Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 117

Level 5 monster, a troll.

They’re practically the poster child for regeneration, but even they die if their heart or head is destroyed.

However, I poured all of the team’s power into cutting off its ‘arm’.

And finally.

[Ggrrr-!!]

I sealed off the troll’s remaining arm, rendering it helpless.

In other words, I’d created an environment where Misha could just keep dishing out damage without any risk.

Tap.

Misha, who had been meticulously maintaining her distance, wary of the troll’s long arms, leaped forward for the first time.

And then, landing on my shoulder—

Thwack!

She simultaneously plunged her twin swords into its eyes.

No matter how high the physical resistance, there are always weak points.

[Ggrrr-!!!]

The troll thrashed even more violently as the acid-enchanted swords pierced its vulnerable eyes.

Damn it, what kind of strength is this…….

“B, Bjorn?”

“Don’t worry about me, just keep stabbing!”

I shouted, squeezing the troll’s arm with all my might using my thighs. Misha, realizing that this wasn’t a time to relax, focused on her sword work instead of answering.

The first variable occurred here.

Thwack, thwack, thwack-

Just as Misha was repeatedly stabbing her swords into the eye sockets.

Scratch! Scraaatch!

A scraping sound is heard.

This much was expected.

Even people have bones behind their eyeballs.

But…….

“…B, Bjorn? It’s too hard, it won’t go in!”

The problem was the strength of the bone.

I thought that even if it was a thick arm bone, I could easily break through this and stab into the brain.

Yeah, it won’t die easily, huh?

“Keep going.”

“Okay!”

Misha then gripped ‘Viper’s Fang’ in reverse and continued to strike the eye sockets.

Then, the second variable occurred.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

As time passed, the troll began to rampage.

The blinded creature gave up trying to shake me off and instead charged in one direction using its only free legs.

The problem was…….

“Dwarki! It’s targeting Dwarki.”

Somehow, the troll, despite having no eyes, was running straight towards where Dwarki was.

[Ggrrrraaah!!]

Rotmiller hugged Dwarki and dodged this way and that, but the creature was violently pursuing them as if it could see.

“Magic! It’s definitely sensing the magic!”

I didn’t know about this phenomenon either.

Is it really following the magic instinctively, like the dwarf said?

‘Damn it.’

Whatever the reason.

Just when I thought everything was going well, the situation suddenly started to go to shit.

In less than 10 seconds after the situation broke out, Dwarki and Rotmiller were cornered.

It was only natural.

It would have been different if Misha was in that position.

Rotmiller’s physical stats weren’t high enough to escape from a level 5 monster while carrying someone.

[Ggrrrraaaah-!!!]

The troll then charged towards them, cornered. The dwarf tried to stop it somehow, but it was useless.

Wham!

The dwarf was sent flying like a soccer ball by the troll’s kick and crashed into the wall. It seems like [Balance] was released as my MP ran out…….

Damn it, why at a time like this?

“B, Bjorn?”

“Y, yeah!”

Still, Rotmiller used the brief opening the dwarf created to escape from the corner.

Of course, it was only a brief reprieve.

Maybe about 3 seconds?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Rotmiller, who was running in the opposite direction, was caught by the troll and rolled on the floor to avoid its kick.

Now, I couldn’t see their situation from my position.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

In that state, the troll stomped down.

“H, hiik……!”

They’re rolling around desperately, so I don’t hear the sound of someone being crushed…….

If I leave the troll alone like this, someone will surely die.

Dwarki, Rotmiller.

Or maybe both of them.

Thump-!

It was a crossroads of choices.

Misha was busy stabbing her sword and didn’t know what was happening below.

All the decisions were up to me.

Thump-!

If I let go of its arm and go down, I could protect Dwarki or Rotmiller.

But that choice would ultimately lead to annihilation.

If I fall, the troll will attack Misha with its freed arm…….

I won’t get another chance.

‘Damn it.’

I close my eyes tightly.

And without realizing it, I think.

Wasn’t this something that was bound to happen someday?

Thump-!

[Dungeon & Stone] is not a game that pursues adventures full of dreams and hopes.

As the game progresses, the death of a companion was inevitable, and as long as the main character survived, the adventure continued.

Yeah, that’s how the game was.

This damn game—

Crack-!

Then, I heard a crushing sound from below.

The sound of flesh and bones being crushed together, which I had heard countless times since I opened my eyes in this place.

Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Misha stopped stabbing.

Of course, it was only for a very brief moment.

“Keep going!!!”

At my shout, Misha resumed stabbing.

Scratch, scratch, scratch!

I gritted my teeth and poured all my strength into restraining the troll’s remaining arm.

It was then.

Thud-!

Dwarki, kicked away by the troll, came into view. His spine was bent, his body twisted to a grotesque degree.

And with that, I realized one thing.

It wasn’t information I wanted to know, but…….

Then the sound I heard earlier must have been from Rotmiller’s body.

“……Huuup!”

Did she see Dwarki, who had been thrown up to our eye level?

Misha flinched for a moment, then repeatedly struck with her sword, looking like she was about to cry.

“Die! Die! Die! You monster! Just die!!!”

We had to watch our companions suffer for the sake of survival, but the situation had turned for the worst.

Dwarki was hit, and the curse was lifted.

The effect of [Super Regeneration] was applied normally, and the arm was quickly recovering.

「Misha Karlstein has cast [Ice Shatter].」

「Misha Karlstein has cast [Ice Shatter].」

「Misha Karlstein has cast [Ice Shatter].」

Knowing there was no time, Misha struck with her sword with all her might. It was a moment where each second felt like an eternity.

Scratch! Scratch, scratch… Crack!

At the same time as a clear collision sound was heard.

The troll’s body, which I had been holding onto with all my might, disappeared.

「You have defeated the troll. EXP +5」

***

The troll’s body, which had died, turned into light and disappeared, and Misha and I fell to the floor.

Normally, we would have regained our balance mid-fall and landed on our feet, but none of us had the strength to do so.

Thump!

As I lay sprawled on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, a mana stone the size of a fist fell next to my head.

Thud. Clatter-

That was all the loot.

There was no dramatic essence drop.

It made me realize that this moment was real.

Yeah, it’s not a dream.

The choice I just made too.

And the sight of Dwarki flying away in a terrible state because of that choice…….

“Rotmiller! Dwarki!”

I threw away the desire to rest and forced myself to get up. Misha was already running to check on our fallen companions.

“Rotmiller! Wake up!!!”

“D, don’t… shake… me……!”

“S, sorry!”

Surprisingly, Rotmiller was alive.

One of his legs was twisted and crushed, but it wasn’t a life-threatening injury.

It was literally a stroke of luck.

It would have been over if his head or upper body had been crushed.

“Rather than me… check on, Dwarki first…….”

“O, okay!!”

While Misha ran to Dwarki, I turned my gaze to check on the dwarf.

There were no major external injuries.

‘He just hit his head on the wall and passed out…….’

The problem was Dwarki.

“B, Bjorn!! What do we do! D, Dwarki isn’t b, breathing…….”

“Move aside.”

I pushed Misha away and checked Dwarki’s pulse.

He had stopped breathing, but his heart was still beating faintly.

That meant there was still a chance to revive him.

Fssshhh-!

I took out a high-grade potion and poured it into Dwarki’s mouth.

I knew it was just a temporary measure.

His spine was half-folded, and his leg was also broken from the impact of the fall. Also, blood was constantly flowing from his nose and mouth, indicating internal injuries.

And Dwarki was an ordinary human.

Moreover, he was a mage, a class known for their paper-thin bodies.

‘Shit.’

I pressed my lips together.

With this level of injury, it was unclear whether he could be saved with a high-grade potion, and…….

“Dwarki! Just hang in there! You drank a potion, so you’ll be fine soon!”

Even if he lived, he would surely have severe aftereffects.

If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have used the highest-grade potion there—

“P, potion…….”

I turned my head at Rotmiller’s voice, which he was struggling to utter. At first, I thought he was asking for a potion for himself.

But…….

“Use, this.”

Even while writhing in pain, Rotmiller was reaching out a trembling hand with a potion in it.

“It’s a highest-grade, potion.”

What, a highest-grade potion?

He had one……?

“I bought it, just in case. Use it, on him…….”

Before I could answer, Misha ran over and took the potion, and I stopped her from pouring it into his mouth right away.

“If you feed it to him like this, he’ll never be able to walk again.”

“What?”

Potions aren’t omnipotent.

If you just give him a potion without setting the bones, he’ll have even worse aftereffects.

Therefore—

While Misha was feeding him the potion little by little, I set the broken leg and spine back into place. By ‘back into place,’ I mean I just roughly aligned them…….

The rest would be up to the potion.

It’s a highest-grade potion that can heal severed arms, after all.

“Hoo…….”

I let out a long breath that I had been holding in, watching over Dwarki in heavy tension.

His breathing had returned.

It would take a while for him to regain consciousness, but his pale complexion had improved significantly.

“……I’ve taken a load off my mind.”

The rest could be handled with a high-grade potion.

Of course, I couldn’t just sit and rest.

“Don’t just stand there, help me.”

“O, okay. What should I do?”

“Bring Hikurod and lay him down next to him. Give him a low-grade potion too, just in case.”

While Misha moved according to my instructions, I checked the injuries on Rotmiller’s leg, which had been left unattended.

“How is Dwarki?”

“Don’t worry. He’s alive thanks to you. So, how about you worry about yourself first?”

“That’s… true. Hehehe.”

“It’s going to hurt quite a bit.”

“I know that… Ugh! Uuuuugh!!”

Soon after, Rotmiller, who had been ‘potioned,’ groaned and then passed out, and with that, all the immediate measures that could be taken were finished.

Was it the same for Misha?

“Bjorn…….”

Misha looked at me with eyes that seemed to be asking for confirmation.

I chuckled and answered.

“Yeah, everyone survived.”

“That’s… a relief… really…….”

Misha’s body slumped, as if she had lost all her strength.

It seemed like she was only realizing it after hearing my answer.

I still couldn’t believe it.

‘Really… no one died.’

It’s not that I wanted them to die.

No, I’m overjoyed that everyone survived.

However, there were too many unsettling aspects to be simply happy.

That’s because…….

It wasn’t because I did well.

It wasn’t because I planned well in advance.

It wasn’t because I handled the variables well when they occurred.

That’s why we overcame the crisis.

‘It was… luck.’

It was just luck.

Once I acknowledged that, I finally realized it.

What it meant to live as an explorer in this damn world.

Today, everyone survived like in a movie.

But…….

‘Maybe… it won’t always be like today.’

I know better than anyone.

There’s no way that someone like me will have this kind of luck again and again.

***

As time passed, they began to regain consciousness one by one.

The first to open his eyes was the dwarf.

“……So, everyone survived.”

After confirming the news of everyone’s survival, the dwarf didn’t laugh heartily as usual.

He just repeated the same words as if praying.

“That’s a relief. Yes, yes… it’s really a relief…….”

Well, if he had been an explorer for several years, he would have experienced quite a few things. The death of a companion was like a fate for an explorer.

“To be safe after encountering a troll, I should make an offering at the temple when we return…….”

The next to wake up after the dwarf was Rotmiller.

I hesitantly approached him and started with an apology mixed with excuses.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect the troll to act like that when it couldn’t see.”

“…How is that your fault? We should be the ones thanking you. If you hadn’t been there, none of us would have survived.”

“But…….”

“Your judgment was correct, so don’t blame yourself.”

It seemed like Rotmiller already knew about the choice I had made to sacrifice them.

Well, there’s no way he wouldn’t know.

I kept shouting to keep going.

“Ugh, ugh…….”

Later, as time passed, Dwarki also opened his eyes, groaning.

“Don’t move. Your injuries haven’t healed yet.”

“Is… everyone okay……?”

“We’re all okay! So don’t worry!”

“Ah… M, Miss Misha… I’m glad you’re safe…….”

“You idiot! Is that what you should be saying?”

“T, that’s……! Cough! Y, yes, I guess so……? Hahaha.”

The atmosphere, which had been endlessly heavy, brightened up a bit as Dwarki, who had been in the most critical condition, woke up.

“Haha, the five of us caught a troll. At this rate, we won’t be able to brag about it. No one will believe us!”

The dwarf also started to make jokes as usual, and it was the same for Misha.

“Ugh, we should have at least gotten an essence! It feels unfair. We went through all that trouble and got nothing?”

“You saved your lives.”

“Rotmiller, you’re too selfless, that’s the problem.”

“Yeah, you even used a highest-grade potion this time, right? Ah, of course, don’t worry. We’ll all chip in to pay for it.”

“That makes me feel a little better.”

“Ah, but Bjorn. What are we going to do now? You’re not thinking of going up any further, are you?”

“Hah… what do you think of me? Of course, I’m going to rest for a while.”

“Wait, Misha? Why are you asking Bjorn for his opinion? I’m clearly the leader of the team, right?”

“Ah… right?”

Whatever the dwarf’s question was.

My suggestion to stay on this floor until the labyrinth closed was accepted without any objections.

Well, we weren’t in a state to continue exploring.

We rested, soothing our tired bodies and minds, in the place where we had fought the troll.

「The labyrinth has closed.」

「The character is moving to Lapdonia.」

And so, a week passed, and my sixth exploration came to an end.