Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 57

“How, how did that woman follow us here! Didn’t they say the Witch’s Forest was safe!” Misha exclaimed, looking utterly fed up. “That persistent bitch!” I agreed wholeheartedly. However, instead of just cursing, let’s try to make a rational guess about the current situation… Once we entered the Witch’s Forest, that bitch couldn’t chase us alone anymore. So, she must have looked for some explorers to use. Pretending to be a pitiful priestess who lost her companions to vicious looters. “Hold on, there seems to be a misunderstanding. That woman is a priestess of Karui—” “What! Now that I see it, you’re not just simple looters, but followers of an evil god!” “No, I mean, it’s not us, it’s that woman—” “Offer your necks and receive divine judgment!” The dwarf tried to reason, but the man, whose brain was marinated in divine grace, only understood what he wanted to hear. “Davis-nim! Please, bring down the divine hammer upon those evil seeds! Only then can my companions, who are wandering in the afterlife, let go of their grudges and return to the embrace of God!” At Elisa’s cry, the opposing explorer group simultaneously drew their weapons. And so did we. Sometimes, in conversations between explorers, fists come before words. “Don’t worry about injuries, just focus on eliminating the enemy! The grace of Leatlas will be with you!” The opposing leader, eyes rolling back, charged at us, shouting that annoying slogan, after being told to roll around like a dog since they’ll get healed. “May the star that rises at twilight guide us!” Honestly, I couldn’t understand why they were going so far to help that woman. I get that this guy seems like a devout believer, but the others don’t need to go that far— “Don’t hold back! If we kill them, our team will get a priest!” “Uoooooo!” Ah, so that’s what it was. They’re trying to kill us not for religious reasons, but for practical ones. It seems that bitch promised them all sorts of things as a reward… Okay, I’ve got a grasp of the situation. Kwoong-! I blocked the leader’s axe with my shield and shouted, sowing the seeds of discord. “You idiots! If a priest joins, who’s gonna get kicked out of the team?” These guys were a five-person team from the start. Meaning, if a priest joins, one of them has to be kicked out. When I pointed this out from the get-go, the leader panicked and shouted, “D-don’t be swayed by his evil words!” Evil words, my ass. It’s obvious they hadn’t even thought about this part. “Uh, uh?” As if to prove it, the four explorers besides the leader paused for a moment. Sadly, that moment didn’t last long. “Well, I guess it won’t be me?” “Hah, isn’t that a problem we can think about later?” “One of us might die today anyway.” “I don’t care about the priest. I can live comfortably for a year just by selling their equipment.” Damn it, they’re explorers through and through. Each of their reasons is so psychopathic. So, you guys just need a cause and money, huh? ‘Well, it’s good that they’re consistent.’ I began to set up a shield wall with the dwarf, analyzing the enemy’s strength. ‘Three melee fighters, two ranged, and a priestess cosplayer…’ As expected of explorers who came all the way to the Witch’s Forest, there was virtually no difference in skill between us. They even had one more person. There wasn’t much to think about this time. Even if we consider that Elisa can’t use the power of the evil god because she’s cosplaying, it was clearly a disadvantageous situation. But, let’s at least come up with a strategy… ‘The only way is to take them out with a surprise attack.’ So, I called for the mage. “Dwarki!” No long explanation was needed. “10 seconds! Just wait 10 seconds!” Now that he’s got some experience, Dwarki answers as soon as I call his name. But, it seems they’ve got experience too. “Mage! They have a mage!” They recognized Dwarki’s presence and focused their attacks on him. The three melee fighters could be covered by me and the dwarf, but… Whoosh-! It was physically impossible to block the arrows and projectile skills flying towards Dwarki, who was chanting. But I wasn’t too worried. We’re an explorer ‘team,’ aren’t we? I don’t have to do everything myself. “Ugh!” Misha knocked away the incoming arrows with her daggers, and Rotmiller blocked the projectile ability with his shield. And at the same time, the spell was completed. 「Riol Worb Dwarki has cast the 8th-grade attack magic [Ice Spear].」 It’s not an enhanced ice spear, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like they’re a huge monster. This is enough to send them back to God’s embrace in one hit. Of course, that’s assuming it hits a vital spot. Whoosh-! The resolve to shoot magic at a person, not a monster. The time to unleash that resolve came much faster than expected. What decision will Dwarki make? Kwaang-! Contrary to my worries, the ice spear was aimed directly at Elisa’s head. But sadly, it didn’t hit. That’s why explorers are more troublesome than monsters. “Hoo, that was close. Are you alright?” “Yes, yes! Thank you for saving me!” They knew a spell was coming, and that it was likely to target the priestess. So, there was no reason they couldn’t block it. An explorer who made it from the 3rd to the 4th floor would have that kind of physique. ‘…Hah, people are the most annoying, after all.’ It’s not easy. Just as Rotmiller and Misha successfully protected Dwarki, the opponents weren’t going to just let our attacks hit them. So, it was time to make a final decision. We’ve seen enough, I think… “Dwarki! Use voice control magic!” “Ah, I understand!” As if to say he wouldn’t take any questions, Dwarki chanted the spell without objection. Voice control. Simply put, it’s a convenient magic that allows us to use team voice chat. Now, even if we talk, they won’t be able to hear us. I glared at the opponents aggressively and shouted, “Murad!” “Why do you call me!” “Let’s run!” “Hahaha! That’s a great idea!” Thankfully, the dwarf, who has the emergency order authority, agreed with my decision. Well, he’s got that much brain, I guess. Even if we win this fight, it’s likely to be a victory with only scars left. Then, that bitch will use the powers of the dark god without hesitation. If we stubbornly push on, only a bleak future awaits. “Misha! When you’re ready, take care of Dwarki!” “Got it!” “Hikurod, when I give the signal, use that item!” “I will!” Misha and the dwarf nodded without objection. Rotmiller, who would play the most important role, was left, but there was no need to give him separate instructions. It’s like he knows what to do without being told. “When I start, everyone stick close!” This old man is the only one I can trust. Anyway, I don’t think there’s anything more to announce… “Now!” The moment I gave the signal, Misha finished preparing to run by carrying the weak Dwarki. And at the same time, the wrist guard the dwarf was wearing emitted light. 「Hikurod Murad has used [Guardian’s Wrist Guard].」 No.3112 Guardian’s Wrist Guard. In the game, it had a constant damage reduction of 5%, and a usage effect that increased in power depending on the damage reduced. And that usage effect was… 「Strongly pushes back enemies and temporarily grants immunity to all harmful effects on allies.」 Wide-area knockback and debuff removal. As a number item in the 3000s, its judgment takes precedence over field effects. 「The status ailment [Directional Impairment] has been removed.」 「The status ailment [Auditory Hallucination] has been removed.」 「The status ailment [Visual Hallucination] has been removed.」 「The status ailment [Pain Amplification] has been removed.」 The moment the three melee fighters were pushed back. The distorted vision returned to normal, and everything became clear. Of course, the duration isn’t long. I don’t know how much he’s been hit during that time, but… ‘It’ll be about 20 seconds at most.’ This time also takes into account the dwarf’s trait of increasing the efficiency of number items by 1.5 times. But this should be enough. Enough to buy time to escape. “What are you doing! Run already!” Sigh, it seems like I’m being chased around everywhere during this exploration. *** Pathfinder. The one who senses the enemy’s movements first and guides the team along an efficient path. Then, what qualities are needed to become a pathfinder? The answer is extremely simple. ‘Prior knowledge of the labyrinth and data accumulated through experience.’ With just these two, you can find your way on the 1st and 2nd floors. The 3rd floor, which is a kind of open-world where the terrain doesn’t change, goes without saying. But things change from the 4th floor. Or, to be precise, from the Witch’s Forest where the 4th floor portal is located? 「The usage effect of the number item [Guardian’s Wrist Guard] has ended.」 「Field effect – Witch’s Forest is applied.」 The compass is out of order, people’s sense of direction is completely lost, and the only landmarks are trees, and even these trees move as if they are alive. Therefore, from here on, pathfinders need special abilities to find their way. “This way.” Rotmiller’s main ability was ‘sense of smell.’ He had adjusted his sense of smell stat through essence, and he accurately found the path to the 4th floor even in this bizarre forest. Once the sense of smell reaches a certain level, you can smell the scent of magic, and that’s how you find your way? I don’t understand it well, but that’s roughly the principle. However… “Their pathfinder doesn’t seem to be ordinary either. Judging by how they’re narrowing the distance in our direction.” Even so, those bastards followed us well. Of course, I can’t even feel their presence… If Rotmiller says so, then it must be true. ‘Then, it’s a matter of who reaches the 4th floor portal first…’ As I was organizing the current situation, Rotmiller spoke as if he had the same idea. “From now on, I’ll increase the speed.” Now it’s a race against time. If we can arrive first, we can skip unnecessary battles. On the other hand, if they catch up to us before that? Then we’ll have no choice but to fight until one of us dies. ‘The problem is that everyone is exhausted…’ Life doesn’t always go as you wish. Especially if that person is tired and exhausted. “Kalstein-yang, give that friend to me!” The dwarf decided to take Dwarki from Misha to be considerate. And that’s where the accident happened. “Ah!” It was a mistake to hand Dwarki to the dwarf while running, in order to save even a little time. Misha lost her balance and fell. Fortunately, the dwarf had already taken Dwarki and was carrying him like a sack, but… “Ouch! I think I have a cramp in my foot! I can’t move!” A cramp, my ass. It’s obvious she twisted her ankle when she fell. “Don’t move unnecessarily, just stay still.” I immediately stopped and grabbed Misha by the back of her neck, lifting her up. And the moment I slung her over my shoulder. ‘Shit? What’s this now?’ The light disappeared, and a deep darkness covered my eyes. Even though the dwarf with the torch was right in front of me just a few seconds ago. “B-Bjorn?” “…Be quiet.” I calmly opened my backpack and took out a torch. And I lit it by hand and stuck it into the groove of my helmet. As expected, the teammates who were next to me just a few seconds ago were nowhere to be seen. “Don’t tell me we got separated!” Misha exclaimed in shock. And I answered. I don’t want to believe it, but… “It seems… that’s the case.” We got separated in a short moment of just a few seconds. “Then what are we doing! Why aren’t we following them!” Misha urged me urgently, realizing the fact, but I chose to stay still. Because, do I know where they went? “That way! They definitely went that way!” That’s how it looks to us. In the Witch’s Forest, you shouldn’t rely on your sight. If we go the wrong way, we’ll just waste time and get further away from the team. “The best thing to do in this situation is to stay still.” Let’s trust our companions and trust my judgment. Rotmiller is a sense of smell pathfinder, isn’t he? He’ll know we’ve disappeared by now, so he’ll definitely come back to find us soon. “Hey, Bjorn…?” Ah, uh, um… It should have been like that, but… “How long do we have to wait?” Even after a minute, the group that had gone ahead didn’t come back. Damn it, what’s going on? Should I wait a little longer? As my worries deepened. “Aaaah!” A faint scream was heard from the darkness. “Bjorn! Did you hear that sound! It was definitely Murad’s voice!” I can’t be sure, but it seems like it. If something else hadn’t happened, they would have come back to find us by now. However… “It’s clear that they’re in a difficult situation. We have to go help them right away—” “Lower your voice.” “Why?” “Because we could be in danger too.” It’s not good to make noise. We don’t know what happened over there yet. If it was just a simple encounter with a monster, they would have had enough time to come find us. “That’s why we should go help them even more—” There’s no way to help them in the first place. Unless we keep hearing a constant sound of a certain size. We can’t find the right direction after hearing a death cry once. The Witch’s Forest is that kind of place. “Ugh!” So, I covered Misha’s mouth with my hand. And I focused on my hearing. “…Miller…bitch…is…there.” “…make…gap…” “Ha… …can’t…leave…” “…enemy…pathfinder…kill…they…escape…” “…………” “…danger! Run…!” After that, a few more death cries were faintly heard, and then they disappeared completely at some point. A forest where not even the sound of a breeze can be heard. “……” The quiet silence enveloped the surroundings, but I stood there for another 5 minutes. The group that had been separated didn’t come back. It was too early to be sure if they were dead or alive, but one thing was clear. They won’t come back even if we wait longer. Which means— “We’re fucked.” I got separated with a beast girl. In a labyrinth full of monsters and looters. And in the middle of this Witch’s Forest, where we can’t even go back without a pathfinder. Shit.