Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 357

He’s about 190 centimeters tall.

How is it that the Lighthouse Keeper, a Noark ability user, has a physique more suited for a warrior than even the Blood Knight?

Looking at him, I licked my lips.

‘Haa… If I had [Leap], it would have been much easier.’

The distance between him and me is about 130 meters.

A distance I could close with just two skills.

However…

‘Well, what can I do? It’s gone.’

I tried to push back my disappointment.

What’s the point of dwelling on something that’s already gone?

If I don’t have a movement skill, I have no choice but to move on my own two feet.

That’s more in line with the Barbarian’s spirit anyway.

“Erwen, Amelia, you two stay here and hold the position.”

“…What about you, Uncle?”

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Back in a bit? Where are you going—”

Where else would I be going?

「The character has used [Wild Outburst].」

I let out a shout and ran forward.

“Woooaaahhhhh!”

It’s not as satisfying as shouting the name of an ancestor god, but it can’t be helped.

I’m not sure if Raven has noticed me yet.

Like the Corpse Collector, there’s a chance he might have further fueled his past misunderstandings.

Tap.

The moment I, who had only been defending and protecting my comrades, broke formation for the first time, there was an immediate reaction.

The first to react was the Blood Knight.

“……”

The guy, who had been keeping his distance to avoid being within teleport range, charged at me.

But…

Clang-!

Do you think that would work?

I can just block his flame sword, which replaces aura, with my shield.

Tap.

Ignoring the Blood Knight, I dash forward again.

Of course, it’s difficult to shake him off with my agility, so my back is left exposed…

Swish-!

Well, it’s not like I have to block with my shield.

I can just take it with my body, and it’ll only be a slightly deep cut, not a serious injury like a limb being severed.

It’s just that the pain is very intense due to my reduced pain tolerance.

‘Ugh, it’s like they put salt on the blade.’

My face naturally contorts from the surging pain, but I don’t stop moving.

If I were the type to stop doing what I needed to do because of pain, I wouldn’t have made it this far.

Tap.

Like a salmon swimming upstream, I push off the ground once more.

And at that moment.

The Blood Knight burst out with praise.

“W-What the… !”

He seemed impressed by my appearance, as I continued to dash forward while getting stabbed in the back.

“Stop, you… !”

It was a bit bland compared to the praises I had received so far, but the bewilderment in his voice made me quite satisfied.

Yeah, when would you ever experience something like this?

With just aura, you would have sliced through any tank.

Swish-!

He stabbed me again, not giving up.

Of course, nothing changed.

Whether my skin was cut or not, I kept running forward like a runaway train.

And…

“……!”

In that process, there was nothing he could do.

Tap.

It was time for this guy to feel it too.

He’s been living comfortably thanks to his aura, but he hasn’t realized it yet.

Swish-!

That a dealer is powerless in front of a tank.

Whoosh!

Just in time, support fire came from behind.

It was an arrow shot by Erwen.

And…

Thud.

The arrow hit his arm.

He was dodging well when we were only defending, so why did he want to get to me so badly?

I don’t know the details.

However, his mistake was very decisive.

“……!”

As you can see from his already distorted expression.

Getting hit by one arrow might not be a big deal.

But the follow-up attacks won’t be.

「Erwen Fornaci di Tersia has cast [Rupture].」

The skill that once shattered Amelia’s doppelganger.

Crack-!

As the skill was cast, the Blood Knight’s arm was torn into dozens of pieces and fell to the ground.

Okay, that got rid of the annoying mosquito.

Tap.

Leaving the Blood Knight, who had been knocked back by the shock of his arm exploding, I continued to run.

Of course, the next obstacle appeared soon.

“Wow, that guy looks like an ogre!”

The black mage, Lilannee Vivian, who had been leisurely watching my breakthrough from tens of meters in the air.

She cackled and shot magic.

「Lilannee Vivian has cast 4th-grade black magic [Corrupting Flames].」

It started with black flames pouring down like rain. But like most wide-area skills, the single target damage is low.

I push off the ground, using my shield like an umbrella to cover my head.

Well, my shield will take some damage because of it…

‘It’s nothing new.’

Has my shield ever been intact after a tough battle?

I can just cover the repair costs with loot.

Tap.

With that in mind, I push off the ground again and jump out.

Then, did they feel the need to change their strategy?

「Lilannee Vivian has cast 4th-grade black magic [Pillars of Pain].」

The rain of flames stopped, and instead, a black fog rose up and enveloped me from all sides.

‘Looking at the effect, it looks like that one…’

If my guess is correct, this skill has no evasion judgment other than resisting it with magic resistance.

Which means…

‘The opponent can’t dodge it either.’

The moment the fog clung to my body, I quickly recited the command.

「The character has used [Risk].」

The active skill of the gacha book I recently obtained.

The effect is simple.

While casting, the damage taken is doubled, but the damage reflected by [Random Retaliation] is also increased.

However…

「The power inherent in the skill is unlocked by the authority of the Transcendent.」

When linked with [Transcendence], an interesting effect is added.

「The damage immunity effect from [Random Retaliation] is removed, but the activation probability is fixed at 100%.」

It’s called a guaranteed gacha [a guaranteed outcome from a random chance mechanic].

Whoooosh-!

At the same time as the skill was activated, the black fog that had clung to my skin began to harden.

It’s the effect of [Pillars of Pain].

A temporary movement restriction.

And…

Fwoosh-!

An unavoidable attack.

“Uwaaaaaaaahhhhh!”

It really stings like hell.

Crack-!

I let out a shout and endured for about 2 seconds, and then the hardened fog shattered like pottery and fell to the floor.

The inner surface was full of sharp thorns.

Ha, this is like some medieval torture device.

But I guess it’s a relief that I’m not the only one suffering?

「Normal luck.」

[Random Retaliation] was activated as the hit judgment ended.

Clatter, clatter.

A skeleton rises from beside me, making bone joint sounds.

It wasn’t a critical success, so there was no resounding sound.

However…

「Reflects 30% of the damage taken to the enemy.」

30% instead of 15%.

And since the damage I received was also doubled, I was essentially able to return four times the normal reflected damage.

Well, even that’s a bit unfair from my perspective…

“W-What, what…?!”

The opponent is a mage, the epitome of a glass cannon, right?

I guess it’s right to consider this exchange ratio.

“W-What is this… !”

The moment the skeleton stretched its hand into the sky, a black fog covered the witch on the broom.

And…

Fwoosh-!

A chilling sound echoed down here.

“Kyaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”

Wow, her voice is good.

Is that why she was the Screaming Witch?

Tap.

I resumed moving, dragging my body with large and small holes.

Since it’s a magic with guaranteed damage, the wounds aren’t as deep as I thought, even though the damage was doubled.

It hurt like hell though.

‘Because of that, it doesn’t seem like she died either.’

Vivian, who was screaming and falling as soon as the magic was released, regained her senses in the middle and barely avoided falling with levitation magic.

‘Looking at it, her wounds aren’t that deep either…’

Well, I thought a 30% damage would one-shot a mage.

‘Did she reduce some damage with a mana shield or something in that short moment?’

It’s a bit disappointing, but…

“Ughh…”

Still, the goal is achieved.

Looking at her still groaning and twisting her body, she won’t have the energy or mind to cast magic at me for a while.

I was quickly closing the distance with the rear after dealing with the black mage.

[Groooaaar-!]

The Corpse Collector’s corpse, which he additionally pulled out from subspace, blocked my path.

There are seven of them.

They’re huge, like monsters, as if he summoned tanking undead to stop me.

If I have to look up at their heads like this during [Giantification]…

‘Are they about 7 meters tall?’

The thought that it would have been easier with [Leap] comes to mind again, but it’s not a big problem.

Am I just a tank?

Is it a problem that a wall is blocking my way?

There’s no need to go around.

「The character has used [Swing].」

I just need to get rid of that wall.

「The attack range is increased by 3 times.」

With a hammer that stretched out like a staff, I struck the top of the 7-meter-tall corpse giant.

It seemed to be a tanking undead, but that was enough.

That’s because the coefficient of [Swing] is based on strength.

And with the Demon Crusher effect, the power is increased by 500%. Moreover, since it’s a downward strike, it has 50% armor penetration…

Kwaaaang-!

How can a summon like this withstand that?

Fshooooo-!

The corpse giant, turned into rotten flesh by a single hammer blow, spewed out blood like a large fountain.

Ha, this one has some strong poison?

「The character has been poisoned (high).」

「Poison resistance is 100 or higher.」

「The poison grade is adjusted to ‘low’.」

The poison seeps into my skin and causes pain.

But it’s not enough to stop me.

Especially when the target is right in front of me.

‘I’m finally here.’

I quickly passed through the empty space where the corpse giant had been and stared straight ahead.

The distance to the target is about 30 meters.

However…

‘What the hell, why is this guy so far ahead?’

Did he come all the way here to summon the corpse giant?

The Corpse Collector is about 5 meters away.

He looks very flustered…

It wouldn’t be polite to just pass him by.

「The character has used [Swing].」

「The attack range is increased by 3 times.」

Without further ado, I swung my hammer at him.

Instead of dodging, he chose to defend.

Using that skill I haven’t seen in a while.

「Abet Necrapeto has cast [Bone Armor].」

Ha, I used to have to hit it several times to break it.

I wonder how it will be this time?

The result was soon revealed.

Crack-!

The shell surrounding the caster’s body was peeled off with just one hammer blow, revealing his flesh.

And…

「Abet Necrapeto has cast [Fleeting Immortality].」

In an instant, his body is engulfed in flames and turns into bone.

A 3rd-grade essence, where mental and ability stats are converted into physical stats, granting a state of damage immunity for 1 minute.

‘Wow, I didn’t expect to force out his invincibility skill in one hit.’

Since that’s been used, there’s no reason to waste energy on a futile effort, so I grabbed one of his arms and threw him far away.

And…

Tap-!

I jumped high as if using [Leap].

I could see the stakes he had planted around him shooting out various abilities like turrets in a defense game.

4th-grade conversion skill [Sublime Idol].

It’s the Lighthouse Keeper’s core skill, and its effect is this.

By planting a totem on the ground, you can convert the abilities you possess. For example, a single buff or curse can be transformed into a wide-area aura…

‘He must have been in a hurry.’

Looking at the totems spewing flames and shooting magic bullets, it seems he turned off support aura modes like [Acceleration] or [Soul Regeneration] and quickly switched to attack mode.

“…You monster.”

Even after seeing me come all the way here while taking all those hits, he didn’t run away.

Well, it would be more dangerous to go outside the totems.

Soon, he shouted in a desperate voice.

“…Come!”

What? I have no intention of going inside.

「The character has used [Eye of the Storm].」

「The power inherent in the skill is unlocked by the authority of the Transcendent.」

It seemed like I was within range, so I used a grab skill.

Whoooosh-!

A whirlwind rushes towards me.

And…

“Agh, aaaaaaah!”

His body is caught in the whirlwind and flies towards me.

He was so stoic when he spoke, but he screams like that when he’s in a hurry.

Clutch.

I grabbed his neck in mid-air with my shield-clad hand. He struggled, but he calmed down just by me putting strength in my fingertips.

He should have done that from the start.

Thud.

I landed on the ground and looked down at him, saying briefly.

“The rings.”

“……?”

“I hope they were expensive.”

It was hard getting here.

***

Crack-!

While holding his neck, I slammed my forehead into his face.

The angle wasn’t good for hitting him with a hammer, and I saw that he was wearing a necklace when I got closer.

If I hit him with a hammer, it would all be crushed.

“……”

I was about to headbutt him again when his body went limp.

Did he die? Or did he pass out?

I hoped it was the former, so I just headbutted him two more times.

Crack, crack-!

Oh, that’s disgusting. How can a person’s eyes…

‘…Anyway, he’s done for now. So, what should I do?’

I’ve achieved my first goal, so it’s time to think again.

‘I’ve caught the Lighthouse Keeper, so if we fight 4:3, we can probably take down the rest…’

Should I go back and teleport?

Or should I fight and take them down?

The dilemma didn’t last long.

Thud, thud-!

Even at this moment, the corpse giants were closing the distance towards me.

‘Okay, let’s get out of here for now.’

I’ve been stabbed countless times on the way here, hit by magic, and poisoned.

I can overcome those problems with willpower.

However…

‘My MP is too low.’

I kept [Iron Fortress] active to deal with the aura, and now I’ve even used [Giantification].

And that’s not all.

I’ve been spamming various skills in conjunction with [Transcendence].

If my MP runs out, it will be difficult to block the aura, and it will be harder to protect my comrades from the Blood Knight.

‘And it would be a disaster if reinforcements came.’

I quickly made a decision, grabbed the loot in one hand, and ran back the way I came.

But what’s going on?

‘Why isn’t anyone attacking?’

The corpse giants, who seemed to be running towards me, lined up like a wall, as if defending one side, and no magic was flying.

“…Necrapeto! What are you doing! Why aren’t you stopping him! You can’t die anyway!”

Looking at her shouting, it seems like they’re starting to come to their senses…

Why?

The reason was soon revealed.

Instead of the skeletal Corpse Collector, a relatively intact undead shouted.

[If you want to stop him, Ms. Vivian can do it! It seems like magic works well on him!]

“What…? No, didn’t you see it earlier? He’s deflecting magic!”

Now that I see it, they’ve all been hit once, so they can’t easily touch me.

Well, they don’t have any information about me.

They wouldn’t want to get caught by me and have their heads explode like the Lighthouse Keeper.

I was running through the open field like that.

“What, you. Are you trying to attack?”

The Blood Knight, who had activated his one-armed mode, blocked my path and asked abruptly.

“…Name.”

Huh?

“What’s your, name?”

I thought he was going to do something, but all he did was ask for my name?

I only had one thing to say.

“If you’re going to attack, attack, and if you’re going to talk, get lost. I need to go back and eat now.”

“……”

“Hey, did you swallow honey or something?”

As I said that and started running forward, the Blood Knight moved his body to the side.

“…Eventually, you’ll, find out.”

Surprisingly, the Blood Knight didn’t stab me in the back and let me go.

It seemed like he had learned from his earlier powerlessness.

Well, what can he do to stop me from running when I ignore his attacks?

Tadadadad.

I put on a final spurt and soon arrived at my destination.

The magic circle drawn on the floor was emitting light as if it was ready to be used at any moment.

However, the mage was just standing there blankly.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you leaving?”

When I urged him, Raven looked up at me.

For some reason, his eyes were shaking violently.

What is it?

Feeling puzzled, I looked around and saw that Erwen and Amelia had similar expressions.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Seriously, I even came back with loot.

As if they were looking at a monster.