Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 681

The ship, which had been cutting through the starlit waves, came to a stop on land.

Rustle.

The moment my feet touched the ground, which felt like a gravel field,

「The character has entered a special area.」

「Field effect – Dragon Bone Mountain is applied.」

The change of arriving in a new area was immediately felt throughout my body.

「Status ailment [Dragon’s Curse] is applied.」

「Physical resistance is reduced by 50%.」

It felt like my skin, which had been as hard as steel, was becoming as soft as a rock.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it.

「One random essence is sealed.」

Ugh… Look at those stats dropping.

‘It feels like both stats are dropping together…’

A sense of emptiness that any explorer would deeply feel.

As I was adapting to the new state while feeling this, Lee Baekho gave instructions to everyone.

“First, let’s all check and then go! Use one essence each!”

Following the instructions, the group used their skills one by one to check which essence had been sealed.

However, I didn’t need to do that.

Because I could check it right away on the first try.

‘Eye of the Storm.’

The skill that could be used as a grab when linked with [Transcendence] wasn’t working.

“Huh? Did the Baron already check?”

“I was lucky.”

I said that, but it was something I had roughly expected.

Among my essences, the only one with strength and agility, the so-called dual stats, was the ‘Storm Gush’ essence.

I noticed it as soon as I got off the ship.

‘Anyway, is this the best I can get?’

Last time, the Bellarios essence was sealed, leaving me defenseless against magic resistance.

Since I was planning to remove ‘Storm Gush’ someday, it seems like it won’t have a big impact on this exploration.

Unlike Lee Baekho.

“Ah, damn it…!!!”

“Baekho, what’s wrong?”

“No, why out of all the things, is the Tier essence sealed!”

In Lee Baekho’s case, the Tier essence, which was by far the most valuable among his essences, was sealed.

Considering that he had set up other essences to support the Tier essence, the loss of combat power would be even greater.

“…Oh my! That’s a big problem!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to go back and come back later?”

“Ah, no! It takes ten days for the essence seal to reset. When would we wait for that? Unless all the other gacha pulls are a complete bust. It’s inefficient, right?”

Lee Baekho, waving his hand with an old man’s voice, asked everyone in a subtle tone.

“So… how is everyone? Did you get a good one?”

“Uh… I’m much better than before. One combat-related essence is gone, but it shouldn’t hinder my role…”

“I am very satisfied!”

“Then, what about the Baron…?”

“Same here. The essence with the lowest priority was sealed.”

“Ah, is that so…?”

Lee Baekho awkwardly laughed, as if he didn’t expect everyone to be satisfied.

But maybe he thought it was for the best?

“Okay then. I messed up, but others benefited from it, right? The bottom will carry me.”

“Baekho… what is ‘bottom’…?”

“There’s such a thing. It’s not that hard to get a free ride, those annoying guys who get carried in every lane.”

“Lane…?”

Listening to Lee Baekho and Aureus’s conversation, at least one thing became clear.

‘That guy is 100% top lane.’

For the record, I was a jungler.

Well, that’s not what’s important right now.

“Okay, everyone, if you’re done checking, let’s start moving.”

After the preparations were finished, we began the exploration in earnest.

Rustle, rustle.

A gray field where small bone fragments were piled up like sand on a beach.

As expected of a region famous for its quantity, we encountered monsters soon after walking a short distance.

Thump, thump.

「You have defeated the Skeleton Kinghelm.」

「You have defeated the Lich.」

「You have defeated the Zombie Lord.」

「You have defeated the Bone Drake.」

「You have defeated the Dark Knight…」

Monsters appeared at intervals of less than 5 minutes.

That was the biggest characteristic of Dragon Bone Mountain.

If your specs are low, hunting itself is impossible, but the high score itself is lower compared to other fields.

Except for one case.

‘This is ominous, let’s not even think about it…’

Anyway, after that, we continued to move, focusing on places we hadn’t been to, to fill in the empty spaces on the map.

The battles themselves weren’t very difficult, but if I had to point out a downside, it was the priest’s job.

If I were a traditional priest instead of a ‘Karui Priest,’ it would have been much more helpful when fighting the undead.

‘Well… considering how much the priest is contributing to the battle, I have nothing to say.’

Besides, I also have a skill that is useful when dealing with the undead.

「Jaina Flier has summoned the [Undying Lord].」

「Gains control over all undead monsters of grade 5 or lower within the radius.」

Jaina Flier.

A team member that Lee Baekho recruited relatively recently.

‘She’s also quite mysterious.’

Where on earth did a Karui priest of this level suddenly appear? To raise her to that level, they must have offered a lot of sacrifices.

“It’s a 10-minute break, rest as you see fit.”

Taking advantage of the break, I approached Jaina.

“……?”

Jaina frowned, wondering what was going on as soon as I came next to her.

Geez, it’s like I came to do something bad.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing, I just have something to ask. It’s not a personal question, so don’t worry.”

“Go ahead.”

“Is he… quiet?”

As I asked casually, Jaina’s brow furrowed even more.

“I’m talking about him. Karui.”

I added the subject, thinking she might not have understood, but her expression didn’t change.

“I understood what you were saying. I was just thinking for a moment about why you asked such a question after saying it wasn’t a personal question.”

“I’m saying again, it’s not a personal question. As someone who travels together, we always need to be aware of variables.”

“……So, what are you worried about?”

“It’s as I said. I was curious if Karui was quiet. We’re outside the walls, and you haven’t offered any ‘sacrifices,’ have you?”

‘Sacrifice’ means human sacrifice.

Karui always demands sacrifices in exchange for great power, and to offer these sacrifices, the priests must periodically enter the labyrinth and kill innocent people.

And perhaps she understood my concern to some extent.

“……There’s nothing to worry about, so don’t mind it.”

“Can’t you tell me more? If you really want me not to worry.”

After hesitating at my repeated requests, Jaina sighed deeply.

“The moment we go outside the walls, Karui’s voice is no longer heard. Of course, there’s no reason to offer sacrifices either.”

“Is there no reason to offer them? Or can’t you offer them?”

“………We can’t offer them.”

Oh, I see.

Then, she can’t use skills that require sacrifices?

“By the way, I think the 10 minutes are up?”

“……That’s right. Everyone, get up.”

I wanted to ask more, but unfortunately, the break time ended, and we resumed the exploration as scheduled.

Outside the walls, sacrifices cannot be offered.

Apart from that new information, a question arose.

‘……Why is the connection with Karui severed outside the walls?’

He’s one of the so-called ‘gods,’ isn’t this a bit strange?

***

KWA-AAAAAANG-!

A meteor fell, scattering the bone fragments piled up like mountains on the ground.

And…….

Swoosh.

From the center of the crater created by the meteor, a huge monster with a black form rises.

[Grrrrrrrrr…….]

Its appearance is similar to a skeleton at first glance.

However, the differences are that the color of the bones is black.

That the thickness and shape of the bones are different.

And…….

‘That black mace he’s holding in his hand, right?’

No. 687 Siege Slaughterer.

A 3rd-grade monster that, despite being a ‘normal monster,’ always appears with the same numbered item.

“Bandeamon! It’s a Bandeamon!”

Bandeamon.

The very monster that appears with a very low probability when a meteor falls on Dragon Bone Mountain on a rainy day.

I never thought I’d encounter this guy outside the walls.

“Combat read—”

Just as I was about to rush forward, getting into combat stance, the GM, who was waiting behind, shouted excitedly.

“Wait! Please wait a moment!”

“……Huh?”

“There is very reliable information that you can get an essence for sure if you defeat Bandeamon with three people!”

Uh…….

‘Isn’t this something I talked about at the Round Table before?’

From the way he’s talking, it seems like the information I shared at the Round Table has leaked out…….

“If the battle starts in this state, you won’t be able to get the essence, so let’s make a decision first—.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“Huh?”

“So, you’re saying we should catch it with three people? Just to get a measly Tier 3 essence?”

Baekho’s signature cynical remark was directed at the GM.

“In the first place, to get an essence here, you have to cast ‘Distortion’ magic, right? But what if ‘Distortion’ fails?”

“Uh……”

“What’s with you, a mage, having such a short-sighted thought? Are you just trying to show off your knowledge every chance you get?”

“N-no, it’s not that, I just wanted to present various options—.”

“No, seriously, think about it? Why aim for the essence here? If we just catch it, a Numbers item will drop, plain and simple.”

Actually, I had the same thought, though I wouldn’t have said it as rudely as Baekho.

Usually, Bandeamon is a monster you catch after casting ‘Distortion’.

The value of the byproducts is one thing, but Bandeamon can drop a Numbers item if the ‘Distortion’ magic succeeds.

And……

‘This is outside the walls, where the rules are the opposite of the labyrinth.’

Unlike the labyrinth, here, if you cast ‘Distortion,’ the corpse disappears, creating an opportunity for essence drops. Conversely, if you just catch it, the corpse remains intact.

In short, if you just catch it, you can loot the Numbers item that Bandeamon carries……

“Behel—RAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!”

There’s no room for debate about which is more rational, so I immediately let out a battle cry and charge towards Bandeamon.

「Bandeamon has cast [Blow of Grief].」

The iron mace being swung, with a fierce light, is enough to send a slight chill down my spine just by looking at it.

Because I know.

Even for me, if I take that head-on, something is bound to break.

‘Yeah, there’s a reason why he’s called the bane of tanks.’

Bandeamon has a low attack speed, but each normal attack is so powerful that it’s almost an instant kill.

Its pure power is on par with or even greater than an ogre’s……

And on top of that, we have to fight with our physical resistance reduced due to the Dragon Bone Mountain field effect.

That’s why the standard way to fight is for agile characters to act as evasion tanks, walking a tightrope.

Unless the tank’s level is overwhelmingly high.

Just like this.

「Defense Success.」

「Aegis’s Barrier absorbs all damage.」

No need to bother dodging one by one, just slide the shield in front, and that’s it.

[Grrrk……?]

What’s with that disgruntled look?

Why else would I have planned a build that takes the Tier 5 skill [Giantification] all the way?

By linking Aegis’s Barrier and [Giantification], I can block attacks that wouldn’t normally register as a ‘Defense Success’ with my original size.

“What are you doing! Attack!”

With the aggro drawn to me, the real hunt began.

Since we were outside the walls, there were times when the aggro would jump, but nothing too dangerous.

He’s not exactly a highly mobile guy, after all.

「Layton Briatt has cast [Aiming Stance].」

「Special effects are granted to the next ranged attack proportional to the aiming time.」

Bandeamon didn’t have the mobility to shake off my persistent pursuit, and eventually, without even getting close to the others, he fell under a barrage of concentrated fire.

Kooong-!

Unlike in the labyrinth, Bandeamon’s corpse doesn’t turn into a cloud of light and disappear.

“What’s up, old man? Is that all you’re looting?”

“Aside from the eyeballs and spinal cord, there’s nothing else worth taking the time to collect.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Once the byproduct looting was done, Baekho approached and picked up the iron mace that Bandeamon was holding with both hands.

“Whoa, this is freaking heavy—.”

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? It’s heavy, so I’m trying to put it in my subspace for now?”

“I’m asking why it’s going into your subspace.”

I grabbed Baekho’s wrist with one hand, and as I reached for the ‘Siege Slaughterer,’ Baekho made a confused face before chuckling.

“Ahaha, right. Right. Baron isn’t on our team, is he?”

“These kinds of things need to be clearly defined.”

“But didn’t you give up the engraving material last time without a word?”

“I remember giving you other byproducts after that, though?”

“But if you’re going to be so strict, isn’t the ratio weird? There are five of us, and only two of you?”

As fellow explorers, Baekho’s voice became sharp as soon as money was involved.

But it wasn’t a situation that was particularly uncomfortable or anything.

How many years of experience do I have as an explorer now?

From the ‘Crimson Fortress’ with the dwarf and Raven, these kinds of situations are commonplace.

Well, I guess it’s the same for this guy too.

“Teams splitting up over loot and getting wiped out in the labyrinth is no longer a joke. How about we settle this cleanly with this?”

In the hand of the old man of destruction, who couldn’t stand watching any longer, were two dice.

“…I’m fine with it.”

I agreed, thinking it was the fairest method, but Baekho looked like he was still not happy about it.

“Ha… do we really have to go this far? Can’t you just give it up once?”

“Is there any reason to give it up?”

“No, seriously, it’s not like I’m going to use it. I thought it would be good for our warrior to use as a swap weapon.”

“Oh… Baekho! You were thinking of me that much—.”

“Just stay still. Don’t interrupt.”

Aures, who was approaching with open arms, awkwardly lowered his arms again, and an uncomfortable silence followed.

“……”

“……”

Baekho stared at me as if testing my psychology, and I didn’t avoid his gaze, implying that I wouldn’t back down an inch.

Was that why?

“Ha… fine. Let’s roll the dice for the first time in a while. But it’s one roll per person, okay? We’re five, so five rolls. You guys are two, so two rolls. The one with the highest total gets it, okay?”

“Agreed.”

Just as the agreement was about to be finalized, the GM cautiously raised his hand.

“Um… could I do it separately? If I win, I’ll take it……”

Ha, they say you can’t trust anyone.

“That’s something you need to agree with the Baron on…… Then, shall we roll first? Hey, I’ll roll all of yours, okay?”

“Uh… Baekho? Wouldn’t it be better for each of us to roll the dice individually……?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

“It’s not that……”

“Then it’s settled.”

Baekho, who had dictatorially finished organizing the situation, began to roll the dice, and I swallowed hard, checking the numbers on the dice.

And……

‘2’

There was one new fact I learned in the process.

‘3’

What’s with him?

‘2’

He’s worse at rolling dice than me?

‘4.’

Too pathetic of a number to be the sum of two dice that go up to 6.

But the number of rolls was a cheat.

“9…?”

“It’s 9……?”

“Got it! Aaaaaaaahhhh!!!”

Baekho, who had rolled the dice five times, finally pulled out a high number of 9.

“T-then, I’ll try once now……”

After that, the GM also rolled the dice with a hopeful heart, but the result was disappointing.

“Ah…… it’s 8.”

“Wow, then it’s over once the Baron rolls?”

“……”

“Oh, right, this is from rolling the dice. It doesn’t count as giving it up or anything?”

“……”

“If you had just given it to me, I would have given you something in return.”

“Be quiet. I’m concentrating.”

After shutting Baekho’s mouth, I put a little strength into the hand holding the dice and clenched my fist.

And……

The weight and feel of the dice.

The texture of the wind brushing against my skin.

Feeling each and every one of those things, at the moment I thought ‘now’.

Chwaaaaaak.

I spread my palm and scattered the dice on the board.

As always, a moment was enough to determine the outcome.

Degeureureureu.

The dice that had been rolling stopped, showing the results.

“……Huh.”

“……12?”

“It’s 12.”

The highest number that can be obtained using two dice.

“Aish, annoying. You didn’t cheat, did you?”

“Baekho, there was no artificial interference.”

“Man, this Baron’s luck is really something, isn’t it?”

Baekho, who had decided to accept the result, turned his back on the ‘Siege Slaughterer’ on the floor and tossed out a word.

“Ha… what are you doing? Why aren’t you taking it already?”

“Uh……”

The current situation was very clear.

I had ‘luckily’ won the dice roll and obtained the most valuable loot from this exploration.

This was undoubtedly a very happy thing.

But……

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump-!

Why is it?

‘I… won the dice roll……?’

Why does my heart keep beating so fast?

Op Love

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Surviving as a Barbarian in a Game-682