Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 213

A 4th-rank explorer using aura.

I would have considered him a truly frustrating enemy.

Yes, if it were the old me.

Whoosh-!

Of course, I haven’t fully activated my aura yet.

Aura on a 5th-stage metal Adamantium greatsword?

My Moonlight Stone shield would surely be reduced to scrap metal in an instant.

But…

“You’ll be fun to cut down.”

[Dungeon & Stone] isn’t just a game about HP/MP or item levels.

4th rank, swordsman, 3rd rank tank, whatever.

A hardcore game where one misjudgment could lead to a character’s death.

“Cutting down my ass.”

No matter how strong you are, if you take a critical hit, you’re done for.

In that sense.

“Come.”

He’s not an opponent I can’t beat.

There’s a penalty that I have to finish this quickly because enemies are also swarming from behind, but.

This is also a problem that can be solved by sacrificing something.

“Those barbarian bastards never know their place.”

I just desperately hope.

That he isn’t prepared for this.

There’s no time to safely strategize by figuring out his skills and equipment through reconnaissance.

The living and the dead will be decided in an instant.

As it always has been.

“Behel—raaaaaaaa!!”

I abandon fear.

Thud.

Then, I heard the sound of the ground being kicked.

Whoosh-!

A guy with a physique over 190 [cm, roughly 6’3″], for a human, rushes into the mist-filled passage.

Whoosh!

The greatsword is swung.

Thud.

Rather than blocking with my shield, I quickly dodged to the side.

Not because I’m worried about the expensive shield I bought, but simply because it’s pointless.

If you’re going to sacrifice something, you have to gain something.

Like this.

Swoosh-!

The greatsword slams down above my left elbow.

“Hey, Yandel-ssi…!!”

In an instant, I became a one-armed man.

The second time I’ve experienced this since the battle with the Lord of Chaos, Lyakis.

I wasn’t particularly upset.

I abandoned the complacency of winning with all my limbs intact the moment I faced him.

Chiiiik.

I aim the severed stump of my arm at him and spray the acidic blood that gushes out like a fountain.

“Aaaaaaack!!”

Luckily, it hit him in the eye.

‘Jackpot.’

I sacrificed my arm to block his vision.

Of course, that time won’t be long, but…

“Raven, use Lava Eruption!”

I give the order and stick close to him.

Since he uses a greatsword as a weapon, I judged that he can’t hurt me with aura at this distance.

If I hadn’t blocked his vision, I would have had to sacrifice something bigger to get close.

“But if you do that, Yandel-ssi will also…!!”

“It’s okay, just use it!!”

“Okay…!”

I quickly cut off my breathing and put strength into my muscles.

It’s similar to when I was wrestling with trolls on the 4th floor.

“You damn bastard!!”

Fierce resistance.

Scales sprout from his body.

One of the [Experiment] effects that temporarily increases physical stats.

I expected it since he uses aura.

‘He’s a pure stat type after all.’

Coincidentally, I’m a similar type.

“Hold still.”

I used [Giantization] again.

I haven’t used it for a few minutes, so I judged that I’d have enough MP to use it for about 30 seconds.

“Ugh.”

The guy groaned and bent over as the increased weight instantly pressed down on him.

Whoosh, whoosh!

With me on his back, he blindly swung his greatsword around. Aura mercilessly sliced through the walls of the passage and everything else.

“Are you scared because you can’t see?”

“I’ll kill you!!!”

“Everyone, step back!!”

Because of his sword dance, everyone, including Misha, couldn’t approach to add more attacks.

However, it’s actually good for me.

Thanks to his struggles, the enemies are also unable to easily approach to help him.

“You moron.”

“Aaaaaaack!!”

He tilted his upper body as if trying to throw me over his shoulder.

But so what?

Sticking to the enemy like a leech is one of the basic qualities of a tank.

Thud-!

Our bodies fell and overlapped.

It’s far from a scene in a romance movie.

More like the final brawl in a thriller movie.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Finally, he dropped his greatsword and repeatedly punched me in the ear.

Of course, there was no problem.

You can’t use aura with your hands, can you?

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

I can just endure physical attacks with physical resistance.

Well, since he’s using an Adamantium greatsword, his strength is considerable, and my brain keeps shaking, but…

It’s just a minor injury compared to my severed arm.

“Keshial-nim!!”

As his mindless sword dance was forcibly stopped, the enemies who couldn’t approach rushed towards me.

But…

“A-are you really going to shoot…?!”

Too late.

“What are you asking!!”

The magic was complete.

“…Iherno Wature Tunbar!”

The 4th-rank fire attribute attack magic, ‘Lava Eruption’.

Fwoooosh!!

The dark red lava spewed from Raven’s staff engulfs us.

I immediately adjusted my posture.

From the position where I was strangling his neck while pressing down on him, I made it so that I was on the ground and he was on top.

“Let go, you barbarian…!”

He shouts, having regained his vision.

It seems he saw the lava engulfing us.

“Why don’t you like it hot?”

Then you should have raised your fire resistance, you bastard.

“No!!”

I tightly closed my eyes.

At that moment.

Fwoooosh-!

I felt a heat that seemed to melt everything.

“Aaaaaaaack!”

At the same time, I felt something flowing down my skin.

The flowing substance quickly cooled and hardened.

「Your character’s health is below 50%.」

「Due to the passive skill [Path of the Hero], all resistance and tolerance stats are increased.」

Fire resistance attached to the 3rd stage of the Undying Mark.

The Manticore’s magic resistance.

The Orb of Fire.

‘And yet, it’s this much…’

My whole body is hot and itchy.

It’s like I drank a potion.

The pain that pierces through pain resistance.

But, so what?

Wanting not to hurt?

That’s something I’m abandoning like a passive skill.

Because, I’ll say it again, this isn’t a kind world.

‘…Should I have asked for ‘Cold-Blooded’ too?’

The sudden weakness was quickly pushed aside.

Isn’t Raven’s mana already running low?

We need to conserve resources.

“Keheok.”

I push away the guy who has turned into charcoal and stand up.

It feels like my insides have been cooked and turned into sundae [Korean blood sausage].

On the other hand, when I move my body, something crispy falls off in pieces.

Is this crispy on the outside and moist on the inside?

“Hey, Yandel-ssi? A-are you okay?”

“…I just got a little burnt.”

“A little burnt, you say…”

I had to endure this much to take down a guy who uses aura in a short time.

Besides, the bleeding from my elbow has stopped.

It was cauterized by the fire magic.

It’s a jackpot in many ways—

“Kueeeuk.”

Damn it, why is this guy still alive?

Did he have fire resistance too?

Seeing him get up like me, I quickly turned my body and reached out my only remaining hand towards the shield I had thrown away earlier.

It was at that moment.

「Your character’s soul power is insufficient.」

「[Giantization] will end.」

[Giantization] ends, and my body loses balance and tilts.

At the same time, my hand, which was close to the shield, moves away.

Thump-!

Even in a situation where heat is pouring out of my whole body, my spine felt cold.

If he were to take out his greatsword here.

No, even if he took out a dagger and stabbed me in the neck, it would be game over.

The worst-case scenario was drawn in my head.

But…

“Ke, keheok.”

When I turned my falling body and hurriedly checked behind me.

He was moving away, showing his back.

Staggering, but at a fast pace.

“…”

My body stiffened at the unexpected scene for a moment.

Then, I let out a sigh of relief.

‘I’m lucky.’

He couldn’t abandon his arrogance.

So, he blocked me alone even though he had allies.

“Heok, heok, heuek…”

He didn’t abandon the hope that there would be another opportunity later.

So, even though he had a chance to kill me, he chose to flee to survive.

I understand his feelings.

“You, you damn barbarian, bastard…”

For him, the battle with me wasn’t about survival.

There was no reason to fight risking his life.

That’s why.

The reason why our positions are reversed now.

“Where, are you going?”

I grabbed the greatsword he left behind instead of the shield. The strength I gained through the ogre was enough to wield the Adamantium greatsword with one hand.

“…B-block him!”

I quickly chased after him.

The distance was closed in an instant.

His steps were weak, probably because of the damage to his body.

Soon, I was within sword’s reach.

“You have to leave your neck behind.”

Swordsman isn’t bad either.

Swoosh-!

I smiled at the feeling in my hand from the tip of the sword and shouted.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaa!!!”

I survived.

For now, at least.

***

The time it took to meet a 4th-rank aura user and cut off his head was about 2 minutes.

That’s how battles are.

It doesn’t take long for the winner and loser to be decided.

Even a knight who has trained his whole life.

Even a high-ranking explorer who has been in and out of the labyrinth countless times.

They can lose their lives in an instant in this world.

“Ainar!!”

Without even enjoying the afterglow of victory, I threw the greatsword I was holding to Ainar.

“Huh? Huh?”

What are you so flustered about?

You have to take what you can.

I thought of you the moment I saw it.

‘Too bad.’

With my hand empty again, I picked up the shield and tried to turn my gaze away from his corpse.

Sigh, I feel like I could get something useful if I looted more.

‘There’s no time for that.’

I abandon my greed and look ahead.

“Keshial-nim has been attacked!!”

“Kill them!!”

The enemies who had paused because of ‘Lava Eruption’ have regained their senses and are now rushing at us.

I drag my tattered body forward.

Because that’s my role.

Shield Charge.

I grab the shield with my one remaining arm, put my weight on my shoulder, and run forward.

It seems that the explorers’ levels are much higher than on the outside, probably because we’re almost at our destination.

Just like that aura user from before.

This must be the front line.

Clang.

A potion flies and breaks without an order.

A soft pain, like burning flesh with fire rather than stabbing a wound with an awl.

“It’s a high-grade potion that Yandel-ssi likes!”

Oh, that’s why.

‘I feel like I’m getting my strength back.’

Let’s try again with more strength.

We’re really close now, right?

The summit is right in front of us.

“I’ll help from now on too!”

Ainar stood next to me.

“Where’s Raven?”

“I left him with Urakburak!”

Good judgment.

Raven probably suggested it.

“Behel—raaaaaaaaaa!!!”

I stopped checking how far we’ve come through the terrain.

I’m only focusing on this moment.

“Misha! Stick right behind me!”

Just a little further.

“Erwen! Now! Use that!”

Yes, just a little further.

“Kehek! Ah, no. Not now…”

“Yandel! Raven’s mana is depleted!”

Then, Raven’s magic support, who was being carried by Bear Ahjussi, ended.

This means that it’s no longer possible to forcibly open a path with [Oxygen Explosion] whenever the path is blocked or the speed slows down.

“Ah, no! Lena…!”

As the speed slowed down, another person died.

It was the sorcerer from the Takelan team.

A support-type sorcerer who specialized in defense and support, a woman who had been reliably protecting our rear.

“We’re almost there…!”

It’s going to get harder from now on.

I grit my teeth and push away the pangs of conscience.

“Damn it all!!”

There’s no time to cover my ears.

Even if there was, I shouldn’t.

It was my decision.

Choice and focus.

What to abandon.

And what cannot be abandoned.

What I wanted to protect.

“…Misha!”

“Don’t worry! I can still fight…!”

In the midst of a fierce battle where it wouldn’t be strange if one more person died, everyone is opening a path with one heart and one mind.

How much time has passed like that?

“This way!”

Finally, a dark passage appeared.

As soon as I saw it, I immediately changed direction and entered the passage.

“Erwen, vision!”

“Y-yes!”

Instead of Raven, who was out of mana, Erwen summoned a fire spirit to illuminate the surroundings.

A passage with sparse, colorless crystals.

There were no city explorers waiting for us.

But…

“Bjorn! They’re not following us!!”

The pursuit stopped as if this was the starting point.

Yes, this is the boundary where the areas are divided.

“Don’t let your guard down and keep moving.”

It’s still too early to relax.

I didn’t slow down and continued to move forward. I judged that it’s not too late to rest, drink potions, and reorganize after safety is secured.

About 3 minutes passed since then?

We encountered the group we had been so eager to see.

“Halt.”

A group of ten knights.

There were naked corpses all around.

They were probably from the Noark side.

I’m glad I risked my life to come this far.

If I think of them as our allies, I already feel reassured—

‘Huh?’

The knight who made eye contact with me drew his sword and slowly took a step forward.

Aura was surging from the sword.

I shouted urgently.

“We’re not the enemy! We even have an identification mark—”

Ah, my arm… I left it there.

“I don’t have it, but the others all have it!”

I hurriedly continued, but the reaction was cold.

“Now you’re even resorting to petty tricks. That path is occupied by the Noark bastards. And you appear from there with an identification mark?”

Well, I guess it’s hard to believe.

The fact that we’re in this state would also make it seem like we’re disguised to infiltrate as spies.

Then, what should I do?

Would they believe me if I mentioned the nickname ‘Little Vulcan’?

After thinking for a moment, I realized there was a better way.

“Misha, take off your ring and show it to them.”

Coincidentally, there was an item I received to use in times like this.