Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 217

“No! Take me too…!”

“…I’m sorry.”

The battle ended when an explorer closed his eyes tightly and stepped into the dimensional gate.

It was for a simple reason.

Although knights were still blocking explorers in various parts of the passage…

“Surrender.”

“Huh? But the dimensional gate magic we’re going to use to get out isn’t ready yet…”

“That last one was the final dimensional gate. I’m sorry for you all.”

“C, Commander, what are you talking about—! Aaaagh!!”

As a knight lowered his sword, explorers rushed in, trampling and punching him indiscriminately.

“Tell me! What did you just say! The last dimensional gate!!”

The knight simply endured the violence.

Even as his teeth were knocked out and the blood vessels in his eyes burst, he answered the question.

“It’s exactly as I said.”

“Y, you crazy bastard! So you knew you were going to be abandoned, and yet…!”

“Someone has to stay behind. Your anger is justified. So please, vent it on me. This body still has that much value left.”

“I’ll kill you!!”

“For Lapdonia, for…!”

Some knights surrendered, while others fought to the end, swinging their swords.

But the result was the same.

The explorers overwhelmed them with numbers, broke their lines, and then unleashed their despair and anger mercilessly.

Of course, the explorers knew.

That those knights were in the same situation and would become valuable assets.

However, they needed someone to release their pent-up emotions on.

It was at this time, when similar scenes were unfolding throughout the central area.

“Aaaagh! What the hell are you! Don’t push—!”

A barbarian appeared from one of the passages, easily pushing through the dense crowd.

And…

“You there, knight.”

He grabbed the wrist of an explorer who was beating a knight and spoke.

“Killing.”

“H, hey, let go of me?!”

“Trouble.”

“What! You’re one of those bastards who abandoned us, are you in cahoots with this guy—!”

At that moment, the barbarian’s fist slammed into the face of the explorer who was vehemently protesting.

Thud-!

The explorer’s body fell limply to the ground.

“I said, trouble.”

The barbarian said, breathing heavily.

At the same time, a moment of silence fell.

“…”

No more explorers attacked the knight.

At least, not in that area.

***

The situation in the central area was not much different from what I had expected.

Except for one thing.

‘I didn’t expect there to be so many knights left.’

It’s a pleasant surprise.

They won’t come under my command, but they’re still high-level personnel.

Just by being here, they’ll be good bait for me.

“Yandel!”

My companions appear a beat late, following the path I cleared by pushing people aside.

“Ah, if you’re here, can you take care of this?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, make sure they don’t die.”

I entrusted the half-dead knights to my companions and left the passage, heading towards the central area.

“Aaaagh! St, stop…!”

Screams echoed from all directions with every step I took.

Most of them were from knights.

Yeah, you guys are people too.

It hurts like hell when you get ganged up on.

“…Damn it all!!!”

Seething anger erupted.

On the other hand, there were those who had stepped back from the violence and were sitting down, dejected and in despair.

Those who felt that even anger was meaningless.

“W, we’re all going to die.”

“Cecilia… I’m sorry, I…”

Those who had accepted their deaths as a foregone conclusion.

Among them were those who wore the marks of large clans. Some were in teams, while others were alone or in pairs.

Well, even large clans wouldn’t be able to take everyone back.

Even knights were being abandoned, weren’t they?

The lower-priority members would have been weeded out first.

Because tickets are limited.

“Stop it…! No matter what, nothing will change! They’re in the same situation as us!”

Occasionally, voices trying to quell the anger could be heard.

In this case, there were two types of people.

Those who relied entirely on emotion and raised their voices to uphold morality and humanity.

And…

“Are you all crazy! If we keep doing this, we’ll all die!”

Those who hadn’t given up hope yet.

Those who put aside their anger and tried to rationally stop the violence.

In a way, I would belong to this category.

They are the ones who will be the most helpful to me in the current situation.

Thud.

Finally, I stop walking.

In front of me is the monument I’ve seen countless times.

The last great sage.

The only structure in the labyrinth, built to praise the achievements of Diplun Groundel Gavrilius.

[In commemoration of his great first step]

There is a hidden mechanism in this monument.

It opens the first-floor rift.

However, it is impossible to escape the war by entering the rift.

Not only is there no 8th-grade magic stone…

Even if there was, it would be useless.

The last time the rift opened was a month ago.

I thought it would be more beneficial to explore the 5th floor, so I didn’t bother going, and it opened naturally.

Well, there’s no point in regretting it.

“Ahem, ahem.”

I cough and clear my throat.

Even so, I’m not particularly worried.

If there’s one outstanding characteristic of barbarians besides their excellent physical stats, it’s their unique booming voice.

“STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP———!!!!!”

A roar unleashed in [Giant Form].

The shout was enough to penetrate everyone’s ears even in the chaotic situation.

For a moment, everyone stopped what they were doing and focused their attention.

Of course, it didn’t last long.

Explorers glanced at me with eyes that seemed to say, ‘What’s that guy?’, and then lost interest.

‘Yeah, I guess this isn’t enough.’

Actually, I didn’t have high expectations.

Would such a thing happen in reality?

“I am Bjorn, son of Yandel of Little Balkan!!”

Whether they ignored me or not, I continued to shout and yell.

Barbarian rule number one.

If your voice didn’t reach them, it’s because your voice wasn’t loud enough.

Therefore…

“If there are any of my kin who know me, follow my words from now on!!!”

I request support.

Because I’m not the only barbarian here.

“Bjorn, son of Yandel of Little Balkan!”

“Great warrior!”

“It’s the next chieftain’s order!! We must follow!”

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Starting with Caron and Ainar’s shouts, the barbarians scattered throughout the cave roared as if they had been waiting for this moment.

Our barbarians had been watching me ever since I shouted.

Even if they didn’t know what I was trying to do, they must have thought that they had to help me since I was their kin.

“I’ll say it again—! Everyone stop—!!”

As I shouted, the chorus followed.

“I’ll say it again! Everyone stop!”

“I’ll say it again! Everyone stop!”

“I’ll say it again! Everyone stop!”

Once again, the crowd stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on me.

If I had been shouting alone until my throat was hoarse, it might have been different.

But since the same shouts were repeated everywhere as if it were an announcement, they couldn’t help but be curious.

“Who are you to tell us to stop!!”

“We’re in this mess because of these bastards, and you’re telling us to hold back?!”

However, the negative views were still greater.

There were still quite a few who were still beating the knights, consumed by anger.

That’s why I kept shouting.

“I’ll say it again—! Everyone stop—!!”

Like a simple-minded barbarian.

I stubbornly repeated the same words over and over again.

I kept repeating until my request was fulfilled.

It was when I had shouted about ten times.

“I’ll say it again—! Everyone stop—!!”

“Someone shut that bastard up!!”

The arrows of anger, which didn’t diminish no matter how much they were vented, eventually turned towards me.

“If you’re going to side with the royal family, you die too!!”

There were even explorers who rushed at me.

“Protect the next chieftain!!”

Seeing this, the barbarian warriors rushed to protect me.

However, I stopped them.

“Stop!!! We must not fight each other!!!”

The simple-minded barbarians stopped moving at my shout. But the explorer who was rushing at me did not.

Swish.

The explorer swung his sword as if he were facing an enemy.

Clang!

I had roughly guessed from his equipment, but as expected, there wasn’t even a scratch on my body.

No, would a normal iron sword even pierce me?

“O, oh…”

Without blocking or anything, I just maintained my initial stance and took the blow with my body.

The difference in skill was evident enough just from that.

Was it because he belatedly realized his mistake?

“…”

His excitement faded, and his head cooled down, and he took a step back as if he was afraid of me.

Hey, where are you going?

I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him closer.

And I asked.

“Do you want to live?”

“…?”

“I asked if you want to live!!! If you’re going to die anyway, why are you running away!!”

The explorer’s face turned pale as I shouted as if I was scolding him.

“Tell me, do you want to live!!”

Like a cornered rat biting a cat, the explorer, unable to withstand the pressure, looked me in the eye and shouted.

“W, who would want to die!”

That was the line I wanted to hear.

Since everyone was already looking this way because of this guy’s sudden actions.

I let go of the explorer’s shoulder.

“Then run away. If you think you can live by doing that.”

The explorer had regained his freedom, but he didn’t turn around and run away.

Or rather, he couldn’t.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.

But did he still have some energy left?

He shouted as if he was venting his frustration.

“Then what the hell are we supposed to do!”

What are you supposed to do?

I’ve said it so many times already.

I took my eyes off him.

And once again, I looked around and shouted.

“I’ll say it again—! Everyone stop—!!”

The life of a barbarian had taught me.

That regret will eventually become perseverance.

If you don’t give up first.

***

It was only for a very brief moment, but silence had fallen.

It was truly a miraculous event.

All that the barbarian had done was shout. He didn’t use violence, he just kept shouting persistently.

At first, they thought it was a foolish act.

They thought that no matter how many times he shouted, the current chaos would not be subdued.

So, he had judged that once all the knights were dead, everyone would regain their senses and come up with a plan, and he had stayed out of the situation with his clan members until now.

But…

“Amazing.”

The one-sided violence against the knights had almost stopped.

A result created by one barbarian.

How was such a thing possible?

The detailed reasons were still unknown.

He could only speculate.

As it is often said that words have power.

Perhaps the barbarian’s words had even greater power.

Just as one action is more deeply etched in the mind than a hundred words.

Perhaps they had developed a glimmer of hope in his foolish stubbornness.

He chuckled.

No, maybe it was just that their reason had returned after seeing the same foolish act over and over again.

Why is it that when you’re having a serious conversation, the atmosphere changes when someone says something silly?

Of course, this was just speculation.

The actual cause was unknown.

Maybe they were just curious about what the barbarian wanted to say that made him act like that.

However, one thing was clear.

That barbarian had done what he couldn’t do.

5th-grade explorer, Little Balkan.

Even though his martial power and the forces he led were far inferior to his own.

He had done it.

“Vice-Captain.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Watching is over. If there’s anyone nearby attacking a knight, stop them.”

The man gave an order to his vice-captain.

And he began to walk.

“Captain, where are you going?”

“I’m going to listen to what that barbarian has to say, what he wants to say that made him do that. Whether he’s just a fool, or…”

“…?”

The vice-captain tilted his head, but the man kept his words to himself.

Something about it made him laugh.

But…

“Everyone, stop! He’s right. Let’s stop for now! And let’s calmly put our heads together!”

Just as he had done, those who had been bystanders in the passages were now raising their voices and showing themselves.

Thump-!

His heart was pounding for some reason.

The man stared at the place where the monument was.

“I’ll say it again—! Everyone stop—!!”

The barbarian was still shouting.

His kin were following and chanting.

“Everyone, stop!”

Now, even those who were not related to him were shouting.

Seeing this, the man couldn’t help but think.

“From now on, those who cause discord will be considered enemies!”

That all of this was like a scene from a story about a hero from a folktale he had read as a child.

***

A man approaches.

“I am Melter Pend, the leader of the Nartel Clan. If there is a way to overcome this situation, I would like to hear it.”

Next was a woman.

“I am Lacy Naret of the Heindel Order. I have come to thank you for preventing this tragedy.”

The third was a mage.

“I am a military mage of Lapdonia. Ah, for the record, I wasn’t abandoned, I stayed of my own will. I didn’t like that commander guy.”

After that, people continued to gather.

Priests, mages, clan leaders, vice-captains, team leaders, or individuals. Those who belonged to a group but were abandoned or stayed of their own accord.

“Isn’t it time to stop shouting? Everyone is waiting for you to speak now.”

“Tell us. Is there really a way? It’s not just because you felt sorry for the knights and told us not to kill them, is it!”

Is the barbarian-style ‘do it!’ invincible?

Having achieved what I wanted, I turned off the mindless infinite repeat mode.

“It’s nice to meet you all. I am Bjorn, son of Yandel.”

The conditions for a conversation were finally in place.