Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 277

Whirlpool (3)

“Ah, no…!”

Those were the man’s last words.

Amelia didn’t even bother to listen as she stomped down, smashing his head like a dropped watermelon.

Splat.

It felt a bit anticlimactic.

Despite such a fierce struggle, it ended this way.

“Barbarian.”

Amelia’s attention soon shifted to me.

“You’re badly hurt.”

What nonsense.

“And you’re missing an arm.”

“Ran out of time.”

Why talk about time here?

Is this even a proper conversation?

Just as I began to wonder.

“I didn’t expect him to have this.”

Amelia, rummaging through the man’s corpse, pulled out a severed arm from a pocket dimension.

What? Why is that in there?

I couldn’t help but frown, but Amelia calmly brought the severed arm to her stump.

‘No way, that…’

“It will take a day for the nerves to reconnect.”

‘…It’s attaching?’

She just held it in place for about ten seconds and it stuck like glue. Given the perfect fit, it seemed to be her own arm.

‘Come to think of it, she said she can’t take potions.’

I recalled a conversation I had with Amelia before.

[…You don’t take potions?]

[I’m built that way.]

A brief exchange in the sewers.

‘She must have consumed the essence.’

[Origin of Immortality]

A passive skill that disables all healing effects, including potions, but greatly enhances natural regeneration. Even severe injuries like lost limbs would heal over time, making it a cost-effective skill.

“Bjorn! Are you alright? Why are you so injured again…!”

Ah, right. This isn’t the time for this.

I snapped back to reality, got up, and leaned on the ground. I was dying to know what happened to Misha, but…

That could wait.

“I’m fine. Just help me up.”

“Okay. Come here!”

With her support, I walked to where the rest of the group had gathered.

“Misha, I’m glad you’re safe. Mr. Jandel was really worried…”

“Sorry I’m late. Something happened. But who’s that lying in the middle…”

Misha checked the fallen man’s face and convulsed in shock.

“A-Abman?! Don’t tell me he’s d-dead…?”

“…”

Raven didn’t respond.

She just stared at the ground with a bitter expression.

As I removed my hand from her shoulder, Misha quickly moved to check Mr. Bear’s breathing.

“He’s not… breathing…”

Misha looked at me in shock before moving her hand to Mr. Bear’s heart.

And…

“There’s no pulse either. So that means…”

She couldn’t finish her sentence and lowered her head.

At that sight,

“…Yes.”

Raven spoke briefly, pressing her lips as if she were about to cry.

What a joke.

‘What do you mean, yes?’

Damn,  I’m going to die first at this rate.

“Why are you declaring someone dead when they’re alive?”

Dragging my injured body, I approached Mr. Bear and turned his wrist to show the bracelet he was wearing.

No. 7611 ‘Necromancer’s Deception’.

An item that puts the wearer in a state of suspended animation, immune to damage, when fatal damage is taken.

“Looks like it worked.”

Only one of the gems on the bracelet was glowing.

Did Raven not know about this item?

“What? What are you talking about…”

Too exhausted to explain in detail, I just uncorked a potion and poured it on Mr. Bear.

Sizzle.

The dried blood started bubbling, forming frothy bubbles.

Proof that Mr. Bear was still alive.

Potions have no effect on the dead.

“Ersina, what are you doing? Heal him.”

“O-Oh, yes! Right away!”

With the potion and the priestess’s healing spell, Mr. Bear’s wounds began to heal quickly.

Phew, this should be enough to consider him saved.

What a relief.

I made it in time before the item’s effect wore off.

It’s a relief that I made it in time before the item’s effect wore off.

If I hadn’t been able to stay conscious, they would have just cried beside him, thinking he was dead.

“Mister, you need to be treated too. Hurry…”

Erwin approached, urging me to get treatment.  But maybe because I was relieved to see Mr. Bear alive, the tension left my body.

“Ah.”

Right, I need treatment too.

“What?”

As I tried to move, the ground tilted.

Thud-!

That was my last memory of that day.

***

When I opened my eyes, it was dark.

Dense trees, a small patch of night sky visible through dark blue leaves.

Crackle, crackle, pop!

I heard the sound of a campfire.

For some reason, I wanted to stay like this a bit longer.

But…

‘First, I need to assess the situation.’

I forced myself to sit up.

From my shoulders to my calves, every part of my body ached.

Thanks to my pain tolerance, it was more of an uncomfortable sensation than real pain.

“Whew.”

I exhaled deeply.

Did my noise wake someone?

From the sleeping bag next to me, a fairy poked her head out, rubbing her eyes.

“…Mister! You’re awake!”

It was Erwin.

“Are you okay?”

“…For now.”

I replied, glancing around.

Several sleeping bags lay nearby, so it seemed everyone was asleep…

‘Seems like we’re camping.’

I noticed monsters blocked by a translucent barrier nearby.

The effect of [Declaration of Extinction].

Ah, of course, we had night watchers.

“You’re finally awake.”

Amelia Rainweilz.

I still didn’t know if she was a good or bad connection, but we had crossed paths many times.

“…What happened?”

“You were out for about a day. That’s all.”

I didn’t ask how long I’d been out.

“I meant why were you with Misha, why were you betrayed by your comrades, and any other information I should know.”

“I see.”

I explained in simple terms, so even a child could understand, and Amelia nodded in response.

“Ask your comrades about that.”

How prickly.

“Erwin, explain.”

I then turned to Erwin, and she began to recount the events.

“I’m not sure where to start… I’ll tell you what happened after you collapsed.”

Apparently, when I lost consciousness, my comrades were in chaos.

Because they couldn’t treat me.

Mr. Bear was in a state where he couldn’t be healed due to the Drake’s skill, and I was affected by the poison on the swordsman’s blade, making it difficult to cure.

[If we don’t do something, he’ll definitely die.]

[What? Use magic!]

[Detoxification magic is general-purpose, not specialized. It’s impossible.]

[Then, what about holy power?]

[The poison is so lethal it’s a miracle he moved at all. My current state won’t allow me to purge it with holy power.]

[Bjorn isn’t a warrior to die in a place like this!! Save him!!]

Magic detoxification was out of the question.

And the priestess was out of holy power, making healing impossible.

That’s when Amelia intervened.

[Use this. It should be an antidote.]

Amelia found an antidote among the items in the swordsman’s bag and handed it to them, which neutralized the poison.

“Luckily, the antidote worked, and then we could use potions to start healing your wounds.”

So, my health issues were taken care of for the moment.

But things didn’t get any less chaotic after that. Monsters kept swarming from all directions, and everyone was in terrible condition.

On top of that, they had to take care of me and Mr. Bear, who were both unconscious, making the situation even more difficult.

“Still, thanks to that lady’s help over there… we managed to hold out until the priestess could use [Declaration of Extinction] again.”

“And that’s now, right?”

“Huh? No, this is our third rest.”

Erwin said that the first time the barrier was deployed, the atmosphere was as tense as during the fight with the monsters.

This was because of the tension between Patzran and Amelia.

[We had to join forces out of necessity, but she’s a plunderer from Noark. She can’t be trusted. She attacked us in the first place.]

[W-What?! She’s from Noark…?!!]

[You mean you didn’t know and were traveling with her? You’re lucky to be alive.]

Patzran didn’t hide his hostility towards Amelia, and she didn’t shy away from it either.

She didn’t show hostility first, but…

[You talk too much. If you want to fight, bring it on.]

She didn’t avoid the conflict, adding fuel to the fire.

That’s when the atmosphere within the barrier became murderous.

[Stop it! I didn’t know she was from Noark… but she’s not a bad person!]

Misha defended Amelia.

[What will you do if she’s gone? Think rationally, Patzran. This woman was betrayed by her comrades too, right? She won’t attack us with just two left. If she wanted to, she would have done it already.]

Raven tried to mediate the conflict reasonably.

Of course, the parties involved didn’t listen.

[Are you saying we should forget all grudges because the situation has changed? She not only hurt Drowess, but also sent pursuers after us. If we hadn’t handled it properly, we’d be dead.]

[That’s a shame. If you had died then, I wouldn’t have to listen to your whining now.]

[What did you say? You plunderer bitch…!]

Patzran drew his backup sword, and Amelia also drew her dagger, ready to clash.

But…

[You made the right choice, Patzran.]

Patzran didn’t swing his sword in the end.

He wasn’t someone I knew deeply, but he wasn’t that stupid.

[I’ll keep an eye on you. Don’t even think about doing anything strange.]

After that, we had an uncomfortable rest.

When the barrier ended, we fought monsters again and rested during the [Declaration of Annihilation] cooldown.

Mr. Bear woke up during the second rest period.

[Haha… Don’t tell my wife about today. She’ll make me quit being an explorer.]

Mr. Bear  quickly regained his strength and rejoined the front lines.

And then…

“The monsters suddenly changed.”

During the third wave, while I was unconscious.

The mid-boss was a level 4 monster.

There were several close calls, like the priestess fainting after being hit by the boss, but Amelia played a key role as the main damage dealer and helped us win.

“What about the essence?”

“It didn’t drop.”

Phew, of course not.

So, only the final boss remains?

I hope it drops the essence.

‘No, I should worry about whether we can even defeat it first.’

As my thoughts raced, I listened to Erwin’s story further.

It wasn’t much in the end.

A long story about fighting, resting, and the tension between Patzran and Amelia.

“Anyway, that’s how we got to this point.”

“Yes, did that clear up your questions?”

To some extent.

“Thanks. You must be tired, so get some rest.”

“…No, I’ll stay with you.”

There’s no need for that, but…

It’d be silly for me to argue here.

“But what about waking up your sister?”

“Misha? No need. I know she’s alive and well. Let her sleep.”

The fact that we’re having this conversation without anyone waking up speaks volumes.

They must be exhausted from the intense battles.

We can talk later.

So, it’s time to hear from the other side.

“Long time no see, Amelia.”

I got out of the sleeping bag and sat by the campfire.

Then I thanked her.

“Thanks for… I mean, for yesterday. For helping.”

“Not very barbarian-like to beat around the bush. If you have questions, ask them directly.”

Even barbarians do this much…

Whatever.

Straight to the point is always welcome.

“What happened with Misha?”

“Didn’t you hear from the fairy?”

“I’d rather hear it from you.”

“…Tch.”

Amelia clicked her tongue, annoyed, but surprisingly, she explained without much fuss.

She was betrayed by Carmilla and Belverson .

While fleeing, she met Misha, who helped her.

I was genuinely surprised here.

“What? The [Divine Proclamation] scroll? You had such a rare item?”

Holy scrolls are priceless treasures since their crafting methods were lost long ago.

Where did she get such a thing…?

‘Ah, she must have looted it.’

“Ahem, sorry to interrupt. Please continue.”

“You’re looking at me strangely.”

“It’s just your imagination.”

Anyway, thanks to the Divine Proclamation scroll, Amelia and Misha could survive the monster wave safely.

Then, as their bodies healed, they were able to move.

“But how did the two of you get through so many monsters to here?”

“…There’s an essence that prevents monsters from attacking first.”

Ah, so she consumed that essence?

But why would she use it?

Even a single priest would solve that issue…

‘Ah, there are no priests in Noark.’

And she’s a plunderer.

That essence is extremely useful for solo exploration in the labyrinth.

“So, is that all you’re curious about?”

“No, there’s more.”

“Go on.”

“What caused this island to end up like this?”

Who triggered the event on this island?

I subtly rephrased the question, and Amelia gave me the answer.

“Carmilla and Belverson messed with Gavrilius’s arrangements. When I escaped, they thought they had to trap and kill me here at all costs.”

I see. So that’s what happened.

Maybe one of those two was a player.

Gavrilius’s arrangements refer to hidden pieces.

But few players seemed to know about the hidden piece on this island.

“Did you hear this directly from that summoner woman?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to her?”

“I don’t forgive traitors.”

So, she’s dead.

‘Damn, why did she kill her after capturing her?’

I sighed in frustration.

She was a rare explorer who handled flying summons.

If we had used her, we could have escaped this island quickly.

‘Oh well, what’s done is done.’

Instead of blaming Amelia and straining our relationship, I focused on something else.

“Anyway, did you find what you were looking for?”

“……”

Amelia clammed up.

She seemed unsure whether to tell me.

I spoke in a casual tone.

“Come on, what’s there to hide between us now?”

“Us?”

“I saved your life, didn’t I?”

“What are you talking about…?”

“If I didn’t know you, do you think Misha would have saved you?”

“……”

Amelia seemed to agree, not refuting my words.

She clicked her tongue and answered.

“I retrieved it. Despite saying it was hidden, it was right in her pocket dimension.”

“Figured as much. Guys like them wouldn’t let a treasure out of their sight.”

“So, are we done with questions?”

Not quite.

“One last thing.”

I asked my final question.

“What exactly is that item? From what I’ve heard, it holds enough power to change history—”

“Stop.”

Amelia cut me off sharply.

And frowned.

Seems like this was a sensitive issue.

“If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. I was just curious.”

I hurriedly clarified, not wanting to overstep any boundaries as I saw Amelia’s stern expression.

But maybe I misunderstood something.

“Monster.”

Amelia looked up at the sky and spoke suddenly.

…A monster?

Swoosh!

A strong wind blew from all directions, rustling the branches.

Now I understood.

I wanted to rest a bit longer, but…

“There’s at least a level 4 monster nearby. Wake your companions.”

So, the final wave has begun.