without hesitation.

Boom-!

He may have recognized the acidic fluid during the fight, but he didn’t expect my body to explode.

Sizzle-!

“Aaaah!!”

The guy, covered in my blood and flesh, groaned and retreated.

That’s why the essence of a corpse golem is valuable.

It’s a rare essence, so few people know about it.

Using life force instead of MP is quite handy in times like this.

Thud.

The mace I was holding fell and rolled on the ground.

No matter, the shield is also a fine weapon.

Wham-!

The summoner screamed as she was struck by my shield, falling from her mount and rolling on the ground.

Her arm bent at an odd angle.

A bit disappointing.

If it had hit her head, she could have died instantly.

Unfortunately, the Drake’s struggle prevented me from smashing her tiny head.

‘…I’ll just do it again.’

Following the example of barbarians who get up eight times after falling seven, I jumped off the Drake’s back.

But then something unexpected happened.

Whoosh-!

My falling body suddenly soared upward.

The Drake had grabbed me by the scruff and flung me.

The summoner’s body quickly disappeared from my view, but it wasn’t entirely bad.

Thunk-!

Taking advantage of the Drake’s large movements, Patzran drove his broken sword into its chest.

[Kiieee!!]

Did he hit the heart?

The Drake thrashed violently before disappearing into light.

It had finally been unsummoned.

The status ailment should be lifted now, so Mr. Bear could be healed with divine power.

The first of my desires was achieved.

Boom-!

I hurriedly got up after hitting the ground.

In that instant.

Shing-!

A sharp sword was pointed at my neck.

“You monster.”

No matter what compliments he threw at me,  I had no strength to block or dodge the sword

But for the first time in a while, there was a bit of good luck amidst the misfortune.

He couldn’t kill me right now.

“Everyone stop! If you don’t want to see this guy die!”

He shouted to my comrades, who then pointed their weapons at the unconscious summoner’s neck.

“You too, drop your sword if you don’t want her to die.”

It was like a hostage exchange.

Just as a strange silence settled over us.

Footsteps echoed.

Two women emerged from the forest.

“B-Bjorn…?! What’s going on here!!”

One was the Misha I had been searching for.

“You seem to be in quite a predicament, barbarian.”

The other was Amelia Rainweilz.

Why were the two together?

What had happened?

Questions flooded my mind, but I focused on one thing.

Was their appearance a positive factor or not?

“Amelia Rainweilz, you’re alive after all.”

The man holding a sword to my neck addressed Amelia.

“This is good. Now help us.”

“For you to say that after what you’ve done, there must be a reason.”

“Of course. We’ve hidden the item somewhere on this island. If we die, it will be lost forever. Do you really want that?”

Amelia frowned at his words.

Having met her several times, I knew immediately.

‘Damn it.’

That was her thinking face.

Our fate would likely be decided by her choice. I stared at Amelia with a body that couldn’t even utter a sound.

“Belverson Erfnor. Do you know the two ways to make someone angry?”

“…What?”

The swordsman’s confused response was met with Amelia continuing.

“First, is to stop speaking halfway through a sentence. Unfortunately, you won’t hear the second way. But let me guess…”

“…Guess?”

The curious swordsman took the bait.

I, too, was intrigued.

Did she know the answer?

“…”

In the peculiar silence, Amelia continued without a blink.

“It’s…”

“…”

“To strike them in the back of the head while speaking.”

Ah.

Tap.

At Amelia’s words, a presence was felt behind.

It was obvious.

「Amelia Rainweilz casts [Self-Replication].」

The swordsman realized too late and pushed me aside, turning around.

But…

「Amelia Rainweilz casts [Surak’s Blade].」

It was already too late.

Boom-!!

Amelia’s clone struck the swordsman’s temple from behind.

Thud.

With unfocused eyes, the swordsman fell to the ground, muttering.

“Damn… You, that item…”

“Yes, I’ve always wanted it.”

“Then why…”

Amelia, who had approached, stepped on his head and said,

“It doesn’t matter if it’s hidden. I’ll find out from your sister. She won’t withstand interrogation.”

Truly a reasonable woman.