Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 280

Whirlwind (6)

The Stormgush raised his spear high into the sky.

As soon as I saw it, this thought came to mind first.

‘No way, already?’

No matter how many holes we’ve made in him so far, sliced off half his arm in less than three seconds, and punctured his belly with an arrow.

Is his HP really at 40% already?

‘Ah…….’

I soon looked up and understood.

I didn’t know when she got there, but Amelia was hanging on his back, driving a dagger into his neck.

‘If she was going to do it, she should have stabbed him in the back of the head instead’

For a moment, I felt regret, but I didn’t think someone like Amelia would aim for the neck without a reason.

She probably stuck it there because he was dodging.

Instead I focused on something else.

‘A new skill, huh.’

A dark aura was emanating from the hole in his neck.

Wait, could it be that?

“Amelia Rainwales has cast [Power of the Abyss].”

Wasn’t it enough that she had the Aura and the essence of a Doppelganger? And now this? It’s a miracle I didn’t die while messing with her until now.

Anyway, I’ll think about this later.

“Don’t stop!”

I gave the command and approached the Stormgush again.

But was I asking too much of my comrades who were unaware of the situation?

Everyone was so stiff that they couldn’t focus on the battle.

I understood how they felt.

“Stormgush has cast [Storm Summoning].”

[Storm Summoning].

It absorbs the surrounding wind to recover MP, but if the surroundings are filled with rainwater due to [Rainmaking], it can also massively recover HP.

Yes, normally that would be the end of it, but….

On this wretched island, there’s an additional effect during raids.

“The water is rising like a wall!”

“It’s a tsunami…!!!”

The rising water, driven by the wind, came towards us like a tidal wave.

Shwooooooosh—!!

Like a rolling snowball, the waves formed a wall as they came towards us from afar.

“No, no!”

The sheer force of nature was so intimidating that someone closed their eyes involuntarily.

Hah, there’s no need to be scared of that at all.

Shwooooooosh—!

Finally, the violent waves engulfed us from all sides.

But….

“A sanctuary has been created somewhere on the island.”

There was no damage.

“Huh?”

“W-what on earth…”

I didn’t know the exact reason.

When playing the game, I thought it was just for the visual effect.

“Raven, light up the surroundings!”

The seawater above darkened the area, so we secured a light source first. This made our situation clearer.

It was an incredibly strange feeling.

It felt like being trapped inside a fishbowl.

But, given the urgency of the situation, sightseeing had to end here.

“Everyone, move! Now’s our chance!”

When I gave the order again, my comrades, who were stunned, quickly regained their composure and started moving.

The battle, now entering a new phase, became more urgent than ever.

Stormgush has cast [Dragon Vein]

Mr. Bear couldn’t dodge the air column rising from the ground and got hit.

Luckily, he managed to react somewhat, avoiding being blown out of the sanctuary.

“Urickfreit, sir…!”

“P-priestess, I-I can hold on… please, continue to assist Jandel…”

Mr. Bear became incapacitated.

With [Hungry Claws], his wounds would heal over time, but it would take several minutes.

[Woof-?!]

With Mr. Bear injured, Iron Bear, who had been holding the front line with his regenerative power, was soon unsummoned.

But the bad news didn’t stop there.

The [Whirlwind] that sprang from the hole created by [Dragon Vein] began to wreak havoc in the confined space.

“Absolutely do not get hit!!”

From now on, we had to consider [Whirlwind] as an instant death move.

In this situation, getting caught in it would mean being thrown into the sea.

Slash-!

Amelia slashed at the flailing arm with a dagger full of aura.

Thud.

The heavy arm, still holding the bone trident, fell to the ground.

Even without a weapon, he remained threatening.

[Groooooar!!]

The creature’s left arm swung back, slicing through Patzran’s belly and sending him flying.

Because of the restricting [Whirlwind], Patzran couldn’t dodge as usual.

‘It’s not a fatal wound.’

Although we lost a key member, I glanced at him coldly and moved my gaze. As long as he was alive, he could be revived with healing or potions, one of the few perks of this world…

Tap.

When the [Whirlwind] crossed our formation, I was forced to widen the gap.

At that moment, the archer Nebarce from Amelia’s team got hit.

Attempting to dodge the incoming [Whirlwind] with a skill, he fell right in front of the monster’s mouth.

‘Ah, that was a random blink….’

In the end, Nebarce couldn’t even let out a death cry before being devoured by the monster.

Crunch, crunch.

The first casualty of the battle.

While I felt grief, I had no sense of guilt.

Why use a useless skill like [Emergency Escape] here?

Anyway, as long as our side was intact—

“…Ugh!”

Then Misha got hit.

Slash-!

She dodged a downward strike to the side but lost an arm in the process.

“Misha!”

“D-don’t worry! I can fight with one arm!”

Fighting with one arm, she said.

She’s gotten really tough, following me around.

I couldn’t tell her to fall back.

There was no time for that.

I could only repay her by fighting with more intensity.

[Character has cast [Swing]

I used all the saved MP and swung the mace.

The target was that protruding snout.

Smack-!

The monster, clearly holding a grudge, twisted its body and swung its tail at me.

Boom-!

Even though I blocked with my shield, the impact penetrated my bones.

Did his physical stats increase due to [Rain Prayer]?

When I blocked earlier, it was manageable….

‘Damn it.’

My arm, still holding the shield, bent, beyond dislocation.

As I pressed my body against it, my ribs also ached.

A healing spell came just in time.

[Lairyn Ersina has cast [Heal]

A gentle, mysterious power that reconnected torn tendons and pieced shattered bones together like a puzzle.

This mystical force seemed to tell me.

‘Now that you’re healed, don’t rest, keep fighting to protect your comrades.’

“Bethel—raaaaaaah!”

A hard-fought battle,

A struggle that couldn’t be described with just those words, continued.

The monster was strong and tough, as a Tier 3 monster should be.

Thud.

Thud.

Its flesh was torn by the aura-infused attacks.

Its shell was pierced by dozens of arrows, draining its life force.

Cursed spells overlapped countless times, preventing regeneration and causing dark green fluids to ooze, while Misha’s sword wobbled in its eye.

[…….]

It continued to fight and fight, 

As if it were the embodiment of justice and we were the evil ones.

It moved tirelessly, and every time it moved, someone got hurt.

Most of the time, it was me.

Crack.

Its sharp claws tore through my shield and armor.

Thud!

Sometimes they pierced my flesh.

Now, even my divine power was running low, and heals weren’t coming in time.

But so what?

Did it think I would fall before it did?

I endured.

I swung my mace without rest, sometimes taking hits from [Whirlwind] to save my comrades.

I endured and endured.

After about a minute,

[Groooooar!!]

The creature roared and stared at me.

It seemed to ask why I hadn’t fallen yet.

So, you felt the same as me, huh?

Praise to you, even as a monster.

‘For the love of god, move to the next phase already, bastard!’

I poured all my frustration into my mace and swung it at its neck.

Thud!

It flinched momentarily but showed no signs of damage.

But then…

Thud.

At that moment, Amelia drove her dagger into its temple.

[Kyaaaargh!!!]

It screamed in pain.

And simultaneously,

Whooooooosh…!

A thick barrier of wind enveloped its body as if to protect it.

[Stormgush has cast [Priest of the Storm]

It was the ultimate survival skill used when its HP dropped to 10%.

It was a moment we had been waiting for so long.

“Raven!!!”

I called out to her who had been waiting, only using curse spells so far.

But the spell was already being cast.

Shwoooosh!

A bright magic circle appeared on the ground, scattering light.

Tap.

Not only did I step aside, but Misha and Amelia, the remaining front-liners, also moved far away.

Because we knew what was coming next.

“Fels Askar Bier.”

Of all the military spells Raven learned, it was the only one designed to kill a powerful individual rather than a large number of enemies.

‘…But its range is too wide for that.’

I swallowed nervously and watched.

[Arua Raven has cast Level 4 attack spell [Divine Punishment]

A thunderous noise came from the water-covered ceiling, as if the sky was falling.

And one second later,

Flash-!

The surroundings turned white.

It didn’t feel overwhelmingly bright.

The refracted white light, dimly glowing, enveloped us.

And then…

Boom-!

The awaited ‘Divine Punishment’ struck the monster’s head.

***

High physical resistance and magical resistance.

Strength and agility comparable to an ogre.

Because of these traits, it was called the ‘Ogre of the Sea,’ but Stormgush’s vitality was much lower than that of an ogre.

Also, its skill set was designed for short-term battles. Structurally, the longer the fight went on, the more disadvantaged the attacking side became.

So I aimed for a short-term battle.

I conserved resources and dealt only normal damage until its HP reached 70%.

From [Rain Prayer], rapidly increasing tempo to deal massive damage, and at 40% during [Storm Call], unleashing extreme damage.

At 10%, focusing fire to skip phases.

It was a rather standard strategy.

Except for the lack of counter-skills to neutralize some patterns, making the battle riskier.

And having exhausted most resources by the time HP reached 10%, leaving the finishing blow solely to the mage.

Yes, it was still a doable plan.

So, what would be the result?

Boom-!

I could see the result with my own eyes as the ‘Divine Punishmentin the form of a lightning bolt pierced through the seawater and struck the creature’s head.

‘We failed.’

It was a failure so devastating it couldn’t even be called a consolation.

Sssss.

The creature now had a steaming shell like a well-cooked lobster, but it was still alive and moving.

The whirlwind surrounding it for protection was also intact.

The cause was clear.

The timing wasn’t wrong, nor did we hit its invincible state.

‘We lacked damage.’

We simply lacked the finishing power from Raven.

By a significant margin.

‘I thought that spell would be barely enough.’

Maybe it was my fault for not considering the environment.

In a normal setting, it might have worked.

But the lightning must have lost some power as it passed through the seawater.

“He’s still alive! What should we do?”

What do you mean what should we do?

We move to Plan B now.

“Patzran! Get the boat ready!”

Patzran, clutching his slashed belly, responded.

“…Boat?”

Did I forget to tell them about Plan B?

No, I definitely did.

Maybe he forgot because of the chaotic situation?

I don’t like repeating myself, but I went over the key point of Plan B again.

“Run!”

If we stay here, we’re all dead.

****

「Spirit of the storm begins to dwell in Stormgush’s body.」

[Stormgush is temporarily immune to all damage.]

[10%]

[20%]

[3….]

[…]

***

Even though we had to resort to Plan B, there were positives.

No one died.

Although one archer from Noark met his fate today.

And while Misha lost an arm, Aynar was unconscious, and Mr. Bear was seriously injured.

Everyone survived.

Yeah, that’s good enough.

“Ah, the boat…!”

Patzran seemed to remember Plan B, hurriedly fumbling with his ring that held the boat in a subspace.

But he suddenly seemed doubtful.

“H-How are we going to use a boat in this situation… cough!”

He coughed up blood mid-sentence.

Raven voiced her doubts as well.

“Patzran is right. We’re surrounded by water. How will we even launch the boat?”

How?

“Don’t you remember? That boat is made of ‘Artenwood.’”

Artenwood is the finest shipbuilding material.

Not only is it incredibly strong, but it also has immense buoyancy. Even if you drop the boat straight into the water, it will float to the surface on its own.

“What are you doing, Patzran! Get the boat out now!”

Raven’s urgency pushed Patzran to summon the boat, even as he held his wounded belly.

The boat was big enough to comfortably fit ten people.

I put the unconscious Aynar and the injured Mr. Bear on the boat and tied them securely to the mast.

“What are you guys doing? Tie yourselves up! If you don’t, you might fall off!”

“Yes, sir!”

Those who could move tied themselves securely.

Misha, clutching her severed arm, approached me. She didn’t really need to hold it so tightly since I’d tied it up securely.

“Bjorn, I need to tell you something.”

Huh? A conversation?

“We can talk later.”

“But…”

“Why? Don’t you trust me?”

Misha hesitated but then shook her head slightly.

“I trust you.”

Okay, then we’re ready to set sail.

“…But how do we get there?”

Once everyone was on the boat, Raven looked at me, clearly anxious.

‘Oh, right.’

How do you launch a boat that’s on land?

I hadn’t thought about this part of the plan.

But….

‘If it wasn’t thought out, it’s probably because it didn’t need thinking.’

Yeah, that’s it.

Seeing my body moving naturally confirmed it.

“What are you doing? You’re not planning to lift the whole boat, are you?”

Knowing doesn’t mean you need to interfere.

“Raaaaaaah!!!”

With a scream, I lifted the boat with both arms and strode toward the water.

I wouldn’t be able to hold it for long.

“Hold your breath.”

I gave the last bit of advice as I threw the boat into the water.

“Go.”

As expected, the boat, made from highly buoyant wood, quickly rose to the surface.

With [Priest of the Storm] mode on, it shouldn’t be a problem once they’re up.

Unlike earlier, there shouldn’t be whirlpools now.

Even in the game, escape by boat wasn’t restricted at this stage.

‘…They’re gone.’

Once the boat disappeared from sight, I turned around.

There was one comrade left with me today… No, I should say comrade-in-arms? Amelia was looking at me with curious eyes.

“You truly care for your comrades.”

“They’re small and precious.”

“…I see.”

Now that I think about it, she tends to answer most things with ‘I see.’ It’s annoying because it’s hard to tell what she really means.

I decided to speak my mind.

“You surprised me. I didn’t expect you to agree to this role so readily.”

Our current mission was to be a decoy.

Once this creature finishes charging, it will start using indiscriminate wide-area attacks, which cannot be blocked with a shield.

Delicate mages, priests, and injured warriors wouldn’t last a few seconds.

So, at this stage, we retreat with Plan B.

But, unfortunately, we couldn’t all leave.

Someone had to stay behind to buy time, or the creature would chase us down with its tail.

We can’t beat it while on a boat.

“This role…”

Amelia smirked.

“It’s not something I’d normally do.”

She acknowledged that it was strange for her as well.

So why did she volunteer?

“Because I can’t live with a debt.”

Wow, she really did it for that reason.

I was genuinely impressed.

Saving her life once made her show such loyalty?

She’s definitely someone worth exploiting.

‘I should make sure to rack up more debts if I get the chance.’

“What’s that look in your eyes?”

“Oh, did you notice? I was just thinking highly of you for valuing promises.”

“…Nonsense.”

Amelia frowned, clearly displeased.

“Don’t look at me like that. If your escape plan didn’t seem reliable, I wouldn’t have stayed.”

“Yeah, I see.”

“Barbarian, what do you mean by ‘I see’?”

“Well… Oh, it looks like it’s starting.”

I shifted my gaze, and Amelia stopped chatting to face forward.

[90%]

The whirlwind surrounding the creature was gradually dissipating.

The final phase was about to begin.

Clench.

I tightened my grip on the mace.

Feeling a sense of foreboding, Amelia questioned my stance.

“Wait, weren’t we supposed to hold out and escape?”

I tilted my head at her confusion.

“…We are holding out?”

“…Then you should put away your mace and just hold the shield.”

Huh? What’s she talking about?

How does that make any sense?

I replied firmly.

“The mace is an excellent defensive tool!”

As I always say, the best defense is a good offense.

Especially against an enemy on the verge of death.

“So pick up your weapon! Don’t just dodge and stall!”

“…”

“Remember, Misha saved your life!”

“…I see.”

Slacking off isn’t an option.