Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 142

In survival, choice and focus are crucial. What to give up, and what to choose. The more rationally you solve this difficult problem, the higher your survival rate becomes. However, this time I couldn’t do that. “Cough, cough!” Three injured people and one top-grade potion. In fact, the best course of action was to give the entire potion to Rotmiller. I needed to revive him as quickly as possible to get the potions in the [Treasure Vault]. So, it was right to heal myself with a high-grade potion and give the remaining top-grade potion to Dwarki. But… ‘If I had, Dwarki would have died.’ Rational choice was difficult. Even though my head already knew, my body, without any hesitation, gave half the potion to Dwarki. As a result. “Both of you, please hold on! Let’s all get out of this damn place alive!” The certain future disappeared. Because I couldn’t give up on Dwarki, I couldn’t guarantee Rotmiller’s life either. If I had given it right away, half a potion would have been enough, but the problem was that I gave it too late. Simply put, high risk, high return. Because I wanted the entire team to survive, I made an irrational decision that could kill the entire team. “B, Bjorn….” I approached Rotmiller. And I kept checking his pulse and breathing. I hoped he would hold on. If this old man dies like this, all five of us will die. ’10 minutes.’ After that much time, that Dragonslayer bastard will wake up too. And right now, the only one who’s okay is the dwarf. If the dwarf can’t hold him off, everything is over. “Ah, right! The stone chamber! Bjorn, what was that stone chamber!” The dwarf, who was guarding Dwarki, looks at me. And he asks about the identity of the stone chamber that we searched for 12 hours to find. Full of his own hope. “Elixir? Potion? Something like that in there? Ah, if it’s something like that, you would have taken it, right? Then maybe it’s a healing spring or something like that?” “…That stone chamber isn’t for that purpose.” “Then what is it! It’s a place you found after wandering around so hard! There must be something there!” The dwarf asks, hoping for one answer. I know that it’s best not to answer questions like this, but… I paused for a moment and opened my mouth. “That stone chamber is a trap room.” “A trap room…?” “Yes, if you open the box, you’ll be returned to the starting point.” If the bastard and the priest appeared at the same time, I was planning to immediately abandon Plan A and use this to escape through the portal. Because there was no chance of winning no matter what we did then. “Th, then! Let’s get on this and go back! That’ll do it!” “Hicurod Murad, get a grip. Even if we can go back to the tower, nothing will change.” Going to the tower won’t make potions appear or anything. And in the first place, going back is impossible. Unless we’re aiming to rob an empty house. To head to the portal while injured? It’s no different from suicide. Because Karui’s priest, who is presumed to have changed his job with the divine power of a high priest, will be guarding that place. “Ah, right! The priest! Wasn’t there an old man who was like a priest in that group? Let’s find him.” “Stop it.” “In my opinion, he seemed to be following that man against his will. If that’s the case—” “Stop it, Hicurod.” “How can I stop! Two people are dying, shouldn’t we do something!” The dwarf shouted as if in despair at his own powerlessness, and I said coldly. “There’s nothing we can do now. We can only watch.” “Really… is that really all there is?” “Yes.” There were three possible outcomes. Everyone lives. Everyone dies. Or someone dies, and someone survives. Each second felt like an eternity. And… “What… happened to him…?” Dwarki regained consciousness. *** “Dwarki! Don’t talk!” “Yes, stay still. As soon as Rotmiller wakes up, we’ll give him the potion—” Dwarki, seeing us pouring out words, asked again. “What about him….” “…?” “What happened to him?” As if that was more important than his own life. As soon as he opened his eyes, he asked only that repeatedly. I hesitated for a moment. Should I tell him the truth? The hesitation didn’t last long. “He didn’t die.” “Ah….” “But thanks to you, we’ve overcome the immediate crisis. Leave the rest to us and rest.” “N, no, I can’t.” Dwarki desperately shook his head. “T, there’s no… time.” “Didn’t you hear me just now? As soon as Rotmiller wakes up, we’ll give him the potion—” “Th, this is not… something that can be healed with a potion.” There was a moment of silence at those words, and I calmly accepted reality. “…I see.” I don’t know what method Dwarki used. But it’s Dwarki’s words, who knows the current situation best. It’s Dwarki’s words, who desires life more than anyone else. So, there’s no point in denying it. “What are you talking about! It’s a, a top-grade potion!” “That’s right! You know, don’t you? What kind of item this is. So, don’t say strange things—” “Miss Misha.” Dwarki opened his eyes and looked at us. “Hicurod, and… Bjorn.” He only called out each name. However, having spent my childhood in a hospital and witnessing countless deaths, I could tell. What Dwarki is trying to do now. “Speak. I’ll tell Rotmiller.” “…Thank you.” Like a candle whose wick is about to burn out. As if wanting to leave something in the world. As if wanting to be remembered. To emit the greatest light in the last moment. “There is something I must say to you all.” Soon, the trembling in Dwarki’s voice stopped. *** My mother loved the sea. Something unknown, the sea, that she had never seen but only heard about. I couldn’t understand it when I was young, but as I grew older, I came to understand. “There are things that you want more… because you can’t have them.” There are such things in the world. Because you don’t know them, because they are not allowed to you. That’s why they look even more dazzling. “You were such beings to me.” I was lucky. More than I deserved. I met good people and went on adventures. We shared many stories and comforted each other. The empty space that I thought would never be filled was finally filled. That’s why I had to say it. “Thank you all for being my companions.” Words I couldn’t say before because I was embarrassed. Words I had always postponed, promising for later. But words that would be buried in my heart forever if not now. Swoosh. Dwarki looked ahead with blurry eyes. “Uwaaaah! Don’t say such things! Huh? Dwarki, please….” The woman he loved was crying. That’s not what I wanted. Swoosh. He moves his gaze to the side. “I’m the one who… thank you for being my friend. Thank you for joining… the team I made.” A precious friend was looking at him and smiling. I was grateful for his heart, smiling with his beard trembling. And I was sorry. We were going to visit the smithy someday. I won’t be able to keep that promise either. Swoosh. He moves his gaze again. “Riol Worb Dwarki.” The last one was a rival and an admired colleague. A warrior who, unlike the cowardly self, had always fought to the end and protected everyone. He looked at himself with calm eyes. “I apologize. I was wrong about you. You were a more wonderful mage and a colleague than anyone else. And the choice you made was noble and precious.” The man who was always stingy with praise. The warrior who never put insincere words in his mouth, speaks. “It was an honor to be with you.” I was overwhelmed and somehow relieved. I was recognized by him for the first time. I heard the word honor from a great warrior who lived like a hero in stories. I, who was just a half-baked mage. I decorated a page of the journey he would take. This is enough to have no regrets. Yes, it should have been. ‘Why am I….’ I’m frustrated. I’m wronged. I’m scared. I’m empty. ‘Why….’ That was death. Being erased from someone’s next page. “Is there anything else you want to say? I’ll give you some space if you want.” The warrior spoke, and only then did Dwarki realize the reason for this emotion. “Uwaaaah! Dwarki! Don’t die! Please, huh?” There are people who shine in the world. To me, that person was you. I haven’t said that yet. But… ‘It’s greed, isn’t it.’ I try to erase my selfishness. I know that if it’s not now, there will be no chance, but. Her journey will not end today. I shouldn’t remain as a dark shadow in her life that will continue in the future. If I truly care for her, that’s the right thing to do. So, Dwarki opened his mouth. “Bjorn.” “…Do you have something to say to me?” “Yes.” The only thing a departing person can leave behind. “You are quick-witted, aren’t you? Please don’t turn a blind eye anymore.” The warrior didn’t ask again. He must already know what I meant. Because he’s too smart and wise to be called a barbarian. “Answer….” “I understand.” Dwarki, having finally received an answer, smiled brightly from the bottom of his heart. But is this all the time I’m allowed? “…He’s awake.” The warrior’s eyes turn cold. At this, my fading heart beats again. The Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos. A being he could never defeat, even after risking his life. But… “Can we… win?” “Don’t worry. I will definitely bring everyone back alive.” With those words, Dwarki dispelled all his anxiety. He also erased the worry that his death would be meaningless. If this trustworthy warrior said so, it would surely be so. So, I’ll let go of everything now… Swoosh. I close my eyes. The sound fades away, and the darkness deepens. In my slowly dulling thoughts, I think. If I had lived a heroic life. So, if my life was recorded in a book, even for a short time. What would be the sentence written at the end? A pretty good phrase came to mind. It might not be a very fitting expression for a mage’s end, but… ‘Not bad.’ The mage of Team Half-Pint, Riol Worb Dwarki. After protecting his precious companions from the Dragonslayer Regal Bagos, one of the members of Orculius— He died a glorious death. *** 「Achievement Achieved」 Condition: First companion character death. Reward: Mental stat permanently increased by +1. *** There is no paradise in the place you run away to. The Dragonslayer, Regal Bagos. As I learned about his identity, this thought became more and more solidified. He’s a member of Orculius, a group that looks down even on the royal family. Although we didn’t exchange names, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find us. If he wanted to retaliate, I thought that even the city would not be safe. That’s why… New Plan A. I made a plan to defeat him. When the ‘Guardian of Balance’ is present. I judged that if it wasn’t this moment, there would be no chance. But what was the result? Thump-! The warrior’s heart beats low. New Plan A failed. The battle with him remained, but I couldn’t save everyone. There was no paradise in the place we fought either. It wasn’t that I didn’t know. There’s no way such a beautiful place exists anywhere in this world. Thump-! Unlike my heart that beats low, this guy’s heart doesn’t beat anymore. But… “Hicurod, we need to prepare to fight.” “I know.” He stands up, using his mace as a cane. Those who are left behind have their own things to do. I take a breath and look beyond the passage. The bastard was getting up from between the petals of the shell that had bloomed wide open. “….” It was time to end this tiresome fight.