Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 536

One of the 8th floor rifts, the City of Light, Calheum.

And the rift guardian that appears in the final boss room there.

Milayel, the Celestial Spear Keeper.

I don’t know why this guy appeared in a normal field.

But first, let’s organize what we know about this guy.

The biggest characteristic is that he uses Numbers items despite being a monster. [Numbers items are powerful, unique items with a specific number designation.]

And…….

‘The drop rate of the Verdant Great Spear is 3%.’

He drops other Numbers items as well, but he drops the ‘Verdant Great Spear,’ which belongs to the single Numbers, at the highest rate.

That’s why I remember fighting him a lot when I was leveling my spear barbarian. The Verdant Great Spear is usually used as the best-in-slot weapon for spear users.

Separately, the essence itself was also very good.

‘Anyway, let’s put aside why this guy came out here.’

As I said before, if we can defeat this guy, the reward is guaranteed.

If an essence drops, it’s a jackpot, and even if a weapon drops, it’s a jackpot.

But, the problem is our current condition.

‘We can’t defeat him.’

I quickly finished my assessment.

This guy himself is not impossible for our power to attack.

However, the situation is too bad.

‘First of all, the priest can’t do his job anymore, and…….’

The main damage dealer, Erwen, is also groaning.

No, is that all?

We’re really lucky that there are no deaths yet, but everyone is already quite exhausted, and…….

[Woof! Keong! Woof woof!]

[Grooooooo-!]

There are still monsters swarming around.

It’s a situation where we have to worry about survival first, rather than rewards.

“Yandel, what are we going to do?”

Amelia said to me in a solemn voice.

There was no decision to make.

“From now on, we’re going to charge towards the coast.”

“The coast……? Ah, you mean to run away—.”

“I mean we’re going to charge towards the coast.”

“…….”

We have no other choice.

But…….

‘I have to do what I have to do before that.’

Even if we run, we have to decide quickly before that.

That’s because we can’t just leave a 2nd grade essence on the floor. [Essences are items that can enhance a character’s abilities.]

‘Putting it in a test tube is impossible.’

I’m greedy, but no matter how I think about it, the risk is too high.

It takes quite a while to put the essence in a test tube.

The possibility of an accident happening during that time is too high.

In other words, in the end, we have to put it in someone’s body and then run away, which means…….

‘Who should I feed it to?’

I was worried, but I quickly made a decision.

And…….

Kwaaaang-!

I blocked the spear that Milayel extended while dashing with my shield and shouted at the same time.

“Müll Armin!”

Müll Armin, the leader of the Armin Exploration Team.

A unique explorer who is the leader of the clan and has a curse-specialized necromancer class.

To be honest, it stings a little to hand over this precious thing to this guy who is a complete stranger, but…….

“Take the essence of the Human-Faced Bird.”

No matter how I think about it, he’s the right person for the job.

Looking at him, it seems like he recently leveled up and has an essence slot available.

“……Yes?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Hurry! There’s no time!”

The guy, who seemed to have misheard, flinched and ran forward, and Amelia protected him so that he could safely reach the essence.

“Are you, are you really… okay with this? I’m not even the Baron’s companion…….”

Ah, what is he even saying?

I’m already out of my mind because of this bastard’s spear.

“It doesn’t matter, just hurry!”

“Ye, yes!”

When I shouted as if urging him, Müll Armin reached out and absorbed the essence.

Okay, then we’ve got everything we need here…….

I glanced to confirm that the essence absorption was complete, and then pushed Milayel away with all my might to create some distance.

And I quickly gave new instructions to the crew.

“What are you doing! Get into the moving formation!”

“…….”

“From now on, we’re going to charge towards the coast with all our might!”

“Yes……?”

Ah, why can’t everyone understand what I’m saying?

“Let’s run away!”

“Ah, yes……! Everyone, get into the moving formation! We’re going to run away with all our might from now on!”

Tsk, I’m losing all the face of a barbarian baron.

***

“Hoo, hoo…….”

I run while exhaling hot breaths.

Ah, of course, this time I’m not at the very front, but at the very back of the main force.

That’s because when you’re being chased by something, the back is the most dangerous.

[I will not let you escape, mortal.]

The guy who always said lines before the battle in the game actually spoke human words.

The problem is that he only repeats the same words like a parrot.

‘Ugh, how many times is that line already?’

I tried talking to him a few times while running away as a test, but in the end, I didn’t get any answer that was like an answer. To be honest, I don’t even know if he’s a sentient being anymore.

‘The monsters in the village chief’s village definitely felt like they had intelligence.’

I feel it again, but the village chief’s village was unique.

In fact, most monsters felt like this.

Cambormir, the vampire duke of the Crimson Fortress.

The Knight of the Apocalypse I met at the White Temple all spoke human words, but they didn’t communicate—.

「Milayel, the Celestial Spear Keeper, has cast [Recursion].」

Hey, I was just thinking about something.

Whishhhhh-!

As soon as I heard a threatening sound of air tearing behind me, I turned my body and covered my upper body with my shield.

Kwaaaaaaaang-!

Ugh, that damn spear.

Every time I block it, I can feel my shield getting destroyed in real time.

It’s a single Numbers weapon with a skill applied, so it’s a real pain, you could say?

‘Well, he only uses one skill, so it’s not bad.’

For reference, this was because Milayel had the characteristic of a ‘guardian.’

The rift guardian has a set pattern.

He repeats the same actions within a set framework unless he passes certain sections, such as when his HP is reduced or when he activates a nearby device.

‘If it was a normal ‘Titanus,’ I probably wouldn’t have been able to run away like this.’

Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s an easy opponent at all.

The skill he uses in the first phase is not something to be ignored at all.

「Milayel, the Celestial Spear Keeper, has cast [Recursion].」

[Recursion].

A very simple throwing skill with an unavoidable hit and increased damage.

However, there is one very troublesome characteristic attached to it.

「Milayel, the Celestial Spear Keeper, has recovered the Verdant Great Spear.」

Once thrown, the thrown weapon returns to the caster’s hand after a certain amount of time, no matter how far away it is.

And…….

「The power of [Recursion] increases slightly until the battle ends.」

Should I call it a kind of stacking skill? [Stacking skills increase in power the more they are used.]

The more this pattern is repeated, the stronger it becomes.

And thanks to that.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang-!

Holes are being poked in the shield that even blocked the village chief’s sword.

Ha, it’s hard to repair it here.

I sighed as I looked at the battered shield, but for a moment, I checked the situation in front of me first.

I’m following from the back, but since I’m looking down from above through [Giantification], it wasn’t too difficult to see the front. [Giantification is a skill that allows the user to grow in size.]

‘It’s going surprisingly well.’

I didn’t expect the front line to collapse or have any major problems with breaking through the path just because I was out of the lead.

No, I was rather expecting this.

But why do I feel so empty?

‘Whatever… I’ll just do my job.’

It is the duty of a warrior to silently do his job, whether anyone recognizes it or not.

How long has it been since I was separated from the main force and was in charge of marking Milayel’s spear?

“It’s the sea!”

A cliff appeared between the dense giant trees, and when I jumped down below, the coast I had seen when I first came to this island appeared—.

「Milayel, the Celestial Spear Keeper, has cast [Recursion].」

Ah, is this guy not tired?

No sooner had the spear that pierced the shield disappeared into light than another spear flew again.

Poook-!

But for some reason, this time I feel pain in my shoulder.

I think I blocked it with my shield in time, but…….

“Ah.”

The shield was full of holes, so it just went through.

“B, Bjorn!”

“Yandel! Are you okay!”

Misha and Amelia, who were at the front, were startled and approached me.

Also, Bersil hurriedly took out a potion instead of the priest who had run out of divine power.

But I refused all those worries.

“Later. First, getting the ship afloat is the priority.”

“Ah…….”

There was still some time left before the spear was recovered, so I quickly pushed through the crowd and ran to the coast.

“Uh…….”

“Uh uh…….”

“Is that… okay?”

The explorers, who were busy clearing the way, were startled when they saw my appearance and made way for me.

Well, it’s strange not to be surprised when a giant barbarian with a spear the size of a person is running with it stuck in his shoulder.

Chwaaaaaaa-!

I quickly summoned the ship, and in my [Giantification] state, I grabbed the explorers with my hands and put them on the deck.

After everyone boarded, I returned to my original size and boarded the ship, and then poured magic stones into the magic engineering propulsion device and set off.

Just when I thought I could take a breather as the ship quickly moved away from the island.

「Milayel, the Celestial Spear Keeper, has cast [Recursion].」

Another spear flew and pierced my abdomen.

“Hey, Yandel-ssi……!”

“Baron-nim!!”

Ah, shit…….

Even while holding my painful stomach and bending over, I raised my head and glared at the guy standing on the coast.

Yeah, I remember his face properly…….

“See you next time.”

A barbarian never forgets his enemies.

***

Shwaaaaaaaaa-!

The ship moves forward, cutting through the silver waves.

The deck is so cramped with this many people on board, but no one complains.

Well, it’s better to be able to sit and rest.

Everyone is satisfied with the current situation and is resting. Ah, of course, some of the explorers had dark shadows on their faces.

“One death…….”

One warrior from the Hextz Clan died in the process of escaping the island.

Huh… it’s always the warriors who die at times like this.

As a fellow warrior, I can’t help but feel bitter when I hear such news.

“It’s a bit inappropriate to say this, but… it’s a miracle. That only one person died.”

“Yeah, that’s probably true. What was the name of the guy who died?”

“Shelianne Emertown.”

As soon as I heard the name, her face came to mind.

I hadn’t talked to her much in private, but she was a rare female warrior in this industry, so she stood out.

She always had a hearty smile on her face.

“The body?”

“We were able to collect it and bring it with us.”

“That’s a relief…….”

After that conversation, I gathered the explorers and told them to hold a funeral for the dead explorer.

Everyone was tired and exhausted, but no one objected to that.

Whirr-!

Of course, the funeral held in the labyrinth, on a ship, was simple. All that was done was to lay a non-flammable cloth, burn the body, and put it in an urn.

Koo-oong-! Crack-! Crack-!

Even while the funeral was being held, monsters periodically fell from the sky. Well, they were blocked by the barrier on the ship and fell into the sea.

Trickle.

Like a window on a rainy day, the blood on the barrier gathered in the form of droplets and flowed down.

“Rest in peace.”

“Haha, don’t be too resentful. We don’t know when we’ll follow you.”

“Tsk, don’t you know that words can become seeds?”

As befits explorers who are close to death, light jokes came out even in the solemn atmosphere.

But no one picked on such jokes.

Everyone knows.

That the way to endure is different for everyone.

“That’s it. Rest. And everyone, you’ve worked hard.”

After the funeral, everyone rested freely again.

The mages couldn’t rest completely because they had to maintain the barrier, but it was much better than when they were deploying the barrier on the island.

This was thanks to the fact that as soon as the ship came out to the sea, they took apart the magic engineering propulsion device, modified it, and connected the magic power circuit.

‘There are enough magic stones, and fewer monsters are falling than expected, so if there are no major problems, we should be able to hold out until the rainy season ends…….’

Can I finally take a breather?

Even while leaning against the wall with that thought, my head was complicated. So I just searched the subspace and took out a temporary shield.

It was a 3rd grade shield with much lower performance than the one I used before, which is obvious. At the time, I didn’t have much spare money, and even while preparing this, I wondered if the day would really come when I would use it.

‘But that day really came.’

As I was wearing a self-deprecating smile, someone approached me from the side.

“Baron-nim.”

It was Müll, the leader of the Armin Exploration Team.

“What’s the matter? Not resting.”

“I’m sorry to bother you while you’re resting. But… there’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

Even though I gave him permission, Müll hesitated for a long time before opening his mouth.

“Why was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“That… the essence of the Human-Faced Bird. Why did you give it to me?”

Ah, so that’s why he came.

First of all, the answer is very simple.

First of all, Ainar, Amelia, Erwen, and Misha were not even candidates.

These guys have essences that are already set for them.

Bersil is a mage, so he can’t eat essences.

‘If I had to pick a candidate, it would be Auyen, but…….’

In fact, the essence is not suitable for Auyen either.

He could contribute to the battle depending on the situation by using [Mimicry] to imitate the monster’s skills, but is that all?

It’s like throwing away the passive, which is the core of the Human-Faced Bird’s essence.

That’s why I finally chose Müll.

“You were the one who could make the best use of that essence.”

“Is that… all you have to say?”

To tell the truth, that’s not all.

The Armin Exploration Team has exploration shares, right?

I also judged that if I paid a 2nd grade essence in advance, they wouldn’t be able to voice their opinions when we take it later.

But…….

‘There’s no need to say such a thing that would make me look bad.’

So I just shrugged my shoulders.

“Yeah, that’s all.”

“But! We are just strangers—.”

“How are you strangers? We’re already companions.”

“Com… panions……?”

“Yeah, is there a problem with that?”

Müll Armin didn’t say anything for a while at my nonchalant answer, and a moment of silence passed.

“Baron-nim…….”

Müll, who was about to say something in a somewhat subdued voice, shook his head.

“No, it’s nothing. I’ll be going now. Please rest well.”

I don’t know exactly, but he looked like he had made a big decision.

***

Day 6 of the rainy season.

The voyage after escaping the island was peaceful.

Monsters climbed onto the ship all the time, and monsters continued to fall from the sky, but.

Still, it was nothing compared to the mess we experienced while escaping that island.

Anyway, as such a peaceful time continued, I had the time to organize my thoughts and review my plans, and…….

‘Okay, I’ve decided.’

When I took out a pendant that I had carefully kept in the subspace, Misha next to me lit up her eyes.

“Oh, Bjorn? That…….”

“…….”

“Maybe… are you, are you going to give it to me……?”

What is she talking about?

She should be greedy for something she can actually get.

Reading the greed in her eyes, I quickly put the pendant back into the subspace.

No.7777 Garphas’s Necklace.

It’s time to use this now.