Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 70

Barbarian Hero (3)

I am running at full speed.

Leading a truly monstrous body measuring 5 meters in diameter.

Boom! Boom!

Every step I take makes a sound that could be mistaken for a large monster.

“Don’t fall behind, keep up!”

Behind me are 23 clan members and Misha, and behind them are 40 third-floor explorers who have not been swayed by Jack Fletcher’s agitation.

The reason they joined forces is simple.

[Give us all your gear and we’ll take you]

McGrain was a rationalist who wanted to avoid even the slightest loss…

“The character has cast [Sacrificial Engraving].”

“The character’s physical stats temporarily increase for each sacrifice within a 100m radius.”

The more sacrifices, the better.

“Bethel—raaaaah!”

I feel an overwhelming surge of power.

This uncontrollable destructive instinct dominates my entire body.

‘This must be because of my fighting spirit.’

Luckily, I don’t have to suppress this urge.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Miniature replicas of Riakis fly towards me.

They’re over 2 meters tall, despite being miniatures…

But still, they seem so small.

Whoosh!

I swing my mace mercilessly.

My body has grown so much that swinging the mace feels like swinging a spoon.

Well, those getting hit would beg to differ.

Thud!

A replica is reduced to dust after a solid hit to the solar plexus.

The old me would have needed several more hits to kill it.

I can really feel how much my physical stats have inflated.

But, the problem is…

Boom!

Every time I destroy one, an explosion occurs.

Not at the location of the destroyed replica, but right where I am.

“Riakis’s hatred is activated.”

“The character suffers significant chaos attribute damage.”

This is why the main tank is crucial in the [Gap of Evil]. These self-destructing replicas deal certain damage to their killer.

It doesn’t matter how renowned the swordsman or archer is; high damage doesn’t help here.

Boom!

The damage would have been fatal in one hit if I were a frail magician.

My whole body tingles.

Even with my resistance to pain, it’s this bad; without it, each explosion would have been agonizing.

Sizzle!

Black liquid clings to my body, smoking and melting away.

In the worst areas, muscles have melted away, exposing bones.

But, it’s not a problem.

I am a barbarian of darkness, inheriting the legacy of vampires.

“The passive skill [Source of Darkness] prevents the character from dying until the heart is destroyed.”

I just need to protect the heart.

Well, given my current state, even that seems like a matter of time…

Clang!

As I pulverize the replicas and clear a path, countless glass bottles are thrown at me.

And the priests hastily following behind are pouring out heals as much as they can.

“That was dangerous, don’t take out too many at once!”

“Bethel—raaaaah!”

“If you heard me, answer me!”

As if that’s easy.

In the [Giantification] state, the threat level, or the probability of attracting a monster’s aggro, increases depending on the size.

And for a naturally large barbarian like me, that increase is almost insane.

It’s practically like being in constant taunt mode.

That’s why the adventurers following me can move so comfortably.

Because all the attention is on me.

“Hey! Are you not listening—”

“I am.”

Still, I take McGrain’s advice and adjust my pace, Misha’s brother and another melee warrior behind me take out the replicas.

However…

“Priest! What are you doing? Heal, heal quickly!”

Seeing them panic after taking down just two or three doesn’t inspire confidence.

And I’m not happy about the healers’ attention being divided.

Most importantly, if I adjust the pace, I can’t maximize the effects of my passive skill.

“The character’s health is below 50%.”

“The passive skill [Path of the Hero] increases all resistance and tolerance stats.”

The Orc Hero’s passive skill [Path of the Hero].

This skill, which activates when health is below half, increases all types of defense stats.

And from my research…

‘It’s at its peak when it’s below 20%.’

That’s why I needed the essence of the Orc Hero in the first place.

Regardless of what color the essence is, the passive skill is the same.

“Alright, both of you fall back.”

“What? I can still-”

Ha, as if a dealer could mimic the noble role of a tanker.

“There might be something coming from behind too.”

I quickly convinced the two dealers with kind words to move to the back.

McGrain, watching from behind, didn’t say anything this time.

He just shouted.

“We only have 10 minutes left. The crucial part is ahead, so hang in there a little longer.”

Yeah, just cheer from there.
***

5th Grade Adventurer, Taylon Karlstein.

As he steps back from the front line, a middle-aged man approaches him.

“Oh, you’re here now?”

“Yes, Lord Hernecion.”

As Taylon nods, the face of Anton Hernecion, a mage of the regular 7th team, lights up.

“Good, the vice-captain made a wise decision. We don’t know what might appear from behind, we need to pay attention here too, right?”

“Yes, that’s true…”

Taylon replied weakly, swallowing the bitter feeling in his throat.

And as if to avoid further conversation, he turned his gaze away.

At the end of his gaze was a barbarian.

“Bethel—raaaaah!”

Monsters swarming in from the darkness.

And among them, a barbarian, even more monstrous, shouting and swinging his mace.

Boom!

Taylon bit his lip as he heard the umpteenth explosion, counting them seemed pointless.

Crack-

The vice-captain made a wise decision?

We don’t know what might appear from behind, do we?

He was disgusted with himself for nodding in pretense to that question.

‘Damn it.’

The truth was simple.

It wasn’t the vice-captain who had told them to step back. It was that Barbarian.

Belonging to a team that had his halfling sister, where a half-hearted magician, who called himself a magician, couldn’t utter a word when he was told to get lost from the colony…

[There might be something coming from behind too]

Without even looking back, with that one sentence, Taylon couldn’t make any rebuttal.

No, he chose not to.

It was a short time, but he thought it was not a human thing to do.

Boom!

Swinging the weapon even once brings immediate terrible pain.

No matter how agile the body, it’s inescapable.

The problem is that this fact makes the body sluggish.

Even in a situation where one must keep swinging the weapon, the hands become stiff and unmovable.

Pathetically so.

“Hey, don’t worry too much about it. If pain wasn’t a factor, anyone could do it.”

Perhaps his expression gave it away.

A man next to him, one of the two remaining warriors who had also retreated from the front line, said this as if to console him.

“I heard that essences with pain resistance are generally not well-regarded, but if this kind of tactic is possible, a reevaluation is needed.”

Despite the man’s attempt at consolation, he remained silent.

At first, I thought the same.

Pouring potions like that is only possible with pain tolerance, and fundamentally, that Barbarian and I have different roles.

Both of us fight on the front lines as warriors, but…

My role isn’t to endure with my body and buy time, but to exploit a momentary gap to strike a deadly blow to the enemy’s neck.

Boom!

So, the outcome is natural.

No need to feel self-contempt.

Yes, that’s what I thought.

But…

“Bethel—raaaaah!”

The more I watch that large figure, the more I wonder.

‘How can he not hesitate in such a situation…?’

Flesh ripped by the explosion flows like water.

Beasts charge, gnawing on the exposed bones.

But even amidst this, that Barbarian swings his weapon precisely without a hint of hesitation.

Unlike me, whose body had stiffened.

He keeps doing what needs to be done without stopping.

‘But is this something just anyone can do?’

That can’t be right.

Even if one has pain resistance, it doesn’t mean they can’t feel pain at all…

Even if it weren’t so, it’s still true.

“They say there’s no match for a Barbarian in bravery, and it seems they’re right.”

“It’s almost as if he doesn’t know death.”

Having potions, priests, and the essence of a vampire doesn’t make one invincible.

As a famous explorer once said:

There is no being in the labyrinth that does not die.

This applies to that Barbarian as well.

‘There’s no point in denying it anymore.’

Ironically, admitting it made him feel lighter. When your life’s on the line, you just do your job.

How many fail even in this simple task?

What that Barbarian is doing right now is definitely not something just anyone can do.

As evident from the changed reactions around him.

“The vice-captain’s foresight is truly remarkable. I never expected him to perform his duty this well.”

“Does anyone know the name of that fellow? Such a person must be somewhat known…”

“What about the conversation with the vice-captain earlier? If such a person joins our clan, it would be a great asset…”

Even if one doesn’t know the detailed circumstances like pain resistance, it’s something one can feel just by watching.

That the Barbarian saved them.

“It’s terrifying to even think of what situation we would be in without him.”

“Was her name Misha? What exactly is the identity of that fellow?”

“Uh, I don’t know…”

Someone asked his halfling sister, but unfortunately, no proper answer was heard.

However, listening to the murmurs of the magician, Hernecion, next to him, he thought:

“If the hero of the Barbarian tribe, Balkan, were to return to life, he would probably look like that…”

There’s no need to wonder about the name of that Barbarian anymore.

“The end! I can see the end!”

“Pick up the pace!”

Pretty soon, everyone will know.
***
“The field effect [Gap of Evil] dissipates.”
***
The moment we emerged from the darkness.

Whoosh!

A storm-like roar erupted.

Simultaneously, a dark red beam shot from the ceiling towards the center of the darkness.

Boom!

It was like witnessing the apocalypse.

McGrain murmured as he saw this.

“That was close.”

“I agree.”

Beyond the dissipated darkness, there was nothing left.

Where the Orc enclave once stood, now only the traces of ravaged land remained.

The heat of the battle cooled from my head.

If we had been just a bit late in escaping…

‘I would have died there, [Source of Darkness] or not.’

It’s almost laughable to say it was a close call.

At the end, as my soul energy, or MP, ran out, [Gigantification] was cut off, and the adventurers who went the other way were probably all killed, as replicas began to flood in like a tidal wave.
Escaping on time was nothing short of a miracle.

Yet, not everything was over.

‘No, rather, the real prayer should start now.’

I quickly checked the number of survivors.

Exactly 30.

Many of the adventurers who joined at the last minute in exchange for their equipment had died.

‘So, the odds are 30 to 1. Or, including Misha, 15 to 1…’

It’s a low but unnerving probability.

I kept my tension and observed changes in others.

Then, it happened.

“Bi, Bjorn…?”

Misha’s voice came from the side, sounding somewhat panicked.

“My, my body won’t move…”

Turning to look at Misha, I saw her rigid, petrified figure.

“Misha Karlstein has been designated as [Prey].”

“Misha Calstein falls into a state of immobility.”

Damn, is this really happening?

McGrain let out an astonished exclamation.

“Remarkable. I didn’t expect that to happen on your side.”

“Why, why is everyone looking at me like that…?”

There’s no time for lengthy explanations.

I asked out of sheer hope, looking straight into the eyes of Misha’s brother.

“Do you plan to take her with you?”

“That, that is…”

“It would be difficult. We can’t afford more sacrifices.”

McGrain decisively cut off the hesitant brother.

But I pressed on.

“Do you feel the same? Regardless of your relationship, she’s still your sister. Will you just leave her to die?”

“Bi, Bjorn… I don’t know what it is, but I’m okay, stop it…”

Okay? Your life is on the line.

“So, your answer?”

Pressing him hard, he finally responded briefly, glancing at McGrain.

“My clan is more important to me than my family.”

Typical, not considering her family.

What an unpleasant guy to the end.

“I’ve wasted precious time.”

Muttering, I picked up the petrified Misha and wrapped her in a cloth.

Quickly, I checked the time.

[23:45]

Approximately 15 minutes left until the labyrinth closes.

A duration that could be short or long.

“The Lord of Chaos, Riakis, awakens.”

It seems like the longest 15 minutes of my life are about to begin.

The ad revenue is very low, so I need support to keep the chapter updates consistent. Please consider joining my patreon here or buy me a coffee here, if you can. Thank You.

P.S- Each supporter will recieve advanced chapters.