Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 29

If you’re a gamer, you have a habit of pressing the interact key whenever you see a suspicious wall or a peculiar sculpture.

I was no different.

And that habit helped me discover numerous ‘hidden pieces,’ or hidden elements, during my nine years of playing [Dungeon & Stone].

Like the fountain statue here, for example.

“Bjorn?”

“Ah, I’m coming.”

I pushed aside my unease and followed the group into the inner castle.

I decided not to bring up the statue.

For a barbarian to know something that even a mage who dedicates their life to learning doesn’t?

‘It’s best to avoid unnecessary suspicion.’

It was clear that the excuse about reading it in a book wouldn’t work this time, and besides, ‘that item’ couldn’t be taken out even with distortion magic anyway.

“So this is the inner castle.”

In medieval times, if the outer castle served as the first line of defense, the inner castle was closer to the last bastion.

Originally, this place would have housed the lord’s retainers, knights, and soldiers, as well as various military facilities like armories.

Raven, looking around, sighed.

“…I’ve heard, but at this rate, there’s nothing to salvage.”

The inner castle, about a third the size of the outer castle, was in a state of utter devastation.

The buildings were all collapsed, leaving only the foundations.

There weren’t even any monsters here.

“Let’s hurry and move on to the next part.”

Under Raven’s direction, we cleared away the rubble for about 30 minutes and found a path leading underground.

“Mr. Murad, would you lead the way?”

“Sure thing!”

“Ah, and since we need to conserve mana, please light a torch too.”

The dwarf pulled out a torch and stuck it on his head.

Because he was short, he looked like a mole miner from a cartoon.

*Whoosh!*

We pushed aside the thick wooden plank and slowly descended the stairs hidden beneath.

The third chapter of the Crimson Citadel: the underground prison.

I swallowed and steeled myself.

「You have entered the first floor of the underground prison.」

Ugh, I’m not good with gross stuff…

***

“Lady Raven, what kind of monsters appear here?”

“I know that Skull Rats, Banshees, Death Fiends, Chimera Wolves, Ghoul Lords, and Corpse Golems appear.”

“Except for the Corpse Golem, I’ve faced all the other monsters.”

“That’s right. The Corpse Golem is a monster that only appears in the Crimson Citadel.”

“Hahaha, I can finally earn some merit!”

The dwarf was delighted at the prospect of gaining experience by fighting new monsters.

But I couldn’t be like that.

Even the illustrations were so gruesome, how disgusting would they be in real life?

“Is there anything else we should be careful of?”

“Just be careful of the flesh explosions. The explosive power isn’t that strong, but the bodily fluids contain acidic poison, so getting hit up close can be fatal. Of course, I’ll block it for you before that happens.”

“Haha! With the mage here, there’s nothing to fear!”

“It’s all thanks to having strong warriors like Mr. Murad.”

Bullshit.

When were they glaring at each other like they were going to kill each other and arguing over loot?

*Thud.*

As we descended the last step, a maze-like underground prison unfolded before us.

Deadmen were chained in iron cages, growling, and skeletal rats scurried around the floor, making strange noises.

“Bjorn, are these also monsters?”

“Those are the Skull Rats I mentioned earlier.”

“I wasn’t asking you, mage!”

For reference, their rank was the same as the Deadmen: no rank.

They didn’t really have the combat power to be called monsters, so we just stomped on them as we went forward.

And soon, we encountered the Banshees.

“Keeheeheehee, heeheeheehee!”

The Banshees were flying around in a ghostly state, with only the outlines of their grotesque faces visible.

“B, Bjorn…”

Ah, he was afraid of Banshees.

Raven chuckled as she saw Ainar clinging to me slightly.

It was a good thing Ainar didn’t see it. Otherwise, he would have screamed again.

“Be careful not to bump into the Banshees. It’s not very dangerous once or twice, but…”

“…but?”

“You’ll have a very, very terrible experience.”

“Ah, a very, very terrible experience? What does that mean! Tell me exactly, mage!”

“Well, shall we leave it to your imagination?”

Raven smiled slyly as she looked at Ainar, who had lost all color in his face.

Seeing her take revenge like this, it seems she doesn’t have a very good personality either.

I sighed inwardly and joined the conversation.

“I heard that mages have a way to deal with Banshees.”

“Hmm, you like books, so you’re quite knowledgeable, aren’t you?”

Is that something to be called knowledgeable?

Well, if you add the premise that it’s for a barbarian, maybe it is…

Still, this much should be within the cut line.

“Then, let’s stop the jokes and take care of the Banshees first. Teirun Shell.”

Soon, arrows of light generated from Raven’s staff pierced through the Banshees.

The magic name in the game was Mana Sight.

It was a basic attack spell, almost like a mage’s normal attack, so there was no casting time.

“Kkiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!”

After waiting a moment, dozens of Banshees began to swarm, emitting intense hatred.

They had sensed the ‘mark’ left by their fallen comrade.

For a mage with many powerful area-of-effect skills, it was probably a welcome sight.

“Iherno Haindar.”

A wave of fire.

The flames spewing from the magic staff filled the straight passage.

And when the flames subsided.

There were no Banshees left.

*Whoosh!*

As always, the mana stones scattered on the floor floated into the air and went into my pouch on their own.

Honestly, I’m most envious of this, more than the attack spells.

Not having to pick up the mana stones one by one.

Sigh, how long will it take to have a mage on my team…

I realized once again that I still had a long way to go.

***

The 2D world beyond the monitor is different from reality.

Especially when it comes to the chills that you feel on your skin.

「Your character has entered the second floor of the underground prison.」

The underground prison I experienced firsthand felt more like a mad scientist’s laboratory.

Chimera Wolves with bulging muscles and three or four heads, like mutants.

Ghoul Lords leading thirty Elder Ghouls each.

These Rank 8 monsters all had grotesque appearances, and even the small props around them were reminiscent of horror games.

The climax would be from now on.

“By the way, Lady Raven is amazing. Aren’t you scared?”

“Well, I like anatomy so much. This much is nothing to me.”

Damn, that’s not barbarian anatomy, is it?

Come to think of it, the reason why barbarian hearts sell for a high price is because they’re magic materials…

“Ah, we’ve arrived.”

After hunting all the monsters in the underground prison, we reached the third basement level and found a hidden door connecting to the underground space of the ruined lord’s castle.

Originally, we would have had to get the map from the guardroom first, but…

“To think there’s a door hidden behind the wall, it’s a good thing I memorized the map beforehand.”

Thanks to Raven, who had thoroughly prepared, there was no wandering around.

Well, I would have found it even if I was alone.

The structure of the underground prison was the same as in the game.

‘But that’s only possible because I’m a player.’

I realized once again the status that a mage holds.

Powerful attack magic.

Support abilities with high utility, like curses that worsen wounds.

And the knowledge they’ve accumulated by reading countless books.

There’s a reason why mages are treated better than priests in a team.

“It’s better to leave the backpacks here before going in. Especially Mr. Yandel.”

I felt a little embarrassed and placed my extra-large backpack, which reached from my head to my thighs, in front of the door.

…I should buy a magic backpack as soon as I make some money.

It’s been uncomfortable because of this thing since earlier.

“Ah, from now on, Mr. Yandel, please light a torch too.”

At Raven’s instruction, I also fixed a torch on my head.

With that, all preparations were complete.

*Creak, creak, creak.*

As we turned the round valve and opened the iron door, a rotten stench rushed in.

“This is a completely unexpected place.”

“M, mage… do we really have to go in here?”

“I hate it enough to die, but we have no choice.”

A space reminiscent of a sewage treatment plant.

Large water pipes lined the cylindrical walls, dripping dark, murky sludge.

Also.

The floor was piled high with broken and severed limbs and heads, and the gas that had accumulated from their decomposition stung the nose and caused a headache.

“Ugh, ugh!”

The first to vomit was the carrier.

The guy who had been sticking by Raven’s side like a bodyguard, acting all serious, was now throwing up his guts with a truly expressionless face.

The second was Raven.

“Ugh, ueegh!”

She might have a high visual tolerance due to her many anatomy experiences, but it seems she’s weak to smells.

Surprisingly, I was able to endure it.

Even though a scene that would have made me faint in the past was unfolding before my eyes, this barbarian’s strong stomach was unaffected.

“It’s a relief that at least you’re okay. Let’s go forward quickly.”

Feeling a strange mix of emotions, I slowly approached the center.

*Squish.*

Each step made a sound like stepping on a sponge.

And as the light got closer to the center, the huge shape that had only been visible in the darkness became clearer.

“H, hel, lo.”

Surprisingly, it spoke to us.

In a woman’s voice, like a broken tape of an announcement.

“Gck, gck! Kill! I, gckgck, save me! Me! Gigg, crrr, tasty, uh, father, khee!”

Uh, um, uh…

Honestly, it was a bit shocking.

“Hoo…”

Damn, you were quiet in the game.

Why are you doing this to me?

I couldn’t help but complain, but complaining wouldn’t change anything.

Looking to the side, even the dwarf, who I thought was reliable, was frozen stiff.

“Everyone, get a grip!!”

I immediately shouted to wake up my spaced-out teammates.

Perhaps stimulated by this.

“Father! Father! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”

The pile of corpses that had been crouching down stood up and took a step forward with what looked like a foot.

*Thump!*

The mid-boss of the Crimson Citadel.

It was the Corpse Golem.

***

[Dungeon & Stone], the epitome of niche games, does have some popular aspects.

At least the illustrations were famous.

The lifelike illustrations, as if taken in black and white photos, were often used as ‘memes’ online.

But few people knew that those illustrations came from the game.

I realized once again.

“Damn it.”

No matter how realistically a picture is drawn, it can’t compare to the real thing.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”

Is this what it would feel like if you gathered thousands of human arms, legs, and heads and clumped them together?

Even each one of them moves individually as if they have their own will.

The hundreds of mouths are the same.

They all spew out whatever they want to say without control.

Most of them are illogical and incoherent emotions of the moment, like ‘it hurts,’ ‘it’s cold,’ ‘I resent you,’ ‘kill me,’ ‘save me.’

“Kyaaaaaaak—!”

Or maybe it’s just a simple scream.

The chilling harmony created by the combination of all sorts of grotesque sounds made everyone freeze again.

“Hikurod! Be careful!”

The mage who was good at anatomy.

The three-year veteran dwarf who had encountered many monsters.

The human man who gave off a rather imposing aura for a carrier.

They treated the two newbie barbarians like extras, but…

Surprisingly, at this moment, the only ones who hadn’t lost their composure were me and Ainar.

“What are you all doing!”

Just as Ainar, who had been watching the Corpse Golem, pulled the dwarf up by the scruff of his neck.

*Wham!*

A pile of corpses that flew like a shot put exploded on the spot. And blood and flesh splattered, sticking to Ainar and the dwarf.

*Sizzle!*

Fortunately, Ainar was wearing clothes, so he wasn’t hit, but the dwarf was different.

“Aaaah! My eyes! My eyes…!”

Damn, somehow it went through the narrow gap in his helmet and hit his eye.

The dwarf was instantly incapacitated.

And the mage who told us to trust her…

“Ugh, ueegh!”

She’s still throwing up.

…What are you guys even doing?

I knew things were going too smoothly.

Of course, that couldn’t be the case.

“Ainar! Take the dwarf and go back to protect the mage!”

I shouted that and raised my shield, facing the Corpse Golem.

There was no other choice.

I didn’t want to run away if I could help it, but…

The guys who were acting like bus drivers were messing things up.

“Behel—raaaaaa!!”

To survive, I had no choice but to take the wheel myself.