Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 185

The dwarf had said that they would be much more advantageous without me. Now that I think about it, it wasn’t entirely nonsense.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh!*

My body, resisting the air, was shot like a cannonball. Looking from above, I could see the entire battle situation at a glance.

“We just need to hold out until Yandel gets here!!”

No one was seriously injured or killed, but my companions were having a hard time. With me, who had been acting as a wall, gone, the burden on my companions had increased several times over. Woong had been unsummoned, while the undead summoned by Priest Karui were swarming from all directions.

“Huh?”

At that moment, I made eye contact with Misha.

“Uh, uh?”

“Mr. Karlstein! Where are you looking… uh?”

I also made eye contact with Raven. Although there was a considerable distance, her jaw dropped, as if she was thinking:

‘Why is the barbarian flying?’

To correct one thing, I wasn’t flying. It would be more accurate to say I was falling. It was the Barbarian Meteor.

*KWAHHHHHHHHHHH!*

The moment I braced my waist and landed on both feet, a crater-like footprint was deeply etched into the ground. And…

*Zzzzzzt.*

A sensation of electricity coursed through my legs. If my bone density hadn’t been adjusted, my bones might have shattered. Thinking that, I checked my surroundings.

*Whoooooosh!*

A ring of dust spread out from the landing point. It was a side effect of the leap, which was used as a movement skill.

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

Area damage inflicted on the surroundings. Of course, the damage was minimal. Why else would I classify it as a movement skill? Unless it was a small area I had crushed, there was virtually no wide-area damage.

*Swishhhhhhh!*

The undead army was pushed back by the wind pressure. The dwarf remnants were just startled by the sudden intrusion, but they stood their ground even while facing the strong wind. However…

「The character’s total weight is over 500kg.」

「The special terrain effect [Rebound] is additionally applied to the damage range.」

Sorry, it’s because I’m in [Giant Form].

*Thud!*

Like thunder after lightning, the ground rippled as soon as the wind pressure disappeared, and everything standing on it was bounced away.

“Kyaaak!”

“What… !”

Hundreds of undead and dwarf remnants floated into the air. I grinned widely at the overwhelming sensation.

‘Luckily, my weight worked.’

I was secretly worried. Even though the equipment was also [Giant Form] through [Unification], there were still many parts of the equipment that I hadn’t matched. Well, even if it wasn’t for this, the biggest advantage of the [Leap] skill would be something else.

「The threat level is temporarily greatly increased.」

A threat level bonus granted for a short time after landing. This meant a lot to me. It meant that I had added another skill that could increase the fixed value of my threat level, following [Giant Form].

“That, that guy is here…”

“You, you little dwarf! Is that guy… dead?!”

“You said we could hold out!!”

Seeing the dwarf remnants, who seemed to have already lost their will to fight due to my appearance, I shouted.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaa!!!”

It was also the activation condition for [Wild Outburst].

「The character’s threat level is temporarily increased by 3 times, and physical stats increase in proportion to that value.」

Physical bonus proportional to threat level. Yeah, this is it. I felt like I had really become an ogre.

[Grrrk!]

The summoned creatures, which were classified as monsters, began to swarm towards me like crazy. On the other hand, the intelligent beings were different.

“Re, retreat! Retreat!”

“Ru, run away!”

The guys abandoned their formation and ran away as if they were under the ‘fear’ status effect. Well, was this a threat level or just a rational judgment?

*Thud! Thud! Whoosh! Thwack!*

With my super-giant mace and shield, and my two legs that were already like human weapons, I crushed and knocked away the undead summons and chased after the dwarf remnants.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

It was a bonus that I could hear the footsteps of a giant beast every time I ran.

“Block him! Block him! You’re a warrior!!”

“Crazy, how am I supposed to block that—”

The fleeing fairy archer stabbed a dagger into the beastman warrior’s thigh.

“Aaaagh! You damn bitch… !”

The beastman warrior rolled on the floor due to inertia.

“Uh, uh…?”

Soon, he was in my hand. A hand that was large enough to hold a person’s head with room to spare.

“…I, I surrender. I surrender—”

I slowly applied force. But was it because of [Wild Outburst]? He must have also invested in physical resistance or something.

*Crunch!*

It felt softer than a watermelon.

‘Then, next.’

Soon, [Wild Outburst] ended, and the crazed vitality disappeared, but there was no problem with the chase. In the first place, the third chapter hadn’t even ended yet. The radius of 500m was blocked by a barrier. Besides, I now had a movement skill.

*KWAHHHHH!*

When I used [Leap] to block their path, the dwarf remnants threw away their weapons and surrendered without a moment’s hesitation. They had judged that it was better to leave it to mercy. Well, there was a reason for that.

“P, please save us. We’ll do anything. To catch the guardian, we, we’ll be needed. Right?”

I needed to think about this part. First, with the help of my companions who arrived later, I disarmed the remnants. Okay, now I can turn off [Giant Form].

“Bjorn! What the heck was that earlier!! I want to do it too!!!”

Was it a barbarian instinct? There was a strong greed in Ainar’s eyes as he witnessed [Leap]. It was a greed that couldn’t be compared to the look he had when he saw cotton candy. I couldn’t hide my satisfaction and promised.

“Hehe, I’ll find something similar for you later.”

“Really!! You promised!!”

“Yeah, I promise.”

There was something similar to [Leap] in Ainar’s growth tree. It was a 3rd grade essence, so it would take a few years to obtain. Yeah, a barbarian should be able to jump.

“H, hey! P, please help me!”

Huh? It was a voice I heard while I was stripping the dwarf remnants of their equipment. When I turned my head, I saw a woman.

‘Ah, she was alive too…’

The new guide of HansG’s team. So, her name was… It’s annoying to ask, so let’s call her Guide Girl.

“Potion! Please, can you lend me a potion? I gave him what I had, but…”

Following the Guide Girl’s gaze, I saw the blunt weapon warrior lying on the floor.

“Is he alive?”

“Yes, yes!”

The Guide Girl nodded enthusiastically, as if she had seen a glimmer of hope. I pondered for a moment. Saving him was a given, but I was worried that using a potion might be a waste. Then, I grabbed Karui’s priest.

“Hi, hiik!”

Don’t be so scared. Who said I was going to kill you? I grabbed the priest and strode towards the blunt weapon warrior, placing him in front of him.

“Heal him.”

“Ye, yes!”

Although he served an evil god, Karui’s priest could also use general divine power. Well, if he couldn’t even do this, his disguise would be impossible.

*Swishhhhh.*

As divine power settled, the burns that covered the blunt weapon warrior’s body slowly disappeared. His breathing became much more stable.

“Thank you. Thank you. Really…”

“More importantly, what happened to the mage?”

“He, he passed away.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Wh, when I checked, his heart was already…”

“I see. We’ll take care of that side, so stay by his side until he wakes up. He’ll be confused too.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you… !”

When I returned to where my companions were, the process of turning the dwarf remnants into prisoners was over, and they were all wearing only their underwear.

“…Where did you get the gags to put on them?”

“I had them with me?”

What? Why gags? When I asked the reason out of pure curiosity, an unexpected answer came out.

“I’m interested in that kind of thing.”

“Uh… I, I see?”

I was genuinely flustered. But this kind of reaction might upset Raven.

“Yeah. That kind of thing… isn’t, isn’t bad?”

I made it clear that I had no negative opinions to avoid misunderstandings. But what is this again?

“Not bad? Mr. Yandel, are you also interested in monster studies?”

“Monster studies?”

When I tilted my head, Raven also tilted her head. Suddenly, a hypothesis came to mind.

“By any chance… are the gags for monsters?”

“Yes, why? I was thinking of capturing one to study later if I had the chance. No, wait, then who is Mr. Yandel using this on…”

Raven’s face turned bright red in an instant as she trailed off.

“…Don’t come near me in the future.”

“How far?”

“1 meter.”

“…Okay.”

With that, a half-joking agreement on distance was reached, and I approached the prisoner group. And I removed HansG’s gag. There was something I was curious about.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“Yes? Ah, yes! Wh, whatever you want!”

“How did the dwarves find out you were an evil spirit?”

“…Huh?”

HansG looked at me as if he had heard a strange question. However, he answered the question obediently without offending me. The truth was truly unexpected.

“Th, that person was also a p, player… no, a, an evil spirit.”

The dwarf was also from Earth. That’s why he could recognize HansG’s identity just by his actions.

“Tell me exactly what happened between the two of you.”

I listened to the details. It wasn’t a long story, except for the fact that he kept stuttering. The dwarf had contacted HansG through a magic tool during the night watch. And he revealed himself by saying things that only someone from Earth would know. HansG, happy to meet someone from Earth, admitted it. However, it was a trap. The dwarf had used a magic tool that recorded conversations. HansG, who was caught with this weakness, was threatened with a proposal to make a big score after catching the guardian. For reference, there was a carrot besides the stick. He would share the spoils fairly, and if things went wrong, he would take responsibility and take him to Noark, right?

“I, I refused. B, but… u, ugh!”

Since it was obvious that he would continue with a lame excuse, I ended the conversation and put the gag back in his mouth. I had already satisfied my curiosity anyway.

‘What is it with four players out of fifteen?’ The fairy archer, HansG, the dwarf, and even me. It was absurd, but in the end, I was the final winner. …Although the final battle was still left. In that sense, let’s move on to the new agenda. First, turn on team voice.

“I want to ask for your opinions.”

“About what to do with these people?”

“Yeah.”

It’s not like I’m going to take a majority vote. In reality, if I made a decision, all the team members would follow my opinion. But before that, I wanted to hear their opinions.

“They’re the ones who attacked us! Of course, we should kill them!”

“Hmm, I don’t know. If we can break the rift on our own, then of course it’s right to kill them…”

“Will those people really cooperate properly?”

The opinions were mostly similar. It was difficult to trust them.

“There’s a saying that an untrustworthy ally is more dangerous than an ogre.”

Even if we fought together, if we couldn’t fight properly because we were worried about their betrayal, it would be counterproductive.

“Still, the Noark side is better.”

“Better?”

“The moment they leave the rift, we won’t have to face them again, right? If we say we’ll spare their lives, there’s a possibility that they’ll try to bet on that side.”

Raven’s gaze turned to the fairy archer and HansG.

“But those two are different.”

Evil spirits. In a way, they were more evil and unsettling than the explorers of the underground city.

“That’s right! The chief also said that! Evil spirits must be killed as soon as they are discovered!”

“Yeah… I didn’t know before, but after experiencing today’s events, I understand. Why people say not to trust evil spirits…”

“They’re the ones who will do anything to hide their identity. It’s wise to get rid of them when the opportunity arises. Look at what happened to the one who trusted an evil spirit, the result is right there.”

Every word they said felt like a dagger piercing my heart. If my identity was revealed, what would happen to them? Would they look at me with the same eyes?

“So, what do you think, Mr. Yandel?”

Shaking off the meaningless thoughts, I spoke about the conclusion I had reached.

“I think it’s better to kill them now.”

From the beginning, I had no intention of letting them live. The only thing I was worried about was whether to kill them now or after defeating the guardian. I had already adapted well to this world.

“Can we defeat the guardian by ourselves?”

“We’ll have to try somehow.”

It sounded like a reckless statement, but it wasn’t without any basis. First of all, the blunt weapon warrior was alive. Our fighting force had increased to six. Also, there would be more useful items among the spoils, like the Guardian Corps insignia we obtained this time. Above all, if my prediction was correct, there would be one more mage.

“Then, all we have to do is find the doppelganger.”

“Yes. It’ll be a while before the Stone of Truth comes out, and since we’ve decided not to cooperate, we should just kill them all. If they’re sacrificed on the altar, they’ll be released later, right?”

“Turn off the voice control magic.”

After asking Raven to turn off the team voice magic, I approached the prisoner group. A silence that was cold yet strangely heated.

“…”

Their eyes, filled with a mixture of hope and anxiety, were focused on me. Well, if they had any sense, they would know. That the meeting was over and a decision had been made. There was no need for long words.

“It won’t hurt.”

Probably.

“Ugh, ugh! Ugh!!”

The prisoners, who had been waiting for me to open my mouth, struggled and said something. Like a candle flickering as they yearned for life. I swung my mace without hesitation. First, the priest of Karui, who was at the very end.

*Crunch!*

Next, the sorcerer.

*Crunch!*

HansG.

*Crunch!*

And finally, the fairy archer. I struck their heads with all my might, enough to kill them instantly, even if they were possessed by a doppelganger.

*Crunch.*

The entire process took only about 5 seconds. Those who had been struggling more fiercely than anyone before became quiet as if it were a lie. Four corpses with their heads crushed into the floor. Looking at them, I had only one thought.

‘I’m glad I put the gags on them.’

“Mr. Yandel! How can you just smash them like that!”

Huh?

“Even if it’s for monsters, you could break them if you’re not careful!”

Ah… But isn’t that not the important thing right now?

“You’re calm.”

“Huh? What do you mean…”

“Now that you’re the only one left as a doppelganger candidate.”

Nine people who couldn’t be verified by the verification magic. Among them, only Raven and I were left standing. But I used the Stone of Truth, so I was excluded. Did she realize the current situation late?

“Ah… !”

Raven shouted with wide eyes.

“It’s not me! Why would I be a doppelganger! No, this can’t be happening…? There must be some mistake…”

Yeah, that’s how it comes out.

“Raven is the doppelganger. Everyone, step back!”

At my shout, the three people next to Raven were startled and fell back.

“To, to think you were a doppelganger… I never would have dreamed of it.”

“Give Aruru back!! You’re a human mage! But still, she’s my precious companion!!”

The melee sisters were in shock. And…

“I, it’s really not me. Please believe me. When the Stone of Truth is created tomorrow, I’ll use it right away to check! Okay?”

“To try to make us use the Stone of Truth even when everything is over, you’re a truly cunning monster.”
The bear uncle quietly raised his crossbow and went on alert. Raven’s expression changed as if she was about to cry.

“N, no, it’s not…”

She could make this kind of face too.

“I, it’s really not me!!!”

Come to think of it, it was the first time she had shouted so loudly.

‘This is… precious.’

It was not a common sight, so I felt a strange desire, but… If I went any further, she might really cry. So, let’s end the joke here.

“Now you’re the only one left. But if it’s not you, then who is it?”

“Th, that’s… !”

“You were the one who said that the doppelganger would be released if the host died, even if they weren’t sacrificed on the altar, right?”

I gave a hint while pretending to corner her. I judged that our mage would be able to come up with one possibility with just this.

“Oh, maybe!! Someone might still be alive!! The doppelganger is good at pretending to be dead!”

That was the line I was waiting for.

“Someone is still alive…”

“Wh, where are you going?”

Raven shouted in panic as I moved. *Thump.* Soon, I stopped walking. It was the place where the unfortunate mage, whose shoulder was blown away by the dwarf, had laid down. First, I bent down and checked his pulse.

“…I, is he alive?”

“Be quiet.”

His heart wasn’t beating. His breathing had also stopped. *Thump thump.* I got up and kicked the injured area.

“…”

He didn’t move. Well, is he enduring this much? I took out a potion and poured it on him.

*Fzzzzzzzz.*

The wound bubbled and healed.

“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK—!!”

Yeah, you can’t resist a potion either.