Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 137

Dragon Slayer, Regal Bagos.

A Dragonkin [a humanoid race with dragon-like features] who received the dragon’s curse after killing the ancient dragon of his clan, who served as the tribal chief.

He disappeared after the incident, but about 10 years ago, he single-handedly launched a terror attack on the sacred site of the Elves and began his activities as a member of Orculris, that bastard.

His main weapon is a greatsword called the Dragon Slayer Sword, and it is said that he has a total of six essences confirmed so far…

‘Three 5-grades, two 4-grades, and one 3-grade.’

Looking at the known essences, he’s close to a typical stat-focused swordsman.

Since all of his skills are in the form of self-enhancement, he’s a class that has no real counter as long as he has the right equipment.

Well, that’s information from 10 years ago, so it might have changed to some extent…

But the chances of that are slim.

How could a criminal erase his essences?

‘So, he must have crawled all the way here because of this one item.’

For reference, the dragon language that I was most worried about, that is, the unique skill of the Dragonkin, is said to be sealed due to the ‘Dragon’s Curse.’

That was good news to hear.

Honestly, I was shitting my pants when I found out he was a Dragonkin.

“That’s all I know.”

“I see, thank you. It was a great help.”

After learning about the enemy’s information through Rotmiller, I calmly organized my thoughts.

Ah, while running towards my destination, of course.

Tadat-tadat-!

First of all, Dragon Slayer, Regal Bagos.

He was a bigger deal than I expected.

If it weren’t for the ‘Guardian of Balance,’ I would have been beheaded before I could even recognize the jewel or anything.

Tadat-tadat-!

Feeling a strange chill, I check the time.

[08:57]

About three hours have passed since I encountered him.

In other words, the game of tag will begin in 9 hours.

Of course, that’s assuming he keeps his promise, but anyway.

‘Twelve hours, huh…’

It’s a bit of a shame.

My confident attitude was accompanied by a warrior’s oath.

And he agreed to the deal with a hopeful heart, or maybe thinking he had nothing to lose.

But…

‘If it weren’t for that damn ring, I might have coolly waited a day.’

24 hours and 12 hours are very different.

It would have been enough time to prepare the necessary items and take a break at the end.

‘Hah, nothing is easy.’

A sigh comes out involuntarily, but I steel my will.

Goblin traps, that psycho bitch, the crimson fortress, the witch’s forest, the floor lords, and so on.

I erase my 잡념 [japnyum – distracting thoughts] by recalling the desperate past,

And engrave only one goal in that place.

Survive.

If possible, all together.

Definitely.

“Bjorn, we’ve arrived.”

When my thoughts reached that point, Rotmiller stopped walking.

Before I knew it, there was a dead end in front of us.

The corner point at 11 o’clock, closest to where the boss room was.

In other words, the place where the second mid-boss is located.

Click, clatter.

As Rotmiller manipulated the mechanical device, the wall slid open, revealing a hidden space.

Whoosh.

As I stepped inside, torches lit up, illuminating the stone chamber.

The only difference from the 7 o’clock corner where ‘Baphomet’ appeared was just one thing.

“Ugh, I think that place was better.”

A stone chamber piled high with corpses with their eyeballs gouged out instead of a goat’s head.

I pushed through the stench and dropped a drop of blood on the magic circle.

「The labyrinth’s demon senses blood.」

Okay, I got one thing for now.

***

「You have defeated Argos. EXP +5」

「Bonus for defeating a superior variant. EXP +1」

***

In Larcaz’s Maze, there are many hidden spaces besides the mid-boss rooms.

The rewards vary.

There may be one-time consumables hidden, or rare monsters may appear.

Well, what I need is something else.

‘Is it a dud again this time?’

After defeating ‘Argos,’ we focused on searching the surrounding area for hidden rooms.

There wasn’t enough time to go and catch another mid-boss, and…

I needed to find ‘that room’ for my plan.

‘Hah, but I’m finding them pretty well.’

With Rotmiller leading the way and intentionally looking for hidden rooms, we found one about every two hours.

It was thanks to the heightened sixth sense stat that went up when the Dragon Slayer party entered. Rotmiller found what we had been passing by without noticing like a ghost.

The problem was that the room I wanted hadn’t appeared yet.

[05:30]

As time passed, it was almost time for the 12 hours I had promised with him.

“Wait, stop for a moment. I have a strange feeling.”

Rotmiller stopped the group and searched the surrounding walls, finding a hidden room.

Swoosh.

A stone chamber of about ten square feet with no monsters or hidden treasures.

After checking the inside, I closed the stone chamber again.

‘I found it.’

Finally, the first preparation for the plan was complete.

So, I stopped the group and took a break.

“Everyone, take a rest for a while. I’ll keep watch.”

“Rest? What is this room that…”

“I’ll explain everything if we get out of here alive. So, just follow my words for now.”

“…Alright.”

The dwarf gave up his doubts at my firm tone.

No, rather than giving up his doubts, it was closer to trusting me for now and not questioning me.

“Hoo…”

As my tired companions closed their eyes, I let out a long breath.

Even if it’s the others, I already have a headache thinking about making excuses to Rotmiller.

From dropping blood on the magic circle to summon the mid-boss to this very moment. There were too many parts that wouldn’t be convincing if I said I saw it in a book.

‘Anyway, let’s think about that later…’

I take another deep breath and erase my worries about the future.

I’ll figure out how to make excuses somehow.

Yes, if only we can return alive.

I decided to focus only on this moment and organized my thoughts for the last time.

[You said there would be a portal in the center? Aren’t we going there?]

The reason I didn’t head to the portal was simple.

He’ll be there for 12 hours anyway.

If we went there and he thought we were running away, the 12 hours we had gained would be useless.

I judged that it was better to prepare during that time.

But…

‘He must have started looking for us by now.’

The promised 12 hours have now ended.

Fortunately, the first preparation was completed on time, and thanks to that, we were able to take a short break before he arrived.

However, the situation is still bleak.

‘The success rate is less than 10%.’

The possibility I coldly calculated was only this much.

That’s because only six of the essences he has are known. Two or three veiled essences remain as variables, and the biggest obstacle, the high priest of Karui, remains unchanged.

That’s why…

Clench.

I took out a jewel that was as brilliant as it was red and held it in my hand.

I swallowed it as a hostage, but as soon as safety was confirmed, I used [Giantification] to spit it out.

The final reward of Larcaz’s Maze, the very item that the worst criminal with the alias of Dragon Slayer had been desperately searching for.

‘Restrained Desire.’

If possible, I didn’t want to use it now.

This item shows its maximum efficiency only when applied to a 4-grade guardian essence.

But it’s a useless item if I die anyway.

‘I guess I have no choice but to use it.’

I made a decision.

I don’t know how the situation will unfold in the future.

And I can’t use this item unless it’s now.

“…”

The time in this calm before the storm will soon come to an end.

It’s better to prepare as much as possible in advance.

Because when the time comes, there won’t be time to use it even if I want to.

‘It’s a bit of a waste, but…’

I put strength into my hand.

Crack-!

The jewel split, emitting a brilliant red light.

When I came to my senses.

「The character has used ‘Restrained Desire’.」

「The character moves to the Balance Room.」

I was standing in an unfamiliar space.

***

Whoosh-!

A flame rises, illuminating the space.

I took a step and looked around.

Thud.

A stone chamber reminiscent of the Tower of Heaven.

The flames floating in the air flicker bluishly, illuminating three stone doors at the edges.

‘It’s amazing.’

So, this is how it actually was.

In the game, I just had to use the keyboard to choose what to pick.

「Select the essence you want to replace.」

I carefully observed the unique murals drawn on each stone door. They weren’t colored, but they weren’t hard to recognize.

Thud.

A gruesome monster with rotten arms and legs huddled together and moving.

‘That must be the Corpse Golem.’

Something human-shaped with sharp fangs and claws, with red eyes expressed by a crimson jewel.

‘That’s a Vampire.’

A muscular warrior shouting a war cry, with a huge flag in the background.

‘That must be the Orc Hero.’

Each door represented the three essences I had absorbed so far. There were no guiding messages, but it was clear what to do.

If you open the door you want, the corresponding essence will be replaced.

That’s what ‘Restrained Desire’ is.

A gacha-type item [a random chance item] that changes a 4-grade or lower essence to a random essence of the same grade.

Thud.

I walked towards one of the doors without hesitation.

Because I had already decided what to choose.

‘Orc Hero.’

Of course, it’s not this one.

Although it’s a 5-grade, it’s a core essence that belongs to my final combination.

‘Corpse Golem.’

Pain tolerance was surprisingly useful, but in fact, it doesn’t help me much in terms of ability.

So, I was saving it to erase it later when all the essences were full.

But, this is also a pass.

To apply ‘Restrained Desire’ to a 7-grade essence, why would I do such a wasteful thing?

‘Vampire.’

I stood in front of the stone door with the image of that monster and reached out my hand.

A skill set and stats suitable for a tank.

Moreover, it’s a rare essence with all three skills attached because it was obtained after catching the Guardian of the Rift.

Because there are hidden elements in ‘Restrained Desire’.

「You have selected the Vampire’s essence.」

「It is a guardian’s essence.」

「The grade of selectable essences increases.」

When a guardian’s essence is sacrificed, the grade of the essence that can be chosen increases.

In other words, if you sacrifice a 4-grade guardian’s essence, you can obtain a 3-grade essence.

‘That must be the case with that bastard. Seeing that he came all the way here for this one item.’

I did that when I played the game.

When I got a guardian essence that was high grade but didn’t fit my character, I went to Larcaz’s Maze to try my luck with the gacha.

But to use this item on a 5-grade guardian, and even with an essence that is useful to me.

“Hoo…”

I tried to erase my lingering feelings and walked through the open door.

Before I could even take a few steps, the straight passage ended, and three stone doors appeared as flames blazed.

Whoosh!

As an item with the concept of balance, each of the three stone doors had a monster of the physical, mental, and supernatural types drawn on them.

So far, it was no different from the usual case.

But, what the hell is this?

「This is an essence that no one currently possesses.」

「The Guardian of Balance acknowledges its rarity and presents new options that match its value.」

I froze as I looked at the murals.

First of all, the first option was this.

A skeleton wizard holding a staff in one hand and a box containing a red jewel in the other.

A 4-grade monster, Lich.

A typical ‘supernatural’ monster with a passive skill called [Soul Box] and several destructive active skills.

So far, there’s no problem.

It’s just that the jewel embedded on the door is not convincing.

‘…Rainbow color?’

The Corpse Golem had a black jewel, and the Orc Hero had a green jewel. So, I thought this meant the color of the essence.

But a rainbow color?

Isn’t it the same color as the jewel embedded on the Vampire’s door, which was a guardian’s essence?

‘Then did a real guardian’s essence appear?’

I quickly checked the other doors as well.

A 4-grade monster, Soul Colossus.

A spirit-type monster with no stats like strength or agility, but with all mental stats focused on it.

Similarly, the color of the jewel meant a guardian.

Of course, up to this point, it could be passed off as ‘luck.’

Very rarely, a guardian’s essence has appeared as an option.

But…

‘There’s no way this is a coincidence.’

The last option given to me.

After checking the physical type monster, I admitted it.

This is by no means ‘luck.’ It’s just that there were still elements I didn’t know about in this game.

Whoosh-!

The jewel reflected in the flickering flames was red.

In other words, it’s not a guardian’s essence.

But, what does that matter in the current situation?

Thud.

I walked towards the door like a possessed person.

Unbelievable, but the mural drawn on the door meant only one thing.

Thud.

A 3-grade monster.

Moreover, a boss-level monster that acts alone.

In other words, a monster that can only be defeated by a raid of 3rd and 4th grade explorers.

The very monster that boasted the best specs among the terrestrial monsters in terms of melee ability.

‘Ogre.’

I opened the door without hesitation.

Hallelujah.