Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 184

If you’ve ever been hit by a car, you’d know. It happens in an instant, and there’s no going back. Just like this very moment.

“Prepare for battle!!!”

My shout cut through the silence. At the same time, the dwarf’s axe, swung like a flash, deeply pierced the mage’s shoulder.

*Crunch!*

A gruesome sound of tearing flesh made me realize it was real. By the time that sound reached my ears, my body was already lunging forward with all its might.

*Thud.*

My goal was to rescue Raven.

“Eek!”

Quickly closing the distance, I pulled Raven into my arms and retreated rapidly. For reference, the same went for the tank of HansG’s team.

“Both of you, snap out of it!!”

The blunt weapon warrior, who was far away, grabbed the fairy archer and HansG by the scruff of their necks and hid them behind him. Thus, a natural encirclement was formed.

We were superior both in numbers and quality. So, how would the dwarf try to overcome this disadvantageous situation? While everyone was watching his next move.

*Swish.*

The dwarf pulled the axe out of the mage’s shoulder and shouted a name. “Hans Chrisen!!”

All eyes were on him in the suffocating air. However, HansG was just trembling without saying a word. Then, as if urging him, the dwarf shouted again. “Is it okay for your secret to be revealed!!”

My head felt like it was ringing. If it was HansG’s secret, there was only one thing it could be.

“Fine, if you want, I’ll erase your place. Hans Chrisen is an evil spirit! The proof is in my backpack—”

“You! Get away from him!”

I warned them first. If the dwarf had solid proof, then HansG’s betrayal was as good as confirmed. But…….

“A, an evil spirit? I don’t believe in such a thing—”

I was a step too late.

*Whoosh!*

The lizard summoned by HansG unleashed a fierce torrent of flames at the blunt weapon warrior.

“Wh… why…….”

The blunt weapon warrior fell to the ground, engulfed in flames.

“I, I’m sorry.”

HansG squeezed his eyes shut and ran towards the dwarf. And then he said something incomprehensible. “W, what are you doing! M, Ms. Maylin, you should come over here too!”

“……Wh, what are you talking about! How can you ask me to come after doing such a terrible thing!”

“S, surely you’re not thinking of abandoning me like this? W, we came from the same place. W, we have to go together! I, I’ve been doing all the dangerous stuff all this time!!”

A conversation with such sudden content.

“Ha, this damn brat!”

The moment I saw the fairy archer’s distorted face, the whole situation became clear in my mind. ‘Could it be, both of these bastards are players?’

Even the dwarf looked surprised, so it seemed he didn’t know about this either. He must have just happened to get evidence and then blackmailed HansG during the night watch.

“Dwarf! You have to keep your promise to take him to Noark!”

“……Of course! Hurry and help me!”

The fairy archer, whose options had been eliminated by HansG’s attempt to drag him down, shouted in annoyance and moved towards the dwarf.

‘This is really messed up.’

A headache was coming on. We were clearly superior in numbers just a moment ago. Now, we were one person short. The guide of HansG’s team was already unconscious from the shock, and even if he woke up, his combat ability would be zero. Moreover, even if we defeated them in this unfavorable situation, it wouldn’t solve all the problems. A bleak future awaited us, where the five of us would have to fight the boss.

‘Damn it, there’s even a doppelganger hiding among us in the first place?’

It was more than just a series of misfortunes. It was a situation where I couldn’t help but curse. ‘Even with the Hans effect, isn’t this too much?’ I couldn’t help but complain…….

But what else could I do?

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

I had no choice but to try.

***

There was no need for long words between us. It was already past the point where we could resolve things through conversation.

*Thud!*

The moment I rushed forward, activating [Giant Form]. A gray vortex swirled and covered my body.

*Whoosh!*

One of the various attack skills a mage would have. Since it wasn’t physical damage, even I wouldn’t be able to withstand it with my bare body without getting hurt. But this side was also a team, after all.

“Teirun Sheardiem.”

A magical barrier covered my skin. In the game, it was easily called ‘Mana Shield’. That’s why mages were important in PK [Player Killing]. Its mana efficiency was so bad that using it during hunting was a waste, but not against people. The consumption value was the same for both sides.

*Whoooosh.*

When my vision cleared, the dwarf was in front of me.

*Thud.*

The guy jumped high with his short legs and hit my face with his shield. The damage itself wasn’t great, but my body in [Giant Form] was helplessly pushed back. It was because of his skill, [Polarity Shield]. A skill that gave a knockback bonus when pushing away and reduced the impact when blocking.

*Skkkkkk.*

No sooner had I been pushed back, leaving a long trail, than the beastman swordsman thrust his sword at me. The expected spot was my vulnerable eyes.

“Not so fast!”

Misha, who was hidden behind my back, jumped out and deflected the beastman swordsman’s sword. Okay, then I’ll leave him to Misha.

*Whoosh!*

I blocked the arrow flying from the front with my shield and swung my mace down at the top of the dwarf’s head, who had just landed on the ground. But what was this?

*Clang!*

It was a blow that even included [Swing]. Even if he had raised his shield to protect his head, it should have been completely crushed. That’s what happened when I fought the doppelganger. Why?

But why was the shield intact?

‘Damn it.’

The reason was quickly found. An earring that was emitting light, just like the shield. ‘……No. 2988, is it?’ It was natural that the result was different from the doppelganger. Number items couldn’t be copied. With such a high-level item, the difference was almost like heaven and earth.

*Boom!*

At that moment, an explosion was heard from the dwarf’s rear formation. It was an explosive arrow shot by Bear Uncle. HansG’s ‘Earth Bug’, a summoner, summoned a wall in time, preventing any casualties…….

*Thud thud thud!*

As the wall collapsed, Raven’s magic interception followed.

*Boom!*

‘Lightning’ falling from the sky in dozens of directions. HansG, who was hit by one of them, collapsed. Of course, that moment didn’t last long. They had a priest on their side, after all.

*Whoosh!*

HansG, who regained consciousness in a few seconds, used his summons to spew flames. The target was our backline. Raven had just used magic, and I couldn’t block it due to the angle, so Bear Uncle’s tank summon, Woong, just took it with his body.

[Woong!!]

Woong roared as if this was nothing. Summoned spirit beasts had high magic resistance.

‘Hoo, it seems like team battles are on a different scale.’

After that, Karui’s priest also finished his preparations and began to summon creatures in earnest.

[Grrrrr…….]

An undead legion began to pour out of a portal of ominous color that had been created in the air. Coincidentally, there was a perfect opponent for them.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaa!!”

Ainar rushed out without needing any instructions and swung his greatsword. *Bang! Crash! Clang!* Every time he used [Repeated Slash], explosions occurred and sparks flew, and if he was injured, he would regenerate himself with [Wings of Greed]. Of course, if he used skills like this, his MP wouldn’t last…….

「Ainar Pnelin has defeated an enemy.」

「[Devour] has been activated and spirit power is restored.」

The ‘Slaughterer’ imprint that Ainar received was a specialized imprint for slaughtering.

*Boom! Thud thud thud!*

*Whoooosh!*

Various skills exploded from all directions, and the resulting sounds. Instead of each person targeting only their opponent like in a solo battle, everyone moved flexibly, sometimes retreating to help their comrades.

How long did the fierce battle continue, where it was impossible to say who had the upper hand?

“You know what?”

The dwarf, who had slammed a knockback shield into my face, spoke to me for the first time during the battle. I thought about ignoring him, but I just accepted it.

“That you’re about to die?”

“No, that you’re the core of your team.”

He was stating the obvious. I was running around everywhere, disrupting the formation and damaging the enemy, and I was blocking all the arrows and magic that passed through my path with my shield. On the other hand, all the dwarf did was follow me around and prevent me from going too wild.

“In other words, if you and I disappear at the same time, we’ll be much more advantageous.”

“……What?”

The dwarf grinned and shouted. “Jainon! Now’s the time!”

Jainon. The name of Karui’s priest, whom the dwarf had called out several times to give orders since he didn’t have team voice magic.

「The character has entered the special terrain [Crossroads of Fate].」

The surroundings, which had been exploding like fireworks, went dark. Also, the intense sounds of battle disappeared, and it became quiet. I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh. What was he trying to do? ‘He used the Crossroads of Fate, huh.’ Did the dwarf think I was easy?

***

Crossroads of Fate. The effect of this power, which only Karui’s priest could use, was simple. It sent two designated targets to an isolated space. For reference, this skill was only possible if the two targets were hostile to each other, and they could only return to the outside world if one of them won or if the power was cut off from the outside…….

*Click.*

The sound of a switch being pressed, and the surroundings lit up. I was standing on top of a stone statue the size of a multi-story building. Well, to be precise, I should say I was on the palm of the statue? If I looked up, I could see the face of the statue looking down at me. The face of the evil god Karui, which I had only seen in books.

“You’re surprisingly not flustered?”

The dwarf, who was about 10 meters away from me, muttered leisurely. In the end, I couldn’t help but ask. “What confidence do you have to bring me here?”

“……Do you know about this place?”

Of course, I knew. This place was a kind of duel arena. A place where you had to fight with your personal skills in a place isolated from the external environment. But he brought me here?

“It’s so absurd.”

The dwarf frowned at my expression. “You overestimate yourself too much, barbarian.”

Yeah, he really thought so. That he could hold out enough. That if he just kept me here, they would win outside and send me back. *Pfft.* I thought about saying something, but it was a waste of time. I couldn’t find a reason to do so. It was enough to prove it with action. Like a barbarian.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Without any questions or answers. I charged at the enemy after finishing the small talk.

*Thud!*

The dwarf was retreating, as if he had decided to lie down. It was a meaningless struggle. How far could he jump with those short legs? In fact, the dwarf seemed to have judged that it was impossible, and he raised his shield after a short while.

*Whoosh.*

The shield was swung to push me away. But, the reason I was hit by that earlier was because your comrades kept drawing my attention.

*Whoosh.*

I slightly twisted my body to avoid it and then slammed my mace down.

*Clang!*

A clear striking sound rang out from the shield that the dwarf had raised above his head. Of course, there was no problem.

*Clang!*

If once wasn’t enough, then twice.

*Clang!*

If twice wasn’t enough, then three times.

*Clang!*

No, it was like playing whack-a-mole. No matter how many times I hit it, the dwarf’s shield was sturdy.

“So…… I told you, I could hold out.”

His breathing was rough for someone who said that. Anyway, he must have been relying on this. I felt a little sorry. I was actually caught by the trap he set to make me lower my guard.

*Clang!*

It was when I had struck it thirteen more times.

*Whoosh!*

I faked a mace strike and then quickly reached out to one spot. And…….

“……!”

I grabbed his earring. Well, there was no way a number item would be damaged by this much force…… But flesh wasn’t a number item.

*Rip.*

The fragile earlobe tore, and the earring fell off. ‘No. 2988, Mark of the Guardian Corps.’ It didn’t have any special stats or usage effects, but it was a great item that gave a 50% shock absorption option to the shield when worn. I didn’t expect to get this core item like this.

“……Give it back!!”

The dwarf belatedly realized the situation and rushed at me like a madman. Of course, all I could do was swing my big, hard mace.

*Boom!*

A powerful roar rang out from the shield that had reflexively protected his head. Ha, yeah, this was it. It felt like the frustration that had been building up was finally being released. In that sense, one more time.

*Boom!!*

The dwarf staggered greatly, holding his half-crushed shield.

*Crunch!*

Taking advantage of the gap in his guard, I slammed my mace down on the top of his head. With that, the dwarf fell to the ground. However, judging from the fact that the space didn’t collapse, it didn’t seem like he was dead. ‘Did he faint?’ Whatever the case, he was quite a tough guy. ‘Anyway, that’s good.’

I rummaged through the dwarf’s bag and took out one item. It was a test tube containing the essence of the Manticore. Looking at it, I suddenly remembered what this guy had said when he was rolling the dice. [You’re lucky.] The number one phrase that didn’t suit my life. It was a bit ironic. The guy who said those words was about to die, and I was in the opposite position. I even thought that maybe luck was a sign of misfortune. But…….

“The test tube in the extended bag is still intact?”

I chuckled and muttered. “You’re lucky.” This much was okay. The rest was all things I had worked hard to achieve.

「The [Essence of the Manticore] permeates the character’s soul.」

I chugged the essence in the test tube. And at that moment.

*Thud thud thud thud!*

Vibrations began to be felt throughout the space. Somehow, I thought he was still alive even after taking that hit. He was dead now. ‘Anyway, the corpse will return to its original place, so I’ll take care of it later…….’

I closed my eyes and opened them, and I saw the familiar forest. I quickly checked my surroundings. It had been less than 5 minutes since I was dragged there.

*Boom! Crackle! Bang!*

The battle was still raging fiercely. However, the location of the battlefield had shifted slightly, perhaps because I had retreated after I was pulled away. To a point about 70m away from here. I needed to join as quickly as possible to help my teammates, who were clearly struggling. ‘Hmm, the distance seems just right.’ Therefore, I activated the new ability I had gained. The active skill contained in the Manticore’s yellow essence. ‘Leap.’ Feeling a strange lightness in my body, I jumped up with all my might. And…….

「The leaping power is temporarily increased by 10 times, and a strong shock is inflicted on the surroundings upon landing.」

My body, which had flown in a steep parabola, crashed into the center of the dwarf’s remnants like a meteor.

*Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!*

I finally had a movement skill.