Surviving the Game As a Barbarian [EN]: Chapter 24

I’m running through the darkness.

I occasionally glance at the compass to check my direction, pushing myself with all my might, like a madman.

“Gurgle!”

Various monsters like ghouls and skeletons blocked our path, but they were all slow, so they weren’t a problem.

But that would be the same for the one chasing us.

Tadat-tadat-tadat!

Has it been about five minutes?

The psycho bitch should be done looting by now.

That’s the only good thing.

If we hadn’t looked like beginners, she wouldn’t have given up on looting and would have chased us right away.

On the other hand, it’s proof that she had the means and confidence to chase us even if we had some time.

Still, it’s something that bought us some time.

“Bjorn, isn’t that the mark?”

A rare piece of good news follows.

In the Land of the Dead, there are ruined stone buildings everywhere.

I marked them every time I passed them.

To find the first-floor portal later.

“It’s this way!”

We were active nearby, but the discovery was faster than expected.

Maybe luck is on our side—

“Who are you!”

Damn it, I shouldn’t have planted that flag.

Ainar and I stopped at the same time.

It’s because we ran into another group of explorers.

No, maybe it’s a good thing?

To explorers, looters are like public enemies.

If we explain the situation and offer a reasonable reward, we might get help.

“Barbarians?”

The group of explorers, who were pointing their weapons at us in the dark, tilted their heads.

There are four of them.

They are all humans, and their equipment looks at least twice as good as ours.

It’s hard to trust humans, but we have no choice.

“We’re being chased by a looter. We need help.”

“What’s the guarantee that you’re not the looters?”

“I swear on the honor of a warrior. Everything I say is true.”

Unlike the promise of a fairy, there is no compulsion in a warrior’s oath, but…

Surprisingly, this oath works well everywhere.

The bald guy, who seems to be the leader of the four, pondered for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“If we catch the looter, we’ll take all the reward. Do you agree?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

The bald guy gestured, and the other explorers lowered their weapons.

Clearly, if I hadn’t been a barbarian, it would have taken more time to ease their vigilance.

“Come here first. We’ll talk in detail later.”

As we approached them, a blonde with a height of about 160 used their ability.

“It’s a gnome’s ability. On the ground, it can synchronize you with surrounding objects within a 3-meter radius.”

In other words, it’s like a goblin archer’s stealth ability, but in a range.

However, the disadvantage is that you can’t move.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

“You’re lucky.”

The bald guy said, looking at me.

Indeed, that’s true.

To randomly meet a group of explorers with a range stealth ability? With this, it might be possible to avoid combat altogether—

“Two barbarians rolling in, huh.”

Shit, it was a monologue.

I knew something was going too well.

Of course, it’s impossible.

***

「The character has fallen into a [Suppressed] state.」

***

“Hehehe.”

The eyes of the explorers, including the bald guy, are filled with greed.

One of them is already rummaging through my backpack and has even opened the magic stone pouch.

“You’ve earned quite a lot in just two days.”

I want to smash his head with a mace right now, but my body won’t move.

And it’s the same for Ainar.

“Why, are you surprised that your body suddenly won’t move?”

There’s no need to look further; it’s the power of essence [a magical energy source].

I can already guess what kind of essence it is.

There are many similar abilities, but there’s only one that these guys, who are just average explorers like us, would have.

‘Stone Golem’s [Suppression], huh…’

It’s certain.

I’ve been hit by the active skill of an 8th-grade monster, Stone Golem.

The easiest way to break free is to take damage, even if it’s just 1, but…

If these bastards have any sense, they’ll be careful.

“Hey, friend, it’s no use glaring like that. It’s not an ability that can be broken like that.”

It’s the worst situation, not even enough to call it terrible.

Damn it, I went through all that trouble to survive, and I’m going to die like this?

“Look at those fierce eyes? Do you still not understand the situation?”

“Okay, Lamode. Let’s finish this. If the looter these guys met comes, it’ll be annoying.”

“Tch, that’s a shame. I caught a woman, but she’s a barbarian.”

“You’re stupid, isn’t it better because she’s a barbarian? Just selling her heart would be worth a lot, right?”

The ugly desires that are revealed are felt all over my body through my skin.

The bald guy then took out a sharp blade.

“Kill them cleanly in one go. It’ll be annoying otherwise.”

“Tsk, don’t worry.”

Whoosh!

Murderous intent flies through the air.

The direction it’s aimed at is none other than my neck.

‘…My neck?’

Even in a situation where death is imminent, my brain combined the given information and suggested one method.

Of course, I didn’t know if it would really work.

However, it would be much more productive than looking back on my life and regretting it.

Stab!

The sharp blade pierces my neck.

At the same time, a tingling sensation occurs, and my stiff body loosens.

I immediately tilted my head back.

Like a boxer turning their face to deflect the power of a punch.

Time slows down.

“…Huh?”

The bald guy’s bewildered expression is visible.

The hand that was holding the dagger is empty.

Only then do I feel a foreign sensation in my neck.

‘Ah, it’s already half-stuck.’

The moment I realized it, my brain briefly concluded.

Not bad.

Since the bleeding is minimal, I’ll be able to hold out a little longer.

Tss.

I force strength into my legs, which are about to give way, and regain my balance.

And then, I swing the mace I was holding.

Towards the bald guy’s shiny bald head.

Crack-!

The bald guy, with half of his face caved in, collapses.

At about 0.5x speed.

“Darvan!!”

Several panicked faces are visible from all around.

Why the hell, didn’t you expect a guy with a knife in his neck to retaliate?

“Yo, you…”

Actually, I didn’t know either.

That this would work.

“Sh, it…”

Something keeps rising from my neck with a gurgling sound.

All the strength drains from my body, and the light blurs.

Is it shock?

I feel a tingling sensation from my toes to the top of my head.

Oxygen and blood are lacking.

Clang!

My hand must have loosened, as the mace and shield I was holding also fell to the floor.

I want to collapse and rest right now, but…

There’s still something left to do.

I didn’t go through all this trouble just to take one more bastard with me.

Tss.

I take a step and raise my staggering body.

And after pulling out the knife stuck in my neck.

I throw it towards Ainar, who is about four steps away.

Stab!

Oh, I didn’t expect it to stick.

“Ugh!”

Sorry, but at least your body can move now.

Swoosh!

At the same time as the dagger pierced his forearm, Ainar swung his greatsword and bisected the archer who was nearby.

And as if it were a linked movement, he rotated once more and then leaped, smashing the head of another guy.

The iron helmet the guy was wearing was useless.

Crack-!

Blood flowed down through the helmet, which had turned into a piece of scrap metal.

“Th, this crazy…!”

The blonde, who was standing far away, saw this and immediately ran away without looking back.

Situation judgment as fast as a goblin.

“Bjorn!”

Ainar, who had finished clearing the surroundings, rushed to me, who was kneeling, in a hurry.

Okay, then I can leave the rest to—

“Bjorrrn…!”

Ainar hugged me and cried out my name mournfully.

…It’s like he’s treating me like a dead person.

Feeling ominous, I forced my closing eyes open and said.

“Po, cough.”

“I understand! I will definitely take revenge!”

No, forget about revenge.

「Achievement Unlocked」

Condition: Health drops below 0.1%.

Reward: Mental stat permanently increases by +3.

I desperately opened my mouth.

“Po, tion…”

Damn it, save me.

***

「Bjorn Yandel」

Level: 2

Physical: 66 / Mental: 40 (New +3) Ability: 11

Item Level: 218

Total Combat Power: 171.5 (New +3)

***

Chiiiiiiik!

The hole in my neck begins to heal, accompanied by pain.

But I’m happy.

Because I can feel so clearly that life is being breathed into my dying body.

“Kehehehe.”

The pain, like burning flesh, awakens my dulled mind.

…I’m alive.

I really thought I was crossing the river Styx [a mythological river separating the living from the dead] this time.

I’m glad I didn’t do anything else and got the immortal mark with 1.4 million stones.

If not, I would have died a long time ago.

“Ainar.”

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“Equipment, take the equipment first…”

As soon as I had the strength to speak, I gave instructions to Ainar.

Then, I barely managed to raise my body and poured the remaining potion down my throat.

Gulp, gulp.

It’s all money, but it can’t be helped.

Even if the wound on my neck seems to be healed, I don’t know what’s going on inside.

I don’t know what kind of damage the previous incident caused to my brain.

So, it’s better to be fully prepared.

“Kehehe…”

Indeed, soon after, a tingling sensation arose from the back of my head.

Judging by the intensity of the pain, it doesn’t seem serious, but if I had left it alone, it might have led to a big problem.

“Would it be okay if I checked it for a moment?”

“…The equipment?”

“I’ve collected everything I could see for now.”

In that case.

I nodded, and Ainar lifted my chin and carefully examined the wound.

“You’ll have a scar.”

It’s a bit strange.

Come to think of it, Erwen said something similar.

Well, the emotions contained within are completely different.

“Amazing. You’re the only barbarian with a scar on your neck!”

Does he see this as a medal?

Well, even if you’re a barbarian who lives by relying on your body, it’s not common for a guy to survive with a hole in his neck.

“What are we going to do now?”

Ainar asks about our future plans.

I also focused my mind.

It was just a moment ago that I was walking on the tightrope of life and death, but…

Nothing has been resolved yet.

“How much time has passed?”

“At most, about 5 minutes.”

5 minutes, huh…

Rather, meeting these bastards has made the situation worse.

I was crazy.

No matter how urgent it was, how could I try to borrow the power of other explorers?

Anyway, let’s regret it later.

“Which way did that guy run away?”

“That way.”

I led Ainar in the direction the blonde had run away.

Even though the floor was muddy, there were no footprints, so proper tracking was impossible, but…

As expected.

“There he is.”

I could find the blonde not far away.

Well, how far could he go when it’s so dark around here?

He must have hit his head on the remains of a building while running blindly, as he was lying on the floor, unconscious.

“Hic! Pl, please save me!”

After taking away anything that could be used as a weapon and roughly kicking his back to wake him up, the blonde prostrated himself.

It’s a very polite attitude compared to before.

Earlier, he clicked his tongue because the woman he caught was a barbarian.

“Uh, uhuk!”

Ainar grabbed the guy’s collar and easily lifted him up with one hand.

But because the blonde’s physique is small, his feet don’t touch the ground even with that.

“Ke, keheok!”

Watching a person struggle with their neck being strangled, I don’t feel sympathy, but rather a sense of relief.

That’s right, if you’re going to give advice, you should have done it properly.

Aim for the head, not the neck.

If he had done that, there would have been nothing I could do, regardless of potions or the immortal mark.

“Ainar, let him go.”

Even though he had doubts about the order, Ainar let go.

Thud, I approached the guy who had fallen and gave him an order in his ear.

“Use your ability. If you want to live.”

That’s the only reason I didn’t immediately cut off this yellow rat’s head.

The gnome’s ability that this guy has.

I need it right now.

“I, I used it!”

“How long can you maintain it?”

“30 minutes! No, I can last 40 minutes! So—!”

He talks too much.

I wish he would just answer what I ask.

I grabbed the guy’s collar and asked again.

“How long does it take to use it again?”

“I, I need to rest as long as I used it.”

“I see.”

I released the hand that was holding his collar.

And I pressed his upper body down with my foot so that he wouldn’t even dare to run away.

Just like when I deal with goblins.

“Isn’t it better to just kill him? It seems like that woman has given up on us anyway.”

I wondered what the hell he was talking about, but I realized that it might look that way from his perspective.

She did run away in a hurry, but it’s not clear whether she was actually being chased.

Even considering the looting time, it was definitely strange that she hadn’t shown her face yet.

“Give up…”

Certainly, that possibility exists.

Maybe we were just small fry that the psycho bitch didn’t think was worth chasing.

If she went back to the city and testified, would that be a problem?

If the face we saw earlier was actually a disguise using some kind of magic, it would explain it.

But…

Pfft.

There’s no way things would go that well.

Not when I’m the opponent.