Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 223

Just a few steps away, darkness awaits.

We maintain a tight formation, relying on the flickering torchlight.

Unpleasant gazes surround us.

‘Tch, the way they’re staring.’

Hundreds of eyes emerge from the darkness.

It’s like stepping into a grim and bizarre fairy tale, characterized by a bleak atmosphere.

Of course, it’s just the atmosphere.

The outcome depends on us.

If we overcome adversity, it will become a story of hope.

If we fall, it will remain a tale of cruelty.

Whoosh!

The spike-shaped shadow that had been embedded in my shield is pulled out and retrieved into the darkness.

It’s happened several times already.

This bastard seems to be shy, as it’s only been using basic attacks from afar since we first met.

‘Is this a good thing for us, who need to buy time?’

I check my equipment while thinking that.

The shield is riddled with holes.

A warrior next to me muttered.

“You’ll need to buy a new shield when you get out of here.”

His words assume that we’ll make it out alive.

I chuckled and replied.

“Yeah, I’ll have to buy a new one.”

We will survive.

Even if it’s just one more person.

Swoosh.

After a final four-hit combo, a presence is felt from the darkness.

Alright, so the probing is over, huh?

Swoosh.

Soon, with an eerie gust of wind, it reveals itself.

It’s about 2 meters tall.

It wears tattered robes that the dead might wear, and it has no proper equipment.

The outline is that of a basic human form.

However, as if it were a spirit-type monster, only dark blue smoke flickers in the parts of its body that are exposed outside its clothes.

Also…….

Flash-!

Where its head should be, above its neck.

In that shaded spot, covered by a hood, only a crimson glow emanates.

It was clearly different from a human structure.

First of all, the eye that emits light is only one.

Even that is not on the right or left side, but in the center of the face, making it disproportionate, and…….

It’s huge.

As if its entire head were made of a giant eyeball.

“Try not to make eye contact with it.”

As soon as I confirmed its appearance, I fixed my gaze on its shoulder.

It’s a simple reason.

[Do not fear.]

The moment you make eye contact, there’s a chance you’ll fall into the ‘fear’ status ailment.

And…….

[Look at me.]

If fear is stacked nine times, that character will permanently become a subordinate of the Abyssal Lord.

Like the many monsters in the labyrinth.

Becoming an enemy and attacking us.

‘What a messed up pattern.’

It’s practically a conditional instant kill.

‘The ‘monsterification’ doesn’t go away even after the boss fight is over.’

‘Well, our goal isn’t to clear the boss, we just need to hold out for 10 minutes…….’

I don’t think we’ll reach ‘monsterification’ within 10 minutes.

But we can’t be complacent.

We didn’t come here fully prepared.

We have no fear-related setups.

In short, the ‘fear’ status ailment alone is threatening enough.

“Ugh…….”

A warrior next to me groaned, clutching his head.

It seems he made eye contact with it.

If he was afflicted with fear, he would either drop his weapon and run away or attack us—

“Bjorn!”

“Be careful!”

While briefly checking on my comrade, a shadow extended from Berzak’s chest.

The same spike that had struck my shield several times.

However, it was a slightly different pattern than before.

Whoosh.

The sharply flying spike splits into dozens mid-air, engulfing me.

It’s like a net.

The shadows cling to my body like octopus suckers.

I feel a pulling force all over my body.

The intention was clear.

Since basic attacks would take too long, it’s trying to drag me into the darkness.

Ha, we’re not that weak.

“Echobir Iheran Iphoun.”

Kyle cast a pre-casted spell.

7th-tier support magic, ‘Attribute Enchantment’.

For reference, the attribute is the sun attribute, which is the opposite of dark-type monsters.

Whoosh-!

A pure white flame, combining fire and holy attributes, covers the weapons of everyone except the knight.

The reason it wasn’t used on the knight is simple.

Clang-!

With aura, it’s possible to damage the monster without ‘Attribute Enchantment’.

“Save Bjorn!”

As soon as my body was bound by the shadows, the warriors rushed in, slashing and smashing them with their flame-covered weapons.

My body was freed in an instant.

However, without a moment to catch my breath, dozens of shadows shot out from the monster’s body again.

Whoosh!

This time, it was a different pattern than before.

It’s targeting not just me, but everyone.

I quickly readjusted my shield.

‘Is it starting now?’

It’s time to start the battle in earnest.

***

The eyeball monster I killed earlier.

‘Abyssal Watcher’ is a summoning skill that Berzak uses to choose its next victim after finishing a battle.

When cast, it summons them throughout the cave, and the watchers wander around looking for sacrifices.

For reference, once you encounter one, that’s it.

There’s no way to lose aggro [aggression, or the state of being targeted].

That’s why I didn’t hesitate to burst the eyeball and kill it.

If someone doesn’t draw the main aggro, it’s impossible to lure the monster out.

Just looking at it now, you can see that the monster only recognized me as an enemy until my comrades attacked first to save me.

[But wouldn’t it be better for one person to step up and sacrifice themselves?]

When we were making the plan, someone suggested that, but it was a practically impossible operation.

Putting aside the question of who would take on that role.

Berzak’s field of vision is about 2km.

At the very least, it’s meaningless unless we can hold out until the expedition team is completely out of its sight.

’10 minutes.’

Kyle estimated that time to be about 10 minutes.

If we fall before that, the monster will chase the expedition team again and carry out a senseless massacre.

Therefore…….

Thud-!

We endure.

Not just me alone.

Together with the mages and warriors who followed me.

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!!”

We resist the darkness, wielding our burning weapons.

It wasn’t easy.

Whoosh-!

Basic attacks in the form of high-penetration spikes.

Normally, I would have reacted without difficulty.

I don’t know how long it will last, but as long as I block with my shield, I won’t get seriously injured.

However…….

‘Damn game.’

The problem is that I can’t see properly.

Since I’m looking down to avoid eye contact, I keep failing to react in time.

For reference, it was like this in the actual game too.

[Do not look into Berzak’s eyes.]

If this instruction was applied to the character, even if the agility stat was high, the evasion rate and defense success rate would plummet.

Just like now.

Thud-!

The shadow pierced deep into my shoulder.

「Due to the ‘Recovery (High)’ effect, your body is rapidly regenerating.」

I’m using potions so fast that it’s not enough.

Even though the aggro is distributed, the main aggro is still on me.

But in the midst of all that.

“Ah, aah!!”

It’s not just stabbing, but also flying in the form of a net, dragging my comrades into the darkness.

So far, I’ve been cutting down the shadows and blocking them, but…….

‘Damn it.’

I couldn’t block them forever.

Eventually, the first casualty occurred.

“Silian!!”

Silian Nerf.

He was the guy who came along because he thought it would be cool to talk about this later at the bar.

“Aaaah! Aaaah! Aah!!”

Terrible screams echoed from the darkness where he was dragged.

It felt very strange.

In the game, I just thought it was a production to enhance the atmosphere.

“…….”

Anger boils within me.

But the more it does, the more I need to stay focused.

Because, as always, there needs to be someone like that.

“Stop.”

“But!”

“If you go, you’ll die too.”

Once they’ve been sucked in, it’s impossible to save them.

Not with our current level.

“Damn it!”

A warrior vented his anger.

I could understand why.

He couldn’t even watch his comrade, who had been fighting alongside him all day, die.

He could only hear the sounds from beyond the darkness.

It’s helpless.

It was a feeling I had felt countless times today.

But whether I felt helpless or not, the battle continued.

「Due to the ‘Recovery (High)’ effect, your body is rapidly regenerating.」

Berzak also used a skill.

[Abyssal Call].

A skill that gathers the mobs [groups of monsters] within its field of vision to one place.

“Grrr! Grrr!”

The summoned Abyssal Goblins released monster bundles and summoned monsters, and laid traps from afar.

This is why one person died.

Swish.

A trap was activated, and a melee broke out as monsters that popped out of the monster bundles ran wild.

The spike-shaped shadow pierced through a comrade’s body.

The mages, who had been using mana shields to prevent fatal injuries, couldn’t react.

Thud.

And so, another person died.

“Kyle! How much time is left!”

“4 minutes.”

What, 3 minutes?

“4 minutes have passed.”

Whew, I almost got excited—

Crack-!

Then, the first variable occurred.

“It’s a troll! Push it back!!”

One more person died.

The cause was a troll summoned right in front of us.

The problem wasn’t the troll, but that the deceased was a mage.

‘Damn it.’

I thought the death of a warrior was inevitable, but a mage is different.

We placed them in the center to protect them at all costs.

‘If this happens, my mana will run out quickly…….’

This is the worst.

Even while thinking that, I kept moving my body.

And so, more time passed.

“5 minutes left.”

“4 minutes!”

As if to boost morale, Kyle announced the time every minute.

“We only need to hold out for 3 more minutes!”

There were no casualties after the mage died.

As veteran explorers, they were slowly gaining combat proficiency.

However, it was when 8 minutes had passed.

“I can’t use magic anymore. Just maintaining the enchantment magic is all I can do.”

Kyle announced as if notifying us.

‘We have to hold out for 2 more minutes without the support of a mage…….’

It’s earlier than expected, but it can’t be helped.

One mage died.

There was no other choice if we wanted to save the mana to activate that magic circle.

“Kieeeek!!”

When the mage’s wide-area magic stopped, the monsters that popped out of the bundles gradually piled up.

Reduced numbers.

The absence of magic.

In a situation where the burden had increased, Berzak relentlessly shot shadows like arrows from afar.

Swish-!

And so, one more person died.

‘I won’t be able to keep my promise.’

In the midst of such a fierce battle, you can’t leave a last will.

Whether the enemy is a monster or a person.

Because they’re not kind enough to give you that time.

So we talked about it beforehand.

[If you can take the equipment, take it and pass it on to your comrades.]

That was the last will of the guy who just fell.

But, as I said back then, I don’t think there will be any room for that.

“Aah! H-help me!”

The guy right next to me was dragged by the shadows and disappeared into the darkness.

“Aah! Aaaah!!”

I clenched my lips, listening to the continuous screams.

[Tell my son the news. I think you’ll be famous when you get out of here. He’ll like that.]

I will be able to keep this one.

If I can make it back alive.

“We’re going to use the magic circle now!”

One minute before the target of 10 minutes.

The mages activated the magic circle they had drawn in advance.

I swung my mace mindlessly.

I couldn’t see where my shield went.

Ah, I threw it away earlier, saying what use is this?

It’s not a waste since it can’t be repaired anyway.

“Yandel, come here!”

Oh, is it already done?

Soon, a brilliant light emanated from the floor.

Then, as if wary, Berzak stopped attacking and looked at us.

The same was true for the other monsters.

“…….”

It was only for a moment, but the battle stopped.

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

I couldn’t see all the corpses.

It’s only natural.

Some were dragged into the darkness.

‘They must be nearby…… Ah!’

I found the corpse I was looking for at the edge of the light.

I quickly approached and retrieved his sword and shield.

I had to use quite a bit of force.

Even in death, he was holding his weapons, with his eyes open.

“Bjorn!”

Someone shouted, and I rolled on the floor and entered the magic circle.

The warriors didn’t ask why I did that.

“That’s…… yeah, we had that promise.”

“Your comrades will be grateful.”

As soon as I quickly stood up, I saw the monsters approaching us.

They were momentarily flustered by the light emitted by the magic circle.

It seems they judged that it wasn’t a threat.

“You’re being annoying until the very end!”

“Hey, mage! I think we should go soon?”

“It’ll be just a little longer!”

I stared straight ahead.

Berzak, I could see it.

[I have seen you.]

Seen what, you bastard.

I fixed my gaze on it and recited the names of the deceased.

Silian Nerof.

Neil Faymez.

Paul Agmerus.

Garfen Gullen.

Matt Elvans.

Repri Siaverus.

Six in total.

‘Yeah, someday I’ll see you again.’

Chaos Lord Liakis.

Dragonslayer Regal Bagos.

And even Berzak.

「Kyle Febrosk has cast the 4th-tier space magic [Multiple Teleportation].」

I hope these bastards know.

That I won’t be running away forever.

***

When I opened my eyes, there were people all around me.

Yeah, we made it.

“How much distance did we put between us and the monster?”

“Well, it’s probably about 3km. It’s completely out of sight, so it won’t be able to follow us. Ah, it’s a different story if we meet the Abyssal Watcher again.”

Like a possessed person, I checked behind me.

There wasn’t a single one of those damn eyeballs in the darkness. It really meant that we succeeded in teleporting that far.

“Amazing.”

“Amazing, my ass. If we hadn’t left the coordinate designation medium here, even I wouldn’t have been able to teleport this far. Ah, and I also shared the mana of the other mages.”

Well, he said it with a shy tone, but it’s not something anyone can do.

No matter how much help he had.

It’s not easy to use that kind of magic in a place where mana efficiency is reduced to a quarter.

“……Then, let’s go first.”

“Without resting?”

“We can rest while we go.”

I opened a potion and poured it over my head.

And while the other warriors were being treated, I moved forward.

Soon, I saw the people I was looking for.

They were Garfen Gullen’s comrades.

They were so close that they came to the front line to take him away, asking why he was going to the front and suffering for nothing.

“You guys are…….”

They recognized me too.

And they froze.

Their gaze was on the sword and shield I was holding.

“Take it.”

“……Is he dead?”

A female explorer asked, sobbing, and I just remained silent. Her mouth opened after a while.

“This… I’ll take it. But you take this.”

The woman picked up the sword and handed me the shield.

“I thought you might need it.”

“……I’ll gratefully accept it.”

I decided to accept the shield without refusing.

I had lost the shield I was using anyway.

It also seemed like refusing would be more hurtful.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

I continued to move forward.

As I continued to move, I reached the location where my comrades were.

“Did anyone get hurt while I was gone?”

“…….”

No one answered my question.

They just stared blankly at me.

Misha even trembled her hand.

Ah, are they going to scold me for getting hurt?

I should run away quickly.

“If no one got hurt, that’s good. Then I’ll go first—”

“Stop.”

“…….”

“Please, stop and rest. Isn’t this enough? Huh?”

“Yes, Mr. Yandel. Do as Mr. Karlstein says. Going ahead like this won’t help. You said we might have a big fight later.”

I gave up my stubbornness.

Raven is right.

Despite having gone through so much, there are still mountains to climb.

It would be better to conserve my strength.

Thump, thump.

While the other warriors cleared the path at the front, I followed the procession with my comrades, recovering my strength.

How much time had passed?

[Halt!]

An order to stop the procession came from the message stone.

I could feel it instinctively.

That we had arrived at our destination.

[Is the portal, is the portal open?]

Kyle’s voice was heard, followed by Teterud, the leader of the dwarf clan who was in charge of the front line.

[It’s open.]

Yeah, we came to the right place.

I feel like my legs are giving out.

If this place was also destroyed, I would have really lost it.

“Raven, I’ll leave this to you.”

“Yes, go ahead. You’re going to go anyway, even if I try to stop you, right?”

“…….”

I pushed past the explorers and headed to the front line.

As soon as I arrived, Teterud greeted me.

“So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to go in right away?”

“As soon as the preparations are complete at the back.”

“Are you going to lead the way again this time?”

“Does it matter? You guys are going to follow right behind anyway.”

“Haha, that’s true, isn’t it?”

I stood in front of the portal.

After about 10 minutes, I received a message from Kyle through the message stone.

[The preparations are complete. You can go in now.]

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I could feel my breathing becoming rough.

But the more it did, the more I thought of the positive aspects.

‘There might be no one there.’

From Noark’s point of view, they would have thought.

That even if someone survived, it would be a small number.

‘It’s more beneficial for them if we return to the city, testify about what the royal family did, and cause a disturbance.’

Of course, it’s just one possibility.

They might have deployed troops and tried to thoroughly eliminate even the few survivors.

However…….

‘They wouldn’t have left that many behind.’

No matter how much equipment they got on the first floor, they can’t live off of that. The core forces will go straight up to mine the magic stones.

‘Damn it.’

Even while thinking that, I’m not sure of myself.

But I took a step forward.

‘It’s not like it’s the first time.’

How many times have I been sure of anything?

We don’t have a choice anyway.

If we just wait, we’ll only be tormented by the Abyssal Goblins and our strength will only decrease.

So…….

Thump.

I took another step and stepped into the portal.

「You have entered the 2nd floor, Goblin Forest.」

My vision went black for a moment.

Soon, I felt a sensation of floating in the air.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a green forest.

“Damn it.”

There was one good news and one bad news.

The good news was that there weren’t many troops nearby.

And the bad news was…….

‘Damn it, I can’t believe these bastards are still here.’

My prediction that the core forces would go up to mine magic stones was wrong.

Thud.

After regaining my balance and landing on the ground, I observed the three people in the forest.

I could tell who they were just by their appearance.

At least two of them.

“The first survivor, I see.”

The one who destroyed the portal.

‘The Ruin Scholar.’

“Haha, I told you that if we waited, at least one person would come, didn’t I? Hey, Barbarian! Congratulations. You must have had a hard time coming here, right?”

A beastman whose identity is unknown.

And…….

“Oh, we meet again here?”

The man still wearing that white mask.

“It seems we are destined to be together?”

The Corpse Collector.

“Heh.”

He smiled at me.