Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 689

After Baekho’s suggestion, we began to seriously research the armor we had obtained this time.

Two high-ranking mages.

Baekho and I, both gamers.

And two local, high-ranking explorers.

It was a mysterious armor that popped out of a mystery box, but as several people started researching it, we quickly made progress.

And the first thing we found out was this.

“It definitely seems to be a Numbers Item.”

“…A Numbers Item? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“I haven’t heard of it either, but surprisingly, there’s no doubt it’s a Numbers Item. The classification method itself was based on whether it showed a specific magical reaction or not.”

“How can that be…?”

“Actually, if you look at the history of the labyrinth, not all numbered artifacts existed from the beginning. There were even times when there were no ‘numbers’ at all.”

“Oh! A time without numbers? Was there such a time?”

“Yes. The numbering itself began after an appraiser compiled 10,000 artifacts into a single book.”

“Perhaps this armor is a new Numbers Item that no explorer has ever discovered since the labyrinth was created.”

“…A new Numbers Item?”

“I think there will be more cases similar to this armor. Therefore, I’d like to name it ‘No Numbers’ or ‘Mystery Numbers’….”

The GM started to get greedy about the unique name, but unfortunately, someone had already claimed the name.

“The official name is Secret Numbers.”

“Yes…?”

“Arua Raven discovered it first and named it.”

Well, it would be upsetting to have something you found first taken by someone else.

When I stated that clearly, the GM didn’t seem disappointed but rather had a scholarly look in his eyes.

“By any chance… were there more artifacts like this?”

I hesitated for a moment at that question, but since it was information that could be a clue to overcome the current situation, I answered honestly.

“There was one I found in the labyrinth.”

“Could I see it?”

“Unfortunately, it’s not in my possession right now.”

“Oh, I see…”

Everyone seemed curious about what the item was, and I just told them that I got it from the first floor of the dungeon.

“A ‘Secret Numbers’ item from the first area that was opened… Perhaps there are many more undiscovered Numbers Items.”

Well, I think so too.

Both outside the walls and on the first floor we went to recently. Places that explorers hadn’t reached for so long were being revealed one after another in the last few years.

Anyway, besides the information about Secret Numbers, here’s what else we found out.

“Wow, it’s a soulbound item?”

This armor was already soulbound to me.

“A soulbound imprint… Then, we can’t get it back!”

The GM had a fit when he found out about this, but what could I do?

I just picked my nose and pretended not to hear.

“Anyway, explain it. Is it really a soulbound item?”

“Yes? Ah, yes… When someone else tries to wear it, the shape adjustment doesn’t work, and even if they force themselves to wear it, it turns into ordinary armor with no effect. It’s a typical soulbound imprint pattern….”

“It seems that the ambiguous wave you and I talked about last time was the circuit related to the owner’s imprint.”

“Yes, that’s highly likely.”

For reference, in addition to being soulbound, it also had an ‘indestructible’ option, and there were also options that directly affected the wearer’s stats.

‘Increase all regeneration speed’.

This option, named by the GM, was the highlight of this armor.

“That’s a very rare trait. It’s not a specific resource like spirit power, magic power, or divine power, but a trait that includes everything that ‘regenerates’.”

It’s not just about resources used like MP [Mana Points].

The ‘increase regeneration speed’ option also affects ‘natural regeneration,’ and if I were to acquire another skill and use special resources, I would still benefit from the trait.

“But if it’s a Numbers Item, shouldn’t it have a proper name?”

As Baekho said, we couldn’t just call it armor, armor, so we gave it a name.

“Oh! Then can I come up with something cool–”

“Aegis Dragon Armor.”

“……Huh?”

“Aegis Dragon Armor. That’s the name of this armor from now on.”

When I said the name I had in mind, Baekho nodded.

“Wow, that’s a good name? And with the color, it looks like a set item.”

While Baekho reacted positively, Jaina next to him tilted her head.

“I understand Aegis, but why Dragon Armor? It’s not like it’s made of dragon skin or has a dragon heart in it.”

“Uh…”

It was quite a difficult question for something I just threw out there.

But if I were to answer honestly.

“It’s just… calling it just armor is a bit boring…?”

“Ah, I see…”

Again, Jaina had a hard time understanding, while the male members of the group all nodded.

The men all seemed to like Dragon Armor much more than just armor or plate armor.

‘Seriously, women don’t understand men at all.’

Anyway, that’s how the name ‘Aegis Dragon Armor’ was finalized, and surprisingly, a new result came out through this process.

“…It’s quite a coincidence. I checked it against the ‘Aegis Barrier’ just in case, and it really did have a resonance reaction.”

“In other words, it was a set item with the real shield?”

“Yes. Aegis Dragon Armor and the Barrier… both were resonance artifacts.”

Resonance artifacts refer to set items that have additional effects when equipped together.

For example, the No. 7611 ‘Necromancer’s Deception’ that Bear Uncle used before is a prime example.

When you wear the skull-shaped belt named No. 7612 ‘Necromancer’s Arrogance’ at the same time, you can get a ‘resonance effect’.

‘It was an effect that additionally recovered 50% of health when one of the two was activated.’

Anyway, as we found out that it was a set item, the existing information was also updated.

“So, what’s the resonance effect of this armor and shield?”

“Um… now that I see it, the regeneration effect seems to be the resonance effect.”

The increase in all regeneration speed option was the resonance effect of the Aegis set.

“Oh, then there’s a separate passive effect?”

“Yes… It seems there’s one always-on ability and one active ability.”

In other words, the armor itself has one passive and one active option.

The active effect itself was easily discovered through various experiments.

「Yulben Havelion cast a 5th-grade attack magic [Lightning Spear].」

The effect was quite simple.

「Yulben Havelion cast a 4th-grade attack magic [Storm Surge].」

First of all, it was a defensive type option, as expected of an ‘armor’.

「Yulben Havelion cast a 4th-grade attack magic [Ice Sword]…」

That’s because…

「The character used [Aegis Dragon Armor].」

They say the best defense is offense, right?

***

「Reflects accumulated damage.」

***

The usage effect of the Dragon Armor is similar to the essence of ‘Gacha Bone’ in some ways.

A ‘counterattack’ mechanism.

And…

Whooshhhhh-!

Just like how disposable skeletons were created for counterattacks, a kind of summon appeared behind me.

These two features are similar to ‘Gacha Bone’.

But there is a crucial difference.

“…Why is it so big?”

A scale that is incomparably more imposing than a skeleton.

“…Is it an ability that summons?”

“Uh… but it’s moving?”

A giant Viking warrior made of soul form swings a greatsword.

Towards the GM who attacked me for the experiment.

“Shit!! Block it!”

With Baekho’s shout, Grandpa Destruction summoned a magic barrier to block the sword’s trajectory.

Crack-!

However, the magic was not sturdy enough to block the greatsword as it was hastily deployed.

“Come forth!”

In response, Rex Aures rushed forward and raised his shield…

“Cough-!”

Rex Aures, who blocked the greatsword with his giant shield, coughed up blood, and the situation was over.

Clang-!

The giant shield that Aures was carrying fell to the floor with a deep dent, and the soul giant who swung the greatsword disappeared as if it had finished its job.

“A-are you okay?”

Jaina, the healer, rushed to see Rex Aures’s condition, and only then did the GM realize that he almost died and sat down.

“Wow… this is no joke.”

Baekho, who had been watching all this, observed with shining eyes.

“It’s clear that getting hit is the activation condition, so does it reflect in proportion to the damage taken? Or is it not proportional damage, but rather a fixed amount that can be activated when accumulated?”

“……”

“Well, depending on which one it is, the strategy will be a little different. Well, it’s not an unavoidable hit, so it doesn’t seem too difficult.”

Ha, that’s why I was going to research it alone later.

“Hey, hey! What are you all doing? No one got hurt! Stop making a fuss and let’s get back to research.”

“Huh? Baekho? Didn’t you see? Blood came out of my mouth just now–”

“But it’s not coming out now.”

“……”

After that, the research was resumed due to Baekho’s active progress, and the active effect was also thoroughly investigated.

“When you get hit, stacks accumulate, and it’s a mechanism that deals physical damage in stages proportional to the stacks.”

“The cooldown is only 5 minutes, and there are no resources consumed. But even if you fill only 4 stacks, it deals damage that can break through twenty magic barriers like paper?”

“Ah, yeah, yeah. It’s indestructible because it’s a Numbers Item.”

“But it’s a set item, so if you wear it together, the regeneration speed increases like crazy, and there’s even one more passive effect that we haven’t figured out yet?”

Uh, um…

To summarize, it’s roughly like that…

“Damn, what the hell is this cheat armor?”

“……”

I have nothing to say.

Because I agree with that.

It might change depending on what the passive is, but just looking at the active, it’s no less than a single Numbers Item.

If the passive is also single Numbers level… it’s safe to say that we got a new single Numbers item–.

“I-it’s mine… originally……”

Listening to the GM’s muttering, my conscience pricked, but what can I do?

It’s not like I can give it back now.

“Yulben Havelion, stop whining.”

“B-but……”

“Isn’t it unavoidable? It’s not like I wanted to soulbind it.”

“……”

“Or do you think our relationship will end with this one exploration?”

“N-no, it’s not like that……”

“Then isn’t it a good thing for you if I get stronger? It’s not like I’m going to forget your favor.”

When I persuaded him logically, the GM had nothing to say and shut his mouth.

He seems a bit sulky, but well, time will solve this.

“Wow, Baron, your gaslighting is amazing?”

I just let Baekho’s words go in one ear and out the other and started researching the equipment again.

The judgment was to properly check the passive that had not yet been revealed.

But…

One day, two days, three days…

No matter how much time passed, the passive effect of the Dragon Armor remained a mystery.

“Ha… if there were monsters, I think we could find something out.”

“I think we’ve done everything we can without monsters.”

“Unless it’s a really special condition or a difficult effect to understand, we’ll only be able to find out if there are monsters.”

Therefore, we gave up on figuring out the passive at this point.

However, as things ended like this, the situation became difficult again.

The reason we started researching the Dragon Armor in the first place was to find a clue to escape from this place.

“So, we’re back to square one?”

Baekho’s emotions, which clearly showed his frustration, spread to everyone as if they were contagious.

Well, the more it is like this, the less a leader should show it.

“Let’s start again slowly with what we can do.”

After that, I encouraged them somehow and went back to searching the golden ruins again.

We searched all the passages again, and even used physical means such as breaking down walls.

Also, there was an attempt to go back up the entrance stairs and visit Makairo’s stone chamber, the hidden piece of the golden ruins…

“…Huh?”

What on earth is going on?

“…Wow, this is a bit creepy.”