Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 164

A large, enhanced backpack worth 2 million stones.

A steel dagger and miscellaneous equipment.

A bundle of consumables more effective against people than monsters.

And….

‘What on earth was that guy?’

A spoonful of unease settled like a stone.

These were the things the masked man, whose name we didn’t even know, had left us.

‘No matter how I think about it, he doesn’t seem like a normal plunderer. The fact that he was alone, and what he did at the end….’

The masked man chose to kill himself as soon as the situation turned against him.

Anyone could tell that this was far from a normal situation.

However….

‘Stop worrying about it. There’s nothing we can find out even if we wonder about it now.’

The truth was already buried in darkness.

So, we had no choice but to take what we could and continue on our way.

That’s what explorers do, right?

‘Bjorn, how many cotton candies could we buy with this?’

Ainar asked, his eyes wide with anticipation, and before I could answer, Raven spoke up.

‘If you add it all up, it’ll be about 3.5 million stones.’

‘…Do you have knowledge in this area too?’

‘I won’t know for sure until I sell it in the city, but there won’t be much of a difference. I got a general appraiser’s license a while ago.’

Oh, there’s such a thing….

When I asked for details, it turned out to be different from a specialized appraiser. You had to be able to determine the value with pure knowledge, not skills, to get it?

‘Yandel, you should look into it later when you have time. Just showing this can save you from unnecessary haggling. A broker’s license might be a bit difficult, but—’

‘It’s okay. I’ve never lost a battle of wits.’

I cut him off before he could start bragging and resumed the exploration. The method was not much different from when we were Team Half-Pint.

We focused on climbing the tower, choosing the Path of Wisdom as our first priority and the Path of Courage as our second.

‘…Ugh, are we going to be wandering in a maze all day again?’

‘We don’t have a professional scout, so what else can we do?’

Every time we chose the Path of Wisdom, it was a struggle to find the way, but I had to find it with all my might.

Because my mother-in-law was right next to me.

‘4 hours 34 minutes.’

‘4 hours 11 minutes.’

‘3 hours 59 minutes.’

Raven timed us every time we finished a maze.

Fortunately, the times gradually decreased as we went higher. It was thanks to the know-how I gained from also acting as a guide.

Well, I was still a long way from catching up to Rotmiller.

‘4 hours 35 minutes. It suddenly increased this time?’

‘…Ainar stepped on a trap, so there was no other choice.’

‘Understood.’

Day 9, Day 10, Day 11….

Time passed quickly, and from Day 12, we just slept without keeping watch.

‘Are we going to decide on a watch today too?’

‘…It seems like a waste.’

‘Hah, because of that damn guy, what is this really? Isn’t this too much? A surprise attack here of all places….’

Misha was furious, as if a sanctuary had been violated.

I felt similarly, to be honest.

This was the only place where we could rest without worry.

‘Damn it.’

Despite the various incidents, the exploration proceeded smoothly, and by Day 16, we reached the 100th floor.

This meant that we could now search for the portal leading to the 5th floor.

‘2 hours 41 minutes… We’ve gotten really fast.’

Raven, who had been acting like a mother-in-law every day, had a satisfied smile on her face.

And I was the same.

‘Actually, am I a genius guide without realizing it?’

Even if I tried my best, the 3-hour wall was tough.

But I was able to break through the barrier and shorten my record after realizing one thing.

It’s easier and faster to destroy traps.

‘Oh, right, Yandel. How long did it take when there was a professional scout on the team to get here?’

‘It took about 12 days.’

‘Four days difference isn’t bad. Since it’s a party without a scout, it’ll be much easier on the 5th floor.’

I agreed.

We lost four days due to the absence of a scout, but aren’t all of our team members combat characters?

We can make up for it in battle.

However….

‘Hah, can’t you just give me a compliment?’

Such complaints swirled inside me.

That’s when Misha came over and patted me on the shoulder.

‘Bjorn, you’ve worked hard. I really didn’t think this would work. We’re probably the only team with a barbarian as a guide, right?’

You’re the only one for me….

‘Ahem.’

Perhaps feeling a bit awkward at Misha’s words, the bear uncle cleared his throat and stepped forward.

He must have felt embarrassed for making a barbarian take on the role of a guide when he was the guide himself.

‘Then, it’s my turn to step up.’

I readily handed over the reins.

This was because we needed to open the doors in the correct order to get to the 5th floor….

‘Which door should we open?’

‘That door over there.’

That’s why the guide is a cheat.

Even if your sensory stats don’t exceed a certain level, you can perceive the magic of the portal with just your innate talent.

[You have chosen the Path of Courage.]

[You have chosen the Path of Wisdom.]

[You have chosen the Path of Courage….]

Using the bear uncle as our compass, we headed towards the portal hidden somewhere in the tower.

Opening doors and overcoming trials, over and over again.

After spending another night and continuing our exploration, we had opened a total of 10 more doors.

‘Finally, the last door.’

We had reached the stage with the portal.

It was almost the end of the 17th day.

Since it was almost time to set up camp, I thought we could rest first and open the door tomorrow.

However….

‘I think I can concentrate better now.’

Considering Raven’s weakness in the morning, we decided to proceed today.

The portal room was also a boss room, after all.

The better the mage’s condition, the better.

‘As I said before, a 5th-grade monster will definitely appear here.’

‘Are you talking about that vampire-like monster?’

Ainar gripped his greatsword with eyes full of excitement and anticipation. He seemed eager to see how much he had changed since he was powerless back then.

Pfft.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I was originally going to add that we shouldn’t let our guard down, and that the survival rate of graduates who reached this point was less than 50%.

But….

‘Hey, why did you stop talking?’

It wouldn’t mean anything anyway.

It wouldn’t be like a barbarian.

‘I forgot.’

‘Huh?’

‘Let’s go beat them up quickly.’

I opened the door.

And climbed the stairs to the next stage.

A stone chamber with a familiar monument in the center.

As soon as all five of us entered, the door closed and a monster was summoned.

[Guaaaah—!!]

I couldn’t help but laugh again.

I wondered what kind of guy would come out.

‘It’s a troll!’

Yeah, a guy like this had to come out for it to feel like graduation.

***

A troll.

The guy who made me smash my keyboard when I was about a year into [Dungeon & Stone]….

The very bastard who brought our team to the brink of annihilation during our Team Half-Pint days.

‘Should we cast a distortion spell first? I heard the troll’s byproducts are so expensive.’

Man, this guy has some guts.

If it’s around 5th grade, the fear should be considerable.

‘Forget it. The essence is just as expensive anyway.’

‘If you say so.’

As Raven and I exchanged a few words, the troll roared and stepped forward.

So, I also kicked off the ground to take on the role of a tank.

[The character has cast [Giant Form].]

The difference in size was reduced in an instant.

As the distance closed, the troll swung its large fist.

Wham!

A heavy impact was transmitted through the giant shield.

But is it because I ate the ogre essence?

It’s not very satisfying.

‘The shield is fine too.’

The lyrium shield, which used to buckle every time I took a punch, didn’t budge this time either.

It was thanks to the 6th stage engraving effect [Unification].

Now, the performance of the equipment I wear is enhanced in proportion to the total stats.

Yeah, this is what I spent so much on!

‘Behel—raaaaaaaah!!’

After boosting my stats with [Wild Outburst], I swung my mace with all my might.

[The character has cast [Swing].]

[The destructive power of blunt weapons is greatly increased in proportion to strength.]

The target impact point was the head.

However, because the guy twisted his body, the giant mace slammed into his shoulder.

Crack!

The shoulder landed in a deformed way, making a satisfying impact sound.

It was dislocated with just one blow.

Before, I had to hit it six times just to break the joints that had been stripped of flesh.

[Guaaaah—!!]

Of course, as a troll, the epitome of healing power, the bone was back in place in a matter of seconds.

But this was enough to measure my combat power.

‘Let’s take a look.’

I focused on defense and observed my teammates.

First, Misha, a member from the beginning.

She hadn’t absorbed any new essences since then, but….

Swish—!

The swung sword cut through the troll’s skin too easily.

It’s the power of cash.

It was an iril longsword that I bought for a whopping 12 million stones.

If it couldn’t do this much, I’d have to go get a refund.

‘Behel—raaaaaaaah!!’

It was Ainar’s shout.

Perhaps envious of Misha’s performance, Ainar immediately joined the front lines and swung his greatsword.

Whoosh—!

A strong gust of wind followed the trajectory of the sword, and afterimages appeared.

Ah, is it a bit much to call them afterimages?

[Ainar Pnelin has cast [Double Cut].]

The active skill of the 4th-grade essence inherited from the elder.

The effect is simple.

When you cut once, it has the effect of cutting twice.

Swish! Swish!

Ah, of course, the effect was minimal against the troll.

The greatsword, with its superior strength and weight, only penetrated about 3cm.

It was because Ainar’s only skill was [Double Cut].

It was a skill that was difficult to perform at its full potential with normal attacks.

‘This guy’s skin is tough… Ack!’

Ainar allowed the troll’s fist to hit him and was knocked backward. He got up again quickly, but blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth.

His organs seemed to be injured.

‘Behel—raaaaaaaah!!’

However, instead of drinking a potion and resting in the back, Ainar attacked again and swung his greatsword.

It was a reasonable choice rather than stubbornness.

Because this time, a red light was surrounding the greatsword.

The active skill of the Bone Knight obtained from the Blood Citadel.

[Ainar Pnelin has cast [Life Drain].]

[When you damage a living creature, your regeneration is temporarily increased.]

Ainar’s health was restored when he hit an enemy.

It was a perfect quality to have as a sub-damage dealer and tank.

Using [Life Drain] with [Double Cut], Ainar returned to his original state after a few slashes.

‘He has lower damage than Misha, but he’s much better at tanking.’

After watching the two fight for a while, I checked their strengths and weaknesses, and what they needed to improve in the future.

‘Ainar needs to get a useful attack skill and eat it quickly. Misha needs to feed on more beast blood to raise her soul level.’

I was thinking about that while casually dealing with the troll.

The bear uncle asked from behind.

‘Can we join in now?’

‘Ah, were you waiting for us?’

‘I was curious to see how well those two young ladies would fight.’

‘I’m not a young lady!!!’

Regardless of Ainar’s shout, the bear uncle joined the fight when I gave my approval.

[Abman Urikfrit has summoned the Iron Bear Iradun.]

However, perhaps judging that the front line was already more than enough, the bear uncle summoned his soul beast behind him like a bodyguard and began to shoot his crossbow in earnest.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Each shot made a huge sonic boom and pierced deep into the troll’s body.

The precision of the hits was also impressive.

An attack method that restricted movement by hitting joints such as the elbows and knees.

Swish—!

Misha and Ainar combined their strength to cut off the troll’s arm.

And then the [Super Regeneration] pattern began.

Since Raven had cast the ‘Worsen’ spell in advance, the regeneration speed was slow.

‘There’s nothing more to see.’

Just as I was about to smash the troll’s head with my mace.

‘Stop!’

The bear uncle stopped me.

‘The third young lady should also have her moment.’

‘…Please don’t call me a young lady.’

Soon, Raven grumbled and waved her wand.

She didn’t tell us to dodge like Dwarki did.

It wasn’t that she lacked consideration, but rather that she judged it unnecessary.

[Arua Raven has cast the 5th-grade attack spell [Lightning Spear].]

A white lightning bolt that zigzagged around our position.

My eyes flashed.

The sound came after that.

Kwakwakwakwang—!!

By the time I realized it, the troll’s head was already gone.

Thud.

The troll fell to the ground and disappeared into light.

Ah, of course, there was no essence this time either.

***

We defeated the troll.

And very easily, as if we were playing with it.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no danger on the 5th floor. That’s where 5th-grade monsters come out in groups.

Whoosh—!

The portal opened as the troll died.

However, we didn’t go up to the 5th floor right away and set up camp. Since we would have to sleep even if we went up, we decided it was better to sleep comfortably for one more day.

‘Is this really the beginning?’

I tossed and turned for a while with anxiety and anticipation before falling asleep.

And the next morning.

To be exact, around 7 a.m. on the 18th day.

‘Wow, I’m really going to the 5th floor….’

After finishing our packing, we entered the portal.

[You have entered the 5th Floor Great Demon Realm.]

With this, we had graduated from the early stages.

It was time to go on a real adventure.