Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 169

A giant mirror emitted a red glow. About thirty explorers were gathered beneath it. The blue wolf emblem engraved on each chest signified that they belonged to a single clan.

“Time for the shift!” one man shouted. One of the teams positioned in front of the mirror switched places with the personnel who had finished their rest. They began mechanically hunting the monsters that appeared through the mirror. It was a sight any explorer on the 5th floor would have seen at least once.

“…Let’s go somewhere else,” said one of the explorers who had arrived here by chance. They turned away powerlessly after seeing the scene. It was already familiar. The entire 5th floor was like this.

“Halt! This area is the territory of our Nevis Wolf Clan, so please go elsewhere,” a clan member said. For a typical team, resistance was impossible. Most of the large clans on the 5th floor were skilled enough to operate on the 6th floor. For reference, there was only one reason why such skilled individuals were stuck on the 5th floor: the 6th floor was monopolized by even larger clans. This side was much more profitable.

“Vice-Captain, what’s the total amount collected today?” a clan member asked. They hunted in shifts 24 hours a day, collecting magic stones, and those who complained were driven out by force.

“An essence of the Ruin Flame Fairy has appeared! Is there anyone who wants to buy it!” When a 5th-grade essence appeared, it was put into a test tube and sold in the city. Anything below that was sold to nearby explorers at a low price. Explorers hoping to gain experience? They even accepted them as customers, maximizing their profits.

“I’ll cast a binding spell for you, so don’t join the battle and stay back for a while,” a mage said. And so, they were taking the fruits of the labyrinth and repeating the hunt when it happened.

“Clan Leader! It’s a Bertas!” a clan member shouted.

“What?” The man who had been resting and directing the clan from behind quickly got up and approached the mirror. A monster was visible beyond it.

[Groooooooo-!!]

Two horns protruded from its forehead. It had a muscular physique over 3m tall. The demon-type monster Bertas had black wings covering its upper body and four arms.

“Today is a lucky day,” the man said, his lips curling into a long smile. It was a creature he had encountered for the first time in a year.

‘How much was it when I sold it last time?’ he thought. Although it was a 5th-grade, its rarity was recognized, and he remembered it being sold to the Magic Tower for a considerable price. Their magic stone income during this exploration was already below the standard, but this one would more than make up for the loss.

“Everyone, take your positions!” The man took out his weapon for the first time in a while and stood in front. He waited for Bertas to completely emerge from the mirror.

“It’s coming out!” A giant foot was slowly stepping out from beyond the door. The clan members’ eyes were filled with anticipation. There were no worries about the battle. The mages had completed their highest-powered spells. It was just a rare monster, but it was still only a 5th-grade, so the battle would surely end the moment it appeared.

Yes, it should have been like that, but…

[Behel—raaaaaaaa!!] A human roar was heard from beyond the mirror. At the same time, the creature that was stepping out turned around and quickly pulled its foot back.

“…What, who are those guys!” He couldn’t understand the situation at all.

***

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!” Bertas turned its head while unleashing [Wild Outburst] with all its might. Soon, the mirror that had formed under its feet disappeared. Fortunately, the aggro [aggression or attention of the monster] was pulled well.

‘Whew, I thought we were going to miss it,’ I thought. The monsters that exist in the Otherworld enter the labyrinth through that mirror. In other words, if we had been just a little late, it might not have been us who caught that guy.

[Groooooooo-!!] The creature charged as soon as I raised my shield. Kwaang-! Its physical strength felt lower than a troll’s. It’s definitely the number one monster that doesn’t live up to its looks. It looks like it should be a 3rd-grade or something.

“Yandel, are you okay?” Raven asked.

“I can handle it, don’t worry about me!” I replied.

“First, everyone except Yandel, step back. We need to figure out what its abilities are first!” Raven, flustered, gave her first order upon encountering an unknown enemy. Well, there’s no need to be that careful.

‘…It would look weird if I acted like I knew here,’ I thought. I was confident that I could hold it for hours in a 1:1 situation, so I decided to watch without saying anything. Honestly, I was a little curious. What kind of judgment would our mage make in a situation where she had no knowledge?

“Marde Guarzure,” Raven chanted. The first magic Raven used was ‘Magic Power Measurement.’ The same one used at the checkpoint when exchanging magic stones.

“Fortunately, it’s only about a 5th-grade level!” The danger level of the monster was measured. But that was all they had figured out so far. The rest had to be inferred through actual combat.

Kwakwang! Soon, the monster’s fist and my shield collided, and an explosion erupted. [Scar of Explosion].

“There were no traces of energy movement. It seems to be a materialized ability…” She got the passive part right. Then what is the activation condition?

Kwaang! Kwang! Kwakwang! While explosions continued behind my shield, Raven carefully observed the battle from a distance. And she came to a conclusion.

“The explosion occurs when the same point is hit!” …That’s correct. I didn’t expect her to figure it out this quickly.

“So, how long are you going to just watch?” I asked.

“Uh… You seem to be doing fine on your own, but wouldn’t it be better to observe a little more? Kalstein and Ainar could get seriously hurt,” Raven replied.

Um, does that mean I won’t get seriously hurt? I felt a mix of disappointment and pride as a tank.

“I’ll throw you a potion right away if it gets dangerous!” Raven said.

“High-grade?” I asked.

“Yes, high-grade!” she confirmed.

Well, then. Maybe it’s just me, but from my experience, high-grade was the least painful. Even if you have pain tolerance, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

“Oh, it also uses its wing feathers like arrows? Judging by the fact that there’s no energy movement, it seems to be just a unique characteristic of the individual!” Anyway, Raven’s voice became lighter, as she thought it wasn’t a very dangerous enemy for our level.

“Yandel, can you try hitting it with your mace? There might be something that activates when it’s hit…” She seemed to be quite enjoying the fact that she was analyzing a monster she had seen for the first time. It seemed like it was the first time our mage was this excited, so I obediently followed her instructions.

Kwajik-! When I struck one of its four arms with [Swing], the joint bent grotesquely. Immediately, the wings unfolded.

“It’s an ability!” Raven exclaimed. One of Bertas’s three active skills. [Wings of Greed].

Shwaaaaa-! The surrounding air was sucked in like a drain vortex. After about 3 seconds of suction, the wings folded with a snap, and all the broken arms were healed.

“It’s a regeneration-type ability!” She watched, but she didn’t intend to just sit back, so she immediately cast an ‘Aggravate’ spell.

‘Whew, I hope this one comes out…’ I thought. The true value of this guy is in its passive, but if we’re going to get something, it’s better to get a usable active skill.

「Bertas has cast [Legion of Hatred].」

「Bertas has cast [Ray of Destruction].」

Well, summoning demons or firing a beam of light doesn’t really suit a barbarian, does it? Hoo-oong-! After easily dodging the ‘Ray of Destruction,’ which had a casting time of 3 seconds, I cast [Giantification]. Well, because I got the permission now.

“I think all the abilities have been identified now!” Raven said.

“Oh, then can I go fight now?” I asked. The moment of execution that I had been waiting for.

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!!” While Ainar was smashing the summoned demons with his greatsword, Bear Uncle and Raven took out their ultimate moves and aimed them.

「Abman Urikprit has cast [Hazardous Material].」

「Arua Raven has cast the 5th-grade attack magic [Lightning Spear].」

Our team’s strongest damage skill, which even a troll, the epitome of survivability, couldn’t withstand properly. Kwaaaaang-! A huge explosion erupted, and Bertas’s body turned into a stream of light.

「You have defeated Bertas. EXP +5」

Black smoke and scattered light particles. Curious about the result, Raven used wind magic to clear the smoke. Then, a white essence was visible.

“Th, that’s an essence!!” Raven exclaimed. The [Wings of Greed] that I had secretly hoped for had appeared. It was just a 33.3% chance that was broken through… ‘To get it in one go,’ I thought. Suddenly, I felt a little uneasy.

***

An essence of a 5th-grade monster had appeared. Therefore, there were two options: put it in a test tube and sell it, or have one of the team members pay for it and absorb it.

“What are you going to do?” Raven asked.

“I think it would be good for Ainar to have this,” I replied.

“Eh? Me!!?” Ainar’s fuss was completely ignored. Although he was the person involved in this matter… I am a man who will become the Barbarian Lord in the future. In short, I can represent all barbarians.

“Hmm… Even though we haven’t properly checked what kind of essence it is yet?” Raven asked. The skills were confirmed through combat. But you can only know what skills this essence contains after you eat it. Moreover, what’s as important as the skills are the basic stats attached to the essence.

“Considering that, I’d like you to give it to me a little cheaper,” I said.

“How much?” Raven asked.

“16 million stones,” I replied. Ainar fainted when I made the first offer.

“16 million stones?!!” Ainar exclaimed.

“Ainar, please be quiet. Huh? Bjorn is talking,” Raven said.

“Ah, okay!” Ainar replied. The conversation was briefly interrupted, but Raven didn’t even smirk and continued the conversation with a serious face.

“If we divide it by four, I’ll only get 4 million stones,” Raven said.

Um, it’s not working after all. That’s why I said 16 million.

“I think the amount is too low. It’s a rare monster that I didn’t even know about, right? Above all, if I put it in a test tube and sell it, 40% is my share,” Raven said.

“…I’ll let you do research instead,” I said.

“Am, am I being sold to a mage!!” Ainar exclaimed.

“Hmm, like Yandel did before?” Raven asked. This expression was quite tempting. After all, research is the best for a mage, not money. Taking the momentum, I took out the prepared cards one after another without hesitation.

“Besides, if you put it in a test tube and use distortion magic, you can’t use it anymore, right?” In short, if we find a treasure, wouldn’t it be a shame that we used distortion magic here? Raven nodded, as if she was also greedy.

“It’s only a few days left… But, it’s true that we can’t rule out that possibility yet,” Raven said. Okay, I think she’s convinced. Next was Bear Uncle’s turn.

“What do you want to do, Urikprit? I can make up for the loss with research…” I asked.

“I don’t mind. I’ve already earned enough. In the first place, it’s thanks to Bjorn that we found this guy,” Bear Uncle replied.

“Um, that’s true… But are you really okay? I don’t even know how much this will sell for,” Raven said.

“That’s why I said I don’t mind. If the barbarian lady gets stronger, it’s good for us too,” Bear Uncle replied.

“Okay, then the discussion is over,” Raven said. Now, Ainar has to go to the city and pay 4 million stones each to Bear Uncle and Raven. We made a lot of money this time, but it means we’re back to being broke again.

“Now, eat it before it disappears,” I said. Maybe it was because she was happy about the new essence, but Ainar took the essence without any resistance.

「[Bertas’s Essence] permeates Ainar Pnelin’s soul.」 The black light particles permeated instantly upon contact with the skin. Raven’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“So, how is it? What’s the most noticeable change?” Raven asked.

“Uh… I feel like I’ve gotten stronger…” Ainar replied.

“Hmm, that’s vague. I think we’ll have to go back to the city and research the stat part later. For now, can you try using your abilities?” Raven asked.

“A, abilities?” Ainar asked.

“Ah, it might be hard to imagine,” Raven said. Then, Raven gave a tip to use soul power while recalling the three abilities that Bertas had shown earlier.

“It’s also good to say the lines out loud. That’s how you learn magic for the first time,” Raven said.

“O, okay… I’ll try it,” Ainar replied. Under Raven’s instructions, Ainar began to use the active skills that Bertas had one by one in order.

“Come, come out! You demons!!” The summoning skill [Legion of Hatred].

“Kkeueueut!!” The ranged attack skill [Ray of Destruction]. And…

“Wings!!!” [Wings of Greed].

Chwaak-! The wings of light that unfolded behind her back flapped. It was the Barbarian (Female) Valkyrie Mode.

“Am, am I a Valkyrie now?!” Ainar, looking around and scanning her own appearance, shouted with an overjoyed face.

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!!!” I’m glad she seems to like it.