Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 403

The red light on the signal ring meant only one thing. There was an event nearby that was likely to negatively affect the wearer.

‘Could it be… another traitor?’ That was the first thought that came to mind. During the interrogation, I didn’t hear about any accomplices, but there could have been another spy from a different faction that even he didn’t know about.

‘……Well, maybe the light didn’t come on because of a spy.’ As someone responsible for many lives, I decided to consider the worst-case scenario but not get too caught up in it. Nothing was certain yet. I would just stay alert and keep a closer eye on my surroundings.

「The character has entered a special area.」

「Field effect – Glacier’s Eye is applied.」

The day after the execution, we packed up the campsite and entered a deep pit that seemed to lead to the inner core. A large cylindrical field. It was shaped like a spiral staircase, with side paths on the outer wall that we descended, and as it was the final gateway to the 8th floor, the difficulty was considerable. The monsters that appeared weren’t much stronger than those we had passed on the way…

「Status ailment [Whisper of Immortality] is applied.」 A vicious curse that resurrects you as an undead upon death, making you kill your own teammates.

「All healing and recovery effects are reversed.」 And to make matters worse, this damn debuff was added.

‘……What am I supposed to do if even natural regeneration works in reverse?’ Here, even a small wound would never heal. No, it would only fester and worsen continuously. And the speed would increase the higher the character’s natural regeneration was. It was truly a graveyard for tanks.

‘How many shield-barbarians did I lose here…’

Well, I don’t even want to think about it. I must have burned through hundreds, if not more. That was until I finally figured out the strategy.

“It feels even more eerie here.”

“Erwen, stop chattering and be on guard. The monsters will be coming soon. Like I said before—”

“You mean, be careful not to get hurt if possible? Hehe, I got it.”

“……”

Because the path was narrow, the entire expedition was divided into teams, following each other like a train. Here, ranged dealers became more important. That’s because almost 90% of the monsters that appeared were capable of flight.

“Gargoyles… !” Not the ‘Gargoyle Statues’ we saw in the Crimson Citadel, but real gargoyles, 8th-grade monsters.

“There are Death Knights too!” Death Knights wielding spears while riding gargoyles.

[Keeheeheeheehee!]

Banshee Queens and various spirit-type undead monsters, hovering in the air and spreading debuffs. Flying monsters, which were practically counters to melee dealers, appeared everywhere, but they were all intercepted before they could get close to us and turned into a shower of light.

「James Kala has cast [Piercing Light].」

「Titana Akuraba has used [No. 1911 Paveler’s Broken Pocket Watch].」

「The cooldown is removed for 5 minutes.」

「Erwen Fornacci di Tersia has cast [Elemental Synthesis].」

Archers, psionics, mages, etc. In the first place, there were many ranged types in the expedition, and there were four priests, so there was no shortage of firepower.

「Niaro Campbell has cast [Healing Wave].」

「Benjamin Orman has cast [Emergency Regeneration]…」

「……」

Holy spells that dealt 1.5 times the damage to the undead. Of course, not all the monsters that appeared were undead, but it wasn’t a big problem. After all, the damage was still enough.

「All healing and recovery effects are reversed.」 Since we couldn’t heal our allies here anyway, the priest position here was just a ranged dealer.

「Killed a Gargoyle +EXP 6」

「Killed a Ghost Horse +EXP 4」

「Killed a White Wyvern +EXP 6」

「Killed a Blue Flame Bird…」

「……」

Monsters melted away due to high healing coefficients and wide-area holy spells. Melee dealers focused on defense, dealing with various monsters climbing up the cliffs. And…

“Combat is over!”

“Rest for 10 minutes and then resume moving!”

Once a wave was over, we quickly reorganized and went down. How much more time had passed? We had overcome several waves without a single casualty and finally reached the first high ground. The narrow slope was finally over. A wide rock ledge jutting out from the cliff. And…

“This is insane. We have to fight that many and not get hurt?” Hundreds of monsters filled the area. It was inevitable since the cave in the cliff was the respawn area for the Glacier’s Eye.

“Why are you complaining? We’ve been resting and doing well so far, so now it’s our turn to suffer.”

If ranged types were active on the slope, now it was time for melee dealers to use their bodies.

“Form up!”

“Focus every moment! Unless you want to continue the journey for the next week while watching your arms rot!”

After completing the line formation, we gathered the warriors at the front and set up a shield wall. And…

“Let’s gooooo!” We pushed the monsters back to secure space. From then on, a free-for-all battle unfolded. While the warriors at the front risked injury to block the enemies, the ranged types poured out their firepower. It was true that our power was overwhelming, so the battle difficulty itself was low. But, even so.

“Damn it, my arm…! Aaaaargh!!” There was a casualty.

***

There were a total of four casualties. Three of them could be classified as minor injuries, just scratches, so they wouldn’t lead to death. According to the schedule, we should be able to reach the 8th floor in 6 days. If they didn’t get any more injuries, they would be able to endure until they could be treated, even if their wounds festered. The problem was the other one, who was seriously injured.

“A-Am I… g-going to die like this?” Rick Jogersta. A melee dealer from James Kala’s team, whose numbers were already reduced by one due to Pike Neldain’s absence. James Kala shouted with a serious expression next to the guy who was writhing while clutching his thigh with a bone sticking out.

“There’s no way you’re going to die! There’s absolutely no way that’s going to happen, so don’t worry!” Right, those two were old friends.

“Fiona! Hurry up and use a curse magic!” James Kala asked the mage for a curse. The mage initially looked confused, but after hearing the explanation, she slapped her knee. I was the same. Is it because he’s the vice-captain of a large clan? He said he had been here once before, so he knew the basic response.

「Fiona Aymer has cast 5th-grade curse magic [Regeneration Block].」 It was a method I used to use. If you lower the natural regeneration with curse magic, at least the wound won’t get worse. In the meantime, I used to get through Ice Rock every time by minimizing injuries and just pushing through. Until I found out the real strategy.

“Schuitz! We have to turn the expedition around and head up!” As soon as he finished the emergency measures with curse magic, James Kala shouted. His voice was urgent, but I just shrugged.

“Why?”

“W-Why? What do you mean? If we leave him like this, he won’t be able to hold out until we reach the 8th floor.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his urgent voice. I wonder if this guy would have acted like this when someone else was hurt? Well, I don’t know, but I think he would have made a cold judgment. Just like Akuraba over there.

“We’ve already spent the whole day coming down. Going back up and down again means we’ll waste two more days.”

Twenty-eight people would waste two days to save one person. Well, that alone wouldn’t be a problem. But…

“Sir Kala, I’m sorry, but we only have enough food for the next five days. Even now, we’ll have to go hungry all day at the end.”

As Kaislan said, sacrificing for this one person is not just about time. It’s about the success of the mission. We could go hungry for a day, but we wouldn’t be able to continue the journey for three days while starving.

“Ah, thanks to whose team did the traitor come from?” But is he really a paladin? His sarcasm is something else…

“Enough about the traitor, I’ll ask you just one thing. Did Sir Kala think that this expedition would succeed without any sacrifices?” James Kala couldn’t say anything to that question, and Kaislan continued with his cold words.

“Besides, there will be more casualties in the future, so what will you do then? Will we have to go up every time?” Again, James Kala couldn’t say anything. Clench. He just gritted his teeth, unable to hide his resentment. The reality of having no one to help was too harsh.

“How about letting him return to the embrace of God in peace? If it’s difficult for Sir Kala, I’ll help you.” June’s suggestion was like taking off the oxygen mask. James Kala, who was trembling pitifully, looked at me and asked.

“Schuitz. Do you think the same way…?” I neither affirmed nor denied.

“Kaislan didn’t say anything wrong.” That’s usually how it is in extreme situations. There comes a moment when you have to make a choice and sacrifice something. But…

“I understand. I’ll do it.” What is he talking about?

“That’s enough, it’s not time for that yet.” I couldn’t just let a valuable member of the team die. Well, they could die during the expedition, but. At least not here.

“……Huh?” Looking at James Kala, who was staring up with a dumbfounded face, I shrugged.

“We’re not going up, and we’re not going to let our comrade die here.” At my words, each team leader made the same expression. ‘What the hell is this bastard talking about again?’ That’s exactly the look. Tsk tsk, that’s why they’re beginners.

“We’re going to keep going down.” It was time to use the strategy.

***

‘Glacier’s Eye’ was a field I avoided the most. Like I said before, that was until I discovered the strategy.

「All healing and recovery effects are reversed.」 A journey that would take a whole week, not just a short period. In [Dungeon & Stone], such a crazy penalty meant only one thing. I judged that there must be a way to overcome it hidden somewhere, so I made countless attempts and finally found it. It was a simpler method than I thought.

“Distortion magic… you mean?”

“Yes, from now on, we will use distortion magic against all monsters in battle.”

“The mages are already quite fatigued from using ‘Preservation’ magic. What’s the reason for increasing the burden here?” Because the core of the strategy is ‘distortion’. Monsters affected by distortion do not drop magic stones or essences, but instead, there is a certain chance that their corpses will not disappear upon death and will be preserved. Wyvern leather. Adamantium. Troll blood, the raw material for potions. Various materials used for higher spirit imprints are the typical byproducts obtained by using ‘distortion’. And…

‘The monsters that appear in the Glacier’s Eye can all be hunted in other layers.’ That was also why it took me so long to realize that distortion was the answer. Using ‘distortion’ to collect byproducts in a place where you can’t use ‘subspace’ and your inventory is limited? You can catch them more easily in other layers? It was such an inefficient action. Well, as always, this damn game had the answer hidden in such actions.

“……To think there was a way to heal injuries like that.” When I briefly explained the strategy, everyone exclaimed in admiration. Even though it was the first time they had heard of it, no one doubted it.

“The Marquis’s information network is amazing. Or should I say, the power of the royal family? To know about an ‘arrangement’ that even such skilled explorers don’t know about.” Just like when I caught the traitor in detective mode, they thought there was another strategist on my team. ‘……Is it better for them to misunderstand like this?’ Well, it seems like it would be better. There’s no benefit to showing off, is there? In our Confucianism, humility is a virtue.

“Then that’s settled. Everyone is tired today, so let’s camp here and start again tomorrow.” We judged that James Kala’s friend would last for about two days, so we spent the night on the rock ledge and resumed our journey early the next morning. And…

「Riard Ashde has cast 6th-grade space-time magic [Superior Distortion].」

「Mccalley Leiaders has cast 6th-grade space-time magic [Superior Distortion].」

「Bersil Gowland has cast 6th-grade space-time magic [Superior Distortion]…」

As a result of hunting while pouring out countless ‘Superior Distortions,’ which had a 1.5 times higher probability than normal ‘Distortion’. By the afternoon, we were able to create a preserved corpse by luck.

“S-Schuitz! Is this what you were talking about back then?” James Kala, who had rushed over faster than anyone else, rummaged through the corpse and found a bead, and I quickly fed it to the injured person before it melted.

「Rick Jogersta has consumed ‘Frozen Trace of Life’.」 Okay, so one person is revived with this… “Um… what are we going to do with the remaining byproducts?” We decided to just throw away the remaining monster corpses. We could sell them for a good price when we returned to the city, but it was impossible to increase our luggage in the current state. Of course, it was better to just throw them away—

Grumble. Um, but why can’t I move my feet? As I was looking for the cause of the unconscious resistance, I suddenly had a thought. ‘This is meat, right? It looks a bit rotten, but.’ Thinking it was a good idea, I quickly ran to Amelia and shared my idea.

“Emily! I’ve found a way to solve the food problem!”

“You, what kind of strange thing are you going to say this time…”

“This time it’s not strange, it’s real!”

“Haa, tell me first.”

“That’s…” I then explained the food supply plan I had devised to Amelia. And…

Slap—! I just got slapped on the back for no reason. ‘……Is it that bad?’ Well, it seemed like a good idea no matter how I looked at it.