Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 420

Dragon Word: Soul’s Silence.

A cheat skill that burns all MP within range, leading to ‘Soul Exhaustion’.

However, it has its weaknesses.

I heard about its weaknesses from the old Dragonkin; first, it can only burn up to 50% of the maximum MP.

In simpler terms, if you maintain more than that, it won’t lead to ‘Soul Exhaustion’ when your MP hits 0.

‘Maybe that’s why he’s been holding back until now.’

After escaping the Glacier’s Eye, I received healing from the priest and recovered my body, but MP was a different story.

My MP was already over half, and while fighting these guys, I used [Giantification] and spammed [Swing], consuming a significant amount of MP.

That’s why.

I deliberately provoked this guy.

[I’m curious, when exactly is it coming? The moment when even death can’t save me?]

[……Grind.]

At this rate, my MP will run out.

Of course, I have [Soul Dive], but it’s a skill with a cooldown. Once used, there’s no way to counter the Dragon Word afterward.

Therefore, I induced him to use the Dragon Word quickly.

As a result……

“Keheok! Keheok! Keueok…!”

The Dragonslayer fell into a state of combat incapacity.

Well, he did seem to struggle every time he used the Dragon Word in Larkaz’s Maze.

I never thought he’d become such a bee [referring to how bees die after stinging].

An unexpected gain.

「The character has cast [Soul Dive].」

「The character has cast [Giantification].」

On the other hand, I had recovered my MP, which was running low, and had also negated the enemy’s ultimate move, so there was nothing to fear.

“H-How…?”

That expression, which I want to capture in a photo and keep forever, is a bonus.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

It felt like the energy of my ancestral god was surging through my entire body.

「Manua Repelles has cast [Iron Fist].」

I received the bald guy’s straight punch with a smile.

Well, it seems they weren’t affected by the Dragon Word.

‘Well, if he had planned to use the Dragon Word, he would have formed a bond with the guys around him beforehand.’

The vanguard of Noark, including the bald guy, were not exposed to the Soul’s Silence.

The rear lines seemed to be outside the range of the Dragon Word.

‘Fortunately, it seems our team was also out of the radius.’

The reason I sent the expedition’s front line to the back was also for this reason.

It was also to act as a secondary defense line against the assault force, but I had to prevent them from being hit by the Dragon Word at all costs.

‘Even so, the reason he didn’t recklessly go inside and use the Dragon Word was probably because he thought that if he took me out, it would all be over. He probably also calculated that if he became incapacitated in our camp, his life would be in danger.’

Thinking about it, it was quite ridiculous.

[Yes, you always forced sacrifices on me.]

Is this a sacrifice?

If you were determined to cut off an arm, you should have been prepared to cut off the shoulder bone as well.

Yet, to throw a card so carelessly.

If he had truly intended to sacrifice himself, he would have been a very threatening variable for us.

‘It’s a good thing. But…’

While I felt relieved, I also felt wronged.

No, to be precise, I felt empty.

‘Just… just for a guy like this, Dwarki…’

An executive of Orculius?

A big shot who killed an Ancient Dragon and a notorious criminal?

No matter what, the essence doesn’t change.

That guy was much more impressive than this guy.

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

「Due to the authority of the Transcendent, the abilities inherent in the skill are unlocked.」

Using the grab skill, I pull the Dragonslayer towards me.

The guy is pulled in helplessly, spitting blood in the fierce gusts of wind.

Crack-!

The moment I slammed the hammer down, his left shoulder shattered.

“Aaaagh…!”

‘Tsk, I was aiming for the head. He twisted his body there.’

Well, there will be another chance next time.

Leaving my disappointment behind, I block the bald guy who rushed in to save the Dragonslayer.

No, it’s not just him.

「Mike Roymus has cast [Ground Slam].」

「The damage taken by allies within a certain radius is reduced by half, and the remaining half is taken instead.」

A blunt weapon warrior close to a tank.

「Ria Andes has cast [Fire Wave].」

「All fire damage is temporarily greatly increased, and additional effects are gained the closer you are to the damage target.」

A rare close-range ability user.

These three seemed to have practiced together a lot, and rather than the Dragonslayer being out, they moved even more closely together, bothering me.

「Kyle Elvard Geneger has cast [Ground Spikes].」

And on top of that, there were ranged attacks flying from the rear lines.

Since I didn’t have any armor, their attacks pierced and cut through my body.

But……

「Royta Mamender has cast [Superior Heal].」

「Benjamin Orman has cast [Superior Heal].」

Not only was I covered in buffs from the priests, but I was also receiving focused care, making it impossible for them to push me back.

「Kelbus Ayrn has cast 4th-grade black magic [Mark of Evil].」

「All regeneration effects of the character are reduced.」

「Benjamin Orman has cast [Purifying Moonlight].」

「All negative effects inflicted on the character are removed.」

The black mage also persistently cast curse magic, but it’s always easier to remove these things than to cast them.

“Don’t overdo it, just block!”

If I were more aggressive, I might be able to take down one or two of them, but we maintained a strict defensive posture.

That’s what a defense game is all about, right?

A game where the player wins as long as they don’t get breached.

The current situation isn’t much different.

‘They can’t escape anyway.’

To be precise, it doesn’t matter if they escape.

Their escape route is blocked.

Behind them, monsters are swarming, and even the boss monsters are rising with their eyes wide open.

Even if the others escape, the three who were beaten up after going behind me will surely have their bodies rot away within days of returning to the Glacier’s Eye.

In that situation, can they escape to the 8th floor?

And it seems like they’re out of food too?

“Damn it, where did this guy come from…!”

The blunt weapon warrior, who fearlessly started a power struggle with me and was knocked back with a single kick, wore a bewildered expression.

“Wasn’t there no one who could stop us once we got outside!”

Ah, so they had such hopes while growing in secret on the 8th floor.

Well, I don’t think it’s a completely wrong hope.

Because on the 8th floor, there are so many essences that are valuable enough to become core essences.

But……

‘If that’s the case, they should have at least come with a proper combination.’

Even with a shield barbarian, the core is [Giantification].

It’s a 5th-grade essence that can be obtained by hunting Orc Heroes, and from the moment it’s linked with [Unification], it produces unbelievable efficiency.

It’s not enough to just plaster yourself with higher-grade essences.

“Repelles! L-Let’s retreat for now!”

Perhaps they lost their will to fight after seeing me unyielding no matter how much they attacked. The blunt weapon warrior requested a retreat, but the bald guy didn’t listen.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

“But we need to regroup for a moment… !”

“Stop talking nonsense and fight!”

He also knows.

That if they retreat to regroup for a moment, they will have to face an even more difficult battle afterward.

In the end, their only option is one.

“Just this guy, if we kill just this guy, it’s over!”

“The rest are nothing!”

To break through us and go up.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Of course, I have no intention of letting them go.

***

The battle continues.

And once the scales tipped, there was no turning back.

“…It’s too much anymore!”

A kind of assault force.

Two explorers who had passed me to target the main force passed me again and rejoined our allies.

“What about Cullin…?”

“Can’t you see? He’s dead!”

The three of them had been fighting back-to-back, but when one died, they couldn’t hold on and ran away.

‘Okay, so now there are 11 of them.’

The number of enemies has decreased.

On the other hand, there are no casualties on our side.

Even if there were members who were injured due to the focused healing on me, most of them were minor injuries.

But……

‘Now is the critical moment.’

Instead of being careless, I raise my vigilance even more.

Because with this, they must have realized it for sure.

That if they continue like this, they could all really die.

“…To think we’d have to risk our lives in a place like this.”

Humans are calculating animals.

Therefore, when they stand at the crossroads of survival, they eventually choose to give up.

Everything except survival.

‘The most dangerous state when you meet them as enemies.’

In terms of boss monsters, it’s the ‘Berserk’ pattern [a state where a boss fights with increased power and aggression].

A state where they fight with their lives on the line to survive.

「The character’s soul power is insufficient.」

「[Giantification] ends.」

Just in time, my MP runs out, and my body shrinks.

“Yandel, you go back and rest for a while.”

Immediately, Amelia moved to my right.

“That’s right. We’ll take care of this place.”

To my left was Lavien.

“We shall take your place.”

Soon, Jun and Kaislan also stepped out from behind.

Yes, Jun, at least, can take on the main tank position, even if Kaislan can’t.

I judged that it was more efficient to trust my comrades than to stubbornly stay in the front line with my MP depleted, so I quickly retreated from the first line to the second line. I was planning to rush out immediately if any variables occurred.

“That monster has retreated!”

“Now, now is our chance!”

The Noark guys, who had been like a thorn in their side, rushed in with their fighting spirit restored as soon as I left.

However, it didn’t take long for that fighting spirit to be broken.

「Jun Archen has cast [Divine Unleash].」

Jun also turns into a monster tank no less than me when he uses all his skills, and…

Kaislan, Lavien, Amelia.

Whoosh-!

If you get cut by them, you’ll really die.

“…Ugh!”

“Be careful!”

As the saying goes, the best defense is offense.

Instead of just getting hit, sharp counterattacks flew in, targeting the gaps, and they couldn’t continue their offensive as aggressively as before.

And……

“Repelles, Ricky Eimond is down!”

Soon, another score was added.

The artillery line formed by Erwen, Akuraba, etc., finally won the power struggle and killed one of the enemy’s ranged dealers.

This was very encouraging.

「The status effect [Whisper of Immortality] is activated.」

Unlike the guy who died on our side earlier, the field effect of the Glacier’s Eye activated, and he rose as an undead……

“H-Hurry, push him back! Drop him down below—.”

“Uwaaaaaaak!”

The enemy ability user, who had turned into a lich, indiscriminately unleashed skills on our allies, was subdued, and fell off the cliff.

Thanks to our good response, we couldn’t get an additional score, but……

‘The remaining ranged are two black mages, one ability user, and one Karui priest…’

After that, a fierce battle unfolds.

Kaislan was badly injured and retreated, but immediately, a tank who was waiting in the second line was deployed to block the way.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo…”

Sven Parab.

He seems a bit unreliable as he breathes nervously, but he is still a paladin.

He is the only main tank line besides me and Jun.

Ah, and there was also one change of melee dealer.

“Emily, come back!”

“……”

Amelia, whose MP was depleted, retreated to the second line, and Rick Juggernaut, a warrior from the 3rd team, was deployed.

We used all the advantages we could gain through numerical superiority in the narrow passage to fight the enemy.

However……

Thwack-!

Even so, there were sacrifices.

A sharp black thorn piercing through the upper body.

The very thing that instantly killed Might Million, a tank position, during the battle in Deadwood.

Grind…

Rick Juggernaut, who had been replaced not long ago, died from it.

Since he wasn’t outside the field boundary, [Whisper of Immortality] didn’t activate, but……

“N-No way! Rick…!”

Right, he was… James Kala’s friend.

“Puta Recovern! What are you doing! Block him quickly!”

I quickly sent a member of the 2nd team, a guide and melee dealer, to the empty spot. It wasn’t a situation where he could rest in the back just because he was missing an arm.

From the start, he had said he could fight.

“Rick…!!”

Anyway, as Puta Recovern filled the empty front line, James Kala, who was in the rear, rushed out and hugged the body of his dead friend.

However, I spoke coldly.

“…Kala, return to your position.”

What he needs now might be words of comfort, but what is needed and what must be done are different.

Fortunately, James Kala also knew this.

“Yes…”

James Kala, leaving behind a short word, picked up his friend’s corpse and moved to the rear.

I couldn’t say anything as I watched him clench his teeth and stretch out his trembling legs.

I just turned my gaze to the battlefield.

Swoosh-!

There were sacrifices, but at the same time, another score was being added.

“Repelles! M-Mike is down!”

They had taken down the blunt weapon warrior who was in the tank position.

It was Lavien who took him down.

However, she was injured in the process.

She won’t die because of the priest’s healing, but it will take time to recover.

「The status effect [Whisper of Immortality] is activated.」

This time, the field effect activated, and the enemy turned into an undead.

However, this time, it wasn’t very fun.

“What are you doing, everyone retreat!”

The guy who was drawing aggro to us and retreating the front line. Because of that, we had to go through the trouble of catching the guy we had caught again.

But……

‘Now there are 10… no, the Dragonslayer is incapacitated, so 9…’

The number of enemies is steadily decreasing.

Victory is getting closer and closer.

Just as the members of our ranged dealer line are running out of MP, all sorts of resources are starting to run out on their side as well.

“T-That curse magic! Hurry, cast curse magic!”

The black mage’s curse magic, which had been reducing regeneration, was lifted, and their bodies began to rot.

The black mage, who had been checking the priests, had finally run out of magic power……

‘Okay, just keep going like this.’

As soon as I confirmed that the paladin Jun’s doping [using performance-enhancing items or skills] was over and his tanking power had decreased, I pulled the front line back and stepped forward.

“…Damn it, has he already recovered!”

It’s still a long way to go before my MP is fully replenished, but it’s enough to just maintain [Giantification].

Soon, [Soul Dive] will also be off cooldown.

‘Above all, now that the curse magic is over, there’s no need to deal any more damage.’

It’s similar to a dam that was barely holding on bursting.

From now on, even if I just block the front and apply the Glacier’s Eye field effect to them, they will collapse on their own.

“Push them back! Push them back!”

The guys who knew this also tried their best to move the front line out of the field, but I gritted my teeth and held on.

“It seems the priests’ divine power has run out!”

It didn’t matter much anymore that the healing, which had been a reliable support, was over.

These guys are also exhausted.

They somehow swing their weapons with their arms and legs that have started to rot quickly, but that’s all.

It was when I was holding onto my shield with such determination.

Thump-!

Despair always comes without warning.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

Suddenly, a scream was heard.

A scream that should never have been heard, from behind us.

“Hey, Yandel!!”

Kaislan shouted urgently, instead of me, who couldn’t turn around because I was blocking the enemy.

“…It’s an enemy! A new enemy has appeared!”

A variable has occurred.