Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 106

First, I checked outside the passage.

“Aaaah!”

“Don’t run away, just hold on tight!”

Misha and Carlson were completely occupied dealing with the orcs. If it were just about killing them, it would be over quickly, but I couldn’t allow that with my instructions.

‘I don’t need to worry about that side for a while.’

I quickly stripped the unconscious Jensia of her equipment.

A leather top made of tier 2 material.

Boots with blades that popped out while I was taking them off.

Wrist guards with grooves that shot out hidden weapons when pressed, and so on.

Looking at it, each piece of equipment was focused more on people than monsters. As I quickly stuffed them into my backpack and glanced over them, a smile naturally formed.

‘I could just give some of these to Misha; I saved some money thanks to her.’

Jensia’s equipment was quite good.

Among them, the highlight was the sword.

A longsword that exuded a sense of luxury from the handle.

‘Wait a minute… isn’t this a Numbers item?’

I stopped putting it in my backpack and examined the sword closely.

A green-tinged blade.

If my guess is correct, this is No. 5991, Viper’s Fang.

It had no usage effect, but it gave a large bonus to penetration power, and the poison damage inflicted through the sword was doubled.

Well, I’d have to get it appraised to be sure…

‘Looks like I got something valuable.’

Viper’s Fang is a ‘core item.’

It’s not quite a graduation weapon, but if you’re on a poison-type build, it’s an item you can use well into the mid-to-late game.

Of course, regardless of the number, it’s expensive.

‘If it really is Viper’s Fang, I should have Misha use it until I sell it.’

Thinking that, I stood up.

Now that the looting is done, it’s time for a conversation.

Because there are a few things I need to ask.

But first, I need to prepare for the conversation.

Thwack-!

I brought down the mace.

The target was her ankle.

I had taken all the equipment that could be worth money, so there was no need to hesitate.

“Ugh, kkkkk!”

The moment her thin, white ankle was crushed, Jensia’s upper body shot up as if she had been electrocuted.

I pressed down on her upper chest with my foot to hold her in place.

And…

“Ah, no… !”

Thwack-!

The other ankle was dealt with the same way.

I had already taken care of one wrist, so now there was only one left, the left wrist.

As I changed my position, I made eye contact with Jensia.

Has she ever done something similar to me?

She seemed to know what I was about to do.

“P-please… stop… I’ll do anything, just don’t do that…”

Really?

“Then stay still. I’ll finish up, and then we can talk.”

I raised the mace above my head.

“D-don’t do it…!! I won’t resist! So please, let’s talk–!”

Hey, just wait a minute.

Thwack-!

“Kkkyaaaaaaah!!!”

Jensia’s scream echoed loudly once more, and finally, the environment for a conversation was established.

Her limbs were crushed, and all her equipment was stripped.

So, I can relax now…

Ah, I didn’t strip her completely, did I?

“You, use [Equipment Change].”

It’s beginner equipment, but she has swap equipment left. However, at my request, Jensia stopped her pained groans and just stared blankly at me.

“How… how did you know…?”

What do you mean, how?

What other skill is there that instantly changes all your equipment?

Instead of answering, I raised my mace.

Then Jensia’s face turned even paler.

She must know that the only thing left to crush with this is her small head.

“O-okay!”

Soon, Jensia was wearing new equipment.

Ordinary equipment worth about 500,000 stones in total.

I took that off as well and put it in my backpack.

Now it’s time to get to the main point.

“I have something to ask.”

“A-anything!”

First, I checked what essences Jensia possessed.

She had a total of four essences.

Iron Knight’s [Equipment Change], Dinictis’s [Beast Step], Saint Assassin’s [Revenge].

‘And [Poison Infusion]…’

I was wary that it might be a self-destruct skill, but the last essence was the Hobgoblin’s [Poison Infusion], which Misha also had.

In summary, she had two 6-grade, one 5-grade, and one 7-grade essence.

She had raised them quite well.

It’s a shame that she uses it for looting.

‘No, come to think of it, she found her niche, didn’t she?’

As an explorer who fights monsters, Jensia is only about a 6-grade. However, in a one-on-one fight, she’s definitely above a 5-grade.

“S-so, is that it…? I would have answered even if you just asked…”

What are you talking about? This is just the beginning.

I immediately moved on to the next question.

“Why did you attack us?”

“My information is spread in the Explorer’s Guild. So I was trying to silence you…”

“So you were planning to kill anyone who came in.”

Jensia closed her eyes tightly and nodded.

At this point, she could have just given up and said, ‘Just kill me,’ but she never said those words.

Not that it would change anything.

“Then why did you open the rift? It seems like you don’t have any essence slots left, and if you hadn’t come in, there would be no reason to silence us.”

“It’s because of the Heart of the Snowfield. I heard that item only comes out here.”

Ah, that’s why.

“And I wasn’t worried about the silencing part. I thought it would be an 8-grade explorer at best–”

As the last thread unraveled and I was listening with understanding, Jensia suddenly shut her mouth. And her eyes widened.

As if she had realized something huge.

“I… you knew I opened the rift…?”

…I just made a slip of the tongue.

“What are you talking about?”

I answered naturally and scratched my ear, but Jensia wasn’t fooled. And after a moment of silence, she finally reached the answer.

“Could it be… are you a player too?”

Looking at her eyes, it seemed pointless to deny it…

But there’s no need to confirm it either.

“Player? Are you some kind of evil spirit?”

Even with my question, she stared blankly into the air.

And then, as if she had come to her senses, she wriggled and brought her face to my leg.

I just looked down at her.

“Mister, please save me…”

Hope.

“I want to go home. I can’t die in a place like this. How did I survive in this shitty place? Huh? Please…”

Resentment.

“Ah, I didn’t apologize, did I? I’m sorry. I, I was wrong. I thought you were an NPC [Non-Player Character]. If I had known, I would never have done that. W-we’re real people… aren’t we? If I did that, it would be murder, right?”

Desperation.

“Please… say something. Huh? Damn it! Say something! Hicc, you bastard…”

Frustration.

I just kept looking at Jensia’s face, where all sorts of emotions were swirling.

Thump.

Surprisingly, my heart was calm.

Not even sadness, let alone a shred of pity, arose.

There was no PK [Player Killing] in [Dungeon & Stone].

Because it’s not an online game.

Instead, it was possible to kill NPCs.

I, too, had enjoyed playing as a looter in that way.

But…

‘She killed me because I was an NPC?’

This isn’t just a game.

I desperately want to believe that, but there’s too much evidence that I can’t help but believe it.

And she probably knew it too.

Therefore, I answered briefly.

“You are an evil spirit.”

An evil spirit.

A being that doesn’t belong to this world.

But a being that had no choice but to make their body, mind, and soul belong here in order to survive.

Yeah, what does it matter if she’s a player or an NPC?

Nothing changes.

No matter what label you put on her, this woman is just a looter, and a dangerous person who has realized that I’m a player.

“You bastard!!”

So, I raise the mace.

Thinking that, as people who have adapted to this place, it would be the same in the opposite situation.

Swoosh.

I put strength into the hand holding the mace.

Jensia no longer asked to be saved.

She just stared at me with a vicious look.

As if to say she would remember my face no matter what, and curse me even in death.

“Huuu, huup, haaa…”

With each rough breath, her plump chest rose and fell rapidly. Even without putting my ear to it, I could feel how fast her heart was beating.

I realized one thing.

She seemed to be full of venom, but there was still one thing left.

Fear.

Soon, Jensia closed her eyes.

She began to find peace, finally letting go of her hatred.

I wonder what she sees behind those tightly closed eyelids?

“O-mom…”

Before I heard everything, I brought down the mace.

Thwack-!

Flesh and blood splattered.

Each time her fallen body twitched slightly, blood gushed from her nose and mouth.

Of course, that time was not long.

Soon, her body came to a complete stop.

I let out a breath I had been holding in and turned away.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: First Player Kill

Reward: Your mental stat permanently increases by +1.

I killed a player for the first time.

However, I tried to erase my feelings about it and took a step forward.

Thump-

Whether that act was easy or difficult.

Whether I felt excitement rather than fear at the blood and flesh.

Or whether I was disgusted with myself for hoping that when she opened her eyes, she would see the place behind her closed eyelids.

Or whether I felt miserable at the sight of myself, who was becoming more and more corrupted by this savage body.

Emotions didn’t matter.

Thump-

It was something that had to be done.

‘……’

The first day I opened my eyes in this barbaric world.

The path I chose to walk was that kind of path.

***

“What took you so long! I thought something terrible happened!”

Misha scolds me as I come out to the common area, leaving Jensia’s corpse behind.

Well, I did finish it as quickly as possible.

Only about 3 minutes have passed.

“H-help me!”

As Misha looks at me while distracted, Carlson is helplessly pushed back by the orc and shouts urgently.

However, I maintained a spectator’s stance.

“Misha, you can finish them off now.”

“Ah, is that okay?”

“Yeah, while you’re at it, try using your new ability.”

“Huh? I haven’t even tried it once yet…”

That’s why I’m telling you to try it.

The mafia is gone now, right?

An ice orc is a perfect opponent too.

“Ugh! I-I can’t hold on any longer… hup!”

While Carlson blocks another axe swing with his dented shield.

Misha closed her eyes.

And used her skill.

「Misha Carlstein has cast [Enhance].」

A faint white light was visible on her hand.

The active skill of the 7-grade monster ‘Bitol’.

If it were the usual Misha, she would have used [Poison Infusion] as a basic combo, but…

「Misha Carlstein has cast [Frost Condensation].」

Blue particles, as if separated from the air, seeped into Misha’s body.

「Frost sensitivity has greatly increased.」

As if she felt that something was right, Misha opened her eyes.

And…

Whoosh!

Swinging her sword sharply, she cut the wrist of the orc that was trying to attack Carlson.

Screech!

Was it impossible to cut through the bone in one go?

The orc’s hand holding the axe was half cut off and dangling.

However, the part I focused on was different.

[Tss, tssshhh!!]

The wound on the wrist, opened by the sharp blade.

But no blood flows out. The area around the wound is frozen red and covered in frost.

‘Is it a frostbite judgment?’

Frost attribute stops bleeding.

It may seem like a disadvantage, but it also stops regeneration, so it’s quite useful depending on the type of enemy.

The fact that it restricts movement is also an advantage.

[Tss, tsssh!]

Of course, the ice orc, which has high frost resistance, only had the area around its wrist frozen.

But it would have been a little different for a normal mob.

It would have frozen all the way to the elbow.

Well, if it were a monster with negative frost resistance, it might have even received a ‘freeze’ judgment.

Misha hasn’t finished setting up yet.

In that sense…

“Misha, aim for the neck this time.”

“Huh? Okay!”

Misha’s sword was stuck in the orc’s neck.

Well, the orc has high bone strength stats.

It would have been difficult to cut it in one go.

However, as the area around its neck froze, the orc stopped moving and began to tremble while standing.

It seems that the cold has reached its brain.

Crack-!

I had confirmed everything I needed to, so I rushed forward and smashed the orc’s head with my mace.

At the same time, the common area shook, and ice dust began to pour down from the ceiling.

Also, the roar I had heard before vibrated.

[Gwaaaaaaaaah-!!]

“W-what is that?”

What else could it be?

It means it’s the fourth chapter now.

「Tyrant Tarunbas, awakened from a long slumber, has recovered all his power.」

I even did an unplanned PK.

Now it’s time to take down the boss and get out of here.