Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 352

Dark Continent (3)

Raven’s harassment finally ended when we reached our destination after two weeks of sailing.

A vast plain unfolded before us.

Dark, purplish barrier stretched along the ground, as if forbidding entry.

And there, just ahead, stood the portal.

“Waaaaah!”

“We made it!”

As the long-awaited sight unfolded beyond the horizon, the explorers gathered on deck erupted in cheers.

Well, the voyage had been pretty tedious.

When I wasn’t seasick, I spent my time exploring islands, which kept me pleasantly distracted.

“It’s Rihen Schuits.”

As soon as Erwin stood beside me, I reminded her once more. She hung her head low, clearly aware of her earlier mistake.

At least she’s not going to make any more mistakes now, right?

“So, why did you come over? It’ll be a while before we can enter the portal.”

“I just… wanted to be with you.”

At first, I felt an immense burden from such direct words, but I’ve gotten used to it by now.

Or rather, I’ve learned to deal with it.

“…But what’s that ship? I don’t think I saw it when we departed.”

I pointed with my finger to a certain spot.

The portal we arrived at was already crowded with ships, and among them were quite a few vessels different from the sailing ship we came on.

“Oh, that? Those are fast boats. They usually gather only the people who reach the sixth floor the fastest and send them ahead.”

“To prevent those Noark bastards from coming down?”

“Yes, that’s been happening more often lately. Judging by the lack of battle scars on the ships, it seems there weren’t any such attempts this time… But not long ago, more than half of the fast boats were completely destroyed; they say it was intense.”

I see.

Well, if they got here first, then they probably took care of the Gatekeeper monster too.

They probably didn’t get the essence, right?

As I was thinking such thoughts and looking around, I felt the gazes of the surrounding explorers.

It was a change that occurred as the voyage dragged on.

“Isn’t that the Blood Spirit..”

“But who’s that man next to her?”

“Don’t know. I asked someone from the Mage Corps, and they said it’s his first mission. He retired a few years ago but recently returned.”

“Hm, to be accompanying one of the Seven Pillars…There must be more to him than meets the eye.”

Thanks to Erwin’s fame, Amelia and I were now getting looks everywhere we went.

Most of those looks were 99% curiosity.

Although nameless newcomers appear in every war, since we were hanging out with the Blood Spirit Queen from the start, they were curious about our identity and skills.

Oh, by the way, the remaining 1% was hostility.

“Schuits.”

“Ah, you mean Raven.”

“She’s staring again.”

Even as she talked with the others in the corps, preparing for deployment, Raven’s eyes remained glued to us.

“Sh-should I just… take care of her later if I get the chance?”

What the—?

I flicked Erwin on the forehead in response to her absurd suggestion, and she looked up at me with a wounded expression.

“But what if she finds out? It makes me nervous.”

Honestly, I had thought about this.

Not about whether to kill her, of course, but whether to reveal my identity and ask for her cooperation.

However…

‘It just seems like it would create unnecessary complications.’

First of all, convincing her that I’m not an evil spirit is one thing, and even if I manage to convince her, there’s no guarantee she’ll keep my secret and cooperate.

Raven is indeed affectionate, but that doesn’t mean she can’t distinguish between public and private matters.

‘Even if she keeps it secret, given that she’s now affiliated with the royal family, it could cause trouble for her later.’

In the end, I decided it would be best to handle everything on my own before revealing anything.

But…

“If I get caught, I have no choice but to tell her everything then.”

If things go south before I can finish, I’ll have no choice but to ask for her cooperation—

“Ugh, there will be one more person”

Was that what had been bothering her all this time?

***

Poooooooooooooo-!

The moment the ship at the very front sounded its horn, our ship also erupted into activity.

“Everyone, to your positions!”

The short wait was over, and it was time to enter the battlefield.

At the command of the royal family’s officer, the explorers on deck moved to their assigned posts.

Oh, by the way, we didn’t need to move.

Our assigned waiting spot was right here on the deck.

“Miste… I mean, Rihen, I’ll tie you up!”

“Huh?”

“I’m good at this kind of thing!”

Soon, we secured ourselves to the ship with ropes.

A precaution in case we fell off the ship.

Once everything was ready, the horn sounded again from the front, and the ship began to move.

“This is making me a bit nervous…”

“Don’t worry. I will definitely protect you, Rihen…”

Wait, isn’t that my line as the tank?

Even as I thought that, I didn’t bother to continue the small talk.

“Flagship has entered!”

As the lead ships passed through the portal, and we drew closer, I could feel the tension rising.

Well, we’re heading into a battlefield right now.

Not only me, but the other explorers also looked tense and solemn, unlike earlier.

Whew, seeing everyone like this reminds me of the events on the first floor; feels like I’m getting PTSD.

“Main force, enter!”

It was time for me to put away my casual attitude.

Moreover, there are explorers more dangerous than monsters swarming there.

Even if we’re heading there to obtain something.

There are plenty of chances we might return after losing something.

“Erwin, and Emily.”

“Yes.”

“Stick close to me.”

Grabbing the railing with one hand and my newly purchased shield with the other, I spoke firmly.

“Don’t leave my side.”

Flash—!

With that, our ship plunged into the portal.

***

Boom—!

The massive ship briefly soared into the air like it had been thrown by a giant, before crashing back into the water, spraying waves everywhere.

It was an incredible experience, but there was no time to be distracted.

This wasn’t the peaceful ocean beneath a blue sky.

「You have entered the 7th Floor: The Dark Continent.」

The ocean was black, as if coated in oil.

Even though we were just at the edge of the continent, the fog was already affecting visibility.

And then—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions echoed from all around, hammering my eardrums.

The Noarks’ forces, waiting on the cliffs, were firing magical cannons.

“What a warm welcome today.”

“Those bastards, where did they get magic cannons?”

“They must have stolen them from our ships before.”

Despite the conversation, magic cannons, dark magic, and all kinds of strange powers were raining down on us.

Just by the sound, we could tell it was significant firepower, but the royal fleet took no real damage.

Because, well, there’s nothing money can’t fix.

Swooooosh—!

The defensive magic circle, activated the moment we entered the seventh floor, preemptively blocked all incoming attacks.

Though the ship might shake violently from the impacts, it would never be damaged.

After the royal family suffered heavy losses during the initial landings, they invested heavily in magical defenses for every warship.

They say that maintaining the magic circle consumes ten million magic stones per minute?

‘God, the cost must be astronomical… But maybe it’s still cheaper than losing ships.’

Of course, it wasn’t the time to worry about the nation’s money, so I cleared my thoughts and focused on the present.

The fleet was advancing steadily, pressing through the fierce welcome head-on as we made our way into a narrow gorge.

「You have entered a special area.」

「Field Effect – Gorge of the Wraiths activated.」

「All healing and regeneration effects are disabled.」

「Divine power is sealed.」

The Gorge of the Wraiths.

A narrow pass that every ship had to navigate to enter the Dark Continent.

As our warship followed the lead vessels into the gorge, the already thick fog grew even denser, creating an eerie atmosphere.

And then…

“Prepare for battle!”

Undead monsters began scaling the ship’s walls.

There were many types, of various ranks.

「You have slain Deadburn. EXP +3」

「You have slain Redeye. EXP +4」

「You have slain Banshee Queen. EXP +6」

「You have slain Teeth Skeleton. EXP +4」

Most of the monsters were creatures that could be hunted on the sixth floor, but since we had skipped that floor, I was gaining experience rapidly.

Erwin’s long-range attacks were especially helpful, knocking off about 70% of the monsters before they could even board.

Marine monsters didn’t stand a chance.

「You have slain Chaos Seaman. EXP +6」

「You have slain Molder Elephant. EXP +5」

「You have slain Skeleton Mermaid Queen. EXP…」

Erwin only needed to land one hit on them, and thanks to our bonding magic, I still received experience.

But that didn’t mean I could slack off.

Thwack!

Spirit-type monsters, which didn’t need to climb, were flooding the deck, so I had to constantly swing my weapon without pause.

「You have slain Ghosties. EXP +4」

「You have slain Soul Drinker. EXP +6」

「You have slain Canyon Wraith. EXP +3」

Phew, with so many people on board, the respawn rate is no joke.

Even while we were fiercely battling on deck, the vicious Noark bastards were firing magic cannons from atop the gorge.

While the defensive magic barrier neutralized those attacks, we still had to deal with the occasional explorer falling overboard.

“Ahhhhh!!”

Occasionally, some explorers would have their ropes cut during combat on the shaking deck and fall into the sea.

Moreover…

“What the hell? Why isn’t the ship moving forward?”

“The ship ahead has sunk!”

“Huh? It was fine just a moment ago!”

“Apparently, a Deadrect appeared and damaged their magic barrier!”

Hearing the latest updates, I realized that some ships were actually sinking due to monster attacks breaking their magic defenses.

‘Damn, no wonder they keep up the bombardment.’

Even destroying one ship is a win for them, and as long as they keep attacking, the fleet can’t turn off its magic barriers.

Throughout the passage, we’re forced to keep the barriers active, burning through resources—

“Amelia, behind you!”

I shouted urgently, and Amelia responded with a spinning kick, smashing the skeleton that had been sneaking up on her.

And then…

“No need for thanks. We are comra—”

“It’s Emily.”

“Huh?”

“I doubt anyone heard in this chaos, but I’d appreciate it if you’d be careful.”

“Ah, I’ll be careful…”

Even though it’s the same alias I used in the past, I just can’t get used to it.

Sigh, I guess I have no right to criticize Erwin for her slip-ups.

“Mister… Look over there!”

“It’s Rihen.”

“Oh, right… Anyway, look! We’re almost there!”

I looked in the direction Erwin was pointing, but all I could see was fog.

However…

「Field Effect – Gorge of the Wraiths has been lifted.」

As more time passed, the narrow gorge opened up, revealing a vast lake.

Waterfalls cascaded down the cliffs, and the lake itself was a deep, blood-red color.

And…

“Hoo, we’re through!”

“We can finally catch our breath.”

The monsters stopped spawning, and the Noarks bastards’ bombardment ceased as well.

Thankfully, we had passed the first test unscathed.

‘Now it really begins…’

As I gazed through the mist at the shore ahead, I swallowed nervously.

“……”

“……”

Maybe it was just my imagination.

But I could already smell the blood in the air.