Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 182

Manticore.

A 5th-grade monster with a repulsive appearance, having the body of a lion and the face of a human.

Its essence is quite unique.

[Manticore]

Discernment +40, Appetite +30, Leap +30.

Stat-wise, it’s really just Leap +30.

In some ways, it’s worse than a 9th-grade monster, but its passive is related to stats.

(P) Heredity — Permanently increases stats upon consuming a magic stone.

[Heredity].

A skill that increases stats when eating magic stones.

Looking at the description alone, it seems like a cheat-level skill, but there’s a crucial limitation.

‘The total of absorbable stats was 200, wasn’t it?’

The total stats obtainable through the skill is 200.

Because of this, at first, I thought, ‘What kind of trash essence is this?’

Among 5th-grade essences, there are many with a total of over 300.

But to have to use a passive to get basic stats that should naturally be there?

Even its active skill wasn’t particularly good.

I’d understand if it gave the Manticore’s core ability, ‘random skill barrage,’ but that’s a unique ability of the individual and can’t be obtained as an essence.

However…….

“Freeze!”

The moment this essence appeared, everyone’s eyes changed.

Yeah, you guys know the true value of this essence too.

“Raven, get the dice out quickly!”

As I shouted, the dwarf growled.

“Before that, I think it’s best to step back first, barbarian.”

What, did they think I’d just eat it if I lost the dice roll? It’s absurd, but there’s no point in causing a dispute right now.

“……Let’s all step back at the same time.”

“Good.”

“Y-Yes! I think that would be best.”

Starting with me, everyone stepped back together.

And we quickly sorted out the situation as fast as lightning.

The essence lasts for an average of 30 minutes.

So, first, let’s ask about what I couldn’t ask earlier.

“Are there any teams that will give up bidding?”

I asked just in case, but both Hans G and the dwarf shook their heads and said a word each.

“W-We’ll participate. Except for the mage and the priest, isn’t it an essence that everyone can use?”

That’s why they’re called players [referring to those who participate in the game-like world].

The true value of the Manticore’s essence lies in erasing it at the temple.

Even if you delete it, 20% of the additional stats remain.

It’s like an elixir with a bonus of 40 stats.

“There’s no way we’d give up this expensive essence.”

“……Expensive essence? Are you thinking of selling it?”

“We don’t have any essence slots left.”

Well, I guess that’s possible…….

Suddenly, a possibility comes to mind.

‘Right, these guys are from the underground city, aren’t they?’

For explorers from Noark, erasing essences at the temple is complicated.

It would be even more so if the city is sealed off.

It would be more reasonable to keep it and sell it secretly later when the seal is lifted.

However, the biggest question remains.

“……You guys don’t have a mage, do you?”

The dwarf team doesn’t have a mage.

A spellcaster who focuses on offensive essences plays a similar role in terms of firepower, but it’s impossible to replace their utility.

The dwarf replied as if it was nothing.

“Isn’t there one on your side? We’ll give you a good fee on top of the test tube price.”

Trying to get a free ride, huh?

“What if we both refuse?”

The dwarf chuckled at my suggestion not to be greedy.

“We’ll still roll the dice. And if we win, we’ll watch until the essence disappears.”

In other words, if they can’t eat it, they’ll at least interfere.

It tasted bitter.

As expected, explorers are explorers, whether underground or above ground.

They’re surprisingly similar in this aspect.

‘Should I just ambush and kill them here?’

Such an extreme method also came to mind, but I tried to regain my composure.

Raven’s help was significant.

“Yandel, there’s no other way.”

Right, we haven’t even rolled the dice yet.

It’s not like it’s a core essence like the [Giantification] essence.

We’ll have to erase it anyway once we can get 3rd-grade essences.

It’s not like there aren’t better replacement essences.

“So, how long are you going to keep doing that?”

The dwarf’s prodding brought me back to my senses.

“Let’s have one representative from each team come out.”

Soon, the leaders of each team gathered in one place.

I briefly explained the rules.

“Each person rolls, and the one with the highest number gets the loot. However, if the same number comes up, those two people roll again to decide the winner.”

“Will we use that mage’s dice?”

“It’s an authentic dice from the Explorer’s Guild. It doesn’t matter if you don’t use mine. Of course, I have to check it first.”

“Really? Then it doesn’t matter.”

The dwarf coolly nodded, and the preparations were complete as the mage from Hans G’s team came out to examine Raven’s dice.

“Hans, you’ll subtract 2 from the number you roll, as promised. So, if you have anything to say, say it now.”

“……W-We’ll be satisfied just with the opportunity.”

“Then that’s settled. Now, who’s going first?”

First or second.

There’s no real meaning to it, but everyone swallowed hard and looked at each other.

Surprisingly, Hans G stepped forward first.

“I-I’ll go first.”

Hans G picked up the dice.

Even with the handicap of minus 2, his teammates cheered him on with expectant eyes.

“Mr. Chrisen, do your best……!”

“Hans, if you don’t roll properly, you’re going to get your butt kicked, got it?”

“Chrisen, it’s okay if you lose, so don’t feel too pressured.”

Hans G, facing each of them, from the new guide to the human warrior and the middle-aged mage, met eyes with the elf archer.

The elf archer nodded silently.

It was obvious that there was something special between the two of them.

‘Seriously, it’s like some shonen manga [a genre of Japanese comics and animation aimed at a young male audience].’

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

The new female guide, who had just joined, was biting her lip as if she was frustrated.

“Then…… I’ll do it!”

Hans G rolled the dice with great vigor.

Roll, roll, roll.

The dice rolled on the dry soil, showing the large and small numbers on each side in turn.

Thud.

The dice stopped in the silence.

[10]

The number on the dice was a whopping 10.

The highest number that can come up on a dice.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

“Crazy! He’s crazy!!”

“Standard price! Mr. Parteian, what’s the standard price listed in the guild?”

Cheers erupted from his teammates, while we were left speechless.

The dwarf stepped forward as if he was annoyed by the sight.

“You’re talking as if it’s already yours. You didn’t forget that you have to subtract 2 from the number, did you?”

“Ah, yes……. I know.”

The heated atmosphere cooled down, but Hans G’s team still felt like they were at a festival.

Well, 8 is still a high number.

“I’ll go next.”

The dwarf approached Hans G and snatched the dice away. He hesitated for a moment, then frowned and roughly threw the dice on the ground.

Roll, roll, roll.

The dice barely rolled a few times before stopping.

[9]

……Is this for real?

“Aaaaaaaaaaaak!”

“Shibaal!!”

“I knew it! You bastard!!”

Animalistic shouts erupted from the dwarf’s team.

On the other hand, Hans G’s team was completely frozen with stiff expressions.

“Heh.”

The dwarf looked at Hans G with a smirk. And then, he said the line that I would least likely say in my life.

“You’re lucky.”

What’s wrong with this guy’s personality?

An overwhelming sense of despair enveloped me.

But I can’t collapse like this.

Because there are too many things that support me.

“Yandel! What’s with you? You’re not acting like yourself.”

“I believe in you! Bjorn!! You can do it!!”

“Yeah, yeah, Bjorn! You’re someone who can do anything!”

“I won’t talk about probabilities. It doesn’t mean anything to you anyway, right, Yandel?”

My companions still believe in me.

And I haven’t given up.

That’s why…….

Clench.

I grip the dice.

Heh.

The dwarf looks at me and sneers arrogantly.

It’s a pretty familiar situation.

Hans’ number is 8.

The dwarf’s number is 9.

I just need to roll a 10 here.

Probability is just probability, it’s meaningless.

Isn’t this the dramatic development that happens all the time in movies and comics?

Yeah, in terms of the plot, this has to work……!

No, it’s a structure that has to work.

“……Bjorn’s eyes have changed.”

Such a strange conviction swirled in my hand.

It felt as if some invisible being was warmly embracing me.

Before that feeling left, I threw the dice.

“Go! Great warriorrrrrr!!!”

The dice rolled amidst Ainar’s shout.

Surprisingly, my mind was calmer than ever as I watched it.

Thump.

A low heartbeat.

The air that enveloped my skin was moderately cool, and the scenes of each second were clearly etched in my mind as if time was flowing slowly.

And in that pleasant sensation,

Thud.

The dice stopped.

The air changed immediately.

“…….”

A cold silence descended.

I looked at the people instead of the dice.

“Crazy…….”

Even the dwarf who was sneering arrogantly.

Even my companions who believed in me and watched over me.

Even Hans G, who had already accepted defeat, couldn’t hide their shock and had their mouths open.

‘Did it really happen……?’

I checked the dice.

[1]

……I should have told Misha to throw it.

***

The loser has no words.

Because they’re all just excuses.

They can only silently endure it.

Just like I am right now.

“Puhahahah! A 1 with that expression! Did you see that? Did you see? I was really scared, you know? His eyes were so confident.”

Sharp taunts burst out from the dwarf’s team.

A sense of humiliation covers me from head to toe.

“I have to ask. How can you make such an expression! Kehahahah!”

“Don’t make fun of Bjorn!!”

“Go! Great warrior! Puh, puuh! Puhahahaha!”

“……I’ll kill you!!!”

I grabbed Ainar, who was about to jump out.

“Stop.”

“But! If I don’t smash their heads……!!”

Yeah, I can’t shut that mouth.

I know that feeling better than anyone.

But it’s not the time yet.

They know that too.

“You guys stop too.”

When I stared at him calmly, the dwarf also stopped his teammates from being cocky.

Since the winner has already been decided.

I gave up my lingering feelings and got to the point.

“How much will you give?”

“15 million stones for the test tube price.”

That’s the exact price.

“What about the labor fee?”

“I’ll give you 5 million stones.”

5 million for casting a single spell is a great deal.

But…….

“7 million.”

“You’re greedy.”

The dwarf glanced at the mage from Hans G’s team.

Meaning that they could ask the other side since there are two mages.

“W-We don’t have a test tube.”

What?

I originally called for a higher price under the pretext of sharing the labor fee with them…….

This changes things.

“I’ll give you 7 million.”

The dwarf agreed to my offer without any hesitation at Hans G’s words.

But the train has already left the station.

“Too late.”

“……?”

“It just went up to 15 million.”

In effect, the labor fee became the same as the test tube price.

“Don’t be unreasonable, barbarian.”

The dwarf muttered as if he couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.

Since he’s short, it must have been difficult for him to see the world widely. It’s natural that he doesn’t know the basic principles of the market, which is made up of supply and demand.

“Unreasonable? I think this is a reasonable price. Especially since you won’t refuse.”

“……10 million stones.”

“There’s no bargaining. If you don’t like it, don’t do it.”

“Think rationally, barbarian. Are you going to throw this money away?”

“It’s your choice. Either throw away the essence or give us money and take it in a test tube to sell.”

I pushed forward with a completely brazen business strategy.

This is why monopolies can be so vicious in a capitalist market.

Because even if you do business like this, it still works.

“……Damn it.”

The dwarf trembled and then opened his mouth.

“I’ll give you 15 million stones.”

“Okay, good think—”

“Not to you, but to them.”

The dwarf looked at Hans G and said.

“Huh? W-What do you mean…….”

“If you pay that money, I’ll give you the ownership of this essence.”

On-site sale…….

Yeah, that’s how it’s going to be.

An emotional choice that has abandoned reason.

I was taken aback for a moment, but thinking about it, it didn’t seem like a big problem.

“W-We don’t have that much money right now.”

“You can pay with goods instead of money.”

“Let’s discuss this for a moment…….”

Hans G had time to discuss with his teammates.

They were just moving their mouths, so it seemed like they had turned on the team voice magic.

Of course, that time wasn’t long.

The conclusion wasn’t much different from what I expected.

“Y-Yeah, even so, we can’t really give up our equipment…….”

With the equipment level of Hans G’s team, they would have to give up the main equipment of at least three people to match that amount of money.

But to give up equipment in the rift and get an essence that’s useless right now?

It doesn’t make sense.

“S-So, how about we pay in the city……?”

“……That’s not possible.”

There’s no way these guys from the underground city would give Hans G credit.

The dwarf, cornered, took a deep breath.

Then, he looked at me and said in a voice that he really didn’t want to.

“Barbarian, at the price you said—”

“20 million stones. It just went up again.”

“You son of a…….”

“Or we can buy the essence for 15 million stones, would you like to do that?”

“……I’ll pay 20 million stones.”

The dwarf cursed, but it didn’t have a big impact on the result. Even if they pay that money and take the essence, it’s still a profitable deal in the end.

About 17 million stones.

‘Wait a minute. Then we’re the ones who benefited more?’

Is this the sweetness of a monopoly?

The dice number was the lowest at 1, but we ended up taking the biggest share.

It’s quite ironic.

***

After the negotiations, things progressed smoothly.

First, we received goods worth 20 million stones from the dwarf.

There’s no way they would have that much money.

For reference, they tried to give us equipment, but I refused.

They pulled out a pile of unused equipment from their backpacks as if they had been waiting for it.

How much looting have they done?

“Give me potions that are easy to convert into cash.”

“……We can’t pay that much with potions.”

“Then we’ll take the remaining amount in equipment.”

I even gave a reason and demanded as many potions as possible.

I judged that we needed to reduce their power as much as possible before we might have to fight them.

Well, if I had received the equipment they were wearing as goods, it would have been much easier to deal with them.

“Seven top-grade potions and eleven high-grade ones. Adding the rest of the equipment…… it’s about right.”

With the help of Raven, who had a general appraiser’s license, the exchange of goods was completed without any major disputes, and after that, we set up camp in a suitable place.

Ah, for the night watch, one person was selected from each of the three teams, for a total of three people taking turns.

The first watch was Hans G, the dwarf, and Bear Uncle.

The next turn was mine.

“Yandel, it’s your turn now.”

“Was there anything unusual? Did the two of them have any suspicious conversations?”

“That guy Hans was just talking to himself. I think it would be more comfortable and enjoyable to stand watch alone.”

“Okay, thanks for your hard work. Go get some rest.”

My night watch mates were an elf archer named Maylin and a white wolf beastman warrior from the dwarf’s team…….

It was an uncomfortable time in many ways.

‘I see why he said it would be more comfortable alone.’

The white wolf warrior was silent.

And the elf archer kept glancing at me with a disapproving look throughout the night watch.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to be a little quieter since everyone is sleeping?”

That’s why they’re called pointy-ears [a derogatory term for elves].

Why do they hate kind barbarians like us?

There’s definitely something wrong with their personality.

Ah, except for Erwen.

‘Okay, let’s just keep watch.’

I was more wary of these guys’ betrayal than a monster attack. Because the probability of them stabbing us in the back has increased significantly.

I don’t know about Hans G, but the dwarf definitely has a knife hidden up his sleeve.

‘That’s probably why he paid the goods so willingly.’

Even considering the monopoly, 20 million stones was an unreasonable amount.

But he paid it quite coolly.

As if he had a way to get it back.

‘……Well, isn’t that the same for me?’

I haven’t given up on the essence that’s in the test tube yet.

I’m just waiting for the right time to come.

“Misha, wake up. It’s time to switch.”

After the night watch, which was more than just uncomfortable, I switched with Misha and fell asleep.

And the next morning.

The exploration resumed.

We spent all our time moving, except for meals, and searched the forest, and as a result, we were able to find and defeat the remaining two mid-bosses.

「You have defeated the Bicorn. EXP +5」

「You have defeated the Culves. EXP +5」

Unfortunately, no essences came out…….

“Huh? Isn’t that it? The thing you guys were talking about!”

We succeeded in finding the third chapter, which we had expected to take another day.

「The character has entered the Shadow Altar.」

At the same time as discovering the altar, a black shadow enveloped our surroundings.

A huge barrier that had formed around us.

As much as the concept of this chapter, what I have to do is also clear.

「A sealed plunderer has possessed one of the expedition members.」

Well, then, let’s start the politics.

“Dwarf, you look strange. Do you have a problem with your head or something?”

Let’s start with this guy first.